Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, today I wish to recognize and honor a devoted friend and dedicated public servant, George Hampton, who retires from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey--or UMDNJ--on March 30th of this year.

George Hampton was born and raised in Newark and rose from a humble beginning to earn a degree in Urban Planning from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and--through peaceful but assertive protest efforts, help gain a foothold for generations to come for minority populations and helped diversify Rutgers' Newark Campus faculty. Later he even joined the faculty as an adjunct professor.

Mr. Hampton would go on to serve the city of Newark in several administrative positions, become a consultant to the Greater Newark Urban Coalition and as executive assistant to the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; and serve as the President of the Regional Health Planning Newark Sub-area Council, as Board Chairman of Newark Emergency Services for Families, and as Board Chairman of the Newark Collaboration Group.

As Vice President of UMDNJ, Mr. Hampton has fulfilled a statewide responsibility for implementing the University's community service mission and extending UMDNJ's services to the community in the urban centers that serve as host to the University's several campuses in New Jersey. He has successfully directed the University's efforts to make a positive community impact throughout the state.

Madam Speaker, I invite my colleagues here in the U.S. House of Representatives to

join me in honoring George Hampton. I am proud to have had him in my Congressional district and wish him never-ending success in his future endeavors.

Thank you, George Hampton, for your decades of dedicated service to the community.

Madam Speaker, yesterday we lost a devoted colleague and friend, Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald.

Congresswoman Millender-McDonald was a dedicated public servant who worked tirelessly on behalf of her constituents in the 37th Congressional District of California. As we know, prior to her coming to Congress, she made a name for herself as the first African American woman to serve on the City Council in Carson City and the chairwoman of two powerful committees, Insurance and Revenue.

But many people don't know that in recognition of women who served our country in uniform during wartime, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald initiated the first annual Memorial Day Tribute to Women in the Military at the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. And she led the fight to secure $15 million for the maintenance of the memorial. She also secured $50 million for counseling services for our returning men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bold initiatives have been her trademark. In 2005, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald, along with other CBC members, unveiled a portrait of Joseph Rainey, the first African-American to be seated in Congress. She was very proud of that because she contacted members of his family who are alive today, and there was a tremendous celebration.

Internationally, she spoke out against genocide in Cambodia and Darfur and other regions of the world where human rights are in danger. She worked with former Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Ambassador John Miller on human trafficking and women's rights issues globally.

She reminds me of a poem I learned as a youngster in elementary school, actually; but it is appropriate because her memory will live on. The poem is called, ``The Arrow and a Song.'' It said:

``I shot an arrow into the air, it fell to Earth I know not where. For so swiftly it flew, my sight could not follow it in its flight.

``I sang a song into the air, it fell to Earth I know not where. For who has sight so keen and strong that can follow the flight of a song? But long, long afterwards in an oak I found the arrow still unbroke. And the song, from beginning to end, I found again in the heart of a friend.''

And so I say that to say that what Juanita did will live on. Her work for the persons who worked in the Library of Congress who were minorities and women who were being terminated, and we felt unfairly, she took on that responsibility to fight to see that those women, primarily, would be placed in other positions.

She worked hard, and the dignity and the beauty and her perfection were certainly noticed. And I can tell you, the women talk about the grace that she had. Well, let me make it clear that the men also noticed that grace and that beauty and that charm. And so we will remember her as she moves on up that highway.

Mr. Speaker, the new Democratic Congress has made good on its promise to change the direction of the war in Iraq while providing critical funding for our veterans and our wounded soldiers. Yet, the President is still threatening to veto a final conference report when it comes out of this Congress.

Why would the President veto a bill that requires Iraqis to take control of their country by meeting key security, political and economic benchmarks the President himself established?

Why would he veto a bill that provides greater protections for our troops and our veterans than what was originally requested by the President?

The supplemental provides 1.7 billion more for military health care, which includes facility upgrades at Walter Reed and other hospitals that require renovation. We also provide an additional $1.7 billion for veterans health care to ensure that they have access to quality care. The veterans I have met with from New Jersey have told me that this is one of their top priorities.

I have been opposed to the preemptive war in Iraq from the beginning because the administration has failed to explore diplomatic solutions. And therefore the stay-the-course strategy is wrong. And I hope that the President will sign and not veto this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleagues in expressing my deep condolences to the families of Virginia Tech University.

Let me begin by commending Representative Bobby Scott for introducing this very important resolution. As you know, Representative Scott is a member of the Education and Workforce Committee and has shown a tremendous interest in young people throughout his State and the Nation, and this exemplifies the deep concern that he has for all of our children.

Let me commend the Virginia delegation for its coming together and uniting with the Governor of the State of Virginia with the State legislators, with the students to see about a way that healing can start. To the families and friends of the 32 victims, to the students, to the faculty and the staff, to the alumni of Virginia Tech, we express our condolences.

As a member of the Education and Workforce Committee, we are deeply concerned about the future of our Nation. We are concerned about our young people whether they are in preschool, in elementary or secondary education, whether they are in the institutions of higher education. And we continually learn, and we have to continually change as Toffler said in his book, ``Future Shock,'' 20 or 30 years ago, that if institutions and agencies do not change internally with the same rate of change externally, then those institutions or agencies become obsolete. And this is, again, another example of how we have to rethink how we operate. New Jersey had 4 students of the 32 who perished in this senseless act, and so our hearts are heavy, also.

I think that we have to see how we can assist. Those of us in New Jersey heard little about Virginia Tech 20, 30 years ago until they became a part of the Big East, and then we did hear about Virginia Tech because they had overwhelming sports teams, they had such tremendous student support. It is a great institution. And we know that they left the Big East for the ACC, but we have fond memories of our competitive competition.

I am a Seton Hall graduate, so we were competing many times.

But I think that we have to use this example to see how we can heal. I think that we need to take this tragedy and see how we can better identify students who have problems, students who go to elite schools, who are lonely, students that have situations that need to be dealt with.

We have in our inner cities many young people who don't have the opportunity to go to higher learning. We need to really, I think, as a former national president of the YMCAs of the United States, I think we need to focus more of our attention on the young people. A Nation that loses its young is losing a part of its future. We need to really spend more time on our young so that we develop them, so that we can nurture them, so that we can be sure that our country can be all that it can be as we move through this new millennium.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 300) commending the achievements of the Rutgers University women's basketball team and applauding the character and integrity of their student-athletes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members may have 5 legislative days during which Members may insert material relevant to H.R. 300 into the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, as a representative from New Jersey, I am pleased to rise here in the United States House of Representatives to praise the remarkable young women of Rutgers University, the Rutgers women's basketball team, the Scarlet Knights, and their inspiration, Coach C. Vivian Stringer. They are true champions, not only for their academic and athletic achievement, but for the dignity, strength and class they have shown during this ordeal.

These 10 young women overcame disappointing losses early in the season to advance amazingly to the Final Four. They lost four out of their first seven games. But around the Nation, fans watched as the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, who lost four of their first seven games, defeated Duke's Blue Devils in the last seconds in an exciting 53-52 upset, the same team that had lost to Duke by 20 points earlier in the season. This victory followed a lopsided defeat of the very strong LSU women's team by a 59-35 score.

When the ugly incident with Don Imus on his morning show cast a shadow over their success, these young women showed what they are made of. In standing up for themselves and their school, they also made a stand on behalf of all young women who insist on being treated with respect and refused to be insulted, as Don Imus did to them, and stereotyped, as he used these disparaging words to describe these wonderful young women.

Don Imus and those of his ilk vastly underestimated New Jersey's strong and proud Scarlet Knights. He underestimated the pride we in New Jersey feel in the remarkable women of this remarkable team. As a matter of fact, during the 13 original States, New Jersey had a theme, and it just said: Do not tread on us. And that meant we are a proud, small State, but do not mess with us. Don Imus did not know the history of New Jersey.

Don Imus may have had a microphone, but he was no match for these young women and their coach who so eloquently spoke up for what is right and what is fair. I am so proud that through their action they were able to persuade two major networks, MSNBC and CBS, as well as numerous advertisers that the days of using the public airwaves to ridicule and debase anyone they choose are over. He did not realize that these women, as I said, at that initial press conference, that they had, with the 10 of them, all underclass persons, dressed in their uniforms, sitting up proud, people who will be future

lawyers and musicians, all top students. As they spoke, as they introduced themselves, it was just a joy, and so Don Imus really did a favor to these young women because it gave America a chance to put a face with a name, to listen to what he said and what he called them and to see just the quality of these young people.

Let me add that it is time that the Federal Communications Commission start doing its job by halting the use of racial and gender slurs over the public airwaves. As long as there is weak enforcement, there will continue to be hate language used by the so-called shock jocks.

As a matter of fact, there was a great outcry when at the Super Bowl there was an indecent of exposure, and there were fines levied because there was some equipment failure, and therefore, there was an outrage of indecency.

However, it is allowed for people to say whatever they want to say. As a matter of fact, in countries, radio has been used to foster hate. As in Rwanda, it was hate radio, Radio Colline, that went on to say, let us get this genocide going; you know what those people look like, go and get them. And it was the radio that pushed this, and so we have to be careful about what we allow to happen on the airwaves. History has shown us that words matter, and when society accepts ugly language, ugly incidents will follow.

I call on the networks to examine their record of hiring minorities for top on-air and executive positions so that African Americans are fairly represented in the media. One reason that the networks made the decision to discontinue the Imus show was that the network employees let the management know how disturbed and offended and embarrassed they were to work for that company. That was the overriding factor, and then the sponsors said that they would withdraw their sponsorship.

And so we will not allow these demeaning commentaries to continue. I once again applaud those young women and their fine coach from the Scarlet Knights at Rutgers University.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey, from the Sixth District (Mr. Pallone) whose district is the New Brunswick Rutgers. Newark Rutgers is in my district, and I know Camden Rutgers is in your district, Mr. Speaker. So we yield to the gentleman.

Does the gentleman from California have any further speakers?

We have no additional speakers.

Let me conclude by thanking the gentleman from California and thanking my colleague from New Jersey. We commend the young Scarlet Knights for the outstanding job that they did.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H. Con. Res. 100, and commend Mr. Lantos and the ranking member for this H. Con. Res. 100, condemning the violence and the violent action taken against the peaceful opposition party activists and members of civil society in Zimbabwe just a few months ago, last month in March.

Zimbabwe has faced a number of political and economic challenges over the past 7 years. Every time I begin to believe that the situation in Zimbabwe has calmed down, something happens which reminds me of how volatile the situation really is.

The March 11 crackdown on people who were gathering at a prayer meeting was a disturbing display of violence. Two people were killed. The leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, Morgan Tsvangari, and other members of the MDC were tortured while in police custody.

Two women were beaten so severely they needed specialized medical care that was only available in South Africa. One of them, Sekai Holland, had her leg broken in three places, her knee broken and her arm and three ribs broken. I cannot understand what possessed security forces to beat a 64-year-old woman so brutally.

And according to the people in Zimbabwe, abductions and killings continue. However, there are encouraging developments. What is most encouraging is that the regional leaders in Southern Africa have spoken out publicly. As recently mentioned, the President of Zambia has likened Zimbabwe to the Titanic, a sinking ship. Officials at the South African Department of Foreign Affairs expressed concern about the situation as well.

The leaders of Southern Africa's Development Community held a meeting of extraordinary heads of state in Tanzania in the wake of violence and asked South African President Thabo Mbeki to help resolve the situation.

This is an important step, and we should support SADC's effort. It is imperative that Congress do all we can to ensure that human rights and the rule of law are respected in Zimbabwe across the political spectrum.

As Mr. Lantos mentioned, Zimbabwe had great promise. When the struggle to end white rule of Ian Smith was led by Mr. Nkhomo and Mr. Mugabe, the ZANU and ZAPO leaders, they finally were able to break the stranglehold of Ian Smith's government. And education was the order of the day, and the Zimbabweans went ahead to build a country.

But something happened in the meantime, and the move from multi- partyism to single-party system, and Mr. Mugabe taking all of the power, that was a move in the wrong direction. And so we have seen multi-partyism come back again. But this brutal behavior of the security forces must end.

In conclusion, I think that we should take a look at the Lancaster House Accords because this was an agreement between Zimbabwe and Great Britain where there would be willing seller-willing buyer purchase of the land that was in the hands of the very small minority of the white Rhodesians.

And there has to be a program of some land distribution. However, the way that Mr. Mugabe has been doing it, as Mr. Lantos mentioned, in the past there was an attempt to assist Zimbabwe to see if we could help in that process, but we were denied.

So I just ask my colleagues if they would support this resolution, and, hopefully, Mr. Mugabe and the people of Zimbabwe will finally see the light.

Mr. Speaker, I was only going to speak about our Rutgers women, but I do want to also add my voice to the condolences for the Virginia Tech students. Out of the number of students who were killed, four students came from my State of New Jersey. So our hearts are heavy for all of the families, but especially for our four New Jersey students.

I also want to add my congratulations to Congresswoman Woolsey for being the persistent voice against the war. Day in and day out she has brought this to our attention, and I think much of what we see today in the movement against the war can directly be attributed to her tenacity.

I want to also commend Speaker Pelosi for the groundbreaking trip she took to Syria. I think that the dignity and the knowledge and the respect that were shown to her will begin to break the ground, and I hope that she continues to do that.

Mr. Speaker, as a Representative from New Jersey, I am pleased to rise here in the United States House of Representatives to praise the young women of the Rutgers basketball team, the Scarlet Knights, and their inspirational coach, C. Vivian Stringer. They are true champions not only for their academic and athletic achievements, but for the dignity, for the strength, for the class they have shown during this ordeal.

These 10 women overcame disappointing early losses in the season to advance, amazingly, to the Final Four. Around the Nation fans watched as the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, who had lost four of their first seven games, defeated Duke's Blue Devils in an exciting 53-52 upset victory. This was after a lopsided 59-35 victory over LSU.

When the ugly incident with Don Imus cast a shadow over their success, these young women showed what they were made of. In standing up for themselves and their school and for New Jersey, they also took a stand on behalf of all young women who insist on being treated with respect and refuse to be insulted and stereotyped.

Don Imus and those of his ilk vastly underestimated New Jersey's strong and proud Scarlet Knights. He underestimated the pride we feel in New Jersey about our remarkable women on that team. As a matter of fact, during the founding of the Nation, New Jersey had a theme: ``Don't tread on us.'' Don Imus may have had a microphone, but he was no match for these young women and their coach, who so eloquently spoke up for what is right and fair. I am so proud that through their actions they were able to persuade two major networks, MSNBC and CBS, as well as numerous advertisers, that the days of using public airways to ridicule and debase anyone they choose are over.

Let me add that it is time that the FCC start doing its job by halting the use of racial and gender slurs over the public airways. As long there is weak enforcement, there will continue to be hate language used by the so-called ``shock jocks.'' In Rwanda it was the radio that urged people to kill and to go. It is hate radio that can create problems, serious problems, as we have seen, like I said, in Rwanda.

History has shown us that words matter, and once society accepts ugly language, ugly incidents will follow. We see the indecent exposure at the Super Bowl, where a tremendous amount of attention was paid. However, we let a Don Imus go on year in, year out, year in, year out, and many others. Something is wrong with that picture.

I call on the networks to examine their record of hiring minorities for top on-the-air and executive positions so that African Americans are fairly represented in the media. One reason that the networks made the decision to discontinue the Don Imus show was that the network employees let the management know how disturbed and embarrassed and offended they were by these demeaning commentaries and that they were a part of that institution, and that was the overriding factor. However, it was Rosa Parks, who 50 years ago decided that she would not sit at the back of the bus, and the people from Montgomery walked for a year, 2 years, and broke the back of the bus company. It was once again the economics that had a play in this 50 years later that people said that if you continue to advertise on that station, we will not use your product. So I am proud of the American people.

Finally, let me say that once again I am proud of these young women, one from my district in Newark, New Jersey, from the high school Shabazz that I taught at.

Madam Speaker, over the past year, the Iraqi Government has made countless promises to the Bush administration, but they have yet to live up to them. Military generals and experts have already concluded that there is no military solution to the civil war, and that the only way to cut down on violence there is through political and diplomatic channels.

While President Bush addressed the Nation to announce his troop escalation plan, he promised America, and I quote, ``America will hold the Iraqi Government to the benchmarks it has announced.'' A newly released Pentagon report concludes that the Iraqi Government is still not living up to the promises it made last year. The Iraqi Prime Minister vowed to reform his government, beginning with his cabinet and his ministers, but the Pentagon report says that not one of these steps has been taken.

It is time for Congress finally to hold the Iraqi Government accountable. If the Prime Minister is not committed to following through on his promises he made to our President, then it is only fair for us to reevaluate our commitment to them. The day of an open-ended war is over.

Let me begin by thanking the gentleman from New York for this Special Order and bringing to the American people the very important issue that stands before us. And I would like to commend the Out of Iraq Caucus, but primarily the three women from California, Congresswoman Woolsey, Congresswoman Lee, and Congresswoman Waters, who have kept this particular issue alive, have continued to work with us to shape a policy or keep the conscience of America focused on this situation, a situation that we gave preemptive strike authority to the President of United States, which all of us opposed, when they said there were weapons of mass destruction; and when none were found, said, well, it was regime change was the final one.

But today, we mark the fourth anniversary of the occupation in Iraq. Ironically, it was almost 4 years ago on May 1, 2003, that President Bush deemed the operation in Iraq as ``mission accomplished,'' affirming an end to the major combat in Iraq. As you may recall, he flew in a military plane on an aircraft carrier with a big sign and a brilliant smile on his face, ``Mission Accomplished.''

By that time, approximately 175 Americans had lost their lives in combat. Too many, but 175. Yet 3,197 lives later, American lives later, the war continues; 3,197 more from the pronouncement of ``mission accomplished.'' Included in this number are 50 fatalities from my home State of New Jersey.

This weekend, thousands of protesters took to the streets to demand an end to the war in Iraq. As an early and staunch opponent to this war, I have watched every single prediction made by this administration. They have boldly said what they predicted, and every time the prediction was wrong: from the duration of the war, wrong; the reception we would receive, wrong; the costs, wrong; the number of casualties, wrong; the existence of weapons of mass destruction, wrong. This administration has proven itself wrong, wrong, wrong. The countless number of Americans and Iraqis who have lost their lives is sad.

The administration should listen to the Baker-Hamilton Commission, which has offered a stinging assessment of virtually every aspect of the U.S. venture in Iraq and calls for a reshaping of the American presence and a new Middle East democracy initiative to prevent the country from slipping into anarchy.

There is a great sense of sadness among those of us who foresaw over 4 years ago the tragedy that is now unfolding in Iraq. The war that many assumed would be swift and certain now continues to rage, but I urge my fellow colleagues to take this day and all of the days forward to push for a change, beginning with an orderly withdrawal of American forces from Iraq. This approach will send a message to Iraqis that they must take more responsibility for their own security and would reduce the strain on our military forces. For that, we will not need a surge to the war to continue and continue surge after surge.

I thank you very much for the time.

Mr. Speaker, after weeks of denial from both the White House and the Department of Justice that politics played no part in the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys, the Attorney General finally admitted yesterday that there is more to the story.

It was an embarrassing and disturbing set of e-mails between the White House's political operatives and Gonzales's chief of staff that clearly revealed that there were political concerns involved in the political purge, or firing. The chief of staff resigned after e-mails were released to the New York Times and the Washington Post, but questions still remain unanswered.

What about those at the top? Is it plausible that the Attorney General was unaware of the actions of his own chief of staff? When is the President going to hold members of his Cabinet accountable for misdeeds and mistakes?

The Attorney General's office is supposed to be above politics. An independent judiciary is one of the hallmarks of this great democracy which we, as Americans, promote around the world. There is simply no place for politics at the Justice Department. But sadly, it appears that the Justice Department has become a pawn of the Republican Party.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and achievements of a fallen Newark police officer whose tragic loss in the line of duty is mourned by his family, friends, fellow law enforcement officers, and our entire community. Sergeant Tommaso Popolizio died in the early morning hours of Saturday, March 3, 2007, at the age of 33, while working to keep our streets safe. He leaves behind his wife, four children, father and five siblings.

Sergeant Popolizio, born and raised in Newark, dedicated his life to the city where he and his family put down roots. His parents, Nicola and Sarah, immigrated to the United States in the late 1960s from Italy and settled in the North Ward of Newark, New Jersey, my home city. The youngest of seven children, Sergeant Popolizio attended my alma mater, Barringer High School and went on to study at Rutgers University, Newark. He joined the Newark police force in 1995, the first of three brothers to do so.

Sergeant Popolizio once said, ``I try to do as much as I can every day that I go out there.'' Committed to bettering our city, Sergeant Popolizio, the consummate police officer, always rose to the occasion whether on or off duty. Noted for his bravery and dedication, Sergeant Popolizio protected our city streets and saved a number of lives. Upon first joining the police force, he was fired upon during a chase to apprehend dangerous suspects. In 1999, Sergeant Popolizio and another officer rushed into a burning building and rescued three children. Chalking up such instances of bravery to ``all in a day's work,'' Popolizio never sought recognition, never shrank from duty, and always gave one-hundred percent to his job. It is therefore no surprise that someone with such heart and tenacity as Sergeant Popolizio was bestowed with honors and rose up the ranks of the Newark Police Department. As an East District supervisor, Sergeant Popolizio was known for his positive influence in leading by example.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues here in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in honoring Sergeant Tommaso Popolizio, who died as he lived his life--selflessly and with integrity. I am honored to have had him represent my home city and I know my colleagues join me in extending our deepest sympathy to the family of one of Newark's fallen heroes.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 98) honoring the life and achievements of the late Dr. John Garang de Mabior and reaffirming the continued commitment of the House of Representatives to a just and lasting peace in the Republic of the Sudan, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in strong support of House Resolution 98.

Let me begin by thanking Chairman Lantos for his leadership in the Foreign Affairs Committee, which allowed our resolution to come through the committee, and our ranking member. And I would like to also give special acknowledgment to Congressman Frank Wolf, who for many, many years, even preceding my entrance to Congress, was working on issues dealing with the problem in Sudan. And he worked very closely with the late Dr. John Garang de Mabior to help bring about peace in southern Sudan.

Madam Speaker, H. Res. 98 honors the life and achievements of Dr. John Garang de Mabior and reaffirms the continued commitment of the House of Representatives to a just and lasting peace in Sudan. The resolution honors the life and achievements of Dr. Garang; reaffirms its commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Republic of Sudan; calls for the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement without delay; strongly urges the people of southern Sudan and its leaders to continue to support Dr. Garang's vision for a new Sudan; and strongly supports the creation of a Dr. John Garang de Mabior Institute for Agriculture, Peace, and Economic Development in southern Sudan.

Dr. Garang had a vision for a new Sudan, a Sudan which is multicultural, multi-ethnic, and peaceful. He fought for 21 years as the leader of the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/Army to achieve a just peace for his people but only served 21 days as the first Vice President of Sudan before being killed in a tragic and mysterious helicopter crash on July 30, 2005, in his region of south Sudan where he was to be sworn in as President.

Dr. John, as he was affectionately called, was a powerful human being and a symbol of a people's freedom from oppression. Dr. John was born into a poor family of the Dinka ethnic group in the Upper Nile region of Sudan. He was orphaned by the age of 10 but supported by his family members. When the first civil war started in 1962, he was too young to fight and was sent away to school in Tanzania and later came to the U.S. to get his degree and studied at the University of California Berkeley but decided to go back.

The fact is that Dr. Garang was a person that we honor and respected so much, and he will live on in that country. But there was this tragic and mysterious crash on July 30, 2005, which took his life. At the time I was traveling the region in hopes of seeing Dr. Garang in Southern Sudan to discuss the status of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. It was a terribly saddening situation when I received the news of his crash.

Besides leaving behind a wife and five children, he also was mourned by the people of all of Sudan, from east, west, the center, to the north as well as the south. They all saw him as their hope for future peace and justice in Sudan.

Thankfully, the number two member of the SPLM, Dr. Salva Kiir, was installed as the new first vice president of the government of Sudan and President of the government of South Sudan, and we are working to help professionalize the government of Southern Sudan and the SPLA. This is a critical time for real and lasting peace in Sudan.

We must support the government of Southern Sudan in development efforts and arrange for elections in 2 years. We also must ensure that the people of Southern Sudan get the right to self-determination through a referendum in 2011, as provided for in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

I have followed the crisis in Sudan for most of the last 21 years as the Islamic government in Khartoum waged war against the Sudanese People's Liberation Army/Movement and the people of the south. More than 4 million people were displaced from Southern Sudan, and over 2 million people were killed over the course of this 21 year war.

During that time, the National Islamist Front Government, led by Omar el Bashir, committed innumerable brutalities of unimaginable scope against the people of the South and the marginalized areas of Southern Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains. It was the longest running war in Africa until January 9, 2005, when the parties signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

I was in Nairobi for the signing of the CPA and was cautiously hopeful that the long awaited peace in Sudan would work. However, once the north-south conflict reached a point where an agreement was imminent, the government began its attack on the innocent civilians in Darfur. With the help of the Janjaweed, the National Congress Party, formerly the National Islamic Front, had destroyed villages and communities, and maimed, raped, killed and terrorized the people of Darfur.

In the annual Country Report on Human Rights released today, the State Department called Darfur ``the most sobering reality in 2006.'' Over 400,000 are dead; more than 2.5 million displaced.

The people of Sudan have suffered tremendously under the hands of this government which, by the way, came to power in a bloody coup in 1989. This same government harbored Osama bin Laden for 5 years between 1991 and 1996. He plotted several terrorist attacks from there.

However, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement so many people have worked for has not been implemented fully, and the genocide in Darfur is not abating. We must be firm with Khartoum. Khartoum must comply with the CPA. Khartoum must stop the killings in Darfur.

I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this resolution.

I also want to take the opportunity on the floor of the House of Representatives to congratulate Ghana on 50 years of independence from Britain. Today, people from all over Ghana and all over the world and many heads of state are celebrating the first Sub-Saharan country to gain its independence 50 years ago. So the correlation between the new Southern Sudan and what happened 50 years ago in Ghana is very important.

Let us remember that Ghana's first leader, Kwame Nkrumah, had a broad vision of African unity. President Nkrumah did not make a distinction between north and south. He called it one continent. His belief is in one Africa, one of the underpinnings for African unity.

So Africa certainly has a long way to go, but the continent as a whole is more stable today than it was many years ago, and with better governance and use of resources, as well as fairer trade policies by the U.S. and other Western countries, African countries can grow and develop into one of the most important areas in the world.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, recently Ambassador Alexandros Mallias, of the Republic of Greece to the United States, was honored by The Committee for the International Salute to the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. I would like to congratulate Ambassador Mallias for receiving the Martin Luther King Legacy Award for International Service. I would also like to insert into the Record the remarks that Ambassador Mallias made upon receiving this award:

It is with a spirit of humility, in the sense advocated by

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that I receive today the Martin

Luther King Legacy Award for International Service and serve

as Co-Chairman of the committee for the International Salute

to the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., A Man

for All Nations.

His words and his message are timeless. They are an

indelible part of the permanent and indispensable voice of

our conscience. As long as these inequalities and disparities

exist among peoples, nations, and continents, continue to

exist, I have the right to say that there is an unfinished

peace on Earth; there is an unfinished democracy on Earth.

Ultimately, there is an unfinished dream.

My first recollection of Dr. King's powerful words goes

back to my teenage years, living in a democratic and free

society, Greece, in 1964, when he received the Nobel Prize

for Peace. His words, however powerful, seemed unreal, as I

could not conceive the images he painted.

I was a sophomore at the University of Athens, when, on

April 4, 1968, the radio broadcast that Dr. King was

assassinated in Memphis. His words came to me full circle,

and sadly, I could identify with them. My world had changed,

as my country, Greece--the birthplace of democracy--had come

under military dictatorship.

That was part of the greatness of Dr. King. His message

transcended geographic and cultural boundaries. The roar and

ripple of his words stretched across oceans and seas,

mountains and valleys, deserts and savannahs, and spoke to

people like myself who had never met him.

In his Birmingham jail cell he wrote, ``I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment. . . . is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.''

Aeschylus, in Prometheus-bound, describes the cry of Prometheus as follows: ``I knew when I transgressed nor will deny it In helping Man, I brought my troubles on me.''

Sophocles, one of Greece's greatest playwrights, put similar words in the mouth of his reluctant heroine, Antigone, who said: ``I will not obey an unjust law, and if something happens because of it--so be it.'' A few months ago, Francoise, my wife, and I, visited Birmingham. We paid our respects to the struggle for freedom and equal rights enshrined in Birmingham's central square, The Civil Rights Museum, and the churches.

The adoption of the Brunetta C. Hill Elementary School of Birmingham, Alabama, by the Embassy of Greece, is indicative of the very special affinities Greeks feel for what Birmingham represents. Today, speaking from this tribune, I very humbly wish to dedicate my remarks to this school, its students, teachers, and administration. Furthermore, very few know that AHEPA, the largest and oldest Greek-American association, was founded in 1922 in Atlanta, precisely to defend Greek immigrants from persecution and segregation.

King's words are not only relevant today, but an inspiration and guide for current challenges. In the ancient Greek tradition, an individual must partake in the responsibility and concerns of all society. So does Martin Luther King tell us that, ``An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.''

Dr. King said: ``As long as there is poverty in the world, I can never be rich, even if I have a billion dollars.'' ``As long as disease is rampant, and millions of people around the world cannot expect to live more than 30 years, I can never be totally healthy.'' ``I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the way our world is made. No individual or nation can stand out boasting of being independent. We are interdependent.''

There is a moral obligation transcending continents and borders to stand united and join forces, efforts, and provide the necessary means to make it possible for our children's and grandchildren's generations to live in a better world. We see people dying of hunger. We see people dying of epidemic diseases. We see people killed everyday on religious or ethnic grounds. We see millions of innocent children as the victims of human trafficking, exploited in the most odious form of modem slavery. We see millions of women becoming victims of human trafficking.

I ask myself, where is the wealth of nations? Where is justice? Where are the policies and the measures to remedy the disparities?

Aggregate wealth estimates provided by the World Bank demonstrate that the European countries, along with the United States, and Japan, dominate the top ten wealthiest countries/nations. The ten poorest countries at the global level are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In the twenty-first century, none of us can argue that this same message is no longer applicable. Beginning his last speech, known as ``I've been to the mountaintop,'' on April 3 in Memphis, Dr. King said, ``I would move on by Greece and take my mind to Mount Olympos. And I would see Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides and Aristophanes assembled around the Parthenon. And I would watch them around the Parthenon as they discussed the great and eternal issues of reality, but I wouldn't stop there.'' Politics and policies will remain irrelevant if they continue missing the essence that is Man (anthropos). Only through an anthropo-centric global strategy, can we improve the plight of those in despair, and in need . . .''

Madam Speaker, I invite my colleagues here in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in honoring Alexandros Mallias, whose words exemplify the work of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Madam Speaker, I, too, would certainly like to share my schedule. I have been listening and passing on and was not going to speak, but I heard complaints about work not being done.

I have a 4:00 meeting with the Progressive Caucus.

I have a meeting where we are going to be discussing the Employer Free Choice Act later this afternoon.

We have the National Wildlife Federation that is coming around to talk about their issues.

We then will be talking about the whole question of North Korea which is going on right now in the Foreign Affairs Committee.

The county executive from Hudson County, Mr. Tom DeGise, is coming over to discuss problems of the county.

Later in the afternoon, the president of Monmouth University will be in my office discussing their 2008 agenda.

We will have the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs to talk about peace between the Palestinians and Israelis, something that is extremely important.

I have a meeting scheduled with Ambassador Olhaye, Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps.

I could go on and on. My time has run out, but I have still 8 or 10 or 12 issues to meet on.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York, Representative Ed Towns.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida, Representative Corrine Brown.

(Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky, a member of the Appropriations Committee (Mr. Chandler).

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to mention, logic was mentioned, and I recall in studying logic, with the square of opposition, that you

do not do something over and over again and come out with a different conclusion.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore), a member of the Budget and Financial Services Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that the Iraqis are deciding now to start to defend themselves. I think it is wonderful. I wish it had happened a number of years ago.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5\1/4\ minutes to the gentlewoman from South Dakota, a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, Representative Stephanie Herseth.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me pleasure to yield 5\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Ross), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize the gentleman, a member of the Rules and Agriculture Committees, from California, Representative Dennis Cardoza, for 5 minutes.

I appreciated having the opportunity to control the time in the past several hours, and perhaps might request from the chairman perhaps an additional 2 minutes as I respond and wrap up.

Mr. Speaker, let me say that I listened with great interest to the George Washington story, and there is no question that there were tough times. But George Washington had some pretty intelligent advisers. You know, the people who signed the Declaration of Independence, he had people like Adams and Washington. You had people like Crispus Attucks, the first person to die in the Revolutionary War and in the Boston Massacre on May 4, 1770.

You had people who participated in the Boston Tea Party because they said taxation without representation is tyranny. It was Christmas Eve in Pennsylvania when George Washington came across the Delaware and attacked the Hessian soldiers on Christmas Eve because they were unaware that this attack was coming. George Washington came from New Jersey, Morristown, Newark, and went on through and did have a victory.

But let me say the difference, when George Washington was fighting, there was a clear and present issue. We were fighting for independence. We knew exactly what it was. We were being held bondage by the British, that Union Jack.

But what do we have here? We have, following 9/11, support from practically every country in the world. But then we went on and Osama bin Laden said he did the bombing, he took credit for it, the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the final plane that was brought down on the way to the Capitol and the White House.

Then we said that we were going into Iraq. First of all, it was because there were weapons of mass destruction. Then it was the fact that we had to have a regime change. At one point we talked about we had to remove Saddam Hussein.

We kept looking for reasons, and that is a big difference. We had the preemptive strike, and then we tried to come up with the reason that we were doing it, and it continued to change, one reason after another.

There is a great sense of sadness among those of us who foresaw over 4 years ago the tragedy that is now unfolding in Iraq. On October 8 and 9, 2002, I stood right here in this very well at the House of Representatives, and I managed the time those 2 days in opposition to the preemptive first strike for Iraq. It was in the 107th Congress, and now we are in the 110th Congress, and the war that we assumed would be swift and certain now continues to rage.

I am looking over the remarks I made at that time. It saddens me that the argument of those of us who oppose the war fell on deaf ears. At that time, I stated that a unilateral first strike would undermine the moral authority of the United States of America. I stated that results of substantial losses of life will occur, that there will be a destabilization of the Middle East region and undermine the ability of our Nation to address unmet domestic priorities.

It saddens me beyond words that 3,122 Americans had to sacrifice their lives and over 23,000 have been wounded for a war that did not have to be fought. Included in this number are 50 fatalities from my home State of New Jersey and 366 wounded. Estimates are up towards 100,000 Iraqi men, women and children have been killed.

After the administration has been proven wrong on every prediction from the length of the war to weapons of mass destruction to the strength of the insurgency, we are now being asked to trust their judgment on a new strategy, which would put 20,000 more American lives on the line. This plan will not provide lasting security for Iraqis. It is not what the American people have asked for in November.

Haven't we learned anything from our mistakes yet?

Recent so-called short-term troop surges in Iraq have not stopped the violence from getting worse. There is nothing to suggest that this time will be any different.

For example, we had Operation Together Forward from June to October 2006. In June, the Bush administration announced a new plan for securing Baghdad by increasing the presence of Iraqi security forces. That plan failed, so in July, the White House announced that additional American troops would be sent into Baghdad.

By October, a U.S. military spokesman, General William Caldwell, acknowledged that the operation and troop Increases was a failure and had not met our overall expectations of sustaining a reduction in the level of violence. Regardless of how the administration intends to increase the troops in Iraq, the result will be the same.

There is additional strain on our military personnel and their families, and personal lives will be upset by unexpectedly early deployments of family members or unexpected delays in their homecoming. This is an additional burden to our military families that they should not have to bear.

By extending operations, we undertake a strategic risk. Our ability to meet potential future challenges is strained under the current operational demands. Increasing these demands only increase the risk to our future capacity.

I had the privilege of serving in the past as a congressional delegate to the United Nations. I strongly believe in the power of democracy. If we had allowed the United Nations inspectors to complete their work before the war instead of suddenly ordering them out of Iraq, I believe things would have turned out much differently. Instead, the administration proceeded full speed ahead towards war, as they disseminated faulty intelligence and relied on scare tactics to garner support.

I believe the time has come to begin an orderly withdrawal of American forces from Iraq. This approach would send a message to the Iraqis that they must take more responsibility for their own security and would reduce the strain on the American military.

The administration should listen to the Baker-Hamilton commission, which has offered a stinging assessment of virtually every aspect of the U.S. venture in Iraq and called for a reshaping of the American presence and a new Middle East diplomacy initiative to prevent the country from sliding into anarchy.

I conclude by saying I have heard my colleagues on the other side warn about Iraq falling into chaos and dangers of the United States losing our standing in the world. Sadly, Iraq already is in total chaos, and, unfortunately, the United States, a country we all love, has suffered much loss and prestige around the world.

In the debate before the war those of us who predicted the outcome did not prevail. I pledge with my colleagues to listen this time to vote against escalation of the war and support this resolution.