Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 110 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 110 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 154 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2008 No. 30 House of Representatives The House met at 4 p.m. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the the way of fighting radical terrorists. The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. United States of America, and to the Repub- This bill has broad bipartisan support, Coughlin, offered the following prayer: lic for which it stands, one nation under God, and refusing to allow it to come up for Lord God, in today’s world of com- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. a vote amounts to putting the so-called puter communication and wireless f civil liberties of terrorists before the transactions, time itself may seem rel- PROTECT AMERICA ACT MUST BE safety of all Americans. ative or irrelevant. But there are those MADE PERMANENT who know, be they actors or politi- f cians, that the art of timing is the key (Ms. FOXX asked and was given per- mission to address the House for 1 to their success. THOU SHALT NOT FLIRT Lord, help the Members of Congress minute.) and all who work on Capitol Hill make Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, it has (Mr. POE asked and was given per- the most of the time given them. Some been more than a week since the House mission to address the House for 1 break new ground; others simply plant left town without voting on critical in- minute.) the seed; others only nurture the pro- telligence legislation. This bipartisan Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, the Saudi gressive growth; and still others are legislation would have permanently Arabian religious police will arrest its there only to bind up the harvest. Yet fixed the Foreign Intelligence Surveil- citizens for a multitude of ‘‘sins.’’ Last all rejoice in the final product, even if lance Act, FISA, and enabled our intel- week, the religious police arrested 57 they only added to what others did be- ligence community to monitor effec- Arabian men in front of a mall in fore them. May everyone find satisfac- tively foreign terrorists in electronic Mecca for, get this, the crime of flirt- tion in that small portion each one is communications. ing. The 57 men were dancing to pop required to do, which contributes to A 6-month fix to FISA, the Protect music and not wearing traditional the whole. America Act, expired on February 17. clothing. The religious police arrested In the end, Lord, let all rejoice to- It had allowed our intelligence agen- them and refused to release the men gether in the common effort to protect, cies to monitor foreign terrorists’ elec- unless they can prove they did not flirt defend, and guide the establishment of tronic communications on foreign soil with women. So much for innocent till laws and policies that are best for this without time-consuming court orders. proven guilty. Nation. Then, to You, Lord God, there But the House refused to take up the This is yet another example of when will be thanks and praise because You bill that passed the Senate with broad civil governments use their state reli- glory in the work and the workers who bipartisan support by a vote of 68–29. gion of Islam to put their own citizens accomplished Your holy will for the More than 20 Democrats voted in favor in jail for religious activity. of this legislation to make the Protect moment and forever. The powerful religious police make Amen. America Act permanent. By refusing to consider this legislation, the House is sure that women are covered up, that f embarking on an act of reckless irre- they don’t wear makeup, that the sexes THE JOURNAL sponsibility. don’t mingle, and that the stores close five times a day for Muslim prayers, The SPEAKER. The Chair has exam- America cannot afford to hit pause and that men worship at the mosque. ined the Journal of the last day’s pro- on our surveillance of foreign terror- ceedings and announces to the House ists. Now that the Protect America Act Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia her approval thereof. has expired, our intelligence commu- banned the sale of red roses and other Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- nity faces cumbersome bureaucratic symbols that marked Valentine’s Day nal stands approved. hurdles to monitoring the communica- because they are connected with a Christian holiday. Saudi Arabia cer- f tion of suspected foreign terrorists. This paper-pushing approach takes pre- tainly cannot allow any religious dis- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE cious time, which could mean the dif- sension in their country. Saudi Arabia The SPEAKER. Will the gentleman ference in thwarting the terrorists’ expects other countries to be tolerant from Connecticut (Mr. COURTNEY) come plans or even protecting the lives of of Islam but is intolerant of all reli- forward and lead the House in the our troops. gions except its own. I wonder if hypoc- Pledge of Allegiance. We must pass this bill now. The votes risy is a violation of the Islam reli- Mr. COURTNEY led the Pledge of Al- are there. Not acting endangers our gion? legiance as follows: Nation’s security and puts barriers in And that’s just the way it is. b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H1005 . VerDate Aug 31 2005 00:42 Mar 27, 2008 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD08\RECFILES\H25FE8.REC H25FE8 mmaher on PROD1PC76 with CONG-REC-ONLINE H1006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 25, 2008 COMMUNICATION FROM THE working with families, teachers, principals, demic self-concept and their feelings of CLERK OF THE HOUSE community agencies, and other entities to competence. School social workers address the emotional, physical, and envi- The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. help students build their confidence as ronmental needs so that students may learners. ROSS) laid before the House the fol- achieve behavioral and academic success; lowing communication from the Clerk Whereas to achieve the goals of the No In middle school, many new chal- of the House of Representatives: Child Left Behind Act of 2001 of help for all lenges arise. During this passage from children in reaching their optimal potential childhood to adolescence, middle OFFICE OF THE CLERK, and achievement, including those with seri- school students are characterized by a HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, DC, February 21, 2008. ous emotional disturbances, schools must need to explore a variety of interests work to remove the emotional, behavioral, Hon. NANCY PELOSI, connecting their learning into the Speaker, House of Representatives, and academic barriers that interfere with classroom to its practical application Washington, DC. student success in school; in life. For these students, school so- Whereas fewer than 1 in 5 of the 17,500,000 DEAR MADAM SPEAKER: Pursuant to the cial workers provide proactive leader- permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II children in need of mental health services actually receive these services, and the ship that engage all stakeholders in of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representa- the delivery of programs and services tives, the Clerk received the following mes- President’s New Freedom Commission on sage from the Secretary of the Senate on Mental Health indicates that school mental to help students navigate the chal- February 21, 2008, at 1:08 p.m.: health programs improve educational out- lenges and achieve success. That the Senate agreed to the conference comes by decreasing absences, decreasing And in high school, students begin report accompanying the bill: H.R. 2082. discipline referrals, and improving academic separating from parents and exploring With best wishes, I am achievement; and defining their independence. They Sincerely, Whereas school mental health programs face increased pressure regarding risk are critical to early identification of mental LORRAINE C. MILLER, behaviors involving sex, alcohol, and Clerk of the House. health problems and in the provision of ap- propriate services when needed; drugs, while exploring the boundaries f Whereas the national average ratio of stu- of the more acceptable behavior and dents to school social workers recommended mature, meaningful relationships. ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER by the School Social Work Association of School social workers help make them PRO TEMPORE America is 400 to 1; and concrete and compounded decisions. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- Whereas the celebration of ‘‘School Social On top of this, school social workers ant to clause 8 of rule XX, the Chair Work Week’’ highlights the awareness of the must be responsive to the range of will postpone further proceedings vital role school social workers play in the lives of students in the United States: Now, challenges that young people face today on motions to suspend the rules therefore, be it every day such as poverty, disability, on which a recorded vote or the yeas Resolved, That the House of Representa- discrimination, abuse, addiction, bul- and nays are ordered, or on which the tives— lying, divorce of parents, loss of a loved vote is objected to under clause 6 of (1) honors and recognizes the contributions one, and other barriers to learning. rule XX. of school social workers to the success of School social workers are also on the Record votes on postponed questions students in schools across the Nation; and front lines when disaster strikes, such will be taken after 6:30 p.m.