Political Quotes

“our forefathers fought a revolution. They fought a revolution for freedom against a power that at that time was much greater than the sum of this Nation. They fought against private gentry. George Mason said at the Constitutional Convention that ``the people will be represented; they ought therefore to choose their representatives.'' This is a conceptual framework that has governed this body for more than 2 centuries. Today, even though times have changed, the spirit of Mason lives on. And with God's blessing we will never have to use this piece of legislation. But we have to seriously consider the issue of the continuity in Congress. We have specifically designed authority to other Members of this body to call the House back into session should I not be here to do it. We have changed the rules of the House to allow it to function if Members are incapacitated. Today we debate a bill that calls for the States to provide special elections if more than 100 Members are killed. And yes, even though we have provided for rules if Members are incapacitated, we have a constitutional responsibility to ensure the American people have full representation in this Congress. Congress has always been for the people and by the people. And in keeping with the great traditions of our country, we need to keep it that way.”