[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 4066-4067]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I'm not going to take my entire 5 
minutes here, but I wanted to come to the floor after hearing about, 
experiencing, and

[[Page 4067]]

reading some reports of what happened here today in the Nation's 
Capitol to some of the finest servants that this institution has ever 
seen by some of these tea bagger protestors who have been out today.
  It's one thing to have disagreements on policy and it's one thing to 
have disagreements on political philosophy and how that is implemented 
and the role, either more or less of government, and what the 
government role and responsibility may be, but today, we had several 
Members of Congress, as they were walking from this Chamber back to 
their office, get spit upon; get called derogatory, racial remarks; 
derogatory remarks about a Member of Congress' sexual orientation. That 
is unacceptable. And I am calling upon, Mr. Speaker, the Republicans 
who spoke at this tea party today and who have supported this movement 
to come out and condemn this tea party.
  This behavior is irresponsible. It does not belong in a civilized 
society. It shows that many people in this country want to divide this 
country, want to seek out our differences and not what unites us. It's 
a shame. One of those Members was John Lewis, one of the greatest civil 
rights leaders this country has ever seen.
  And let me say this in closing. Baseball bats and dogs and firehoses 
didn't stop John Lewis from the last cause that he had, and spitting on 
Members and calling them names is not going to stop the progress of 
this bill. Have your disagreements about our philosophies, but let's 
conduct ourselves in a responsible way--not spitting on Members of 
Congress. Disagree with them. Give them your ideas. Calling them names? 
One of the greatest civil rights leaders in the United States of 
America has to walk, as a Member of Congress, from the House Chamber to 
his office and get worried about getting spit upon, getting called the 
N word?
  The Republican Party needs to distance themselves from this kind of 
behavior. It is irresponsible. It diminishes this office. It diminishes 
this country. And we call upon the Republicans to say: shame on the tea 
party for that type of behavior.

                          ____________________