Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlelady from California and I thank the Rules Committee for allowing amendments in that I have offered dealing with the expansion and opportunity for small and women- owned businesses and addressing the tragedy of Fort Hood as relates to the civilians who were impacted by that enormous tragedy. First, of course, my honor and respect to the United States military for their service as we move toward the commemoration of Memorial Day. But I would also like to suggest that an amendment that I offered could have been added that dealt with $10 million going to the State Department to improve smart power diplomacy, and also some additional work on helping our families, having spoken to the Air Force families, to make sure that services are utilized during predeployment. But I am grateful, of course, that we are moving forward on Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and in tribute to August Provost, an innocent who lost his life in San Diego because people did not understand that he, too, was a soldier even though, even though his lifestyle may have been different. It is a disgrace to eliminate those who want to serve their country. And finally, I would offer to say that I look forward to a colloquy that would establish NASA, or begin to address the question of whether or not the Defense Department needs to assess whether NASA is a national security asset as we move toward commercialization. Mr. Speaker, I believe it is important to honor our military.…”