Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of the Lakewood Library, as we join in celebration of their 90th Anniversary.

For the past nine decades, the library, located on Detroit Avenue, has served as a vital source of learning, entertainment and enlightenment for residents of all ages, at no cost or low cost. Founded in 1916, the Lakewood Library has evolved over the years from a small space where books were exchanged, to a peaceful haven of energy where information and ideas are exchanged, learning flourishes and computer technology is presented on the cutting edge.

The Lakewood Library lends out thousands of books, and CD's every year, and also lends its rooms to community organizations where members gather on a regular basis. The Library offers programs for children, adults and seniors, literary programs, workshops, community volunteer programs and a variety of family entertainment programs and classes, including reading circles and the visual arts.

Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition of staff, administrators, volunteers and visitors, past and present, of the Lakewood Library. The library's collection of books, resources, historical documentation and advanced technology, offered free to the public, is a priceless component that continues to shape our culture, broaden our horizons and raise our collective and individual dreams into the light of reality--through imagination, discovery and learning, with every turn of the page.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of Richard Zeager as he celebrates his 90th birthday. Richard

worked hard throughout his life, served his country and raised a family. His accomplishments and contributions to his community are worthy of recognition.

Mr. Zeager was born on May 14, 1916, at home in Rocky River, Ohio, where he would spend the rest of his life serving his community and country. Much of his childhood was spent working and playing with his four siblings. After receiving his diploma from Rocky River High School in 1934, Richard worked a number of jobs as a gardener, hunter, fisherman, and truck driver and worked in the PepsiCola factory in Cleveland. Mr. Zeager found a career as a warehouse manager at Lifetime Cookware, where he worked for 52 years, just retiring last year.

In 1942, Richard answered the call of duty to fight for America during World War II. As a decorated Sergeant of the 7th Airdrome Squadron of the 13th Air Force Division, Richard served as an Aircraft Electrical Specialist. From 1942-45 he served in the Philippines, Guadalcanal, and New Guinea. Since his return home in 1945, Richard became an active member of the VFW in Rocky River, where he was a past commander, and also a member of the American Legion in Bay Village. He participated in parades and veteran reunions for his squadron, continuing close friendships with his fellow soldiers. Richard enjoys sharing his stories from the war with his family and friends. Besides his involvement with the VFW, he is also a member of the Danish Brotherhood Lodge where he continues the traditions of his heritage.

After his honorable service in World War II. Richard married Edna Klavon in March 1946. Throughout their 57-year marriage they had 3 sons, Terry, Stanley, and Edward. Richard and Edna also were loving and supportive grandparents to their six grandchildren. Besides spending time with family, Richard is an avid stamp and coin collector.

Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition of Richard Zeager on his 90th birthday. His contribution to his community, family, and country are irreplaceable and we are ever grateful for his service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of Mike Zappone, Sr., beloved husband, father, successful restaurateur and friend. Mr. Zappone, Senior leaves behind a legacy that reflects his joy for

life, love for his family and dedication to his community.

Mr. Zappone was born and raised in Cleveland, OH. He learned early on the lessons of family unity, hard work and team work, as his father died at a young age, leaving his mother with a large family to raise. Shortly after graduating from John Marshall High School, Mr. Zappone joined his older brother, Tony Zappone, in the restaurant business.

Tony Zappone operated Tony's Diner for nearly 30 years, until his death in 1977. Mike Zappone opened his first restaurant in Kamms Corners in the 1950s, then in 1962, he opened up the Original 13 Colonies restaurant, located in the Holiday Inn on Brookpark Road. Mr. Zappone took over Tony's Diner when his brother passed away, and later opened up the highly popular Mr. Z's.

For decades, both brothers were successfully involved in the ownership and operation of nearly 20 local and out-of-State restaurants. Their signature establishments were Tony's Diner and Mr. Z's, cultural landmarks that provided a welcoming atmosphere where anyone could enjoy a great meal and lively conversation. Both Tony's Diner and Mr. Z's frequently set the stage for people from all walks of life--from politicians to steelworkers, to business owners and every profession in between, to discover and debate the neighborhood news of the day.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor, remembrance and gratitude of my dear friend, Mike Zappone, Sr., whose kindness, integrity and goodwill defined his character and framed his life. I offer my condolences to his wife Jeanne; his sons, Michael, Junior and John; his four grandchildren; and his extended family and friends. His friendly smile, joyful spirit and kind heart will live on within the hearts of his family, friends and every patron, young and old, whose day was made brighter while gathered at the table of Tony's Diner or Mr. Z's, including my own.

Mr. Speaker, I, the Ranking Minority Member on the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, delivered the following statement to the Subcommittee's hearing on ``UN Sanctions After Oil-For-Food: Still A Viable Diplomatic Tool?

I'd like to thank Chairman Shays for holding this hearing and providing Ambassador Bolton the opportunity to testify before this Subcommittee. We are in a critical moment for U.S. policy at the UN, especially regarding Iran. Just last Friday marked the Security Council's deadline for Iran to freeze all nuclear fuel enrichment, and the beginning of the inevitable struggle at the Security Council over what to do to contain Iran's nuclear ambitions.

We've seen this kind of struggle at the Security Council before. The U.S. spent much time in 2002 pressuring the Security Council to take action against Iraq to contain its supposed WMDs. Finally, on November 8, 2002, the Council approved resolution 1441, which imposed tough new arms inspections in Iraq, and promised ``serious consequences,'' to be determined by the Security Council, if Iraq violated the resolution.

Even though Iraq did submit a weapons declaration, and began destroying its Al Samoud missiles as instructed to by UN inspector Hans Blix, serious consequences were imposed on the country anyway. It was the United States, however, and not the Security Council that determined those consequences for Iraq, when President Bush went to war against Iraq on March 20, 2003.

Experience in Iraq has proven that this administration will act unilaterally, outside the mandate of the Security Council, thereby rendering the work of the Council almost irrelevant. At the same time, however, experience has indicated that this administration will use the UN to make its case for war to the world community.

In the coming weeks and months, I think it's fairly predictable that we will see the United States' case for war against Iran unfold at the

Mr. Speaker, on May 4, 2006, I prepared the following opening statement for the Committee on Government Reform's hearing, ``Sifting Through Katrina's Legal Debris: Contracting in the Eye of the Storm'':

Thank you, Chairman Davis, for holding this important oversight hearing to examine federal contracting for Hurricane Katrina relief. I appreciate that you have kept your promise to hold a series of hearings on the subject of Hurricane Katrina as you said you would in September of last year. I am grateful for your leadership in this regard.

Since this Administration has come into office, we have witnessed multiple federal contracting sprees, which have all been reckless and wasteful. After 9/11, and the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, a variety of security functions were contracted out to private companies. The Iraq war and reconstruction brought the next round of federal contracts, and finally, after Hurricane Katrina, several contracts were administered to aid in relief and reconstruction.

Contracts awarded have consistently been cost-plus and no bid contracts, have lacked oversight and transparency, and have led to costly waste, fraud and abuse.

Despite the waste, fraud and abuse, which have been well documented by government oversight bodies, including this Committee, the federal government has refused to learn its lesson and change its contracting practices. The contracts handed out for Katrina relief and reconstruction were just as flawed as those for Homeland Security functions and Iraq reconstruction.

Halliburton, for example, which has been the target of investigations for robbing the American taxpayer blind in its Iraq contracts, was one of the first companies awarded no bid contracts after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, to repair 3 different Navy facilities in Mississippi.

Furthermore, measures put forward immediately following Hurricane Katrina to help ensure proper contracting, such as Ranking Member Waxman's bill, the ``Hurricane Katrina Accountability and Clean Contracting Act,'' were disregarded.

Now, eight months later--eight months too late--we are here in this Committee examining what went wrong. Our government should have known better.

Today's hearing will reveal how FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other federal agencies entered into at least eight major contracts, worth over $5.6 billion, that have resulted in significant waste, fraud and abuse.

We will also hear some familiar testimony: how full and open competition has been the exception, not the rule, in awarding Katrina contacts; how lack of contract management and oversight were missing in Katrina contracts; and how these flawed contracting procedures lead to significant cost or performance problems in nearly every major contract related to Hurricane Katrina.

Far too much taxpayer money has been squandered on important jobs that aren't getting done. I look forward to the testimonials

from the witnesses today. Despite the federal government's record, it is my sincere hope that this hearing will lead to concrete reforms in contracting practices.

Mr. Speaker, this is Cover the Uninsured Week. As we take this occasion to reflect on the ways in which we can cover the uninsured, I encourage my colleagues to address the issue head-on. We need a solution that will not only address the uninsured problem, but will also address the rising cost and inequities.

Consider that we pay almost twice as much for health per person than the average of other industrialized countries. Yet the World Health Organization ranks our health care system 37th in the world. The situation is worsening as costs continue to increase, employers continue to scale back coverage and the number of uninsured, now 46 million, continues to rise. Four out of five (82%) of the uninsured are in working families. 46% of all bankruptcies were either fully or partly caused by illness or medical bills according to a Harvard study. Three-quarters of those bankrupted by illness were insured when they first got sick. Our health care system based on private health plans gives us low quality, inefficiency, inaccessibility and is ultimately unsustainable.

The inefficiency of privately administered health care is especially stark. Between 1970 and 1998, total healthcare employment in the US grew 149 percent while the number of managers in health care grew 2348 percent. Our businesses bear the burden of that inefficiency because they provide health care to most Americans lucky enough to have it. All other industrialized countries have universal health care that costs less. The result is that our businesses are losing competitive advantage. Ontario now makes more cars than Detroit. Canadian GM, Ford, and Daimler Chrysler signed a letter in support of their single payer heath care system because of the advantage it gives them.

Managed care has failed. Employer based insurance is failing and dragging down American businesses. Consumer driven health care being trumpeted by right wing ideologues tries to control costs by providing less care, not more. Instead, we need to control costs by addressing the real inefficiencies, not by growing the uninsured and underinsured. We know exactly how to do it.

Traditional Medicare enjoys consistently higher satisfaction ratings than private insurance. Its overhead costs are about 3 percent compared to overhead costs of private health plans which average about 31 percent. Medicare's rates of cost increase have been significantly lower than in private health plans. We need such a time tested, rock solid model like Medicare to address our health care crisis. In fact, by addressing the inefficiencies, we could bring everyone in the U.S. under Medicare and they would pay no premium, no deductible, and no copayments.

Polls consistently find that Americans favor expanding government guaranteed health insurance like Medicare to all Americans. The Deans of medical schools including Harvard and Stanford, 14,000 doctors, including the former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, and two former Surgeons General now support national health insurance like HR 676. Newspapers around the country are making the case for Medicare for All, including two recent editorials in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Over 100 unions have officially endorsed it. HR 676 boasts the support of 69 members of Congress, including 9 ranking members of full committees and 28 ranking members of subcommittees.

Access the high quality health care is a right. I encourage my colleagues to support real health care reform that covers all of the uninsured and contains costs. Please support HR 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act.

Mr. Speaker, on April 14, 2006, I sent the following letter to President Bush regarding reports of United States troops conducting military operations in Iran:

Dear President Bush: Recently, it has been reported that

U.S. troops are conducting military operations in Iran. If

true, it appears that you have already made the decision to

commit U.S. military forces to a unilateral conflict with

Iran, even before direct or indirect negotiations with the

government of Iran had been attempted, without UN support and

without authorization from the U.S. Congress.

The presence of U.S. marines in Iran constitutes a hostile

act against that country. At a time when diplomacy is

urgently needed, it escalates an international crisis. It

undermines any attempts to negotiate with the government of

Iran. And it will undermine U.S. diplomatic efforts at the

Mr. Speaker, On April 18, 2006, I sent the following letter to President Bush regarding the United States' use of Iranian anti-government insurgent groups in fomenting opposition and supporting military operations in Iran:

Dear Mr. President: Last week I wrote to you regarding

reports that U.S. troops are conducting military operations

in Iran.

There are also reports, however, that the U.S. is fomenting

opposition and supporting military operations in Iran among

insurgent groups and Iranian ethnic minority groups, some of

whom are operating from Iraq.

The Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PEJAK) is one such

group. PEJAK is based in the Kurdish region of Iraq, a few

miles from the Iranian border, and has staged attacks across

the border in Iran since 2004 on behalf of Iranian Kurdish

interests, according to an April 3, 2006 article in the

Washington Times. PEJAK claimed to kill twenty-four Iranian

soldiers in three raids against army bases in March. Iran's

official news agency also reported that three Republican

Guard soldiers were killed in a gun battle near the Iraqi

border in late March. Iran has denounced PEJAK as a terrorist

group and has accused the U.S. of funding PEJAK. According to

an April 15, 2006 article in the Economist, Iranians and

Turks both believe that the U.S. is supporting PEJAK. It is

hard to believe that PEJAK is operating successfully from

Iraq without U.S. knowledge, support and coordination.

The Mujahedin e-Khalq (MEK), an Iranian anti-government

group which has been listed as a ``terrorist group'' by the

State Department since 1997, is another anti-government group

that has received U.S. support. An article by Jim Lobe

published on Antiwar.com on February 11, 2005 claims that

Pentagon civilians and Vice President Cheney's office are

among those in the U.S. government who support the MEK. His

article further describes how according to Philip Giraldi, a

former CIA official and a source in an article about this

subject in the American Conservative magazine, U.S. Special

Forces have been directing members of the MEK in carrying out

reconnaissance and intelligence collection in Iran from bases

in Afghanistan and Balochistan, Pakistan since the summer of

2004.

Seymour Hersh's April 10, 2006 article in the New Yorker

also confirms that the U.S. troops are establishing contact

with anti-government ethnic-minority groups in Iran.

According to a government consultant with close ties to

civilians in the Pentagon, American combat troops now

operating in Iran are ``working with minority groups in Iran,

including the Azeris, in the north, the Baluchis, in the

southeast, and the Kurds, in the northeast.'' The consultant

further says, ``The troops are studying the terrain and

giving away walking-around money to ethnic tribes, and

recruiting scouts from local tribes and shepherds.''

U.S. support for insurgent activity in Iran is not

tolerable. You have claimed numerous times that the object of

the so-called ``War on Terror'' is to target lawless

insurgent groups.

Previously I asked you to immediately report to Congress on

the extent of U.S. military operations currently in Iran.

Now, in light of the evidence described above, I urge you to

report to Congress on U.S. support for military operations in

Iran by anti-Iranian insurgent groups.

It is a great breach of public trust to set this country on

another path of war while keeping the Congress and the

American people in the dark. I am demanding that you respond.

Sincerely,

Dennis J. Kucinich,

Ranking Democrat, Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging

Threats and International Relations.

Mr. Speaker, I sent the following letter to Secretary Rumsfeld requesting

records pertaining to Pentagon plans to use U.S. Special Forces to advise, support and train Iraqi death squads:

Hon. Donald Rumsfeld,

Secretary of Defense,

The Pentagon, Washington, DC.

Dear Secretary Rumsfeld: I am writing to request a copy of

all records pertaining to Pentagon plans to use U.S. Special

Forces to advise, support and train Iraqi assassination and

kidnapping teams.

On January 8, 2005, Newsweek magazine first published a

report that the Pentagon had a proposal to train elite Iraqi

squads to quell the growing Sunni insurgency. The proposal

has been called the ``Salvador Option,'' which references the

U.S. military assistance program, initiated under the Carter

Administration and subsequently pursued by the Reagan

Administration, that funded and supported ``nationalist''

paramilitary forces who hunted down and assassinated rebel

leaders and their supporters in El Salvador. This program in

El Salvador was highly controversial and received much public

backlash in the U.S., as tens of thousands of innocent

civilians were assassinated and ``disappeared,'' including

notable members of the Catholic Church, Archbishop Oscar

Romero and the four American churchwomen. According to the

Newsweek report, Pentagon conservatives wanted to resurrect

the Salvadoran program in Iraq because they believed that

despite the incredible cost in human lives and human rights,

it was successful in eradicating guerrillas.

Mr. Secretary, at a news conference on January 11, 2005,

you publicly stated that the idea of a Salvador option was

``nonsense.'' Yet mounting evidence suggests that the U.S.

has in fact funded and trained Iraqi assassination and

kidnapping teams and these teams are now operating with

horrific success across Iraq.

We know that the Pentagon received funding for training

Iraqi paramilitaries.

About one year before the Newsweek report on the ``Salvador

Option,'' it was reported in the American Prospect magazine

on January 1, 2004 that part of $3 billion of the $87 billion

Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill to fund operations

in Iraq, signed into law on November 6, 2003, was designated

for the creation of a paramilitary unit manned by

militiamen associated with former Iraqi exile groups.

According to the Prospect article, experts predicted that

creation of this paramilitary unit would ``lead to a wave

of extrajudicial killings, not only of armed rebels but of

nationalists, other opponents of the U.S. occupation and

thousands of civilian Baathists.'' The article further

described how the bulk of the $3 billion program,

disguised as an Air Force classified program, would be

used to ``support U.S. efforts to create a lethal, and

revenge-minded Iraqi security force.'' According to one of

the article's sources, John Pike, an expert of classified

military budgets at www.globalsecurity.org. ``the big

money would be for standing up an Iraqi secret police to

liquidate the resistance.''

We know that some of the Pentagon's Iraq experts were

involved in the Reagan Administration's paramilitary program

in El Salvador.

Colonel James Steele, Counselor to the U.S. Ambassador for

Iraqi Security Forces, formerly led the U.S. Military

Advisory Group in El Salvador from 1984-1986, where he

developed special operating forces at brigade level during

the height of the conflict. The role of these forces in El

Salvador was to attack `insurgent' leadership, their

supporters, sources of supply, and base camps. Currently

Colonel Steele has been assigned to work with the new elite

Iraqi counter-insurgency unit known as the Special Police

Commandos, operating under Iraq's Interior Ministry.

Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, was

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq from June 2004 to April 2005. From

1981 to 1985, he was ambassador to Honduras where he played a

key role in coordinating U.S. covert aid to the Contras,

anti-Sandinista militias who targeted civilians in Nicaragua.

Additionally, he oversaw the U.S. backing of a military death

squad in Honduras, Battalion 3-16, which specialized in

torture and assassination. The U.S. had similar programs of

supporting paramilitary groups set up Nicaragua and Honduras

as its program in El Salvador. In a Democracy Now interview

on January 10, 2005, Allan Nairn, who broke the story about

U.S. support of death squads in El Salvador, suspected that

Ambassador Negroponte would most likely be involved in the

economic side of U.S. support to death squads in Iraq.

We know that a wave of abductions and executions, in the

style of the death squads of El Salvador, and with ties to an

official government sponsor, and to the U.S., has hit Iraq.

News reports over the past 10 months strongly suggest that

the U.S. has trained and supported highly organized Iraqi

commando brigades, and that some of those brigades have

operated as death squads, abducting and assassinating

thousands of Iraqis. Some news highlights:

May 1, 2005--Los Angeles Times reports that the U.S. is

providing technical and logistical support to the Maghawir

(Fearless Warrior) brigades, the Interior Ministry's special

commandos, according to Major General Rasheed Flayih

Mohammed. Iraqi authorities plan to increase deployment of

the 12,000-strong Maghawir (Fearless Warrior) brigades, which

are composed of well-trained veterans who have worked closely

with U.S. forces in Najaf, Fallujah and Mosul and include

the Wolf, Scorpion, Tiger and Thunder brigades.

May 16-20, 2005--Los Angeles Times and New York Times

reveal discovery of 46 bodies, all Iraqi men abducted and

slain execution-style, in various locations: floating in the

Tigris, dumped in ditches and garbage-strewn lots, and buried

at a poultry farm.

June 15, 2005--Washington Post reports that U.S. forces had

knowledge of secret and illegal abductions of hundreds of

minority Arabs in Kirkuk. The abductions were by forces led

by Kurdish political parties and backed by the U.S. military.

June 20, 2005--Los Angeles Times reports that Saad Sultan,

of Iraq Human Rights Ministry said that police and security

forces attached to the Iraqi Interior Ministry, thousands of

whom have been trained by American instructors, are

responsible for abusing up to 60% of estimated 12,000

detainees in prison and military compounds. He says the units

have used tactics reminiscent of Saddam's secret intelligence

squads.

July 3, 2005--Reuters News reports that the government of

Iraq publicly acknowledged that the new security forces were

using torture. Article further says that accounts are common

of people being seized by armed men in the uniforms of the

police, army or special units like Baghdad's Wolf Brigade

police commandos, and then disappearing without trace or

being found dead.

July 28, 2005--Los Angeles Times reports that members of a

California Army National Guard company, the Alpha Company,

who were implicated in a detainee abuse scandal, trained and

conducted joint operations with the Wolf Brigade, a commando

unit criticized for human rights abuses. In an online Alpha

Company newsletter, Captain Haviland wrote, ``We have

assigned 2nd Platoon to help them transition, and install

some of our `Killer Company' aggressive tactical spirit in

them.'' The article further states that despite the Wolf

Brigade's controversial reputation for human rights

violations, it is regarded as the gold standard for Iraqi

security forces by U.S. military officials.

August 31, 2005--BBC reports that on the night of August

24, a large force of the Volcano Brigade raided homes in Al-

Hurriyah city in the Baghdad, kidnapping and then executing

76 citizens. The victims were all shot in the head after

their hands and feet had been tied up. They suffered the

harshest forms of torture, deformation and burning.

November 16, 2005--Reuters News reports the discovery of

173 malnourished men, some of whom were tortured, imprisoned

in a secret jail run by Shi'ite militias tied to the Interior

Ministry.

November 17, 2005--Newsday reports that in the past year,

the U.S. military has helped build up Iraqi commandos under

guidance from James Steele, a former Army Special Forces

officer who led U.S. counterinsurgency efforts in El Salvador

in the 1980s. The brigades built up over the past year

include the Lion Brigade, Scorpion Brigade and Volcano

Brigade.

February 15, 2006--Associated Press reports that the

Interior Ministry has launched a probe into death squad

allegations.

February 19, 2006--BBC reveals that morgues in Baghdad

receive dozens of bodies picked up daily from rivers, sewage

plants, waste burial sites, farms and desert areas. Most of

the bodies are handcuffed and blindfolded civilians with a

bullet or more in the forehead, indicating that they were

executed. The handcuffs used on the victims are like those

used by the Iraqi police.

February 26, 2006--The Independent reports that outgoing

United Nations' human rights chief in Iraq, John Pace,

revealed that hundreds of Iraqis are being tortured to death

or summarily executed every month in Baghdad alone by the

death squads working from the Ministry of Interior. He said

that up to three-quarters of the corpses stacked in the

Baghdad mortuary show evidence of gunshot wounds to the head

or injuries caused by drill-bits or burning cigarettes.

March 9, 2006--Los Angeles Times reports that Iraqi police

officers who worked at the Interior Ministry's illegal prison

had received American training, and that U.S. trainers have

also given extensive support to 27 brigades of heavily armed

commandos accused of a series of abuses, including the death

of 14 Sunni Arabs who were locked in an airtight van last

summer.

March 10, 2006--Sidney Morning Herald reports that men

wearing the uniforms of U.S.-trained security forces, which

are controlled by the Interior Ministry, abducted 50 people

in a daylight raid on a security agency. Masked men who are

driving what appear to be new government-owned vehicles are

carrying out many of the raids.

March 27, 2006--The Independent reports that while U.S.

authorities have begun criticizing the Iraqi government over

the ``death squads,'' many of the paramilitary groups accused

of the abuse, such as the Wolf Brigade, the Scorpion Brigade

and the Special Police Commandos were set up with the help of

the American military. Furthermore, the militiamen were

provided with U.S. advisers some of whom were veterans of

Latin American counter-insurgency which also had led to

allegations of death squads at the time.

Mr. Secretary, in light of this evidence of U.S. support

for and the existence of death squads in Iraq, what is the

basis for your January 11, 2005 statement, that the idea of a

Salvador option in Iraq is ``nonsense''?

I request a copy of all records pertaining to Pentagon

plans to use U.S. Special Forces to

advise, support and train Iraqi assassination and kidnapping

teams. I look forward to receiving your response.

Sincerely,

Dennis J. Kucinich,

Member of Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of United States Navy Hospital Corpsman Third Class Victor L. Lewis, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Combat Team 2, Marines Expeditionary Forces, upon his recognition by the United States Navy with a Bronze Star Medal for his heroic actions while serving in Iraq on April 4, 2005.

Hospital Corpsman Third Class Victor L. Lewis is a firefighter in Cleveland, Ohio. His courage and conviction exceeded his excellent training and experience as a firefighter, when his platoon came under fire last year. During a mission in Haqllnayah, Iraq to locate an enemy weapons cache, Hospital Corpsman Third Class Victor L. Lewis and his platoon came under attack by a well-coordinated enemy ambush. The platoon was bombarded by heavy machinegun fire, mortars and rocket- propelled grenades. When a fellow Marine fell wounded, Corpsman Lewis ran forty meters through heavy gunfire, administered first aid and moved him to safety.

When a second Marine was wounded, Hospital Corpsman Third Class Victor L. Lewis ran to his aid, again through the smoke and blast of heavy gunfire, rendered first aid, then lifted him up and carried him to safety. His efforts to save the lives of others while placing his own life in grave danger reflects courage and heroism of the highest level.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor, recognition and gratitude to Hospital Corpsman Third Class Victor L. Lewis, whose bravery and unwavering devotion to the members of his platoon will forever stand as a testament to the spirit and strength of the human heart to face down fear and run through the fires of war to save the lives of his friends. Our community and our Nation will be forever grateful.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the nation of Greece on its triumphant 185th anniversary of winning independence. Throughout its glorious history, Greece has proven to be an inspiration to the United States and to nations around the world.

The birthplace and cradle of democracy, Greece's long history of promoting the ideals of justice and freedom now serves as a standard against which we measure all other nations. The legacy of antiquity is still felt throughout the streets of Athens today. It was the ancient Greeks who first realized that the right of self-governance was an essential foundation of any civilized society. Although such principles seem elementary today, their ideas were revolutionary in their own time. We cannot discount the influence that ancient Greece has had on our Nation.

In the founding of our Nation, Greece served as a model by which the framers of the constitution structured our government. After helping to author our Constitution, Thomas Jefferson referred to Greece as ``the light, which led us out of Gothic darkness.'' That same light, still shining from the distant memories of ancient Greece, guides our Nation today.

Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honoring the nation of Greece, on the 185th anniversary of their independence. Much like our own Fourth of July, Greek Independence Day is a time for people to come together and celebrate a shared vision. For the past six years, the organizers of the Greek Independence Day Committee have worked to create a wonderful community and family event that is enjoyed and shared by Clevelanders of all ethnic backgrounds. This year, it is important for all Americans to remember the history of independence and to remember where the roots of our Nation originate. It is a time to honor all people who join in the struggle for liberty and justice.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in appreciation of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad for its stewardship of the historic rail line through the Cuyahoga River Valley.

For thousands of years Indians used the Cuyahoga River and Valley in northern Ohio as a north-south transportation corridor. Later the Ohio and Erie Canal provided the early settlers a slow but easy way to move bulk goods and people. In 1880, the first steam engine chugged its way down the new Valley Railway, signaling an era of progress and prosperity for the Cuyahoga Valley residents. Primarily built to transport coal from south of Canton to Cleveland's growing industries, the Valley Railway also served the farmers, merchants and factories along its route. Depots piled high with farm produce dotted the valley section of the railroad line.

Financial difficulties in 1894 led to the Valley Railway's acquisition by the Cleveland Terminal & Valley Railroad (CT&V). The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad bought the CT&V in 1915 and continued to provide freight and passenger service between Akron and Cleveland. However, the popularity of the automobile caused a decline in passenger traffic on the line. Passenger service ended in 1963. The last freight train operated by the Chessie System ran in 1985.

Today, the historic rails are owned by the National Park Service as part of its goal to preserve the significant cultural resources in the Cuyahoga Valley. The CVSR operates the excursion train through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in cooperation with the National Park Service.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing the CVSR, which is holding its annual fundraising event this weekend, the ``All Aboard Ball.'' Recognition is due not only for this railroad's history, but also for its current enhancement of the Cuyahoga American Heritage River and its role in perpetuating passenger rail and excursion rail in Ohio's 10th Congressional District and nationwide.

Everyone knows the oil companies are posting record profits. Oil companies are blaming everyone but themselves for large gas price increases. The consumer is being gouged, and oil companies continue to avoid their responsibility.

The most recent data for the Nation shows the average price of gas is close to $3 a gallon. Gas prices increasing; wages across the Nation dropping. Gas prices hurt even more because folks have less money to pay for them. You know what is going on? People are actually going into their change jars to go to the gas station to be able to pay for the increased cost of gas. Some people are hocking their jewelry to be able to pay for the increased price of gas.

Price gouging is occurring as the oil companies are reaping profits close to $300 billion since 2001. Time for a windfall profit tax. Time for a bill, the Gas Price Spike Act. Over 50 Members of

Congress want a windfall profits tax. That is what the oil companies understand. When we get that up to 100 cosponsors, then the oil companies are going to start backing off, because right now, their foot is on the accelerator. They are looking at $3 a gallon, $4 a gallon, $5 a gallon.

We have to stand up for the American people, and that is what we are here to do.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin. I want to say what a pleasure it is to serve with him on the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring a note of caution to the discussion of this resolution and the debate surrounding charter schools. Much has been said today in praise of charter schools; praise for the diverse ways charter schools use their flexibility to reach students, praise for the innovation educators can demonstrate in these schools.

There is no doubt that numerous charter schools across the Nation are founded and run with the best of intentions and with hopes for the success of their students, and I think it is necessary to pause and acknowledge the risk that comes along with the flexibility and the autonomy that charter schools are given.

In my hometown of Cleveland, a charter school which opened in 1999 was forced to shut down in 2005 after several years of fiscal mismanagement. State audits had shown discrepancies for several years before the eventual closure of the school. After its closure, parents were left mid-school-year scrambling to find another school for their children. Teachers who had diligently worked for several months were left without pay and without recourse. Children were uprooted and forced to start over again in a new school with new classmates and new teachers.

The intention behind granting charter schools additional flexibility is an admirable one. The use of creative and unique tools and methods to teach students is refreshing in an era of standardized tests and one-size-fits-all accountability measures, but that flexibility cannot and should not extend so far that it places students' educations at risk. Increased autonomy in schools should not equal teachers left without jobs and pay, as it did in Cleveland.

The characteristics of charter schools lauded in this resolution offer additional independence for educators, but they also offer additional risks for children. In our quest to ensure that every child in America receives a quality education and the opportunity to realize their dreams, we must take heed of these risks. We must ensure that every child is able to reach his or her highest potential and give every child the opportunity to realize his or her dreams.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is called the Federal Energy Price Protection Act of 2006 because the bill will protect today's excessive gasoline prices from government intervention. This bill will prevent our government from actually doing anything to reduce the price of gasoline.

To reduce the price of gasoline, one must understand the underlying causes of excessive costs. Consider the fact that it costs only $20 a barrel to extract oil out of the ground today, but oil companies are making $72 a barrel. At the same time, the crude oil reserves already pumped out and in storage are at all-time highs. Therefore, crude is not constrained, and the excessive price for a barrel of oil is not based on a free market. The crude oil price is being manipulated with much speculation that recent increase in the oils futures market had played a significant role. The recent increase in profits in the refinery business correlate with the industry effort to shut down to independent refineries to constrict supply. These two factors account for 99 percent of the excessive profits.

Now, the FTC has approved the oil companies' monopolies, and they set the stage for the increased prices. This same FTC is going to define price gouging, as if they don't know what it already is? I suspect, under the FTC, the excessive profits are unlikely to be illegal unless the FTC can show manipulations occurred. Since manipulation is well disguised by the industry, the FTC will be easily able to brush aside excessive profits as nothing more than a market signal. Any definition drafted by the current FTC will also likely establish that the price of crude oil set by the world market and therefore any profits relative to that price are not price gouging. This bill will enable the Federal Government to cut off aggressive State actions by intervening and then settling with minimum penalties.

Mr. Speaker, the American people want something done now. We need a windfall profits tax, 100 percent on windfall profits. That will give the oil companies a signal that they won't forget.