[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7796]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRESS AND NATION SHOULD UNITE TO STAND FOR PRINCIPLE, FOR OUR 
                       ALLIANCE, AND FOR FREEDOM

  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I was elected to this House on May 19, 1981 
in a special election. I had decided to get into politics when John 
Kennedy ran for President of the United States and he gave an inaugural 
address, what I think was probably the most famous in our history, 
perhaps. He said that this Nation would pay any price, bear any burden 
to defend freedom here and around the world.
  I love this institution. I am proud that I am a Member of the House 
of Representatives. But I have served no worse day than this one in the 
House of Representatives.
  The previous speaker talked about the cooperation of our Russian 
allies. I agree with that proposition. But more importantly is the 
cooperation of each of us in a nonpartisan, bipartisan way to say that 
when our Nation and when our leader makes a determination to confront 
tyranny, dictatorship and genocide, that we will stand together.
  Our young people are flying out of Aviano tonight, this day, this 
hour. I hope the message that we send to them is not as a divided House 
or Nation but as a Nation that sees its duty and responsibility as the 
leader of the free world and, when it comes to the water's edge, can 
unite to stand for principle and for our alliance and for freedom.

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