Pay Attention America

Floor Speech

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the American people mostly don't pay a whole lot of attention to what goes on here on the floor, and it's probably better, but hopefully they're paying attention now because it's a sad day, and they need to take note.

Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that what has happened today on this floor has been an abrogation of duty, an abrogation of our duty as representatives of the people, the finest Nation on the face of the Earth. But given what we've done today, we may not be there long.

Mr. Speaker, there are individuals who have as their stated goal the destruction of the West. You can call them what you will, radical jihadists, terrorists. Their threats are real and they are continuing. And this House, under this liberal Democrat leadership, is ignoring their words.

You don't have to take my word for the fact that these threats are real. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, allegedly on orders from al Qaeda. And one might say, well, that's 6 weeks ago. Well, just in the past 48 hours we have seen threats from other radical jihadists. In Denmark, three jihadists were arrested in a plot to murder a cartoonist for drawing an editorial cartoon years ago that they found objectionable. Mr. Speaker, I know that some on the majority side view this as comic relief, I guess, but the three jihadists who were arrested to plot the murder of a cartoonist in Denmark within the past 48 hours didn't view it as comedy. And this Democrat majority and leadership says, oh, that's okay, don't worry about it. Mr. Speaker, I hope the American people are paying attention.

In the last 48 hours, in the Philippines, jihadists with two terrorist groups associated with al Qaeda are said to be plotting to assassinate the Filipino President and bomb western embassies. And this Democrat majority leadership says, oh, that's okay, don't worry.

Mr. Speaker, in the last 48 hours in Iraq, the reputed leader of al Qaeda in Iraq posted on a jihadi Web site a call for war with Israel and for jihadists to use Iraq as a launching pad to seize Jerusalem. And this Democrat majority leadership says, oh, that's okay, don't worry about it.

And just this morning, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah raised the prospect of war with Israel declaring, ``Zionists, if you want this kind of open war, let the whole world listen: Let this war be open.'' And the Democrat majority leadership in this House said, that's okay, don't worry about it.

Mr. Speaker, I am astounded that the House of Representatives will leave town today and go home when Saturday of this week the opportunity and the ability of our intelligence community to protect us and other freedom-loving people around the world will expire. I'm astounded.

Most of what we do on this floor my constituents think doesn't make a whole lot of difference in their lives. Mr. Speaker, this makes a whole lot of difference in the lives of my constituents, in the lives of your constituents, in the lives of every single American. And not to have acted today on this bill to allow our intelligence community to keep us safe and protect us, I would suggest, Mr. Speaker, is an abrogation of duty.

I call on the Democrat leadership and the Speaker of the House to bring us back into session as soon as possible and, on behalf of the American people, act responsibly, live up to your oath, and pass this bill, the Protect America Act.

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