On the recordJanuary 13, 2010
Let me thank Congresswoman Barbara Lee, our chairperson, who raised the red flag and who let out the siren and gathered us together, and I want to respond to what she just said about the earthquake. It rocks you in your soul; 7.0 on the Richter scale is hair-raising. I would also argue that it puts your hair on fire. I still have a sense that I am trembling because it's unimaginable. As you have just indicated, we look to California, and we get very nervous about our friends and family who are there when we hear of a 2, of a 3 or of a 4. I recall in the northern California area when there was an earthquake that impacted the baseball game and the baseball stadium, and it was all over the news. It was not a 7.0. So I would just simply say that we rise here with all solemnness. We are not speechless, but we are trembling for those who are now in the eye of devastation.
