Emergency Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2003

Mr. President, today I am submitting a resolution designating October 15, 2004, as ``National Mammography Day.'' I am pleased that 51 of my colleagues have endorsed this proposal by agreeing to be original cosponsors. I might note that I have submitted a similar resolution each year since 1993, and on each occasion the Senate has shown its support for the fight against breast cancer by approving the resolution.

Each year, as I prepare to submit this resolution, I review the latest information from the American Cancer Society about breast cancer. For the year 2004, it is estimated that nearly 216,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and slightly more than 40,000 women will die of this disease.

In past years, I have often commented on how gloomy these statistics were. But as I review how these numbers are changing over time, I have come to the realization that it is really more appropriate to be optimistic. The number of deaths from breast cancer is actually stable or falling from year to year. Early detection of breast cancer continues to result in extremely favorable outcomes: 97 percent of women with localized breast cancer will survive 5 years or longer. New digital techniques make the process of mammography much more rapid and precise than before. Government programs will provide free mammograms to those who can't afford them, as well as Medicaid eligibility for treatment if breast cancer is diagnosed. Information about treatment of breast cancer with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy has exploded, reflecting enormous research advances in this disease. So I am feeling quite positive about our battle against breast cancer. A diagnosis of breast cancer is not a death sentence, and I encounter long-term survivors of breast cancer nearly daily.

In recent times, the newspapers have been filled with discussion over whether the scientific evidence actually supports the conclusion that periodic screening mammography saves lives. It seems that much of this controversy relates to new interpretations of old studies, and the relatively few recent studies of this matter have not clarified this issue. Most sources seem to agree that all of the existing scientific studies have some weaknesses, but it is far from clear whether the very large and truly unambiguous study needed to settle this matter definitively can ever be done.

So what is a woman to do? I do not claim any expertise in this highly technical area, so I rely on the experts. The American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force all continue to recommend periodic screening mammography, and I endorse the statements of these distinguished bodies.

On the other hand, I recognize that some women who examine these research studies are unconvinced of the need for periodic screening mammography. However, even those scientists who do not support periodic mammography for all women believe that it is appropriate for some groups of women with particular risk factors. In agreement with these experts, I encourage all women who have doubts about the usefulness of screening mammography in general to discuss with their individual physicians whether this test is appropriate in their specific situations.

So my message to women is: have a periodic mammogram, or at the very least discuss this option with your own physician.

I know that some women don't have annual mammograms because of either fear or forgetfulness. It is only human nature for some women to avoid mammograms because they are afraid of what they will find. To those who are fearful, I would say that if you have periodic routine mammograms, and the latest one comes out positive, even before you have any symptoms or have found a lump on self-examination, you have reason to be optimistic, not pessimistic. Such early-detected breast cancers are highly treatable.

Then there is forgetfulness. I certainly understand how difficult it is to remember to do something that only

comes around once each year. I would suggest that this is where ``National Mammography Day'' comes in. On that day, let's make sure that each woman we know picks a specific date on which to get a mammogram each year, a date that she won't forget: a child's birthday, an anniversary, perhaps even the day her taxes are due. On National Mammography Day, let's ask our loved ones: pick one of these dates, fix it in your mind along with a picture of your child, your wedding, or another symbol of that date, and promise yourself to get a mammogram on that date every year. Do it for yourself and for the others that love you and want you to be part of their lives for as long as possible.

And to those women who are reluctant to have a mammogram, I say let National Mammography Day serve as a reminder to discuss this question each year with your physician. New scientific studies that are published and new mammography techniques that are developed may affect your decision on this matter from one year to the next. I encourage you to keep an open mind and not to feel that a decision at one point in time commits you irrevocably to a particular course of action for the indefinite future.

I urge my colleagues to join me in the ongoing fight against breast cancer by cosponsoring and voting for this resolution to designate October 15, 2004, as ``National Mammography Day.''

Mr. President, I am proud to join with Senator Smith in submitting this resolution to commemorate the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi German occupation.

The Polish and American people have stood up against oppression and fought for liberty through the centuries. During our Revolutionary War, Polish patriots fought alongside American patriots to help secure our independence. During the Second World War, Polish mathematicians helped us break the enigma codes and American troops and the Polish Army in exile fought side by side to liberate Europe.

Within Poland, the Polish people fought for their own freedom against the occupying armies of Nazi Germany. Two of the most dramatic battles took place in Poland's capital: the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Jews in 1943, and the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.

In the summer of 1944, the German army was in retreat and the Red Army of the Soviet Union was approaching Warsaw. The Poles knew from the Katyn Forest Massacre what brutal treatment they could expect under Soviet occupation. So they took charge of their own liberation, hoping to allow the Polish government in exile to return to Warsaw.

On August 1, 1944, the Polish home army rose up against the Nazi Germany occupation. They took control of most of Warsaw within days. But the Germany army was determined to crush the resistance, and the Soviet Union hampered U.S. and British efforts to support the Warsaw Uprising from the air. The Poles fought bravely to liberate and protect their capitol and their nation. But after 63 days of bitter fighting, Germany tanks, planes and artillery overcame the valiant but poorly- armed Polish resistance.

Nazi Germany was not satisfied with mere victory. Heinrich Himmler ordered the people of Warsaw killed and the city razed to the ground as an example for all of Europe. Eighty-five percent of Warsaw was leveled by German forces and hundreds of thousands of Poles were killed.

The Poles were right to fight for their freedom in 1944, because Soviet domination lasted for nearly half a Century. The Solidarity Movement later took up the banner of Polish freedom, and we are now proud to have Poland as a friend and NATO ally.

This year, as we mark the 60th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, we should remember and honor the Poles who fought so bravely, against such heavy odds, for freedom. This is what the resolution Senator Smith and I are offering today, and a companion resolution introduced in the House by Representatives Emanuel and Hyde, will do. I urge my colleagues to join us in commemorating the Warsaw Uprising.

Mr. President, today I am submitting a resolution to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. For those who are not familiar with the details of this remarkable event, this anniversary provides an opportunity to recognize the bravery and heroism of those Polish citizens who revolted against their brutal Nazi occupiers.

The Warsaw uprising began on August 1, 1944, when the Polish Home Army launched an attack on the German forces occupying Poland. At the time, the German army was retreating from the Soviets after its defeat on the eastern front, and the Poles recognized that the presence of the Soviet army on the outskirts of Warsaw represented a grave threat to the country's future. If they could liberate the city from the Germans and establish an independent government before the Red Army's entry, they felt their freedom might be preserved.

Although the Home Army took control of most of the city within a few days, the Germans were determined to defend Warsaw and sent in massive reinforcements to crush the uprising. The fighting raged for 63 days, despite the fact that the Polish contingent had limited weapons and were facing German tanks, planes, and artillery.

Additionally, the Soviet Union refused to allow American or British planes access to the airfields it controlled. Thus, ammunition and relief supplies could not be flown to the Polish resistance. In Stalin's view, allowing the Germans to suppress the uprising would result in the destruction of the anti-Soviet leadership of Poland, therefore paving the way for eventual Soviet control.

Germany's superior firepower eventually prevailed, as we all know. The Germans crushed the Polish forces and leveled the city as an example to the rest of Europe. Eighty-five percent of the city was razed, the Polish Home Army was annihilated and approximately 250,000 people, including tens of thousands of civilians, were summarily executed.

Had events turned the other way, Warsaw would have been the first European capital liberated from the Nazi regime. Instead, Poland suffered under nearly fifty years of communist domination.

Senator Mikulski joins me in submitting this resolution today in an effort to honor those brave Polish citizens who fought so valiantly for their freedom. Considering the conflict between the United States and the Soviets over assisting the Polish resistance, the Warsaw Uprising can fairly be considered as one of the first battles of the Cold War.