Date: 2004-07-09
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. early on after 9/11. it was said that this country was attacked by terrorists because the terrorists hated our freedom and hated our democracy. What is it about our freedoms and our democracy that the Republican leadership does not like? What is it about the concept of majority rule that the Republican leadership does not 1lke? What is it about the idea of a free and open debate that the Republican leadership does not like? What is it about the fact that if you can put together a bipartisan coalition to win a point. to win an amendment. to defeat a bill or to pass a bill. if it is not consistent with the Republican leadership. they get to then overturn it. they get to nullify the majority? They get to nullify the actions. as they did yesterday when the time came to end the vote. they nullified the actions of over half of the people in the country of the United States of America because their representatives voted to amend the PATRIOT Act. But that is not what the Republican leadership wanted. so they simply held the vote open until they could nullify the will of the majority in this country. If the Republican leadership stays at it long enough. there will not be any freedoms. There will not be any democracy for the terrorists to hate. because the Republican leadership in this House is doing an incredible job of destroying the history of this House. the history of open debate. the history of the majority prevailing. while protecting the minority. This Republican leadership. the White House. and so many people. say we have to go and deliver democracy to Iraq. to Iran. to Uzbekistan. Afghanistan. Pakistan. What about a little democracy on the floor of the House of Representatives of the United States of America? What about a little respect for democracy here? What about a little respect for the Rules of the House? What about a little respect for the rights of the majority to prevail on a vote? What about respect for the right of the minority to raise the point to offer an amendment? If you have a good amendment and theythink you will prevail on the floor. you will get enough Republicans and Democrats to vote for that amendment. the Committee on Rules will not allow it in order. If you sneak one by them and the majority surprises them and you win a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives. they take that vote away from you. This is not what democracy is about. This is not what freedoms are about. This is not what people think they are dying for around the world. This is not what they pursue when they pursue the hope of America. they have seen that beacon of liberty.. that Statue of Liberty. Do they really think that when they are all done. they get the dictatorship of the Republican majority to shut down democracy? Would that be worth dying for? Would that be worth putting your life on the line for? Would that be worth to sacrifice when people take to streets all over the world so that they can become like America only to be tricked and find out that in America. in the House of Representatives. the Republican dictatorship has shut down that democracy. has shut down that freedom. And when the majority in this country through their representatives suggest that they want to make sure that their freedoms and their rights were protected in the PATRIOT Act. the dictatorship of the Republican majority said no. A majority vote on protecting the rights and the freedoms that are so fundamental to the heritage. to the culture. to the history. to the future of this country. A majority vote was nullified by the Republican dictatorship. It is a sad. sad day for democracy in the House of Representatives. the peoples House of the United States of America.