[inaudible conversations] this airing of the subcommittee will resume. It would have been ten minutes except the senate train broke down. [laughter] we had to walk over the capital. Please proceed. Good afternoon, mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, members of the committee. Thank you for revisiting this pressing issue. Changing the culture in the prisons will change the culture and our cities and states. The disproportionate and arbitrary use of solitary confinement is not only immoral but they missed the opportunity to break the cycle of crime. This approach doesnt increase Public Safety and is contrary did justice goals were the criminal Justice System, accountability and restoration. Teaching people to become good citizens red and just give prisoners is a charge entrusted to the Correctional Officers by the taxpayers. Skilled whartons understand that in sharing prisoners become responsible and productive members of society at large is paramount to the safety of our communities whether in
Request i want to thank you, mr. Chairman, for allowing me to ask that question in case i have to leave. Thank you. Senator heller. Thank you for your testimony and everybody thats here today. Its good to see you here. At 4 30 this afternoon i have the secretary coming into my office and im going to ask him a lot of questions. Im going to ask him obviously about the veterans backlog issue and progress if any are being made. The issue of lack of communication between my office and reno will be another question that im going to ask and hopefully get a good answer for. But there are other questions that you might think that i should ask him. Are there any questions, if you were talking to the secretary today, what question would that be, and im going to take notes and this is your chance to advocate. I wouldnt presume, sir, to tell you what to ask the secretary, although the secretary is an Airborne Ranger like me, so he is my friend. He has told me that he will reduce the backlog by 2015
Director of external affairs, and he served in the Mission House of representatives elected speaker, lives in michigan with his wife, stacy, and three young daughters, and i thank you and justice fellowship for your appearance here today. Mark levin, at the texas Public Policy foundation, playing an Important Role in adult and justice reforms, and the state, the leader of the Public Policy foundation, right on crime initiative, led conservative efforts to reform the criminal Justice System. He was law clerk to judge will garwood on the fifth circuit and staff attorney at the texas supreme court. Thanks to the texas Public Policy foundations work led to reforms of the drug sentencing law and in particular, i thank you for your support for the sentencing act, which all members here today have cosponsored. Damon, a witness before us, in late september, he was missions 141st death row inmate to be exonerated on actual innocence grounds since the spring court reinstated Capital Punishment s
Possessing a firearm. Do you believe that congress should repeal this law . As far as my position is concerned, again, the aba has not taken on position on that. I think we have to look again at the individual involved and the individual crime. So for example, weve had cases, and Domestic Violence is something thats certainly on my radar screen personally and my office. Something just like child abuse that we take very seriously. When we have a Domestic Violence case i think we have to look, is that person an owner of guns . Or does that person use a gun . I think those are the distinctions that have to be made. I think a broad simply designation of someone who owns a gun should never be able to own a gun again i think has to be looked at very seriously. As opposed to using a gun in Domestic Violence. And i have no problem with that person not being allowed to own a gun. So do you think the current law which applies to misdemeanors as well as felonies is a good law . Depending on the c
That never tried to become an empire you my dear friends are presenting your nation. You became great not by taking. You became great by giving. God bless you. [ applause ] America America is a force for good, a force for focus, a force for peace. The world is fortunate that america continues. 60 years ago. America looked to the moon to discover a distant land. Today the United States is dealing a major scientific echo to reveal the secrets of the mind. We are partnered in that effort. May i say in my judgment, there may be more to discover in the brain than in the moon. [ applause ] ladies and ladies and gentlemen, we should continue to Work Together to advance peace. Wars can be waged along, peace calls for a collective effort. I went through seven wars and obtained two peace agreements with egypt, the largest arab country, with jordan, our longest shared border. I hope that we will be able to renew peace talks with the palestinians soon. [ applause ] israel does not intend to go to