Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, over 9 million innocent human beings were killed in the Nazi death camps. Over 3 million were killed in the Soviet gulags under Joseph Stalin. Over 1.5 million were killed by the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot in Cambodia.

And how many have been killed at Guantanamo Bay? Zero.

But that has not stopped a Democratic leader, a Democratic Senator, and the Democratic Party from drawing parallels between what is happening in Guantanamo and the horrors of Hitler or Stalin and Pol Pot.

That message belies the suffering of the victims of those terrible atrocities. That message discourages our brave men and women in uniform, when national leaders compare their actions to those of the Nazis. That kind of rhetoric incites our enemies and hinders our efforts in the war on terror.

I challenge every Democratic leader to denounce these ridiculous comparisons. Show our enemies that we are united in our actions against terror, and show our troops that we honor their service.

Madam Speaker, American businesses are faced with increasing pressure from foreign competitors and skyrocketing health care costs. But they are also faced with the weight placed on them not by the marketplace or their competitors, but by the government itself. Burdensome, duplicative, and outdated regulations cost American businesses literally billions of dollars annually and stifle new job creation.

Many of these regulations do little to improve workplace safety, protect our environment or improve the safety of our workers, but are simply on the books because no one has bothered to review their effectiveness.

Common sense by the government must come into play to help relieve this burden and to improve the environment for job creation. We must do more to make American companies more competitive in the global marketplace and to give our job providers and our workers much needed relief. We must and we will do more.

Mr. Speaker, shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War, a group of veterans began a tradition known as Decoration Day. The day was set aside to decorate the graves of the men who had perished during battle, and it was believed Decoration Day was always during the month of May because flowers needed for the occasion were finally blooming. Two centuries later, Decoration Day is now Memorial Day, but two core traditions remain: we honor those who died protecting our Nation, and we still do so in May when the flowers are blooming.

Today, as our Nation spends it third consecutive Memorial Day at war, we remember the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice defending the precious gift of liberty. We honor the people who have left behind husband, wives, children and parents, as well as the riches and celebrations of life, to fight for the freedoms of all Americans; and we should remain always remindful of that symbolic tradition of Decoration Day, that flowers will bloom, a beautiful America will bloom from the sacrifices made by our fallen veterans.

Mr. Speaker, we give thanks for the service of our veterans; and to those who served and paid the ultimate price, we give our deepest thanks.

Mr. Chairman, I thank our great chairman of the Committee on Armed Services for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I would urge all of my colleagues to oppose this amendment because it is totally unnecessary. In fact, no one who has ever studied at a war college, no one who is a combat commander, no military strategist, no one who really wants to achieve victory, would ever support what this amendment is asking those of us in the House to support here today. Besides, we already have a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, and that is when we have achieved victory, that is when we have helped to deliver freedom to the Iraqi people, and that is when we have secured a foothold for liberty in the Middle East.

My question is this: Did we ask General Eisenhower for a plan for the withdrawal of the forces from Europe before the war was won? Of course not. And I would ask this: Did we ask General McArthur for a plan for withdrawal in the Pacific before the war was won? Of course not.

Mr. Chairman, it makes no sense to telegraph our plans to the enemy. In fact, that would be an incredibly dangerous thing for us to do. But our enemies should know this: America will not cut and run. And to the Iraqi people, I would say this: liberty, democracy and freedom are coming, and the men and women of the American Armed Forces, God bless them, will help you achieve all of them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my concerns about a character assassination. This is a 21st-century form of McCarthyism being perpetrated by the Democratic leadership in the United States Senate.

I was deeply troubled by the Senate minority leader's statement on the floor of the Senate on Thursday about His Honor Judge Henry Saad of my home State of Michigan. Judge Saad, whose nomination to the Sixth Circuit Court of the United States Court of Appeals has been obstructed by the Democrats in the Senate, was unfairly and unjustly targeted by the Senator during the debate about filibustering.

The minority leader publicly alluded to Judge Saad's confidential FBI file. He intimated there was something troubling or at the least disconcerting in the file. These FBI files are raw. They have not been fully vetted, and every judicial nominee has one. What is most troubling to me is that the Senate minority leader either knew, or should have known, that this was a low blow. He either knew, or should have known, that Judge Saad cannot even see his own file. He cannot even defend himself. The Senator is smearing a man who is not allowed to respond by the Senate's own rules. That, of course, is hitting below the belt.

Mr. Speaker, the Senator is instituting a modern-day version of McCarthyism. I ask him to stop smearing and to start leading.

Mr. Speaker, all Americans are distressed by the anti-American images that surfaced this weekend in Afghanistan. United States flags are being burned, the American military is being harshly criticized, our good name is being stained. What is more, people are dying.

All of this because of the carelessness of one group of magazine editors at Newsweek magazine. This magazine recently reported that U.S. investigators had determined American guards at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base had desecrated the Quran by flushing the holy book down the toilet.

Now we have learned that Newsweek has acknowledged errors in its story. The source used by Newsweek's reporters was anonymous, and it is obvious that the magazine failed to fully investigate this ``source'' and his or her claims.

Newsweek decided to publish these accusations in haste, without regard for the great pain and suffering that they could, and ultimately would, cause.

Some in the media are simply fanatical about being first, and we as a country and as a culture must draw the line and demand more from our media.

Today, I call on Newsweek to fully retract its story and to apologize to the people of Afghanistan whose lives have been forever impacted by this carelessness and to the American people for damaging our good name.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 627) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 40 Putnam Avenue in Hamden, Connecticut, as the ``Linda White-Epps Post Office''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 627 will designate this post office in Hamden, Connecticut, as the Linda White-Epps Post Office. Linda White-Epps lived a life that is very fitting for this high honor. Mrs. White-Epps was a breast cancer and women's health advocate in her community ever since she personally overcame a bout with breast cancer in 1990.

A result of her battle with the dreaded disease, she founded a group called ``Sisters' Journey,'' a nonprofit organization that provides support to survivors and anyone affected by this dreaded disease.

She was also a member of both the local NAACP executive board and the local Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors. In 2001, she was elected to the Hamden City Council. That same year, she was named a ``Point of Light'' for her work on behalf of women's health issues by the Points of Life Foundation, a national volunteer organization devoted to community service.

Mr. Speaker, sadly, though, Linda White-Epps' form of cancer relapsed more than a decade later and she passed away in 2003. Over the years I know she became very close with the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), and I want to commend my distinguished colleague for her work on this bill. This Post Office will help citizens of Hamden, Connecticut to remember their dear friend, Linda, as well as her contributions and her charitable life.

Linda White-Epps' grandfather was a letter carrier, making this honor of a Post Office all the more fitting and meaningful for her family. I strongly support this resolution and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H.R. 627, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1760) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in Madison, Wisconsin, as the ``Robert M. La Follette, Sr. Post Office Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous

material on the bill under consideration.

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

This important legislation, introduced by the distinguished gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin), names a Post Office in Madison, Wisconsin as the ``Robert M. La Follette, Sr. Post Office Building.''

Robert La Follette, Sr. was a giant in Wisconsin and American politics around the turn of the 20th century. He served the people of the Badger State as a Congressman, a Senator, a Governor, and even ran and finished third in the 1924 presidential election, falling to incumbent President Calvin Coolidge. His passion and his rousing speaking style earned him the nickname ``Fighting Bob.''

As a member of this body, he was chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Agriculture in the 51st Congress, after which he lost a reelection bid in 1890. He returned home to a law career in Madison that began before his first stint in Congress.

Sixteen years after his defeat in 1906, he was elected to return to Washington, this time as a United States Senator. He was reelected three times before he died in office in 1925, shortly after his bid for the presidency ended the previous year.

His legacy was further enhanced when his son actually succeeded him as a Senator and went on to a significant political career of his own. Another son also held up the family name by becoming Governor of Wisconsin in 1931.

Mr. Speaker, all seven members of the Wisconsin delegation have joined Congresswoman Baldwin as cosponsors of H.R. 1760 to prove the stature of Robert La Follette in Wisconsin political history. This Post Office in Madison will be an appropriate memorial to his legacy.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri).

Mr. Speaker, I would urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 266.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 266) supporting the goals and ideals of Peace Officers Memorial Day.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in support of House Resolution 266 that supports the goals and the ideals of Peace Officers Memorial Day.

This occasion is a day of remembrance of all Federal, State, and local law enforcement officials who were killed or disabled in the line of duty during the past year.

Peace Officers Memorial Day highlights National Police Week, which is observed with several events in Washington this week, from May 15 through May 21. More than 20,000 peace officers and their families are expected to congregate here in the Nation's Capital for National Police Week 2005.

Mr. Speaker, on October 1, 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed into law legislation that designates both May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week containing May 15 as National Police Officers Week.

However, the first National Peace Officers Memorial Day service was not officially held until May 15, 1982, and since then May 15 has indeed been a solemn date on the law enforcement calendar.

In addition to the focus of the observance here in Washington, National Police Week is also recognized by police officers across the country. And since we all witnessed police officers' indescribable bravery on September 11, 2001, Americans have intensified their appreciation for the men and women of our Nation's law enforcement.

These courageous individuals are the essential parts of our entire homeland security effort. They deserve to be thanked by each and every one of us for the protection that they provide and for the freedom that they ensure.

Peace officers are true American heroes. Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to thank the distinguished gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Hefley), a great friend of law enforcement, for sponsoring House Resolution 266.

Mr. Speaker, I am confident that all of my colleagues will join the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Hefley) and myself in supporting this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would urge all Members to support the adoption of House Resolution 266.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, since September 11 of 2001, we have been a Nation at war. We are engaged in a worldwide war on terror, a battle against the forces of terror, terrorists who hate our freedoms, who hate democracy.

But the fact of the matter is that the forces of freedom are winning. We have liberated Afghanistan and brought democracy to that Nation for the first time in its history. Afghanistan has gone from a haven for terrorists to an ally in the War on Terror.

We have liberated Iraq. In January, we saw the dramatic results when the people of Iraq defied the terrorists and went to the polls to elect a new government. We saw another major step with the formation of a new democratic government in Iraq just the other day, and we have seen democratic movements break out in Lebanon. We have seen the Libyan government renounce terror and weapons of mass destruction, and we have seen the leaders of al Qaeda rounded up, including just yesterday, when the number three terrorist in that organization was captured in Pakistan.

Yes, war is difficult, but as we have found throughout our Nation's history, freedom is not free.

That is why we in Congress must take this step today and approve the emergency wartime supplemental. We have a responsibility to ensure that our men and women in uniform have the tools that they need to take the fight to the enemy, and we have an obligation to the families of those brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom and security to ensure that they are cared for.

We have an obligation to the newly democratic allies that we have to ensure that they will survive and not revert to repression and to terror.

We have a responsibility to keep the heat on the terrorists. They can run and they can hide, but not forever.

For those who say that we are spending too much on this war, I would ask what price do you put on freedom and on security?

I urge my colleagues to support the rule and this measure. We owe our troops, our allies, and the American people no less.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 232) permitting official photographs of the House of Representatives to be taken while the House is in actual session on a date designated by the Speaker, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 232. This is a resolution permitting the taking of the official photographs of the House of Representatives. It is a biennial official photo of the House of Representatives. It has really become a tradition for this institution. It not only is a keepsake for the Members, but it also serves as a very valuable and important historical memento as well and a record for future generations. The picture actually will be taken tomorrow morning, I think right after 1-minute speeches. And with that, Mr. Speaker, I ask for support of this resolution.

Ms. Millender-McDonald. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I support this routine resolution required to authorize the official photographs of the House.

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the Committee on House Administration will be holding a hearing on regulation of the so-called 527 political organizations.

We all remember the promises that campaign finance reform was supposed to remove unregulated money from the political process. Well, not only did it fail to deliver on its promise, an argument can be made that it actually is worse.

527 groups have grown in importance and influence with little or no disclosure of who funds them. According to published reports, staffers of the distinguished House minority leader acknowledge they hold weekly meetings with the leaders of MoveOn.org.

A recent fundraising e-mail sent on by MoveOn.org stated, ``Now it's our party. We bought it. We own it, and we're taking it back.''

Strange that a group that claims to be nonpartisan for tax purposes claims to have bought a political party. The limited disclosure required by these groups makes it nearly impossible to determine who is claiming to have bought the Democratic Party. 527 groups spent over half a billion dollars in 2004 with no regulation from the FEC.

If we truly want to enhance disclosure and remove unregulated money from the political process, we must do something about 527s.

I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, as a proud second-generation Scottish American, I join my colleagues in recognizing the tremendous contributions of Scottish Americans who immigrated to America because they hoped for a better life and

all the wonderful possibilities that is America. Their ambitions, their braveness, their pioneering spirit helped build our economy, helped build our culture and, more than anything, contributed to our history.

I think it is significant to note, certainly, that one-half of the signers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and at least 11 United States Presidents have been of Scottish ancestry. They were pioneers, of course, but they also had an ability and the desire to work hard.

Some of the great Scottish Americans include Alexander Hamilton, one of the architects of our Constitution and the first Secretary of the Treasury; John Paul Jones, the father of the United States Navy; Andrew Carnegie, one of the most successful businessmen ever, renowned for his charitable activities; Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone; Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, who both captured the imaginations of the entire world by floating above it and exploring what no person had ever explored before.

In fact, the term `Great Scot' is meant to express oneself in the presence of something extraordinary. I think I speak for all Americans of Scottish heritage and lineage when I say that the Scots brought a spirit of freedom and rugged individualism that found fertile soil in America.

On a final note, I might add that it was the Scots, of course, who originated the game of golf, and it is well known that, less than 1 hour after golf was invented in Scotland, that the first golf joke was heard.

Mr. Speaker, Scots are usually members of a clan, from the term `clanna' which means ``group function as a family,'' coexisting, succeeding and overcoming as a family. Today, we pay tribute to all Scottish Americans who have strengthened our American family.

I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the centennial celebration of Bad Axe, Michigan, the capital of Huron County. This beautiful city was founded originally in 1861 in the ``thumb area'' of Michigan, and it has remained a distinct part of history as it has continued to grow and to prosper over the past 150 years.

Bad Axe is a unique city. In fact, its very name gives it a very unique distinction. It is located in one of the most beautiful areas in the State of Michigan. It is a favorite destination for so many people who love the outdoors, either hunting or fishing or just enjoying the magnificent scenery.

Bad Axe's rich history includes some outstanding Michiganians, including Albert E. Sleeper, who became Michigan's 29th Governor, served from 1917 to 1921, certainly leaving his mark on the entire State as he worked to establish the State highway system and the State park system. So it is fitting that some of the most beautiful State parks are in Bad Axe area.

I am proud to represent this unique city in Congress as it has developed and transformed over the years. From its pioneer beginnings during the Civil War, Bad Axe has managed to leave its mark on history.

Mr. Speaker, I wish the city and its citizens the very best as they celebrate the future and as they remember the past.