Mitch Landrieu: “Mr. President, let me read some recent headlines from our national newspapers because the Senator was making an earlier…”

“Mr. President, let me read some recent headlines from our national newspapers because the Senator was making an earlier point that I agree with, that this isn't just in poor neighborhoods; this isn't just in neighborhoods of people who have recently come to this Nation; this isn't about people who have not had a good education; this affects everyone in all walks of life. ``Popular Romance Novelist Shot and Killed by Estranged Husband,'' an AP story from June 1999. ``Tommy Lee goes to jail for Wife Abuse,'' from USA Today, in May 1998. ``Colorado Rockies Pitcher Arrested on Suspicion of Punching Pregnant Wife in Face,'' from the Washington Post, August 1999. ``Number of Women Dying from Domestic Violence Holding Steady Despite Drastic Drop in Overall Homicide Rates,'' San Francisco, February 1998. Mr. President, we have to do a better job. We have to continue on this track. Violence has no place in our society--on our streets, on our playgrounds, or in back alleys. But it most certainly has no place in our homes where children grow up. If a home can't be safe, if a home can't provide peace for a child or a woman, as a person, where can they find peace, Mr. President? That is what this bill is about. I think it is appropriate that the Violence Against Women Act will be passed with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. It says that we understand that violence against women is a world wide problem.”