ms. baldwin of wisconsin for five minutes, mr. mcdermott of washington for five minutes, ms. kaptur of ohio for five minutes and mr. defazio of oregon for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, and under a previous order of the house, the following members are recognized for five minutes each. mr. poe of texas. mr. poe: request permission to addre the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. poe: madam speaker, the recent explosion of the b.p. deep water horizon oil rig in the gulf of mexico has raised legitimate concerns about safety and environmental standards of deep water offshore drilling. my thoughts and prayers go out to the families that lost the loved ones in this tragic accident. 11 individuals were killed. safety and responsible operating procedures must always come first, particularly when human lives are at risk. it's important to reevaluate and address our safety procedures and hold those responsible for the accident accountable. at the same time, i believe

ms. baldwin. the chair: the gentleman's recognized for one minute. ms. baldwin: thank you, mr. chairman. today we have the opportunity to rht a wrong. i ridse in strong sport of repealing the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. 17 years after congress passed don't ask, don't tell, we know that it is a misguided, unjust and discriminatory policy. not only does don't ask, don't tell damage the lives and livelihoods of military professionals, it deprives our nation and our armed services of the honorable service and needed skills. under this law, almost 14,000 service members have been discharged including almost 1,000 mission-critical troops d at least 60 arabic speakers and 10 farsi linguists. it's indefensib. when the house votes to repeal don't ask, don't tell, we will have taken one more step othe path to full civil rights and equality for lbgt americans but we wl also change the course of history for all the courageous americans who serve our country and for their families. mr. chairman, in the land of the free and the home of therave, it is long past time for congress