mr. speaker , the gentleman is 110 percent right .  the gentleman from ohio mentioned an issue about being nonpartisan and being , i would say , third-party validators , i just want to make sure we are clear .  on the commission procedural vote here on this house floor that was voted down , for us to have this week , voted down for us to have a 9/11 kind of a commission , i believe that was today ; and yesterday , there is an article , and i will give it to the members just in case they were not watching the senate , www.sfgate.com , there is an article : `` senate kills bid for katrina commission. '' now , let me tell my colleagues something .  this is nothing that we did ; this is something that the majority did .  if they wanted to get to the bottom of it and to make sure that it never happens again and to make sure that americans do not have to watch the horror , the horror of people dying and bodies floating , not because of katrina , but because of lack of response , because the levee broke and because of a lack of administrative duties and governance on all levels ; if we do not want that to happen again , why are we not passing a 9/11 kind of commission for the people in the gulf states ?  they do not want to hear a speech .  they do not need to hear , oh , we are going to do this , that , and the other .  we are at war right now .  we have men and women right now with sand in their teeth and bombs blowing up every day around them , away from their families , some have family in the affected area .  i just want to give credit where credit is due ; some of them had an opportunity to come back and check on their families .  but let me just say , we have to go far beyond allowing business as usual .  i call on the members and the american people again not to allow this to be swept under the carpet , not to allow individuals to sit up here and set the deck because these individuals are poor .  we are better than that , and i know that we are going to do it .  mr. speaker , i want the gentleman from ohio to give our e-mail address out .  i know our hour is coming to a close .  but i will tell my colleague , i am encouraged .  i am encouraged because the american people , some 70 percent of them say they want an independent commission , and it is not a partisan issue .  those are democrats and republicans .  i am encouraged that the democratic leader , the gentleman from california ( ms. pelosi )  is willing to stand in there against the wind for what the american people believe in and not allow business as usual .  i am encouraged .  i am encouraged by the fact that people are not only praying on behalf of these individuals , but the american people have taken action on behalf of them , making sure that they have the things that they need .  throughout the country people are bringing people into their homes , so , i say that every time that we have an opportunity to come to this floor and speak as free americans in this democracy , we are going to give those individuals voice .  i am glad that there is some leadership on this floor that sees the importance in that .  