Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleagues here in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in congratulating Mr. Niall Casey of Ballyheigue, County Kerry, Ireland, as he becomes a fellow American citizen. It is a pleasure to extend a warm welcome to him.

Mr. Casey's journey to America began when he traveled to the beautiful island of Nantucket, Massachusetts in September 1994. Soon he was a part of the Nantucket community, working diligently and earning a reputation as an outstanding carpenter/craftsman. He is well-liked for his engaging personality, warm sense of humor, and impressive knowledge of American history and current events.

Mr. Speaker, America and Ireland have enjoyed a strong and enduring bond of friendship over the years. Those who have come here to begin a new chapter of their lives have enriched America tremendously by sharing their ideas, their literature, their music and their traditions. One of our most beloved Presidents, John F. Kennedy, drew us closer to his ancestral homeland through his wit and wisdom and made all Americans proud. As we continue to strengthen our ties with the people of Ireland, we are pleased to open our hearts and our doors to Mr. Niall Casey.

After taking his citizenship oath, Mr. Casey will celebrate with neighbors and well-wishers, including Carrol F. White III, a friend and colleague.

Mr. Speaker, we are all fortunate to live in this land of opportunity, and Mr. Casey embodies the qualities that have made our nation great: a spirit of entrepreneurship, industriousness, devotion to community, and love of country. I know my colleagues join me in congratulating Mr. Casey on becoming an American citizen and in wishing him continued success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of a courageous and dedicated New Jersey law enforcement professional, Special Police Officer Dwayne Reeves, whose tragic loss in the line of duty is being mourned by our entire community. Family, friends, supporters, and members of the extended law enforcement family will gather tomorrow as Officer Reeves is laid to rest with full honors following a funeral service at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark.

At 35 years old, Officer Reeves made a positive impact during the four years he served with the Newark, New Jersey Police Department. He was proud to serve on the newly created Newark Public School Police Force, and worked diligently in that position. Tragically, on July 18, he was struck down outside his assigned school as he was carrying out his responsibilities as a law enforcement officer. As Newark School Superintendent Marion Bolton noted, had it not been for Officer Reeves' heroic action in containing the incident, the safety of students inside the school could have been put in grave jeopardy.

Officer Reeves' career with the Newark Police Force was meaningful and filled with promise. Respected and well-liked, he earned a reputation during his four years with the force as an officer who wanted nothing more than to serve his community honorably. Officer Reeves thrived on community outreach as he also worked a second job with the Newark Housing Authority Police Unit. His loss will be deeply felt by all who knew him and . worked with him.

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, Rahnisha Reeves; his children Ashley, K'Ya, Amaad, Amiir and Ta'ona, his mother, Delois Reeves-Garvin; his father, John Jackson and his stepfather, Henry Garvin.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to stand in solidarity with the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) and other Members who are calling for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. As other Members have stated earlier, I commend the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) for her persistence, for her 100 days of bringing this issue before the American people as she has so clearly articulated the facts as related to our situation in Iraq.

The war in Iraq has become a crisis of global proportions. Every day there are violent attacks on innocent civilians in Iraq and on our service men and women stationed there. We have seen the fact that the President has overstated the situation in Iraq. We are starting to see a backlash around the world. Just recently, Egypt's Ambassador to Iraq was kidnapped and subsequently killed. Algeria's diplomatic staff of only a handful of people have been withdrawn because, even though the North African country has no troops in Iraq, just to represent the current government and recognize it, two of its staff were kidnapped last week.

The President has overstated the threat that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and biological and chemical weapons in order to frighten the American public into giving him preemptive strike ability and for the support of this war.

The U.S. presence of approximately 150,000 troops in Iraq is fueling our enemies around the world and causing them to rise up against not only Americans, but anyone who supports the American occupation in Iraq. Our presence is not containing violence, it is almost sparking violence. Almost every day there are fatal car bombings and suicide bombings. Men in the military for Iraq are being targeted. Policemen in the service for Iraq are targeted and killed. Diplomats are being targeted and killed.

We cannot ignore that the deadly bombs in London 2\1/2\ weeks ago are also inextricably linked to Iraq. We cannot ignore the fact that the insurgents have not been weakened since Congress authorized the President to use force in Iraq in October 2002, almost 2 years ago, nor can we ignore the fact that life for Iraqis under this occupation is far worse than life was before the occupation.

Estimates range between 15,000 and 17,000 innocent Iraqis have died to date. This is not an improvement in the life they had. These are innocent people who now have lost their lives because of the preemptive strike there. At the very least, basic services that we take for granted in the United States, such as electricity, running water and sewage systems, are destroyed and not accessible to all Iraqis.

Even our brave service men and women are suffering. We still hear about some of their needs that are not being met. When I was there earlier this year, soldiers told me about being attacked in unarmed Humvees, and wanted to know why were there not enough armed vehicles to protect them. They showed me a Humvee that is not properly protected and those that are. It is a world of difference.

A March 27 report in USA Today revealed that the Pentagon realized they did not have enough armed Humvees, only 235 in June 2003. We should not plan a war without having the equipment to fight it. Yet more than 2 years later, I was hearing from our young men and women in the service that still the Humvees are not all up to where they ought to be for protection. This means there was poor planning and poor execution of this war, and our troops bear the brunt of the Pentagon's shortsightedness. The President must do more to protect our troops.

Let me ask for the support of the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey), H. Con. 35, where she asked for the development of a plan, and I commend the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) for her persistence.

Let me commend the gentleman, the Honorable Reverend Dr. Cleaver, for calling this very important special order tonight. He is a person that speaks the word of God, a man of the cloth, and deals with people who are anguished daily. They come before him to seek guidance and advice. I feel the same way as my colleague who has joined us recently in the United States Congress and is a tremendous addition not only to the Congressional Black Caucus but, as you can hear, to the United States House of Representatives in general. I appreciate him yielding so that we can continue to look at the depiction of what Mexico feels, or the President of Mexico feels, is just an all right thing to do.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with my fellow members of the Congressional Black Caucus to strongly condemn the racist stamps issued by the Mexican government, Memin Pinguin. Unfortunately, the myth is still perpetrated in Latin America that race is not an issue, that racism does not exist in the Latin American, Central and South American countries.

But we have seen with the recent anti-discrimination moves of Afro descendants from countries such as Brazil, which has the largest population of African descendants outside of Africa, many more than the United States of America; Colombia, where Afro descendants represent between 25 and 40 percent of that country's population; Honduras; Panama; and others, the issue of race has been deceptively mischaracterized as a nonissue.

In Latin America they say it is class, not race; however, we tend to see at the bottom of the economic strata people of African descent and primarily those at the top those who came from Europe and stole the land from the native Latin and South Americans and brought over slaves to help build the countries. Meanwhile, those of African descent in Latin America still find themselves stuck in the lower economic social strata, suffering from debilitating discrimination or disproportionately affected by conflict and strive; and, perhaps the worst of all, their very existence is unknown to the world and sometimes even to their own countrymen and -women.

Most people assume that there are few or no black Mexicans. This assumption is false. The region known as

Costa Chica, southwest of Acapulco, is one of the two regions with a sizable black population. Veracruz, on the Gulf Coast, is another area where the black population of Mexico is significant. As a matter of fact, recently, a year or so ago, a group of Mexicans wanted to be considered as Afro-Mexicans. The Afro-Mexican population is said to be about 1 million out of 105 million, but this is far from an accurate number because the census does not include a category on race; so people cannot even identify themselves as black even if they wanted to.

With the Mexican post office issuing the offensive stamp depicting a Mexican character with dark brown skin, exaggerated features, monkey- like body language, Mexican President Vicente Fox has once again shown his insensitivity to racial offenses and his lack of concern over perpetuating dangerous stereotypes of an entire people.

This scandal comes right on the heels of Fox's comments on Mexican immigrants in the United States who take jobs, as he said, even blacks will not take. We were all very offended. We were offended, and some of our religious leaders went and met with President Fox. And he said that we should try to have an understanding. And we as Members of the Congressional Black Caucus work daily in our congressional districts to ask our constituents to understand immigrant people coming to this country as people have done for waves and waves. Of course, African Americans were brought here in chains. We had no choice. However, other Americans came to Ellis Island, and the Irish came and the Germans came and the Italians came.

So we say this country is large enough for us and for people to continue to immigrate in that we should try to work on tensions between new people coming into the community, and the Congressional Black Caucus has stood up and said that people have a right to have a better way of life. As a matter of fact, in a community outside of my congressional district in New Jersey, I have had some discussions with some Mexicans who have talked to me about the fact that they are being harassed when they wait in the mornings to be picked up for the van that takes them to the work projects they are working on and that the local town officials are harassing them to say they cannot wait here for the van, and I said that I will try to assist them if they need it to try to get that community to understand that it is unfair to harass people like that.

And then I turn around and the president of Mexico says that he is not ashamed and that this is a proud character, that they love him in Mexico? This is outrageous. It should not be.

We see that Memin, known by Mexicans as basically a silly, funny, and simple urban boy who is a prankster and a troublemaker, has been a popular comic book character for 60 years in Mexico. Those who see no offense in this character's image have been fooled into thinking that is a representation of black people and that black people are dumb and amusing and that has no relationship to racial discrimination.

These are the same people who would describe Little Black Sambo, as we heard from the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Cleaver), as simply cute and funny. As a matter of fact, as he was, I went to a school where I was one of two black children in the kindergarten. My brother experienced the same thing 2 years before I did, and the only book read was ``Little Black Sambo.'' I was offended. I felt ashamed. I felt there was something wrong with me. The teachers would read it in the kindergarten and in the first grade. It was about 60 years ago, the same time that this same character emerged in Mexico. And I thought there was something wrong with me. I thought, why was everyone laughing at us? And this character, Little Black Sambo, is exactly the same as this character here. And I told a representative that I met with last week, a week or so ago, when he came to meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus that I was offended because it brought back those early days of racial discrimination where I had to be confronted with white children laughing at the reading of Little Black Sambo.

I heard of no other blacks in my time of coming up. The only other people of color that we read about in the fourth or fifth grade were the enslaved people that they called slaves who were shiftless and happy and had no initiative and no incentive and that Abraham Lincoln had to free them and white soldiers went to war to free them; but they never talked about Harriet Tubman and Crispus Attucks. They never talked about Frederick Douglass. They never talked about the 504 Brigade from Massachusetts that fought for slaves, enslaved people, to be free. The only person that I heard about during my entire elementary school who was black was Little Black Sambo.

President Fox should know better. He himself has talked about the opportunities he had growing up that others did not have and the poverty that he saw others suffer from. He went on to study business at the Ibero-American University in Mexico City; got a diploma in an upper management course taught by Harvard Business School professors; later became an executive of Coca-Cola, becoming the youngest president of the corporation's Latin America division before he got into politics and went to their congress. This is not an uneducated man. This is a man who knows better, and I do not subscribe to the fact that he knows no better.

It is especially surprising that President Fox would fail to understand the offensive nature of the stereotype portrayed on these stamps in view of the outcry in the recent past over negative images of Hispanics. As we heard earlier, strong protests were voiced, and rightly so, over characters created by corporate advertisers, which the Hispanic community viewed as demeaning to their heritage.

In the 1960s there was an advertisement aired on television featuring a cartoon character called Chiquita Banana, who wore a hat filled with fruit and sang with a pronounced Spanish accent. This was considered by many to be offensive and portrayed an offensive portrayal of a Hispanic woman, and it was.

In 1967 an ad created by Frito-Lay Corporation, as was mentioned earlier, portrayed a Mexican male cartoon character with a thick accent who wore a sombrero and who was called ``Frito Bandito.'' The Mexican- American Anti-Defamation League Committee called for the commercials to be pulled, condemning them as racist and accusing the company of portraying Mexicans as ``sneaky thieves.'' As a result of this pressure, the ads were taken off the air in 1970, and even though they had been successful from a commercial point of view, they were taken off. And rightly so, because they were offensive to a whole group of people. Both of them were and both of them were taken off.

More recently, Taco Bell came under fire for their ads featuring a dog named Dinky. Some viewers were insulted by the idea of an animal scampering for food and speaking Spanish. Those ads have now been discontinued.

And let me emphasize that these were commercial entities; and although they were successful, they were taken off. These stamps are an official act of the Government of Mexico.

A few years ago, a very high official of Japan on two occasions made an inappropriate remark which offended African Americans; and when the Congressional Black Caucus protested, on both of those occasions, the Prime Minister of Japan apologized. They set up a committee. They came to the Black Caucus. They started to implement programs to enhance understanding between our two cultures. They started to have some financial agreements with some of their products because they said we need to understand each other better. So the Prime Minister of Japan apologized, and rightly so. And our neighbor to the south saying that he is not going to apologize is an insult, and President Fox is totally wrong. And I am offended by that insult. Someone all the way across the sea, when they saw that they were totally wrong in Japan, they decided that the right thing to do was to make the apology; and here we have a person who is benefiting from our NAFTA, which I did not vote for, and many of the other policies that we have in this country is going to stand up and tell 43 members of the Congressional Black Caucus that he is proud of this character, that he is a very popular symbol in his country, and he refuses to apologize. That is wrong.

Let me just say, sort of in conclusion, that in his inaugural address,

President Fox mentioned his desire for a new, different, successful and triumphant Mexico. The issuing of Memin Pinguin does just the opposite and highlights the serious race issues that exist in Mexico today. The Congressional Black Caucus's Working Group on Afro-Latinos will take a closer look at the issues facing Afro-Mexican communities, and we will call for a census in Mexico that includes a category on race so that people can properly identify themselves and so that the black community in Mexico is no longer invisible. When one is invisible, they do not have to deal with them. So we would like to know what is the story in Mexico.

Other Latin American countries are focusing on racial discrimination and trying to combat it. President Luiz Inacio da Silva in Brazil has set up a commission to start affirmative action in higher education. The government of Colombia has started to look at the racial discrimination of Afro-Colombians. And here we have a government who is saying ``we are proud of what we are doing and we refuse to apologize.''

In April 2005, and I want everyone to listen carefully, the Department of Homeland Security announced new regulations that require Americans returning home via air and sea from countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America to have passports. Starting December 31, 2005, to get back into our country you will need a passport.

Most countries that you need passports to go to, you would have them when you go. Therefore, you have them when you come back. However, this new Homeland Security law says that by December 31, 2005, countries that required no passport before for Americans to go there, now Americans will have to have passports in order to get back into America.

However, however, Mexico got a pass. Mexico has until December 31, 2006, until this requirement goes into effect. So as a person who is very interested in the Caribbean, I cochair the Caribbean Caucus, I wanted to find out what impact will that have on some of those poor countries in the Caribbean who depend almost totally, now that the bananas have been taken away from some of those countries by the former Lome' treaties that they have, the trade organizations said no longer can there be preferences and no longer can Great Britain buy bananas from Caribbean countries as they did in the past under their Lome' treaties with former colonies. Now they do not even have banana trade.

Now Mexico is getting an advantage. So while Caribbean countries such as Aruba, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Bermuda and others will be impacted by this rule, they will have to change 1 year earlier, just 6 months from now, they stand to lose as much as $2.6 billion in visitor export earnings and could see the loss of more than 188,000 travel tourism jobs, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

Mexico will benefit from an extra year. A family who may just find out late in the day, a month or weeks earlier, that they need a passport to get back into the country, they will decide that they may go to Mexico because you do not need a passport coming back to the country from Mexico.

Why does Mexico get an extra year? American tourists, who realize they can travel to Mexico without a passport, will likely choose that country over Caribbean nations where they need a passport, those countries that I mentioned. The island nations were drastically hit hard by Hurricane Ivan last year and last week Hurricane Dennis wreaked havoc in the Caribbean. If any country needs the tourism dollars right now, the Caribbean nations most certainly do.

As a person concerned about the Caribbean, I will personally request that Homeland Security equalize the passport requirement so that Caribbean nations will be on the same level playing field with Mexico. If Mexico gets until December 31, 2006, a year-and-a-half from now, I am going to request that the Caribbean countries get the same December 31, 2006; or if Homeland Security feels that they must remain at December of 2005, this year, then they should make Mexico also have the same requirements in December 31, 2005, that poor Caribbean countries have.

I know one thing: If these are the stamps on letters that people are going to send from Cancun, African Americans sending a postcard back to Norton, New Jersey, where I live, saying ``having a great time,'' and this is the stamp, this is going to cause havoc in our Post Office. This is going to cause havoc.

I think that until the president of Mexico understands the damage that he is doing, then perhaps the Caribbean has always been a great place for me, and maybe that is where we need to spend our dollar, where African Americans are not taken for as a joke.

Evidently a dollar in Mexico spent by an African American is not the same as a dollar from anyone else. If this stamp goes out, then our dollars should stay in our pockets.

Who does he think he is, saying that this makes him proud? I will spend not another dollar down there until these things are removed.

So my demand is that the president of Mexico voids these stamps before they are issued and do not allow a single one to be printed. If they are already printed, they should not to be distributed, and they should be destroyed. We should not see one single stamp go anywhere in Mexico, or, even worse, have it find its way here to the United States.

Once again, let me thank the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Cleaver) for bringing this issue to the front, as has the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), who called a meeting several weeks ago, and the Congressional Black Caucus in general. I know that we will keep the pressure on. If the government of Mexico feels that there is no regard for African Americans, like I said, then I think we need to look at where the dollar is being spent, and I think we need to look at a level playing field so that Caribbean countries will be able to have the same kind of passport requirements that Mexico has. I do not see where they deserve any special treatment so far as I am concerned.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, on World Refugee Day, to pay tribute to the indomitable spirit and courage of the world's refugees and internally displaced persons (IDP's), as well as the brave people who help them rebuild their lives. I recognize the generosity of the United States and its assistance to refugees. However, the next year promises to be a unique opportunity for the return of refugees, and in order to seize this opportunity, we must increase our investment in long-term development to make refugee returns durable. I also urge the Bush Administration government to do more to protect current refugees, resolve the conflicts that produce refugees, and prevent future refugee crises.

Among the most vulnerable groups of people in the world are those who are displaced, whether as a result of conflict, persecution or other human rights violations. Often losing everything but hope, refugees and IDP's are among the great survivors of our time. Initially, the fear that refugees and IDP's must overcome may be the immediate one of trying to escape the horrors of war and persecution, the pain of losing homes and loved ones, and the ordeal of flight. Refugees and IDP's deserve our respect--not just for enduring the dangers and violence of the crises that made them refugees--but also for the courage they show in rebuilding their lives and contributing to society in difficult or, unfamiliar circumstances. Albert Einstein, Victor Hugo, Congressman Tom Lantos, Thabo Mbeki, Marlene Dietrich, and Paul Rusesabagina (of Hotel Rwanda fame) were all refugees whose phenomenal achievements earned the world's respect. Today's refugees are also heroes and deserve no less than our respect.

But giving our respect to refugees and IDP's--truly honoring their courage--requires much more than flattering rhetoric and pledges of solidarity. It requires us to look back at what the world has done well to assist refugees and IDP's. It also requires us to deepen our understanding of the perils and fears they continue to face. In addition, if we truly want to celebrate their courage, it means we must focus our attention on what still needs to be done to help them.

People have fled persecution from the moment in history when they began forming communities. The tradition of offering asylum began at almost the same time. And when nations began to develop an international conscience in the early 20th century, efforts to help refugees also spread across the globe. In 1921, Fridtjof Nansen was appointed as the first refugee High Commissioner of the League of Nations, the forerunner of the United Nations. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) began as a small organization, with a three-year mandate to help resettle millions of European refugees who were still homeless in the aftermath of the Second World War. Since that time, the organization has continually expanded to meet the growing needs of refugees and other displaced people. In more than five decades, the agency has helped an estimated 50 million people restart their lives. Today, a staff of more than 6,000 people in more than 100 countries continues to help some 17 million persons in every corner of the world. Today I commend the outstanding, tireless work of the UNHCR. However, as a former high commissioner said, the fact that the world still finds a need for the UNHCR should serve as a sobering reminder of the international community's continuing failure to prevent prejudice, persecution, poverty and other root causes of conflict and displacement.

In our tribute to the world's refugees, it is important not to forget the internally displaced persons, or IDP's. Last week, during his first few days as the 10th U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres reminded the world that millions of internally displaced people are not currently being cared for. The internal displacement problem is one of the biggest neglected humanitarian problems that we face. The abstract term ``internal displacement,'' created to distinguish IDP's from refugees, fails to convey the immense human suffering most internally displaced people are forced to undergo. The act of displacement itself often is accompanied by violence and the most serious human rights violations such as killings, torture, kidnappings and rape. IDP's are a very vulnerable category and most of them receive less assistance than refugees in camps. Whereas refugees have managed to cross borders to escape persecution, the internally displaced, for various reasons, are stuck within the same borders between which forces of violence and persecution continue to hunt them.

The number of people ``of concern'' to UNHCR, including IDP's, grew last year by over 2 million to 19.2 million. The increase was mainly the result of a rise in the numbers of internally displaced people and stateless persons to 7.6 million--up from 5.3 million at the end of 2003. Of the world's approximately 25 million IDP's, 13 million are in Africa. Sudan has the largest IDP population in the word, with between 5 and 6 million displaced persons. Sudan also is the country with the largest number of newly displaced persons in 2004 (about 1 million, mostly in Darfur, where a total of 2 million IDP's survive on a day-to- day basis). Sudan is followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo with 2.3 million IDP's. In Colombia, Afro-Colombians continue to be caught in the crossfire between government troops and rebels. Afro- Colombians represent a disproportionate level of the country's IDP population of more than 2 million, which represents the world's third largest IDP population. Iraq and northern Uganda each have around 2 million IDP's.

Despite the scale of the worldwide internal displacement crisis, its destabilizing effects on regional security, and the vulnerabilities of many internally displaced populations, the U.S. and other members of the international community have been slow in addressing the issue. Refugees, usually far more visible, continue to receive a great deal more international attention, although their number is only about half that of IDP's. The IDP problem is a humanitarian challenge, as well as a challenge to peace-building and post-conflict recovery. For example, it will be extremely difficult to rebuild Sudan with millions of persons uprooted and on the move. As we see in the massive displacement crises of Colombia and Somalia, the U.S. and the rest of the international community are far from being capable of effectively responding to or preventing such emergencies. Due to the chronic under- funding of aid agencies by donor governments, the IDP problem will not likely see progress towards a solution any time soon. Unless we change this shameful status quo.

Today, I call on the Bush administration to take three specific steps to help the internally displaced. First, I call on the Bush administration to actively pressure countries that are using the global ``war on terror'' to justify brutal repression and the displacement of millions. In 2004, several governments continued or intensified anti- rebel military campaigns labeled ``counter-terrorist'' operations, which resulted in new internal displacements and prevented return, including in Chechnya (Russian Federation), Aceh (Indonesia), Colombia, northern Uganda and Nepal. Second, I call on the Bush administration to reexamine the effectiveness of U.S. bureaucratic structures that are intended to assist IDP's. Currently, the responsibility for assisting IDP's is shared between the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration and the U.S. Agency for International Development; however, this responsibility is poorly defined, suffers from lack of coherence, and is vulnerable to bureaucratic turf battles. Regarding IDP's, the relationship between PRM and USAID must be better defined in order to facilitate the creation of a more effective system to monitor and assist the internally displaced.

Finally, I call upon the Bush administration to set up a fund specifically intended to assist IDP's. IDP's continue to fall through the cracks in our handling of crises. Establishing such a fund--to be administered by the appropriate government agency--would serve as a first step toward not treating IDP's as an afterthought. It would also serve as a model to the international community that would facilitate an improvement in how we address the sad phenomenon of internal displacement. In summary, let us not neglect IDP's, for their struggle is often just as dangerous as that of refugees, and their courage also merits a tribute today, a tribute that translates to humanitarian action.

Today, the worldwide suffering of uprooted peoples continues. There are currently nearly 20 million refugees and other persons of concern to the UNHCR, the majority of whom are women and children. Afghans remain by far the biggest refugee group in the world at 2.1 million. In Sudan, the increase in refugees in 2004 accounted for the largest increase in the world. Sudan produced 125,000 new refugees, mostly people fleeing genocide in the Darfur region to neighboring Chad. The total number of Sudanese refugees world-wide rose to 731,000 in 2004, from 606,000 in 2003, an increase of 20 percent.

Recent trends give some room for guarded optimism. On June 17, the UNHCR reported that the global number of refugees fell 4 percent in 2004 to 9.2 million, the lowest total in almost a quarter of a century. Repatriations are also up. In 2004, a total of 1.5 million refugees repatriated voluntarily, an increase of some 400,000 over the previous year. The 2004 returns include 940,000 refugees who went back to Afghanistan and 194,000 who returned to Iraq. In addition, over the past few years, successful repatriation operations in Africa and the countries of former Yugoslavia have reduced significantly the number of people of concern to the UNHCR. In Burma, recent developments are providing a basis on which to plan for the eventual return of refugees in Thailand. Across the globe, resettlement continues expanding through the practice of group resettlement. The UNHCR, with support from the U.S., has succeeded in helping several million people begin new lives.

Despite the good news, though, numerous serious challenges remain. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the numbers of refugees increased by 2.4 percent, pushing the total number of Congolese refugees up to 462,000. In Northern Uganda the murderous Lord's Resistance Army continues to abduct thousands for use as soldiers and sex slaves. In Burundi, under pressure from Rwanda, the Burundi government recently announced that 10,000 Rwandan asylum seekers who had fled Rwanda since the beginning of April in fear of persecution over the 1994 genocide would not be granted asylum, despite not having been screened to see if they met the definition of a refugee. Already, at least 5,000 of the refugees have been returned to Rwanda, and because the UN was not granted access to the refugees, many fear they were forced to return. In Afghanistan, there is a need for more comprehensive solutions for Afghans still outside their country, and dialogue between the UNHCR and relevant governments and other stakeholders in the Afghanistan situation must continue. In addition, although a peace deal in January officially ended Sudan's north-south conflict, at least 7,500 people had fled into Uganda this year, and refugees and IDP's say that food distribution had stopped in camps inside Sudan.

Because of its long history of displacement, and since Africa Refugee Day corresponds with World Refugee Day in many countries, Africa merits special attention in this examination of refugees and IDP's. Africa hosts approximately 3 million refugees, about 30 percent of the world's total. Africa also hosts 13 million IDP's, or more than half of the world's total IDP population. In Africa today, return and reintegration opportunities abound if we can get the politics of peace right. There are an unprecedented number of repatriation and reintegration operations currently underway--particularly in Burundi, Liberia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, and Somalia. In 2004, refugees from Liberia (100,000), Burundi (90,000), Angola (64,000), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (30,000) returned to their countries in large numbers and the UNHCR started a program intended to help an additional 340,000 Liberians repatriate. In March 2004, the UNHCR took an important step to act on the improved prospects for the return home of millions of long-time refugees in Africa. The UNHCR launched its Dialogue on Voluntary Repatriation and Substainable Reintegration in Africa. The Africa Dialogue calls on the international community to seize this unique opportunity for the return of up to 2 million refugees and several million displaced persons across the continent, and it stresses the need to invest in long-term development to make returns durable. Today, the Africa Dialogue continues to make progress; however, considerable challenges still lie ahead. Returns must be matched by post-conflict reconstruction and reintegration in order to break the cycle of violence and make repatriation sustainable. The populations of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia all await the outcome of political negotiations, and the U.S. and the UNHCR must lend their support to these peace efforts while assisting the victims of conflict.

Of great concern, the genocide being perpetuated by the government of Sudan in that country's Darfur region has forced approximately 2 million Darfurians to become internally displaced. In addition, more than 200,000 Sudanese have fled Darfur and are now living in camps in neighboring Chad. For the

UNHCR mission in eastern Chad, where 300 UNHCR staff assist a total of 213,000 refugees in 12 camps, the U.S. has given $18 million in 2005, or half of all donors' contributions. However, the UNHCR still lacks about $40 million to cover the 2005 needs-based budget.

Across the border from the camps in eastern Chad, the situation in Darfur is more dire. In Darfur, the mismatch between humanitarian capacity and human need grows more deadly by the day. The UNHCR Darfur mission has a total of 25 staff. The U.S. has provided no money for UNHCR operations in Darfur in 2005, although half the year has already passed. There is now a disgraceful $30 million shortfall from what the UNHCR needs in Darfur for 2005. The lack of security is still a tremendous problem, partly due to an increase in small arms trafficking. Government-recruited and armed Arab militias, also known as Janjaweed, continue to target civilians, and in April, rape, kidnapping, and banditry increased. Aid workers are still at great risk of being targeted. Due to the conflict and failed harvests, the food situation is serious. More than 3.5 million IDP's are in critical need of food and are running dangerously short of water. The World Food Program does not have what it needs to feed persons of concern past July. Local Sudanese officials are pressuring some IDP's to return to their villages, despite the constant threat of government-supported Janjaweed militias and other armed groups. Although the presence of the AU force in Darfur promises some protection, it will never be sufficient.

A country of concern that is often forgotten is Western Sahara, a swath of land in West Africa that lies along the Atlantic Ocean. In camps in Algeria, about 165,000 refugees from Western Sahara, a country that has been occupied illegally by Morocco since 1975, continue to live in ``deplorable conditions,'' according to a recent report from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. The government of Morocco has promised the people of Western Sahara, the Sahrawi, a vote to determine their own future. However, more than a decade later, that vote has yet to occur, and Morocco continues to disregard international law. No progress has been made in UN efforts to find a solution to the dispute between Morocco and the Sahrawis. The U.S. must put pressure on Morocco, not only to end the exile and suffering of Sahrawi refugees, but also to allow a free, fair and transparent referendum to determine the country's future and prevent the creation of more refugees.

Another source of concern is Tanzania. A generous host of refugees over the last 30 years, Tanzania continues to host Africa's largest number of refugees. However, recently, a troubling policy shift seems to have emerged, reflecting an increasingly harsh stance towards refugees. Local and national politicians are feeling increasing pressure from their constituencies due to the perception that refugees receive more attention and assistance than local communities and have in some cases publicly blamed them for crime and the spread of disease. In 2004, the government frequently did not provide protection against refoulement, the return of persons to a country where they feared persecution; on a number of occasions, the government refouled refugees and refused persons seeking asylum or refugee status. In addition, the government at times did not cooperate with the UNHCR during 2004. Although repatriations of Burundian refugees living in Tanzania continues, the U.S. and the international community must engage Tanzania regularly to ensure that the country does not turn its back on those in need, and on decades of humanitarian tradition. At the least, we must listen to Tanzania's concerns and explore options to provide more support to what has traditionally been the most hospitable country in Africa for refugees.

The best solution for refugees is voluntary repatriation, or going back to one's original homeland once all the key conditions are in place. However, for some people who fled their homes amid conflict and widespread human rights abuses, returning is still a distant prospect. For this reason, finding creative solutions for meeting the needs of refugees and the local populations that host them is critical. One example is the Zambian Initiative, a government-led ``Development through Local Integration Project'' established in 2002. The Zambian Initiative has promoted a holistic approach in addressing the needs of refugees and Zambians living in refugee hosting areas in the Western Province of Zambia. By facilitating cooperation between the host communities and the refugees, the UNHCR and the Zambian government have enabled the production of food and housing, thus alleviating the effects of a food deficit, poor infrastructure and limited access to services and economic opportunities. The presence of refugees can stretch local resources and infrastructure and exacerbate poverty. However, in Zambia, local development committees involve the local populations and refugees by identifying needs and projects in areas such as health and education. While voluntary repatriation of Angolan refugees continues, the Zambian Initiative has created a sense of ownership while pursuing durable solutions for refugees through local integration. We must commend and encourage this type of innovative approach to refugees and the pressure their presence can place on local populations. Let us use World Refugee Day to call for more such innovation, so that refugees will not be trapped in the same sad status quo.

The donor response to the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004 was admirable and generated unprecedented world-record contributions, thanks in part to the dramatic nature of the tsunami, its effects on numerous countries, and its timing, the day after Christmas. However, other humanitarian catastrophes, especially the needs of refugees and IDP's in Africa, remain virtually ignored. As UN Humanitarian Coordinator Jan Egeland has pointed out, in many ways, Africa has a silent tsunami several times each year. If you look at the numbers in Sudan or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, you see that the impact of conflict on refugees and IDP's is equivalent to a tsunami every few months. Today, we have an opportunity to honor the courage of refugees and IDP's by recognizing the magnitude of their suffering, but to do this we must act out of the same compassion that drove us to alleviate the suffering of the tsunami victims.

The UNHCR is working hard to resolve many of the protracted situations around the world. But it is a labor and resource-intensive endeavor, requiring sustained international attention and continuing donor support, including support from the United States. The same is true of UNHCR's advocacy efforts and its work to ensure a smooth transition from repatriation to reintegration, rehabilitation and reconstruction so that refugees can go home and stay home. The results show that an investment in solutions is a good investment indeed.

The U.S. has shown great hospitality and generosity in hosting and assisting refugees and other displaced people. In 2004, the U.S. welcomed 52,000 refugees from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. In absolute terms, the U.S. continues to be the leading donor to UNHCR and for humanitarian assistance to refugees world-wide. However, as a proportion of national wealth, the U.S. contribution to refugees and IDP's lags far behind most western countries. The persistent failure of donor government, including the U.S., to provide funding for relief efforts is the most critical flaw in the humanitarian aid process today. The UN Consolidated Appeal (CAP) is a collaborative assessment of the minimal financial commitment necessary to provide essential emergency assistance in humanitarian crises. Despite the CAP, all assistance programming is under-funded by almost 35 percent every year, leaving tens of millions of men, women, and children around the world to suffer needlessly. The recurring shortfall in financial assistance is not the only thing hindering our response to the refugee and IDP crises of the world. In the last five years, global food aid has dropped by nearly 50 percent, despite an 8 percent increase in the number of chronically hungry people in the world. In addition, funding delays continue to jeopardize the progress of emergency relief for refugees and IDP's. In Somalia in recent years for example, nearly 50 percent of all funds received for emergency assistance arrived in the last quarter of the year. And currently, reportedly due to bureaucratic delay, the U.S. has still not contributed any funds to the UNHCR operation in Darfur, although we are already in the second half of 2005.

The U.S. must act as a leader to address the persistent and damaging delays in funding for refugees and IDP's. If the U.S. wants to reform the UN and render the international donor community more effective, this is a good place to start. Therefore, I call on the Bush administration and other members of the international community to increase financial commitments to humanitarian appeals for refugees and IDP's. At the least, the international community should pledge to provide 75 percent of the aid requested in the CAP pledge in order to ensure that the most critical emergency relief programs remain funded.

Many prosperous countries with strong economies complain about the large number of asylum seekers and refugees, but they offer little to prevent refugee crises. Humanitarian action is of limited value if it does not form part of a wider strategic and political framework aimed at addressing the root causes of conflict. Experience has shown time and time again that humanitarian action alone cannot solve problems which are fundamentally political in nature. Yet all too often, humanitarian organizations like the UNHCR have found themselves isolated and alone in dangerous and difficult situations (such as Darfur), where they have had to operate without adequate financial and political support. Therefore, we must invest in lasting solutions: conflict prevention, return, and reintegration. We must support the UNHCR's efforts to ensure international protection and assistance to refugees

and IDP's through a range of solutions, including improved management of operations. We must not demonstrate a lack of political commitment to solving refugee problems during the post-conflict phase, when the spotlight of the international media has moved away. We must more fully recognize the link between human displacement and international peace and security. History has shown that displacement is not only a consequence of conflicts; it can also cause conflict. Without human security, there can be no peace and stability. The U.S. must recognize the link between refugees and IDP's, on the one hand, and stability and the seeds of democracy on the other.

If we are to honor the courage of refugees and IDP's today, we must come together with the UNHCR, nongovernmental organizations, and other donor governments to actively pursue durable solutions. If we fail to do so, refugees and IDP's will remain in their miserable conditions-- surviving on a handful of maize each day, living in immense boredom under windblown tents, and clinging to their hope amid memories of atrocities. On World Refugee Day and every other day, let us show the refugees and IDP's that we are with them. Having endured conflict, rape, abduction, trafficking, chronic hunger, squalor, and other unspeakable suffering, the courage of refugees and IDP's has been tested beyond what we can imagine. However, despite their courage, they remain vulnerable to the loss of hope. If we will allow them to lose hope, we allow them to lose courage. In our tribute to their indomitable courage, we must pledge never to let that happen. We must pledge to help them rebuild their lives today, to commit ourselves to long-term solutions, and to prevent the nightmare from reoccurring tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, we are gathered here this evening to pay tribute to one of the true heroes of our time, a man who earned a stellar national reputation but who also holds a very special place in the hearts of those of us from his home State of New Jersey and those who had the privilege to serve with him, former Congressman and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, the Honorable Peter W. Rodino. I feel privileged to hold the seat in Congress which Chairman Rodino previously held from 1948 until his retirement 40 years later in 1989.

It is certainly a testament to his outstanding work here in the House of Representatives and the high esteem in which he was held among his constituents that he won reelection to Congress 19 consecutive times over the course of his career. From my personal experience growing up in Newark, New Jersey, I was inspired to enter public service after reading stories in the newspaper I delivered as a youngster, the Star Ledger, about the work of my local Congressman, Peter Rodino, and the passion he brought to his job. We felt proud to have such a hardworking and dedicated public servant representing our interests in Washington, especially since I lived in the neighborhood in the old North Ward of Newark where he served and lived.

Peter Rodino was a driving force behind all of the major civil rights legislation and opened up doors of opportunity for an entire generation. Throw his service on the House Judiciary Committee he authored the majority reports on which the civil rights legislation of 1957, 1960, 1964 and 1968 were based. In addition, he played a key role in the passage of the fair housing bill in 1966.

He was active in the movements to establish a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior, and to provide the District of Columbia with a voting delegate.

During the Watergate hearings, Chairman Rodino won praise from both sides of the aisle for his fairness, even-handedness and sense of decorum. He carried out his constitutional duty, but it was not a role he chose or relished. In fact, he broke down in tears after the Judiciary Committee approved articles of impeachment against a President not of his own party. That kind of sensitivity and compassion is indeed rare today in the political arena.

After his retirement from Congress, Congressman Rodino continued working diligently, serving as a distinguished visiting professor of constitutional law at Seton Hall University in Newark, New Jersey. I was excited during my first term in Congress to be part of a successful effort to secure over $5 million for the establishment of a model center for social justice at Seton Hall University School of Law, the Peter W. Rodino, Junior, Institute of Social Justice.

Despite all of his achievements, Peter Rodino was most proud of being the son of an Italian immigrant who achieved the American dream. In fact, in a tribute to his Italian heritage, he sponsored the bill that made Columbus Day a Monday national holiday. He never forgot where he came from and he always had time to help other people who needed a hand.

In fact, after his passing on May 7, the Star Ledger ran a story about a sixth grade student, Christina Rodriguez, who had never met former Congressman Rodino, but called seeking an interview for a school paper she was writing. Although he was in the middle of celebrating his 95th birthday with friends and family, he generously spent 45 minutes giving her a firsthand account of a chapter of history that took place long before she was born.

Mr. Speaker, former Congressman Rodino was not only an admired leader and a great champion for all of the right issues, he was also a wonderful human being. Let us express our deep appreciation for his service in Congress.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife, Joy; his son, Peter W. Rodino, III; his daughter, Margaret Stanziale and her husband Charles Stanziale; his three grandchildren, Carla Prunty, Maria Stanziale and Talia Rodino; and his twin great-grandchildren, Annabel and Charlotte Prunty.

At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), who served on the Judiciary Committee with Mr. Rodino, the current ranking member on the Committee on the Judiciary, who has served in the Congress for close to 40 years.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) for those kind words. I know his wife, Joy, will appreciate those words as she is watching this tonight in the comfort of her home with other members of her family.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers).

Let me thank the gentleman from Michigan for his institutional memory and to really bring alive those trying days when this Nation was on the brink of which way to go. We really appreciate his recounting history. He made it alive again.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), the caucus Chair of the Democratic Party.

Let me thank the Democratic Caucus Chair, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), for those kind words.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the minority whip, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minority whip for his participation. I am sure those words are of comfort to the family.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), the ranking member on the Committee on Ways and Means, a person who served with Congressman Rodino on the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) for bringing history alive. As we have indicated before, I think this is a wonderful opportunity for America, and I hope that these tapes will be shown in law schools and around the country so students who will take the mantles of government and judiciary positions will know what a wonderful person this was.

At this time I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), who also served on the Judiciary Committee with Chairman Rodino, who actually was a resident of New Jersey before moving to Massachusetts.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts. At this time I yield to another person who had the privilege to serve with Congressman Rodino on the Committee on the Judiciary, an outstanding attorney, the gentleman from California (Mr. Berman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) who served with Congressman Rodino, and let me thank the gentleman from California for his kind words.

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from New Jersey for leading the second hour for the Special Order for Congressman Peter Rodino. Congressman Rodino would have enjoyed talking to him. He was an intellectual himself. He would have encouraged the gentleman to continue to push for science and technology and to try to improve our natural habitat and preserve it. So I thank the gentleman very much.

Let me thank the speaker who has conducted this Special Order in such a dignified manner and the appreciation of us for having the second hour because it is very rare in this place that people stay to express themselves. Most Members are very busy, especially those in leadership, but to have the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), our minority leader, take time and express her appreciation for having served with Mr. Rodino; to see the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), our minority whip, come and spend time; to hear the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), the dean of the Congressional Black Caucus and actually second longest-serving Democrat in the House, who so eloquently described those days on that committee; to hear the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), ranking member for the Committee on Ways and Means; and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Berman) and on and on I think certainly says it all.

Mr. Rodino was the right man at the right place at the right time. Let me, as we conclude, just say that he was just a gentle person, running up Aqueduct Alley, living in the area near the old first ward. I lived several blocks away from that while he served in World War II, where I was a student at the school right near there, where he attended St. Lucy's Church, with Father Grenada or Monsignor Grenada, who is still there, and the McKinley School that he went to in elementary in World War I still looks the same. Nothing has been done to the school. I passed it recently.

Barringer High School, the same high school I attended a few years after Congressman Rodino did, then he moved up to 205 Grafton Avenue. It was an address we all remember, because when I got old enough to carry petitions around, I remember that address being on the petitions so we knew where to turn them in.

We knew Tony Serrantos who worked for him for decades. As a matter of fact, when I came and replaced Mr. Rodino, I brought Mr. Serrantos into my office to run my office for the first term that I served in Congress. It was funny, because Mr. Serrantos kept Mr. Rodino's picture up in his office, like he should have. It took him almost the end of the second year before he found a little place in the corner in the dark for a small picture of me.

So there was really the great love for Mr. Rodino and Joe Benuchi, who became the postmaster, and when Mr. Rodino was brought down with Colonel Kelly, who was then Democratic county chairman, preceding Chairman Dennis Carey, these were days that the clubs on First Avenue, the Capa Soleus and other clubs, that were political clubs that Mr. Rodino felt as comfortable in those clubs, as he would in

the basement of a Baptist church where the NCAAP, Newark branch, would be meeting.

So the Rodino auxiliary group, women who were at the funeral, who wanted the press to know that they were the Peter Rodino Ladies Auxiliary, they were so proud. They served him so long.

Mr. Speaker, as we conclude, it was really the right time. Elizabeth Holtzman was important because in the redistricting in 1972, she defeated Mannie Celler who was then chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary. She did not serve long in Congress. However, Mr. Rodino then took the chairmanship of that committee and moved it through the impeachment proceedings.

As it was said at the funeral that was attended by Monsignor Shering, president of Seton Hall University, Monsignor Joseph Grenada, and the great eulogy that was given by Ms. Paula Franzese who talked from her heart, and the president, dean of the law school, Patrick Hobbs, all of us were there. Even our law professor Mr. McQuade, Acting Governor Richard Codey, Senator Sarbanes and Elizabeth Holtzman all came out to show their respect.

There was legislation like the Simpson-Rodino Act, which paved the way for immigrants to have a better future back in 1986, one of the last important pieces of legislation that Mr. Rodino passed.

So as we conclude here, I mentioned the beautiful Cathedral of St. Lucy where the funeral was held, to all of us who remember the Congressman for so many years. He was proud of being a member of the Columbian Society. He was inducted into the Knights of Malta, and he wore on his lapel that symbol for decades. He was so proud of his heritage.

Once again, let me say what an extraordinary night it has been to have several hours expire even as I speak now. Let me once again thank all of the Members who participated. It is a great day for the Rodino family, but it is also a great day for America for us to remember one of the true heroes of this land, the late Congressman, Peter W. Rodino, Jr.

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 offer heartfelt congratulations to Monsignor Joseph J. Granato as he celebrates 50 years in the priesthood. Father Joe, as he is affectionately known was ordained on June 4, 1955, at St. Lucy's Parish in Newark, New Jersey.

As a youngster in his First Ward neighborhood of Newark, Father Joe embraced the Catholic traditions that were intricately woven into the lives of his family and friends. His Catholic school education began at Sacred Heart Cathedral Grammar School and included Our Lady of Good Counsel High School and Seton Hall University. He attended Darlington Seminary where he studied diligently and paid close attention to his prayers of obligation. Although Father Joe yearned for his mom's cooking and the camaraderie of his old neighborhood while in the Seminary, he was appreciative of the jovial exchanges he shared with his fellow seminarians.

Father Joe's religious assignment to St. Lucy's Parish has been a true blessing to him and his congregation. In addition to being close to his own home, Father Joe flourished under the guidance of Father Ruggiero until his death in 1966. Father Joe took responsibility for the CYO, Drum Corps, Children of Mary, Altar Boys, sick calls, First Friday calls and confessions. He was subsequently appointed Administrator in 1971 and in 1977; he was assigned by Archbishop Peter Gerety as the Pastor of his beloved St. Lucy's. On July 16, 1979, Father Joseph J. Granato was awarded the honor of being named Monsignor by His Holiness, John Paul II, which the humble Father Joe attributed to the virtue of the people of St. Lucy's rather than himself. Father Joe has worked hard to transform the neighborhood around St. Lucy's. His leadership along with the cooperation of the city, state and federal government has resulted in the removal of the old abandoned high-rise apartments which have been replaced with new beautiful townhouses.

Mr. Speaker, Reverend Monsignor Joseph J. Granato has served his church and the community well over the past 50 years. He has received several awards including the first Msgr. Joseph Granato Italian Culture Award from Seton Hall University and an induction into the Our Lady of Good Counsel Hall of Fame. St. Lucy's Parish is thriving under his guidance and leadership. I know my colleagues join me in wishing Father Joe a very happy 50th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, I ask colleagues here in the House of Representatives to join me as I rise to acknowledge the Monumental Baptist Church of Jersey City, New Jersey as it celebrates its 105th anniversary. Established in 1900, Monumental was incorporated in 1904 and has been serving the needs of its congregation and the community continuously.

Throughout the illustrious history of Monumental Baptist Church, effective leadership has been at the core of all the accomplishments the church has had. Beginning with Pastor William Edwards and continuing with Pastors Garlick, Smith, Fitzgerald, Webb, Ashley and the current pastor, Reverend Joseph L. Jones, Sr., Monumental has made many enhancements over the years. In addition to its leadership, the success of all of Monumental's initiatives can be attributed to the faith, hope, commitment and prayers of the loving membership that fill the pews of this landmark facility. In fact, Monumental Baptist Church is blessed to have 55 members who have fifty or more years of continuous membership. Clearly, that statistic is representative of the marvelous activities taking place at the church.

Recently, Monumental Baptist Church was officially approved as a 501(c)(3) religious organization. The church's finances have improved over the years enabling the on-going renovations and upgrades to church owned properties.

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues agree that Monumental Baptist Church and the surrounding community have every right to be pleased with the lasting contributions that the church has made to the residents of Jersey City. I am pleased to congratulate Monumental Baptist Church on its 105th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today in honor of Mother Odessa Bonner who received the Life Time Achievement Award on June 5, 2005 at the Saint Paul's Calvary United Church of God's Joint Usher Board's 36th Annual Day.

Mother Bonner has been a dedicated member of Saint Paul's Calvary United Church of God's Usher Board for over 30 years. Her willingness to lend a helping hand has made it easy for the Usher Board to declare her 2005's Usher of the Year. She has devoted herself to assisting those in need through her outreach work at community food banks, various shelters and soup kitchens throughout Union and Essex counties.

Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues here in the US House of Representatives to join me in honoring Mother Odessa Bonner as she accepts the Life Time Achievement Award as Usher of the Year. I am proud to have had her in my Congressional district and wish her never- ending success in her future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to honor an extraordinary public servant, Earl Phillips, as he says farewell to the Peace Corps and embarks on a new life journey. Mr. Phillips has diligently served as the Country Director for the United States Peace Corps for the Eastern Caribbean for 6 years. However, his lifetime achievements do not stop there.

Ranging from community revitalization to capacity building, Mr. Phillips' incredible generosity has touched many lives. As his wife, 5 children and 7 grandchildren can attest, he has dedicated his life to the betterment of others. So much so, that even after raising his children, he and his wife Victoria decided to join the Peace Corps and served as volunteers in Ghana, West Africa from 1996-1998. While at that post, Mr. Phillips played a significant role in the planning of President Bill Clinton and the First Lady's trip to Ghana--the first leg on their historic tour of the African continent.

He also has incredible ties not only to the great State of New Jersey but also my Congressional District. As a resident of Newark, he excelled as an athlete at South Side High School. After attending Howard University and serving in the military, he returned to our hometown where in 1970, he became President of the Urban League. From 1972-1973, he served as the Director of the High Impact Anti-Crime Commission. During his tenure, he designed and supervised a national program that reduced street crime by 20%. Upon leaving the anti-crime commission, he worked, for 5 years, as the Director of the Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RHA), also in Newark. He later went on to serve as the Executive Director of 4 additional housing authorities in large metropolitan cities.

Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues here in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in honoring Mr. Earl Phillips, as he leaves the United States Peace Corps, and in expressing appreciation to him and his wonderful wife Victoria for their service to our Nation. During his time in the Peace Corps, he served as an outstanding spokesman and goodwill ambassador for his country. Beyond the Peace Corps, his life achievements speak volumes about his generosity and dedication to a cause bigger than himself. I am proud to have him as a dear friend and wish him never-ending success in his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and pay tribute to one of this country's great civil rights leaders, Rev. John H. Scott. On May 7, I had the opportunity to attend a tribute to Rev. Scott, honoring the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the John H. Scott Memorial Fund in Tallulah, Louisiana. This living memorial was started at the request of Rev. Scott at the end of his life, and now provides scholarships to young people, as well as supporting other projects that advance the aims and ideals of the Reverend's life.

Rev. Scott was a minister and a civil rights leader who was devoted to improving the quality of life for African-Americans in this country. He was born in 1901, in a small, almost all-black parish in Louisiana, where black schools, businesses, and neighborhoods were thriving, but existed in almost total isolation from their white neighbors. He came to see that this seeming independence was not commensurate with equality, and he dedicated his life to the pursuit of that equality for all people, of all color, in all places.

He was a farmer, as well as a pastor for twenty-five years, president of the local NAACP for thirty-three years, and chairman of the East Carroll Ministerial Alliance for five, while still finding time to make regular visits to hospitals, senior citizens' homes, and prisons. His twenty-five year struggle for full voting rights for African-Americans is an exemplar of how individual people can indeed change the world. Armed with a passion for justice and ready to fight no matter what the cost, his local, grassroots efforts became a national movement that ultimately convinced Attorney General Robert Kennedy to join his crusade for equality for all. Despite growing up under the oppressive injustice of Jim Crow laws, and knowing the risks it presented to his own life and the lives of his friends, neighbors, and family members, he was unfaltering in his quest for progress.

His book, Witness to the Truth, which was compiled by his daughter, Cleo Scott Brown, is a collection of his writings and transcripts of his interviews; and I recommend it to all who wish to know more about the history of race relations in this country. We must understand the truth about our past struggles if we are ultimately to see success, because, in the words of Rev. Scott, ``So much of what we will become depends on how we start.'' And Rev. Scott helped us start well. His life is a testament to the tenacity and courage that daily fortified our civil rights leaders and sustained them in their struggle to ensure human rights for every person, regardless of race, gender, or economic circumstance.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to Rev. John H. Scott, and I acknowledge my own indebtedness here today. He once wrote, ``History is of little value unless it inspires one to greater endeavors, or serves to guide against the mistakes of the past.'' As the first African- American elected to this great body from my State, I know that I have been inspired to greater endeavors by people like Rev. Scott, whose lives paved the way for my accomplishments.

I'd also like to thank Dr. Elsie Scott for bringing this extraordinary Foundation to my attention and to commend the other Scott family members including Jewel Scott, Johnita Scott, and Louis G. Scott.

Mr. Speaker, I wish today to honor the memory of Rev. John H. Scott, and I know that all of my colleagues here join me in paying tribute to this man of uncommon distinction who history will remember as a great warrior in the struggle for civil rights.

Mr. Chairman, as a cosponsor of the Woolsey amendment calling on the President to develop and implement a plan to begin the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and to take other steps to provide the Iraqi people with the opportunity to control their internal affairs, I rise in support of this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, although I strongly opposed the preemptive war in Iraq, which the administration promoted based on false information and which has resulted in tragic loss of American and Iraqi lives, I would have supported as many troops as necessary in Afghanistan where our enemy, Osama bin Laden, was.

I do not believe that it would be fair to abandon the Iraqi people at this juncture. So, therefore, we should look towards having the United Nations create an international peacekeeping force to keep Iraq secure.

I would also like to take this opportunity, though, to commend a group of activists in my congressional district who are lending their voices to the important debate about our future in Iraq. South Mountain Peace Action, representing residents of Maplewood and South Orange, New Jersey, are strongly committed to seeking an international solution, led by the United Nations, and a rapid return of U.S. soldiers. Nearly 80 percent of Maplewood and South Orange voters and 52 percent of New Jersey voters voiced their agreement that President Bush's war in Iraq is the wrong war at the wrong time in the wrong place.

The war has already exacted a heavy price. More than 1,600 American lives have been lost and over 10,000 servicemen and women have been wounded. More than 100,000 Iraqi civilians have lost their lives, and $210 billion have been spent.

I urge support of the Woolsey amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of my uncle, John Garrett, Jr. and I ask my colleagues here in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in paying tribute to this outstanding American patriot.

John Garrett, Jr. was a Staff Sergeant and platoon leader of the 229th Port Company attached to the 1st Engineer Specialist Brigade of the 1st Army and on June 6th, 1944, his contingent of 75 men was responsible for transporting ammunition to the landing Allied Forces.

He was extremely proud of his service in the Army during WWII; however, he was disheartened that the role of African American soldiers who helped lead our country to victory

was not accurately depicted in history. Their names were not mentioned, their achievements were not celebrated, and their sacrifices were not honored. He considered it his mission to correct the historical omissions of the role of African American soldiers, and he developed a comprehensive collection of historical information, including visual displays and artifacts that he used during lectures to community groups and to the many schools where he was invited to speak.

He would speak about the contributions of African Americans in battle that history did not record. He told about the Tuskegee Airmen, the Red Ball Express, and the lesser-known Fighting 369th--a group of African Americans, largely from New York City, who valiantly chose to fight for a country that gave them only minimal civil rights and would not even allow them to carry arms or participate in battle. But this band of patriots would not be deterred, and eventually fought as Americans for our ally, the French. They were so fierce in battle, in fact, that the enemy called them ``The Hell-Fighters,'' and they would later come to be known as The Harlem Hell-Fighters.

He was tenacious in his attempts to have the recognition due African American soldiers afforded them, and was the catalyst for the movement that eventually led President Clinton to recognize those soldiers; as a result, a number of African American soldiers who had been overlooked for the Purple Heart were later awarded that medal in recognition of their service in WWII. Purple Hearts were not the only awards withheld from African American soldiers. President Eisenhower, when presenting Letters of Commendation, chose to send Letters to white soldiers only. My Uncle John was directly responsible for President Clinton's decision to award Letters of Commendation to those African American soldiers who participated in the D-Day Invasion and whose service had gone unmentioned and unrecognized for decades.

One of my uncle's most treasured experiences, capping off his life's work, was visiting Washington last Memorial Day weekend for the official dedication of the long-awaited World War II Memorial. As a veteran of the war, he and his wonderful wife Ruth, who were married over 60 years, were able to view the moving ceremony from special seats and also mingled with the crowds, enjoying great camaraderie with other World War II veterans gathered together for this historic occasion.

John Garrett, Jr. lived life to the fullest. When he and his wife attended my Annual Congressional Ball in March, they danced the night away, outlasting most of the others on the dance floor. He also made a point of traveling to Washington every fall to participate in the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference.

Mr. Speaker, let us honor John Garrett, Jr. for his patriotism and his service to our country. He was tireless in his fight to ensure that all our soldiers received the honor that was due them. He was a role model for our community, enlightening thousands of school children with the true story of the role African Americans played in our Nation's history, and instilling in them pride for the legacy of their ancestors. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Ruth, his son Kenny and his granddaughter, Cindy.