Harold Volkmer

This is the question, whether they are going to use Federal tax dollars for the purpose of assisting and protecting the clinics. That is what it amounts to. Last year we passed a bit that protected----

I am a little disappointed because I see this fight as the same fight. I do not see a difference between the two, and perhaps later on we can discuss the distinction between the access bill of last year and what we are doing here.

We were opposed to that bill that basically is not doing anything different from what they are doing right here. There is no difference.

To be honest with my colleagues, Mr. Chairman, I am quite disappointed from the gentleman from Illinois because I well remember last year, as we debated the access to clinics bill, and we were on the same side on that issue.

I am not trying to gut their amendment. I am offering a substitute. I am trying to be straightforward about the whole issue, not beat around the bush.

I say they are entitled to freedom of speech and freedom to walk down there, and what I am afraid of is that in the name in some localities they will get these Federal funds, and they will put people down there so they cannot do that----

It will be very brief because, as my colleague knows, I am just amazed about the support for this bill in general because of what it does do as far as abortion clinics, and as my colleague knows, we have people out there that are…

If I still have time remaining, I would just like to comment to the gentleman that a local unit of government, if it sees fit under this bill, can make a specific proposal to the Attorney General's office, to the Department of Justice…

I do not want the public safety, but I think a lot of times the people that are out there picketing are not endangering anybody. We have had this discussion; I thought we were on the same side.

I do not think I would have supported something that even President Reagan, this House, and our Senate at that time found there was such gross abuses in by local units of government, using it for things it should not have been used for.

I find that and that tells me the gentleman does not trust local government, because surely his local government the way he described it in general debate would never do this.

I remember the gentleman was here and I was here when we found out all of these things about LEAA and we were not happy. Then I find in this bill the local government may not be quite, may not just be quite the local government that the…

The gentleman's amendment is to make it clear we can use moneys from these funds to have people that are picketing at abortion clinics go to jail.

What the gentleman is saying to me and making clear is under the bill as it is written, if a unit of the local government feels it is necessary to have policemen around abortion clinics they can have all of the police around the abortion…

If they feel and the Attorney General would feel it is for reducing crime and improving public safety, that is the limitation. It does not make any difference what the gentleman's amendment says.

The biggest thing we can do you help undo, and you leave it open. The gentleman says, ``They're not going to do those things.'' Well, who bought the tank? Who bought the tank? The tank was bought by law enforcement people under the old…

But I do think you can tighten the purposes up quite a bit more and narrow them quite a bit more than you have done. What we have attempted to do and some of us feel that one of the major items facing this Nation, especially in our major…

Oh, no, no, we are going to take care of those, too. I am just saying you do not restrict these other things. You do not restrict them at all. You are saying as long as you are doing it to stop crime or, I will use your exact words again…

What I am trying to tell the gentleman is that the State legislatures that want to do it, like Missouri wants to do it, we are doing it. We have got to build new prisons. We are taking money away from higher education, from mental health…

Under this bill, Mr. Chairman, after that informant had told that agent that information, he could have gone down there and took guns without a search warrant. For that reason, I say if you want to protect your gun owners from these rogue…

I quite disagree with the gentleman from New Mexico that what I said before, it does not change maybe what BATF is doing at the present. But I still say, because they can go on reasonable belief that what they are doing is right without a…

What did that do? It did the same thing for all law enforcement as what this does for BATF.

I have worked up this amendment, and I would like to have the opportunity to offer it. I am just trying to preclude that and restate my stand on one issue, and that is the BATF. I would just talk about that and limit the time. I am willing…

If they have a warrant; if they have a warrant. If they do not have a warrant, as your bill permits it, they do not have to have a warrant to break into that house, and if the warrant is defective, even under the Supreme Court, which I…

What influence did Rupert Murdoch have in relation to the writing of the book and to the book contract and how much the Speaker is going to get? I do not believe that Teddy Roosevelt, Al Gore, or anybody else had any types of contract with…