Cass Ballenger

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Science be discharged from further consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 847) honoring the life of astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr., and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, during this Congress, the President has laid out a bold plan to return men to the moon and then go on to Mars as we begin to explore the wonders of our solar system, a vision that would not be possible were it not for a group of exceptional men who stepped forward to accept our Nation's Manifest Destiny of the 20th century. In those very early days some 45 years ago, we were behind in the race into space. The Russians had put the first satellite into orbit, sent the first living creature into space, and were the first to send an object to the Moon. American prestige was suffering around the world, and President Eisenhower and the Congress realized that things had to change.

In response to that challenge, they created NASA and along with it, Project Mercury, the initial step that got us to the moon first. But those were difficult days. Our scientists and engineers were struggling to build rockets that were capable of lifting the heavy payloads needed to get us there, and those rockets would explode in gigantic fireballs almost as often as they didn't. Being strapped inside a flying bomb and hurled into space at 17,000 miles an hour was hazardous duty of the highest order, but in April 1959, the Nation chose seven courageous men who were willing to put the interests of the Nation ahead of their own.

One of these was Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr., a native of Shawnee, OK, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a test pilot who logged more than 7,000 hours flying time--4,000 of which were in jet aircraft. They called him ``Gordo'', and in May 1963, he became the first American to orbit the earth for more than a day. Two years later along with astronaut Peter Conrad, Gordon Cooper set a new space endurance record by traveling more than 3 million miles as the command pilot of the Gemini 5 mission and demonstrated for the first time that men could live and work in space long enough to make the trip to the Moon and back.

He continued to support our national goal of landing a man on the Moon by serving as the backup command pilot for the Gemini 12 mission in 1966 and as backup commander for the Apollo 10 trip to the moon in 1969, logging a total of 222 hours in space and receiving a number of special honors along the way before he retired in 1970.

Mr. Speaker, I remain convinced that the exploration of space in many ways holds the key to our future here on earth. Just as it was when Gordon Cooper first went into space more than 40 years ago, space travel remains a dangerous business. We have experienced some setbacks along the way, and yet it remains our destiny. In future years as we explore the moon and beyond, the successes that we will enjoy and the wonders that we will find on the other side will have been made possible by the courage and devotion to country of men like Gordon Cooper, and it is with great pleasure that I rise today in support of House Resolution 847 to honor his gifts to our Nation.

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. 847.

Mr. Speaker, during my nearly two decades in Congress, our country has made major efforts throughout the world to develop the growth and success of democratic governments. Because of our efforts in Central America over the years, the specter of Communism has receded and the democracies and economies of El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras are beginning to flourish. These countries have now had at least three peaceful changes of government through elections. I think we in this body should be proud of the part we have played in their success.

Mr. Speaker, much of this success is due to opening up trade between the U.S. and Central America. With the Caribbean Basin Initiative, we have helped build growing economies based on trade with the United States. More prosperity in CBI countries leads to more successful democratic governments in this hemisphere and more prosperity and security here at home.

At the present time we are undertaking a similar mission in the Middle East. Increasing democracy and freedom in that region is vital to the war on terrorism and America's security. However, we must not let our focus on Iraq and Afghanistan cause us to forget the work that remains to be done to strengthen our neighbors in Central America. We have come too far to abandon them now.

Five Central American nations and the Dominican Republic have negotiated a free trade agreement with the United States that, despite concerns voiced by some in this country, is beneficial to all concerned. The presidents of the Central American nations have approved this agreement and these nations are now waiting for us to join them in making the Central American Free Trade Agreement a reality.

Mr. Speaker, as we continue to divert our attention elsewhere, time is running out for our legislature to approve DR-CAFTA. Without this agreement, the democracies we have helped build in Central America will be less prosperous in the increasingly competitive global marketplace. Unless we allow these fledgling democracies the access they need to compete with the rising tide of Chinese imports, they will be more likely to revert to corrupt regimes that base their existence on trade in illegal drugs instead of trade in goods and services.

It would be a tragedy to abandon our Central American neighbors now. We in this body have done so much to foster democracy and economic stability in Central America--we cannot allow them to fail at this crucial moment. I urge my colleagues to support DR-CAFTA and I urge the House leadership to bring it to the floor for a vote this year.