Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill through page 108, line 22, be considered as read and printed in the Record and open to amendment at any point.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I would urge any Members, following up what the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) said, any Members that have amendments, we have been here since noon and we are waiting on them, so I would urge them, if they are listening, to come to the floor and offer the amendments so we can move the process along. So if Members can hear and are available, we would encourage them to come so amendments could be offered.

Amendment Offered by Mr. Pitts

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment. I want to thank the gentleman for offering it.

This really follows the principle that was used during the Carter administration and during the Reagan administration by keeping lists. Therefore, if you happen to be going to a country, when you go to China you are able to check to see that X and Y have been tortured, so when you meet with government officials, you can raise those cases. This is the way it was done in the Carter administration and in the Reagan administration.

This is a very good amendment, and I thank the gentleman for offering it, and I rise in strong support of it. I urge that we accept it.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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

I rise in opposition. The census is one of the oldest civic functions of our Nation. Article I of the U.S. Constitution requires enumeration of the population every 10 years. The census is the largest peacetime mobilization of our government personnel.

The American Community Survey is designed to replace the long-form portion for future decennial censuses, therefore leaving only the short-form portion.

Many Americans found that filling out the long-form survey to be burdensome, and many said this contributed to the declining response rate of the long form, therefore costing the American taxpayer more money to have census takers returning to the nonresponding households.

The Committee on Government Reform and the Committee on Appropriations have worked to ensure that the Census Bureau has the necessary funding to carry out its mission and to ensure that for 2010 there will only be a short form census.

The question of constitutionality of the American Community Survey is not new. On April 4, 2002, the General Accounting Office responded to the vice-chairman of the Committee on Government Reform's request for an opinion. The GAO stated, ``Census clearly has authority to conduct the ACS.'' There is sufficient legal authority.

If we do not fund the ACS, we will ensure we have a two-form census in 2010, which will cost an additional $4 million for the taxpayer.

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

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

I rise in support of the amendment. We worked with the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano), the ranking member, on this amendment. It restores the microloan program. We are in agreement, and I ask that the amendment be approved.

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

Mr. Chairman, would it be possible to reclaim my time?

Mr. Chairman, how much time is remaining?

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver).

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

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. At this point I just want to say that my mom died of cancer, my father died of cancer, and I would have done anything to help them, and OxyContin can make a big difference. But there has been a lot of abuse. There have been a lot of doctors that have been doctor factories that are just prescribing this.

There were some in my area, and I have seen families that have been devastated in southwest Virginia. I understand what the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul) is saying, but in southwest Virginia, in the rural areas down in Lee County, there is probably not a family that has not been impacted by the abuse of prescriptions. So it is a balance.

I understand the gentleman, being a doctor, how he feels, but there are cases where there is tremendous abuse. That is why I think we have to keep monitoring this.

Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes legislation in an appropriation bill and therefore violates clause 2 of Rule XXI.

The rule states in pertinent part: ``An amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order if changing existing law. The amendment imposes additional duties.''

So I ask for a ruling of the Chair.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, when we had a vote on the floor, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) offered the amendment to not join UNESCO. I supported the amendment. I did not believe that we should have joined UNESCO. The decision was made by the Bush administration. Also, on that vote, if my memory serves me, I was on the losing side. I think it may have been Lantos v. Hyde. I voted with the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), and we were on the losing side. History will have to check the exact timing of that vote.

The bill includes $71.9 million for the U.S. share of funding for membership in UNESCO, and I have had serious questions about UNESCO. UNESCO was rife with corruption and problems. The Bush administration, who wanted to join, has a very good and a very tough ambassador, a kind of a no-nonsense person. I have met her and think highly of her. The President announced 2 years ago at the United Nations, and I remember seeing the speech, that the U.S. would rejoin UNESCO. The First Lady, Mrs. Bush, addressed the UNESCO plenary session in Paris, France, last year.

The U.S. withdrew from UNESCO in 1984 when the organization was rife with corruption and anti-Western bias, and I think the current ambassador, I have spoken to her, is going to make sure they do not go back to the corruption and anti-Western bias. It was mismanaged, and she has pledged that she would stay after that.

Since that time, they have undergone reforms and the current leadership is committed. They say it stands for fundamental human rights and democratic principles; and participation in the UNESCO, many say, will allow us to be engaged as international partners in a number of issues. This year, the U.S. was elected to the UNESCO legal committee, the intergovernmental biotechnics committee, and other committees.

I think now, although I do tend to agree with the gentleman, I think it is a fact and I think he raises some very, very valid points, but to strike funding for UNESCO just after the Bush administration has joined, just after President Bush's wife, Mrs. Bush, has spoken at a plenary session, I think would send a wrong message. So I reluctantly rise in opposition to the amendment out of respect to the Bush administration, having been on the losing side.

But we are going to watch this. We are going to watch and see what UNESCO does, and I am glad this issue was raised by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul). But in light of the vote on the floor and in light of the Bush administration request and the President's speech, and in light of the First Lady attending and addressing the plenary session, I would ask defeat of the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

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

A similar amendment was offered on DHS, and it failed by a vote of 148 to 259, so we are back to exactly the same thing. SCAAP funds are not available to States that violate current law, and the Justice Department tells us the gentleman's amendment would have no impact.

I understand what the gentleman is trying to do. In the State of Virginia, we have a program where our State police are basically deputized to in essence enforce the immigration laws. But it is like Don Quixote. So what I would recommend the gentleman to do, and I mentioned this to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King) earlier, the gentleman and the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King) and others ought to sit down with the administration, with the Department of Justice and also with the Department of Homeland Security and fashion a regulation in that sense. I think there are other ways of doing this. I think you are just sort of coming up against it. My sense may be wrong. Maybe the 148 will go to 152, I do not know.

But I think the gentleman really wants to be successful and do something. However, the Department of Justice says the Tancredo amendment would have no effect on those who receive SCAAP grants. I am not going to take a lot more time, but I would urge the gentleman, and I will be glad to help the gentleman set up a meeting with BICE and with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to see how to do this. But since it does nothing and says nothing and is in essence the same amendment I believe was offered on homeland security, I think the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers) defeated by 148 for and 259 against, for that reason I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment, and offer to work with the gentleman, BICE, and the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King) to set up a meeting.

I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano).

Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano) 30 seconds.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. This is a bad amendment. It will be bad for the country.

Marijuana is the most abused drug in the United States. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more young people are now in treatment for marijuana dependency than for alcohol or for all other legal drugs combined. The amendment does not address the problem of marijuana abuse and possibly, perhaps probably, makes it worse by sending a message to young people that there can be health benefits from smoking marijuana.

In testimony before the Committee on Government Reform, the DEA provided an example of how marijuana trafficking is occurring under the guise of medicine. And there is so much more I could say, and we have the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder) here and the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose). This is not a good amendment. The message that this sends to the young people is absolutely wrong. This was overwhelmingly defeated the last time it came up. I urge defeat of the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute of the 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose)

Mr. Chairman, who has the right to close?

Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder).

Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that during further consideration of H.R. 4754 in the Committee of the Whole pursuant to House Resolution 701 and the order of the House of earlier today, the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their designees each may offer one pro forma amendment to each amendment for the purpose of further debate.

The Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Ose). Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment. Still allowed is food, medicine, medical supplies, equipment; receive only radio equipment for reception. It does not eliminate humanitarian aid. So the amendment prohibits implementation of a regulation that is still under development. This regulation, as I understand it, would provide several categories of items that BIS has approved for export to Cuba, the eligibility requirements for gift parcels that can be sent to Cuba without a license.

The Commerce Department had told us that based on input from the public since they published the regulation and in consultation with the State Department, the Department is revising the rule.

Castro has a number of people that are in prison today, many speaking out for human rights; and I think it would be important to send a message; and, as a result of that, I rise in strong opposition to the amendment.

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

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

Mr. Chairman, I asked to go to Cuba. The gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and I asked to go. We were denied. We were denied by Castro for the ability to go visit church leaders in Cuba. Yet, I constantly see, and I guess we are not supposed to mention the names of those in the other body, different members of the other body sort of floating into Havana and coming back out. We were not given the ability to go. The State Department was not able to help us. Castro would not let us go. So it would be a little more objective and a little more fair if those who are opposed to what Castro stands for who basically are taking the Reagan doctrine that he took to Eastern Europe there were able to go.

Even in the Soviet Union under the dark days of Krushchev, we were able to go; and when we went, we brought computers in and different things.

So I just want the record to show there has not been a case that I know of of any Member in this body, and there are good people on both sides, I know both sides do not favor Castro, but I have never seen a Member from this body who strongly opposes and speaks out against Castro to ever be given a visa to visit. You even have to go through the pro-Castro groups to ask for an opportunity to go.

So I think the record ought to show that I want to go. And for those of my colleagues who have been and feel that they speak a little bit and have some influence, pick a time and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and I will go and we will go into the prisons; we will go into the churches. But the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and I have never been able to go.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 7 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).

Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Feeney).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart).

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

I sometimes think the institution that we serve here is so economically driven that we worship at the alter of trade. We are becoming an economic institution. I remember the days of Ronald Reagan where we were more concerned about freedom than anything else.

The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul) is not here. He said things are better in China. Things are not better in China. I opposed MFN for China. Things are worse in China. There are 11 Catholic bishops in jail in China. They have just arrested the person who was identified with regard to SARS. They are persecuting the Tibetans, the Muslims, the evangelicals. Things are worse in China today with MFN and with trade than they have been for a long time.

Secondly, I am really kind of sorry that we are really divided. We should be together, and I think things like this send messages that are not necessarily positive. I wish there had been more discussion, quite frankly, on both sides about those who are being persecuted and those who have been arrested and those who are in jail. Have any Members read the book, and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) has met with him, and I have met with him once, by Armando Valladares? The persecution and the suffering that has gone on. I have heard almost no one here tonight say that if Castro were to open up the prisons and the jails and release the people, I may change my position. But we should be asking Castro to do something, and we never do that. Why does Castro not open up the prison doors and allow peaceful people out? Why does Castro not allow the journalists to write whatever they want? Why does he not do that? So there should be more discussion on this and less interest in economic interests on both sides and more on human rights and religious freedom.

Lastly, Ronald Reagan took away MFN from Rumania when all the business interests and the Congress was opposed to it. Ronald Reagan was the one who stood up with regard to Communism. The policy in Castro's Cuba has not been a total failure. They are no longer exporting their political situation around the world.

In the interests of those who are suffering, we should be together; and I would hope that whatever amendment would be offered, and it is too late to amend this amendment, so whatever amendment would be offered would also carry the stipulation that those who are in prison for what they believe in, for religious freedom and persecution, as we do whatever the Flake amendment does, that the prison jails are opened and that people be released.

With that I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment.

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

I rise in strong opposition to the gentleman's amendment. As imperfect as the U.N. is, there is no other forum which exists to further the U.S. goals. The Security Council's unanimous resolution on Iraq on June 8 was critical to a U.S. priority and to the Bush administration, their effort with regard to bringing some sort of resolution to the issue in Darfur in Sudan, the peacekeeping effort to stop the genocide in Liberia and in Sierra Leone and other places. So the U.S. maintains a key factor here. So I think there are so many arguments that in the interest of time I would hope the amendment would be overwhelmingly defeated.

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

Mr. Chairman, we accept the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

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

Mr. Chairman, the amendment is very simple and concerns recent events in the Darfur region of Sudan, which I visited last week. I offer the amendment on behalf of myself and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).

The amendment asks the Secretary of State to support the investigations of war crimes or crimes against humanity in Darfur, and I have done this in consultation with my colleague on the other side, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano).

Senator Brownback and I just returned from spending 3 days and 2 nights in Darfur, Sudan. During our trip we visited five refugee camps: Abu Shouk; Tawilah; Krinding; Sisi and Morney--all sprawling tent cities jam-packed with thousands of displaced families and fast becoming breeding grounds for disease and sickness. We drove past dozens of pillaged villages and walked through what was left of four burned to the ground. We heard countless stories about rape, murder and plunder.

We talked to rape victims. We saw the scars on men who had been shot. We watched mothers cradle their sick and dying babies, hoping against all odds that their children would survive. We saw armed Janjaweed waiting to prey on innocent victims along the perimeter of refugee camps.

We saw Janjaweed--who are carrying out these attacks--sitting astride camels and horses just a short distance from where young and old have sought what they had hoped would be a safe harbor.

The same stories were repeated at every camp we visited. The raids would happen early in the morning. First comes the low rumble of a Soviet-made Antonov plane to bomb the village. Next come helicopter gunships to strafe the village with the huge machine guns mounted on each side. Sometimes the helicopters would land and unload supplies for the Janjaweed. They would then be reloaded with booty confiscated from a village. One man told us he saw cows being loaded onto one helicopter. The Janjaweed, some clad in military uniforms, would come galloping in on horseback and camels to finish the job of killing, raping, stealing and plundering.

Walking through the burned out villages we could tell the people living there had little or not time to react. They left everything they owned--lanterns, cookware, water jugs, pottery, plows--and ran for their lives. There was no time to stop and bury their dead. The Janjaweed made certain that there would be nothing left for the villagers to come home to. Huts were torched. Donkeys, goats and cows were stolen, slaughtered. Grain containers destroyed. In one village we saw where the Janjaweed even burned the mosque.

ethnic cleansing

What is happening in Darfur is rooted in ethnic cleansing. Religion has nothing to do with what unfolded over the last year. It was clear that only villages inhabited by black African Muslims were being targeted. Arab villages sitting just next to African ones miles from the nearest towns have been left unscathed.

While government officials are adamant in saying there is no connection between the Government of Sudan and the Janjaweed, the militiamen we saw did not look like skilled pilots who could fly planes or helicopters.

We also were told the Janjaweed are well armed and well supplied. They have satellite phones, an astonishing fact considering most people in the far western provinces of Darfur have probably never even seen or walked on a paved road.

The impunity under which the Janjaweed operate was most telling as we approached the airport in Geneina on our last day in the region for our flight back to Khartoum. In plain sight was an encampment of Janjaweed within shouting distance of a contingent of Government of Sudan regulars. No more than 200 yards separated the two groups. Sitting on the tarmac were two helicopter gunships and a Russian-made Antonov plane.

The situation in Darfur is being described as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. We agree. But sadly things could get worse. Some say that even under the best of circumstances, as many as 300,000 Darfuris forced from their homes are expected to die from malnutrition and diarrhea or diseases such as malaria and cholera in the coming months.

The impending rainy season presents its own set of problems, making roads impassable for food deliveries and the likelihood of disease increasing dramatically with the heavy rains.

difficult life in idp camps

Abu Shouk was the first of five IDP (Internally Displace People) camps we visited. More than 40,000 people live in this sprawling tent city. Families arriving at the camps--almost all

after walking for days in the hot sun from their now abandon villages-- are only given a tarp, a water jug, cookware and a small amount of grain.

At Mornay, the largest of the IDP camps in Darfur with more than 70,000 inhabitants, it was hard not to step in either human or animal feces as we walked. In a few weeks, when the heavy rains begin, excrement will flow across the entire camp. Mortality from diarrhea, which we were told represents one-third of the deaths in the camps, will only increase.

To their credit, all the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that have been allowed to operate in Darfur have done--and continue to do--a tremendous job under extremely trying circumstances.

Rapes, we were told, happen almost daily to the women who venture outside the confines of the camps in search of firewood and straw. They leave very early in the morning, hoping to evade their tormentors before they awake. With the camps swelling in size and nearby resources dwindling, they often walk several miles. The farther the women go from the camp, the greater the risk of being attacked by the Janjaweed.

As we approached Mornay, we saw a number of Janjaweed resting with their camels and horses along the perimeter of the camp, easily within walking distance. In one camp we heard the horrific story of four young girls--two of whom were sisters--who had been raped just days before we arrived. They had left the camp to collect straw to feed the family's donkey when they were attacked. They said their attackers told them they were slaves and that their skin was too dark. As they were being raped, they said the Janjaweed told them they were hoping to make more lighter-skinned babies. We were told that some of the rape victims were being branded on their back and arms by the Janjaweed, permanently labeling the women.

We also received a letter during our trip from a group of women who were raped. To protect them from further attacks, we purposely do not mention where they are from or list their names. The translation is heartbreaking:

We are forty-four raped women. As a result of that

savagery, some of us became pregnant, some have aborted, some

took out their wombs and some are still receiving medical

treatment.

Hereunder, we list the names of the raped women and state

that we have high hopes in you and the international

community to stand by us and not to forsake us to this

tyrannical, brutal and racist regime, which wants to

eliminate us racially, bearing in mind that 90 percent of our

sisters at (. . .) are widows.

These rape victims have nowhere to turn. Even if they report the attacks to the police, they know nothing will happen. The police, the military and the Janjaweed all appear to be acting in coordination.

dire situation is man-made

The situation in Darfur is dire, and from what we could see, it is entirely man-made. These people who had managed to survive even the severest droughts and famines during the course of their long history are now in mortal danger of being wiped out simply because of the darker shade of their skin color.

Over the course of 3 days, we saw the worst of man's inhumanity to man, but we also saw the best of what it means to be human: mothers waiting patiently for hours in the hot sun so that they could try to save their babies; NGO aid workers and volunteer doctors feeding and caring for the sick and the dying; and the courage and bravery of men, women and children eager to talk to us so that we would know their story.

The world made a promise in 1994 to never again allow the systematic destruction of a people or race. ``Never again''--words said, too, after the Holocaust.

In Darfur, the international community has a chance to stop history from repeating itself. It also has a chance to end this nightmare for those who have found a way to survive. If the international community fails to act, the next cycle of this crisis will begin. The destiny facing the people of Darfur will be death from hunger or disease.

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

Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit for the Record three new articles regarding the continuing crisis in Darfur, Sudan. I will continue to submit articles exposing the crimes occurring against the people of Darfur. I will not stop until the world takes notice and the unnecessary death of innocent civilians ends.

[From the New York Times, June 23, 2004]

Magboula's Brush With Genocide

(By Nicholas D. Kristof)

Along the Sudan-Chad Border--Meet Magboula Muhammad Khattar

and her baby, Nada. I wrote about Ms. Khattar in my last two

columns, recounting how the Janjaweed Arab militia burned her

village, murdered her parents and finally tracked her family

down in the mountains. Ms. Khattar hid, but the Janjaweed

caught her husband and his brothers, only 4, 6 and 8 years

old, and killed them all.

Ms. Khattar decided that the only hope for saving her two

daughters and her baby sister was to lead them by night to

Chad. They had to avoid wells where the Janjaweed kept watch,

but eight days later, half-dead with hunger and thirst, they

staggered across the dry riverbed that marks the border with

Chad.

That's where I found Ms. Khattar. She is part of a wave of

1.2 million people left homeless by the genocide in Darfur.

Among those I met was Haiga Ibrahim, a 16-year-old girl who

said her father and three older brothers had been killed by

the Janjaweed. So Haiga led her crippled mother and younger

brothers and sisters to Chad. But the place they reached

along the border, Bamina, was too remote to get help from

overtaxed aid agencies.

So when I found her, Haiga was leading her brothers and

sisters 30 miles across the desert to the town of Bahai. ``My

mother can't walk any more,'' she said wearily. ``First I'm

taking my brother and sisters, and then I hope to go back and

bring my mother.''

There is no childhood here. I saw a 4-year-old orphan girl,

Nijah Ahmed, carrying her

13-month-old brother, Nibraz, on her back. Their parents and

15-year-old brother are missing in Sudan and presumed dead.

As for Ms. Khattar, she is camping beneath a tree, sharing

the shade with three other women also widowed by the

Janjaweed. In some ways Ms. Khattar is lucky; her children

all survived. Moreover, in some Sudanese tribes, widows must

endure having their vaginas sewn shut to preserve their

honor, but that is not true of her Zaghawa tribe.

Ms. Khattar's children have nightmares, their screams at

night mixing with the yelps of jackals, and she worries that

she will lose them to hunger or disease. But her plight pales

beside that of Hatum Atraman Bashir, a 35-year-old woman who

is pregnant with the baby of one of the 20 Janjaweed raiders

who murdered her husband and then gang-raped her.

Ms. Bashir said that when the Janjaweed attacked her

village, Kornei, she fled with her seven children. But when

she and a few other mothers crept out to find food, the

Janjaweed captured them and tied them on the ground, spread-

eagled, then gang-raped them.

``They said, `You are black women, and you are our slaves,'

and they also said other bad things that I cannot repeat,''

she said, crying softly. ``One of the women cried, and they

killed her. Then they told me, `If you cry, we will kill you,

too.''' Other women from Kornei confirm her story and say

that another woman who was gang-raped at that time had her

ears partly cut off as an added humiliation.

One moment Ms. Bashir reviles the baby inside her. The next

moment, she tearfully changes her mind. ``I will not kill the

baby,'' she said. ``I will love it. This baby has no problem,

except for his father.''

Ms. Khattar, the orphans, Ms. Bashir and countless more

like them have gone through hell in the last few months, as

we have all turned our backs--and the rainy season is

starting to make their lives even more miserable. In my next

column, I'll suggest what we can do to save them. For readers

eager to act now, some options are at www.nytimes.com/ kristofresponds, Posting 479.

[From the BBC News]

From the Grim Times in Sudan

(By Tamsin Walters)

Food and water are scarce, women have been gang-raped,

disease is rife. In the Darfur conflict, even an experienced

aid worker can be taken aback by the hardships suffered--but

will the rest of the world hear Sudan's pleas for help?

Driving along the deserted, pot-holed roads towards

southern Darfur, the unfolding scenes of devastation are

marked by burnt-out village after burnt-out village. Mud

walls are torn down or smashed, and straw roofs no longer

exist. Discarded sandals litter the area, illustrating the

speed with which the people have fled.

This rapid flight has left hundreds of thousands of people

with nothing. No clothes, no sleeping mats to lay over the

bare earth, no cooking utensils. Any personal belongings are

likely to be among the charred remains left behind in the

villages. And attacks by the Janjaweed, the Arab militia

blamed for perpetrating atrocities against African farmers,

continue. Rather than a sense of security in the towns and

camps to which the refugees have fled, the mood of fear is

oppressive.

The only people seen on the road are Janjaweed groups laden

down with the animals they have looted and the goods they

have taken. They wave happily as we drive by.

Sex crimes. Security is the major problem facing the people

of Darfur. I've spoken to women who have been repeatedly

raped, and heard of girls as young as 11 who've been

abducted. The women are effectively trapped, unable to

venture outside the towns and camps to search for firewood

and grass--items essential to their survival, either to sell

in exchange for food or for their own use. As an aid worker

specializing in health and nutrition, with experience in

emergencies around the world, I came to Sudan prepared for a

grim situation. But Darfur is by far one of the worst

humanitarian crises I've witnessed. The aid agency's pleas

haven't fallen on deaf ears, as more than K300,000 has

already been donated. But Martha Clarke, the head of media

for Cafod, says the press in the UK is very focused on

domestic matters and admits there's a ``kind of fatigue''

when it comes to reporting on the crisis. ``It's a shame that

there needs to be conflict to bring it to the media's

attention,'' she says.

Cafod and other agencies are doing what we can to alleviate

people's suffering, concentrating on providing shelter, food,

water and sanitation to the hundreds of thousands of people

made homeless. But time is running out in which to reach

them--our aim is to beat the rains which come in early July,

and cut off many parts of this devastated region.

Rainy season. These rains have to be seen to be believed. A

thunderstorm broke while I was there. Tucked inside a local

office, at least I had cement walls and a roof. Thousands of

others crouched together under shelters hastily built from

narrow poles covered in grain. The torrential rain soon

flattened many.

When the rains arrive, those without shelter face the new

threat of acute respiratory infections and malaria. Without

food, they will not have the strength to fight disease that

stems from unclean water and lack of sanitation. Because of

the severe water shortages, people queue for up to 10 hours

at the few pumps--and this leaves them vulnerable to further

attack. There is barely enough water to drink, let alone

wash. And with few latrines and cramped conditions in the

towns and camps, the health risks are enormous.

Already many children have died from a measles epidemic,

which is now under control. But the children are traumatized,

and food shortages and disease have left the very young with

severe malnutrition.

The towns of the south are among the last places to be

reached by aid organizations. So the people themselves do

much of the work. Local communities have taken the displaced

into their own homes, or helped them build shelters, as well

as offering cooking utensils.

With whole villages being emptied in one fell swoop

following Janjaweed attacks, the displaced often include

teachers and health workers, who are working hard for their

communities. And our role is to help provide the tools they

need to survive.

[From the New York Times, June 23, 2004]

Newsview: Sudan May Be Next for Genocide

(By The Associated Press)

Washington (AP).--Genocide has struck many victims over the

past 65 years: European Jews during World War II, Cambodians

in the late 1970s, Rwandans in 1994. There may be a new

addition: The black African tribes of Darfur province in

western Sudan have faced murder, displacement, pillage,

razing of villages and other crimes committed by Arab

militias known as janjaweed.

The dictionary defines genocide as ``the systematic killing

of a racial or cultural group.'' The U.S. government is

reviewing whether Darfur qualifies for the designation.

``The janjaweed are the government's militia, and Khartoum

has armed and empowered it to conduct `ethnic cleansing' in

Darfur,'' says Human Rights Watch. The Brussels-based

International Crisis Group says Darfur can ``easily become as

deadly'' as the Rwanda genocide of 1994. Then, soldiers,

militiamen and civilians of the Hutu majority killed more

than 500,000 minority Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus

in 100 days. All along, Sudan has denied allegations of

complicity with the Arab militias and has blamed rebels for

rights violations.

In February 2003, the Zaghawa, Fur and Masalit black tribes

rebelled against what they regarded as unjust treatment by

the Sudanese government in their historic struggle over land

and resources with their Arab countrymen.

Countless thousands of tribesmen have died in a brutal

counterinsurgency. The conflict has uprooted more than 1

million, and the Bush administration believes this many could

die unless a peace settlement is reached and relief supply

deliveries are greatly accelerated. Sudanese cooperation has

been limited but is improving.

The Muslim-vs.-Muslim conflict is separate from the 21-year

war between ethnic Arab Muslim militants in northern Sudan

and the black African non-Muslim south. That three-decade-

long struggle may be ending thanks to peace accords signed

last month.

A U.S. interagency review is aimed at judging whether the

Darfur tragedy qualifies as genocide under a 1946

international convention that outlaws the practice.

``I believe what is occurring in Sudan approaches the level

of genocide,'' says Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., a senior member

of the House Appropriations Committee. He and several

colleagues are pushing for $95 million in emergency

assistance for Darfur's victims.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a group

opposed to intolerance in all forms, says Washington could

increase the pressure on the Sudanese government by issuing a

``stern warning'' that, in the U.S. view, it is ``close to if

not bordering on genocide.'' This would greatly impact

international public opinion, said Hier, founder and dean of

the center.

Mark Schneider, a vice president of the International

Crisis Group, says Hier may have a point. He also cautions

that a genocide designation by the United States could thrust

the U.N. Security Council into prolonged debate, deflecting

attention from Darfur's massive humanitarian needs.

A role for the United Nations is made clear under Article 8

of the Genocide Convention: ``Any contracting party may call

upon the competent organs of the U.N. to take such action

under the Charter of the U.N. as they consider appropriate

for the prevention and suppression of acts of genocide.''

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he wasn't ready to

describe the situation in Darfur ``as genocide or ethnic

cleansing yet,'' but he called it ``a tragic humanitarian

situation.'' For now, the U.S. administration seems to be

tilting against the genocide label but is sticking with

ethnic cleansing to describe the situation.

With so many in Darfur at risk of dying, ``legal

distinctions about genocide versus ethnic cleansing are going

to seem rather hollow,'' says State Department deputy

spokesman Adam Ereli. The focus, he says, should be on

helping the needy. Humanitarian access remains a serious

problem, the result of both government resistance and the

remoteness of the Iraqi-sized province. The United States has

been airlifting relief supplies to the region, a costly

process.

Over the weekend, Sudan President Omar el-Bashir vowed to

disarm the militias. Also, peace talks between government and

rebel leaders opened in Berlin on Tuesday. U.S. officials are

wary about the Sudanese gestures,

pointing out that Khartoum has routinely violated an April 8

cease-fire agreement.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Appropriations have until midnight Friday, July 2, 2004, to file a privileged report, making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend my co-chair of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and ranking member of the House International Relations Committee, Tom Lantos, for introducing this important and timely legislation. I would also like to thank Chairman Hyde and Chairman Dreier for their leadership on this important issue.

The strength of the United Nations has been declining in recent years. Corrupt dictatorships now hold many seats on the U.N. Human Rights Commission. It is incredible that the leading world body charged with protecting and exposing human rights has some of the worst human rights abusers sitting in judgment. I was extremely concerned when the United Nations Commission on Human Rights passed a watered down draft discussion on the slaughter occurring in Darfur, Sudan. I commend the administration for taking a stand on the importance on the commission passing strong resolution and applaud the U.S. delegation for walking out when the commission failed in its responsibility to expose and condemn the human rights abuses taking place in Darfur.

It was unfathomable that on May 4 the commission allowed Sudan to renew its seat on the panel. Over one million people have now been displaced in Darfur. Thousands are dying. Women raped. Boys and men slaughtered. The rainy season has begun, and the roads will soon become impassable. Massive numbers face death while the Government of Sudan blocks humanitarian aid, continuing to worsen an already tragic situation. The Government of Sudan must be held accountable for what is occurring in Darfur.

The United States must continue to take a leadership role in calling the world's attention to the human rights abuses occurring across the globe. The creation of a democracy caucus at the United Nations is a first step in reducing the power of abusive nations which sit at the United Nations. This caucus can help fill the seats on the Human Rights Commission with freedom loving democracies which respect and protect the human rights of their people.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this bill.

Let me tell my colleagues what James Madison from Virginia said. James Madison, who is called the Father of the Constitution, devoted five Federalist papers to an explanation of how the executive, legislative and judicial branches were to be wholly independent of each other, yet this bill would enable the President to determine what this Congress does. Madison, the Father of the Constitution, said, ``The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judicial, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.''

Madison believed the preservation of liberty depends on the separation of powers. He said, ``Its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in their proper places.''

This bill does not keep each body in its proper place. This bill, in essence, says we will save the Congress from itself. Let us save us, and not have the President decide.

Lastly, George Washington, the Father of our country in his Farewell Address, spoke of the ``love of power and the proneness to abuse which predominates in the human heart'' and warned of the ``necessity of reciprocal checks of political power, by dividing and distributing it into different depositories and constituting each the guardian against invasions by the others.''

This basically is an invasion of the executive branch. I love President Bush. I pray for President Bush every single night. I want President Bush to be successful, but we ought not give authority and power to any branch. This should be held by the Congress.

For that reason, and for Madison, Monroe, Washington, and Jefferson, I ask for a no vote on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to recognize the outstanding service of Colonel Wesley Fox, USMC (retired), of Front Royal, Virginia. Colonel Fox was one of only five Marines to receive the Medal of Honor for their valiant heroism during Operation Dewey Canyon in Vietnam and he was the only one who survived to wear it. A bronze plaque will be placed in the Warren County Courthouse on July 7 honoring Colonel Fox.

Raised in Front Royal with ambitions toward farming, Colonel Fox followed his cousins into the armed services at the onset of the Korean War. At the age of 18 he was thrust into intense fighting after only five months in the U.S. Marine Corps. Just nine months later, he was carried off the field of battle due to wounds that would alter his life plan. He would remain in the Marine Corps and over the following 16 years he worked his way through all the enlisted ranks to first sergeant.

Instead of taking the more conventional path of retirement, Colonel Fox chose to begin the climb through the officers' ranks. His tour of duty took him again to the battlefield of Vietnam as a first lieutenant. In Operation Dewey Canyon he led his 1st Battalion 9th Marines, called the ``Walking Dead.'' Despite losing three quarters of his men and receiving several wounds, Colonel Fox continued to valiantly lead his troops. By the end of the war he would be awarded the Medal of Honor by President Nixon and would rise to the rank of captain.

Forced to retire at age 62 after an unprecedented 43 years of service, Colonel Fox continued to serve his country working with the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He had the unique distinction of working his way through every rank from private to colonel. Colonel Fox is a member of the United States Marine Corps Hall of Heroes.

Front Royal has the distinction of being the only town in the United States that has produced two Medal of Honor recipients. It is my honor and privilege to salute Colonel Fox and extend gratitude and congratulations to him as our country did 33 years ago with our Nation's highest award for military heroism. We say to him, ``Semper Fi!''

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to recognize my friend and constituent, Mr. William R. Wren, on the occasion of his retirement from active service on the governing body of the City of Manassas Park, Virginia.

Bill's faithful service to the City of Manassas Park on the City Council, Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, Virginia Railway Express Board and many other organizations has helped guide the city through a time of overwhelming growth. Bill's involvement in the community and dedication to the City of Manassas Park for over 20 years has been invaluable.

However, the case could be made that Bill's most notable contributions have been to his wife Alice Jean Roy Wren of 36 years and their three children--David, Roy and Dean.

Though Bill's contributions will be missed, I know the people of the City of Manassas Park wish him the best as he now has the chance to have more time to spend with his family and especially his grandchildren.

It is my pleasure to honor the achievements of Bill Wren today as we recognize his dedicated public service career. On behalf of the people of Virginia's 10th Congressional District and the residents of the City of Manassas Park, I wish to thank and congratulate Bill for his exceptional contributions to the community.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit for the Record three recent articles regarding the ongoing crisis in Darfur, Sudan. I will continue to submit these accounts until the world takes notice. I will not let the world say ``we did not know.''

[From the BBC News]

Sudanese Children Dying of Hunger

Hundreds of children have started to starve to death in

Sudan's war-torn western province of Darfur

The BBC's Hilary Andersson saw the burial of two-year-old

Ikram and says 400 other children in the same camp in Kalma

were unable to keep food down.

Their families have fled attacks by pro-government Arab

militias, accused of forcing black Africans off the land.

Last week, a senior aid worker said 300,000 people would

starve in Darfur, even if help is sent immediately.

Some 10,000 have died in Darfur, since a rebellion broke

out last year and one million have fled their homes.

The rains have already begun to fall, which will soon make

Darfur, an area the size of France, virtually impassable, our

correspondent says.

`Too little'

Speaking after his return from the area, UK Secretary for

International Development Hilary Benn said Darfur was

undoubtedly the largest humanitarian crisis in the world and

more aid agencies were needed there.

``We are in a race against time in Darfur,'' he told MPs.

He admitted that the international response to the crisis

had been too little, too late but said the UK was committed

to doing all that it could.

``I have also been concerned about the adequacy and speed

of the UN's response, although this should now change.''

Our reporter in Darfur says that while Ikram died, another

boy on the same mat, Joseph, could not be coaxed to eat.

His mother could do nothing but watch.

The mother of nine-month-old Adam says that she walked

without food for 10 days to reach the camp. ``The militias

burnt our village . . . They were burning the children,'' she

said.

Our correspondent says village after village in Darfur has

been burnt, while food is running out in all the camps, where

people have sought refuge.

Air-strikes

``If we get relief in, we could lose a third of a million.

If we do not, it could be a million,'' Andrew Natsios, head

of the U.S. Agency for International Development told a UN

donor conference last week.

The figures were based on mortality and malnutrition rates,

he said.

The government and two rebel groups have signed a ceasefire

but the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) has accused

the army and its militia allies of attacking them near the

border with Chad earlier this week.

Jem official Abu Bakr Hamid al-Nur told Reuters news agency

that the government had used an Antonov aircraft and

helicopters to bomb the rebel positions.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to recognize Al Burch, who has served northern Virginia as an educator for 42 years. Mr. Burch spent 32 years as the principal of Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia. After over four decades of dedicated service to our youths, Mr. Burch announced his retirement earlier this month.

I am proud to call attention to the achievements and dedication of Mr. Burch as he ends his career as an educator and principal. I would also like to share a recent article from The Arlington Catholic Herald which honors Mr. Burch and describes his many accomplishments.

[From the Arlington Catholic Herald, May 20, 2004]

Forty-Two-Year Run Comes to an End for O'Connell's Burch

(By Mary Frances McCarthy)

In 2001, at the beginning of his 40th year at Bishop

O'Connell High School in Arlington, Principal Al Burch told

the Herald, ``In about two or three years I'll be ready to

retire.''

Three years later, the O'Connell family is saying goodbye

to Burch, a much-loved and respected coach and administrator

who has worked at the school for all but four years of its

existence. A farewell Mass and party will be held at the

school on June 5 at 5 p.m.

When his career began, Burch never imagined he would spend

32 years as an administrator.

After graduating from the University of Corpus Christi in

Texas with a bachelor's degree in education, Burch thought

that ``Everyone would hire me because I was so good at

sports.'' Burch attended the university on a football

scholarship.

When coaching jobs didn't fall at his feet as he thought

they would, he took a job at Surrattsville Junior High in

Clinton, Md., teaching history, science and English.

In 1961, Burch learned of an opening in physical education

at O'Connell through Bob Rusevlyan, athletic director. Burch

took the job, teaching health and physical education and

coaching football, baseball and basketball. Under his

leadership, the O'Connell 1963-65 baseball teams were

Catholic League champions and gained nationwide recognition

in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, for winning

42 consecutive games.

Coinciding with the beginning of co-education at Bishop

O'Connell, Burch was named assistant principal under Msgr.

McMurtrie in 1972.

``I owe a lot to Msgr. McMurtrie,'' Burch said. ``He saw it

was my dream to keep coaching, but he saw something in me

that maybe I didn't see.''

While Burch was assistant principal, coaching three sports

and raising three kids, he went back to school to get a

master's degree in education at American University. ``And I

still haven't slept well since then,'' Burch said.

His coaching career ended in 1977, when he was named

principal of O'Connell by former Arlington Bishop Thomas J.

Welsh.

In the first 10 years Burch was at O'Connell, the school

grew from 1,000 students to 1,600 students, with a wait list

200 students long. In 1982, Bishop Welsh opened Paul VI

Catholic High School to ease the strain on O'Connell.

Now, in a diocese with three diocesan high schools and

three private Catholic high schools, Burch said, ``The

chemistry of O'Connell is what makes it different.'' With

more than 110 teachers, 12 are Sisters of the Immaculate

Heart of Mary, 18 are retired military personnel and 28 are

O'Connell graduates. Burch said he has prided himself by

being able to ``put talent where they belong.''

``Surrounding myself with great people has been the key to

my success,'' he said. ``Sitting back and watching them work

has been a joy.''

To Burch, O'Connell's teachers are all first draft

teachers. He has organized his school much like he would a

baseball or football team. Only the best are good enough for

him.

``That chemistry, and people who want to be here, I'm proud

of that,'' Burch said. ``We've been able to maintain that we

are a Catholic school.'' Burch said O'Connell has had more

than 65 alumni who have pursued religious vocations.

Dr. Timothy McNiff, diocesan superintendent of schools,

said that Burch's leadership ``epitomizes the uniqueness

required of those individuals who have been given the task of

ensuring our Catholic schools are institutions of both

academic success and Christian values.''

O'Connell was recognized by the U.S. Department of

Education in 1993 as a Blue Ribbon School and Burch was

honored by The Washington Post in 1997 when he was named a

``Principal of Excellence.''

In his retirement, Burch said, he will miss the students

above all else. ``I enjoy seeing them,'' he said. ``I think

O'Connell comes closer to that term, family. People return to

O'Connell. They're very happy here.''

Burch looks forward to continuing his relationship with

Bishop O'Connell High School and working with the alumni. In

ongoing renovations at O'Connell, he still hopes to see an

Alumni of Distinction hall. ``There are people out there

doing great things.'' O'Connell has over 15,000 graduates.

``They're really making a positive impact on society. I hear

good stuff.''

All three of Burch's children--Kenny, Karen and Kristy--are

among those graduates. Burch hopes that one day, his five

grandchildren, ``if they study and work hard,'' will go to

O'Connell too, and become members of the O'Connell family.

``I consider myself blessed and fortunate,'' Burch said.

``It's been a great job. I didn't have to work to make

O'Connell classy. It's always been a class act.''

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to a brave human rights leader on the world stage, Ms. Hauwa Ibrahim. On June 17, Ms. Ibrahim will be honored by the Tahirih Justice Center during its Seventh Annual Banquet. Ms. Ibrahim, who has exerted extraordinary efforts to protect and promote the rights of women under Sharia law, is an inspiration and it is my pleasure to pay special tribute to this extraordinary woman.

Ms. Ibrahim resides in Nigeria and is a senior partner in the general law practice of the ARIES law firm and is also the legal aid counsel. She has been a defense counsel to over 40 Sharia-related cases that she has undertaken on a pro bono basis. Ms. Ibrahim serves as a consultant relating to the application of Sharia law to many international and non-governmental organizations including the United Nations Development Program, Lawyers Without Borders, and the European Union Commission on Nigeria.

In addition, since 1999, Ms. Ibrahim has led a team of defense lawyers in addressing issues corresponding to the implementation of Sharia law. She is best known in this country for being the lead counsel for Amina Lawal, the Nigerian woman who was spared death by stoning for having a child out of wedlock.

At the Tahirih Justice Center Banquet, ``A Woman's Life, A Child's Future: A World of Possibilities,'' Ms. Ibrahim will be honored with the Pushing the Envelope award. The Tahirih Justice Center, a Virginia- based organization, is one of the nation's foremost pro bono legal advocacy organizations for women and girls fleeing human rights abuses. Since opening its doors in 1997, Tahirih has assisted over 4,000 women and girls fleeing horrific abuse throughout the world. Tahirih works to transform policies, develop regulations, and establish precedent so that systemic change will ensure the long-term protection of women and girls from violence. I commend their work to protect and promote justice for women and girls worldwide.

Mr. Speaker, Ms. Ibrahim is a leader in women's rights and I ask my colleagues to join in praise of Ms. Ibrahim's commitment and hard work.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to recognize those hereos who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. There is no tribute too great that we can offer these courageous men and women.

These men and women join a lengthy list of hereos from the 10th District of Virginia who have fought and died so that others might be free. Starting with the French and Indian War before our nation was formed to those serving today in hostile environments in the War on Terrorism, our district has proudly served the Armed Forces of the United States.

I take this opportunity today not only to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice but to honor the loved ones they left behind and let them know that this nation has not forgotten the pain they must endure.

The fallen lived and died with a nobility of purpose which those of us left behind have a sacred duty to carry on. Each one of us must fight to keep this nation free and worthy of sacrifice. There is no greater love for humanity than to give one's life for the freedom we all cherish.

I ask that everyone pray for the men and women in uniform who are in harm's way in Iraq, in Afghanistan and other parts of the world where we have a military presence. They need and deserve our support.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit for the record a letter sent to Secretary General Kofi Annan signed by 45 Members of Congress asking Mr. Annan to go to Darfur, Sudan, to end the genocide.

I would also like to submit for the record an article from the Washington Post, ``In Sudan, Staring Genocide in the Face.'' The author is Jerry Fowler, staff director of the Committee on Conscience, The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

We are staring genocide in the face. Will the world fail to act as it has so many times in the past? Over the next few weeks I will continue to submit stories from leading news sites on this issue. I want the world to know that when historians are looking back at the Darfur genocide and wondering why more was not done, there will be evidence in the Congressional Record that the world knew.

Congress of the United States,

June 4, 2004.

Hon. Kofi Annan,

Secretary General, United Nations

New York, NY.

Dear Mr. Secretary General: We are extremely concerned that

the crisis in Darfur, Sudan, has not received the

international attention or response that is needed to save

the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.

With the rainy season just weeks away, the window of

opportunity is closing.

The situation on the ground is deteriorating at an alarming

rate. Urgent, immediate action is needed to prevent the

deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. Your

going to Darfur would call to the world's attention the

ongoing slaughter. Precious time is slipping away.

We greatly appreciate your leadership on this crisis but

the situation calls for even bolder action from the United

Nations. We urge you to go to Darfur and stand in solidarity

with the people.

The international community must act swiftly. Failure to

act will bring certain death to the thousands languishing in

camps. The world will wake up 10 years from now and wonder

why more was not done to protect humanity. The evidence is

clear. We cannot say that we did not know.

Sincerely,

Frank R. Wolf; Donald M. Payne; Tom Lantos; Edward R.

Royce; Henry J. Hyde; Christopher H. Smith; Sheila Jackson-

Lee; Peter A. Defazio; Michael R. McNulty; Peter Deutsch;

Lois Capps; Chris Bell; Wm. Lacy Clay; Martin T. Meehan;

Michael M. Honda; Elijah E. Cummings; James P. McGovern; Raul

M. Grijalva; Todd W. Akin; Vic Snyder; Barbara Lee.

Ken Calvert; Maurice D. Hinchey; Julia Carson; James T.

Walsh; Wayne T. Gilchrest; Carolyn B. Maloney; Edolphus

Towns; Michael E. Capuano; Mark Steven Kirk; Chris Van

Hollen; Jesse L. Jackson; Sue Wilkins Myrick; Betty McCollum;

Brad Sherman; Lucille Roybal-Allard; James P. Moran; Henry A.

Waxman; Thomas G. Tancredo; Jo Ann Davis; Luis V. Gutierrez;

Gerald D. Kleczka; Timothy V. Johnson; Nita M. Lowey; Sam

Farr.

Mr. Speaker, I join with others in the House in expressing the deepest condolences to Nancy Reagan and the Reagan family on the passing of Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the United States of America, and in paying tribute to President Reagan as we remember his Presidency and what he meant to our country and, indeed, to the world.

I deeply admired and respected President Reagan. I had the good fortune to run for the 10th Congressional District of Virginia seat in Congress in November of 1980 when he was elected to his first term. Some called my victory then ``on Reagan's coattails.'' I have no doubt that I am in Congress today because of President Reagan.

I will always be grateful that after my two successful bids for Congress Ronald Reagan led the ticket I was on and I became a member of the class of 1980. I am sure all members of the class of 1980 would agree, President Reagan made us feel good again. He gave us hope. He inspired us. He gave us optimism because he was an optimist. His legacy belongs not only to America but to the world.

I saw a woman in California being interviewed. She was holding a bouquet of flowers and tears were streaming down her face. She had a broken English accent and identified herself as a Russian immigrant. She said she had to come to the makeshift memorial outside the funeral home where President Reagan was resting because, ``I owe my life to President Reagan.''

Mr. Speaker, I will close by sharing his own words spoken in August 1992 about how he wanted to be remembered. President Reagan said, ``Whatever else history may say about me when I am gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears, to your confidence rather than your doubts, and may all of you as Americans never forget your heroic origins, never fail to seek divine guidance, and never, never lose your God-given optimism.''

Mr. Speaker, we thank God for the life of Ronald Wilson Reagan.