Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 160 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I came to the well today because I am starting to hear something that I think the American people do not want to hear, and that is, that these terrible things were done by a few individuals in Iraq, but. All too often I am hearing the word ``but'' creeping in.

Mr. Speaker, last night I was listening to Michael Savage. Hundreds of stations around the country carry this man, and he was not just saying ``yes, but.'' He was saying, well, these people are Muslim; Islam is a religion of war, and we have to understand they have always been involved in war and they only understand violence and they only understand this. This is why Saddam had these torture chambers because that is the only way to make them understand.

When I heard that said on national radio, I realized that the ``yes, but''

cannot be tolerated here on the House floor or in the other body or on K Street or on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is extremely important that we in this body today eliminate that ``yes, but'' mentality. There is no ``yes.'' We must be above torture. We must be above violating the Geneva Conventions, but we must understand that these individuals may not be ``conventional combatants.'' Mr. Speaker, that is not the way America stands for freedom. It is not the way we were brought up. There is no ``but'' after ``yes.''

Yes, we will honor the Geneva Conventions. Yes, every soldier, sailor and Marine in Iraq, in Guantanamo, in Afghanistan and around the world understands or should understand that we hold them to a standard that we would want for ourselves, not the standard that the other side may subject us to. No matter what happens anywhere in the world to Americans, not in Somalia, not in Iraq, not in Afghanistan and not in the Twin Towers of New York, justifies us treating other human beings in a way differently than we would want to be treated.

Mr. Speaker, to me this is the most important message for America to send. Mr. Speaker, I hope in this body, at least from this time forward, there will be no ``but'' after ``yes.'' We hold Americans to high standards.

Mr. Speaker, the one bipartisan thing that we can all agree on today that we will address in a resolution today is that the conduct which we have all witnessed in pictures spread around the world by a few misguided and perhaps sadistic and criminally accountable young men and women in charge of prisoners of war was wrong. There is no debate on that. There is no debate outside the American military. There is no debate inside the Congress that this was wrong.

But I do believe it is important, Mr. Speaker, for the American people to understand that every soldier is instructed that this is unacceptable. Every officer is trained that this is unacceptable. From my experience both as an enlisted man and as an officer, the military will see that these individuals who were instructed that this was not acceptable and then broke the regulations will be punished. This Congress will oversee that. That is a word that the people of the Arab world need to understand, that the people of Iraq need to understand. Things have changed. This Congress will not tolerate this behavior.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in recognizing the contributions of military impacted schools. My district includes Camp Pendleton, the home of the First Marine Expeditionary Force, which has deployed to Iraq and has recently conducted major operations in cities throughout the Sunni Triangle, including Fallujah. The 1 MEF has participated in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and is now serving in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom II.

The schools that care for and educate the children of Camp Pendleton Marines provide vital educational and counseling services that have helped ease the stresses associated with this latest deployment. They provide military children with a normal daily routine--a critical need in this age when news from the front lines is brought home almost immediately.

They also have provided these children with an excellent education. Mary Faye Pendleton and San Onofre Elementary Schools, both of which are located on-base are the highest-performing schools in the entire Fallbrook Elementary School district. In addition, Oceanside Unified's three on-base schools were all recognized as California Distinguished Schools this past year.

I am proud of the teachers, administrators, staff, and volunteers of all the military impacted schools in my district. Oceanside Unified, Vista Unified, Fallbrook Elementary, Fallbrook High School, Bonsall Unified, Julian Unified, Valley Center Unified, and Warner Unified School District have all provided a great service to our men and women in uniform.

I am particularly proud of the way these schools have continued to provide quality education to these military children despite major shortfalls in federal funding for Impact Aid, which funds military impacted schools. Every year we have a budget battle over Impact Aid.

We need to remind ourselves that military impacted schools are a critical element in the support of our military families. If we are going to recognize the importance of these schools to our military men and women serving overseas, we must support them with the resources they need to do their jobs well. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Mr. Chairman, as you perhaps know, H.R. 243, the Hybrid Vehicle Incentive Act, which I authored in the previous Congress and again in this Congress, serves to do a similar incentive program for HOV use by hybrid vehicles. Since it is tied up in the energy bill and since the transportation language was at best vague as to whether or not charges must occur, I thank my colleague for his leadership in seeing that there was an easy remedy to ensure that municipalities and States could charge zero, thus eliminating the requirement to put a toll on these efficient vehicles that are leading the way toward ending or at least reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Colonel Lee Farmer for his service to the country for over 30 years in the United States Marine Corps. On March 4, Colonel Farmer will be retiring from the Corps, completing a career marked by dedication and excellence.

Colonel Farmer was commissioned as an officer in November 1973. Early in his career he served as a Rifle and Weapons Platoon Commander as well as the Executive Officer and Commanding Officer of Company A, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines. He remained with the Battalion as it became the first unit to initiate the unit Rotation Program, relocating to Twentynine Palms, Calif. There he served as a Rifle Company Commander for two years and was later assigned as the Staff Secretary of the 7th Marine Amphibious Brigade.

After graduating from the Amphibious Warfare School in 1982, Colonel Farmer served as Aide-de-camp to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. In July 1984 he was reassigned to the Basic School, Quantico, VA, where he eventually assumed command of Company A. He then attended Marines Corps Command and Staff College.

He later transferred to Okinawa, Japan, where he served as the Assistant Plans Officer to Marine Aircraft Group-36. Transferring to Camp Pendleton in 1987, Colonel Farmer was later deployed to Southwest Asia and participated in Operation Desert Shield.

Following the war, he attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, in preparation for his two-year assignment to Chile where he attended the Chilean Naval War College. He was reassigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, at the Pentagon, in July 1993, where he worked counter-narcotics issues until his assignment as the Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.

Following this assignment, he returned to Camp Pendleton to command the School of Infantry. After leaving Camp Pendleton for another brief assignment in Okinawa, Japan, he again returned to Camp Pendleton, where he served as the Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations and Training until his reassignment as the Chief of Staff in May 2001.

Since Colonel Farmer assumed his role as Chief of Staff, he has worked closely with my office on a number of issues. Colonel Farmer has distinguished himself as an honest, sincere, and hard-working leader-- ready to listen and always ready to help. During Colonel Farmer's tenure, Camp Pendleton has become one of our Nation's finest defense installations, training Marines who have served on the front lines of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Camp Pendleton Marines are in the process of returning to Iraq, replacing the Army's 4th Infantry Division in the largest troop rotation in history. These Marines will now carry out a task that is critical to our national security and to the security of the entire Middle East. They have been prepared by the leadership of Camp Pendleton--Colonel Farmer and the commanding officers who serve alongside him. These leaders of Marines have good reason to be proud of their service.

It has been a pleasure working with Colonel Farmer. We are grateful for his distinguished service to our country. He will be missed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the good works of the Oceanside Rotary Club on the occasion of their 80th Anniversary. The Oceanside Rotary Club was founded in 1924 and during the past 80 years has undertaken numerous philanthropic projects in its community, the nation and around the World.

The Oceanside Rotary Club has a proud motto of ``Service Above Self''. The club has contributed in renovation of historic structures and provides books for Marines on deployment. Oceanside Rotarians have sponsored an orphanage and senior center in Baja, Mexico and provided wheel chairs for seriously injured people in the country of Malawi.

Five years ago, Oceanside Rotary raised more than $35,000 to buy and donate automatic external defibrillators to the City of Oceanside.

In 2002 the Oceanside Rotary Club began providing musical instruments for Oceanside Unified elementary and middle school students.

This year the Oceanside Rotary Club raised money to feed 200 needy families during the holiday season.

The Oceanside Rotary Club continues to support Rotary International's ``Polio Plus'' program, which is on track to eradicate this disease world-wide by the year 2005.

It gives me great pleasure to recognize the Oceanside Rotary Club for over 80 years of noteworthy service. It is these types of organizations that make our country strong. We are proud of their service to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lupus International for their dedication and commitment to improving the quality of life for individuals living with lupus.

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that afflicts 2.8 million people in the United States. The disease affects more people than AIDS, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell anemia, and cystic fibrosis combined, yet many people have never heard of the disease. There is no known cure for lupus and there are few treatments specific to the disease.

Founded in 1983, Lupus International is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising public awareness, patient education, and supporting lupus research. For over 20 years, Lupus International has played a vital role in the battle against this destructive disease. I commend Lupus International for their service to millions of Americans suffering from lupus.

Mr. Speaker, by supporting such private efforts as Lupus International, we pay tribute to the victims suffering from this disease. We also honor those whose efforts will one day eradicate lupus as a life-threatening disease.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and praise the people of the City of Temecula, who are doing their duty, as citizens, public servants, and elected officials, to make our homes and communities more secure. They have accomplished this through the Temecula Citizen Corps--an innovative new program that was inspired by President George Bush's 2002 State of the Union address. Two years ago, President Bush asked communities to take greater responsibility for their own emergency preparedness. The City of Temecula took this charge to heart and began building what has become a model program for local level homeland security concerns.

The Temecula Citizen Corps program coordinates the efforts of private citizens, neighborhood leaders, public safety agencies, and city officials, to enhance emergency and disaster preparedness. It has trained representatives from each neighborhood in the city on emergency notification methods, damage assessment, and special needs of community residents. It has also trained citizens in first aid, crime prevention, and neighborhood safety.

The program is designed to meet one of the critical homeland security needs: citizen self-sufficiency and self-reliance. In the immediate 72 hours following a disaster, emergency

management agencies are often overwhelmed and unable to deal with all the needs of the affected communities. This program trains private citizens to provide basic emergency care for their own neighborhoods in the critical time immediately following a disaster.

The Temecula Citizen Corps has achieved such impressive results that the Department of Homeland Security considers it a standard setter for local communities. It has also won widespread praise throughout the Southern California region for its efficiency and quality of training and is inspiring many other cities and communities to follow its example. Last week, the men and women of Temecula were recognized publicly by the Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, for the excellent program they have developed.

I am extremely proud of the City of Temecula for the dedication and effort they have invested in the Temecula Citizen Corps program. I am pleased to have had this opportunity to recognize them today and I encourage my colleagues to review their program as an example of what is possible when communities decide to take responsibility for their security needs.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to make my colleagues aware of H.R. 3651, a bill I dropped just today at the end of 3 years of service in the House. It is titled the Alien Accountability Act. I can only apologize to the House that I was not able to bring it to the House sooner.

It deals with the 8\1/2\ million people who are here in America outside our laws. It deals in a post-September 11 era with a challenge that America has been trying to face to know who is here, why they are here, and whether or not they threaten Americans, all Americans.

This is not a partisan issue. I call on my colleagues to join me in supporting the Alien Accountability Act to once and for all bring to the awareness of civil authorities the 8\1/2\ million people that are here, according to our census, outside the law and find a way to register these people and to bring about some equitable conclusion to what has been a failed system of illegal immigration.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague who just spoke, the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham), spoke from the heart and from years of experience in this body. In Congress talk is cheap.

This resolution splendidly lays out our feelings as a body for the brave and courageous acts of firefighters during this statewide fire emergency. As the firestorms spread throughout California at a rate never before seen, we became acutely aware of just how much we depend on the brave men and women who come from all over the country to fight our wild fires. But here today as we speak in such kind words of Steven Rucker, and we talk about his important contribution and we talk about the loss of 22 innocent people, it is certainly my profound wish and my dedication here that they not die in vain. And although these losses of life seem senseless today, they will be even more senseless if a year from now we have more wild fires with more build-up of fuel that could have been cleared away if the President's Healthy Forest Initiative which has now been passed by both of our bodies does not, in fact, become law.

If we talk profoundly and then our actions are hollow, then talk is cheap. So I ask this body here today in the passing of this resolution, a very appropriate one, to cast your vote not just for this resolution but to have this resolution have meaning a year from now. A year from now someone probably will die, but if fewer die because we acted between now and then to streamline firefighting, yes, to facilitate the dollars necessary to clear underbrush and fuel that has been building up but also to work on the core cause of that fuel building up, the fact that America has not managed its forests properly, the President laid down a marker asking us to produce a bill to manage forests, we have done so. Once conferenced and becoming law, we would begin the process of giving meaning to these firefighters' selfless acts by ensuring that in years to come there will be for the first time in a generation fewer wild fires rather than more.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 425, recognizing and honoring the firefighters and public servants who responded to the October, 2003 wildfires in California.

The fires of the past 2 weeks have ravaged the southern California landscape, consuming over 746,000 acres and destroying 3,587 homes. The fires have also claimed the lives of at least 22 in San Diego County. The sense of loss and devastation that is felt by many of my constituents and other residents of southern California cannot be overstated. The scope of these fires, in terms of lives lost and property damaged, was beyond comparison to anything we have experienced in recent memory. These events were truly a catastrophe, and we mourn with those who have suffered loss.

But I also want to take this opportunity to honor the thousands of men and women who put themselves in harm's way to fight the fires and provide emergency humanitarian assistance to people in need. Over 14,000 firefighters from five different states participated in the firefighting effort. This was particularly dangerous duty, with firefighters confronting quickly-moving wind-driven blazes. Firefighters exhibited resilience and courage, often working back-to- back shifts on the front lines while knowing that, in some cases, their own homes were threatened.

I am particularly proud of the incredible effort made by firefighters to save the town of Julian in my district. Early last week, the Cedar Fire, which eventually destroyed nearly 300,000 acres and more than 2,200 homes, was burning a direct path toward Julian. It looked like the town would be completely destroyed. Through an incredibly heroic effort, firefighters were able to save the town and the lives of dozens of people who were trapped by the fires.

One of these firefighters was Steven Rucker of Marin County. He was battling a part of the Cedar Fire that was dangerously approaching the outskirts of Julian, when his crew was entrapped by a wind-driven blaze. The fire moved so quickly they were not able to reach their engine before becoming engulfed in the flames. Three of his colleagues, Captain Doug McDonald, Shawn Kreps, and Barret Smith were seriously injured in the incident. These men will be remembered as heroes. Their resolve, in the face of extreme danger, is a testament to the fine men and women we have serving us in fire departments throughout California and its neighboring states.

I also want to honor the thousands of men and women who have assisted with the relief and support effort these past 2 weeks. Private non- profit charities, public emergency organizations like the Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, local and state law enforcement agencies, emergency medical teams, as well as thousands of community volunteers have all extended themselves to bring critical relief to those who were in the greatest need. These efforts saved lives and brought comfort to those who had lost property. We would be in a much more difficult situation without them.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be a co-sponsor of H. Res. 425, which honors the brave men and women who stood in the face of danger and saved the lives and property of so many. We owe these heroes a debt of gratitude. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, October 29, the Oceanside community will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Brother Benno foundation.

The foundation was established by Harold and Kay Kutler in 1983 based on the work of a Benedictine monk, Brother Benno Garrity, from the Prince of Peace Abbey in Oceanside, CA. Brother Benno died in 1992 after dedicating his life to feeding the poor and homeless.

The foundation began with a small soup kitchen at 307 Minnesota Street in Oceanside. It has since grown into a ministry addressing many types of social problems in San Diego County including hunger, homelessness, and alcohol and drug addiction.

Anyone needing help can come to Brother Bennos and register for services provided by the foundation. In their 20 years of service the foundation has provided 132,000 nights of lodging, more than 434,000 articles of clothing, 18,900 blankets and medical and dental care.

On behalf of all the people whose lives have been touched by the Brother Benno Foundation I want to recognize the volunteers and support staff at the Brother Benno Foundation. Thank you for 20 years of service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to speak on the FY 2004 Interior appropriations bill. I wish to thank the House Appropriations Committee for providing the much needed increases in funding for the fire-fighting and fire prevention accounts within the Department of Interior. As my constituents and the constituents of my other colleagues representing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Riverside and Ventura have discovered first hand over the last week, it is imperative that Congress fund the necessary resources needed to prevent fires and fight fires.

Though I do plan on voting in support of this bill because of this funding and the funding of other important programs, I am concerned about the inclusion of a provision in this bill to halt a historical accounting of errors in the Indian trust fund accounts. While I recognize the need to address this issue quickly, the Interior appropriations bill is not the appropriate vehicle. An issue of this magnitude is better addressed through the normal legislative process. The House Resources Committee, chaired by Representative Richard Pombo, has already held numerous hearings on this issue, developing the necessary legislative history. Mr. Pombo is committed in working towards a more complete solution. I strongly disagree with the decision to include language in this bill that preempts the Resources Committee's thoughtful work on the trust fund issue.

Mr. Speaker, there will be an estimated 21,100 new cases of female breast cancer in California this year. Breast cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in women in the United States. Every 3 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.

All of us know someone who has been touched by this disease. That is why I am proud to announce that this Sunday, October 19, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation will sponsor the fifth annual Race for the Cure in Temecula, CA.

All the funds raised during the event will go to support breast cancer research grants, meritorious awards, educational and scientific conferences and local breast health and breast cancer outreach programs.

Mr. Speaker by supporting such private efforts as the annual Race for the Cure, we pay tribute to the victims and survivors of breast cancer. We also honor those whose efforts will one day eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my support for the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2004. This is a critical decision-- too important to be colored by partisan political agendas. At stake is the future of the Iraqi people, the lives of 150,000 American soldiers, and our status as the leader of the free world.

Our intervention into Iraq has the potential to be the greatest foreign policy success since the rebuilding of Germany following World War II. We have the chance to help the Iraqi people transform a country torn apart by totalitarian rule into a beacon of freedom, opportunity and democracy. We have the chance to put to rest the misguided belief that Muslim countries are not capable of living in democracy. We have the chance to demonstrate to the rest of the world that America embraces its role as defender of the oppressed, and leader of the free world.

We have rejected the contradictions of colonialism. We did not send our troops to Iraq to take their oil or force the Iraqi people to pay tribute. We came to give a people who were crushed and oppressed a chance to change their destiny. To finish this effort, we must be willing to make sacrifices.

Already, Iraqi children are going to new schools that have been refurbished, where there are no longer pictures of Saddam Hussein on the wall, and where curriculums teach math and science rather than loyalty to the Baath Party. Men and women are able to build businesses, develop new ideas, and express their political views freely.

We must enable this to continue by investing in Iraq's future. We must also guarantee that our troops will have the resources they need to maintain order throughout the country. There can be no substitute for success in Iraq.

I urge my colleagues to support our continued efforts in Iraq and to vote in favor of this legislation.