Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of Commander Marvin Cross, upon the occasion of his retirement from the Cleveland Police Department--Following twenty-two years of dedication to the citizens of Cleveland; and twenty-two years of honor to the force and to the badge.

Commander Cross was born and raised in Cleveland, and graduated from Max Hayes High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Myers University, and later graduated from the FBI Academy. In 1981, Commander Cross joined the city of Cleveland Police Department. By 1983, Commander Cross was promoted to the position of Detective, and within ten years, he was appointed to the position of Sergeant in the 6th District. His extensive experience regarding hate crimes, combined with his passion for social justice, led Commander Cross to create the city of Cleveland's Ethnic Intimidation/Hate Crime Task Force. This Task Force has resulted in a 62 percent reduction of hate crime activities since 1998.

Commander Cross' great intellect, combined with his exceptional interpersonal skills, brought people and agencies together for the common good and protection of Cleveland citizens. He developed a Fugitive Tracking System that led to the apprehension of over 2,500 fugitives; and reduced fugitive tracking expenses by more than forty percent.

The list of Commander Cross' accomplishments and accolades is long and far-reaching. He was twice-named Police Officer of the Year; was honored with the Distinguished Service Award from the city of Cleveland Police Department; and was bestowed the Red Cross Biennial Volunteer Hero Award, among others.

These extraordinary honors reflect the extraordinary nature of Commander Cross himself, His integrity, vision, heart, and concern for others has served to uplift the lives of countless families and individuals within our community. Commander Cross in the ultimate hero and role model for our youth. His sincere concern for our children has been witnessed through his involvement in the Amateur Athletic Youth Basketball League, the Special Olympics Torch Run and the Greater Cleveland Big Brothers/Big Sisters Shadow Blue Program.

Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor, gratitude and celebration of Commander Marvin Cross, as we reflect on his twenty-two years of significant service to the citizens of Cleveland. Commander Cross' positive nature, personal integrity, expertise, and focus on protecting his constituents in the city of Cleveland have all served to raise the grade of safety and protection within the City limits to an exceptional level. Commander Cross' outstanding years of service has been a guiding force within our community, and is worthy of our gratitude and recognition. We wish Commander Cross and his entire family many blessings, great happiness and abundant health today and always.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of and recognition of Father Marino Frascati, founding member of the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization--and spiritual guide, healer, and beloved mentor and friend to many in this Westside community for more than fifty years. Father Frascati, parish priest of Our Lady of Mount Caramel Church, continues to serve the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood with integrity, compassion, and grace, and was bestowed the honorary appointment of President for Life with the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization. Father Frascati has been a steady and focused instrument of healing, preservation, growth and hope along the streets of this neighborhood.

When others lost hope and turned away, Father Frascati dug in, continuing his quest to improve the lives of the families, seniors and individuals who live and work within this Westside community. His rare ability to connect with others and bring people and groups together for the common good has significantly improved all aspects of this neighborhood.

Father Frascati was instrumental in renovating and developing countless commercial and residential structures along Cleveland's Westside. Due to his persistence and personal meetings with Monsignor Barone, then Undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood was the first community in Cuyahoga County to be awarded the Urban Development Action Grant for a neighborhood project. This grant resulted in the construction of Father Caruso Boulevard and restoration of the historical Gordon Square Arcade. Despite opposition and adversity, Father Frascati remains a tireless and unwavering champion of this neighborhood. Father Frascati established Nolasco Corporation which resulted in new housing for senior citizens and low income families. Additionally, Father Frascati has created strong and enduring bonds with local business owners, bringing businesses and jobs--like Bank One at the Gordon Square Arcade--back into the neighborhood.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor, recognition and gratitude of Father Marino Frascati, whose compassion, commitment and energy continues to create a haven of assistance, hope and renewal along the streets of Detroit-Shoreway and beyond. His presence, vision, leadership, and unwavering faith in the people and possibilities of this community have restored and uplifted the very foundation of this neighborhood--reclaiming the heart and soul of this community one brick, one senior citizen, one family at a time.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation was written at the behest of insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies. This is the beginning of the end of universal health care for seniors.

Since Medicare was enacted in 1965, seniors went from a group least likely to have health insurance to most likely to have health insurance because of Medicare. Medicare has achieved goals that Congress has not been able to accomplish for the rest of our population

by keeping millions out of poverty, increasing access to health care, improving quality of life and even extending life expectancy by 20 percent.

This conference report will eliminate universal health care for the only part of our population that has it. It will lead to benefit cuts by the creation of an artificial cap on Medicare spending. It will increase costs for millions of seniors. It will privatize Medicare in order to dismantle it.

We should be expanding Medicare so that all Americans can have quality health care under a single-payer system with fully-paid prescription drug benefits.

This legislation is a choice between health care in the public interest which we still have with Medicare or health care in the private interest. Choose wisely. Reject the rule, reject the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I stand today strongly opposed to the Conference Report on H.R. 2417, the Intelligence Authorization Act for

Mr. Speaker, the war in Iraq has proven to be counterproductive to our goals in winning the war on terror. It has produced an increase in anti-American sentiment all over the world, an increased presence of al Qaeda inside Iraq, and a greater instability in the region. Every day that we are inside Iraq, the situation gets progressively worse as evidenced by the frequent and more sophisticated attacks on our troops. As a result of the escalating terrorist attacks upon our troops, more Americans have died after the end of combat was announced on May 1. The U.S. occupation of Iraq is counterproductive as it is a contributing cause for instability. We simply cannot help the people of Iraq by continuing this occupation, nor can we tolerate talk of a draft to sustain an occupation.

That is why we need to get the U.S. out and the United Nations in.

Mr. Speaker, over the last year and a half, the administration has attempted to make the case that the Iraq war is part of the global ``War on Terror.'' They argued that military action to disarm Iraq would save the United States from being directly attacked by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, and would also prevent Iraq from giving weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups that could then launch attacks against the United States.

Of course, no weapons of mass destruction have been found, and there has been no proof offered that legitimately connects Saddam Hussein with the September 11 attacks or the work of the al Qaeda network on September 11.

The war has effectively had the opposite effect of what was desired. Al Qaeda, which was not proven to exist inside of Iraq prior to the war, is now thriving in Iraq and is targeting U.S. soldiers in their war against the United States. The U.S. occupation is fueling internal and regional hatred towards the U.S. and is providing al Qaeda with a recruiting poster for their anti-American ambitions.

The world is considerably less safe because of this endeavor. Terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and a complete breakdown in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, only reinforce that the war in Iraq did not bring peace to the region as President Bush said it would.

Clearly, the mission has not been accomplished. More U.S. troops have died since the end of the war than during combat operations. Last week, the U.S. military launched Operation Iron Hammer, a version of shock and awe, targeted at foreign and nationalist terrorists insurgents whose presence in Iraq is a direct result of the U.S. invasion.

Most of the world's nations view the war and occupation of Iraq to be a U.S. folly. The U.S. is stuck, mostly alone, with a costly, unpopular, and unending occupation of Iraq.

This is why a major change is needed. That is why I believe we need to get the U.S. out and the United Nations in. The U.N. will not go in, however, unless the main focus of resistance and instability, the United States, agrees to pull out.

The U.S. must also renounce all political and economic interests in Iraq. It will be necessary to renounce, clearly and unequivocally, any interest in controlling Iraq's oil resources. The U.N., not the U.S., will administer Iraq's oil revenues.

Under a new U.N. resolution, the U.N. will administer contracts to repair Iraq. War profiteering will no longer be tolerated. It will be necessary to suspend all reconstruction contracts and close the U.S.- led Coalition Provisional Authority, because of the suspicion that various contracts have been given to large American corporations were as a result of political connections. In its place, the U.N. would help Iraqis administer funds to employ Iraqis to repair the damage from the invasion.

I believe if we hand over the security, administrative, and economic responsibilities to the United Nations, member countries would be more inclined to help pull the United States out of this quagmire.

I am not suggesting that we do not have responsibilities there. We need a phase-in of the U.N. force and a phase-out of the U.S., while keeping a Navy fleet to defend the territorial integrity of Iraq from foreign invasion.

The U.S. owes a moral debt to the people of Iraq for the damage caused by the U.S. invasion. The U.S. will also owe a contribution to the U.N. to help Iraq make the transition to self-government.

American taxpayers deserve their contributions to be handled in an accountable, transparent manner. However, Americans are not required to build a state-of-the-art infrastructure as the administration seems to be planning.

All we can do now is to make a dramatic reversal. Of course, we must acknowledge that the continued U.S. military presence in Iraq is counterproductive and destabilizing. We have a choice in front of us: either we change course, withdraw our troops, and request that the U.N. move in and bring the U.N. in and take the U.S. out, or we sink deeper into this occupation, with more U.S. casualties, ever higher financial costs, and diminished security for Americans. I think that we can still turn this around. I think that America can take a new direction.

Today, Mr. Speaker, in the Washington Post on page A21, there is a story called ``Sending a Message,'' and I will include that in the Record of my Special Order. What that does is it talks about the aspects in which the war is escalating and the damage that is occurring to Iraqi communities as a result of U.S. military action. I would suggest that the damage inherent, as is described in this story, is not only to the humble people whose homes are being blown up, but it is also to the U.S. reputation, because as we get into the cycle of violence, we will be digging ourselves in deeper, and we will be distancing ourselves from the world community. This is a time that we need to reach out to the world community, take a new approach, and that will then enable the United States to finally end this unfortunate episode.

``Sending a Message'' With a Show of Force

rural iraqi homes destroyed in u.s. offensive

(By Daniel Williams)

Tikrit, Iraq, Nov. 18.--The house of Omar Khalil Ibrahim is

a flattened jumble of broken bricks and roofing. Three of his

neighbors' homes, still standing, are riddled with big holes

made by tank shells that blasted through two or three walls.

A dead cow lies rotting beside a broken shed.

The scene in central Iraq was the result of a U.S. military

offensive aimed at taking the initiative away from anti-

occupation guerrillas. It is using helicopter gunships, tanks

and Bradley fighting vehicles, as well as an occasional jet

strike, unleashing 500-pound bombs and satellite-guided

rockets.

One high-ranking commander described it as a ``no-holds

barred'' operation. The targets are suspected hideaways,

command centers and safe houses of the elusive guerrillas,

U.S. officials said.

``We have to use these capabilities to take that fight to

the enemy, and why not?'' said Maj. Gen. Charles H. Swannack

Jr., the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, which

patrols western Iraq. ``That's why we use them. They are the

right systems.''

For all the heavy and sophisticated armaments, the targets

in Hawijat al-Ali, a rural hamlet near Tikrit, are small-

scale. The houses are single-story structures set within

walled rose gardens.

``We were surprised by all the big shooting,'' said Kafi

Khalaf, Ibrahim's wife. ``They spent a lot to get rid of our

houses.''

U.S. military officials say the show of force is a

necessary response to escalating attacks in central Iraq.

Maj. Gordon Tate, a spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division

in Tikrit, said the offensive, which began Oct. 1, picked up

steam after Nov. 2, when guerrillas shot down a U.S. CH-47

Chinook transport helicopter near the western town of

Fallujah, killing 16 soldiers. Rocket and artillery

operations replaced search-and-seizure raids that

characterized U.S. military activity in the summer and early

fall.

``We are sending a message. We are showing we are here,''

Tate said. Among the

weapons now in use are rockets that each disperse 960 little

anti-personnel bombs. Five Iraqis were killed Monday night in

a 4th Infantry Division attack, Tate said.

Tate said that sympathizers of deposed Iraqi president

Saddam Hussein pay mercenaries to harass U.S. troops. ``We

want them to think twice,'' he said. ``They should leave out

of fear or face death.''

To curb the use of roadside bombs that are among the

deadliest weapons employed by Iraqi resistance fighters,

soldiers have orders to shoot and kill anyone seen digging a

hole alongside thoroughfares, Tate said. The same goes for

anyone seen carrying a weapon, he said.

Emphasizing the new get-tough approach, U.S. troops in

dozens of armored vehicles patrolled in convoys throughout

Tikrit Monday. ``They are saying, `I dare you,' '' said

Ashraf Skarki, a farmer. ``The noise and dust, it is all part

of their letter to Tikrit.''

The activity is not limited to this town, which is

notoriously hostile to the U.S. occupation. In Baqubah,

several miles east of Tikrit, a pair of F-15 fighter jets,

launched from Qatar on the Persian Gulf, dropped four 500-

pound bombs Tuesday on some abandoned farmhouses, military

officials said. Apache helicopter gunships and artillery

poured fire on targets on Baqubah's outskirts and then ground

troops pounded the area with 155mm howitzers and 120mm

mortars.

``We have taken action on these targets before, but this is

to demonstrate one more time that we have significant

firepower and we can use it at our discretion,'' said Lt.

Col. Mark Young, commander of the 67th Armor Regiment's 3rd

Battalion, part of the 4th Infantry Division. ``This is the

biggest operation we've had in the Baqubah area in terms of

tonnage and volume'' of munitions, he said.

On Monday, two U.S. soldiers were killed near Balad, about

35 miles from Baqubah, one in a rocket-propelled grenade

attack, the other by a roadside bomb.

``We will not let these insurgents dance on our territory.

We need to maintain an offensive stance and let the enemy

know that we will come down with a heavy hand,'' said Lt.

Col. Steve Russell, a battalion commander with the 4th

Infantry Division.

In Baghdad at mid-evening, U.S. forces fired heavy weapons

at suspected guerrilla positions in the far western part of

the city. A series of blasts reverberated across the capital.

For a second consecutive night, the city was largely blacked

out. U.S. officials blamed the electrical outage on a storm

that they said toppled high-tension wires, although the

weather has been calm for several days all across Iraq.

Exactly who the guerrillas are remains a mystery, even to

commanders on the ground. At a briefing in Baghdad on

Tuesday, Swannack said that 90 percent of the fighters that

U.S. forces have captured or killed were loyalists of Hussein

or Iraqi religious militants. While the Bush administration

has described foreign fighters as posing a mounting threat,

Swannack estimated that only 10 percent of the guerrillas had

come from abroad.

``We are not finding foreign fighters coming across the

borders in significant numbers to do the fighting,'' said

Swannack, whose soldiers patrol a vast swath of Iraq that

borders Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Resident of Hawijat al-Ali doubted the offensive in the

Tikrit area would be successful. ``Do they really think

making this kind of ruin will stop the resistance?'' said

Jamal Shahib, who described himself as a shepherd.

Shahib and other residents said U.S. soldiers arrived

Monday night searching for Ali Ahmed Hamid and Hussein Ali,

two teenagers suspected of being members of Saddam's

Fedayeen, a militia created in the 1990s as an irregular

adjunct to Iraq's army and secret police. They did not find

the young men. The soldiers arrested Omar Khalil Ibrahim, 55,

and told the residents to leave their houses. They then

unleashed the barrages of firepower to destroy the

structures.

Everyone denied that anyone had a connection to Saddam's

Fedayeen. One woman, in a fit of emotion, began to chant,

``With our blood and our souls, we will defend you, O

Saddam.''

Mr. Speaker, I feel honored today to support H.R. 3300, a bill to rename the United States Post Office in Strongsville, OH in tribute to the city's distinguished and dedicated former mayor and my friend, the late Walter F. Ehrnfelt. I would also like to extend special thanks to my colleague, Congressman LaTourette, for helping to bring his legislation to the floor, along with all of the Ohio delegation for co-sponsoring this bill.

Mayor Ehrnfelt's impact on the city of Strongsville will never be forgotten. After graduating from Strongsville High School, he began what would become a lifetime commitment to civic involvement. In 1973, while running Ehrnfelt Meats, a family business that operates still today, his neighbors convinced him to run for the Strongsville School Board, leading the fight against a campaign to dismiss teachers and ban books in the school district. He won that race, and in 1978 he was appointed mayor of Strongsville, later winning his first mayoral race in November 1979 by more than a 2 to 1 margin. Voters rewarded his effective leadership by re-electing him to six consecutive 4-year terms, the last beginning in 2000.

As mayor, Walter Ehrnfelt guided Strongsville through an unprecedented period of growth, evolving from a community of 22,000 to a thriving suburb of 45,000 residents. He served on Governor Taft's State and Local Government Commission and was president of the Ohio Municipal League. But most importantly, Mayor Ehrnfelt lived each day with the people of Strongsville close to his heart, truly living his life for the betterment of others.

I'm pleased we have the opportunity to honor Mayor Ehrnfelt for his service and spirit today. The people of Strongsville, the state of Ohio, and everyone who knew him will miss him greatly.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of George S. Pofok, upon the occasion of his retirement from Cleveland Public Power (CPP).

George Pofok has spent the last 30 years in service to the city of Cleveland. Mr. Pofok started his career as an electrical engineer, and rose to become company's commissioner.

During Mr. Pofok's tenure as the commissioner, from 1985-1995, he was able to initiate one of the most productive periods of growth for Cleveland's power. He helped build the customer base from 50,000 to 80,000, as well as increasing the company's revenue to $130 million per year. These strategies have left a legacy of high growth for the company, and low costs to customers. Since 1985, customers of Cleveland Public Power have saved more than $320 million.

Mr. Pofok leaves a great legacy, none more important than the continuation of the tradition and strengthening the exercise of public power in the city of Cleveland.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition of George S. Pofok

for his dedication to Cleveland Public Power, and the welfare of the city of Cleveland.

Mr. Speaker, the Iraq supplemental conference report will continue a failed policy. This bill is not about supporting the troops. This bill supports the continued occupation of Iraq by the United States. If we truly want to support the troops, we should bring them home.

We need to acknowledge that the continued U.S. presence in Iraq is counterproductive. Every day that we are inside Iraq the situation gets progressively worse as evidenced by the frequent and more sophisticated attacks on our troops. More U.S. troops have died occupying Iraq than died in the war for Iraq. We need to recognize that at this point continuing the U.S. occupation is counterproductive and contributes to instability. That is why we need to get the U.S. out and the U.N. in. And to do that we will need a new resolution articulating a new policy from this administration.

To approve a budget-busting $87 billion for the reconstruction of Iraq would be to throw good money after bad, to throw good money at a failed policy. I am not suggesting that we cut and run. But we must begin the process of getting the U.N. in and the U.S. out. The U.S. must pay for the rebuilding of all that we have damaged in the invasion. We must compensate the Iraqi victims and contributed to future U.N. efforts. The U.S. must bring our troops home. End the occupation of Iraq.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in order to call attention to the Population Institute's annual World Population Awareness Week, which wild focus on ``Water: Our Most Precious Resource.''

This event is one of great importance, and its topic, water, is one that demands immediate action. Currently, 1.2 million people worldwide lack healthy and abundant water. As a member of the world community, the United States has a commitment to aid our fellow human beings in obtaining their natural right to water. And, even more importantly, the United States has a commitment to itself, to ensure that no American will ever be without water. Many regions in America have a water supply that is strained beyond its capacity, leaving many Americans vulnerable to massive shortages of water.

Unfortunately, the water supply problems are only becoming more prevalent, as currently there is a trend to turn water into a commodity through the privatization of the supply. Multinational companies that contract to supply developing countries focus on profit, not access. Their use of cost recovery measures increases profits for these companies through the additions of annual fees on water, but force many people to go without the essential and natural right to water because of burdensome costs.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing the importance of water to our world community and in recognizing the Population Institute's World Awareness Week.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of UHHS Bedford Medical Center on the occasion of its 75th anniversary of service to the community. Originally no more than four beds on the second floor of a private home in Bedford, the hospital has grown through the years to keep pace with an expanding population and the demand for high quality accessible medical care.

UHHS Bedford Medical Center originally opened as the Bedford Municipal Hospital on November 29, 1928. The community strongly supported this hospital through passing 5 levies between 1943 and 1952. By 1956, the hospital was known as Bedford Community Hospital and boasted many new and modern departments and amenities. In 1962, the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations accredited the hospital for the first time. The hospital continued to grow, adding a new wing and surgical facilities. In 1979, the name was changed to The Community Hospital of Bedford. It continued to expand and, by 1984, the hospital achieved its current capacity of 110 beds.

On November 30, 1993, the University Hospital Health System purchased the hospital, ushering in an era of rapid growth and innovation, adding a state of the art Outpatient Surgery Center and the Bretschneider Women's Unit offering enhanced obstetrics and gynecological services. Bedford Medical Center is continuing to grow: in 2001, adjoining land was purchased to augment Bedford Medical Center's current facilities.

Bedford Medical Center represents a model of collaboration and success evidenced by the relationships established between the Board of Trustees, the physicians and staff. Growth has been a key word in the hospital's history. A key to the hospital's growth is an unparalleled staff that focuses on keeping patients and the staff satisfied, well cared for, healthy and happy.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition of Bedford Medical Center on its Diamond Anniversary of serving over 260,000 residents in Southeast Cuyahoga and Northern Portage and Summit Counties. In tribute to the hospital's rich tradition of commitment to the community, let us celebrate these last 75 years with motto-- Generations of Caring. I hope that the Bedford Medical Center will continue to serve and care for its community for at least another 75 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of Arlene Rak, upon her retirement as president of the UHHS Bedford Medical Center. Ms. Rak retired on August 31, 2003, after a long and successful career in health care administration.

Arlene Rak brought to the University Hospitals Health System a wealth of experience and a hands-on background in delivering health care. Her career began in nursing, but she quickly moved to administrative roles in both the non-profit and for profit sectors. She has worked in hospital administration as well as with organizations such as the Voluntary Hospitals of America and Johnson & Johnson. She also worked as an independent consultant for many years, and developed new business ventures, alternate delivery systems and helped others to focus on strategic networking.

In 1985, Ms. Rak was recruited from her private consulting practice to develop the Integrated Health Systems management center at University Hospitals. In 1992, UH persuaded Ms. Rak to return to their fold, first as a strategy consultant, then as a director of elder care and home care. Since February 2, 1996, Ms. Rak has served as the President of the Bedford Medical Center. In this role, she has worked tirelessly to make the hospital a wonderful resource to the community it serves, and a key part of University Hospital's health care system.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing Arlene Rak for her many years of service to the Bedford Medical Center and to University Hospitals. We wish her many blessings of peace, health and happiness throughout her retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of Police Officer Charles E. Benning, Sr., on the occasion of his retirement from the Cleveland Police Department. Charles E. Benning, Sr., has honorably and diligently carried out his oath to protect and serve the people of the City of Cleveland for the past twenty-three years.

Officer Benning is a life long resident of Cleveland, Ohio, educated in the Cleveland Public Schools and a graduate of John Hay High School. He attended Bowling Green State University, and was a founder of the Delta Epsilon Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity there. Officer Benning is a dedicated member of St. James Lutheran Church, and is a member of Bible Study Group that provides male leadership to the church, the Men of St. James (M. O. S. T). He also sings with the Male Chorus.

Officer Benning began his Masonic Career in 1995 in William T. Boyd Lodge #79. He built a solid foundation in Masonry by serving in all seats preceding Worshipful Master. He is a member of Cuyahoga Chapter #36 Royal Arch Masons, Bezaleel Consistory #15, Scottish Rite Masons and El Hasa Temple #28 of the E.E.A.O.N.MS. On December 3, 2002, he was elected to Worshipful Master of William T. Boyd Lodge and has served the craft faithfully and to the best of his ability.

For the past twenty-three years in the Cleveland Police Department, Officer Benning served in Basic Patrol, in the 5th District Vice Unit, and the 5th District Strike Force. He was selected as one of nine Gang Detectives when the Department started the Youth/Gang Task Force, and during his tenure in this department has made many presentations at Universities, High Schools, and Middle Schools on gang and youth violence. He is the current President of the Ohio Chapter of the Midwest Gang Investigators Association. He is also a member of the Black Shield Police Association, and the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor, gratitude and recognition of Officer Charles E. Benning Sr., upon his retirement as a Police Officer with the Cleveland Police Department. His exceptional and courageous service on behalf of the citizens of Cleveland and beyond have served to lift the spirits and the lives of countless individuals, families within Cleveland and all along the North Coast. We wish Officer Benning, his wife Jean, mother, Katie Mae, and children Kevin, Jason, Derrick and Charles Jr. many blessings of peace, health and happiness throughout his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of the School of Ukrainian Studies on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary serving students in the Ukrainian community of Cleveland, Ohio.

The School of Ukrainian Studies was established fifty years ago to ensure that the Ukrainian youth in Cleveland would retain the full glory of their language, culture, and community in the United States. The Ukrainian School has succeeded in keeping together a vibrant and cohesive community of Ukrainian-Americans by teaching its students in the language of their mother country, and bringing to the students the traditional dress and cultural awareness of the Ukraine. cam.

The School of Ukrainian Studies will celebrate its 50th Anniversary by holding a banquet resplendent with traditional foods from the Ukraine, and presenting a performance in

which all of its students will participate to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and traditions they have learned during their years of study at the School.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues rise with me today in celebration of the commemorative banquet celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the School of Ukrainian Studies. Many young persons have surely benefited from the work of this wonderful school, and our community has benefited from its efforts to keep the language and tradition of the Ukraine alive in the United States. Let us honor this distinguished school and let us wish them 50 more years of fantastic service to our population.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time, and I want to agree with my colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Strickland). I say that it is time to support our troops. We can best support our troops by bringing them home, by having the U.N. become involved. Bring the U.N. in and get the U.S. out. Support our troops; bring them home.

If we support $87 billion on the next installment of our involvement in Iraq, what we are doing is supporting the continuation of the presence of American troops in Iraq. Make no mistake about it, this is only the second of many installments. There have been projections that the American presence there could cost now at least $245 billion. There are other projections that say it could be many hundreds of billions of dollars more.

I presented for the consideration of Members of this House a plan that would get the U.N. in and the U.S. out, and the features of this plan are as follows:

Number one, we go to the U.N. with a resolution that would permit the United Nations to handle all of the oil assets of Iraq, without any privatization, to handle that on behalf of the Iraqi people; number two, to handle all the contracts in Iraq without any sweetheart deals on behalf of certain select contractors; number three, to have the U.N. handle the cause of new governance in Iraq. It is time for the United States to rejoin the world community. In doing that, we can rotate U.N. troops in and U.S. troops out.

It is time for us to rejoin the world community in the cause of stabilizing Iraq. You know and I know that the longer our troops are there, the more of them will not come back alive. The longer our troops are there, the deepening of the American involvement in Iraq will continue. This is the time for us to take a stand. Vote ``no'' on the $87 billion. Vote to bring our troops home. Vote to get the U.N. in and the U.S. out. Vote ``no'' on the $87 billion.