[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 17, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H6268]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             WE HAVE TO ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Al Green) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, once again, I rise because I love 
my country. I am proud to say that I am an American.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I believe that, when democracy is 
at risk and the Republic is on the line, you have to take a stand.
  I rise today because to be silent could be concluded as being 
acquiescent. To be silent can be said to be complicit. To be silent, 
according to Dr. King, at some point can be said to be seen as 
betrayal.
  I rise because I love my country. Because I love my country, I will 
not allow myself to be driven by polls. I thank God that the great 
freedom fighters, the great wrong-righters were not driven by polls. If 
Dr. King, Rosa Parks, the great freedom fighters, had been driven by 
polls, I wouldn't be standing here today.
  They drove the polls. They didn't adjust to the polls. They had the 
polls, the people who gave their thoughts, to adjust to righteousness.
  So I rise today to speak truth to power, not driven by polls, not 
driven by political expediency. I rise today to let the world know that 
our country is better than what we saw in Helsinki.

  I rise today to say to my colleagues: We have to act. Yes, we can 
talk about all of the atrocities imposed upon our society by this 
President, but that is not enough. At some point, we have to act, and 
more and more people are starting to say what that action is. More and 
more of the people who present the news and give commentary are 
starting to say what that action is.
  It is unfortunate that we haven't gotten to the point where we are 
going to act not withstanding the polls, we are going to act 
notwithstanding political expediency, we are going to act because there 
is a moral imperative to remove a President from office who puts 
democracy at risk and the Republic on the line.
  There is a moral imperative for us to take a stand. And we can do all 
of the things that can lead up to what the Framers of the Constitution 
afforded us. We can do many things, but Article II, section 4 of the 
Constitution was created for a time such as this and a President such 
as Trump.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a solution to a President who puts himself 
above his country. The Framers of the Constitution knew that we would 
have this moment in time, and they gave us the solution. We but only 
have to have the courage, the intestinal fortitude, to stand up for our 
country and impeach this President.
  The time has come. No more political expediency. No more driven by 
the polls. Stand for our country on a moral imperative.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the President.

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