[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16505]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1100
            MOMENT OF SILENCE IN TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON

  (Ms. WATSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, we rise to pay a 1-minute tribute to a 
star that shot high into the sky and now remains there. We would like 
all of those to join us who would like to take a moment to remember 
Michael Jackson, so Members may come and join us here at the mike.
  I would just like to say to our House of Representatives, to the 
country and to the world, a young man has left Earth but now resides in 
the stars. He was a talented, multitalented person who entertained the 
world with his dynamic portrayals, the songs that he had written, and 
his style of dancing. We think that it is appropriate to say that we 
pay tribute to the culture that he has left behind, his legacy.
  I would like now to ask my colleague, Mr. Jackson, if he would close 
out, and all those who stand with us send our condolences, our 
heartfelt sorrow to his family, his friends, and to his millions of 
fans throughout the world.
  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Speaker, if there is a God, and I 
believe there is, and that God distributes grace and mercy and talent 
to all of his children, on August 29, 1958, he visited Gary, Indiana, 
and touched a young man with an abundance of his blessings. With that 
gift, Michael Joe Jackson would touch and change the world. His heart 
couldn't get any bigger, and yesterday, it arrested.
  I come to the floor today on behalf of a generation to thank God for 
letting all of us live in his generation and in his era.
  With that, Madam Speaker, we would ask Members to please stand for a 
moment of silence.

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