Ted Poe: “It has been the honor of my life to serve in Congress. Today, I am reminded of why I came here in the first place.…”

“It has been the honor of my life to serve in Congress. Today, I am reminded of why I came here in the first place. Thomas Jefferson said it quite well: ``We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness . . . Governments''--that would be us--``are instituted among Men'' to secure those rights. Mr. Speaker, that is our mission statement: Congress is the protector of freedom and liberty. Congress must make sure that the bell of Liberty rings loudly and strongly, for the American bright star is the beaming beacon of hope: the hope that all oppressed peoples yearn to possess. So, in my final words as a Member of Congress in this House of Representatives, Congress must hold fast to these truths: that in God we must trust and be faithful servants of the sacred constitutional principles of freedom of religion, speech, press, and assembly, for this is our eternal duty. Happy trails. And that is just the way it is. ____________________”