[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6921-6922]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  RETURN THE POWER BACK TO THE PEOPLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Radel) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RADEL. Mr. Speaker, in this great country of ours, since our 
founding, we've always had a distrust of government. And, quite 
honestly, I think that's a healthy thing, most especially today as we 
learn about what both the Department of Justice and IRS have done.
  What we are learning is that this is a threat to your First 
Amendment: freedom of speech. And let there be no question the order of 
importance. It is your very first in your Bill of Rights: freedom of 
speech.
  I believe that these rights are so sacred, so precious that I'm 
introducing the Free Flow of Information Act to protect journalists 
from the prying eyes of this Federal Government. It is my hope that 
Republicans and Democrats alike will support this just like then-
Senator Obama did in 2007.
  A select few in these agencies represent the worst when it comes to a 
heavy-handed government working to shut down your basic right to speak 
out as an individual or report the news as an organization. Now is the 
time that we stand up and say, Our society is not about I, the Federal 
Government; it is about we, the people. And to

[[Page 6922]]

quote my generation's music from Public Enemy to Rage Against the 
Machine: ``We gotta fight the powers that be; we gotta take the power 
back.''
  In other words, we need to stand up and say that we see the abuse 
from a few in Washington and we must return the power back to the 
people. After all, Washington works for you. Not a party. Not an 
ideology. Your government--elected and unelected--works for you, not 
against you.
  But now we clearly see that both the IRS and the Department of 
Justice are working against you, working to stifle, to shut down your 
God-given right of freedom of speech, that freedom often carried out by 
the press.
  In the United States, we are so unique and so powerful because we 
really share a common belief of some pretty simple things. You should 
be able to speak your mind. Again, it's called ``freedom of speech.'' 
And journalists should be able to do their job and do so without the 
fear of a heavy-handed tyrannical government threatening or stifling 
them. It's called ``freedom of the press.''
  But now we see an entire culture of government acting on their own 
behalf, not even beholden to an administration, party, or even a 
belief. These are rogue agencies that we are talking about, unelected, 
unchecked, without boundaries, without ethics, and without a shred of 
respect for the Constitution or you. These individuals are some people 
on some floor of some building named after some dude that you've never 
even heard of messing with your life.

                              {time}  1010

  And if you don't think that wiretaps or IRS audits are going to hit 
you, think again. Two groups from my home in southwest Florida were hit 
so hard by the IRS that they quit. They shut down their groups. That 
was it; enough is enough. This is the clearest example of how the 
government is coming after you to strip away your most basic rights. 
These groups were made up of hardworking Americans just like you. Their 
goal: to teach people about the Constitution. Think about that for a 
second. They wanted to teach people about the very document that tells 
you you have the right to say what you want. They're now gone.
  And let's look at the Department of Justice wiretapping, seizing and 
prying into the lives of journalists. I worked as a journalist for 
almost 20 years, living with what I thought our government also 
believed in--freedom of the press. The freedom to investigate, share, 
and speak out on injustice.
  And from journalists to partisan pundits, Rachel Maddow to Bill 
O'Reilly, they're coming for you next. Sean Hannity to Chris Hayes, 
you'll be tapped next as you try to shed light on truth, on injustice, 
or just try and get some answers.
  Where does all of this end?
  Well, this is where the so-called far left and far right need to 
embrace each other. Whether you are a Tea Partier or part of the Occupy 
movement, this is about you. Whether you are an evangelical Christian 
wanting to share the word of God or an atheist simply asking for a more 
secular society, this is about you. This is about you--your freedom of 
speech, your ability to express what you believe in. This is about you.
  Washington insiders should not be dictating your life. The more it's 
about them, it's not about you. The more government grows unchecked and 
unbalanced and out of control, the more it's about them and not you.
  I believe in you. Stand with me and let's take the power back and 
return this government to we the people. I promise to stand with you.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their remarks 
to the Chair.

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