{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fortenberry.house.gov/media-center/fort-reports/fort-report-paris", "Fort Report: Paris", "2015-11-20", "2015", "2015-11", "Republican", "House", "NE", "Jeff Fortenberry", "F000449", "fortenberry.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "As we think about the history of America, one of our finest hours came on the shores of France on D-Day, June 6, 1944. We are familiar with the general details of the battle, the missed zone drops of the paratroopers the night before, the slaughter that met the first assault wave on Omaha Beach, and the heroics of our Rangers on Pointe du Hoc. Among the lesser known facts, the troops that hit Utah Beach under the command of General Theodore Roosevelt landed in the wrong place. Landing with his men in the first wave and realizing the error, General Roosevelt responded: The war starts here. \nAnother lesser known fact is that the French resistance commander General Leclerc also came ashore at Utah Beach. The French people are rightfully proud of their own efforts to defeat the Nazis and have erected markers tracing the advance of Leclerc toward Germany. The first marker sat in the breach where our troops first stormed through. I took it as a sign of ongoing respect for Americas sacrifice when the French moved their first monument to Leclerc to accommodate a new World War II memorial, a replica of a Higgins Boat Troop Carrier that was built by Nebraskans just this year.\nIn the wake of last weeks horrifying attacks in Paris, Americas longstanding ties to France have gained renewed significance. ISIS targeted a stadium, cafes, and a theatrean act of nihilistic destruction against innocent civilians who were just beginning to enjoy their weekend. Beyond destroying large swaths of the Middle East and many of its inhabitants, precipitating the greatest refugee crisis since World War II, the so-called Islamic State has now killed French secularists and Catholics on their streets, Russian Orthodox civilians on an airliner, and Shiite Muslims in Beirut. \nForeign policy is complicated, especially in the Middle East, but this new level of terrorism has brought three critical issues into focus. \nFirst, the international community has a responsibility to fight ISIL. The world constantly pushes America to the forefront of needed military action, but the entire community of responsible nationsincluding certain Sunni Arab countriesmust engage in this conflict. It is not the responsibility of the United States alone. We can lead. We will lead. But it must be in solid concert with responsible world powers. France has properly responded with its own air campaign, backed by our intelligence. This resolve could compel more Europeans to rethink their vulnerability and take decisive action.\nSecond, it is time to face reality: the targeted and systematic violence against Christians, Yezidis, and other religious minorities in the Middle East is genocide. Genocide is a powerful word. The world must recognize this grim reality and work to support the most vulnerable minorities in the Middle East. No responsible approach to the tragic situation unfolding in Iraq and Syria can ignore their plight.\nThird, the related issue of refugees and migration points to the collapse of the nation state order. Simply accommodating more asylum is a reaction, not a response, and one that has to be reconciled with national security and capacity concerns. As a response, the House of Representatives voted this week to pause and significantly modify the Syrian refugee program given multiple levels of concern about security and immigration policy. Attacking the injustice that leads to refugee flight must be the first priorityfollowed by new political structures that allow people to remain where they are in safety or return to their ancient homelands. This is a precondition for long-term stability in the region. An immediate step could be an international enforcement of safe zones, especially for vulnerable minorities, within northern Syria and Iraq. \nAfter American forces landed on D-Day with key allies and defeated the Nazis, the United States was cast into the role of the worlds sole superpower. At great sacrifice to our country, we created the space for international order. We forged the conditions for international commerce, including helping other countries develop their own economies and governing systems rooted in high universal ideals.\nTimes have changed. We no longer live in a unipolar world.\nThe gruesome attacks in Paris can create a point of convergence. The prevention of peril in the 21st century requires a new cooperative agreement to fight dark ideology, twisted theology, and barbarism across the globe. ISIL is battling the very essence of our civilization. Beyond the bloodshed, ISIL attacks the underlying philosophical proposition of the West: that all persons have dignity and therefore rights. We stand at a solemn crossroads. The world must fight back on two fronts: against ISILand for the time-honored philosophical principles and values that sustain an orderly existence. So depends the beauty of Paris", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fortenberry.house.gov/media-center/fort-reports/fort-report-paris"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0519190691411495, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}