February 23: THE BIRTHRIGHT OF AMERICA

Mr. Speaker, Congressman Poe raises some very good points.One of the major reasons we should be renegotiating NAFTA is to dealwith many of the consequences of that trade agreement which was sold asa nirvana for the continent, and there are so many consequences thatare harmful to people in this country and to the other two tradingpartners. So I was very interested in his remarks.

I came down to the floor tonight to talk about liberty.When our Republic was founded, Patrick Henry courageously implored,``Give me liberty or give me death.'' He put his priority on sacrificefor liberty as the fundamental building block of our Republic, a moralcalling of the highest order.

Similarly, as immigrants from far off lands flock toAmerica's shores, they still journey through New York Harbor and readthe timeless words at the base of the Statue of Liberty, penned by poetEmma Lazarus, that recall our primary founding moral value: ``Give meyour tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.''

Freedom is not only what this Nation offers to all who comehere legally, but it is the cornerstone upon which our founders builtthis Nation. America today is navigating a slippery slope that is adeparture from our birthright, our Nation's very reason for being. Whenfreedom becomes subjugated to financial dependence on undemocraticregimes or marketplace conveniences, surely we risk losing our way.Those around the world can become disillusioned with our Nation's veryreason for being.

Thomas Jefferson stated, ``Can liberties of a nation besure, when we remove their only firm basis, a conviction in the mindsof the people, that these liberties are a gift from God?'' He clearlymeans we should not take the abundance of our Nation in whatever formand squander it or take it for granted.

I become concerned myself when pecuniary interests trumphuman rights. With China's now becoming the chief holder of U.S.Treasury debt, one must ask, ``What comes first, liberty or bondage?''

Whether it is human freedom in China or repressivetheocracies across the Middle East or dictatorships in Africa, Asia orLatin America, at what point does our growing financial dependencesully America's birthright, which is liberty first, last and always?

I stand here, amazed, that yet again the wise ThomasJefferson issued, for posterity, a warning as follows: ``If theAmerican people ever allow private banks to control the issue ofcurrency first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks andcorporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people ofall property until their children wake up homeless on the continenttheir fathers conquered.'' Imagine how many years ago he said that.

My friends, my dear colleagues and my fellow citizens, wemust take a strong and devout look at where we are and how we got here.Our financial dependence on foreign regimes has compromised our verybirthright. It was with sadness that I watched our able Secretary ofState dance on eggshells on her recent trip to Beijing. It is LadyLiberty that must inspire us to recapture our freedom for our ownposterity.

Surely, Thomas Jefferson would like that.