Confederate Flag Amendment

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, as you pointed out, I am from Minnesota. Minnesota's Governor Ramsey was in Washington, D.C., shortly after the attack at Fort Sumter, and he was the first to offer up our support--1,000 Minnesotans--to keep our Union together.

Minnesota was at the Battle of Gettysburg. Our regiment suffered 82 percent in casualties, the greatest loss of any unit at Gettysburg on a single day.

So last night, when the Republican leadership put forward a last-minute amendment that would allow for the display and sale of the Confederate flag in our national parks, an amendment which we will vote on today that would allow this hateful symbol which evokes memories of racism and a painful period in our country's past to be displayed on public lands, I found myself shocked, outraged, and disappointed because the people in Minnesota sent me here to strive for what they strive for every day: to build a better, stronger America, an America in which we strive to give everyone hope and opportunity, that they too can pursue life, liberty, happiness, and justice.

So the flag that we are talking about is a symbol of a time when African Americans were enslaved, sold as human commodities. It had been used as a rallying cry throughout our history for those who wish to keep our country segregated.

And we saw again last month in Charleston this flag being used as a symbol for many who carry hatred in their hearts, a man who carried so much hatred that he took the lives of nine parishioners because he viewed this flag as a symbol of his beliefs.

This flag should be no point of pride for any American, and we should take this flag down.

Just 2 days ago, without opposition, as I had the honor of being ranking member as we were doing the Interior bill, this body voted to adopt amendments which would prevent the sale or display of Confederate flags in national parks.

Those amendments were simple, commonsense efforts to place into law standards that the National Park Service had put forward last month. It was a moment of great pride for me.

All those new standards would do was bring the Federal Government in line with decisions made by many private sector retailers: Amazon, Wal-Mart, Sears, Disney. And other national retailers have all made the decision to take down this flag because of its racist history.

Private businesses are rallying behind a commonsense decision to stop peddling hateful symbols. So why in heaven and Earth is the House of Representatives, the Republican Caucus, working to ensure that the Federal Government allows them to be sold?

For House Republicans, it appears perhaps the cost of getting the votes to pass the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which panders to polluters, is to wrap themselves in a banner of racism.

I think that is wrong, and I urge my colleagues to stand with people of great courage and great passion to say ``no'' to hate, ``no'' to racism, and ``yes'' to America.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the Calvert amendment.

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