[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 160 (Wednesday, September 16, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H4478-H4486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 3, 2019, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs) is recognized
for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
General Leave
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend
their remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of my
Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arizona?
There was no objection.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Missouri
(Mrs. Wagner).
Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for very graciously
allowing me to speak and for yielding to me.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of Police Officer Tamarris L.
Bohannon, who gave his life and service to his city on August 30 of
2020. His untimely and tragic killing is a profound loss to the people
of St. Louis.
Mr. Speaker, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police
Department, there have been nine--nine--St. Louis police officers shot
since June 1 of 2020. We grieve Officer Bohannon's sacrifice, and we
honor him for his sense of duty, his dedication, his generosity, and
his heroism.
Known as ``T'' by his family and ``Bo'' by his squad, Officer
Bohannon was a loyal St. Louisan and a hard worker who inspired
admiration for his diligent service. With his wife, Alexis, he lived
and raised his three wonderful children--Tamara, Ayden, and Tylor--in
the city that he protected as a police officer of the St. Louis
Metropolitan Police Department. He was a veteran of the force, serving
with distinction for more than 3 years.
Officer Bohannon's heroic actions to keep the citizens of St. Louis
safe are the truest example of selfless service. I extend my deepest
condolences to his fellow officers, his many friends, his loving wife
and parents, and the rest of his family. We cannot repay him for his
sacrifice, but we will always remember his love for our city and the
people who live there.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I will begin by recognizing the heroic men
and women who serve in the L.A. County Sheriff's Department as well.
This week, our country witnessed a cowardly evil attack on two L.A.
County deputies. As the two county deputies were sitting inside of
their parked car in Compton, California, a thug approached their
vehicle and shot them point-blank. We are grateful that both of them
are expected to survive. We regret that ambush, totally without
justification, and we need to bring them to justice.
I am reminded of what the British moralist C. S. Lewis described in
his book, ``The Abolition of Man,'' where he said of shallow and
heartless people as being ``men without chests.''
Perhaps, now, we are seeing that from the vicious criminals who are
attempting to single out and overthrow our cities and, specifically,
attack our police force.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Davidson).
Mr. DAVIDSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from
Arizona.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to support our First Amendment. I want to support
the ability of people to assemble peaceably, but I also want to address
the mobs that we have seen in our streets and, fundamentally, to defend
our police.
What is it that the mob wants? It is hard to answer. There is a
disparate set of views. Some have called them anarchists. They don't
really have anarchy in mind; they just don't agree on which leftwing
ideology they want to support. But they also are obeying their leaders.
They are doing what their leaders have sent them to do.
One of our House colleagues, in June of 2018, said: ``You get out and
you create a crowd. And you push back on them, and you tell them they
are not welcome anymore, anywhere.''
Isn't that exactly what the mob is doing? Little old ladies trying to
have a meal on a sidewalk here in our Nation's Capital have people
shouting at them--mob intimidation.
And it gets much worse, as my colleague, Mrs. Wagner, just
highlighted. Nine police officers shot just in St. Louis alone. We all
saw the horrific attacks in Los Angeles over the weekend--unprovoked,
unjustified, unjustifiable, indefensible, yet people defend them and
are reluctant to condemn them. This is what the mob is doing.
This is not the First Amendment. This is not the right of the people
to assemble peaceably. And our law enforcement protect that right. They
defend freedom. They protect and defend our communities. They do it
heroically with bravery every day and, so often, thanklessly.
We are right to give them thanks. They put their lives in harm's way.
And they call out their colleagues when they can when they break the
trust of their departments.
We do need to reform some laws. We do need to hold some individuals
accountable, but the idea that we can lay at the feet of all police
these charges that are made is abhorrent.
So we need to defend our police. We need to defend our First
Amendment freedoms to assemble peaceably, and we need to reject the
cries of the mobs.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina
(Mr. Bishop).
Mr. BISHOP of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from
Arizona.
Mr. Speaker, last week, a husband and wife awoke to see, through
their bedroom window, a brazen burglar breaking into their car. The dad
retrieved a gun and tried to protect his family. He knew that the
console of the car being burglarized contained another gun, and he saw
the burglar retrieve it. They exchanged fire, and the confrontation had
become more than even that prepared father could handle. So it became
the responsibility of Ryan Hendrix.
The 8-year veteran of the Henderson County Sheriff's Department
arrived with two other deputies at 2:54 a.m. last Thursday. They
spotted the suspect, and at first he appeared to comply with commands,
and then suddenly raised a weapon and fired.
The first shot struck Deputy Hendrix in the face before his fellow
officers returned fire and shot the gunman dead. Investigation revealed
that the gunman was a career criminal, wanted by South Carolina
Probation, with arrests in four States.
Ryan Philip Hendrix, 35, Marine Corps vet, was declared brain dead
the next day. Ryan's 6-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter will live
with only fragmentary memories of their father. Ryan's fiancee will not
have that October wedding that they planned.
This murder is not an isolated story. Two hundred law enforcement
officers have died in the line of duty in 2020, up 90 percent.
Nothing I say can ennoble the sacrifices of those lost nor of the
many others injured. Those sacrifices, that service, speak for
themselves.
But I can speak to a fast-growing cancer in our civic spirit, an
activism that exploits the wound to our national psyche born of racial
injustice in our history, an activism that draws explicitly on Marxism
and attacks core foundations of our society, including, and perhaps
foremost, the consensus of support for law enforcement, a consensus
that abides in every nation capable of surviving. It manifests itself
in riots, looting, arson, destruction, shootings, and killings.
I can contend against it along with you. I have introduced into
Congress the No Riots Act to criminalize injuries not only for Federal
but, also, State and local law enforcement officers and to extend the
death penalty for killing an officer in the course of interstate
rioting.
But we cannot return to law enforcement officers the protection they
deserve if leadership of our country is divided on the institution of
police--indeed, if the people are divided. All
[[Page H4479]]
must back the blue. If we do not, then God have mercy on us, because
the criminals and thugs like the one who took Ryan Hendrix's life
assuredly will not spare yours or those of your loved ones.
This country is exceptional, the recognition that every human is
special and has fundamental rights. Our Nation is a story of refining
those rights in practice so that everyone gets a fair shake, that
everyone's life is protected and respected.
But elemental to that, what we cannot do without are those who defend
us from chaos and keep order, those whose service, whose sacrifice most
Americans understand and honor.
Most Americans know that Ryan Hendrix is a hero and so are all who
serve in blue. Most Americans know that the they are highest caliber
among us and that they deserve our respect and support.
I back the blue.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina.
Mr. Speaker, in the sweltering heat of Arizona deserts, we have
multiple jurisdictions of police officers who come to the rescue, not
just armed with guns, but they will save those who are fighting through
the desert, fighting through the heat, whether they are here in this
country illegally or not. Whether they are with the Customs and Border
Patrol, whether they are with ICE, whether they are with the county
sheriff's department or our local municipal police departments, they
provide first aid assistance and lifesaving assistance, and I pay
homage to them.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman).
{time} 1645
Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
There is no more important element of our society that the Founders
guaranteed us than safety and security. I rise today in strong support
of our Nation's law enforcement officers and join my colleagues in
strongly condemning the recent attacks on those who serve and protect
our communities.
Peaceful protests have been hijacked by malevolent radical
organizations like Antifa, while national political and media-driven
narratives have further incited violence against the very people who
patrol our streets, stop violent criminals, and keep our communities
safe. That is what the blue does.
It is imperative law enforcement have the means necessary to
investigate who and which organizations are funding, organizing, and
inciting these riots occurring in our country.
As Members of Congress, it is our sworn duty to defend our Nation
from enemies both foreign and domestic. While we must always protect
the right to peacefully protest, it is imperative that people or
entities funneling money to cause disruption and damage in peaceful
communities are held accountable for their actions.
Michigan's First District proudly stands with our law enforcement
community, and we honor the good work that so many brave men and women
do every day, keeping strong that thin blue line which defends against
chaos and anarchy threatening our society.
I fervently urge the Department of Justice and the FBI to take all
available further action to ensure that the rioters, and especially
those funneling money to them, are held accountable to the maximum
extent allowable by the law.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina
(Mr. Budd).
Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. He is a
great chairman, but also a great friend. I thank him, also, for
organizing this Special Order.
Over the past several months we have witnessed lawless anarchists
take to the streets and destroy historic monuments, vandalize and burn
small businesses, physically assault a U.S. Senator and his wife,
harass regular Americans who are simply enjoying an outdoor dinner, and
so on. The fact that this activity goes on and is tolerated by
Democrat-run cities is outrageous and an insult to every law-abiding
citizen of this land.
We need to double the Federal penalties for those who riot and loot.
We need to strip Federal funding from cities that refuse to confront
this lawlessness in their communities. And we need to put those
dithering local officials on the hook legally for the carnage that they
allow to happen.
There are people here in Washington who stand for law and order and
are trying to regain control of our streets, starting with our
President. Violence like this has no place in America. We have to get
back to resolving our issues through debate and democracy, not through
looting and lawlessness.
If officials in Democrat-run cities won't stand up for all of their
citizens, then under the leadership of President Trump, Republicans
will.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr.
Yoho).
Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, a country as ours, a constitutional republic, requires a
citizenry that is well-educated and are responsible.
I questioned a colleague of mine from New York about her policies
calling for defunding of the police. The city of New York cut funding
to the city police department by $1.5 billion, but my colleague from
New York said that is not sufficient, we need 100 percent defunding of
the police, while at the same time advocating for people to shoplift if
you are hungry.
My question is: Do you suppose that is okay for the shop owner? Do
you suppose it is okay for our children watching those police? Who does
the shop owner call and how do the police respond with those kinds of
ideas out there? Do you call Antifa? I don't know. I wouldn't.
A civil society needs rule of law. We need policemen who uphold those
laws and are willing to serve to protect the citizens. Our lawmakers
need to preserve the rule of law, not weaken it.
The dangerous policies of the left espouse no police, free this, free
that, free healthcare, it is not your fault. This does not lead to the
utopia they promise.
In reality, this leads to the Hugo Chavez/Nicholas Maduro's
Venezuela, and that is a short period of time. People don't think it
can happen here, but we need our policemen.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's comments and his
efforts and service in Congress as he prepares to retire soon. I thank
the gentleman, Mr. Yoho.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Tiffany),
who on the other end of the spectrum is fairly new to Congress.
Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arizona for
yielding some time to me here this afternoon.
First, we are setting up a picture here on the easel to the right of
me. And what you see there are not the wildfires in California. What
you see is a picture from my district in western Wisconsin of
Minneapolis at the end of May as the city was burning.
Organized anarchist groups like Antifa have been engaging in
systematic criminal activity including assaults, widespread property
damage and destruction, repeated looting, and attacks on law
enforcement and others.
They have turned parts of Kenosha, Madison, and Milwaukee in my
State, as well as neighborhoods just over the border in Minnesota, into
post-apocalyptic hellscapes.
And if I can take just a minute. Growing up in western Wisconsin, I
will never forget, it was always a treat to go into the Twin Cities of
Saint Paul and Minneapolis. And in the Midwest, Minneapolis and Saint
Paul were always known as the best of the big cities to live in. They
can no longer say that after what has happened here in 2020.
These are not mostly peaceful protests, and Antifa is not a myth.
These are orchestrated assaults on civil society and the American way
of life designed to spread terror and chaos, to destroy businesses, and
to shake the very foundations of our country.
First, it was Minneapolis and Atlanta, then Portland and Seattle,
then Milwaukee, Madison and even Kenosha. Tomorrow it could be your
community.
So let's talk about those cities here in Wisconsin.
Madison: In June, a violent mob vandalized the State capitol and
other State buildings, shattering windows, hurling Molotov cocktails
and destroying historic monuments. In fact, it was
[[Page H4480]]
very fortunate that the Molotov cocktail that went into the county
building just off from the State capitol did not lead to a loss of
life.
They attacked a statue of Hans Christian Heg, a statue that I was
just walking past a few months ago as a State legislator in Wisconsin.
He was a Civil War veteran, immigrant, abolitionist who fell at
Chickamauga fighting to end slavery and preserve the Union. Yes, they
tore it down. His nearly 100-year-old sculpture was decapitated and
thrown into a lake by rioters.
The mob also tore down the statue of Lady Forward, a monument that is
emblematic of Wisconsin being the first State to ratify the women's
suffrage movement. The original Lady Forward statue was first placed in
front of the Wisconsin State Capitol in 1895.
And for my friends on the other side of the aisle, whether you are a
Republican or Democrat, if you don't think they are going to come for
you at some point, go ask my former colleague Democrat State Senator
Tim Carpenter, who was beaten by rioters during that unrest and needed
surgery to recover. He told the media, ``I don't know what happened . .
. all I did was stop and take a picture . . . and the next thing I'm
getting five-six punches, getting kicked in the head.'' That is a
Democratic State senator.
Roving bands of thugs looking to intimidate residents torched and
looted State Street. The State Street riots proceeded when they tore
down the statues around the beautiful State capitol in Madison,
Wisconsin.
But let's talk about Bernell Trammell. In July, Mr. Trammell, an
activist known for carrying handmade signs supporting President Trump,
was gunned down in broad daylight in Milwaukee. To date, no arrests
have been made.
Mr. Trammell is an African American. And, in fact, I am quite sure he
supported an African American former state senator that I used to work
with.
There is growing public concern that the violence and lawlessness
that has plagued Milwaukee for months has rendered local officials
either unwilling or unable to thoroughly investigate his murder and
bring those responsible for his death to justice. And that includes the
top law enforcement official in Wisconsin. We are hearing nothing from
him in regard to Bernell Trammell.
The failure of local officials to apprehend any suspects a month
after this brutal crime was committed sets a dangerous precedent, one
that could encourage more politically motivated killings and undermine
the civil rights protections afforded to all Americans.
I have asked Attorney General Barr and the U.S. Attorney to initiate
a civil rights investigation into his killing as they did into the
shooting of Jacob Blake.
Kenosha: During the Kenosha riots, at least 56 businesses were
severely damaged or destroyed racking up a $50 million price tag. Thank
you, President Trump, for coming to Kenosha and offering your
assistance.
The destruction has left business owners devastated and wondering
whether they will have the money to rebuild and stay in the
neighborhood.
The Uptown neighborhood, home to a majority of minority-owned
businesses, was among those hardest hit. One news report described the
plight of one local business owner:
Inside La Estrella Supermarket, owner Abel Alejo surveyed
the water and smoke damage his shop suffered. Carpeting in a
hallway was spongy with water as he surveyed packages of
spoiling food that needed clearing out last week. A few
pinatas still hung overhead from an intact part of the
otherwise broken ceiling in the closed store.
Wauwatosa: According to police, a mob targeted the home of a
Wauwatosa policeman, vandalizing his home, physically assaulting him,
then firing a shotgun through his back door.
A Democrat state representative participated in the unrest and
actually accused the officer, who lives in the home with his girlfriend
and two children, of aggressively provoking the confrontation by
``choosing to come out of his home.''
So I think about my district. I was talking to the mayor a short week
after I was sworn in on May 19, when the riots were happening in
Minneapolis, and he was wondering, along with lots of other citizens in
St. Croix and Polk Counties on the western edge of Wisconsin, are the
riots of Minneapolis going to come to our community? We can only hope
that that does not happen here as we close out 2020.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, when I reflect on the incident of the weekend
when the two L.A. County deputies were shot and they had to tend to
each other and apply first aid to each other, and they were rushed to
the hospital, the rigid cruelty of the mob that gathered at the
hospital trying to block an ambulance from accessing the emergency
room, accompanied with hateful shouts and taunts, as evidence of the
loss of goodness in our society.
The feckless leaders of some States and cities that have not only
permitted the destruction of property, but the wasting of lives and
livelihoods are without heart, as well. In many cases they have not
only stood by watching the wreckage, they have fomented the rioting,
looting, the murder, and mayhem.
{time} 1700
One of the enemies of a free society is one who will appease people
who are intent on destroying the rights of individuals within that
society, those who permit and encourage by inaction criminal conduct.
We saw this when the Portland mayor, Ted Wheeler, was driven from his
own home because the mob had turned on him. He is not alone.
Winston Churchill once noted that an appeaser is someone who feeds
others to the alligators with the hopes that he will be eaten last.
That is what is being lived out in some American cities before our eyes
today.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cloud), my
friend.
Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, who would have thought--who would have
thought--that today we would be here discussing this topic.
When I ran for office, when I stood in this room for the first time
and took the oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution, I
expected that we would have many discussions on this floor with deeply
held opposing views on the many issues facing our Nation. I did not
expect that one of those issues would be whether this, the lawmaking
body of our Nation, expects the laws to be followed, or whether or not
we support the brave men and women tasked with enforcing that law.
Policing is a noble and necessary profession of any civil society, a
profession which, by and large, is full of dedicated, courageous
citizens who have chosen to serve their community, often putting aside
higher-paying professions to work in one of the most difficult,
challenging jobs, daily prioritizing public safety over their own.
It is these families for whom the greatest sound one hears is the
sound of Velcro at the end of each shift as their loved one removes
their body armor and takes up their other most important duty of being
a mom, dad, brother, or sister. For too many of our law enforcement
officers' families, because of the violence against police, they are
now denied the joy of that moment.
Each day, we see images of organized armed riots embracing
lawlessness, destroying property, sowing hate, and instilling fear, all
in order to advance a political agenda.
The barrage of destruction and violence in major American cities is
almost nonstop. The rioters across the Nation have cost over $1 billion
in damages and claimed numerous lives.
In one of the latest acts of horrific violence, two Los Angeles
County sheriff's deputies were shot and critically injured as they sat
in their patrol car at a metro rail station Saturday evening.
Protesters gathered outside the hospital where the deputies were
receiving treatment, some chanting: ``Death to police. Kill the
police.'' This is shameful and cannot be tolerated.
It is notable that this mass chaos is occurring in cities with
leftist leaders who have been tragically slow at condemning the
violence.
This lack of leadership, we might add, whether by intentional design
or perhaps by good but misguided intentions, has kept entire segments
of our population in failing schools, in crime-ridden communities, and
in generational cycles of poverty and dependency.
We owe it to the American people to protect their homes, families,
and businesses from any mob that seeks to tear down our society.
[[Page H4481]]
We owe it to our hardworking police officers, who dedicate their
lives to upholding the law, to give them respect and provide them with
the resources, training, and support they need to do their jobs safely
and effectively.
This is why I stand with the American people, with our law
enforcement, and will oppose any attempt to, in a matter of fact or
even in simply imagining, defund the police.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for being here tonight.
I appreciate his comments.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline), my
friend.
Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Biggs for organizing this
evening.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our men and women in law
enforcement and to call for the restoration of the rule of law in this
country.
Over the past several months, we have heard politicians, pundits, and
riot participants vilifying our Nation's law enforcement officers,
brave men and women who have sworn an oath to protect and serve their
communities.
We must remember that words have consequences, especially when those
words are uttered by Members in this Chamber.
The overwhelming majority of police officers are good people. These
men and women do the right job for the right reasons, and the people of
Virginia's Sixth District strongly support these brave men and women.
We have seen Back the Blue rallies spring up across the Commonwealth.
Following the ambush of two sheriff's deputies in L.A. County this
past weekend, I was moved to speak today to urge my colleagues to
recommit themselves to honoring those in blue.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 193 members of law
enforcement have been killed this year in the line of duty, nearly 40
of whom were as a result of a gunshot wound.
These brave souls were moms, dads, brothers, sisters, husbands, and
wives, each with a story, and each laid down their life for their
fellow citizens. Their deaths bring no more holidays, no more
anniversaries, no more birthdays, simply no more days.
Regardless of race, gender, or creed, police officers are there in
times of crisis. They very literally answer the call and run toward the
sounds of danger while others run from them.
Too many have given their last full measure in the line of duty, only
to have their memory disgraced with calls to defund and dismantle our
police departments, which by doing so would destroy the peace in which
Americans are blessed to live.
Some in this Chamber have been actually pushing an antipolice agenda.
Mr. Speaker, I am tired of folks playing politics with people's
lives. Over the past few months, we have seen too much death, too much
destruction, and too much division. We must restore the rule of law in
this country, and we must get our country back on track.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Banks), my
friend.
Mr. BANKS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend from the
great State of Arizona (Mr. Biggs) for organizing this Special Order so
we can focus on the civil unrest that has enveloped our Nation in
recent months.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all of my colleagues who have already
shared their thoughts on how we can stop the unrest and restore law and
order.
Too many Americans are home tonight worried about what will happen if
a violent mob descends on their community or on their small business.
That is why I join my friends here tonight and rise up to voice my
concerns about leftwing activists running through our streets rioting,
looting, and destroying people's livelihoods.
But what concerns me the most is that we are not holding them
accountable for their actions. That is why I have written a bill that
would strip a rioter caught and convicted of looting, vandalism, or
violence of coronavirus unemployment benefits.
While we all support the right to protest peacefully, I know I speak
for my colleagues and my constituents when I say it is time to put a
stop to the destruction of American cities and leaving the taxpayers
and small business owners as the ones who are holding the bag.
My bill is called the Support Peaceful Protest Act. Not only would it
hold those rioting and looting accountable by preventing them from
receiving enhanced unemployment benefits, but it would also force those
arrested and convicted to pay the costs of policing these spectacles.
It is time to force these rioters to face the financial costs of
their actions. They need to feel the consequences of their actions.
I offer this piece of legislation as part of a solution to stop the
rioting and restore law and order across our Nation. The civil unrest
is dangerous, and it must come to an end.
Mr. Speaker, again, I thank my friend and colleague, Mr. Biggs, for
letting me share about my bill. I hope that all of my colleagues on
both sides of the aisle will consider adding their names to it.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Biggs, once again, for holding this
important Special Order hour on what is on the top of the minds of so
many of the American people.
Thank you. God bless.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr.
Banks) for his words and also for his work on the legislation that I
think will be very important.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar), my
friend and my seatmate from Arizona.
Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Biggs for yielding to me.
In 1928, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said: ``In a
government of laws, the existence of the government will be imperiled
if it fails to observe the law scrupulously. . . . If the government
becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man
to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. . . . Crime is
contagious.''
Mr. Speaker, let's just look at the lawlessness perpetrated by our
own government that the American people have had to endure and for
which, regrettably, I have had a front-row seat for in my career here
in Congress: Fast and Furious; the IRS attacks on conservatives;
Benghazi, where four Americans died; Hillary Clinton's email scandal;
the attacks on the press of James Rosen, James Risen, and Sharyl
Attkisson; the unmasking of American citizens; Russia-gate; Ukraine-
gate; and now, Obama-gate.
Who has paid the time for the crime?
What we are witnessing today in many of America's Democratic-run
cities are the repercussions of years of lawlessness and amnesty in
Washington, D.C.
Recently, I had a woman leave me a voice mail saying she ``thinks it
is totally okay for her to come with her gun and shoot me in the
head.'' Only a couple days later, two L.A. County sheriffs were shot in
the head.
Do you know what happened as those deputies were fighting for their
lives? The mob was blocking the entrance to the emergency room,
chanting: ``We hope they die. We hope they die.''
That is how little regard the mob has for the rule of law and their
fellow man in their disavowment of the greatest country in the world,
the United States of America.
President Trump is right: We must restore law and order. We must
defend our police, not just by fully funding them but by increasing the
criminal penalties for assaulting officers, bringing violent groups
like Antifa and BLM to justice, and applying existing Federal laws like
RICO statutes to combat the patterned commission of violent crime.
Ronald Reagan wisely said: ``We must reject the idea that every time
a law is broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is
time to restore the American precept that each individual is
accountable'' for his or her actions.
I strongly support law enforcement. I firmly disavow the groups and
individuals funding, enabling, and partaking in mob violence. And I
call on my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I say to the men and women in blue and brown: Thank you.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague from
Arizona, Representative Gosar, for his comments.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Hice), my
friend.
Mr. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Biggs for
yielding.
Look, we have all seen the out-of-control left hijacking our cities
across
[[Page H4482]]
the Nation, and we know where the bottom line ends. It is organizations
like Antifa, where they are targeting police officers, burning down
buildings, destroying private property, besieging Federal buildings,
attacking innocent civilians. We have seen what happened with the
police in L.A. and the chants that took place there.
But all this type of behavior does not happen in a vacuum. It doesn't
happen in a vacuum.
In fact, we are seeing all of this fueled by reckless rhetoric, much
of it coming from our Democratic colleagues, where they say things
like: All cops are evil, all cops are bad, and cries to defund the
police.
The result we are watching? Record numbers of police murdered and
killed across the country, record numbers injured.
Yet, the left is still calling to defund the police. Rather than
condemn this lunacy that is happening in our country, the majority
continues to appease, continues to fuel this horrible behavior.
In fact, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee won't even admit
that Antifa violence exists. He calls it a myth. It is unthinkable.
Where is the leadership of the Democratic Party? Where is the Speaker
of the House, for that matter? She has consistently downplayed this
crisis that is happening in our streets.
It is time that we have leadership here. It is time that we address
the issues. The Speaker, frankly, should be ashamed of the absolute
failure to address this horrific behavior that is happening and the
unrest that is happening in our country.
In fact, when the Senate passed serious legislation, the Speaker went
out to say that the Senate is trying to commit murder. My question is,
how many murders have occurred on the streets of America since she made
that statement?
Rather than work with us, the Democrats and the Speaker call us and
the President domestic enemies and enemies of the state, and that is
just totally unacceptable.
It is time that we restore law and order in this country, and it
begins by restoring it right here in this Chamber.
{time} 1715
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina
(Mr. Norman), my good friend.
Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want every American to look at this
picture of what, sadly, has become ``the new normal'' in many cities
across our great Nation. The one common thread for all of these cities
is that they are run by liberal Democrats who tolerate these criminal
activities: buildings deliberately being set on fire, department stores
being looted of merchandise, police cars, as you see here, being bashed
and torched, and our brave law enforcement officers being executed in
broad daylight.
Imagine, if you are an owner of these businesses who invested a
lifetime of savings, waking up to their places of work being destroyed
through no fault of their own.
Here is my question: Why have Democrats remained silent on condemning
these acts of violence?
Is it any coincidence that there is not one Democrat standing with us
tonight? Where are they? They are not here.
I would submit that this is a preview of coming attractions to cities
and towns all across our great country if this lawlessness is allowed
to continue.
Now is the time to support law enforcement, not defund law
enforcement.
Now is the time to enforce our laws and put those criminals behind
bars if they destroy private property.
Now is the time to get back to we, the people, not we, the criminals,
not we, the government, not we, the politician.
In closing, you do not build up America by tearing down America.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Roy), who will be speaking as fast as a Texan can speak.
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arizona for
yielding.
Detective James Skernivitz;
Police Officer Tamarris Leon-Wesley Bohannon;
Sergeant Ricardo Perez-Ortiz;
Police Officer Edelmiro Garza, Jr.;
Police Officer Ismael Chavez;
Police Officer Anthony Dia;
Sergeant Craig Vincent Johnson;
Wildlife Officer Julian Keen, Jr.;
Deputy Sheriff James H. Blair;
Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller;
Lieutenant Stephen P. Williams;
Police Officer Waldis ``Jay'' Johnson;
Police Officer Nathan James Lyday;
Police Officer Cody N. Holte;
Police Officer Michael S. Mosher;
Lieutenant Glenn Dale Hutto, Jr.;
Police Officer Dan Walters;
Police Officer Justin Putnam;
Officer Breann Leath;
Commander Greg Carnicle;
Sergeant Ben Jenkins;
Police Officer Christopher Ryan Walsh;
Sergeant James R. O'Connor, IV;
Corporal Brent William Perry Scrimshire;
Corporal Andrew J. Gillette;
Officer David Kellywood;
Police Officer Nick O'Rear;
Trooper Joseph Jon Bullock;
Deputy Sheriff Richard Edward Whitten;
Officer Tiffany-Victoria Bilon Enriquez;
Officer Kaulike Kalama;
Public Safety Officer Jackson Ryan Winkler;
Captain Stanley Curtis Elrod;
Police Officer Bryan Brown;
Corporal Bryant Searcy;
Police Officer Sheena Dae Yarbrough-Powell;
Trooper Caleb Starr;
Police Officer Destin Legieza;
Animal Control Officer Darrian May Young;
Police Officer Christopher Eric Ewing;
Police Officer Kaia LaFay Grant;
Police Officer Alan Daniel McCollum;
Police Officer Katherine Mary Thyne.
I have two questions, Mr. Speaker:
Where is the NBA? Where are those names? Where are the names I just
read of the 43 police officers who have died in the line of duty this
year? I want to know that. I want to know where those names are.
My second question is: Where is the Speaker? Where is the Speaker of
the House? Where is this body? Why aren't we on the floor voting on a
resolution honoring these fallen 43? Why aren't we standing up for law
and order? Why aren't we standing up for security in our streets? Why
are we instead turning over this country to mob rule?
These names matter too, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Gohmert).
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, an article from the Federalist by Joy
Pullman today points out: ``Contrary to corporate media narratives, up
to 95 percent of this summer's riots are linked to Black Lives Matter
activism, according to data collected by the Armed Conflict Location
and Event Data Project. . . . Of the 633 coded as riots, 88 percent are
recorded as involving Black Lives Matter activists.''
So all of these corporations that are donating money, it is very
clear: They are helping a Marxist organization whose ultimate goal will
be to relieve these corporations of all of their private property.
Way to go.
Early estimates from insurance agencies apparently say they have set
a record in destruction for what the media--the alt-left media or
mainstream, whichever you prefer--say is just mainly peaceful
uprisings. It is astounding what has been occurring.
This article from The Daily Signal points out, from yesterday, that
if you go to the website for Black Futures Lab, a venture of Black
Lives Matter founder Alicia Garza, and click on donate, ``it will ask
you to send your money to an obscure organization, the Chinese
Progressive Association, explaining that `Black Futures Lab is a
fiscally sponsored project of the Chinese Progressive Association.' ''
So there you go. You are not only helping destroy America and
eliminate private property that you own, you are also helping the
Chinese Communist Party.
Congratulations for all of those. You are not making Black lives
matter; you are helping the Chinese Communist Party.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania
(Mr. Perry).
Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arizona for
yielding.
[[Page H4483]]
Mr. Speaker, I am still sickened by the sight that I saw, that all of
us saw: two officers who showed up to work, an assassination attempt,
attempted execution, just for sitting in their car, for honoring their
pledge to preserve and protect the safety of the citizens they serve.
For the past month, law enforcement officers have endured attacks,
have been shot at, bottles thrown at, fireworks, glass bottles,
powerful lasers attempted to blind them.
This year, as my friend from Texas said, 43 law enforcement officers
have been killed, nearly twice the rate of last year.
And what is coming from the other side of the Chamber here? You got
it. Silence.
When elected leaders refuse to stand with our law enforcement
officers and continue to bend to the whims of violent mobs, we lose our
civilization. We lose our civil society.
Now, you think, when you watch TV maybe you see it on the news, it is
happening far away, thousands of miles away across our country. But
right in Pennsylvania where I live, south central Pennsylvania, just on
Monday, unfortunately, violent riots came to the streets on the heels
of the death of Ricardo Munoz, a mentally ill 27-year-old who was
captured on a police officer's body camera charging at the officer with
a knife in his hand.
Now, the death of Ricardo Munoz is a tragedy, no doubt, and my
prayers are with Mr. Munoz's family. However, an adult man wielding a
large carving knife over his head while charging at police--by the way,
having a record of doing this in the past, stabbing people--is a clear
mortal threat, and the officers are well within their rights to protect
themselves.
Let me be very clear. Every person in the United States of America
has the right to peacefully protest. Your constitutional right to
protest, however, does not include violent riots, setting fires to
things, looting, and harming and killing other people.
Now, this is an account from that protest which wasn't a protest:
The mob marched from the scene of the shooting on Laurel
Street to the police station, chucking glass bottles, rocks,
bricks, gallon jugs filled with liquid, and plastic road
barricades at the police. A county vehicle parked in front of
the station was damaged.
Numerous buildings and vehicles were damaged, fires were
set--all without regard for the owners and individuals who
could have been physically harmed by the riotous actions.
Mr. Speaker, anyone in this Chamber, any leader in our community who
does not stand up for civil society, for our police officers who take
an oath to protect their citizens, is supporting a dangerous and deadly
violent mob, and it absolutely must end.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I include the following items in the Record:
A letter dated September 10, 2020, to the Honorable William P. Barr,
Attorney General; a newspaper article dated September 15, 2020; another
one, dated August 26, 2020; another piece which is undated, which I
will get the date for; and then another series of articles as well.
Congress of the United States,
Washington, DC, September 10, 2020.
Hon. William P. Barr,
Attorney General,
U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC.
Dear Attorney General Barr: We write to share our deep
concerns regarding the ongoing violence that has gripped
American cities and threatened the rule of law across our
nation. ANTIFA and other left-wing anarchist groups have
unleashed a barrage of totalitarian attacks on our country in
recent months, including accosting a sitting U.S. Senator,
hijacking peaceful rallies, organizing armed riots,
destroying property, burning buildings, stealing livelihoods,
and spreading hate.
It is clear that these individuals are well-funded and
supported by a national network of left-wing activists
committed to perpetrating violence and furthering anarchy in
our streets. As such, we urge you to immediately open an
investigation to identify and prosecute all individuals and
groups responsible for funding and organizing these
terroristic acts that are wreaking havoc on our nation.
As you know, 18 U.S. Sec. 2101 makes it a federal crime
punishable by up to five years in prison to incite a riot;
organize, promote, encourage, participate in, or carry on a
riot; commit any act of violence in furtherance of a riot; or
aid or abet any person in inciting or participating in a
riot. Tragically, we are seeing the letter and spirit of the
law being desecrated on a daily basis, as ANTIFA and other
organized groups of anarchists continue to infiltrate
peaceful protests and launch violent attacks against American
citizens. Tragically, these activities recently turned deadly
in Portland, Oregon, as Michael Forest Reinoehl, who
described himself as ``100% ANTIFA'' shot and killed a
supporter of President Trump.
Additionally, the riots in Portland and other major
American cities have revealed a targeted effort to
destabilize our way of life, including deliberately targeting
federal buildings and law enforcement in an effort to
undermine the rule of law. The prolonged nature and
organization of these violent attacks, including the rioters'
use of military grade helmets, gas masks, protective vests,
and illegal fireworks, clearly displays the high level of
coordination and outside funding supporting these anarchist
groups. It is readily apparent that these individuals were
outfitted for war and were clearly part of a planned effort
to infiltrate peaceful protests, provoke violence, and
further subvert our system of government.
Unfortunately, these are not isolated incidents. Well-
organized factions of ANTIFA and other anarchist groups have
taken advantage of peaceful protests to sow division,
threaten free speech, and enflame tensions throughout the
nation for more than 90 days.
The violence occurring in our cities cannot continue. The
DOJ must take action to stop these dangerous attacks. As
such, we urge you to fully investigate the groups responsible
for these attacks on our republic and prosecute all
individuals who are violating federal law by participating
in, inciting, organizing, or funding these destructive riots.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of this urgent
request and your prompt action to protect our nation.
Sincerely,
Ken Buck,
Andy Biggs,
Brian Babin, D.D.S.,
Ted Budd,
Doug Collins,
Bob Gibbs,
Jeff Duncan,
Steve King,
Members of Congress.
____
[From Fox News, Sept. 15, 2020]
LA County Sheriff Says Protesters Calling for Ambushed Deputies' Death
is `Almost Worthy of ISIS'
(By Joshua Nelson)
Protesters showing up at the hospital treating two deputies
who were shot in an ambush and calling for their death is
``something almost worthy of ISIS,'' said Los Angeles County
Sheriff Alex Villanueva on Tuesday.
``It's just a new low for the hatred that I don't think
anyone in this nation has ever seen before,'' Villanueva told
``America's Newsroom.''
``We just don't expect it on our own shores and we have
been here fighting to save people's lives across the county--
it doesn't matter who you are and it is not something we are
going to expect or tolerate,'' Villanueva said.
Villanueva on Monday challenged NBA star LeBron James to
match and double the reward money, which is currently up to
$200,000, that is being offered for information on the gunman
who ambushed and shot two deputies over the weekend.
``This challenge is to LeBron James. I want you to match
that and double that reward,'' Villanueva said. ``I know you
care about law enforcement. You expressed a very interesting
statement about your perspective on race relations and on
officer-involved shootings and the impact that it has on the
African American community.''
``And I appreciated that,'' he continued. ``But likewise,
we need to appreciate that respect for life goes across all
professions.''
The Los Angeles Lakers star has been one of the most vocal
professional athletes to speak on social issues and to
condemn police misconduct. After Jacob Blake was shot
multiple times by officers in Wisconsin last month, James
said Black people in America are ``terrified'' of police
misconduct.
``I know people get tired of hearing me say it, but we are
scared as Black people in America,'' James said following the
Lakers' Game 4 win over the Portland Trail Blazers last
month. ``Black men, Black women, Black kids, we are
terrified.''
Villanueva on Tuesday said he had yet to hear from LeBron
regarding his challenge, but that the NBA star needs ``to
take some ownership of exactly what he said in terms of
propagating the idea that people are being hunted'' due to
the color of their skin.
``I think that is just flat out not the case. I think we
need to hold those accountable for breaking the law, be it
law enforcement when we are crossing the line, but, then we
have to acknowledge the bigger problem of violence overall
and this ambush, cowardly ambush, of the two deputies just
doing their own job, doing their business there in Compton,
really illustrates that. That is that the problem we need to
address,'' he said.
____
[From Fox Business, Aug. 26, 2020]
BLM Brings Economic Stress to Communities It Claims To Represent:
Pastor
(By Bishop Aubrey Shines)
Early in August a news story jumped out to me and not in a
good way my friends. I am still thinking about it.
As Fox Business reported on August 5, a trucking company
will no longer deliver to cities that are defunding police.
The co-
[[Page H4484]]
owner of JKC Trucking, Mike Kucharski, told Fox he was
concerned for the safety of his drivers and their cargo going
to cities where police have had their budgets slashed.
As an African American and a minister, I knew something
like this would happen sooner or later.
My colleagues and I founded Conservative Clergy of Color
because we were afraid something like this would happen if
Black Lives Matter was the only voice in the room.
We wanted to give a voice to African Americans who believe
in real change, not leftist platitudes and want their country
to be better.
My father was able to watch this country become a better
place from the segregation he knew growing up but now I fear
the progress he witnessed is being turned on its head. We've
now seen the first domino fall in the rollback of that
progress.
It's sad we've come to this, but it's the truth. Black
Lives Matter has crippled the police across dozens of cities,
and we're now seeing the economic impact.
These, friends, are the first tangible results from Black
Lives Matter's mad, anti-police crusade. These are the first
far-reaching consequences beyond the violence in cities this
summer that has gone so long it's beginning to feel
lethargic. These are the consequences that BLM's leadership
probably are fully aware of, but that the young misguided
social justice warriors that make up their ranks haven't
stopped to think about.
When you do stop and think about it, why should the owner
put his drivers in danger? Why would he risk the danger in
cities where police have been hamstrung and rioters have free
reign of the streets?
When young children like poor Secoriea Turner in Atlanta
are getting gunned down in the streets, I wouldn't want my
employees going to those cities either.
It's sad we've come to this, but it's the truth. Black
Lives Matter has crippled the police across dozens of cities,
and we're now seeing the economic impact.
Cities that normally receive commerce by way of trucking
companies and shipping outlets are now going to lose a vital
source of income. Depending on the size of the city, the
effect could range from negligible to devastating.
Either way, it's a problem none of these communities should
have faced. But because city leaders and governments either
were bullied into defunding their police or just felt like
being politically correct, grocery stores and retail outlets
are going to have to find other ways to supply their
products.
Now you might be thinking, ``I see your point Bishop, but
won't another trucking company just step up and fill the
void?'' Ideally, you'd be right, but I would pose the
counter-question of how long it will take before other
companies follow JKC's lead if the riots aren't brought to
heel soon.
For that matter, how long will it be before other
industries start making similar choices? How long will it be
before the results BLM's leftist ideology impedes different
businesses from providing income to communities?
What if a company like Staples or Walmart decides to build
new facilities in Portland but then pulls out at the last
second because rioters there are still out of control? And
it's not just mega-retailers; I haven't even touched on small
businesses and entrepreneurs. If I were a young, bright
individual looking to start my own company, I certainly
wouldn't want to do it in a place with kneecapped police and
no guarantee of stability.
The worst part of this debacle is that minority
communities, the very people BLM claims to represent, will
suffer the most.
A weaker police force means less business in a community
and that's less jobs to go around including for minorities.
Minorities in low-income neighborhoods need the work, not
just bloated government welfare programs. These are
minorities who could work in shipping warehouses, malls,
stores, or startups are worse off if none of those industries
decide to do business in their communities.
BLM's ``justice'' has already gotten black children killed
on the streets. Its crusade to replace police authority with
an anarchist mob has made it less safe in low-income
neighborhoods than before George Floyd's tragic death. But
now we're finally seeing the long-term consequences; the
purging of business opportunities that will only drive
minorities further away from prosperity and into the loving
arms of government dependency.
____
[From Fox News, Sept. 16, 2020]
LA Sheriff Alex Villanueva Challenges LeBron James To Match Reward
Money for Gunman Who Ambushed Two Deputies in Compton
(By Louis Casiano)
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva on Monday
challenged NBA star LeBron James to match and double the
reward money being offered for information on the gunman who
ambushed and shot two deputies over the weekend.
Speaking with KABC Radio on the John Phillips Show,
Villanueva said the reward money reached $175,000--a
combination of donations of $100,000 from the county and
$75,000 from two private individuals.
``This challenge is to LeBron James. I want you to match
that and double that reward,'' Villanueva said. ``I know you
care about law enforcement. You expressed a very interesting
statement about your perspective on race relations and on
officer-involved shootings and the impact that it has on the
African-American community.
``And I appreciated that,'' he continued. ``But likewise,
we need to appreciate that respect for life goes across all
professions.''
The Los Angeles Lakers star has been one of the most vocal
professional athletes to speak on social issues and to
condemn police misconduct. After Jacob Blake was shot
multiple times by officers in Wisconsin last month, James
said Black people in America are ``terrified'' of police
misconduct.
``I know people get tired of hearing me say it, but we are
scared as Black people in America,'' James said following the
Lakers' Game 4 win over the Portland Trail Blazers last
month. ``Black men, Black women, Black kids, we are
terrified.''
He earlier tweeted his frustrations about police shootings.
``And y'all wonder why we say what we say about the
Police!! Someone please tell me WTF is this???!!! Exactly
another black man being targeted,'' James wrote. ``This s---
[sic] is so wrong and so sad!! Feel so sorry for him, his
family and OUR PEOPLE!! We want JUSTICE.''
It was not clear if James was aware of Villanueva's
challenge. Messages to the LeBron James Foundation were not
immediately returned.
``Let's see what he does,'' the sheriff said. ``I'll be
very curious to see what his response is, if any.''
____
[From Fox News, Sept. 11, 2020]
St. Louis BLM Protesters From McCloskey Confrontation Cited for
Trespassing
(By Louis Casiano)
Nine Black Lives Matter protesters who were confronted by
an armed St. Louis couple on their lawn have been issued
citations for trespassing, officials told Fox News.
The June 28 encounter between the demonstrators, and Mark
and Patricia McCloskey made headlines as the country was
gripped by nationwide protests over police brutality. The
couple--both personal injury lawyers--were seen on video and
in photos pointing a handgun and a rifle as demonstrators
moved through their neighborhood.
No shots were fired.
Calls and emails to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police
Department from Fox News were not returned.
The office of City Counselor Julian Bush told Fox News in
an email that the citations were mailed to the nine people
but that Bush has ``not yet determined whether to file
charges.''
The protesters could face up to $500 in fines and up to 90
days in jail. However, Bush told NPR it was rare for anyone
to receive such penalties for a municipal ordinance
violation.
Last week, Black Lives Matter activist Ohun Ashe tweeted
that she received a summons.
``I was just sent a summons to appear in court for
``trespassing on private property'' on Portland P1 aka the
street Patricia and Mark McCloskey live on,'' the post read.
``I had a gun waved in my face by them but trespassing is
what matters?''
Video footage captured the confrontation as 300
demonstrators marched in the street, claiming they were
headed toward the home of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson. The
McCloskeys aimed their weapons at the marchers and have since
been charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, has said he will
almost certainly pardon the McCloskeys if they are convicted.
The incident landed the couple an appearance during the
first night of the Republican National Convention last month,
where they asserted their Second Amendment right to defend
themselves.
``The radicals are not content just marching in the
streets,'' Mark McCloskey said during a virtual speech.
``They want to walk the halls of Congress. They want power.
This is Joe Biden's party. These are the people who will be
in charge.''
____
[From the Wall Street Journal, Sept. 14, 2020]
Confessions of a New Gun Owner
(By William McGurn)
On Monday it became official: The police issued me a gun
permit.
Never did I imagine I'd be here. Not because I was anti-
gun. My dad was a career FBI agent, so my siblings and I grew
up with guns.
At the same time, my father was never particularly
interested in guns. To no avail, we would beg him to go t o
shoots to show off his skills. More frequently he would
remind us that many who keep guns in the house are more
likely to shoot a friend or family member than a would-be
robber or rapist. His proudest boast about his own career was
that not once did he have to shoot anybody.
This may help explain why we all grew up supporting the
Second Amendment in principle while not much interested in
the practice. What changed? Certainly the rioters played a
key part. But far more shocking than the rioters themselves
has been the associated spectacle of police and political
authorities across America standing down in the face of night
after night of criminal behavior directed at the lives and
livelihoods of innocent, law-abiding citizens.
Even in suburbia, many are no longer confident our
authorities would or could keep us
[[Page H4485]]
safe. In a small suburb such as mine, what would happen if
even 100 or 200 people bent on violence were to arrive at
once? Could our small police force really handle it? Or would
we be left to fend for ourselves like Mark and Pat McCloskey
in St. Louis, who defended their home and were then treated
as if they were criminals?
A few years back, I asked a former colleague whom I knew to
be pro-Second Amendment philosophically if he owned a gun. He
answered no, and then asked if I had one. I said I wouldn't
know what to write down as my reason for wanting one.
He told me, ``Write down, `Because I don't trust the
government.' ''
That might have worked for the Founding Fathers. But in
today's New Jersey--a state ranked by the Giffords Law
Center's annual Gun Law Scorecard as the nation's most
restrictive after California--the response might be 40 squad
cars on the front lawn by morning. I say this only half in
jest: Do other Americans buying guns for the first time find
it as grating as I do to learn that we need government
permission to exercise a constitutional right?
Equally illuminating has been learning about guns and those
who own them. Over four decades in the news business, I have
often written about the National Rifle Association, usually
about some proposed new gun law. Most recently the NRA has
been in the headlines over a lawsuit filed by New York's
attorney general in which she accuses top leaders of decades-
long corruption and misspending.
But our family's decision to buy a gun has introduced us to
the side of the NRA more Americans see: the education side.
The NRA has courses, online and in person, for almost
everything. The NRA instructor my wife and I engaged, Billy
De Almedia, was firm, professional and patient.
It's not just the instruction that impresses. It's the
sheer Americanness of a private organization established to
support a constitutional right in all its manifestations,
from defending the Second Amendment legally and
philosophically to instilling in newbies such as myself the
respect for guns necessary to keep and use them safely. Not
to mention a taste of the satisfaction that comes from
mastering a new discipline.
Surely if the government were to assume the functions the
NRA provides, the experience would be akin to going to your
local Department of Motor Vehicles. In America, by contrast,
the ethos emphasizes private initiative and responsibility.
In our new interactions with gun owners, gun instructors and
owners of gun ranges, my wife and I have found them
unfailingly eager to help and to answer even the dumbest
questions.
This year a record five million law-abiding Americans, like
us, have become new gun owners. Many don't fit the
stereotype: African-Americans account for the largest
percentage jump in gun ownership, while women are 40% of
first-time buyers. These new buyers join an even larger
demographic: the 43% of American households that already have
a gun.
The record gun sales for 2020 may have implications for
swing states in November as well. In Pennsylvania alone, the
National Shooting Sports Foundation reckons there are 276,648
first-time gun owners this year. To put this in perspective,
in 2016 Donald Trump won Pennsylvania by 44,292 votes.
Now, I appreciate how unlikely it is that I will ever reach
for a gun to defend my home or myself. But after watching the
mayhem that's taken over so many city streets I wonder,
probably with plenty of my fellow first-time gun buyers, what
alternative I'd have if ever I had to make that terrible 911
call--and it went unanswered?
____
[From the Washington Times, July 27, 2020]
Rep. Jerry Nadler Says Antifa violence in Portland a ``Myth''
(By Jessica Chasmar)
Rep. Jerrold Nadler declared Sunday it's a ``myth'' that
Antifa provocateurs are behind the ongoing violent protests
in Portland, Oregon.
In a now-viral video posted on Twitter, writer-producer
Austen Fletcher caught up with the House Judiciary Judiciary
Committee chairman on his way to his vehicle.
``I ran into Jerry Nadler in DC and asked him to disavow
the Antifa violence/rioting in Portland. His response?
`THAT'S A MYTH,' '' Mr. Fletcher said in a tweet along with
the video.
``It is true,'' Mr. Fletcher tells Mr. Nadler in the video.
``There's violence across the whole country. Do you disavow
the violence from Antifa that's happening in Portland right
now? There's riots--''
``That's a myth that's being spread only in Washington,
D.C.,'' Mr. Nadler responded.
``About Antifa in Portland?'' Mr. Fletcher asked.
``Yes,'' Mr. Nadler replied before a staffer nudged him to
get into the vehicle.
``Sir, there's videos everywhere online,'' Mr. Fletcher
continued. ``There's fires and riots, they're throwing
fireworks at federal officers. DHS is there. Look online. It
gets crazy, Mr. Nadler.''
The New York Democrat was slammed for his response, which
came as Portland entered its 60th day of riots since the
death of George Floyd.
Portland is the home of Rose City Antifa, the oldest known
so-called anti-fascist group in the country.
____
[From American News, Sept. 14, 2020]
DHS Leaked Email Confirms Antifa Is an Organized Group
(By Ian Miles Cheong)
An internal email from the Department of Homeland Security
leaked to CBS Catherine Herridge late Monday detailing that
the violence in Portland was not ``opportunistic,'' but
rather ``organized''--confirming long-suspected details about
the Antifa movement.
The email explains that Antifa is organized and runs
contrary to reports in the mainstream media that Antifa was
not responsible for anti-police violence, but an impromptu
movement spurred on by anti-fascist sentiments held by most
of the American public.
A recent article in the Washington Post by Mark Bray,
author of Antifa: Anti-Fascist Handbook, attempted to dispel
``myths'' about Antifa, claims that the group is not an
organization, but rather a ``tradition of militant
antifascism.'' The article disputed claims that Antifa
``masterminds violence at Black Lives Matter protests.''
In printed email documents attained by Herridge, the DHS'
Acting Under Secretary for Intelligence & Analysis Brian
Murphy wrote to his colleagues on July 25 detailing his
findings of Antifa in Portland.
Murphy urged for an immediate change of definitions for the
violent activity in Portland following a review of the
individuals arrested by federal authorities, as well as
intelligence surrounding their affiliations and activities.
``The individuals are violently attacking the Federal
facilities based on these ideologies,'' he said in regards to
Antifa, which he classed as VAAI or ``VIOLENT ANTIFA
ANARCHISTS INSPIRED.''
``We can't say any longer that this violent situation is
opportunistic,'' wrote Murphy. ``Additionally, we have
overwhelmingly intelligence regarding the ideologies driving
individuals towards violence and why the violence has
continued.''
``A core set of Threat actors are organized, show up night
after night, share common TTPs and drawing on like minded
individuals to their cause.''
TTP stands for Tactics, Techniques and Procedures.
``I recognize we may not be able to attribute every
individual as VAAI however we need to look at the totality of
the intelligence both current and previous and recognize the
motivation for the violence and why people have shown up to
commit violence for about 60 days. And why the individuals
are using social media to encourage the VAAI on the ground to
carry out acts of violence.''
The nightly riots in Portland numbered at sixty days when
the email was composed. Rioting has shifted from Portland to
other cities with some of the same actors, including
Washington DC, Seattle, and Kenosha--violence of which was
spurred largely by pro-Antifa advocates on social media
platforms like Facebook, Twitch, and Twitter.
``Threat actors who are motivated by Anarchist or ANTIFA
(or a combination of both) ideologies to carry out acts of
violence against State, Local, and Federal authorities and
infrastructure they believe represent authority or represent
political and social ideas they reject,'' Murphy concluded.
Phrases like ``Every city, every town. Burn the precincts
to the ground'' are a common refrain at Black Lives Matter
rallies, and have been chanted during arson attacks on the
Portland Police Bureau, the Mark O. Hatfield federal
courthouse in Portland, and other facilities where Antifa and
Black Lives Matter militants were present.
The intelligence provided by the DHS validates claims by
conservative voices who have long identified Antifa as an
organized movement, and flies in the face of claims that the
group was not intent on committing violence or conducting an
insurgency against the United States government.
____
[From gatewaypundit.com, Sept. 15, 2020]
Milwaukee Trump Supporter Arrested for Brandishing a Gun at Black Lives
Matter Mob That Was Surrounding His Home (VIDEO)
(By Cassandra Fairbanks)
A Milwaukee man has reportedly been arrested after pulling
a gun on a mob of Black Lives Matter supporters who were
surrounding his home for several hours. It is currently
unclear who the man is or why the mob was at his house, but
he did have a ``Trump Train'' flag hanging outside.
Members of the mob claimed on social media that their
actions were justified because he is a ``racist'' and had a
confederate flag. The flag was not seen in the videos, but an
American and Trump flag were hanging prominently on the front
of his home.
In livestream footage of the incident, the mob is clearly
seen stepping on to the man's property.
``They went specifically to his house to protest him for
`being a racist.' The homeowner was arrested, and the crowd
remains outside. They seem to have gone on his property. WTF
Milwaukee?'' Kitty Shackleford, a Twitter user that archives
riot footage, tweeted along with videos.
After the mob was outside his home for more than two hours,
police arrived. As they entered the man's property, the
rioters cheered for police and called for the man's arrest,
yelling about how he had a weapon.
When the man was taken outside, seemingly in cuffs, the
crowd went wild.
The militant leftists were threatening the man saying that
he was going to have big problems if he dared to step
outside.
[[Page H4486]]
As they threatened him, shined lights into his home, and
pranced all over his property, he pointed a shotgun out the
window.
The person who called for the ``protest'' livestreamed the
mob outside the man's home for several hours.
It does not appear that any members of the mob have been
arrested.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, as we have recognized here today with our
speakers the importance of law enforcement to maintaining our rights
and the safety of our neighborhoods and communities, I am reminded that
it was just a little over a month ago, late July 2020, when the
chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives
said about antifa, as the city of Portland was being burned by antifa,
he said it is a myth. It is a myth.
And then what has happened is an internal email from the Department
of Homeland Security revealed Monday that the violence in Portland was
not opportunistic but, rather, organized by the antifa organization.
We have got to see that our Attorney General--I urge him, I urge the
FBI to investigate and the Attorney General to take every action that
the law allows, whether it is civil RICO or prosecution of these
individuals, because, if you want to bring our society back into order,
you take people who are violent, rioting, looting, causing mayhem and
murder, you arrest them. You charge them, you prosecute them, and you
convict them.
We know there are law enforcement who do a great job, but right now,
in many places around this country, it will take a law enforcement
officer 5 or 10 minutes or longer to get to a home or a business that
is under attack by a criminal. When that happens, if they are under
attack, these individuals need to have the right, as they do under the
Second Amendment, to protect themselves. That right must be protected
and maintained.
So I am kind of surprised--I am going to give you a fact here. In
Pennsylvania alone, this year, you have had an increase in new gun
owners by more than a quarter of a million. More than a quarter of a
million people in Pennsylvania own guns today who didn't own them at
the beginning of the year. Why? Because of what is going on in our
streets, whether it is in Pennsylvania, Oregon, or wherever else it may
be.
A mob circles a home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; an individual holds up
a shotgun inside as this mob surrounds his home. What does the mob do,
the antifa folks? They call the police to have this man arrested for
having a gun on the ready to protect himself from that very mob. That
is backwards.
{time} 1730
Mr. Speaker, we thank the police. The purpose of the police is to
protect the weak and the rights of all.
When our leaders in places like Portland, Minneapolis, you name it,
castigate the police or celebrities castigate the police, what they are
really saying is: We are content with mob rule. That can't be the case.
We have heard this tonight from my colleagues who have said this so
well. We support the police, and we support the thin blue line that
protects our rights. This rioting and this mayhem must end tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________