Supporting the goals and ideals of a National Weekend of Prayer and Reflection for Darfur, Sudan.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 333) supporting the goals and ideals of a National Weekend of Prayer and Reflection for Darfur, Sudan.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in very strong support of H. Res. 333 which supports the goals and the ideals of a national weekend of prayer and reflection for Darfur, Sudan. It is fort that this resolution also come to the floor today when we mark the tenth anniversary of another genocide, that which took place in the Balkans and, in particular, 10 years ago to the day, July 11, 1995 when the killing fields were very much covered with blood and murder in Srebreniza. This body a few weeks ago passed my resolution to remember that horrific event, and sadly, today we are on the floor again bringing much needed attention and priority and hopefully an appeal for prayer and fasting on behalf of those who have suffered and are suffering in Darfur, Sudan.

It was almost a year ago, Mr. Speaker, on July 21 that the House passed H. Con. Res. 467 that finally, at long last, called what is occurring, in Darfur, a genocide. Since that time, the United States Government has provided over $600 million in humanitarian relief to help ease the suffering of the most affected by this terrible conflict and over $150 million to support the African Union in their mission in Darfur. President Bush, the Congress, Democrats, Republicans, House and Senate, countless numbers of churches, nongovernmental organizations, think tanks and activists around the world have devoted a huge amount of time trying to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur and mobilizing political and material support for efforts to mitigate and hopefully end this genocide.

For its part, the U.N. Security Council has passed no less than six resolutions addressing the situation in Darfur. Still, the crisis, the genocide, continues. Out of a pre-conflict population of 6.5 million, anywhere between 300,000 and 400,000 Darfurians have perished, and an estimated 10,000 continue to die each and every month. Over 2 million have been forced from their homes. Entire villages have been looted and destroyed, and countless men, women and children have been murdered, abducted, abused or raped.

Mr. Speaker, I believe it is our Nation's richest and most important tradition that we turn to God in prayer, in good times and bad, to thank Him for His blessings and to ask and to petition Him for His help. I believe we delude ourselves if we think that we possess the wisdom or the courage or the skill to solve the myriad of vexing problems that we face. We needed God's help.

Earlier today, Reverend Dan Coughlin, the House Chaplain, in his opening prayer here, eloquently pointed the way to us as Members of Congress, as people of faith, when he quoted scripture that everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and those who humble themselves shall be exalted. Prayer certainly is a humbling process of realizing who we are in relation to God.

He pointed out in his prayer again that life itself has taught us that ``all exaltation leads only to illusion, and left to ourselves, we can easily slip and fall'' and he calls on us as government leaders with ``high aspirations'' hopefully to be ``grounded in the people we serve'' and again this whole idea of humbling ourselves in prayer so that we can bring God's blessing and power into any situation.

Nowhere is that more true than in these vexing problems that we see all over the globe especially in places like Darfur where this genocide has been occurring. The events of the past year have shown us that it is extremely difficult to impose peace upon Darfur. In the Book of James, we are told that faith without works is dead. Yes, we need the works--humanitarian assistance, including food and medicine. We need the statecraft. We need the peacekeeping intervention that is being organized now as part of the African Union peace mission. All of that has to be done but we also must pray. We must pray for even those who perpetrate such atrocities against their own brothers and sisters, that they will lay down their weapons and turn from this gross evil and the destructive path that they have chosen. We must pray for the people of Sudan, especially its leaders, and especially those thugs who are on the ground today, who derive their fleeting power from the barrel of a gun, to end their reign of terror against innocent men, women and children.

H. Res. 333 supports a national weekend of prayer and reflection for Darfur and solemnly encourages the people of the United States to observe that weekend, and I think it should be every weekend and every day, but certainly in a very focused way for a weekend by praying for an end to genocide, for a lasting peace for these beleaguered people. It also urges all churches and synagogues and mosques and religious institutions in the United States to consider, to focus upon the issue of Darfur in their activities and to observe the national weekend of prayer and reflection with appropriate activities and services.

I want to thank my good friend and colleague Mr. Payne, my fellow New Jerseyan, for introducing this important resolution, and I am very proud to be one of the cosponsors. I urge my colleagues to support it and above all to join us in praying that a just and a merciful God will stop the slaughter, to pray that He will heal the surviving victims who have been so brutally traumatized, and pray that God empower the international community to mete out justice to the perpetrators of this heinous genocide.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of Congressman Payne's resolution H. Res. 333--supporting the goals and ideals of a National Weekend of Prayer and Reflection for Darfur. The violence and ongoing humanitarian challenges that the people of Darfur continue to face necessitate that we keep them in our thoughts and prayers, and continue to ensure that the Darfur issue remains firmly within the purview of U.S. policymakers, until a final resolution is reached.

Communities of faith in the United States have always played a role in eliciting action on an array of historic moral questions. From the anti-slavery and civil rights movements in this country, to the campaign to end the terrible Ethiopian famines of the 1980's, the power of faith was brought to bear in an attempt to address an issue of human suffering.

The ongoing crisis in Darfur is one such issue, that warrants the continued engagement of the American religious community--especially when engagement from other sources has, in some instances, been lacking. The Darfur conflict has so far claimed as much as 400,000 lives, and displaced at least 2.4 million. The United States has to its credit taken the lead among world powers in addressing the conflict by providing humanitarian assistance to the Darfurian people, and applying pressure to the Sudanese government. America's religious communities have been instrumental in compelling the United States government to become involved.

However, in recent months the Administration has been rather muted on the Darfur issue. Indeed, the Administration has backed away from classifying the actions of the Sudanese government and its Janjaweed militia as genocide, and U.S. and Sudanese officials have visited each other consistently in recent months. With the recent peace agreement between the Khartoum government and the oil-producing region of southern Sudan, as well as Sudanese cooperation on U.S. terrorism efforts, there is talk of the U.S. lifting sanctions on Sudan.

Such hospitable relations are very concerning, considering the fact that the situation in the Darfur is still dire. While the killings in aggregate have decreased, the cease-fire is extremely fragile. In the absence of the small African Union peacekeeping force, and the humanitarian assistance provided by the international community, Darfur would easily fall back into chaos. Indeed, U.N. humanitarian coordinator Manuel Aranda Da Silva said that the situation could deteriorate quickly if foreign assistance stops coming.

In addition, rape is still a widespread tactic utilized by government and its militia, as well as forced military recruitment of young people. According to officials from the United Nations High Committee on Refugees, areas outside peacekeeping observation remain very dangerous. As such, the United States must maintain its pressure on the Sudanese government, and clearly convey to them that any improvement in relations between our two countries is contingent on resolution of the Darfur crisis.

The religious community is well placed, and equipped with the moral authority, to compel the United States government not to decrease its engagement on the Darfur issue. It is my hope that communities of faith will reflect this coming weekend on the continuing crisis in Darfur-- because only when we reflect, will we be emboldened to act. Again, I thank the Gentleman from New Jersey for this resolution, as our struggle for the people of Darfur is far from over.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer a personal explanation of the reason I missed rollcall Votes Nos. 363-379 from July 11 to July 14, 2005. Following Hurricane Dennis' landfall in my district on July 10, 2005, it wasn't possible for 3 days to fly out of the area, and it became clear during that time that it was most prudent to remain in the district for the balance of the week to survey and assist with immediate needs following the storm's passage.

I respectfully request that it be entered into the Congressional Record that if present, I would have voted:

Rollcall vote No. 363, H. Con. Res. 168, condemning the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for the abductions and continued captivity of citizens of the Republic of Korea and Japan as acts of terrorism and gross violations of human rights, ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 364, H. Res. 333, supporting the goals and ideals of a National Weekend of Prayer and Reflection for Darfur, Sudan, ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 365, Previous Question on H. Res. 352, ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 366, H. Res. 351, the rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 739, H.R. 740, H.R. 741, and H.R. 742, ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 367, H. Res. 352, providing that the House of Representatives will focus on removing barriers to competitiveness of the United States economy, ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 368, H. Res. 343, commending the State of Kuwait for granting women certain important political rights, ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 369, H.R. 739, to amend the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to provide for adjudicative flexibility with regard to the filing of a notice of contest by an employer following the issuance of a citation or proposed assessment of a penalty by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 370, H.R. 740, to amend the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to provide for greater efficiency at the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 371, H.R. 741, to amend the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to provide for judicial deference to conclusions of law determined by the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission with respect to an order issued by the Commission, ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 372, H.R. 742, to amend the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to provide for the award of attorneys' fees and costs to small employers when such employers prevail in litigation prompted by the issuance of a citation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 373, Capps Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 6, ``nay'';

Rollcall vote No. 374, H.R. 3100, to authorize measures to deter arms transfers by foreign countries to the People's Republic of China, ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 375, H. Res. 356, condemning in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks in London, England, on July 7, 2005, ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 376, Rohrbacher Amendment to H.R. 2864, ``nay'';

Rollcall vote No. 377, Flake Amendment to H.R. 2864, ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 378, final passage of H.R. 2864, Water Resources Development Act of 2005, ``nay''; and

Rollcall vote No. 379, H. Con. Res. 191, Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the conclusion of the War in the Pacific and honoring veterans of both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters of the Second World War, ``aye''.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I, again, thank my colleague and friend the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for his moving words in support of this resolution sponsored by our good friend, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne). I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) and commend him for his leadership on this resolution and for his never- ending efforts to end the ongoing genocide in Darfur.

Over the weekend in Khartoum, the new Unity government of Sudan was sworn in with former rebel leader John Garang serving as one of its two vice presidents. The civil war between north and southern Sudan lasted 21 years and cost millions of lives, untold suffering, and billions of dollars in humanitarian assistance. However, while the North-South agreement is a major milestone, it did not cover the conflict still raging in Darfur.

Just 4 days ago, Mr. Speaker, ten Janjaweed militia on horseback, wearing masks, opened fire on internally displaced persons on their way to a humanitarian camp in Sudan. Five innocent civilians were killed, and four were injured.

Mr. Speaker, 1 year ago this month, the House and Senate passed a concurrent resolution that declared atrocities in Darfur a genocide. Janjaweed militia groups, directed and supported by the old regime in Khartoum, have systematically tortured, raped and murdered innocent civilians, driven over 250,000 from their homes into neighboring Chad, and internally displaced more than 2 million people. According to the United Nations, an average of 10,000 people have died each month over the past year and a half from disease and other preventable causes. In spite of growing international pressures, the government of Sudan has denied humanitarian assistance to starving civilians, harassed aid workers and thwarted attempts to bring international monitors to the situation.

Mr. Speaker, because of our persistence, in March, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 1593 referring the situation in Darfur to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, also known as the ICC. After conducting a worldwide investigation, the ICC says it has credible information about grave crimes against humanity committed in Darfur.

Mr. Speaker, the efforts of this committee and many others have brought peace to southern Sudan, and it remains my strong hope that our continued work will help bring peace to Darfur.

Piggybacking a little bit on my colleague from New Jersey's alluding to our very wonderful Chaplain, we all have to be mindful of that ladder and

watch our step on each rung, and no more does that reflection need to take place than in Darfur today. Prayer, inner reflection, a moment to look at ourselves, especially in places of conflict, I think, is a good thing to do, and this resolution is a good resolution calling attention to that effort.

Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution, and I thank the sponsor again.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately yesterday, July 11, 2005, I was delayed in the Cincinnati Airport due to a mechanical failure of my plane, a parts swap, and a new plane having to be brought in for my flight from Cincinnati to Washington. There were no other flight options for me to arrive in Washington before the votes occurred on H. Con. Res. 168 (Rollcall No. 363) and H. Res. 333 (Rollcall No. 364). Had I been here to cast my votes, I would have voted ``aye'' on both H. Con. Res. 168 and H. Res. 333 and wish the Record to reflect as such.

As a member of the Human Rights Caucus and a stern believer that every human being has certain irrevocable rights, I stand in strong favor of both of these pieces of legislation. We cannot and should not stand by as gross human rights violations such as the kidnappings in Korea and the genocide in Darfur continue. I applaud my colleagues, Representative Henry Hyde and Representative Donald Payne, for introducing these bills and bringing them to the floor for our consideration.

Almost 3 years ago North Korean leader Kim Jong-l admitted that North Korea had ordered abductions of Japanese citizens and promised that it would never do so again. However, evidence has surfaced that the North Korean government has continued to order the abductions of numerous foreign citizens and has placed these captives, along with prisoners of war, in forced labor camps. To stand by and do nothing in response to these gross violations of human rights is unthinkable and this bill clearly states to Kim Jong-l and the North Korean government that the United States will not let this continue.

I am also pleased that we were able to debate H. Res. 333. I have been a huge supporter of our past funding for aid to Darfur and our condemnation of the genocide occurring there and can think of no better way to compliment these actions than by praying for and reflecting on this horrible situation. The better we personally understand this situation, the better we as a Congress will be able to respond to and prevent situations such as these from occurring in the future. As a man of faith, I will stand with my family, my colleagues, and fellow citizens and pray for the people of Darfur and reflect on the ongoing atrocities that they face on a daily basis.

Mr. Speaker, thank you again for allowing me to express my support for these two bills as I was unfortunately delayed on my way to Washington.