On the recordJuly 24, 2020
I am greatly appreciative to hear that about Mr. Shimkus' mom. What an extraordinary woman. Mr. Shimkus and I both have been blessed in that regard. I know we both miss our mothers. My mother was an English teacher. Some people may find that hard to believe. My mother never quit teaching English even though I had her as a classroom teacher in the eighth grade, never quit teaching English. I would come home from football practice and say, ``Oh, I am exhausted. I am going to go lay down.'' And I would be hit with, ``Oh, what are you going to lay when you get there?'' ``Okay. I am going to lie down. I hope you are happy, mom.'' It is important to have a good, loving mom. It is a blessing to be in a country where there has been more freedom, more opportunity, more individual assets for more people than anywhere else. But it is important to take stock because no country lasts forever. That is just the way of history, and it is important we learn from history, good and bad. There are a lot of characters that are represented by statues in this building that I have serious problems with, the background, the things they did. But there is something to be learned from everyone, the good, the bad, the ugly. It is important because if you have a good basis in history, then it is easier to see the road ahead and which roads lead to what.…
