[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 28305]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

  (Mr. PEARCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise for the purpose of entering into the 
Record how I would have voted on issues before the House on which I was 
unavailable to vote on Wednesday, October 29; Thursday, October 30; and 
Friday, October 31.
  On Wednesday, October 29, on rollcall No. 577, I would have voted 
``yes.'' On rollcall No. 578, I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall 
No. 579, I would have voted ``yes.''
  On Thursday, October 30, on rollcall No. 580, I would have voted 
``no.'' On rollcall No. 581, I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall 
No. 582, I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall No. 583, I would have 
voted ``yes.'' On rollcall No. 584, I would have voted ``no.'' On 
rollcall No. 585, I would have voted ``no.'' On rollcall No. 586, I 
would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall No. 587, I would have voted 
``yes.'' On rollcall No. 588, I would have voted ``no.'' On rollcall 
No. 589, I would have voted ``no.'' On rollcall No. 590, I would have 
voted ``no.'' On rollcall No. 591, I would have voted ``no.'' On 
rollcall No. 592, I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall No. 593, I 
would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall No. 594, I would have voted 
``no.'' On rollcall No. 595, I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall 
No. 596, I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall No. 597, I would have 
voted ``yes.'' On rollcall No. 598, I would have voted ``no.'' On 
rollcall No. 599, I would have voted ``no.'' On rollcall No. 600, I 
would have voted ``no.'' On rollcall No. 601, I would have voted 
``yes.''
  Mr. Speaker, the reason for my absence and for not voting on these 
important issues was because I was a member of a congressional 
delegation that went to Iraq to visit our troops and to personally 
observe conditions there.
  We were able to visit our troops in Landstuhl, Germany, who have been 
injured bringing freedom to Iraq. We saw the excellent job our forces 
are doing, simultaneously setting up a free and fair democracy while 
bringing evildoers to justice and establishing peace in Iraq. We saw 
the people working together regardless of ethnicity or religion, to 
restore businesses and hope to a country formerly under control of 
despots. Because of our troops and the freedom they are establishing in 
Iraq, the people there have hope, which they have not had since Saddam 
Hussein became dictator.
  Mr. Speaker, while the business before this House is important, we 
must also realize that the foundation for all of our actions in this 
Chamber is the freedoms granted to us in the Constitution and the Bill 
of Rights. Our presence in Iraq is allowing the Iraqi people to, for 
the first time, establish a Constitution where the Iraqis will have the 
freedom to vote for a representative government, where the rule of law 
will prevail, where citizens will not fear for their lives, their 
property or their freedom. Let us not forget why we are able to 
participate in this body, and let us not deny that freedom to Iraq.

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