Honoring Albert Hale (Cong. Rec., Feb. 4, 2021)
Summary
House page H328 of the Congressional Record dated February 4, 2021. A speaker states that lockdowns have failed to save lives and are costing lives, citing GDP plunging by one-third in the second quarter and asking whether additional deaths are the cost of lockdowns. Under the heading Honoring Albert Hale, a speaker mourns his passing, expresses sympathy to the Hale family and the Navajo Nation, and says that since coming to Congress in 2017 the speaker has worked to bring the voices of 12 sovereign Tribal nations to the table. Carter of Georgia rises under the heading Recognizing Ken Griner.
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“Honoring Albert Hale (Cong. Rec., Feb. 4, 2021).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-02-04-crec-2021-02-04-pt1-pgh328-3888791c22/
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H328 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 4, 2021
Then, over the course of just a few According to The Wall Street Jour- frustrated to see yet again that the
catastrophic weeks, our government nal, the CDC reported 475,000 excess community he fought to uplift con-
took a wrecking ball to it all. In the deaths in the United States at a time tinues to be left behind. Too many
second quarter, GDP plunged by one- when it was reporting 281,000 COVID- Dine mothers, grandfathers, neighbors,
third, the worst decline in productivity related fatalities. Now, that difference and friends have fallen to this deadly
ever recorded. Unemployment sky- is 192,000 additional deaths unexplained disease.
rocketed to its highest levels since the by normal mortality and COVID com- Since coming to Congress in 2017, I
Great Depression. Tens of millions of bined. have strived to bring the voices of all
Americans lost their jobs. Trillions of Could it be this is the butcher’s bill 12 sovereign Tribal nations in our dis-
dollars of the Nation’s wealth were from a folly that has produced sky- trict to the discussion table in Wash-
squandered. rocketing suicides, drug and alcohol ington. Today, I recommit myself to
In the months since, our children deaths, domestic homicides, isolation- fighting for their needs and honoring
have been robbed of a year of their edu- related deaths, delayed health their unique stories, as Albert Hale did
cation. Millions of Americans have screenings, delayed health treatments, during his time with us.
been forbidden from earning a living by and poverty-related deaths? My thoughts are with the Hale fam-
their own government. Shopkeepers Unlike COVID, which is a curse ily and the entire Navajo Nation as we
have seen their life’s work destroyed, brought us by nature, lockdown deaths mourn Albert’s passing. His work, his
and when in desperation they try to are the fault of specific individuals in light, and his mission will not be for-
hold on, they are led away in hand- positions of public trust who imposed gotten.
cuffs. draconian restrictions out of panic, And I can’t stand here today and not
Our most cherished rights to worship fear, ignorance, or egotism. They say that one of my last conversations
freely; to peaceably assemble; and not preened and virtue-signaled and boast- with Albert was about COVID.
to be deprived of our lives, liberty, or ed how much they cared for the lives of I am so sad that he and many other
property without due process of law others while they have pursued a folly people who have died from this dreaded
have all been destroyed. that is needlessly taking an appalling disease have not been able to be with
Now, COVID did not cause this dam- toll of lives and livelihoods. their loved ones as they have passed
age. Public officials did. They promised Some of those responsible hold power away, or their friends. I am saddened
us it was for our own good and that it by virtue of appointments by elected that I didn’t know at that time that
would save lives. But mounting evi- officials while others are elected offi-
dence in multiple scientific studies is Albert would have been stricken with
cials themselves, and I fear this night- this terrible virus. But we do know Al-
putting the lie to these sophistries. It
mare will not end until the officials bert would say to us, Please continue
is becoming increasingly, tragically,
who are responsible for it are removed to fight the fight for the American peo-
and bitterly clear that the lockdowns
from the offices they hold. ple.
have not only failed to save lives, but
they are costing lives. f
f
Last month, the University of Den- HONORING ALBERT HALE
mark released the results of a study b 1015
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The
comparing Danish municipalities that
Chair recognizes the gentleman from CONGRATULATING DR. KARLA
locked down with those that did not.
Arizona (Mr. O’HALLERAN) for 5 min- SAPP
Their conclusion: The lockdowns had
utes.
‘‘statistically insignificant effects.’’ The SPEAKER pro tempore. The
Mr. O’HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I
Their conclusion mirrored a similar Chair recognizes the gentleman from
study out of Stanford University that rise today in honor of former Navajo
Nation President Albert Hale, who lost Georgia (Mr. CARTER) for 5 minutes.
compared eight lockdown nations and Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speak-
two non-lockdown nations. They con- his battle with COVID this week.
Years ago, Albert and I served to- er, I rise to congratulate a devoted ad-
cluded: ‘‘We fail to find an additional vocate in my district, Dr. Karla Sapp,
benefit of stay-at-home orders and gether in the Arizona House of Rep-
resentatives, working on water issues who was named the 2020 Mental Health
business closures.’’ Advocate of the Year by the Black
Now, these are studies based not on and fighting to uphold Tribal sov-
ereignty. As the second elected presi- Mental Health Symposium.
assumptions and models but on actual, Dr. Sapp has worked tirelessly to de-
real-life, hardcore data. That is what dent of the Navajo Nation, Albert Hale
taught me so much about the Dine peo- crease the stigma of mental illness, in-
the science is telling us, and it is tell- crease access to care, and improve the
ing us the same thing for multiple ple, their culture, and their long-over-
looked struggles. wellness of the individuals in her com-
studies: The lockdowns have not saved munity.
lives, certainly not to any statistically In this body, we are no strangers to
the suffering the Navajo Nation has en- A native of Midway, Georgia, Dr.
significant level. Sapp previously served with the Geor-
But it gets worse, much worse. We dured throughout the course of this
pandemic—and still is. Forced to wait gia Department of Juvenile Justice.
are now seeing mounting evidence that
months for CARES Act funding to ar- For the past 11 years, she has worked
the lockdowns are costing lives on a
rive, Navajo families were often at the as a drug abuse program coordinator
staggering scale. Last month, the Na-
epicenter of this global pandemic, sev- with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. I
tional Bureau of Economic Research
warned that increases in poverty eral times experiencing the highest per have had the honor of working with Dr.
caused by the lockdowns will cost more capita infection rates in the world. Sapp during her tenure at the Federal
than 800,000 American lives over the As a Congress, we must, once and for Correctional Institution of Jesup.
next 15 years due to higher poverty lev- all, commit ourselves to discontinuing Karla is a mother, sister, advocate,
els, with the deaths disproportionately the shelving of Native American issues counselor, teacher, resource,
affecting African Americans and and concerns. I know that is what Al- motivator, and public servant. We are
women. That comports with a U.N. bert Hale would have said. blessed to have Dr. Sapp working to
warning that tens of millions of people We must wholeheartedly devote our better the lives of those suffering from
worldwide are being pushed to the efforts to serving all Americans equi- mental illnesses, and I am thankful for
brink of starvation. tably and come together reinvigorated her commitment to improving count-
Suicide rates have jumped dramati- to pass legislation to meet our obliga- less lives.
cally over the past year. Dementia tions. I congratulate her on this amazing
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with HOUSE
deaths between March and September Today, I think of Albert’s passing accomplishment, and I look forward to
jumped 13,000 as patients were left with with a heavy heart for many reasons. I her continued journey of service and
little means of social interaction. San am saddened to lose his friendship and success.
Francisco reported that additional guidance, his smile, his sense of humor, RECOGNIZING KEN GRINER
deaths from drug overdoses exceeded and his sense of caring for his fellow Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speak-
the total COVID deaths in 2020. Navajo and American people. And I am er, I rise today to recognize and honor
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