House Proceeding 10-15-09 on Oct 15th, 2009 :: 0:26:50 to 0:33:20
Total video length: 1 hours Stream Tools: Stream Overview | Edit Time

Note: MetaVid video transcripts may contain inaccuracies, help us build a more perfect archive

Views:41 Duration: 0:06:30 Discussion

Previous speech:

Next speech:

0:26:46 to 0:27:06( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: our citizens safe from the terror that lurks out there by us harm. i yield back. gentleman from kentucky. mr. rogers: madam speaker, i the hardest working members of this body and a valued member of our from texas, mr. culberson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognid.

0:26:50 to 0:33:20( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: John Abney Culberson

0:27:07 to 0:27:27( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: mr. culberson: thank you, mr. rogers. i want to thank chairman price, the members of our sbcommittee have a good, personal working relationshi one of the things i enjoy most about this wonderful committee on appropriations is that there are no real partisan differences between us. we always work together for the good of the country. we have always worked together

0:27:28 to 0:27:49( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: without regard to our party label, and this subcommittee in particular is one that has worked well together to protect the country from very severe terrorist threat that we know we al face since 9/11. i want to thank the chairman and our ranking member for the support that they have given, this committee has given to our brder patrol for immigrations

0:27:50 to 0:28:11( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: and customs enforcement funding. for operation stone garden, a very successful program that allows cooperation between local law enforcement agencies on the bord and our border patrol. that program has been a great success. my good friend, ciro rodriguez, and henry cuellar, we worked together very successfully in texas in i garden and operation streamline

0:28:12 to 0:28:32( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: that the country needs to know is working very well. if you cross the texas border between lake amiss stad, you will be arrested, prosecuted, and deported. as a result the crime rate has dropped by over 70% in del rio. we have seen a 60% drop in the crime rate in the lared sector.

0:28:33 to 0:28:53( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: the local community, 96% hispanic, loves this program. what mom or dad wouldn't like their streets safer. as a result simply using existing law and a little additional resources and using the good judgment, good and good hearts of uniformed law enforcement officers on the border, we have secured the border in texas and with the help of the chairman of the committee members we are working

0:28:54 to 0:29:15( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: to expand that up and down the border. there are many good things about this bill but one very serious concern that i have that mr. rogers has already that this bill in -- puts into law a policy that has never in the history of this country been followed. as soon as the president issues a plan to congress for the

0:29:16 to 0:29:36( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: disposition of the prisoners in guantanamo, 45 days after the president smits that plan, this bill explicitly authorizes the prosecution of foreign -- of enemy soldiers in u.s. that's unprecedented. my good friend, mr. ruppersberger, who i have worked with before on so many good

0:29:37 to 0:29:58( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: cause, we all in this house voted to make sure that we would not bring enemy soldiers to the u.s. for prosecution giving them all the constitutional rights as if they were captured on the streets of new york or los angeles. we voted not to bring these prisoners from guantanamo to be incarcerated in u.s. jails. you've got the security question is one thing, but the one that

0:29:59 to 0:30:19( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: concerns me is the fact that this bill gives explicit authorization for the first time in american history, we will, if we pass this legislation as it is, be authorizng what we know is going to be the policy of this president for u.s. soldiers for the first time in history to be polic officers. our soldiers in the field in

0:30:20 to 0:30:41( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: addition to trying to protect themselves and their friends will -- may i have an additional minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman mr. cull berson: never before in our history have arican soldiers had to worry about protecting the chain of evidence. never before in history had american soldiers worry about whether they were reading their rights, miranda rights, to enemy

0:30:42 to 0:31:04( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: soldiers captured on foreign battlefields. this bill makes it explicit. chairman obey's sheet he issued on this website prohibits the transfer of guantanamo detainees except for legal proceedings. now, anyone standing in the u.s. court in front of a u.s. judge is given all the protections of thu.s. constitution. if that is what concerns than anything else is that we

0:31:05 to 0:31:26( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: are explicitly changing, this is a monument change in policy, we cannot an should not burden our soldiers in the field having to worry about -- u.s. constitutional rights of enemy soldiers? do you think sergeant york red myrrh rand -- read miranda warnings of the germans he captured during world war i? do you think brave men and

0:31:27 to 0:31:48( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: women, brave men who landed on omaha beach were landed about the constitutional rights of the nazis at omaha beach? this is an extremely important point that we have to raise and we need to make sure that all the members of the house are aware thank you very much. this in fact during the conference committee meeting my

0:31:49 to 0:32:09( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: good friend, the chairman, mr. price made it clear that this is the policy of the majority. it's going to bring these -- you want to bring these enemy soldiers to the united states to be prosecuted in u.s. sorts. that means that these enemy soldiers will be clothed in the protection of the u.s. constitution. that means enemy soldiers, terrorists, can lawyer up at u.s. taxpayer expense.

0:32:10 to 0:32:31( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: they are going to be given miranda warnings. u.s. soldiers are going to have to protect the chain of evidence. officer on the streets o york. and make sure the chain of evidence is protected, all the rights are protected, and we have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that these enemy soldiers committed whatever it is crime they are going to be prosecuted for.

0:32:32 to 0:32:52( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: let me remind the congress that in 1942 a number of german terrorists landed on the beaches f long beach and florida. in june of 1942 they were prosecuted in military ribunals, the u.s. court ruled that's the proper way to handled enemy soldiers captured on the battlefield and they were

0:32:53 to 0:33:13( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: exsuited by the end of august, 1942. it is unacceptable to put this burden on u.s. it's a monumental and unacceptable change iamerican polcy. we cannot let enemy soldiers lawyer up. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from north carolina. mr. price: i yield three minutes to another valued subcommittee colleague, mr. ruppersberger, from maryland.

0:33:14 to 0:33:20( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. ruppersberger: mr. chairman, i stand in strong support of the homeland security appropriations