Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to congratulate an extraordinary employee of mine who is unfortunately leaving our office this Thursday, November 17, 2005. Ms. Jordan Rowan will be leaving our office to join her future husband, Mr. Coleman Fannin, in Dayton, OH, as well as to pursue other professional opportunities.

Jordan joined my office in fall 2003 as an intern and through her hard work, she advanced to legislative assistant. Among her many areas, she handled environmental issues for me. We share a great love for the environment and for its preservation. Therefore, she has been an indispensable asset to me as the Congress has debated many critical environmental bills this year.

Over the 2 years that she has worked for me, she also has gained the necessary skill of deciphering my cryptic questions with even vaguer clues. Any time I needed her to find an obscure factoid, I could readily rely upon her.

She has a big empathetic heart that, many times, has helped to ground myself and others in my office when a larger perspective was greatly needed. In fact, when most other brides choose to register for wedding gifts to supplement their new lives, she wanted to help others by registering with Heifer International, an organization that provides livestock to families in developing countries. Like Heifer International, she believes in giving but giving with the purpose of empowering others to better themselves economically and socially.

Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues here in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in congratulating Ms. Jordan Rowan as she moves on to the next important stage of her life. While exemplifying professionalism and integrity, Jordan has not only brightened my office but also has assisted me legislatively on many important issues. I am proud to have had her work in my office and wish her never-ending success in her future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the recent 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan on October 8, 2005, and the Bush administration's response to that crisis.

Mr. Speaker, the devastation wrought by the natural disaster has caused an unimaginable humanitarian

crisis, especially in Pakistan where approximately 90,000 people have lost their lives so far, and that number is expected to rise. In addition, over 3 million people have been left homeless.

Given the magnitude, one would expect the Bush administration to have a response with a pledge of aid that matched the severity of the situation, especially given our current efforts to win the hearts and minds of that region of the world. What have we done so far? A little over $50 million. That is not an adequate response, especially since we spend almost $6 billion a month on the war on Iraq. We know that Pakistan has joined us in fighting al Qaeda.

I think that we should actually have more of a concern for those who have joined us in this war on terror. I would like to add a March 17, 2003, article for the Record, where the U.S. forced inspectors out of Iraq, which could have proved that there were no weapons of mass destruction.

[From USA Today, Mar. 17, 2003]

U.S. Advises Weapons Inspectors To Leave Iraq

Vienna, Austria.--In the clearest sign yet that war with

Iraq is imminent, the United States has advised U.N. weapons

inspectors to begin pulling out of Baghdad, the U.N. nuclear

agency chief said Monday.

Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy

Agency, said the recommendation was given late Sunday night

both to his Vienna-based agency hunting for atomic weaponry

and to the New York-based teams looking for biological and

chemical weapons.

``Late last night . . . I was advised by the U.S.

government to pull out our inspectors from Baghdad,''

ElBaradei told the IAEA's board of governors. He said U.N.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Security Council were

informed and that the council would take up the issue later

Monday.

U.N. officials have said the inspectors and support staff

still in Iraq could be evacuated in as little as 48 hours.

No one has yet given the order for the inspectors to begin

pulling out, and they were working on Monday. Most of the

teams' helicopters have left Iraq because their insurance was

canceled, chief U.N. inspector Hans Blix said, and the

personnel level was low because of a scheduled rotation home.

IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said the nuclear agency

would wait for Security Council guidance later Monday before

deciding whether to pull out its inspectors.

The teams, which returned to Iraq on Nov. 27 after a nearly

four-year absence, drew up contingency plans to evacuate even

before their redeployment.

``A lot depends on the Iraqis,'' a senior U.N. inspector

told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. ``If

they let us use aircraft to get out, we could be gone in 48

hours or even less. If they won't let us fly out, we would

have to drive to a border, and that could mean an eight-hour

journey across hot desert. It would take longer, but we would

get out.''

Inspectors have experience in getting out of Iraq in a

hurry: In December 1998, they pulled out on the eve of U.S.-

British airstrikes amid allegations that Baghdad was not

cooperating with the teams.

There have been some concerns that the Iraqis might hold

the inspectors as human shields in case of a conflict. But

Iraq's foreign minister appeared to play down those fears in

a live television interview on the al-Arabiya Arabic

satellite channel Sunday night.

``The inspectors came by a decision of the Security

Council, which decides on their departure,'' Naji Sabri said.

EIBaradei told the nuclear agency's 35-nation governing

board Monday that he was worried about the safety of the

teams, yet still held out hope that war could be averted.

``Naturally the safety of our staff remains our primary

consideration at this difficult time,'' he said. ``I

earnestly hope--even at this late hour--that a peaceful

resolution of the issue can be achieved, and that the world

can be spared a war.''

EIBaradei, who has been monitoring the situation day to

day, also confirmed that he and Blix had received an

invitation from Baghdad ``to visit Iraq with a view toward

accelerating the implementation of our respective mandates.''

He did not say whether he or Blix had accepted.

``I should note that in recent weeks, possibly as a result

of increasing pressure by the international community, Iraq

has been more forthcoming in its cooperation with the IAEA,''

he said, adding that inspectors still have found no evidence

that Saddam Hussein has revived his nuclear program.

But with the United States, Britain and Spain making clear

that Monday would be the final day for diplomatic efforts to

avert a conflict, it appeared that the inspectors were

running out of time and could begin withdrawing at any

moment.

In other signs that war could be imminent, the U.S. State

Department on Sunday night ordered nonessential personnel and

all family members to leave Israel, Kuwait and Syria in a

precautionary move.

Germany closed its embassy in Baghdad on Monday after

calling on its citizens to leave Iraq ``immediately,'' and

Britain advised all its citizens except diplomatic staff to

leave Kuwait as soon as possible, citing a potential threat

from war in neighboring Iraq.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the United Nations at its 60th anniversary and honor the organization for its many contributions to humanity over the last 60 years.

The United Nations came into being on October 24, 1945, when 50 countries pledged to work to promote international peace, security and human rights after suffering through two World Wars and the Holocaust. Sixty years later, we have, indeed, avoided another global war and seen the U.N. protect the lives of millions by creating the circumstances for peace in some 170 disputes around the world.

The 21st century is profoundly different than the world in which the United Nations was created. Threats of terrorism, natural disaster, and poverty heighten the role that the United Nations plays in securing peace and stability worldwide. The United Nations promotes democracy where it has not existed, helping to build democratic institutions and hold elections in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. The United Nations operates 17 peacekeeping missions in regions of strategic importance to the United States, such as Sudan, the Middle East, the India-Pakistani border, and Haiti.

Then there are the important works of the United Nations affiliated organizations. The International Atomic Energy Agency is leading a global effort to secure nuclear materials and guarantee that they are used for legal and peaceful reasons. The World Food Program provides life-saving food assistance to millions of famine stricken people every year, while the

Food and Agriculture Organization helps improve the long-term sustainability of providing good nutrition in developing countries. Efforts of the World Health Organization and UNICEF have drastically improved vaccination rates for preventable diseases in children. International conventions and programs undertaken by United Nations agencies have helped to strengthen the rights of women, refugees, and victims of human rights abuses, and 10 United Nations agencies are helping to treat and prevent the AIDS epidemic in 130 countries.

I congratulate the United Nations on the anniversary of its 60th year, and encourage the United States and Congress to further their support for a strong and effective United Nations.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great enthusiasm that I ask my colleagues here in the House of Representatives to join me as I rise to honor the memory of a very special person, the late Addolorata (Dolores) Immacolata Gili, and to offer my congratulations to her family and friends, and to the people whose lives she touched in my Congressional District of Orange, New Jersey. Mama Gili, as she was affectionately known, was being honored on Saturday October 22, 2005 for her faithful devotion to God, her community and humankind. She was the proud mother of five children, Helen, Florida, Claudia, Caesar and Joseph Jr., and the ``adoptive'' mother to many people in the Orange community.

She emigrated from Atripalda, Italy to the United States in 1909 and initially stayed with her brother, Umberto, in Brooklyn, New York. After moving to Orange, New Jersey, to live with another brother, she met her future husband, Joseph F. Gili, whom she married in 1913.

Always a true believer in the omnipresent power and love of God, Mama Gili knew that her life would be guided by His principles of service to others. She opened her home to many Italian immigrants as they transitioned to a new life in the U.S. She also always made time to lend an ear and give devout advice to people in her community.

Even though she prematurely lost her husband and endured the hardships of the Great Depression as a single mother, her faith never wavered. In 1953, she returned, for the first time, to her hometown in Italy where she had a providential meeting with a Franciscan priest. He showed her a picture of the Holy Face of Jesus from the Shroud of Turin. After seeing this image, Mama Gili dedicated her life, until her death in 1985, to spreading the Word about the Holy Face to those in her community.

She was honored by the Italian Tribune newspaper with the Woman of the Year award in 1965 for her work with many charities and, for helping both to establish the Capuchin Franciscan Friars and to organize the Third Order of St. Francis in Orange. This past Saturday, she was again being honored with the dedication of Minton Place between Lincoln Avenue and Scotland Road in Orange, NJ. Renamed ``Mama Gili Place'', this memorial will be a tribute to her steadfast dedication to her faith and community.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Mama Gili's friends and family on their efforts to keep her legacy alive. I also wish them continued success on their journey towards her Beatification/Canonization to Sainthood.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of a former colleague and a friend, Assemblyman/Councilman Donald Kofi Tucker. I have known Assemblyman/Councilman Tucker for most of my adult life, serving with him on the Newark Municipal Council for many years.

Donald served in the United States Air Force and following his honorable discharge, he became an activist in the Community. He was a man who looked after the needs of all the people. He was elected to the Newark Municipal Council in 1970 and began working as an elected official on behalf of the citizens of Newark. He worked diligently for decades as chairman of the Tax Abatement Committee of the Newark Municipal Council and he served as president of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBCLEO) for many years. He was also appointed and served as chair of the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission. As one of the founders and chairman of the New Jersey Black Issues Convention (BIC), he had a mind to educate African Americans on the issues concerning the struggle for peace, equality and justice. He was elected to the New Jersey State General Assembly as an Assemblyman in the 28th Legislative District in 1997 and was named in 2001 and served as Speaker Protempore until his passing. Donald also supported the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL). We must remember all the countless children and elderly he served as founder and president of ``The Centre, Inc.'', a community services multipurpose center serving children, youth and seniors on Elizabeth Avenue in Newark.

Assemblyman/Councilman Tucker had views he firmly believed in and supported those views very passionately. But at the same time, he was a gentle man who gave of himself wholeheartedly. Even while he was ill, he still put the needs of his constituents before that of his own health.

After lying in State in the Rotunda of Newark City Hall, a home-going service will take place on Tuesday, October 25, 2005 in Newark, New Jersey where his family, friends and colleagues will remember his legacy. I am certain that this legacy will live on in the people of Newark, throughout the State of New Jersey and across the Nation. He will be sorely missed.

I ask my colleagues here in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in paying tribute to the memory of this outstanding public servant and in offering our deepest condolences to his wife, Cleopatra and his three children, Donna Wynn, Stacey Carroll and Kiburi Tucker and his nine grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues here in the House of Representatives to join me as I rise to acknowledge the Massey Agency as this Newark firm celebrates its 30th anniversary. With Emma and Ramelle Massey at the helm of this woman/minority-owned insurance and brokerage firm, they offer services that are important to residents and businesses in the area.

Fortunately, for the City of Newark, the Massey Agency has always been committed to the needs of the community. Beginning with the late Raymond J. Massey who opened the agency's doors and continuing with his wife, Emma and daughter, Ramelle, the Massey Agency has been providing job opportunities and internship programs for local residents. In addition to the employment opportunities the Massey Agency has offered, they have also contributed financially to local community organizations which have assisted many young people and programs to achieve success for themselves and others in the community. Along the way, the agency has earned a standing as one of the predominant Minority Business Enterprise/Women's Business Enterprise in the Northeast. The agency has also received proclamations from the Mayor of Newark and the Independent Insurance Agents of New Jersey, which recognized the agency's longevity, dedication to the City of Newark and the quality of its insurance products and services.

Educated in some of the finest schools and universities, the Massey women are true professionals and exemplary role models. They are both multiple licensed insurance brokers offering a wide array of services. One of their goals is to expand their reach beyond the local community. With the tenacity, energy, intelligence and willpower of Emma and Ramelle, there is no doubt they will meet this self imposed challenge.

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues agree that the Massey Agency and the Newark community have every right to be proud of the lasting contributions the agency has made to the Greater Newark Community. I am pleased to congratulate Emma and Ramelle Massey along with their employees on their 30th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, I come before you today to express my opposition to H.R. 3893, the so-called ``Gasoline for America's Security Act of 2005.''

I share my colleagues' concern for the rising costs of fuel in this country, and I too am outraged at the allegations of those who would profit through other Americans' misfortunes by price gouging. However, I do not feel that we should join in the exploitation of this tragedy by using it as an opportunity to pass unsound, short-sighted, and irresponsible legislation.

This bill will do virtually nothing to lower gasoline and other fuel costs. It will not get relief to those Americans who are currently bearing the burden of more expensive gas and those who will be facing much bigger home heating bills this winter.

In fact, as far as I can tell, the only ones who will see relief from this bill are the ones who need it least: the gas and oil industry who are currently enjoying record profits. We seem to be offering subsidies to big oil with one breath and excuses to the American people with the next.

Just last week I came before you and assured you that I could not and would not support a bill that ignores and endangers public health. I make that promise again today. This bill's weakening of environmental protections poses a great threat not only to the viability and sustainability of our environment, but also to the people who inhabit it. Limiting judicial review and EPA oversight, allowing increased air emissions, and permitting delays in meeting current deadlines under the Clean Air Act is irresponsible and dangerous.

In my own state of New Jersey, studies have shown that our air pollution levels cause 2,000 premature deaths every year. At this rate, pollution ranks as the 3rd most serious public health threat in the State. Only smoking and obesity kill more New Jerseyans each year. Air pollution has also been directly linked to the rise in child asthma rates, lung cancer, learning disabilities, and heart attacks.

I will not endanger the lives and health of the people of my State. I will not support the weakening of environmental protections that will lead to increased pollution and threats to public health. I will not participate in fiscal irresponsibility by giving the oil and gas industry subsidies that do nothing to ease the cost burden on the American people, especially those who can least afford it.

In other words, I will not support H.R. 3893.

Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in extending my congratulations to the people of Taiwan on the occasion of 94 years of progress.

In recent years, Taiwan has become a model society. It has excellent schools, outstanding medical care, a strong economy, and many of its people enjoy one of the highest standards of living. Taiwan's social welfare programs have been laudable efforts to raise the standard of living for all. Moreover, Taiwan's constitution guarantees its citizens basic civil liberties, including freedom of peaceful assembly and association, freedom of speech and press, and freedom of religion. Taiwan's full commitment to democracy and human rights is commendable.

We are very appreciative of Taiwan's commitment to fight global terrorism, particularly by cooperating with our law enforcement agencies in sharing intelligence and doing everything possible to protect American interests in Taiwan. We are also aware of Taiwan's contributions to the Twin Towers Fund, the Pentagon Memorial Fund and to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

We wish the 23 million people of Taiwan continued progress and prosperity.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to oppose the unwise, unsound, and unsubstantiated policy changes contained in H.R. 3824--misleadingly named the Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005.

I am deeply concerned about the elimination of all critical habitat provisions of the Endangered Species Act without any mechanism to protect habitat needed for species recovery. I am troubled by the removal of protections for ``threatened'' species and the weakening of endangered species recovery teams.

Moreover, I believe that sound science produces accurate data from which sound policy decisions can be made. When we choose not to respect the role of science in our regulatory decisions, we are cheating ourselves out of valuable information and we run the risk of making poor or erroneous judgments about crucial conservation decisions. By allowing a political appointee to develop a definition of ``best available science'' and increasing barriers to access to scientific data, I believe that this bill needlessly politicizes scientific decision-making, and I fear that we are setting ourselves up for many unsound policy choices as a result.

I am not only motivated by the harms this bill will have on the plant and animal species, but by the threat to the health and well-being of the human species as well. The pesticide provisions of this bill seem to indicate a willingness to endanger the lives of migrant and seasonal farmworkers, their families, and their children. This weakening of pesticide standards poses a serious threat to public health, and I cannot support any bill that does not take seriously the health and safety of the American public.

We also do a disservice to the American people when we are not wise stewards of their taxpayer dollars. Using those dollars to pay developers for complying with the ESA's regulations is a clear violation of the fiduciary duty with which we are all endowed.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to again voice my opposition to H.R. 3824, and I encourage all of my colleagues who care about conservation to do so as well.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to recognize a highly valued citizen of South Orange, New Jersey, which is in my district. Mr. Gerald W. Owens will preside as the Grand Marshal over the 14th Annual Celebration of Labor on Friday, September 9, 2005. He is a devoted husband to Jackie and the father to two children. For almost 5 decades, Mr. Owens has also dedicated his life to the social, political and economic justice of all working Americans.

Active in the International Longshoremen's Association, ILA, since 1958, Mr. Owens has been a rising star in the labor industry. Through the combination of on-the-job union experience with advanced studies in public relations, union organizing and labor law, Gerald has accomplished many feats. Over his career that has spanned in excess of 40 years; he started out as a longshoreman in the Ports of Newark and Elizabeth in New Jersey and has ascended to the ranks of International Vice President of the ILA. However, one of his most honorable successes to date has been his appointment as the International General Organizer of the ILA, AFL-CIO. This achievement marks an important milestone in the union's 113-year history because Mr. Owens is the first African- American to ever serve in that position. In fact, the current president of the union, Mr. John Bowers stated, ``This elevation of an African- American to this top ILA Executive Council post is long overdue . . . Gerald Owens has served the ILA with distinction for more than 40 years and I'm certain he will continue to offer outstanding leadership for our union in the future.''

His tremendous accomplishments do not end there. Mr. Owens is a founding member and current president of the New Jersey Organization of Black Labor Leaders. He also is the president of the Essex County (New Jersey) chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, a national organization of black trade unionists whose mission is to convey to the labor industry the needs and concerns of black Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues here in the U.S. House of Representatives would join me in honoring Mr. Gerald W. Owens, who is presiding as the Grand Marshal over the 14th Annual Celebration of Labor, for his tireless work in the labor industry. I am proud to have him in my Congressional district and wish him never-ending success in his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contribution of Trinitas Hospital to my home State of New Jersey. Their commitment to the health and health care of all New Jerseyans is laudable, and most worthy of our recognition in this chamber here today.

On Tuesday, September 13, 2005, they will dedicate their brand new, $28 million, five-story Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center, which will house the Hospital's state-of-the-art Medical and Radiation Oncology programs, including technology that will be the first of its kind in the State, giving their staff the resources they need to ensure that cancer care in New Jersey is the best in the Nation.

Trinitas Hospital is a full service healthcare facility and a Catholic teaching hospital sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth. They care for and serve many of my friends and neighbors in my district.

The hospital already serves our community by offering the greatest of cancer care, providing services from diagnostics to chemotherapy treatment to patient and family counseling, as well as everything in between. In addition, the Hospital conducts a large number of outreach programs for the community to screen for breast, prostate, cervical, and colon cancers, and to educate community members about cancer detection and prevention. In a State like ours, where New Jersey residents have a 16 percent higher incidence of cancer that the national average, education and prevention are the keys to overcoming the battle against this insidious disease, and Trinitas Hospital is, and continues to be, a leader in this all-important fight.

I would also like to commend them for their efforts to raise awareness about minority health disparities in New Jersey, and to offer services to fill the gap in health care quality for our minority citizens. Their concern about the higher incidence of cancer among minorities led to the establishment of the Breast Health Outreach program, which provides crucial information on cancer prevention to thousands of minority women each year.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me as I recognize Trinitas Hospital and the men and women there who are dedicated to making our community a better place; and I encourage my colleagues to join me in sending our congratulatory best wishes as they dedicate their new Comprehensive Cancer Center facility.

Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in expressing my heartfelt sympathy to all of the victims of Hurricane Katrina and their families. Our thoughts and prayers remain with them as they cope with the aftermath of this enormous tragedy. We stand in solidarity with our brothers, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jefferson), the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis).

My home State of New Jersey has responded by deploying police officers, firefighters and decontamination personnel from around our State to aid relief efforts in the City of New Orleans. I commend Governor Codey of New Jersey for his leadership in responding to the needs of those affected by the catastrophic conditions in New Orleans and the surrounding areas.

In addition, Continental Airlines, which has a hub in my home city of Newark, is participating in Operation Air Care to provide emergency airlift to more than 25,000 New Orleans residents stranded by Hurricane Katrina. I appreciate the efforts.

Many of our local churches in my congressional district have taken the lead in organizing relief efforts to collect clothing, food and money to help hurricane victims. Over the past weekend I met with Reverend Raymond Jefferson of Metropolitan Baptist Church, originally from Louisiana, who is organizing a comprehensive statewide relief. Just last night he convened a meeting of concerned community leaders and is working tirelessly to bring refugee relief to the hurricane victims.

My office received a call from a family of 11, who needed assistance, coming up from Louisiana, and we were able to locate housing for them. Then we went to Reverend William Howard's church, Bethany Baptist Church in Newark, to help provide additional social services, including medical attention, preschool for the youngsters, as well as schooling for high school and college students, and Social Security for the elderly. It is really a complicated system, and everybody needs to be involved.

While Reverend Howard and I were meeting with the family at the church, we received a call that the grandfather of the family who had been missing was located at a hospital in New Orleans. This was a great feeling.

Reverend Joe Carter of New Hope Baptist Church started a fund-raising drive on Sunday and will meet with the pastor from New Orleans tonight in Atlanta at a meeting of the National Baptist Convention. So everyone is doing their own thing, collectively.

Let me conclude by saying, unfortunately, much of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina could have been mitigated if President Bush and his director of Federal Emergency Management Agency had shown real leadership by responding swiftly and completely to the warning before Katrina hit the gulf coast. Instead, they seem to be in denial about their woeful and inadequate response, even to the point of blaming the victims.

FEMA Director Michael Brown coldly made the statement that those behind had failed to heed the advance warnings and thus were basically responsible for their own misfortune. It apparently never occurred to him that not everyone had the resources to drive or fly out of the city before the hurricane struck.

Today's Washington Post reported that offers of assistance from other countries were ignored for days after the tragedy. An executive with a telecommunications company based in the Netherlands expressed his frustration with these words: ``FEMA? That was a lost case. We got zero help. We lost one week trying to get things so that we could move forward.''

I serve as one of two congressional delegates to the United Nations, and it is going to be embarrassing for me next week to be with our allies from around the world who offered assistance which was turned down.

Let me conclude by saying I received a call from Rome today, and they said they were shocked at the abject poverty in the United States. They did not realize that there was so much poverty in this country. And even The Washington Post referred to people as refugees. By international law, if they

looked it up, one cannot be a refugee in one's own country. Disgraceful, wrong, and that is what the W in George W. stands for. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Mr. Speaker, we often hear it said from this administration that this government should be run like a private business. I would like to ask the Members what business would ever think about retaining an employee who performed as dismally as Mr. Brown did, completely failing to fulfill his responsibilities at a time of crisis?

I was also shocked to hear statements made by others that many of the victims are better off in the shelters in Houston because they were underprivileged anyway. It was said by a very prominent American. Unbelievable. To suggest that it does not matter if poor people lose the roof over their heads and all of their possessions, lose loved ones and have their families separated seems to me to be the height of insensitivity on the part of the overprivileged.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that we will have a thorough investigation into the failings of our government to respond to this cataclysmic event and the consequences it had on all victims and disproportionately on victims and people of color. We are the United States of America, and we certainly can do better.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleagues here in the United States House of Representatives to join me in congratulating Mr. Noureddine Boulouha on becoming a U.S. citizen.

Mr. Boulouha, who took his citizenship oath on June 1, 2005, came to the United States from Morocco 6 years ago. He quickly established himself as a valuable member of the local community. In addition to pursuing academic studies, he holds the position of Senior Vice President for Marketing and Operations at Amena Consulting. His engaging personality and impressive knowledge of American politics make him a popular figure at the Monocle Restaurant on Capitol Hill. He and his wonderful wife, Catherine, have just purchased their first home.

Mr. Speaker, we are all fortunate to live in this land of opportunity, and Noureddine Boulouha embodies the qualities that have made our Nation great: a spirit of entrepreneurship, industriousness, devotion to family and love of country. It is a pleasure to welcome him as a fellow American citizen.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to honor an extraordinary public servant, Commissioner Devon Brown, as he receives the ``2005 Best in the Business'' from the American Correctional Association. Mr. Brown has held the position of Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Corrections since January 2002. His accomplishments in the field have not only shown his dedication but also have proven revolutionary.

He once stated that, ``. . . criminal justice is in my blood.'' Hailing from a family replete of judges, lawyers and police and correctional officers, Commissioner Brown was, to some extent, destined to follow in his family's legacy. After obtaining a bachelor's degree from Morgan State University, he went on to earn two master's degrees in psychology and public administration. As another testament to his commitment, Mr. Brown earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland.

Sometimes considered a maverick in the New Jersey Department of Corrections, Commissioner Brown has led in the implementation of programming that focused on educational enrichment and social responsibility. For example, he instituted the ``Stock Market Game'', which introduces inmates to the world of Wall Street and its role in the U.S. economy. By learning about financial markets and the management of one's investments, prisoners discover new methods of analysis and decision-making. In addition, inmates have had the opportunity to further their deductive reasoning by becoming champion chess players. In fact, many prisoners have competed and won against top collegiate teams. He has also introduced ``Shakespeare Behind Bars'' to the New Jersey Department of Corrections. This program, also used throughout the Nation's prison systems, allows the inmates to delve into relevant personal and social issues through art.

Richard Stalder, President of the Association of State Correctional Administrators stated that, ``Despite highly formidable and oftentimes less than ideal circumstances, Commissioner Brown has remained focused, showing integrity, resourceful ingenuity and uncompromising commitment to excellence no matter how daunting the presenting challenge. Though his inspiration and unwavering resolve, he has advanced the profession and earned the New Jersey Department of Corrections a place among the most improved, progressively oriented, penal systems in the land.'' Therefore it is no surprise that Mr. Brown has also garnered many other awards besides the ``2005 Best in the Business. In 2004, the College of New Jersey honored him with the ``Gene Carte Memorial Award'' for his exemplary correctional leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues here in the House of Representatives to join me in honoring Commissioner Devon Brown, for being the recipient of the ``2005 Best in the Business'' as well as for his overall excellence and dedication to the field of corrections. A man who is not afraid to make the hard decisions or to stand up for the truth, Commissioner Brown exemplifies vision, professionalism and integrity. I am proud to have him as a dear friend and wish him never- ending success in his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, this morning's Washington Post reported that President Bush's choice to the United Nations, Ambassador John Bolton, made a false statement to Congress, stating on a written questionnaire that he had not been questioned in recent years by investigators in an official inquiry.

In fact, the State Department acknowledged yesterday that Mr. Bolton had been interviewed on July 18, 2003, by the State Department's Inspector General about possible Iraqi attempts to procure uranium from Niger. Mr. Bolton stated he did not recall the Inspector General's inquiry and his form was inaccurate in this regard and that he will correct the form.

Mr. Speaker, with all the attention given to the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity, it seems to me that it is almost inconceivable that an event that important could inadvertently be overlooked.

Mr. Speaker, this revelation comes on the heels of a barrage of negative reports about Mr. Bolton from those who work most closely with him. It has become apparent, as members of his own parties have spoken and have very serious concerns about his temperament and his integrity to fill one of the most important positions in some of the most important times in our history.

The time has come for Mr. Bolton to voluntarily withdraw his name from consideration to be United States Ambassador to the U.N. Members of both bodies have urged his defeat, and I commend a Republican Senator from Ohio who passionately said that he is the wrong person at the wrong time.

As a member of the House Committee on International Relations and a congressional representative to the United Nations, I believe that there are many excellent candidates that President Bush could choose for this critical position.

Again, I urge John Bolton to do the honorable thing and withdraw. Our Nation is bigger than an individual. Our Nation's needs supersede that of an individual. At this time we need the best and the brightest, one who will unite and gather support for our Nation in a strong, clear, but diplomatic way.

I ask Mr. Bolton to do the right thing for our wonderful Nation and offer his withdrawal.