[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2202]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1630
                         PAY ATTENTION AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Price) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the American people mostly don't 
pay a whole lot of attention to what goes on here on the floor, and 
it's probably better, but hopefully they're paying attention now 
because it's a sad day, and they need to take note.
  Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that what has happened today on this 
floor has been an abrogation of duty, an abrogation of our duty as 
representatives of the people, the finest Nation on the face of the 
Earth. But given what we've done today, we may not be there long.
  Mr. Speaker, there are individuals who have as their stated goal the 
destruction of the West. You can call them what you will, radical 
jihadists, terrorists. Their threats are real and they are continuing. 
And this House, under this liberal Democrat leadership, is ignoring 
their words.
  You don't have to take my word for the fact that these threats are 
real. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, allegedly on 
orders from al Qaeda. And one might say, well, that's 6 weeks ago. 
Well, just in the past 48 hours we have seen threats from other radical 
jihadists. In Denmark, 3 jihadists were arrested in a plot to murder a 
cartoonist for drawing an editorial cartoon years ago that they found 
objectionable. Mr. Speaker, I know that some on the majority side view 
this as comic relief, I guess, but the 3 jihadists who were arrested to 
plot the murder of a cartoonist in Denmark within the past 48 hours 
didn't view it as comedy. And this Democrat majority and leadership 
says, oh, that's okay, don't worry about it. Mr. Speaker, I hope the 
American people are paying attention.
  In the last 48 hours, in the Philippines, jihadists with 2 terrorist 
groups associated with al Qaeda are said to be plotting to assassinate 
the Filipino President and bomb western embassies. And this Democrat 
majority leadership says, oh, that's okay, don't worry.
  Mr. Speaker, in the last 48 hours in Iraq, the reputed leader of al 
Qaeda in Iraq posted on a jihadi Web site a call for war with Israel 
and for jihadists to use Iraq as a launching pad to seize Jerusalem. 
And this Democrat majority leadership says, oh, that's okay, don't 
worry about it.
  And just this morning, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah raised the 
prospect of war with Israel declaring, ``Zionists, if you want this 
kind of open war, let the whole world listen: Let this war be open.'' 
And the Democrat majority leadership in this House said, that's okay, 
don't worry about it.
  Mr. Speaker, I am astounded that the House of Representatives will 
leave town today and go home when Saturday of this week the opportunity 
and the ability of our intelligence community to protect us and other 
freedom-loving people around the world will expire. I'm astounded.
  Most of what we do on this floor my constituents think doesn't make a 
whole lot of difference in their lives. Mr. Speaker, this makes a whole 
lot of difference in the lives of my constituents, in the lives of your 
constituents, in the lives of every single American. And not to have 
acted today on this bill to allow our intelligence community to keep us 
safe and protect us, I would suggest, Mr. Speaker, is an abrogation of 
duty.
  I call on the Democrat leadership and the Speaker of the House to 
bring us back into session as soon as possible and, on behalf of the 
American people, act responsibly, live up to your oath, and pass this 
bill, the Protect America Act.

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