Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of defending the human rights of everyone throughout the world. The United States must seek to uphold and protect human rights here at home as well as abroad. I stand in solidarity with the people of the Baha'i faith and all faiths that endure persecution based on their religious beliefs. As such, I strongly support the stated intention of this resolution.

As we aim a critical eye to the Iranian government's human rights violations, we can only do so with credibility if we turn the critical eye on our own country. For example, institutionalized discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation persists throughout the U.S. All human beings deserve security and equal protection under the law.

Furthermore, supporting the Baha'i faith by condemning Iran is antithetical to principles that are central to the Baha'i faith. The Baha'i teachings are built on the values of peace and unification. Condemnation, or the act of placing blame, separates and antagonizes. Condemnation of Iran with intent to rattle the sabers of war would not be something I support; nor do I believe it would be supported by those of the Baha'i faith.

In the spirit of honoring the Baha'i faith we, should work to end persecution. Rather than condemning Iran in order to forward an aggressive agenda, this body would do better to support the efforts of the Administration to engage Iran in high-level diplomatic negotiations. Engaging Iran diplomatically honors the spirit of unity that is central to the Baha'i faith and brings us closer to peace.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentlelady.

I want to join my colleagues in expressing condolences to those who were killed in connection with the attack on the United Nations World Food Program in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is so important that the world community rally behind this program and other programs like it that are really aimed at providing the kind of social service that is so urgently required in areas around the world that are economically depressed, and that is, to feed the hungry. If we make a concerted effort in feeding the hungry, there's less of a chance that we're going to be looking at the kind of social conflagration that has affected nations around the world.

This program in Pakistan is urgently needed. Those who risk their lives to deliver it should be remembered now, and we should stand by them and their families in their moment of grief. But we also have a responsibility to continue to take a stand against hunger. And wherever an effort is made to try to knock those out who are trying to serve the public, we stand behind those who serve, and we stand behind our moral obligation to feed the hungry of the world.

All across the Nation, people are watching this Capitol to see if we are going to have the ability and the courage to stand up to the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies who have had a stranglehold on our politics.

There is a reason why 47 million Americans are uninsured. It's because they cannot afford the rates that the insurance companies charge. There is a reason why 50 million Americans are underinsured. It's because the copays and the deductibles are so high they're driving people to the poorhouse. This is not just simply a matter of the health of our Nation and the health of our people, it's a matter of our economy and the economic well-being of the American family.

Congress rightfully should be debating a single payer plan right now, which shuts the insurance companies out of this grab that they've had here for years, but we're not going to do that. The best we can do and the least we can do is at least have a public option so that people have some faith that there is some bargaining agent in there to knock down the cost of insurance.

It's time we stood up for the American people and challenge these insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. I join my colleagues in celebrating the amazing life and accomplishments of Mahatma Gandhi. Through his fearless leadership in promoting civil rights and justice for the people of India, he demonstrated the power of non-violent civil disobedience to effect change. He has contributed immeasurably to the legacy of peace.

While I wholeheartedly support this resolution, the best way for this body to recognize Gandhi's accomplishments is to stop funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Stability in Iraq and Afghanistan cannot be achieved as long as war and occupation are the tools with which we purport to build peace. When the U.S. kills innocent civilians and destroys families, homes and communities, the results often incite fear and rage. After more than 8 years of war in Afghanistan and more than 6 years of war in Iraq it is clear that lasting peace and stability cannot emerge from such beginnings.

Rather, stability is best fomented through the seeds of peace such as upholding human rights, promoting social and economic justice, and ensuring education, employment and access to basic goods and services. Regrettably, the billions of dollars of funding that this body has dedicated to the wars have devastated Iraq and Afghanistan. If this body wants to see peace and stability in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. must stop engaging in policies of aggression.

I strongly support this bill, the powerful accomplishments of the great Mahatma Gandhi, and urge my colleagues to honor his vision.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this important resolution. Tropical Storm Katsana caused horrible suffering to the people of the Philippines and wreaked havoc on their communities. Just six days later, Typhoon Parma brought additional death and destruction to the region.

I extend my deepest sympathies to those who have lost friends and loved ones in these natural disasters. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

On October 2nd I sent a letter to President Obama regarding the devastation in the Philippines caused by Katsana. I urged swift action to provide aid to the already devastated region especially in light of the proximity of Typhoon Parma.

I would like to submit this letter for the record, as well as a letter from the UN General Assembly in response to my request.

Congress of the United States,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC, October, 2, 2009.

Hon. Barack Obama,

President of the United States,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. President: I write to request your immediate

assistance and intervention in speeding humanitarian aid to

the people of the Philippines who are suffering from the

effects of Tropical Storm Katsana. As you know, Tropical

Storm Katsana hit Manila and rest of the Philippines on

September 26, 2009, causing a disaster.

I have just spoken by teleconference with an Akron, Ohio

businessman, Mathew Freeman, who is currently in Manila. Mr.

Freeman, through the cooperation of Channel 5 in Cleveland,

has shared with me a gripping personal account of the

situation on the ground in Manila: there is no evidence of

any aid reaching the people. Survivors are without shelter,

food and water as another series of storms are quickly

approaching.

I understand that the Department of Defense is providing

assistance with logistics in the region and that today a

relief flight delivered aid for 20,000 affected individuals.

I further understand that the U.S. has committed an

additional $1 million of aid money to the region, which I

applaud. Nevertheless, first hand accounts indicate that

additional efforts to expedite humanitarian aid must be made

and made immediately. The situation is desperate and

countless lives are at risk. As such, I urge you to

accelerate delivery of additional humanitarian aid to the

region.

I appreciate your attention to this urgent matter and look

forward to your timely response.

Sincerely,

Dennis J. Kucinich,

Member of Congress.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of William J. ``Bill'' McCarthy, a U.S. Navy Veteran who was devoted to his family and friends. His leadership and work on behalf of the American laborer continues to strengthen and protect workers' rights throughout the Cleveland community.

Mr. McCarthy was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where he later raised his own family. In 1956, he met and married the late Margaret J. Pawlak. Together they had four children: Marge, Kelly, William and Kevin. Their children, ten grandchildren and great-granddaughter were the most important part of their lives.

Following his honorable discharge from the Navy, Mr. McCarthy began working as a meter reader with East Ohio Gas Company. He quickly ascended the union ranks to become one of the most powerful and effective labor leaders in Cleveland. He represented thousands of workers at East Ohio Gas, and led numerous strikes that won significant concessions in wages, benefits and safety improvements for workers. He was known for never giving up or backing down from what he believed was just and right. Mr. McCarthy's work on labor issues extended throughout Northeast Ohio, where he forged strong bonds with labor leaders, elected officials and workers. He served as Chairman of the AFL-CIO, President of the Ohio Joint Council of the Service Employees International Union, vice-president of Union Eye Care and as a board member with the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance of William J. ``Bill'' McCarthy, who had an unwavering devotion to his family and country, and whose work on behalf of workers' rights will continue to reinforce the labor foundation of the Cleveland community. I extend my heartfelt condolences to Mr. McCarthy's daughters: Marge and Kelly; his sons, William J. Jr. and Kevin; his ten grandchildren; his great-granddaughter; and his sister, Noreen.

Mr. Speaker, for many years, I have advocated for high- level, diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Iran without preconditions. Under the previous administration I was compelled to do so with fervor due to the use of reckless saber rattling that accomplished nothing save for heightened tensions between our two nations.

I opposed this bill because I do not believe that additional economic sanctions at this time support U.S. actions to engage Iran diplomatically. Furthermore, it sends a mixed message: On one hand, the U.S. President wishes to engage in diplomacy. On the other hand, the U.S. Congress is punishing Iran during diplomatic engagement.

During my time in Congress, I have called for the kind of diplomatic dialogue that the U.S. and Iran engaged in for the first time in three decades on October 1st, 2009. These negotiations brought together not just Iran and the U.S. but France, Great Britain, Russia, China and Germany.

The talks proved a successful beginning to reinstating U.S. diplomatic ties with Iran. The two countries now have a foundation from which we can build. This must be nurtured so that mutual understanding and opportunities for collective action can be had on even the most difficult issues such as the Iranian nuclear program, Iraq and the protection of human rights. Additional economic sanctions only serve to threaten further engagement.

I question the wisdom of bringing a sanctions bill before this body when, after 30 years of isolationism and antagonism, the Obama Administration is finally beginning a new path forward with respect to diplomatic engagement to bring Iran into the international community in a way that promotes international security.

In the past, sanctions have had little impact on influencing the behavior and decisions of the Iranian government who have managed to remain insulated from the intended effects of sanctions. Instead it has been the people of Iran who bear the brunt of the impact.

I do not think it is the intention of this body to punish the Iranian people; particularly in light of their bravery following the elections of June 12th. It is clear that the people of Iran desire change and are willing to endure that which is necessary to achieve it through peaceful means. We must support their actions by doing all that we can to ensure their voices are heard rather than passing legislation that is intended to cause further harm to their economy.

Passage of this bill fails to recognize the sensitivity and importance of the dialogue that was begun on October 1st. And it fails to support the bravery of the Iranian people who will be the ones to feel the impact of the legislation. I oppose the legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of Richard C. Shadyac Sr. who served on the Board of Directors and Governors of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC) for more than forty years. Mr. Shadyac had a true passion and devotion to the children and families that fight catastrophic pediatric diseases at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Mr. Shadyac began his illustrious and influential career as a member of ALSAC and of St. Jude Hospital Boards of Directors and Governors in 1963. He also served as ALSAC's general counsel. In 1992, after the passing of Danny Thomas, the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Mr. Shadyac became the CEO of ALSAC. Upon taking on his new leadership role, Mr. Shadyac worked tirelessly to continue the legacy and dream of his friend, Danny Thomas who said, ``No child should die in the dawn of life.'' Mr. Shadyac served as the CEO until his retirement in 2005.

During the 13 years he led ALSAC, public funding for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital quadrupled. By 2005, ALSAC had become the third largest health-care charity in the U.S. and is currently the second largest. During Mr. Shadyac's tenure, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital was also able to undergo a $1 billion expansion that strengthened the hospital's capacity to focus on patient and family care and to conduct research for children with catastrophic diseases. His compassion and dedication to provide free care for the children and families who seek treatment was immeasurable and the driving force of his work.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in remembrance of Richard Shadyac Sr. who spent years of his life working on behalf of the countless sick and struggling children who come to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to fight, treat and care for what are often life threatening illnesses. It is clear that without his dedication and hard work, the triumphs in research, treatment and patient and family care that the hospital provides would not be possible. Mr. Shadyac will be missed by those whose lives were in some way touched by him.

Madam Speaker, I have been a strong supporter of the friendship between the people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the United States, and I have supported efforts to strengthen the bonds between the countries as well as efforts that address our mutual security interests.

The current economic situation is the primary challenge to achieving these mutual goals.

Unfortunately, the economy of Pakistan is under considerable stress right now. The value of the rupee is at a historical low relative to the dollar, and international reserves have declined by $7 billion-- more than half--in one year's time.

Additionally, the current inflation rate is 25 percent and consumer prices are the highest they have been in over 30 years.

The U.S. wishes to disrupt and dismantle the existence of terrorist safe havens in Pakistan to bring stability and peace to the region.

As such, it is important to examine the root cause of terrorism, desperation. This desperation is best addressed by ensuring that U.S. foreign policy promotes worldwide economic stability.

We must lay the foundation of human security and capacity building which includes ensuring educational opportunities, economic and social justice, and physical and mental health care for everyone.

As such, I have not supported the current plans by the Administration to provide military training and defense articles to Pakistan.

The foundation of a peaceful society is rooted not in military might, but by ensuring that people's basic needs are met. This is the key component to achieve human security. In Pakistan, where approximately two-thirds of the people of Pakistan are living on less than $2 a day, there is much that must be done to ensure that this key component to human security is achieved.

Additionally, I have vociferously opposed U.S. drone attacks on Pakistan. These attacks cause devastation to the innocent civilian population. I understand the opposition to the drone attacks by the government of Pakistan. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to address this issue and pursue a dialog with Special Envoy Holbrook.

Some have proposed establishing free trade agreements with Pakistan. The current U.S. model for free trade is flawed. For example, labor and environmental protections are inadequate. With the current lack of stability in Pakistan it is difficult to imagine that these protections could be assured.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Patrol Officer James Simone, a Cleveland Division of Police officer, who is one of just 12 officers to have been honored at the 2009 Police Service Awards.

Officer Simone was born on Cleveland's Eastside and attended St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary School. His family later moved to Lakewood, Ohio in 1966 where Officer Simone graduated from Lakewood High School. In 1968 Officer Simone joined the U.S. Military's 101st Airborne Paratrooper unit during the Vietnam War and received two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars for his service. After returning to Cleveland, Officer Simone became an officer for the Cleveland Police Department at the age of 25.

Officer Simone has now served the residents of Cleveland, Ohio as a police officer for 36 years in the capacity of a homicide detective, member of the SWAT team, undercover agent and currently serves as a patrolman for Cleveland's second district. Throughout his career, Officer Simone has been shot, stabbed and run over numerous times, and despite it all, he continues to serve as a dedicated officer.

While it is not the first award for the decorated Officer Simone, it is his heroic actions on January 10th, 2009 that has earned Officer Simone the honor of being named one of America's Top Police Officers this month. On that night, a woman fell through the ice-covered Cuyahoga River and was unable to get out of the freezing water. Officer Simone arrived at the scene and when a life-preserver failed as a rescuing device, he risked his life and jumped into the water to save the victim. Both the woman and Officer Simone suffered from hypothermia but survived because of his selfless and heroic decision.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor of Patrol Officer James Simone who has been the awarded an honorable mention in the 2009 Police Service Awards. While his heroic actions on January 10th, 2009 have earned him this honor, the residents of Cleveland have been awarded with Officer Simone's 35 years of dedicated service.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts and express appreciation for his leadership. I seldom find myself in disagreement with the gentleman from Massachusetts, but I want to take exception to this particular legislation.

In 1996, Congress passed the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act, which sanctioned foreign investment in Iran's energy sector. There are those who have said that there was not that much accomplished from that particular sanction act, and there are those who are saying now that if we move forward with sanctions, that it will be actually undermining the business interests of people on the Security Council that the United States needs to work with to try to bring Iran into the international community in a way that promotes international security, and that would be China and Russia.

The fact is that U.S. policy towards Iran for the last three decades has consisted of pressure primarily in economic sanctions, threats, and isolationism.

While U.S. economic sanctions have hurt Iran's economy, U.S. policy over the last 30 years has not created any meaningful change in the behavior of the Iranian Government. On October

1st, there was a change. For the first time in the recent past, high level delegations from Iran and the U.S. and other industrialized nations sat down to diplomatic talks. There was significant progress.

Among the steps forward was an agreement by Iran to allow access by the International Atomic Energy Agency to the recently revealed planned enrichment facility. Yet, with signs of progress in these highly sensitive talks, we're proposing to set the stage to punish Iran. I think we should be doing everything we can to ensure that diplomacy and that President Obama's efforts here succeed.

I think when we talk about sanctions, we're saying sanctions before the talks, sanctions before any hope for agreements. I don't think the sanctions are going to help with the talks. I don't think sanctions are going to assist us in our efforts to try to bring Iran into a new position in the world community.

I reluctantly oppose this bill, and I'm hopeful that our nuclear posture review will come to an understanding that the United States cannot be in a position of picking nuclear winners and losers. Ultimately, we are going to have to get everyone involved in nuclear abolition.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 2647. Throughout my time in Congress I have been a champion for human rights. My opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and by extension, the inclusion of an authorization for an additional $130 billion to fund these wars, is in part predicated on an understanding that war violates the human rights of the affected populations.

The war and occupation in Iraq has taken the lives of over one million people. Thousands more innocent lives have been lost due to military operations in Afghanistan. These lives are often referred to as ``collateral damage.'' But in reality these lives represent innocent children, mothers, sisters, brothers, and fathers, among others, that were killed because a war and occupation has been imposed on them. Military operations have caused their homes to be invaded, their communities to be bombed and their resources, including food and water, to be increasingly scarce.

Unemployment in both Iraq and Afghanistan is devastatingly high; access to humanitarian aid is limited; medical care and education are difficult to obtain or completely unavailable. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have clearly violated the human rights of the civilian populations in which they are being waged.

The people of Afghanistan are suffering horribly from 8 years of war. During that time the Afghan central government has become increasingly corrupt and has failed to meet the needs of the Afghan people. Iraq has been decimated during more than six years of war and occupation. The people of Iraq continue to wonder when the killing of the innocent will be enough to satisfy the U.S. and question when the U.S. will end the occupation of their country.

The majority of the Iraqi and Afghan people are not extremists or insurgents, but they are the victims of the global war on terror whose daily lives now entail little more than struggling to feed their families and survive the violence of the war. Furthermore, the war in Iraq was based on false intelligence and an inaccurate, government sponsored, propaganda campaign.

I ask this body: Where is our dedication to the human rights of the innocent people around the world who will be killed, maimed or displaced by the bombs, weapons and death machines that this bill funds?

As a staunch supporter of human rights I have consistently supported, voted in favor of, and advocated for passage of hate crimes legislation. I am fully committed to ensuring that the human rights of all individuals are protected. Therefore, I believe that passage of hate crimes legislation is essential to ensuring strong human rights protections for the victims of violent crimes that are perpetrated based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability of the victim.

But there is a deep-seated irony in including a human rights provision in a funding bill that will inevitably ensure the continuation of human rights violations in parts of the world. I believe that, as a Nation and a part of the global community, we cannot fully ensure the protection of our own human rights here in the United States without being equally diligent in ensuring the human rights of our global society. I cannot trade the human rights of some for the human rights of others.

Thank you, Mr. Weiner, and I want to thank Mr. Poe, Mr. King, and Mr. Kingston for their support, as well as Ranking Member Smith, along with Chairwoman Lofgren and Chairman Conyers for their thoughtful consideration and support to ensure floor consideration of this bill.

As a sponsor of H.J. Res. 26, legislation to grant honorary citizenship to Casimir Pulaski posthumously, I rise in strong support and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill. I also wish to extend my deep gratitude to the Polish community leaders in Cleveland, Ohio, who have long championed this cause. In Cleveland this includes John Borkowski, who's the president of the Polish American Congress; Mitchell Bienia, vice president of the Polish American Congress; and Francis Rutkowski, also vice president of the Polish American Congress.

Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski was a hero of the American Revolution.

Casimir Pulaski left his native Poland and fought on the side of the colonists against the British in the American Revolution. Although Pulaski met his untimely death on the battlefield in Savannah, Georgia, in 1779, consideration of this bill in his honor is timely because October 11, 2009, will mark the 230th anniversary of Pulaski's last breath.

Indeed, after bravely fighting at Brandywine and ejecting the British occupiers from Charleston, among other battles, General Pulaski was mortally wounded in Savannah, Georgia, and was taken aboard the American ship, USS Wasp, where he died at sea on October 11, 1779.

Casimir Pulaski's courageous charge in this engagement averted a disastrous defeat of the American Cavalry and is credited with saving the life of George Washington. On September 15, 1777, George Washington bestowed the rank of brigadier general on Pulaski, who organized a legion of cavalry known as the Pulaski legion.

Brigadier General Pulaski was a dedicated freedom fighter who's credited with being the Father of the American Cavalry. He famously said: ``I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it.''

His actions speak to the strong bonds that have historically existed between the people of the United States and the

people of Poland. They are also a reminder of the important contributions of Polish Americans to our Nation and communities.

This legislation is supported by the Polish Legion of American Veterans, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., and the Polish American Congress.

It is my sincere hope that Brigadier General Pulaski will not have to wait any longer before he is bestowed with this honorary citizenship he so deserves for his sincere commitment and ultimate sacrifice for freedom for the people of the United States of America. With passage of this legislation, this body will ensure that General Pulaski is one step closer to receiving the honor and appreciation he deserves.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation granting honorary citizenship to Casimir Pulaski posthumously.

The recent economic report indicates that unemployment is approaching 10 percent. That means that close to 15 million Americans officially are out of work, but tens of millions more are underemployed. We have a Nation that is yearning for a major jobs program. We have to go beyond the weak stimulus that spent a hundred billion--seems like a lot of money--but $100 billion for capital improvements, when the fact of the matter is we have close to $3 trillion in infrastructure needs.

If we can match the unemployment in the country with infrastructure needs, we can go back to what FDR did in the 1930s, which is to create a new WPA that puts millions of Americans back to work, restoring our economy and giving people a chance to restore their own lives.

It's time for a new WPA program. Let's put America back to work. Let's address this unemployment crisis directly.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mort Weisberg, recipient of the Jewish National Fund's Tree of Life Award.

The Tree of Life Award is one of the Jewish National Fund's highest honors; a humanitarian award given in recognition of outstanding community involvement, leadership and service. Furthermore, the award is a symbol of a strong and improved Israel and allegiance to American- Israeli friendship.

Mr. Weisberg is the president and chief executive of Multi-Care Management, a nursing home operator, in the Greater Cleveland area. In addition to running a successful care-taking facility, Mort is the chairman of the Ohio Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators. His active and generous participation in numerous Cleveland area charities further exhibits his commitment to the community.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor of Mort Weisberg for being presented the Tree of Life Award by the Jewish National Fund. I offer my congratulations to Mort as he is recognized for his service to the communities of Cleveland and dedication to a strong American-Israeli relationship.