Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on July 25, I was detained in Florida due to a doctor's appointment and as a result, missed the day's votes. I ask that my absence be excused and the Congressional Record shows that had I been present: for rollcall No. 417--the motion to suspend the rules and pass H. J. Res. 59, I would have voted ``yea''; for rollcall No. 418--the motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Con. Res. 181, I would have voted ``yea''; and for rollcall No. 419--the motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 376, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, 52 years ago today, on July 27, 1953, the United States, North Korea and China signed an armistice that officially ended the three-year Korean War. For too many Florida veterans, the Korean War has become known as ``The Forgotten War,'' sandwiched between World War II and Vietnam. It was through the heroic efforts of our men and women in the Armed Forces, however, that helped maintain democracy and preserved the spirit of freedom for millions on the Korean Peninsula.

While the signing of the treaty may have ended the conflict, it did not end the United States' presence there. Thousands of brave men and women served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the three years of the war, as well as in the 52 years since the war ended. Today, my office is working hand in hand with local veterans groups to identify the thousands of 5th District constituents who served in Korea and deserve recognition.

To date, I have proudly presented more than 175 Korean Defense Service Medals (KDSM) and more than 400 Korean War Service Medals (KWSM) to my veteran constituents. The Department of Defense created these medals to recognize the sacrifices and tenure of those soldiers who served the United States cause on the Korean Peninsula. It has been an honor to present my constituent heroes with these medals and to formally thank their families and them for the commitment showed and time served.

This year's 52nd anniversary of the end of the War is an opportunity for all Americans and all Floridians to reflect on the sacrifices of the thousands of brave soldiers who died defending freedom and opportunity in a far away land. The Korean War saw 33,629 Americans give their lives for our country and for the sake of world peace. In addition to those brave heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice battling communism and oppression, another 103,824 soldiers were wounded, and 8,177 went missing in action.

As too many Florida families sadly know, 577 soldiers from our great state died during the Korean War. They made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of life, liberty and freedom. In addition to those brave heroes, we must not forget the more than 1.8 million Americans soldiers who have served in Korea since 1950. These are the men and women who I have met and presented the KDSM to and who deserve praise for advancing the causes of democracy and freedom.

It was these brave Americans who helped stem the Communist tide in Asia. The battle for Korea helped spare Japan from the threat of Communist invasion and showed the world that the United States and its allies were prepared to resist the Communist advance. This country paid a high price in blood for the defense of Korea, but those who fell contributed much to the security we enjoy today.

Today it is clear that the Americans who fought in Korea helped build a better world for the Korean people. South Korea has flourished spectacularly under U.S. protection while Communist North Korea is in dire straits, unable to even feed its people. Like we see today in the newly liberated countries of Iraq and Afghanistan, when people have the freedom and will to determine their own fate, they will embrace democracy and freedom and the right of self-determination.

As America commemorates the 52nd anniversary of the end of the War, residents of the 5th Congressional District can pay tribute to our veterans and fallen heroes by visiting Korean War Memorials throughout the district, including a brand new memorial that opened this spring in Groveland. Take the time to shake the hand of one of our brave soldiers and say thank you for defending my freedoms and for making the world a safer place. These men and women deserve no less for their sacrifices and commitment to freedom.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

This amendment that is proposed would remove a provision from a very carefully crafted piece of legislation that would require the first vacant slot on the Postal Service Board of Governors to be filled by an individual with unanimous backing by labor unions. Currently there are 11 members. This bill would provide that one of those seats become a labor seat, certainly not documented by labor. One seat would be a labor seat.

The provision requiring the seat to become a labor seat has been in the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act for 11 years. No group on either side of the issue has ever expressed any opposition to the change in statute, and I am unclear why this issue has actually risen today. Simply requiring one of a nine-member Board speak on behalf of thousands of employees in everyone's district here hardly seems to be unreasonable or undoable.

H.R. 22 is a bill that we have heard many people on the floor say how many years it has been worked on, well over decades. I urge my colleagues to vote against this and other amendments under consideration today that do not provide for any real improvements in the underlying text of the bill that we have before us tonight.

Mr. Speaker, mentors have played an important role for business leaders, artists, athletes and politicians for hundreds of years. Having an influential and important role model to learn from and to lean on for support and advice is priceless. Today I would like to honor and compliment my personal mentor, New York State Senator Owen Johnson from Babylon, Long Island.

For over 10 years I had the honor and privilege to work for my good friend Owen in the New York State Senate. Always supportive of my entrepreneurial efforts, Owen encouraged intellectual curiosity and always gave me the latitude and freedom to complete my master's degree.

While Owen had the chance to run for Congress himself, he chose to remain a New York State Senator to be closer to his family. Christel, his lovely wife, son Owen, and daughter Chirsten are truly the loves of his life.

Owen Johnson, a conservative before it was fashionable, is the chairman of the prestigious Senate Finance Committee. A seasoned and polished debater and legislator, Owen and I had hundreds of spirited debates over the years. While we may not have always agreed at the end of the day, each conversation was a learning experience.

I am extremely proud to call Owen Johnson a mentor, a friend, and the best State Senator New York State has ever had.

Here's to you Owen for all you taught me about conservative and family values.

Mr. Chairman, I certainly want to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) for putting together this excellent extension and reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act.

Mr. Chairman, America faced a new kind of enemy on September 11, one that mercilessly attacked civilians on our own shores. In response, the Congress, I was not here at the time, passed the PATRIOT Act to give law enforcement agents appropriate tools to fight the new war on terror.

Today, we have a great opportunity to send a strong message of support for several provisions of this bill which would have expired on December 1.

I specifically want to mention the library section. For some reason, section 215 has come to be known as that.

Actually, it is one that allows law enforcement officers to gain access to business records. Why would we not want to have library records and bookstore records be available if there is a suspected terrorist? By doing so, we would only be making bookstores and libraries sanctuaries for these terrorists. The purpose of this legislation was when it was originally created and now as we extend it to protect Americans. We cannot afford to make libraries and bookstores havens for those bent on harming U.S. citizens.

Opponents have waged a campaign of misinformation. Recently, some Members on the other side have actually admitted that it has not been abused. We want to make sure that Americans are protected. For that reason, I fully support the reauthorization of the expiring PATRIOT Act, and I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) for his work on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I would like the Members of Congress to recognize the fact we have some visitors from Iraq, some Iraqi women who are here to learn how to put together a Constitution for Iraq. These are women who have been involved in the government, very, very brave women. The Women's Caucus met with them today and pledged our full support to a free and democratic Iraq, and one that we can all be proud of in the future and that certainly will reflect the great work that our military has done to help create a democracy in Iraq.

We ended our meeting with lifting glasses of water and toasting to democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to honor the 157th anniversary of the women's suffragette movement here in the United States. On this date in 1848, a historic meeting of women leaders took place in Seneca Falls, New York.

Their initial gathering was the first step in the long and challenging road that led women to where I stand today.

Like Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in their time, Republican women are leading the fight to highlight the equal and full rights that American women enjoy, and to expand those rights to women around the globe.

Many do not know that the Republican Party first introduced the 19th amendment in 1878. Four times in a row the amendment was actually defeated by the Democrat-controlled Senate. It was not until the Republican Party regained control of Congress in 1919 that the equal rights suffragette amendment finally passed both the House and the Senate.

Republicans deserve credit for promoting the first woman to the highest court in the land and for advancing the rights of women around the world. Mr. Speaker, the Republican Party has a long and distinguished track record of championing women's issues.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mac Harris of Beverly Hills, Florida.

Mac Harris, a diligent, respected man in our community and at the power plant, has relinquished his post as spokesperson for the Crystal River nuclear power plant.

Mr. Harris life-long journey has taken many paths including a writer, a professor, and a reporter. Along that journey, he has touched the lives of many readers, students, and co-workers. Despite his varying role, his honesty and sincerity remained constant.

Mr. Harris and his wife have chosen to retire in Citrus County, Florida, where they remain active members of the civic and cultural community. In his retirement, Mr. Harris will continue to impact the community through various engagements including writing and directing plays for the art league.

In his capacity as an employee at the power plant, Mr. Harris's commitment to communication with the community is outstanding. Mr. Harris was readily accessible, day and night, throughout the terrible 2004 hurricane season when thousands lost power. He goes out of the way to answer questions and concerns from residents and will be sorely missed.

Mr. Speaker, honorable men like Mac Harris should be congratulated for their service. It is truly a privilege to honor Mac Harris for his lifetime of achievement and contribution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Elsie Meloche, a resident of the 5th Congressional District of Florida, and a woman who has achieved a great deal in her long life. On July 19, 2005 Elsie Meloche will be 102.

Mrs. Meloche was born in Leipzig, Germany but immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island on February 16, 1909. She moved with her family to Massachusetts shortly thereafter, making their home in Holyoke. Mrs. Meloche married Wilford B. Meloche and in 1972, moved to St. Petersburg, Florida where she made her home until 2003 and then moved to Arbor Trail in Inverness, Florida.

During her lifetime, Mrs. Meloche worked many different jobs before retiring from Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, Massachusetts. With her free time she currently enjoys dancing, bingo, and reading a good book.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me in honoring Elsie Meloche today. I hope we all have the good fortune to live as long as she has and with as much enjoyment. She is truly a remarkable woman and someone with an appreciation for the importance of friends, family, and happiness.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my condolences to Floridians in the wake of Hurricane Dennis. Hurricane Dennis blasted into Florida as a category 3 storm and is estimated to have caused about $1 billion worth of damage and the loss of seven lives. I share my fellow Floridians' anguish over their losses. This hurricane unfortunately is just the first of many that will assail Florida's coasts.

Last year, FEMA bungled cleanup efforts in the aftermath of four terrifying hurricanes by refusing to pay for debris removal on private roads, slow reimbursement, and exorbitant overpayments in the Miami- Dade area.

I urge FEMA to respond quickly to this latest hurricane so that the 2004 debacle is not repeated.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2005. H.R. 1220, as amended, would provide a cost-of-living adjustment, in the same amount as given to Social Security recipients, to disabled veterans and their surviving spouses. Veterans who receive disability compensation and survivors of certain veterans would receive a full COLA beginning on December 1 of this year. Congress has provided for these increases every fiscal year since 1976.

This bill would also codify the current amounts of disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation. More than 2.6 million American veterans are receiving service-connected disability compensation. Many of them reside in my Congressional District. These benefits are paid monthly and range from $108 per month for a 10 percent disability to $2,299 for a 100 percent disability.

Additional monetary benefits are available for our most severely disabled veterans as well as those with dependents. Spouses of veterans who died on active duty or as a result of a service-connected disability likewise are entitled to monetary compensation. Additional amounts are paid to survivors who are housebound or in need of aid and attendance or who have minor children.

Currently, more than 336,000 surviving spouses and children are receiving survivor benefits. The administration's fiscal year 2006 budget projects a 2.3 percent cost-of-living increase, but it may be higher or lower, depending on changes in the Consumer Price Index. The exact percentage will be calculated as of September 30 of this year.

I certainly want to thank the subcommittee's chairman and ranking member, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller), and the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley), respectively, for their work on H.R. 1220, as amended. I also want to commend the chairman of the committee, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer), and ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans) for their leadership in bringing the bill to the floor today, as well as the subcommittee staff on both sides of the aisle for their hard work on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1220, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, my district is the fifth congressional district of Florida, and the area is commonly referred to as the ``Nature Coast.'' Residents of this area, most of them are not owners of beachfront property; they live on what previously were pristine, swampy wetlands that were filled in. We certainly have a beautiful view and, unfortunately, while it is the Nature Coast, it also has historically been the area where many hurricanes have hit.

While this last hurricane, Dennis, did not directly hit our area, we had residual effects of the hurricane. We had storm surges, and a lot of areas were under water. Suddenly, residents thought they owned waterfront property, because right out front of their homes, waterfront existed.

I am very, very glad to see that we are looking at revising the national flood maps so people who previously were denied flood insurance now, once we revise those flood maps, they will be able also to be able to purchase flood insurance.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank, on behalf of my constituents, many of whom have to have flood insurance, I would like to thank the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Baker) for introducing H.R. 804.

As we all know from watching the television, hurricane season has arrived again. Residents of the Gulf and east coast face familiar anxieties associated with the hurricane season. They begin to cross their fingers and hope their home will not be devastated by nature's wrath and that their belongings will not be washed away.

What residents should not have to be crossing their fingers over is whether the government is going to hit them with additional liabilities after they receive help. Yet, under the National Flood Insurance Program today, that is exactly what happens. The IRS considers NFIP grants as income which means any person on means-tested assistance loses. Residents who accept NFIP grants after their homes are destroyed by floods are then slapped with reduced government benefits such as health care, education or even nutrition assistance.

I commend the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Baker) for introducing this legislation that prevents agencies other than the IRS from considering NFIP grants as income and I implore my colleagues to support this bill. Those who have been hit by floods should not have to choose between NFIP assistance and food stamps.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to highlight one of the most underreported and freedom-affirming policies that the world has seen since the end of World War II.

For centuries, the world has heard the oppressed, the downtrodden and the vulnerable cry out for their freedoms, for their rights and for a chance to emerge from the shadows of the tyranny and bloodshed that they had lived with. Those yearning for basic liberties and for basic rights have occasionally been led by vocal and dedicated women of the world. Their's has been too often a silent battle, however, with no clear voice, no champion and no opportunity to cry out for their freedom.

I am proud to say tonight that this Congress and this President have heard those cries. We have recognized the unmistakable voice of freedom rumbling across the ocean and into these hallowed chambers, and we have answered that call.

Too often, this House has dealt with the aftermath of turning a blind eye to the horrors of present regimes and of past despots. This Republican-led Congress has said, ``no more,'' to those policies. No longer should women be denied the right to vote, no longer should women be treated as second class citizens, no longer should women not be allowed to be a citizen at all.

The world today is changing rapidly, and we are helping to make it better for our children's future. Since President Bush took office in 2001, this Congress has supported an agenda of democracy, freedom and expansion of rights for all peoples throughout the world. The list of non-democratic regimes that have seen significant reforms since 2001 is long and significant. Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, Georgia, the Ukraine and others have all held elections, increased minority rights or have committed to democratic reforms.

We have before us a picture of an Iraqi woman who voted. She was so proud that she was able to vote. We see the ink-stained finger that told everyone that at last she had the opportunity to vote.

While all of these are important and significant events, it is the United States' foreign policy that furthers the advancement of freedoms and rights for women that is the most striking for me. The world watched October 19 as 19-year-old Mokadasa Sidekey cast the first vote in Afghan's landmark presidential election. Here we have some more women participating in the Iraqi elections proudly holding up their ballots.

We also have the picture of the thousands of women lined up in Afghanistan to go to vote. They value that privilege. They value that ability that they now have to vote. Today, women comprise 41 percent of the 8.2 million Afghan voters. With our support, these women will continue to lead to fan the flame of democracy and give them hope for a brighter future.

Tonight, you will hear personal stories from Members who have traveled to countries like Jordan, Iraq and Afghanistan. From the tales of women who voted for the first time in their family's history to the meetings with newly elected female representatives of Iraq, these stories are truly inspiring.

Now I would like to yield to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe).

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) made some excellent points about the bravery of the Iraqi people in going to the polls.

You know, we will go to the polls, we may have to wait a little while to get in. It is nowhere near the long lines that they experienced in Iraq. And we have to remember that we are free to go to the polls. We do not face the kind of intimidation that the Iraqi women faced.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have been joined by the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), who actually has traveled and can tell us some information about the women that she met, and we look forward to hearing from you.

I appreciate the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) telling us first hand your mentoring project with some female candidates, and also some supporters who just want to make sure that women are playing an active role in both the Jordanian Government and the Iraqi Government.

I found that also when I traveled to Iraq: do not leave us. I wanted to remind you and the other Members of Congress that a week from this Thursday, on July 21, we are again hosting some Iraqi women who will tell us of the progress that they have made in Iraq, both for women's rights and for human rights in general, and their view of what is going on in Iraq.

We all know that, unfortunately, the media does not always portray the good things that are happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, and this will be a great opportunity for us to glean some information from the Iraqi women who are here for us to also take back to our constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that we have been joined this evening by the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn). Welcome.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Tennessee. I think anyone who has had any exposure to the Iraqi women know how very, very brave they are.

Just this afternoon, Mr. Speaker, in this House of Representatives, we debated a resolution honoring Kuwait on the recent efforts to give women the right to vote. As is the case with many Middle Eastern nations, women are nowhere near equal to men when it comes to basic freedoms and rights that we take for granted every day. However, Kuwait's leaders have recognized that denying half of your population the right to vote and participating in the business of the nation is wrong. As Secretary of State Condoleesa Rice has said, half a democracy is not a democracy.

While Kuwait is not a democracy, giving only half the population a voice in their government is not a policy this Congress should support and one that I am glad that Kuwait's leaders are changing. I certainly applaud the House leadership for bringing this resolution to the floor and for recognizing the significant changes made for women's rights in the Middle East. If women are not allowed to participate in the decision-making process, if women are denied the right to run for and seek elective office, if women are barred from determining their own future, then those women will suffer oppression and human rights' violations.

When given the chance, women have proven they will participate in the electoral process. In Iraq, during the first free and fair elections in several decades, it was the women of many towns who led the surge to the polling booths. Women showed that they were not afraid to take their fate in their own hands and show the world what it truly means to be free.

Now, I would like to recognize my colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey). I appreciate his joining us here this evening to celebrate the rights that Iraqi and Afghani women have recently received, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for joining us this evening and for sharing with us the stories he brought back when he went to Iraq, not just once but twice. The majority of the Members of this body have been to Iraq, and every one of them came back with the same information of please do not leave. Do not leave us. We need to have time so we can stand on our own.

Mr. Speaker, one of the surest ways to guarantee long-term success in spreading democracy and success throughout the world is to support and promote the education of children and especially the education of young girls. When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, girls were legally prohibited from going to school. That is right, girls were prohibited from going to school. This Congress heard the sad stories of education being denied to women, of keeping them from making better futures for themselves and their families.

Well, now that the United States has liberated the Afghan women, that oppression is no more. As President Bush has said many times, girls go to school now in Afghanistan. Obviously, this is a good sign for our future.

Since the U.S. and allied forces overthrew the oppressive Taliban regime in 2001, approximately 5 million children have enrolled in Afghan schools. Approximately 40 percent of them are women. The United States and the Republican-led Congress have also been leaders in ensuring that the Afghan people have the resources they need to rebuild their ravished and neglected homeland and make it suitable for children's education. We have appropriated hundreds of millions of dollars for Afghan education, and our soldiers have helped construct countless

schools throughout the country. Overall, the United States has given Afghanistan $4 billion in 3 years since the fall of the Taliban. For Afghanistan education alone, USAID has allocated nearly $218 million in aid. According to the State Department, approximately $60 million has been earmarked for primary education. This is more than the amount given for education to Egypt, which is the third largest recipient of foreign aid from the United States.

Certainly these are significant sums of money and show the United States' commitment to the Afghan people. These sums show our continued desire to work together to forge a partnership for the future.

In 2003, during my first few months in Congress, I actually went on a congressional delegation trip to Iraq and saw the conditions on the ground there. We talked to women. We talked to men. We talked to children and doctors. Almost to a person the request was there, please do not leave. At first I thought it was because they liked me, they did not want me to leave. They said they did not wanted troops to leave until the country could stand on its own.

Today, women in Iraq can go to school and go to the market and hold a job. And they can vote. As we saw here the very proud Iraqi woman displaying the new-found freedom that she has. These brave women now have the chance to determine their own future now that they know what it is like to savor the sweet taste of freedom and to make their nation a better place for their children and grandchildren.

One of the most important roles that Congress can play in the future development of Middle Eastern democracies is for Members to act as individual mentors to future women leaders. We heard the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) tell us how she was mentoring a young Iraqi woman. In too many nations, women have not participated in the political process. They lack the training and the background and the parliamentary education necessary to be successful in the political arena.

I was so glad to learn that the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) actually helped to mentor women who were contemplating the very dangerous act of running for office in their country.

Following my trip to Iraq, I hosted on two different occasions women coming to my district, Iraqi women coming to my district; and I also hosted a group here in Washington, D.C.

In the group that came here to Washington, D.C., there was a wonderful woman by the name of Nagam Kedhum. She was a woman from Najaf, Iraq; and she wanted to use her new-found political freedom to provide a better life for her two sons. She and I had several discussions on that day about what it meant to be a citizen legislator in the U.S. and how I, as a woman, first got involved in politics.

Since then, women leaders in Congress have hosted several groups of Iraqi and Afghanistan women in Washington to continue our efforts to mentor them and to engage in mutual learning. I learned a lot from them, and I hope that they learned a lot from me.

In fact, as I mentioned before, the same women members will again host a return trip of Iraqi women a little more than 2 weeks from today. As I hope is clear to all, Members will continue their efforts at outreach and mentorship to future women leaders in the Middle East and throughout the world.

When I brought the Iraqi women to my district on several occasions, I brought them to a crowd of a combination of chambers of commerce and some wonderful service groups in my district, Rotary and Kiwanis. Their story was so poignant. As I explained to my constituents, most of them will never have the opportunity to go to Iraq, but I can bring a face, I can put a face on an Iraqi person who is very grateful for our involvement and very, very grateful for our troops serving in Iraq to help their country become stabilized.

When we hear the stories that the women had to tell, such as one of them, her sister was killed because they thought it was her. Her sister was not involved politically, she was not against Saddam Hussein, she was very complacent, but the one young lady was very, very active in a group that was opposing Saddam Hussein. She lost her sister due to Saddam Hussein's brutality. Her father was also brutalized by Saddam Hussein; and yet she continued to be a brave leader in her country, someone who wanted to ensure that future generations had the freedoms that she wanted for so long and that she fought for and that she wants to make sure that Iraq never goes back to taking those freedoms away from the Iraqi citizens, and women in particular.

Democracy continues to spread throughout the world, and this Congress will continue to support the policies and projects that promote the freedoms and the rights of women. While there is still much to be accomplished, every Member of this body should be proud of how far we have come.

I would once again like to thank all of the Members who joined me this evening and shared their personal and heartfelt stories.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge Chas and Effie Parker of Westfield, FL, who had five sons in World War II: Samuel, Leon, John, Lewis, and Chas Jr. Their three daughters, Cleta, Nita, and Marquerite, and other son, Alan Parker, remained in the U.S. For their accomplishments the Parkers received a Blue Banner with five blue stars. After the war all five sons returned home safely. They lived out the American dream and made a home, a family and life in the country they loved.

The millions of young Americans, like the Parkers and their sons, pulled the U.S. out of a Great Depression. They defeated fascism and saved the world from the threat of Nazi occupation of Europe. Without their help, America would not have had victory during World War II.

In a letter to the mother of five men who died during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln wrote, ``I feel how fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.''

I thank the Parkers for their sacrifices during World War II, which helped preserve the freedom Americans enjoy. The Parkers are a model American family, a family I am proud to call constituents.