Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, one of the things that I think we can probably agree on today is the opponents of this legislation have questioned why we are even here. Mr. Speaker, I agree with them on that and disagree with them on almost everything else, because it just baffles me, as we think about our Founding Fathers dreaming that we would ever stand here and have to debate the definition of marriage and whether or not that was between a man and a woman.

Earlier today I stood where you are now standing and I listened to some of the words that were used against this legislation. I wrote some of them down. And one of the words was ``hateful.'' And as I wrote that down, all I could think about is if you want a definition of hateful, look at the attacks that have been brought against the sponsor of this piece of legislation across the country for daring to bring it to the floor for debate. That defines hateful.

And then they raised the word ``unimportant.'' And they list all of the other things that they think are important. And that frightens me, because they do not recognize the difference and the importance of the connection between strong marriages in this country and the strength of our Nation.

And then they call it divisive. Divisive to dare to stand against activist judges who will try to redefine literally hundreds of years of historical sanctioning of the institution of marriage. And then they say it is intolerant.

They couch themselves with love, and all they want to do is have love. Well, Mr. Speaker, suppose you have a teacher who loves her 13- year-old student, and just says, all we want to do is love each other and be together. We would never think of sanctioning that. Suppose you have a situation where a husband came in and said I love three wives. Just let me love them. How is that harming society?

I think, Mr. Speaker, you could use every argument you hear on this floor today against this legislation to justify both of those two situations. But, Mr. Speaker, I think one of the things that bothers me most is when we hear the argument that we shouldn't try because this legislation just won't pass.

Well, Mr. Speaker, we try because we believe that values are still important in America. We try because we believe marriage between a man and a woman is a cornerstone of those values. We try

because we believe the only way to protect the rights of States to define marriage for themselves is to pass this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand with those who support this legislation and those who understand that this historic relationship between a man and a woman is worth defending, even if we do not succeed.

Mr. Speaker, due to my attendance at a funeral for a family member of my staff I was unavoidably detained from voting on H.R. 4411, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on final passage and ``nay'' on the passage of the Berkley/Conyers/Wexler amendment. I support passage of H.R. 4411 in the Judiciary Committee and I continue to support efforts to rein in the proliferation of internet gambling.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce an article written by Rabbi Israel Zoberman, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach, VA. The article by Rabbi Zoberman reads as follows:

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's successful first official

visit recently to the United States was an expected formality

between the leaders of two close and long-standing allies. It

was also an essential opportunity for the Israeli Prime

Minister to extend the intimate bond between his predecessor

Ariel Sharon and President Bush, which Sharon learned to

carefully cultivate, to his own budding relationship with a

mighty and necessary friend.

Olmert, a skilled politician who has been moving away from

a somewhat abrasive demeanor, did find the right words of

gratitude, deference and shared sentiment. In his granted

appearance as a special guest before a joint session of

Congress, he received no less than 17 standing ovations

reflecting America's genuine sympathy for the Jewish state

which transcends those who happen to be in power on either

side at a given time.

In fact, the vital alliance born of common values and

interest between the senior and junior partners, has assumed

a heightened relevancy following 9/11 with the complex war on

terrorism and the costly thrust to bring democracy's freedoms

to the Middle East and beyond. Who more than the ever

beleaguered State of Israel has experienced what terrorizing

onslaught on innocent civilians and a cherished way of life

is all about?

The President gave his approving nod to the Prime

Minister's unilateral plan of the ``realignment'' (the latest

term) of Israel's future borders in the absence of a peace

partner. The Palestinian Hamas-led government even rejects

Israel's right to exist and is locked in a deadly struggle of

a civil war nature with Fatah over running the Palestinian

Authority. When will the Palestinians stop the tragic cycle

of never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity?

Olmert voiced support for the seemingly moribund Road Map

which Bush welcomed, as the President reiterated his

embrace of Israel's determination to hold onto its large

settlement blocks on the West Bank while relinquishing

control over sparsely populated territory to allow for the

creation of a Palestinian state.

The Prime Minister, a former Mayor of challenge-laden

Jerusalem, is yet to be tested in Israel's hot political

crucible in his country's top position. It is doubtless that

he was given an extraordinary historic opportunity to affect

Israel's destiny and fully implement the vision of Sharon who

was so suddenly incapacitated at the height of his popularity

and on the threshold of fateful decisions having accomplished

the controversial Gaza disengagement. But likely the

highlight of Olmert's visit to the capital of the world's

only remaining superpower was the stern warning he poignantly

delivered concerning the impending threat from Iran, and his

revelation that the terror sponsoring radical Muslim regime

ghoulishly calling for Israel's elimination while denying the

Holocaust is almost within reach, closer than anticipated of

developing a nuclear capability.

One wonders if the Prime Minister personally presented the

priceless gift of supporting intelligence reports, thus

nailing the unavoidable response that the United States and

the West are saddled with at this very hour. The risks of

hesitant inaction though far outweighs those of resolute

action, sending a powerful message that tyrannical blackmail

is unacceptable and that the resolve of free nations to

prevail is unshakeable. An ambiguous response invites further

aggression with rising costs. Iran's mullahs' genocidal

design on Israel, with Europe as a potential target as well

while seeking hegemony in a critical region, ought to alarm

us enough. What should however be clear is that Israel's only

option is to survive, it simply can not afford to absorb a

first nuclear strike. Have we not internalized by now

History's painful lessons, are we doomed to forever repeat

the past? I pray not.

Rabbi Israel Zoberman, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach, was born to Polish Holocaust survivors in Chu, Kazakhstan, in 1945 and raised in Haifa, Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Colonel Yvonne J. Prettyman-Beck, Commander and Norfolk District Engineer, for her loyal service to the United States Corps of Engineers and to the people of Virginia's Fourth District.

Over the past 3 years, I have had the fortunate opportunity to work with Colonel Prettyman-Beck on numerous occasions. I commend her leadership in advancing the growth and preservation of numerous projects of great value in our district and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Her hard work and integrity will be greatly missed upon her reassignment from the Norfolk District post she has held since August 2003.

With over 24 years of service in the U.S. Army, Colonel Prettyman- Beck's devotion to duty has reflected the highest standards of the military profession. Following graduation from the New Mexico Military Institute, she went on to obtain a Master of Science degree in Management Science and a Master of Science degree in National Security and Strategic Studies. She has served on numerous assignments throughout the U.S. and overseas. Her military education is extensive and includes

the Engineer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Combined Arms and Services Staff School, the Command and General Staff College and the National War College.

Colonel Prettyman-Beck's decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with star, the Military Outstanding Service Volunteer Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Parachutist Badge, and the Army and Joint Staff Identification Badges.

Colonel Prettyman-Beck has shown tremendous commitment and devotion to her country. Today we recognize her for her unwavering patriotism and dedication to her profession and the American people.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring Colonel Yvonne J. Prettyman- Beck.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the men and women of the Joint Public Affairs Support Element (JPASE). JPASE stood up in early 2005 at the Joint Warfighting Center in Suffolk, Virginia.

JPASE is instrumental in providing public affairs training, counsel, doctrine and personnel

in military exercises to better prepare joint force commanders and their staffs with media operations and outcomes when real world operations begin. Members of JPASE are trained to be able to be rapidly deployed in support of regional combatant commander's needs.

Under the direction of JPASE's active duty leader, Army Colonel Stephen Campbell and its reserve director Navy Captain Ken Braithwaite, JPASE is already actively fulfilling its mission at home and abroad.

Members of the JPASE team were among the thousands of responders to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. And last October, when Pakistan was shook by an earthquake that resulted in enormous damage and loss of human life, active duty and reserve members of JPASE again were on the scene.

Members of JPASE worked tirelessly to ensure the support of U.S. military was known here in America and throughout Pakistan. According to polls taken throughout Pakistan, their work highlighting the support of American forces clearly won the hearts and minds of the Pakistani people.

Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my thanks and appreciation to the JPASE members who were part of that mission: Captain Robert D. Newell, Commander Nicolas Balice, Major Jeffrey K. Sammons, Major Donald L. Langley, Major William M. Manley, Lieutenant Kevin Stephens, and Master Sergeant Greg A. Deimel. Additionally, I would like to thank a group of reserve JPASE members who relieved their active duty counterparts earlier this year and just recently returned home: Captain Ken Braithwaite, Commander Gary Kirchner, Lieutenant Cory Schultz and Senior Chief Heidi Wasson.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to have the Joint Warfighting Center in my district but more important, I am very proud of the men and women who serve there, the work they do, and the exemplary manner in which they represent our nation throughout the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Dr. Billy Cannaday on his selection to be State Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Commonwealth of Virginia and for his dedicated service to the people of Virginia's Fourth District.

I have had the fortunate opportunity to work with Dr. Cannaday on numerous occasions and have seen first-hand the tremendous work he has accomplished as Superintendent of Chesterfield County Public Schools. Since 2000, Dr. Cannaday has transformed Chesterfield schools from having less than half of its 59 schools being fully accredited by the State to 100 percent receiving full accreditation. With his leadership and commitment to respect, responsibility, honesty and accountability, over 80 percent of Chesterfield schools' graduates continue their education.

Prior to his service to Chesterfield schools, Dr. Cannaday served as Director of Secondary Education, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, and Superintendent of Schools for Hampton City Schools. He also served as principal of Huntington Middle School that was awarded a National Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence under his guidance. In 1972, Dr. Cannaday earned a B.A. in Health and Physical Education and a Doctorate in Educational Administration in 1990 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He also holds a Masters in Educational Administration from Hampton University in 1980.

Dr. Cannaday's accomplishments include being named the 2005 Virginia Superintendent of the Year, 2005 Region 1 Superintendent of the Year, 2000 Region 2 Superintendent of the Year and the 2000 William & Mary Professional Educator of the Year. He was also a recipient of the 2004 Leadership in Arts Instruction award by the Virginia Board of Education.

Dr. Billy Cannaday has shown remarkable commitment and devotion to the education of the students he serves. Today we recognize him for his heralded leadership, integrity and desire for excellence.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring Dr. Billy Cannaday.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce an article written by Rabbi Israel Zoberman, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The article by Rabbi Zoberman reads as follows:

I was in Israel on a mission of the ARZA (Association of

the Reform Zionists of America) Rabbinical Council during the

recent Palestinian elections to its legislative Council. The

unexpected, stunning victory of Hamas winning 74 out of a

total of 132 seats though only 44 percent of the cast votes,

remains a source for analysis and a cause of concern.

The embarrassing defeat of ruling Fatah whose leader Mahmud

Abbas continues to serve as a Palestinian Authority

President, was primarily due to the long frustration and

mounting anger caused by years of Fatah's inept management

and outright corruption. Hamas cleverly ran on a Change and

Reform list having already succeeded in establishing an

infra-structure of supportive economic and social services to

a deprived population. However, the victory took Hamas too by

surprise saddling it with critical choices and decisions. Is

it ready through to transform its very identity from a

terrorist organization to one recognizing the State of Israel

and negotiating peace with, is yet to be seen.

Essential financial support from Israel, the United States

and the European Union depend on it. Hamas may likely choose

a middle course of not repudiating its very nature while

abstaining from military action to allow it to consolidate

power, becoming in time even a greater threat to the Jewish

state. A nightmarish scenario would be a hostile Hams state

bordering on Israel with an extreme Muslim agenda and heavily

influenced by Iran who is also behind the Hizballah in

Southern Lebanon. That would pause unacceptable risks to the

entire Middle East and beyond.

Our group was most warmly greeted by the new American

Ambassador to Israel, Dr. Richard Jones, who reiterated

President Bush's policy of fighting terrorism and nonsupport

for a Palestinian Authority deviating from the Road Map. We

also had the opportunity to meet at the historic King David

Hotel with Laura King, Jerusalem Bureau Chief for the Los

Angeles Times, who covered the Palestinian elections and

conveyed her sense of not being surprised by the outcome.

Our memorable day visit to Jordan's fascinating Petra via

the Yitzhak Rabin border crossing at Israel's most southern

city of Eilat, was a reminder to appreciate anew the Israel-

Jordan peace treaty of 1994. In addition to the natural

wonders and rich history of the 1800 year old Nabatean city

of Petra carved in Biblical red rock, the past

interconnectedness of the entire region through fruitful

commerce and cultural exchange should inspire once again its

revitalization for benefit of all.

With hospitalized Ariel Sharon's unchanged medical

condition, Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's resolve has

weathered the evacuation of the illegal outpost of West

Bank's Amona in spite of the accompanied violence. Surely it

is the first of the post-Gaza disengagement challenges that

will test the emerging new leadership and the vibrant Israeli

democracy, even as was revealed for the first time by the

Israeli Institute for Economic and Social Research the high

financial cost of 14 billion dollars investment in the

territories since 1967. The centrist Kadima (``Forward'')

party created by Sharon and now headed by Olmert continues

with only a small drop in its strong showing in the polls

toward the March 28 elections. However, the unpredictable

nature of erupting Middle East events forestalls the assurity

of the elections' outcome at this time. The elections will

nonetheless reflect the Israeli voters verdict on Sharon's

legacy of sacrificing the vision of a greater Israel for the

more realistic one of a smaller Israel yet a Jewish and

democratic one; an Israeli society in a far better position

to tackle its demanding and urgent agenda of socio-economic

dilemmas and gaps that will ultimately determine Israel's

character and moral fiber so crucial for its survival.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take my Special Order at this time.

Mr. Speaker, most of us believe we are sent to Washington, DC, to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the people we represent. I rise today with deep concern that the inaction of two Federal agencies is threatening the welfare of my constituents and the environmental treasures of my district.

As I speak, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency are sitting on their hands witnessing the possible construction of one of the largest landfills in America near the Virginia-North Carolina border.

While it saddens me that the elected officials of one of North Carolina's most beautiful counties would pollute their community with the garbage of over 20 States, I do not represent that county. However, when the safety and drinking water of my constituents and the ecological health of my district is put at risk, I cannot remain silent.

Camden County, North Carolina, has approved a mega-landfill to be located less than 1,000 yards south of the City of Chesapeake, Virginia, and adjacent to two environmental treasures: the Dismal Swamp Canal and the Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

This mega-landfill will cover almost 500 acres, reach a height of 280 feet, extend 2.5 miles in length, and upon full construction will be visible 20 miles away. The giant landfill would cram the garbage of over 100 million people in over 20 States into a county with less than 9,000 people. Garbage from New York City would be barged in mass into a tidewater port and transported via a fleet of 1,000 garbage truck trips per day on congested roads and bridges, including the Federally-funded Route 17, which connects Virginia and North Carolina.

One would trust that, given something of this magnitude, that careful consideration, study, and deliberation would have been conducted prior to approval. One would trust that, since this mega-landfill will be situated in the midst of one of the most ecologically valuable wetland areas on the East Coast, that public hearings were held, detailed surveys conducted, and scientists and ecologists consulted. One would trust that, given the fact that this landfill would be situated in a flood zone and within storm surge area for major hurricanes, that emergency plans had been formulated and Federal agencies sought for advice. One would certainly trust the very people who live, work, and rear their children in this area would have had an opportunity for public input.

But, Mr. Speaker, that is not the case. No water quality studies were conducted by the Corps, no ecological studies performed by the EPA, no Federal advice, no warnings.

But here is the real issue: Had this dump site been proposed less than 1,000 yards north in Virginia, it would have been subject to all the appropriate scrutiny. There would have been public input, Federal agency comment, analysis of alternative sites, and environmental studies, all because the site would have been located within a different district of the Army Corps.

How is it that on one side of the border small farmers and businesses are subject to intense scrutiny from the Army Corps, whereas on the other side of the border a 500-acre landfill does not even raise a Federal eyebrow? And if dumping 83 million tons of garbage in a flood zone does not require the EPA to do an environmental study, what does?

It is inconceivable to me that the Federal Government is allowing bureaucratic entanglements and inertia to obstruct its most primary duty, to protect the citizens and resources of the United States. I urge General Strock and the Army Corps of Engineers to resolve the internal discrepancies that allow a landfill that impacts two areas so similarly to be treated so differently. And I call upon the Environmental Protection Agency to step up to the task they have been charged with, to protect the environment and preserve it for our children and grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of a statement by Rabbi Israel Zoberman, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach, Virginia in recognition of the hope of peace created by recent Middle East developments.

Israel's historic disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank has begun on August 15, 2005. These unilateral acts by a democratic Israel, though coordinated with the Palestinian Authority, approved by its government and Knesset, and commanding a majority in the Israeli public, are nonetheless painful and controversial in uprooting thousands of Israeli settlers from areas associated with Biblical Israel gained following the 1967 Six-Day War.

Paradoxically, that miraculous victory by a gravely threatened Israel facilitated through a pre-emptive strike by the superb Israeli Air Force that destroyed the Egyptian planes still on the ground, saddled Israel with two challenging dilemmas; a recalcitrant, fast growing Palestinian population with its own national aspirations and a rising messianic Judaism mesmerized by a universal redemptive vision rooted in the stunning return to the ancient inheritance with every inch of it consequential, flying in the face of classical Zionism's operative principle of compromise with the Arabs.

I surely sympathize with fellow Jews who accomplished much and whose lives are now dramatically impacted with their realities and dreams undergoing demanding change. We also recognize that both Likkud and Labor-led governments encouraged the settlement enterprise as a patriotic act. How ironic and symbol-laden that Prime Minister Sharon is the one presiding over the transfer of territory that he was the grand architect of settling, stamped by his unique style of charismatic leadership and pioneering zeal. I personally witnessed during earlier missions to Israel the enthusiastic use of dotted maps by the once hero of the settlers' movement and the political Right who has turned into their maligned figure, making him into the most guarded man on earth.

How history repeats itself with altered twists. It was Sharon who as Defense Minister ordered the destruction of Yamit in 1982 in the wake of the 1979 peace treaty with Egypt which included the Sinai Peninsula's loss. It is this courageously transformed Prime Minister Sharon who, following the bloody Second Intifada of barbaric suicide bombings against Israel's civilian population, the death of his longstanding nemesis Chairman Arafat and the yet unsettling murder of Prime Minister Rabin by a fanatic Jew, has finally decided to act.

He thus offsets world pressure and begins to draw, with the Road Map's backdrop, Israel's future boundaries sans the Palestinian demographic trap, signaling with sacrificial acts to the Palestinian Authority Israel's abiding interest in reaching a peace agreement and its commitment to establishing a Palestinian state. The Israeli military is also freed from the cumbersome and expensive yoke of guarding the Gaza settlers, attempting to preserve the genuinely Biblically connected major blocks of West Bank settlements, assuring greater Jerusalem's Jewish destiny.

This realistic Zionist vision comes with the heavy and traumatic price of relocating Israelis whose majority peacefully complies albeit with some understandable legal demonstration. However, a hard core minority with outside agitators seems bent on resisting the order to evacuate in spite of offered compensation, even as we pray that in the moment of truth the tragically unacceptable scenario of Jew fighting Jew will be averted. To be sure, the state's authority properly carried out should prevail to safeguard its very foundation.

What is described as Israel's most fateful internal test since 1948, will hopefully prove a rallying point for reordering the only Jewish state's priorities toward applying its limited resources to pressing economic, social and educational needs along with focusing on the holy as well southern Negev and northern Galilee, without which an enduring Israel is truly at risk, quality-wise and physically.

The Palestinian Authority has a golden opportunity and responsibility, not to be missed, assuring that violence from its midst will not interfere with Israel's forthcoming move which benefits both sides to this far too long and costly entanglement. Indeed, the challenge for President Abbas remains to put an end to Palestinian terrorism and competing organizations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, undermining both Israel's and his own dreams for his people. How his leadership will run the evacuated territory will be indicative of what's in store for a future Palestine state. Active American involvement and essential support remain key for the prospect of peace and prosperity to the entire turbulent region bearing upon the world at large these eventful times.

Rabbi Israel Zoberman is the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach. He grew up in Haifa, Israel.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Schiff- Coble-Forbes amendment to H.R. 3199. I also want to thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, as well as the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff), for their important work on this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, the edge of my district is only minutes from the Port of Norfolk, one of the busiest international ports on the east coast of the United States. More than $37 billion worth of goods pass through Norfolk every year to travel on to all of the lower 48 States. Our Nation's seaports are the arteries that keep our Nation's economic heart beating.

But, unfortunately, our ports remain an attractive target to terrorists and criminals. The Interagency Commission on Crime and Security in U.S. Seaports concluded in their report that significant criminal activity is taking place at most of the 12 seaports surveyed by the commission. That activity included drug smuggling, alien smuggling, cargo theft, and export crime.

That is why it is important that the House pass the Schiff-Coble- Forbes amendment. This amendment sends a clear message to terrorists and criminals that we will defend our Nation's ports. This amendment says that there is no loophole or shortcoming in the law that you can hide behind that will allow you to harm our Nation.

Many of my constituents are shocked to learn that it is not a crime for a vessel operator to refuse to stop when ordered to do so by the Coast Guard. If you have spent as much time on the waterways of our harbors as I have, you know there are often only seconds that separate a vessel occupied by terrorists and one of our commercial or naval vessels docked at a pier.

You cannot legally evade the police on our Nation's highways, and the same rule should apply to our Nation's waterways. While the Coast Guard has the authority to use whatever force is reasonably necessary to force a vessel to stop or be boarded, refusal to stop by itself is not currently a crime. That changes today with this amendment.

The amendment we are offering today will further protect our seaports by prohibiting the use of dangerous weapons or explosives on a passenger vessel, prohibiting the transportation of dangerous materials and terrorists, and further increasing penalties for bribery affecting port security.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment is vital to protecting our Nation's ports. I want to express my appreciation for this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to support the amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Colonel John R. Angevine, Garrison Commander United States Army Garrison Fort Lee, Virginia for his loyal service to the United States and Virginia's Fourth District.

Colonel Angevine's dedication and loyalty to the advancement of our district and the Nation as a whole is to be highly commended.

Colonel Angevine's devotion to duty has reflected the highest standards of the military profession through a number of command and staff positions. His assignments have included Red River Army Depot, Texarkana, Texas; the 1st Infantry Division (Forward), Coppingen, Germany; the 10th Mountain Division, Ft. Drum, New York; the Total Army Personnel Command, Alexandria, Virginia; Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Washington, DC; the United Nations Operations Somalia, Mogadishu, Somalia; the Strategic Logistics Agency, Washington, DC; 25th Infantry Division (light) at Ft. Lewis, Washington; Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Washington, DC; and the Center for Strategic Leadership, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Among his many duties, he has served as Battalion Commander, 25th Forward Support Battalion, Battalion Executive Officer and Battalion S-3, 710th Maintenance Battalion, 10th Mountain Division (Light); Company Commander, 1st Support Battalion, 1st Infantry Division (F); Quartermaster Assignments Officer; Logistics Staff Officer, Chief Logistics Officer UN Mission, Somalia; and as a Force Development Systems Integrator. His previous assignment was Chief, Total Army Personnel Command, Alexandria, Virginia. His military education is extensive and includes the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the Army War College, and the Quartermaster Officer Basic and Advanced Courses. Colonel Angevine holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Masters of Science degree in Business Administration from Boston University.

Colonel Angevine's awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (7th Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Commendation Medal (3rd Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Achievement Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), United Nations Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Medal, National Defense Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Army Staff Identification Badge.

Colonel Angevine has shown tremendous commitment and devotion to his country and the United States Army. Today we recognize him for his unwavering patriotism and dedication to both his profession and the American people.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring Colonel John R. Angevine.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend publicly Smithfield Foods and its many employees, an important corporate citizen from my district in Southeastern Virginia.

Smithfield has long been known throughout the United States as the leading producer of pork and other outstanding meat products. This spring, Smithfield Foods earned another important distinction. It was certified by the International Standards Organization (ISO) in Geneva, Switzerland as having met or exceeded the ISO's high standards for environmental management. It has achieved its aggressive goal of ISO 14001 certification for all Environmental Management Systems, EMSs, in its U.S.-based hog production, and all its U.S. pork and beef processing facilities, except recent acquisitions.

Smithfield is the first domestic processor of meat to earn certification under the ISO 14001 Standard--that is the gold standard for environmental stewardship not just in the United States but across the globe. To obtain ISO certification for its environmental practices, a company must meet a rigorous and comprehensive set of standards developed by more than 2,000 experts worldwide. It is a distinction that is a credit to Smithfield's leadership, and to its entire workforce.

This was not the first milestone that Smithfield has achieved for its stewardship of our natural resources. Last month, our Commonwealth's Department of Environmental Quality, DEQ, awarded eight Smithfield Foods facilities with its Virginia Environmental Excellence Program designations. Six Smithfield facilities received Exemplary Environmental Enterprise, E3, status, and two others achieved Environmental Enterprise, E2, Status.

As our State's Secretary of Natural Resources said in making these awards: ``Smithfield Foods has made superior environmental performance a management priority. This E3 designation shows that the company has made significant improvements in the management of its facilities in order to protect Virginia's environment.'' Smithfield has received other awards from states and communities all across our great country.

Mr. Speaker, what is particularly significant about these milestones is that they have been achieved less than 10 years after Smithfield Foods received a large civil fine under the Clean Water Act for discharges into the Pagan River in Virginia.

So what did Smithfield do? In response to those events and others, Smithfield embraced what one executive recently described as a ``culture shift'' in its approach to environmental issues. Smithfield has embraced the simple idea that protecting the environment is not just the right thing to do, but smart business as well. And because Smithfield Foods has embraced environmental stewardship throughout the company, in many cases going beyond what is required by our laws, my district and many other parts of the United States are better places to live and work.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Smithfield Foods on its environmental turnaround and the recent recognition it has received for that progress in my district and across the country. I am confident that Smithfield will stay on this course in the years ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Admiral Vern Clark, Chief of Naval Operations, for his loyal service to the United States of America.

Admiral Clark's dedication and loyalty to the advancement of our naval service and the Nation as a whole is to be highly commended.

Admiral Clark's devotion to duty has reflected the highest standards of the military profession through a number of command and staff positions. He served aboard the destroyers USS John W. Weeks and the USS Gearing. As a Lieutenant, he commanded the USS Grand Rapids. He also commanded the USS McCloy, USS Spruance, the Atlantic Fleet's Anti- Submarine Warfare Training Center, Destroyer Squadron Seventeen, and Destroyer Squadron Five. After being selected for flag rank, he commanded the Carl Vinson Battle Group/Cruiser Destroyer Group Three, the Second Fleet, and the United States Atlantic Fleet. Ashore, he served as Special Assistant to the Director of the Systems Analysis Division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He later served as the Administrative Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations and as the Administrative Assistant to the Deputy Chief on Naval Operations. He then served as the Administrative Aide to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations. He also served as Head of the Cruiser- Destroyer Combat Systems Requirements Section and Force Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer for the Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and he directed the Joint Staff's Crisis Action Team for Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Admiral Clark's first flag assignment was at the U.S. Transportation Command where he was director of both Plans and Policy and Financial Management and Analysis. While he was commanding the Carl Vinson Battle Group, he deployed to the Arabian Gulf and served as Deputy Commander, Joint Task Force Southwest Asia. He also served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, United States Atlantic Fleet; the Director of Operations and subsequently Director of the Joint Staff. He became the 27th Chief of Naval Operations on July 21, 2000.

Admiral Clark's awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (three awards), the Distinguished Service Medal (two awards), the Legion of Merit (three awards), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), the Navy Commendation Medal, and various service and campaign awards.

Admiral Vern Clark has shown the highest level of commitment and devotion to his country. Today we recognize him for his unwavering patriotism and dedication to both his profession and the American people.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring Admiral Vern Clark, the 27th Chief of Naval Operations, on his retirement from the United States Navy.

Mr. Speaker, it is with a great deal of pride that I rise today to support both this rule and the underlying bill and to point out to my good friend on the other side that this is a bipartisan bill, and it is a bill that is designed to reach a major problem in our country today, which is the rise of violent gang crime.

When I listen to some of our opponents talk about this bill, they always use the term ``antisocial behavior,'' and I can tell you from studying gangs for over 10 years, it is not antisocial behavior that we are talking about. Let me, Mr. Speaker, tell you what we are talking about. We are talking about machete attacks, witness intimidation, extortion, cold-blooded assassination, rapes, cutting off people's fingers, cutting off their arms, cutting off their heads.

But what concerns me the most, Mr. Speaker, is the metamorphosis I have seen in violent gang activity across our country. First of all, there has been a huge change in numbers. My good friend from Georgia mentioned earlier that, as we sit here and debate this bill, there is probably between 750,000 to 850,000 gang members in the United States. To put that in perspective, if they were an army from a foreign country, it would be the sixth largest army in the world. And that is not waiting to get in our borders, but already here.

Their violence has increased enormously. In some of these gangs, in order to be able to get in, if you are a woman, you have to be raped in, for 30 minutes by six different individuals. If you are a male, you have to be either beaten in or, to some of the gangs, you have to murder somebody to get into the gang.

And they have become national and international in scope. No longer are we talking about the old Jets and Sharks from West Side Story; we are talking about gangs that are across the country that have boards of directors outside the prisons, boards of directors inside the prisons, and they are ordering violent activity. They may be in Los Angeles, but they are ordering the violence in another part of the country.

Their recruitment is now reaching as low as the elementary schools, and their motivation to join is no longer just a fear or a want to belong to something. Today, many people feel if they do not join the gang, they will be beaten or intimidated by the gang. So it is the presence of the gang and the fear and intimidation of the gang that is drawing them there.

Also, one of the things that concerns us most is that many of these gangs have become the most proficient smugglers of individuals and weapons in the country, and it is a small linkage between the gang activity that we are seeing and their connection with organized terrorist activity.

What this bill says is that, if you join a violent criminal gang and you commit a gang crime, you will go to jail for a long time, or you will help us bring down that network. What this bill says is that, if you are a gang leader, you can no longer order violence in one part of the country by a 16- or 17-year old and expect to go scot-free, because the Federal, State and local government is coming after you. It also says that we are going to use the combined strength of the Federal, State and local government to protect citizens in our own borders from the domestic terror they face from gangs.

Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that if this bill fails, we might as well put a sign on a billboard that says ``Coming to a neighborhood near you soon,'' because that is the growth we are seeing in violent gangs.

My good friend just raised in his opposition to the bill the support of the California Gang Investigators Association. They support this bill. The Fraternal Order of Police supports this bill. The National Latino Peace Officers Association supports this bill. The National Association of Police Organizations supports this bill. The major chiefs of law enforcement departments across the country support this bill. The National Troopers Coalition supports this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I hope we will support this bill and make it into law and protect our citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I think, if one is around here long enough, they get to the point where they do not believe they could be shocked by anything. But when I heard the other side a while ago say that they believe that giving arts and crafts to violent gang members will do more to deter crime than empowering law enforcement agents and locking up gang members in jail, that, I have to admit, still shocks me.

Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record a letter from the National Latino Peace Officers Association, which supports all the provisions of this bill and asks that this bill be passed; from the Fraternal Order of Police that supports this bill and asks that it be passed; from the National Association of Police Organizations, which supports this bill and asks that it be passed; from the National Sheriffs' Association, which supports the provisions of this bill and asks that it be passed; from the Law Enforcement Alliance of America, which supports the provisions of this bill and asks that it be passed; from the National Troopers Coalition; from the California Gang Investigators Association; from the Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs office; and from the Major County Sheriffs' Association.

And, Mr. Speaker, we will have a lot more as the day goes on.

Major County Sheriff's Association,

Alexandria, Virginia, April 20, 2005.

Hon. James Sensenbrenner, Jr.,

House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Sensenbrenner: On behalf of the Major County

Sheriffs' Association, I am writing to express our support

for H.R. 1279, the ``Gang Deterrence and Community Protection

Act of 2005.'' This much needed legislation takes a necessary

step toward addressing the growing epidemic of gang violence

that is affecting our entire nation and has even stretched

into some of our most rural communities.

The Department of Justice estimates there are currently

over 25,000 gangs and over 750,000 gang members who are

active in more than 3,000 jurisdictions across the United

States. Gang activity has been directly linked to the

narcotics trade, human trafficking, identification

documentation falsification and the use of firearms to commit

deadly shootings.

H.R. 1279 would address the growing problem of gang

violence by creating a rational strategy to identify,

apprehend and prosecute gangs across the nation.

Specifically, the bill would provide for the designation of

High Intensity Gang Areas (HIGAs) to identify, target and

eliminate violent gangs in areas where gang activity is

particularly prevalent.

The bill would also create a statute to prosecute criminal

gangs similar to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt

Organizations statute (RICO) that has proven so effective

against organized crime, and would provide more than $385

million over the next five years in grants to support

Federal, State, and local law enforcement efforts against

violent gangs, and to coordinate law enforcement agencies'

efforts to share intelligence and jointly prosecute violent

gangs.

Finally, under H.R. 1279, several categories of gang-

related offense would be subject to mandatory minimum

sentences of at least 30 years in prison for cases of

kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault or maiming.

The ``Gang Deterrence and Community Protection Act of

2005'' is a comprehensive piece of legislation that addresses

both the enforcement and prosecution aspects of the battle

against gang violence.

Thank you for your time and attention, as well as your

continued support of law enforcement.

Sincerely,

Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard,

MCSA Vice President--Legislative Affairs.

Sheriff James A. Karnes,

MCSA President.