Mr. Speaker, a valued friend of mine has quietly passed away, unheralded by jaded media, shunted aside by cynical forces, a battered veteran, a hero of past battles. This poem expresses my sorrow:
You fought the fight When weaker forces paled. You stood for freedom When others shrank and failed. Your final days will never be forlorn. We mourn your passing, The flag is rent and torn.
Yes, closure crushes the life from democracy. We mourn, we mourn, we mourn.