i think about sheila, the woman in cleveland a lot. in many ways her story seems to be a story about hopelessness. and surely on one level it is. but it's also a story about hope. sheila still believed that in america if you got the chance maybe on your lunch hour you could find someone, and if you just whispered in the right person's ear things could change. i don't know if sheila picked the right person's ear when she spoke to me. she left by the time we tried to hook her up with someone at cleveland clinic and i hope she has gotten the care that she needs but i heard her and all the people she represented and i use every opportunity to repeat her plea. when people get sick they should be able to get the care that they need. she whispered in my ear. i've spoken in yours and it's time to shout in the ears of those who are going to decide whether or not the sheila's will get that healthcare. i end this speech the way i end most of my speeches. i mentioned i heard from many people after my cancer diagnosis in 2004 alone i received 65,00

i think about sheila, the woman in cleveland, a lot. in many ways, her story seems to be a story about hopelessness and surely on one level it is. but it is also a story about help. sheila believed in america, if you got the chance, maybe on your lunch hour, you could find someone and if you just whispered in the right persons year, things could change. i don't know if she looked at the right persons when she spoke to me. she actually left by the time we tried to pucker up with some of the cleveland clinic and i hope she has gotten the care that she needs, but i heard her and all the people she represented and i use every opportunity to repeat her plea. when people get sick they should get the care they need. she whispered in my ear, i have spoken in yours and it is time to shout in the ears of those who will decide whether the sheila's of the country will get that healthcare. i and the speech the way and my speeches, i mentioned my diagnoses in 2004 alone i release 65,000 milson 30,000 pieces of snail mail. i read each and learned so v

paulson, sheila bair and mr. geithner had the biggest banks come to washington. is that something that you and paulson decided or was that his call? how did that happen? >> my recollection is mr. paulson's decision but we all participate in the meeting. >> mr. lewis and his testimony said the meeting, he described the meeting as the four of you on one side, ceos of the bank on the other, they were given a form to sign where they had to write the amount of t.a.r.p. bailout mone they felt was needed or that you suggested. the impression he left with this committee was they had a comply and fact i asked personally did anyone expressed reservations about accepting tax payer money? he said yes, one of the other ceos in fact did express reservations nevertheless they signed that. he also indicated the entire meeting took less than one hour. is that an accurate description will to place in the meeting? >> i think the time was less than one hour, yes. >> he also said did he know what the meeting was going to be about when he came here to washington? he informed the commi

she said my name is sheila. and i am afraid for myself and for my children, because i found a lump in my. but i don't have health insurance so i can't go see the doctor. her employer did not provide it, she could not afford it and the lump was cancer and she did not get it treated. was arguably a death sentence for her. in america, in 2007, a working mother. shame on us. and shame on a system that actually disincentivizes, and i say from getting treatment. if she had been intended to the rules on preexisting conditions sheila would no not to get dep biax dabashi was uninsured. and that she would know not to engage in those pesky self examinations he should do monthly. because she identified a preexisting condition before she had insurance, she was not going to get it covered when she did have insurance. we have created this system that makes it absolutely no sense, if the purpose is the delivery of healthcare. the purpose is something else to make profits for somebody maybe this make sense but the purpose is to

sincerely, sheila. this is why there are no men -- it says, dear sheila, is carl stalling after being driven a short distance and caused by a variety of faults with the engine. start by checking there is no debris in the fuel line. [laughter] hit it is clear, check the clips holding the vacuum pipes onto the in level. even on of these approaches solves the problem could be the fuel pump itself was faulty. causing a slow delivery pressure to the carburetor, float chamber, i hope this helps. [laughter] [applause] thank-you. now let's talk about the book about the media. just before i came here i found out from some of my sources in washington that right after barack obama became president, i mean right after, he learned that in the economy wasn't even worse shape than he thought it in order to save money u.s. forced to lay off 17 journalists. [laughter] now, why is that a joke or? because like most jokes that work, there is an air of believability to aunt. how much believability? well, the pure research c

in the back. >> well, in the post newspaper world that we are in right now -- [laughter] >> sorry, sheila. >> what i have heard today and numerous sources. and i am an english teacher by the way so it pains me as much as anybody. [laughter] will the media in this era be able to keep the government accountable to the people and if so, what will it look like without newspaper reporters during the investigation? >> can i say as a tv reporter i worry because i don't watch tv news for its investigations for the most part. there are good investigative units. cbs has a good one. the other networks have good ones but, you know, tv takes so much manpower just to do the logistics. you're not when to go to darfur and a big investigative piece or you do and nbc did some of that but it's so expensive so you'd rely on newspapers for that and those budgets have been getting caught so even as a tv guy i say the vast majority of investigating in this world gets done by newspapers. was >> well, i am going to make a bold prediction that newspapers are not going to disappear and that if i feel like doing thi

sheila jackson lee. they and the homeland security committee were most helpful. mr. chairman, often as we go through the airports of america we and our constituents see members of the military passing through those airports, many of them are going to iraq and afghanistan. they are leaving their loved ones. facing sometimes an uncertain future. others are coming in from iraq and afghanistan going home to see loved ones. sometimes they hadn't seen them for over a year. they are often loaded down with heavy gear. now, also at the same time we see the registered travelers who we talked about earlier, we see united premium members, we see delta platinum members and gold medallion members. we all see them getting priority. that's ok. i have no problem with that. but if there's any group of americans who ought to get priority to go to the front of the line, not to skip security, but to go to the front of the line, it's men and women in uniform. so this amendment extends to them the same basic courtesy that we extend to over a million other americans right now. in fact, this

host: does go to sheila in connecticut. you are on with flynt leverett. caller: if you'll let me say my whole statement. i would appreciate it. i was wondering what the u.s. pokes its nose where it doesn't belong. we don't other countries but into our business. we the people are fed up listening to terrorism talk about everyone out there coming in to get us. i find it childish and boring. if we do not take "terrorism" out of our vocabulary. we should work with them as soon as possible and find an answer to conquering their problem of global warming once and for all. the we can all celebrate together that our solidarity accomplished this and we save the planet from destroying itself. guest: i think i would agree with you that it with the global war on terror was defined by the previous administration after the 911 attacks ended up having a really distorting -- the 9/11 attacks ended up having a really distorting view on our policy toward iran. on the night of september 11, i was working at the state department at the time. i was called back into the state

the winners -- the fdic will certainly -- sheila bair, the current head of it has taken a very large role and has many supporters. there will likely be given the power to wind down these non- banking institutions such as aig and there are a couple of others that might be eliminated or else emerged. the consumer powers' would be taken from the sec -- that will not happen. it is not politically possible right now. both agencies went from being on the brink to work more in concert with each other now. host: here is michigan, good morning. caller: the caller who suggested we just let everything fall apart and go back to the gold standard, that is not only naive, but little in sen. he did mention phil gramm -- how much of the collapse has to do with his getting rid of the fire wall between the commercial and public banking institute? you can trace anything that has gone wrong in the country back to the beginning, whenever they de-regulated would never fail. if everything had been watched we would not be in this problem today with anything from a trucking to the banking institutes. hostgue

fdic chairwoman sheila bair was opposed to providing assistance, saying it might ford does not want to do this. in essence, ken lewis claimed that the government made-- made me do it. but was bank of america forced to go through with the deal or was this just an old-fashioned shiekh down? these questions are particularly important with the administration's new proposal to give broad new powers to the federal reserve. i believe that before congress acts on the president's financial services, reform proposal, we need to have a thorough understanding of what caused the current financial crisis and how the federal government responded. unfortunately, much of what the fed, the treasury and other agencies did, in these transactions remain shrouded in secrecy. it is time to the-- and shine some light on these events. the bank of america, merrill lynch deal is a case in point. new e-mails we have obtained from the fed indicate that fed officials may have attempted to keep other agencies in the dark about what was going on. k-fed e-mail discusses not telling the office of the comptroller of the

but sheila jackson lee, from houston, texas has been an anchor in the proceedings that have brought us to this stage. and i yield to her five minutes. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. ms. jackson lee: i thank the speaker. i think it is important for all of us to recognize the solemnnyity of this day. i thank the -- sol tim -- so lemonyity of this day. -- solemnnyity of this day. i come from texas, houston, i think it's important to note that the judge, as all people in america may have, has his defenders. he will have an opportunity for those defenders to continue to raise their voice and to continue to emphasize their belief, as my colleague from texas indicated, that he had the -- he had debilitating conditions, that he had faced a tragedy. that should be recognized. but i believe what i've come to acknowledge on the floor of the house, and in fact i am coming to acknowledge, that there is the responsibility constitutionally to follow the law. so article two, section 4 in fact says that we are to proceed with impeachment, specifically if civil

would like now to yield such time as she might consume to the gentlelady from texas, congresswoman sheila jackson lee. ms. jackson lee: let me thank the gentlelady for yielding to me and allow me to acknowledge as well the congressional black caucus for the collected effort that they have made and thank our president chairwoman for the 2004 resolution, house resolution 517, that ultimately was proclaimed by the president of the united states. this is an enriching day and an opportunity for us to emphasize the vastness of diversity that is is in this country and i stand here as a caribbean american proudly exercising and relishing in the history of my ancestry. let me also acknowledge the work that we have collectively done. as a ranking member on the immigration subcommittee, we have had a history of working for the issues of parody as it relates to the opportunities for haitianans to become statused here in the united states as we have seen the cubans also have this opportunity through what we call the wet food, dry foot provision -- wet foot, dry foot provision. we have worked unending

next, a call from sheila in ohio, republican line. good morning. thanks for phoning in. caller: thank you very much. why don't we use our submarine, our united states submarine and its missiles to bomb their missile sites? guest: well, i think that there are really no good military options right now with respect to north korea. we're stretched very thin around the world. we always have to worry about north korean retaliation. they really hold the capital of south korea, seoul, at risk. it's very close to where north korea has all of its artillery. seoul is a beautiful and very vibrant city. so we really have to be careful about military actions that -- it wouldn't just be a one-off action. we have to be really concerned about retaliation. host: let me go back to this headline, front page of the "u.s. times." in listening to some of the discussions over the last 24 hours or so it seems like there are two different tracks dealing with these two journalists and getting them freed and the larger issue of trying to bring -- to keep north korea from developing nuclear weapons.

i hereby appoint the honorable sheila jackson lee to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 6, 2009, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders leaders for morning hour debate. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to 30 minutes and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from north carolina, ms. foxx, for five minutes. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to celebrate the 150th anniversary of allegheny county, north carolina. allegheny county was created by an act of the north carolina legislature in 1859. the county sits astride the appalachian mountains in the north carolina high country and boasts some of the most beautiful mount yea scenery in north carolina. since its creation in 1859, allegheny county has been called home by countles

sheila jackson lee, for three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for three minutes. ms. jackson lee: i thank very much the distinguished chairman of the full committee for both his insight and his leadership. and my good friend the subcommittee chairman, mr. ackerman, and my doubly good friend mr. burton, who was just on the floor of the house who shares with me this commitment to pakistan. mr. speaker, the reason why we must go forward today is for the very reason that our colleagues have been addressing themselves to our colleagues, you will. we have a crisis, a dire crisis in pakistan. there is no time for us to quarrel over what really are minimal differences if you will. right now as we speak, 2.5 million people are homeless. they are fleeing the conflicts in an area that -- area that's been initiated by the pakistani government that's standing not for america but for the freedom of her people. and we must applaud these actions. we must look to the leadership of the president, the leadershi

. >> one thing that concerns me about this is information we have from the fdic chairman, sheila bair wrote to you prior to the final bailout monies being received by bank of america. she said, strong discomfort with the steel at the fdic, for all the reasons you and i have discussed. what did you discuss? >> my recollection is our concern was not about taking action to stabilize bank of america. her concern was the fdic would have financial exposure is part of the transaction and she was concerned in particular because the transaction involves not only a bank but also an investment bank which was not in her responsibility so it was the details of the transaction that for her concern not the basic idea, taking steps to stabilize the company. >> currently we have a situation it is my understanding were ten major banks control about 50% of they deposited assets in this country. bank of america being the largest. is this a systemic risks? >> we have a large bank and under our current system and particularly in the current circumstances with financial systems the what are your the failure

corporation whom we involved throughout the process and which i personally spoke to both john dugan and sheilabair to make sure they were informed about the situation. >> you were forthcoming? >> i was indeed appropriate with the other agencies. >> and another e-mail we have obtained recently the head of the fdic says to you there is strong discomfort with the bank of america bailout package and that the fdic board does not want to do this. mr. bernanke, what were the concerns at the fdic about the bank of america's bailout, and why did you and the treasury department go through with of the bailout despite the concerns fdic had? >> my recollection of the fdic concerns were not with the issues of trying to prevent instability. their concern was the fdic own disclosure to the deal. they noted merrill lynch wasn't a bank and therefore wanted to be sure to restrict whatever financial resources to commit it to be relative to the bank rather than the acquired company so they had concerns about the structure of the deal as it related to their own financial exposure but in the end of course they did a

[laughter] and she spoke to me in a whisper, and she said my name is sheila, and i'm afraid for myself and for my children because i found a lump in my breast. but i don't have health insurance, so i can't go see the doctor. her employer didn't provide it, she couldn't afford it, and if the lump was cancer and she didn't get it treated, it was arguably a death sentence for her. in america in 2007. a working mother. shame on us. and shame on a system that actually disincentivizes, and i'm sorry for that word, from getting us from getting treatment. if she'd been attentive to the rules on pre-existing conditions, she would know not to get that bio-- biopsy. if she identified a pre-existing condition before she had insurance, she wasn't going to get covered when she did have insurance. we have created this system that makes absolutely no sense if the purpose is the delivery of health care. if the purpose is something else, to make profits for somebody, maybe this makes sense. but if the purpose is to deliver health care, this is completely backwards from the way it needs to be. the final

berman: i yield to the gentlelady from texas, sheila jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from texas is recognized for two minutes. ms. jackson lee: i thank the distinguished chairman. we cannot wait, and i just suggest to my colleagues if they would look quickly at these pictures where the pakistan military is fighting terrorism. and this is the activities that are happening in that area. people are fleeing terrorism, and the people that are in these camps are suffering. we cannot wait for this legislation, and i oppose the republican substitute because i want not in isolation of pakistan, i want a regional response, a comprehensive regional strategy, including the role of countries outside the region in supporting pakistan's efforts to combat al qaeda and the taliban, a global effort. the republican substitute has a one-on-one effort. we need a global effort. let me also suggest that there is important language in this legislation because if we suggest that the pentagon is not favorable, the pentagon has indicated that they are awa

sheila jackson lee, the gentlelady from texas. the chair: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. ms. jackson lee: i thank the speaker. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. i thank the chairman. thank you very much to both the chairman and the ranking member of the full committee, chairman berman, ranking member ros-lehtinen. it is too short a time to talk about the catastrophic positive effect that this will have on the american people, their security and their position in the world. we have always been a country that recognizes the importance of minding our own business, but frankly also understand the importance of being a good friend. i rise to support h.r. 2410 because this legislation authorizes the hiring of 1,500 additional foreign service officers over the next two years. if you have visited these embassies as i have, you know they are the positive face of america. they work hard, they engage in negotiations, more importantly they solve problems. we also put -- put forward the neces

and i made it for h.b.o., and sheila, who is the head of documentaries said to me one day when my father was representing done eye muss for his wrongful representation lawsuit, why don't i look into making a film. and i think the time was now because during wartime and when the nation feels its national security is threatened, it's a time when there's a push toward conformity in speech. and this was a time, what we saw over the country in high schools, plays about the iraq war being banned, university professors coming under fire for their controversial views. so it seemed the right time to take stalk of the free speech in america. >> what have you learned from history and then moved it forward to present day. expand a little more on what you think the current state of free speech is. >> first, the history. the history is that when in wartime, you look at the world wars, the cold war, there are restrictions on civil liberties and free speech. the argument is that for national security certain liberties have to be restricted, and certain groups in particular will come under pressure. so d