House Proceeding 03-19-09 on Mar 19th, 2009 :: 0:46:00 to 0:51:45
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0:43:30 to 0:50:05( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Phil Gingrey

0:45:56 to 0:46:18( Edit History Discussion )

Phil Gingrey: to see the most striking, vivid image of a fallen loved one. the flag-draped casket. i rode in the hears to take him on a 25-mile ride covering the roads that mike and i had shared so many days as aed dad and son going to and from visitation on weekends, on holidays and

0:46:19 to 0:46:41( Edit History Discussion )

Phil Gingrey: summers. it was last ride to take my boy home. and this is in bold font, mr. speaker. i worry a favorite blue blazer, address the housers and a red and blue-striped tie for my son deserved my respect. as they uncrated his casket and draped the american flag over him, i absoluted from nearby,

0:46:42 to 0:47:03( Edit History Discussion )

Phil Gingrey: tears streaming down my cheeks as a number of busy u.s. air cargo employees suddenly stopped in stunned silence, only then realizing what was taking place. i held my absolute, poor as it was, for an untrain civilian, until the flag was completely draped and the edges evenly cornered out.

0:47:04 to 0:47:24( Edit History Discussion )

Phil Gingrey: then i stepped outside to call my wife, greta, who loved him like one of her own. and as she answered the telephone, with tears still streaming down my cheeks and with a quiver in my voice, i said, our boy is home. mike stokely was age 23 when he was killed by a roadside bomb in iraq.

0:47:25 to 0:47:45( Edit History Discussion )

Phil Gingrey: while the political debate about iraq or any other war maybe had in a free country like -- may be had in a free country like this, military personnel engage of the politics of when, where or how long a war is waged, they have a constitutional duty to obey the commander in chief's lawful orders.

0:47:46 to 0:48:06( Edit History Discussion )

Phil Gingrey: mike stokely and many other zs their constitutional duty and in doing so, preserved our freedom. mike and those like him, who have -- yet but will die for america do not need to be a media spectacle at dover air force base. i was once asked what i thought the real cost of freedom is. there are many such costs but

0:48:07 to 0:48:27( Edit History Discussion )

Phil Gingrey: for the stokely family and like many of us, the highest cost has been paid, a lifetime of love. is it too much to ask, given what the fallen and their families have given america, for us to have that first moment of seeing the flag-draped casket to be ours and ours alone? should we now be asked to give

0:48:28 to 0:48:49( Edit History Discussion )

Phil Gingrey: more so that something so private can be used sell advertising to ensure a media ouet's profitable bottom line? black ink on the bottom line is usually a good thing. but it cannot be so when it comes at the cost of making a spectacle of our fallen. thus dishonoring their spilled

0:48:50 to 0:49:11( Edit History Discussion )

Phil Gingrey: red american blood. i hope your answer will be an unequivocal, unwavering and unapologetic no. and that you will fight to keep the honorable sanctity of dover rather than allow it to become a media spectacle. please protect our fallen and their families and the privacy of dover for our fallen have

0:49:12 to 0:49:33( Edit History Discussion )

Phil Gingrey: given their lives to protect a lifetime of love you and your family and millions of other americans continue to live and enjoy. proud dad of sergeant mike stokely. mr. speaker, the policy of allowing media to photograph these caskets at dover air force base -- mr. speaker, if you will indulge me for 15 more seconds,

0:49:34 to 0:49:54( Edit History Discussion )

Phil Gingrey: i would be greatly appreciative. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will conclude his remarks. mr. gingrey: mr. speaker, i thank so much for that. the policy of allowing media to photograph these caskets at dover air rce base is a serious issue for many families that have been struck with the tragedy of losing a loved one in battle. the brave service men and women

0:49:55 to 0:50:05( Edit History Discussion )

Phil Gingrey: on their final journey home have given their lives for our freedom. we must ensure -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. gingrey: that not only are their remains handled with the

0:50:06 to 0:50:26( Edit History Discussion )

Peter A. DeFazio: utmost respect but that th wishes of their families are given the respect they so richly deserve. mr. speaker, thank you for that courtesy and i do yield back at this time. the speaker pro tempore: mr. spratt from south carolina. gentleman from oregon rise? >> address the house for five

0:50:10 to 0:54:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Peter A. DeFazio

0:50:27 to 0:50:47( Edit History Discussion )

Peter A. DeFazio: minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. defazio: today was six months overdue in the house. last fall, when president george bush and secretary henry, hank, as people like to call him, paulson, just a regular guy from

0:50:48 to 0:51:09( Edit History Discussion )

Peter A. DeFazio: wall street who earned $750 million before he left wall street in one year to come back here, and be secretary of the treasury, protecting main street interests under the bush administration, panicked the congress, said the world was on the verge of collapse and submitted on a friday evening a

0:51:10 to 0:51:30( Edit History Discussion )

Peter A. DeFazio: three-page bill asking that we appropriate $700 billion and give it to henry "hank" paulson and let him spend it however he deemed fit. unfortunately, congress didn't really improve too much on that original draft. congress got stampeded, i didn't.

0:51:31 to 0:51:52( Edit History Discussion )

Peter A. DeFazio: i voted against it. for one glorious night, one day we stunned the world by stopping that bill in the house, saying there are not enough protections for american tax payers in this bill. there's no guarantee we'll get paid back. there's no restraint on how henry hank paulson of wall