Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Conyers; my good friend, subcommittee chairman Bobby Scott; and, of course, our ranking member, Lamar Smith, for working closely with me to draft a bill that would help put a stop to the sale of animal crush videos while, at the same time, addressing the First Amendment concerns that were raised by a recent Supreme Court ruling. The district attorney of Ventura County, California, first brought this issue to my attention back in 1999. He explained that, although crush videos were illegal under State laws, the crime was difficult to prosecute because video producers moved their goods through interstate commerce to avoid prosecution. The FBI, the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Justice consider animal cruelty to be one of the early warning signs of potential violent youth. The Boston Strangler, the Unabomber, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy all tortured animals before they began to murder people. Everyone agrees that these disgusting videos must be stopped.”