Jim Traficant Jr. One Minute Speech Archive
Jim Traficant Jr. One Minute Speech Archive
A good man, James A. Traficant Jr. (1941-2014)
1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 (quotes)
TRAFICANT, James A., Jr., Former Representative from Ohio; born in Youngstown, Mahoning County, Ohio, May 8, 1941; graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School, Youngstown, Ohio, 1959; B.S., University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa., 1963; M.S., University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa., 1973; M.S., Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio, 1976.
Executive director, Mahoning County, Ohio, Drug Program, Inc., 1971-1981. Sheriff, Mahoning County, Ohio, 1981-1985; elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-ninth and to the eight succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1985-July 24, 2002);
Unjustly-expelled from the House of Representatives pursuant to H. Res. 495, passed on July 24, 2002. Traficant unsuccessfully ran as an Independent for the One Hundred Eighth Congress in 2002.Traficant Predicts Current Economic Crisis 8 Years Before It Happens:
CLINTON ADMINISTRATION HAS REINVENTED COMMUNISMDecember 5, 2000
If this continues, America will have a crash that will make 1929 look like a fender-bender. What is even worse, China is now taking $100 billion of cash out of our economy, buying missiles, and pointing them at us.
Mr. Speaker, America's trade deficit for September hit $35 billion for one month, $35 billion. America is heading for a $420 billion, 1-year trade deficit. Unbelievable.Beam us up, all of us!
We must be stupid. Ronald Reagan almost destroyed Communism, and the Clinton administration has reinvented it, is now subsidizing it, and is now stabilizing it.I yield back any common sense left and any patriotism left in this Congress.
About Jim Traficant
Born into a working-class, Catholic family in Youngstown, Ohio, James Traficant graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School in 1959 and the University of Pittsburgh in 1963, where he was a standout in football and was drafted into the NFL at number 276 by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1963.He obtained a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and another from Youngstown State University. He was the executive director of the Mahoning County Drug Program from 1971 to 1981 and sheriff of Mahoning County from 1981 to 1985. While serving as sheriff, Traficant made national headlines by refusing to execute foreclosure orders on several unemployed homeowners, many of whom had been left unemployed by the recent closures of steel mills. This endeared him to the local population, which had long derived its wealth from steel and steel-associated businesses.
In 1983, he was charged with racketeering for allegedly accepting bribes. Traficant represented himself in the criminal trial, argued that he accepted the bribes only as part of an undercover investigation into corruption and was acquitted of the charges, becoming the only person ever to win a RICO case while representing himself.
Publicity from the RICO trial increased Traficant's local visibility. He was elected as a Democrat to Congress from Ohio's 17th District, defeating Lyle Williams, a three-term Republican incumbent. He was reelected eight times without serious opposition.On April 12, 2002, after a two-month federal trial, a jury found Traficant guilty of bribery and other charges. He was sentenced to a federal prison, where he is currently serving eight years. He was expelled from the U.S. Congress on July 24, 2002.
As Congressman; Jim Traficant was known for his flamboyant and eccentric style.
He constantly antagonized the Democratic caucus with his eccentric behavior, an image he embraced. He often dressed enigmatically in "out of style" suits, with narrow neck ties (also out of style), wide-lapelled sportcoats and an occasional denim suit. He also sported an unkempt pompadour, which he jokingly claimed he cut with a weed whacker.Casting himself as a rough-hewn populist and "regular guy," he gave speeches that were far outside the staid norms of political speaking. Many people tuned into C-SPAN just to watch his one-minute speeches at the beginning of each day's sitting. His trademark closing lines were "Beam me up... I yield back the fact..."
Traficant championed the unpopular cause of John Demjanjuk, a Ukrainian-born autoworker from Seven Hills, who had been convicted in Israel and sentenced to hang for having been the brutal concentration camp guard "Ivan the Terrible." For almost a decade, Traficant and columnist Pat Buchanan were virtually alone in insisting that Demjanjuk had been denied a fair trial and been the victim of mistaken identity; the Supreme Court of Israel eventually overturned the conviction, on the basis of doubt, in 1993.
Wednesday, March 11 2009, German prosecutors charged Demjanjuk with 29,000 counts of acting as an accessory to murder while working as a guard at a Nazi death camp in occupied Poland. Thus setting the stage for another possible sham of a trial.
During his tenure in Congress, Jim Traficant was a supporter of immigration reduction, and a strong opponent of illegal immigration. In the controversy surrounding the defeat of Congressman Bob Dornan (R-CA) by Democrat Loretta Sanchez, Traficant was the only Democratic member of Congress who advocated a new election, due to possible voting by illegal aliens in that election. Sanchez would later introduce a bill expelling Traficant from the House of Representatives. It's more than likely that Sanchez is in favor of illegal immigration into the United States.
Jim Traficant will be released from prison during the Autumn of 2009, he was slated for release to a "halfway house" in the Spring of 2009 but Traficant said he had no interest in any type of conditional release from prison.It would surprise no-one if he ran again for his old Congressional seat and even less surprising if he were to win.
2009
SOURCE: The information on this webpage was written by Former Congressional Staffer Robert Korczak in collaboration with Ex CIA Agent Boris Korczak.
John 8:32 and 36, “And ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free
...
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed.”
