even devoted to his life and the -- evening devoted to his life and the lives of two others, very divergent and in some ways very similar. i thank my good friend representative jackson lee again for her leadership here. ms. jackson lee: let me thank my good friend, congresswoman eleanor holmes norton, for giving these three legend the vitality and vie brans of a personal story. and to just add to his coming to students at howard university, i want you to know that at the university of virginia, where he was, he was the most popular professor with people standing in line because the students sensed his passion and commitment but they sensed his realness. as i introduce and thank you so very much for that very vibrant and informative presentation, as i introduce this next gentleman who has his own history, let me quote again as i indicated pope

francis from last week which captured all of what we're saying tonight, to respond in a way that's always humane, just, and fraternal. we need to avoid a common temptation nowaddais to discard whatever proves troublesome. let us remember the golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. the gentleman i'm going to yield to, mr. bobby scott is a former chairman of the subcommittee on criminal justice, now the ranking member on the education committee and has led his professional, at least his congressional life as i have known it, to be a champion for criminal justice reform but more importantly has been one who has said to us over and over again that we must do unto others as we would leek them to do unto us. we must change this criminal justice system to have it be a fair monitoring of how we inspire and restore people's lives. i yield now to congressman bobby scott. .

mr. scott: thank you. i rise to speak in honor of the lives of three civil rights luminaries. i thank the gentlelady from houston for giving us this opportunity to honor their lives. congressman louis stokes, julian bond, both of whom i knew personally, and activist amelia robinson. these champions of social and economic justice led their lives just as pope francis challenged me members of congress to do -- challenged members of congress to do. specifically the pope reminded us of the golden rule. do unto others as would you have them do unto you and that rule points us in the right direction. he specifically remimeded congress that if we -- reminded congress that if we want opportunities, then let us provide opportunities. lives we honor today are the personification of the pope's call. congressman stokes, the block ofed son of the state of ohio, was affectionately called lou when i served with him on the house. his motto was to aim high, which did he, even before he was a member of congress, when he argued the supreme court

case challenging the abusive stop and frisk policies and practices in the terry v. ohio case. lou's integrity is why he was elected to the house committee on assassinations and the house investigation of the illegal arms sales during the iran contra affair and of course his service on the ethics committee. when he became the first african-american to serve with the house appropriations committee, there he directed federal dollars to eradicate injustice and inequities by funding programs such as health care facilities for veterans, supporting the national science foundation and creating the first office of minority health at the national institutes of health. statesman and educator julian bond dedicated his entire life to the cause of social justice and equity. as a founder member of the student nonviolent coordinating

led tee, or snic, he protests against segregation. he was elected to the georgia house of representatives but was denied a seat at the state house because of his opposition to the vietnam war. in 1966, the supreme court ruled 9-0 that the georgia house's refusal to seat julian bond violated the united states constitution. he was subsequently elected to several terms, including service in the georgia senate, despite efforts to redraw his district. he was also the first african-american nominated in a major party convention, as the candidate for vice president of the united states. beginning in the 1980's, julian bond taught at several universities, including harvard, drecksle, university of virginia and american university. for more than 20 years at u.v.a. and american university, he taught thousands of students about the role of civil rights -- about the role of civils right movement as a seminal part of america's history.

he stated that the humanity of all americans is diminished when any group is denied rights granted to others. he served as chairman of the naacp from 1998 to 2009, at the 2009 commencement, at virginia state university, he told the graduates that we all hope that you do well, but we also hope that you do good. activist amelia robinson was among the many foot sholders who fought for civil rights -- soldiers who fought for civil rights. as a girl she championed the right to vote for women. as an adult she opened her home to martin luther king and james bev iland members of sncc and others to help organize and strategize for civil rights and the right to vote. despite the brutal beatings she endured during the march for voting rights in selma, alabama, 50 years ago, she was unwavering in her fight to end segregation and achieve full voting rights for all. reflecting on our her life as an activist, she stated that, i have been calledrablerouser,

agitator, but because of my fighting i was able to hand to the entire country the right for people to vote. these three american giants, the legislator, the educator, the activist, were all driven to push towards more just and equal society. i'm honored to recognize the lives and gifts they gave to our nation and again i want to thank the gentlelady from houston for organizing this special order so that we can pay appropriate tribute to these fine americans. i yield back. ms. jackson lee: i thank the gentleman from virginia for citing in particular the case law that julian bond generated from the horrific denial of his right to be seated. let me also indicate the importance of members of the congressional black caucus sharing the history of these icons, which i hope my colleagues will appreciate, these giants who many times the

history is not remembered or it is not understood. certainly it is my privilege to now yield to the gentlelady from ohio who has firsthand knowledge because she can say that she comes from the state of which lou stokes and carl stokes are of native sons. she is of course an inspirational leader for her district in columbus, but more importantly someone who brings a wealth of experience from her previous service in the ohio state legislature, and someone who has a passion for the improvement of lives of all people and i believe as lou stokes has said she understands the value and importance of improving the health of african-americans and all americans. my privilege to yield to congressmanwoman beatty from ohio -- congresswoman beatty from ohio. mrs. beatty: thank you. tonight the congressional black caucus honors the life and legacy of three civil right it's leaders. congressman lou stokes, amelia boynton robinson and julian

bond. who dedicated their lives to making our nation a better players -- a better place. countless more follow in their footsteps and continue to push for civil rights and voting rights today. we have come to these chambers tonight, mr. speaker, to continue their work as members of the congressional black caucus. we call on congress to immediately pass the voting rights advancement act of 2015. the american people deserve to have real voting rights. thank you, congresswoman sheila jackson lee, not only for your leadership tonight, but for being a leader, for walking in their shoes. and for hosting the congressional black caucus special order horning three giants. -- honoring three giants. this year, the 50th anniversary of the voting rights act, leaders espoused words in 1965 that still hold true today. words because of the work of

these three giants. words like, we have proved that great progress is possible. we know how much still remains to be done. and if our efforts continue, if our will is strong, if our hearts are right and if courage remains our constant companion, then my fellow americans, i am confident we shall overcome. our objective must be to assure that all americans play by the same rules and all americans play against the same odds. who amongst us would claim that that is true today? just last week the holiness pope francis delivered a historic, profound, provocative address to the joint session of congress. this address reminded us that the nation is considered great, when it fosters a culture which enables people to dream of full rights for all their brothers and sisters.

and at the white house he quoted from martin luther king, to use a telling phrase of the reverend martin luther king, we can say that we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to honor it. these three individuals we honor tonight tirelessly contributed to this culture of full rights and equality. we are committed to achieving. tonight's roll call, congressman lou stokes, i am honored to be the third african-american from ohio to follow in his footsteps. following in my mentor and dear friend, stephanie tubbs jones, my colleague, mentor and friend, congresswoman marcia fudge, who said at his footsteps, i don't salute or get excited about a one-hit wonder because lou stokes was far from that. lou stokes loved people, he

loved the law, he loved the legislative process, he loved his family and he loved cleveland, ohio. you've heard so much about him, i won't repeat it. i will submit it for the record , congresswoman sheila jackson lee, if that's ok. but i will forever be grateful for his encouragement, his friendship, his wisdom and his leadership. i can't think of a time or decision in my life that i didn't pick up the phone and call lou stokes. ove you, lou stokes. ms. jackson lee: -- mrs. beatty: let me just briefly say we also salute amelia boynton robinson. much has been said about her. i stand on her shoulders. and then julian bond, another great icon. civil rights icon whose passion

and dedication to equality and justice propelled him to the georgia legislature. the naacp and the southern poverty law center which he co-founded. his commitment to ending discrimination and injustice continues to inspire us and his legacy will guide us in the next generation -- and the next generation of civil rights leaders and activists to greatness. he, like the other individuals we pay tribute to tonight, helped change this country for the better. thank you, congresswoman sheila jackson lee, thank you to all my colleagues with the congressional black caucus for capturing and reflecting on the lives of three great civil rights warriors as we took a walk in their footsteps of greatness. thank you and yield back. ms. jackson lee: congresswoman beatty, thank you for letting us know whose footsteps we walk in and for that celebratory statement. now it's certainly my pleasure

to yield to the gentlelady from the u.s. virgin islands who has come with the expertise of a renowned and trained lawyer, one who is a collaborator and i'm delighted to yield to her for a period of three minutes, the honorable congresswoman plaskett. thank you. ms. plaskett: thank you so much to my colleague, sheila jackson lee. i want to thank you, the congressional black caucus, for the special order hour. a special tribute to the lives and legacy of representative louis stokes, amelia boynton robinson and julian bond. thank you, mexico jast lee, for your work here -- thank you, ms. jackson lee, for your work here in congress, your tireless efforts to raise awareness to issues which many americans may have forgotten or not given thought to. thank you for your mentorship to us younger members here and your tireless efforts to support not only the people of houston but to the people of america. thank you for allowing us this most important opportunity to

pay tribute to these remarkable individuals. mr. speaker, today we gather in reverence and in solemn reflection to honor the lives and legacy of some exceptional people. some exceptional americans who we have lost in these recent months. these were civil rights activists, states men and women, trail bladesers, members of -- trail blazers, members of a great generation of individuals who gave so much of themselves to the civil rights movement and to the advancement of minorities in our country. they are former congressman louis stokes, former chairman of the naacp and georgia state senator julian bond, and civil rights icon, mrs. amelia boynton robinson. ms. robinson's 110 years of life, that in itself is a great honor. was dedicated to education, fighting state sanctioned

discriminatory practices against african-americans and voter disenfranchisement. one can make the argue thament her role in selma's civil rights demonstrations, including the infamous march on bloody sunday, where meffs -- where she was beaten unconscious by state police, paved the way through the subsequent passage of the voting rights act of 1965 for both congressman stokes and state representative bond to serve in elected office. . as the first african-american to serve from the state of ohio, congressman stokes was a founding member of the congressional black caucus and spent his 30-year career in congress advocating issues of importance to ohioans and african-americans across the country. julian bond, that great statesman from georgia, was one of 11 african-americans elected to the georgia house of representatives after the passage of the civil rights act of 1964 and voting rights act of

1965. he served 20 years in both legislative chambers in the state of georgia and served as the first president of the southern poverty law center. he also served as chairman of the naacp. these individuals have impacted the lives of so many african-americans and have undoubtedly advanced the rights and interests of minorities in both our state and nation's government. similarly, i'd like to take a moment to recognize two individuals from my own home district of the virgin islands who like congressman stokes, julian bond and amelia robinson have changed the landscape of he virgin islands. former judge of the virgin his powerady who used to remove barriers of injustice. he was laid to rest this week. like congresswoman stokes and

amelia robinson, his legacy will carry on. ursula krieger was also a centenarian who passed away this year, like amelia robinson, and at age 113 was the oldest living virgin islander until her passing this month. she was an educator whose longevity afforded a unique perspective of witnessing the modern advancement of our territory. the lives of these individuals are etched in the annals of our history and their impact forever ingained in the minds and hearts of the lives they touched. i am a better person and indeed we are a better nation through the work of these individuals. i have listened to my colleagues tonight speak about representative louis stokes, amelia boynton robinson and julian bond and the personal impact these individuals had on the work of my colleagues whom they served and -- who served and knew them personally. understand that while many like

myself may not have had the great honor and pleasure of toiling and working with them, shoulder to shoulder in the struggle for civil rights and the advancement of minorities in our country, americans like myself understand and appreciate their sacrifice. and we understand the work that must still be done and will continue their legacy here today and in congress in the future. thank you so much, congressional black caucus for this time and thank you again to my colleague, the time kson lee for i was afforded to speak on those great americans. i yield back, good night. ms. jackson lee: thank you, ms. plaskett, for laying the groundwork for those who step into those footsteps and you have done so with such leadership and such passion. thank you so very much. mr. speaker, what sour time remaining? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady has two minutes remaining. ms. jackson lee: thank you. let me conclude by thanking the

chairman of the congressional black caucus and to thank my colleagues, why it is so important for the congressional black caucus to be able to talk to america. representative butterfield, representative rangel, representative sewell, delegate holmes norton, representative joist beatty and of course congresswoman plaskett, to be able to give life to while we are here representing all of america, we have those special people that without our voices would not be able to be heard. i simply want to add these words of the pope, again, to be able to remind everyone why these icons that we are speaking of tonight in the congressional black caucus, 46 of us, along with senator booker, have a vital role in this place because the pope indicated, i would encourage you to keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped in the cycle of poverty. they, too, need to be given hope. the fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly on many fronts, especially in

its causes. i know that americans today as in the past are working to deal with this problem. that is the essence of julian bond, who never stopped giving, that is the essence of amelia boin ton robinson who continued to fight for civil rights up until her death at the age of 104 on august 6, 2015. that is the essence of congressman lou stokes, a legislative giant, chairman of the appropriations subcommittee, a person who went to the public housing and places where children were and told america that your children are dying because they're living in substandard housing, lead poisoning was killing them. which gave me the opportunity, mr. speaker, as i said before, to give a grant to my public housing just this past week on helping with lead poisoning. i worked with lou stokes an i'm glad to note that as working for him, i can say, truly a gentleman. truly a leader. to this congress, i beg of you, let us look at these icons and

celebrate not only their lives but commit to the passion and justice of their lives but as well the words of pope francis, that tells taos do unto others as we'd like them to do unto us. it is my privilege to yield back, to again thank the members of the congressional black caucus and mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the subject of my special order. what a grand opportunity to cite these great americans, amelia boynton robin so, congressman lou stokes and julian bond. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, that will be the order this egentlelady yields back. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, for 30 minutes.

mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. i come before this honorable house on an issue that's been rather heartbreaking for so many of us for so long now. in the middle east, the cradle of christianity, where it started 2,000 years ago, based the judeo principals from thousands of years before that, it's been a massive onslaught. against jews it's been going on for some time. but especially in the last several years, it has become ntenable for christians. an article by debra hind,

september 20, my sister's birthday, she wrote about 2,000 years of christian civilization destroyed on obama's watch. and talks in terms of, well it says this in the article. the islam exstate has managed to destroy 2,000 years christian civilization in the middle east in just a couple of years. lieutenant counselor ralph peters noted on "the oh reilly factor" last week, placing the blame on president obama's policy. said isis has been spreading across the middle east like a plague of locusts. and as they have spread, they have targeted religious minorities, particularly christians, for destruction in syria -- for destruction. in syria, tens of thousands of syrian christians have been attacked an displaced. they are forgotten refugees.

mr. speaker, i have met with christians and christian leaders from syria and the stories they tell and the horrors they talk about, the inhumanity to man that's being inflicted upon hristians in that area is just untenable. it's unconscionable. women, talk about a war on women. if they're christian women, it is absolutely horrendous. ran into the same problem in meeting with family members in nigeria of children that were girls that were kidnapped by radical islamists of boko haram. that was in nigeria.

be interested to talk to the president of togo tomorrow, been to his country before, and seen the poverty and seen the affliction. but in the middle east, christians are not even allowed to be in the area where the apostle paul walked. the apostle paul planted churches where christian times ries along the right after jesus resurrected, right in the early days of the church, churches were planted and now while the united states is said to be the sole superpower, christians are being persecuted in greater numbers around the world than ever in history. if there is a god who loves

christians, loves all people, but has an affinity for jews an christians, then there would have to be a price for any nation that allows this to go on. this article goes on, a catholic priest who visited kurd herb iraq last fall described the wounded souls of the christians who have taken refuge there. they have been forced from their homes in northern iraq in the summer of 2014. quote, without question, we're talking about genocide here. genocide is not only when the people are killed, but also when the soul of the people is destroyed. that's what's happening in iraq , head of the priest aid to the church in need,

. ddle east section, october it's the most tragic thing i've ever experienced. this is the priest. he goes on, i've seen people who have been wounded in their soul. in the various crises in this world i have often seen people who have lost everything but in iraq there are christians who have had to leave everything and take flight three or four times. they can see no light at the end of the tunnle. last spring, hundreds of syrian christians fled to lebanon after isis jihaddists stormed their villages in syria's northeastern province of asaka. members of lebanon's syrian community did their best to welcome the new refugees but the december placement has left them traumatized. the villages of kabor are empty

now. there is no one left except some a bishop as nted he oversaw the distribution at his diocese. mr. speaker, this is tragic. christian villages, 2,000 years old, destroyed. nothing left but some people trying to fight for just the ground that they're fighting on hat once was their home. he added, our people have experienced a great tragedy in syria. they are depressed, some of them have chronic illnesses. their lives are difficult. how can we be comfortable living on aid, asked 50-year-old suman who fled his village.

he railed against what he called international indifference to the plight of the syrians under attack by isis in syria and eighboring iraq. he said the whole world, from the u.n. to the united states and russia is responsible. they, talking about isis, have destroyed our whole civilization and the world is watching. , hear so many sad stories christians are being persecuted on our watch. and we're not talking enough about it. the president certainly isn't. he tells us we need to take tens

or hundreds of thousands of more muslim refugees, what about the christians? he massive ex-termination of churches in the middle east under this administration. we get it. you know. the constitution gives the president wide authority, wide latitude on foreign policy. congress has some say because we can appropriate or defund what the president is doing if we have leadership with courage to do that. this article goes on, in july, 4,000 more assyrian christian families were among the 120,000 people who fled hasaka to escape isis forces who entered the city looking to carry out a mass ethno-religious slaughter. fleeing muslim persecution,

christian refugees are often targeted and persecuted anew by fleeing muslim refugees. the international business times reported, italian police have arrested 15 muslim immigrants in palermo for allegedly having thrown christian refugees off the rubber boat that was taking them to italy after a fight for religious reasons, according to the media reports. those arrested were mart of a group of 1,000 that were rescued off the libyan coast by the italian coast forward. the archbishop of canterbury recently warned british prime minister david cameron that his government's refugee policy was discriminating against christians because christians are not among the refugees being helped in the u.n. camps. . they're not in the u.n. camps

because they fear -- they're not in the u.n. camps because they fear persecution. a reverend reportedly met with the prime minister earlier this month, with concerns that christians in syria will be largely excluded from the 20,000 refugees due to come to the u.k. over the next five years. the government in line with european union policy is committed to taking in refugees from u.n. camps in syria and neighboring countries. it cannot discriminate in favor of any one religious group. but the archbishop has raised concerns that christians have avoided refugee camps because of fears of persecution from rogue islamist groups operating inside these refugee camps. in a speech in the house of lords last monday, archbishop welby said that, quote, within the camps there's significant intimidation and radicalization and many, particularly of the

christian population, have been forced to flee and are unable to be in the camps. he went on, what is the government's policy of reaching out to those who are not actually in the camps? lord kerry, who wrote in the telegraph about his concern of the polite of christians wrote, quote, the frustration of those of us who are calling for compassion for syrian victims for many months is that the christian community is yet again left at the bottom of the heap. mr. cameron's policy inadvertently discriminates against the very yiftian communities most victimize -- christian communities most victimized by the islamic state. christians are not found in the u.n. camps because they've been attacked and targeted by islamists and driven from them. they're seeking refuge in private homes, church buildings and with neighbors and families. refugees want to come to the united states will also be required to apply through the

u.n. a combination of european cowards i and awful american foreign -- cowardice and awful american foreign policy has led to a massive muslim migration that will affect the whole world. lieutenant colonel peters disagreed somewhat with that assessment. he said, i think you are much, much too soft on president obama and a bit too hard on the e.u. if america doesn't lead, it doesn't happen. he went on to say, just look at a map of the middle east on george w. bush's last day in office. there is broad peace across the middle east. and north africa. iraq was finally con have a lessing. and obama promptly, to please his america-hating base, abandons iraq, backs the muslim brotherhood in egypt, gets rid of gaddafi without a plan for what goes after, threatens

assad, then does nothing, doesn't listen to the intelligence community, when for years they're telling him about the islamic state coming, then tries to blame the intelligence community and launches effectless air strikes. the combination -- feckless air strikes. he goes on, no, listen, 2,000 years of christian civilization destroyed on his watch. that's on obama, when america doesn't lead, nothing happens. well, it's not just on president obama, sure, he's mainly responsible for our foreign policy, but we need to stand up to the president. and when iran is out there saying, as they have in the last couple of weeks, that within -- with the 100, --

$100, $150 billion that president obama is going to see to iran getting quickly, and the hundreds of billions of dollars that will flow in subsequent years, they are already announcing they're going to increase their support for hamas and hezbollah, as they kill americans, continue to kill christians, continue to kill moderate muslims who have not radicalized. at what point is congress responsible for not standing up to the president? mr. speaker, wib submit that one very important point has come and right now it's up to the united states senate to have a backbone on behalf of the millions that stand to be persecuted and killed by the

money that they are going to failing go to iran, by to do what they could to stop this world atrocity. there is no question in reasonable, intelligent minds, that the iran deal is a treaty. it's a treaty as anticipated by the founders, it's a treaty as referred to in the constitution , article 2, section 2, second paragraph, and it requires a vote of 2/3 of the senate present to go along with it in order to be a effective. -- to be effective. yes, the corker bill tried to amend the constitution, legislation can't amend the constitution. once it is clear, as it is, that the iran deal is a treaty,

then we need desperately to have people in the senate stand up, some of them have, make clear this is a treaty, it requires 2/3 in order to approve it or it is not ratified, it is not effective and the president is not allowed to release the hundred-plus billion, $150 billion to iran that will be used for atrocities, especially toward america, toward christians, toward moderate nonradicalized muslims, toward , there's a israel real responsibility here. and it may take courage, sure it will, for the senate to stand up and the senate majority leader to stand up and say, sorry, mr. president, the

iran deal is a treaty. we've listed in our letter to majority leader in the senate some of the bases, it's spelled out in our resolution that we've filed, i've talked about it here on the floor, it's learly a treaty. you know, the end of john , a y adams' oral argument couple of days of oral argument in the amistad case, can be found online, he was afraid that if he did not do an adequate job, as a lawyer, those africans that he was representing, that had been captured by other africans and sold into slavery, sent to the caribbean and then put on the

spanish ship, the amistad, were to overtake, overpower the spanish, take charge of the ship, they landed in america and the lawsuit was over whether or not they were free africans or whether they were property of the spanish. and i can understand the fear that john quincy adams must have had, as he stood downstairs in the old supreme court chamber. one of the justices had died one night during the oral argument, not while he was actually arguing. that final day he knew if he didn't do an adequate job, his clients would wear chains, their children would wear chains, all because he didn't do an adequate job as their lawyer. so he finished his oral

calling the names of justices of the supreme court who had been on the supreme court but had passed way. chief justice, justices, he knew them. he called their names. the justice that started this case, where is he? where are all these justices? where's the solicitor general? that argued before me? it was around 1821. this is in the late 1830's. he's now arguing before the supreme court. in their chamber downstairs. after going through all the supreme court justices that had passed away, he finishes basically by saying, they've gone to meet their judge. and the biggest question is, when they met their maker, their judge, did they hear the

and well done, good aithful servant? pretty clear, sending a message to the supreme court, think about it. justices, if you died tonight like the other judges just died in the last couple of nights, and you go to meet your maker, do you want the last thing you wonderful aving sent african people out in chains that they would wear and their children would wear, possibly their children, their children, all because you didn't do the right thing as a judge? he won the case, as well he should. but i can't help wonder if john quincy adams were here today, arguing on behalf of christian communities all over the middle east that have been destroyed,

refugees that have been sent running, jews that can no longer populate the area because of threats and violence that the and he saw united states, that he had been president of, and was in the house of representatives after having been president, if he ould not be mortified, if he would not challenge us today, do we want to meet our maker, our judge, and we saw and heard about the polite of christians -- plight of christians and jews and moderate muslims around the middle east, north africa, just being slaughtered, women being raped and torn apart, brutalized in unthinkable ways, and we turned a blind eye to that and said,

we're going to bring in massive numbers of refugees who are are male, of which and we've been told by radicals that they're going to make sure that they're people who want to kill and destroy more christians, more jews, more of america and we're go to -- and we're going to bring them in without proper vetting because you can't vet them properly. all while christians, jews, moderate muslims are being slaughtered, overrun all through the middle east, as we're credited with being the superpower in the world. nd yet also this last few days

, the u.n., where we pay far more than anybody even comes close to, to keep it going, as they continue to become more and moranity semitic, anti-israeli, anti-american, the largest supporter of terrorism in the rld, the leader of iran, and he says this in part, the leader of iran, the president rouhani says, i'm quoting, if we did not have u.s. military invasion of afghanistan and iraq and the united states' unwarranted support for the inhumane actions of the zionist regime against the oppressed nation of palestine, today the terrorists would not have an excuse for the justification of their crimes.

and i'm taking this from an article by julian adam, 9/28-2015. which is interesting. we've -- 9/28/2015. which is interesting. we've heard that in the united states, if we hadn't gone into iraq if we hadn't gone into afghanistan, if we hadn't gone into afghanistan with the 300 americans we embedded, about 300, and let the afghans destroy the taliban by february of 2002, then we became an overwhelming occupying force in afghanistan but at least by february of 2002 if we hadn't gone in and helped them, the taliban would still be completely controlling afghanistan. that's the way it is. now we went astray when we became occupiers and the president has only tripled the number of american deaths in afghanistan, even though the war

is supposedly over. over tripled the number of american deaths, even though the real war was during president bush because of this president's rules of engagement and disastrous foreign policy. but think about it. this is the head, the president he's telling the u.n. and the world that if it weren't for the united states' invasion in afghanistan, and in iraq, there wouldn't be any american terrorists. mr. speaker, why in the world should the u.n. listen to a man that is this big a liar or this stupid? because you don't have to be all that bright to understand september 11 of 2001 happened before we sent 300 or so into

afghanistan to help them destroy the taliban and before we went in and took out a brutal dictator in iraq. in fact, the planning of 9/11, 2001, happened during the clinton administration on president clinton's watch and for people that are fools or they like rouhani, then don't know or just lying about it, during the clinton administration, president clinton's policies were to run help persecuted muslims wherever we -- wide receiver we found them around the worldle while we were -- whenever we found them around the world. while we were busy helping muslims, they were planning the attack on new york city and washington, d.c. and hoping to wipe out the

entire american government here in washington, d.c. and but for the heroic act of people on a plane that took it down in pennsylvania, they may well have. we don't need to hear any of these lies about oh, if america just hadn't invaded afghanistan and iraq, regardless of whether you agree with what president bush ordered with iraq, the fact is, 9/11 was a terrorist attack before and so was the attack on the u.s.s. cole. and so were the attack on our embassies around the world during the 1990's. and so was the first world trade center attack in 1993 that apearntly had some planning back during the former president bush's administration. and that was an administration that stopped a brutal dictator, saddam hussein, who had raided

another muslim country and we went in and helped kuwait get their country back. we went to help the muslims. how do they reward us? to plan an attack to try to take down the world trade centers in 1993. it's very clear christianity, judaism, israel, all are under attack, so is america. our enemies can't believe how stupid "american idol"s are because we're going to reward the biggest support of terrorism n the world, iran, with $100 billion to $150 billion that they're already saying they're going to use to help hamas an hezbollah kill more christians, more jews, help wipe out israel, help the attack against the great satan, the united states. mr. speaker, it's time for people in the united states government to stand up and help correct the wayward policies of this administration and we start

by having the united states senate in one voice say the iranian deal is a treaty and we're taking a vote on it and cloture is set aside with 51 votes and they won't get the 2/3 to ratify it. it will not become effective against the united states. and thank god we will then have stopped the continued persecution of christians, moderate muslims, jews, israels, and the united states instead of rewarding them and helping them take us out. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. all members are reminded to avoid engaging in personalities toward the president. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. gohmert: i would move that we do now hereby adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to

adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly the house stands adjourned until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow for morning hour debate.

>> kevin mccarthy announced he's officially seeking the job of house speaker. "i'mof the letter reads running to be your speaker because another people's house works best when the leadership you elect respects the legislative process. politico reports that you become the speaker, kevin mccarthy will need to do something he's never done before, find 200 18 supporters on the floor. the story says we have room to lose only 29 republican members but will require -- daniel webster of florida is the only other announced contender to succeed john boehner.

when, president obama and vladimir putin that today for the first time in more than a year. we see them here just the for the meeting. president obama: thank you, everybody. >> the leaders disagree on how to handle situation in syria and give a public preview of their meeting. we'll hear from president obama who urges a political transition to replace the syrian president and vladimir putin's remarks warning it would be a mistake to abandon the current government. >> on behalf of the general

assembly, i have the honor to welcome the united nations his excellency, barack obama, president of the united states of america, and to invite him to address the assembly. [applause] president obama: mr. speaker, , mr. president, mr. secretary general, fellow delegates, ladies and gentlemen, 70 years after the founding of the united nations, it is worth reflecting on what, together, the members of this body have helped to achieve. out of the ashes of the second world war, having witnessed the unthinkable power of the atomic

age, the united states has worked with many nations in this assembly to prevent a third world war by forging alliances with old adversaries, by supporting the steady emergence of strong democracies accountable to their people instead of any foreign power; and by building an international system that imposes a cost on those who choose conflict over cooperation, an order that recognizes the dignity and equal worth of all people. that is the work of seven decades. that is the ideal that this body, at its best, has pursued. of course, there have been too

many times when, collectively, we have fallen short of these ideals. over seven decades, terrible conflicts have claimed untold victims. but we have pressed forward, slowly, steadily, to make a system of international rules and norms that are better and stronger and more consistent. it is this international order that has underwritten unparalleled advances in human liberty and prosperity. it is this collective endeavor that's brought about diplomatic cooperation between the world's major powers, and buttressed a global economy that has lifted

more than a billion people from poverty. it is these international principles that helped constrain bigger countries from imposing our will on smaller ones, and advanced the emergence of democracy and development and individual liberty on every continent. this progress is real. it can be documented in lives saved, and agreements forged, and diseases conquered, and in mouths fed. and yet, we come together today knowing that the march of human progress never travels in a straight line, that our work is far from complete; that dangerous currents risk pulling us back into a darker, more disordered world. today, we see the collapse of strongmen and fragile states breeding conflict, and driving innocent men, women and children across borders on an epoch epic scale.

brutal networks of terror have stepped into the vacuum. technologies that empower individuals are now also exploited by those who spread disinformation, or suppress dissent, or radicalize our youth. global capital flows have powered growth and investment, but also increased risk of contagion, weakened the bargaining power of workers, and accelerated inequality. how should we respond to these trends? there are those who argue that the ideals enshrined in the u.n. charter are unachievable or out of date, a legacy of a postwar era not suited to our own.

effectively, they argue for a return to the rules that applied for most of human history and that predate this institution, the belief that power is a zero-sum game, that might makes right, that strong states must impose their will on weaker ones, that the rights of individuals don't matter, and that in a time of rapid change, order must be imposed by force. on this basis, we see some major powers assert themselves in ways that contravene international law. we see an erosion of the democratic principles and human rights that are fundamental to this institution's mission, information is strictly