Political Quotes

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this legislation addresses a disturbing subject in need of congressional action. In the late 1990s, Congress was made aware of a growing market of videotapes and still photographs depicting animals, typically small animals, being slowly and sadistically crushed to death. These depictions are commonly referred to as ``crush videos.'' Much of the material features women inflicting torture with their bare feet or while wearing high-heeled shoes. The depictions often appeal to people with a very specific sexual fetish. Even in States where harming the animals in such a way itself violates State laws prohibiting cruelty to animals, prosecutors had difficulty obtaining convictions. For example, the faces of the persons inflicting the torture were often not shown in the videos; and the locations, times and dates of the acts could not be ascertained from the depictions themselves. So defendants were often able to successfully assert as a defense that the State could not prove its jurisdiction over the place where the acts occurred nor that it could prove that the actions took place within the statute of limitations. In short, it has been difficult enough to find the perpetrators of the underlying acts of cruelty to animals. Then, even after they have been found, it has been difficult to obtain convictions. So Congress enacted a new law prohibiting the creation, sale, and possession of the depictions of such acts.…”