Senate Proceeding on Nov 16th, 2006 :: 0:07:02 to 0:12:45
Total video length: 6 hours 12 minutes Stream Tools: Stream Overview | Edit Time

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

Views:64 Duration: 0:05:43 Discussion

Previous speech:

Next speech:

0:07:02 to 0:07:08( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: the roll. quorum call: the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. carper: are we in a quorum call? mr. carper: i'd ask that the quorum call be rescinded. the presiding officer: without objection.

0:07:02 to 0:12:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Thomas Carper

0:07:08 to 0:07:21( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: under the previous order leadership time is reserved. under the previous order there will be a period for the transaction of morning business with senators permitted to speak for up to ten minutes

0:07:21 to 0:07:32( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: each. the senator from delaware is recognized. mr. carper: mr. president, the senator from minnesota, senator coleman, and i would ask unanimous consent to, for each of us to sort of pool our ten minutes a piece

0:07:32 to 0:07:42( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: and take maybe the next 20 minutes to share, and some of our colleagues are going to come by and talk as well, about the role that our faith plays in the work that we do here. if that might be acceptable,

0:07:42 to 0:07:56( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: i'd like to ask unanimous consent. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. carper: what we're going through here is the elections are behind us now, and we're looking forward

0:07:56 to 0:08:13( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: to the next congress which will be seated on january 10 -- january 4, rather, the 110th congress. we have in town a number of newly elected senators and their spouses. a number of us -- senator alexander,

0:08:13 to 0:08:24( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: senator voinovich, senator pryor and phaoeufs -- myself have been involved in holding orientation for senators and their spouses. tuesday night we went to the archives and we had the opportunity

0:08:24 to 0:08:37( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: to have a dinner and reception there. the reception turned out to be a tour and an opportunity to see firsthand the bill of rights, handwritten letters from george washington to all kinds of people,

0:08:37 to 0:08:47( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: abraham lincoln to all kinds of people. we actually looked at the original bill of rights, where we found out there were actually 12 amendments proposed to the constitution, not 10, two were never

0:08:47 to 0:09:00( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: adopted. it was interesting for us to see and go back over 200 years in the history and formation of our country to focus on it and to think about it, reflect on it. when the constitutional convention

0:09:00 to 0:09:10( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: was held, up the delaware river from where i live in wilmington, delaware, in philadelphia, whatever the founding fathers were getting into a tough time trying to come to consensus, to agreement on one

0:09:10 to 0:09:24( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: issue or the other that they were grappling with, a lot of times they would take a break and they would literally pray about it. when the inauguration of president washington occurred in new york

0:09:24 to 0:09:36( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: city, when they finished the inauguration, they didn't go off and hold big parties and balls. they actually went to a church and prayed together; really had a worship service. we've -- in fact, they used

0:09:36 to 0:09:49( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: to have, i'm told over in the house of representatives, when our country was young, had president jefferson participating in a worship service that was held there. even now, 200-something years later,

0:09:49 to 0:10:02( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: we still begin each day's session here in the united states senate, as they do in the house, with a prayer. we have bible study groups that meet on thursday with the senate chaplain, barry black. done

0:10:02 to 0:10:13( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: that for a number of years. senator coleman, who has been one of our leaders in a wednesday morning prayer breakfast, he and mark pryor from arkansas have led that for a number of years. but faith,

0:10:13 to 0:10:24( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: from the beginning of our foundation as a country has been important to us, to guide us as a nation and to guide us today in our own personal lives. when the constitution was written in the bill of

0:10:24 to 0:10:34( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: rights was written, the idea wasn't to establish an organized religion. the idea was to make sure that the people were free to practice whatever faith they wanted. and to be respectful of people of different

0:10:34 to 0:10:44( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: faiths. and the fact that people can worship god as they see fit or choose not to worship at all. one of the strengths of our nation is our faith, but another of the strengths of our nation is the

0:10:44 to 0:10:55( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: respect that we have for people of different faiths. and we have people in this body who are protestant, who are catholic, who are jewish. and we worship the same god. we worship that god just a

0:10:55 to 0:11:05( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: bit differently. one of the things we try to do during the course of the week is to use our faith, whether we happen to be presbyterian, whether we happen to be mormon, whether we happen to be jewish or

0:11:05 to 0:11:16( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: not, how do we use that faith to help guide us in the policies for our country and the people that we represent? and i feel fortunate to live in a country where we are free to worship god as we see

0:11:16 to 0:11:27( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: fit. i think there's a real opportunity here for us in the senate, as we try to put our country back together and begin to work together, and after a rough-and-tumble election, to find ways that we can

0:11:27 to 0:11:39( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: use our faith to figure out that path ahead to better ensure that people in this country have health care, folks have decent jobs, kids get a good education and that we can bind the wounds that we've

0:11:39 to 0:11:49( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: opened up over the last several months and to move forward as a nation. and i just want to say how pleased i am to have a chance, mr. president, to work with senator coleman from minnesota and say

0:11:49 to 0:12:02( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: how much i appreciate the great leadership that he's shown in bringing a bunch of us together on wednesday mornings. i usually can't get here on a wednesday morning. i go back and forth on a train to delaware

0:12:02 to 0:12:18( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: just about every night, so i can't be there for many wednesday mornings for that time of fellowship. but i oftentimes join my colleagues, including senator blanche lincoln of arkansas and others on thursday

0:12:18 to 0:12:32( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: right down the hall here for a bible study group that is a little bit like an adult sunday school class with senate chaplain with the opportunity to pray together, study together and to be nourished

0:12:32 to 0:12:45( Edit History Discussion )

Thomas Carper: spiritually. senator coleman, i'm delighted to be here with you today and thank you for your leadership. mr. coleman: mr. president, next week is actually the national bible week. i think it is 1941,

0:12:45 to 0:12:58( Edit History Discussion )

Norm Coleman: in celebrating. and the senator from delaware is one of the special cochairs of that. and part of what i think is the purpose and importance is to reflect a little bit on what the value, the importance of

0:12:45 to 0:19:09( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Norm Coleman