Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, it is a great honor for me to rise in recognition of the highly successful career and notable achievements of Ms. Ellen Wallace Buchanan. On February 28, 2007, Ellen retired as Chief of Staff for Representative John Spratt (D-SC), after over 30 years of service to the United States House of Representatives.

Ellen was raised in my home state of South Carolina by a father who was a probate judge and a mother who was a school teacher. Her parents instilled in her the importance of service to community and country.

After receiving her Bachelor's degree in Education from Winthrop University, Ms. Buchanan followed in her mother's footsteps, beginning her career as an elementary school teacher in Charleston, SC.

In a career move that would enable her to further serve her community while engaging her fascination with government, Ellen accepted a position as Staff Assistant with former Congressman Kenneth Holland (D- SC) in 1976. During her six-year tenure in former Congressman Holland's office she was given roles of increasing responsibility. When John Spratt succeeded Congressman Holland, Ellen continued her service to the United States House of Representatives starting as Congressman Spratt's Legislative Assistant and rising to become his Chief of Staff.

Ellen's tenure in the House can be described in one way--passion for her work. She especially enjoyed taking part in campaigns. In her words, ``It reenergizes you to be with your supporters.'' In addition to her exceptional leadership skills, Ellen possesses an extremely pleasing personal demeanor. She is loved by all who know her.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of my staff, and the constituents of the 6th District of South Carolina, I ask you and my colleagues to join us in saluting the contributions of Ellen Wallace Buchanan and wish her well in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 67) and ask for its immediate consideration.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the debate we join today is essentially over the matter of sending 20,000 more American troops into Iraq. Over the past 2 days, some deeply felt sentiments have been expressed in this Hall by some patriotic and honorable Americans from all walks of life and on both sides of the aisle.

And I respect and appreciate the intensity of those feelings.

If this were the only issue, if the matter were only a matter of troop strength and numbers, then the issue would lend itself to military and strategic solutions and we would not be having this debate.

That is not the real issue, however. That is not the reason that every Member of this Congress is being granted the opportunity to speak on this issue. No, my fellow Members of Congress, the real issue we are addressing today is not that simple. The real issue goes to the very heart of our American democracy.

Last November the American people voted for a change in leadership. They did so overwhelmingly because they want a new direction in Iraq. The American people also voted for a new Congress, because they had lost faith in the old one. As a Congress, we had lost our footing, and as a result, our Nation lost its way on the international stage.

I believe that last November's call for a new direction in Iraq is also rooted in our lost faith in those who are leading that nation.

We were stung when Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki seemed to offer amnesty to Iraqi insurgents that killed Americans.

We have been robbed by the disappearance of billions of dollars sent to Iraq in good faith to help build the country.

We have been deceived by the promise of trained Iraqi police forces who should be prepared to provide law and order for their country, but instead ally themselves with insurgents.

I traveled with some of you to Iraq last Memorial Day, and enjoyed what I thought was one of the best meetings of the trip with the Iraqi Speaker of the Council of Representatives. The optimism I felt following that meeting was destroyed when, just days after our return home, I heard the Iraqi Speaker denigrating American efforts in his country.

We in the new leadership of Congress do not stand here as defeatists and not as opponents of this Nation's best interest. Only fools could reach that kind of conclusion from this discussion. We stand here today to say there is a victory to be achieved, but it is not a military conquest.

The victory we seek is earned through the restoration of America's role as peacemaker, not warmonger. It begins with the restoration of this Congress, as the deliberative arbiter and representative of the best interest of the American people. It begins with the understanding and acceptance of this Congress as a full partner in the future of this activity.

Many of us have seen firsthand and witnessed firsthand the realities of our presence in Iraq. Many of us have informed ourselves as fully as possible on the complexity of the problems we face. Many of us have agonized over the dangers and hazards which lie ahead, no matter which direction we take. We do not take these steps lightly.

Now we stand ready to create new paths to new victories. We stand ready to initiate the kind of victories, which will restore America's respect around the world and self-confidence here at home.

We cannot achieve this by military might, but by diplomacy. The need for a stable Iraq is not just an American interest, it is a regional and global concern.

Iraq's neighbors must be brought to the table. American troops must disengage from the Red Zone and redeploy to the outskirts of Iraq where they can remain at the ready and not serve as targets for insurgents.

The best way for the Iraqi Government to gain the trust of the American people is for them to step up and take control of their country's security.

We say today that the victories we seek are real victories, permanent victories, victories of a Nation which still believes that the voice of the people is our final and best judgment.

With this debate, we are taking steps to regain our footing as a Congress and chart a new way forward on the international stage.

I am hopeful this debate will not only be heard, but will be accepted as the moment at which America turned its face toward a triumph of enormous proportions, a triumph for peace and a triumph for democracy everywhere

Madam Speaker, pursuant to section 2 of House Resolution 157, and as the designee of the majority leader, I demand that the time for debate on the concurrent resolution be enlarged by 1 hour equally divided and

controlled by the leaders or their designees.

Madam Speaker, as we listen to our constituents, grapple with their needs, speak out, legislate, and otherwise work to improve their lives and the life of our Nation, we take great pride in the ability of Congress and our system of government to inspire the world beyond our borders. But just as important as this inspiration is the recognition of what we all can learn from that world, from people who want to study, visit or otherwise immerse themselves in this great institution as a means towards better understanding the United States.

For the last 8 years, a unique international exchange has taken place here in Congress. Future leaders of Australia have participated in what's known as the Uni-Capitol Washington Internship Program. Through this program each year, one dozen of Australia's best and brightest university students have been carefully matched to House and Senate offices for two-month full-time internships. These internships have enabled me and many of my colleagues to share our pride in the American republic while at the same time learning more firsthand about the Australian commonwealth, its people, its ideas, and our numerous shared values.

It is an understatement to say that Australia and the United States are close allies globally or that we merely have such similarities as vibrant democracies, free-enterprise economies, and diverse societies. We are in many ways close cousins with complex national histories. That is what these young Australians get to learn as they are welcomed here, and how we profit by their all-too-brief presence among us.

This year, it has been my pleasure to participate in this program for the third time and host Sylvia Gaston from the University of Melbourne.

Her kindness, can-do spirit, eagerness to learn, and willingness to share her views with me and my staff have made her an exceptional ambassador for her university and for her country. During her time with us, the closeness of the Australian and American peoples is clearly evident, just as it is evident that this exchange is not merely an academic exercise or even confined to Congress. It is about building for tomorrow, about personal and professional growth, and about lasting international friendships.

Sylvia is not alone in this experience in the First Session of the 110th Congress. Joining her in this very bipartisan effort: Emmanuel Rohan in the office of Representative Mike Castle; Charis Tierney in the office of Senator Mike Crapo; Nicole Woodmansey in the office of Senator Christopher Dodd; Clare Ashby in the office of Representative Philip English; Anna Keenan in the office of Representative Sam Farr; Nisha Sundaresan in the office of Senator Chuck Hagel; Anu Ambikaipalan in the office of Representative Alcee Hastings; Megan Bainbridge in the office of Representative Jerrold Nadler; Stuart Broadfoot in the office of Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; Jennifer Grant in the office of Representative Loretta Sanchez; and, Michael Ng at House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (Majority).

Both the U.S. and Australian Governments have been strong supporters of this exchange over the years, and rightly so. Seven Australian universities currently participate in the program from 4 of the 6 Australian states and the Australian Capital Territory. Students are put forward from such diverse disciplines as economics, commerce, trade, science, law, communications, politics, and of course, American studies.

One of the more noteworthy aspects of the program is that it is an entirely pro bono project. Eric Federing, who served as a senior staffer in the House and Senate for a dozen years in the 1980s and 1990s, created the program 8 years ago soon after going to work for the auditing firm KPMG. What the effort almost completely lacks in bureaucracy, it makes up for in the personal trust, practical purpose and contagious enthusiasm that gave life to this highly-personalized vision of international exchange, which followed Eric's many travels to Australia in the 1990s while still on congressional staff.

Madam Speaker, many of my colleagues have recognized this effort over the years. I did so myself 4 years ago when the annual intern group was much smaller and drawn from only a single Australian university. It is heartening to see how much this program has grown, thrived, and how tribute has been paid not just here but in the Australian Parliament.

In conclusion, Madam Speaker, there is so much we can learn when we connect people, whether here at home or around the world. Technology has greatly reduced what the Australians would call the ``Tyranny of Distance.'' But only when you meet with and sit down with someone from another city, another state, or another country can you fully understand and appreciate the world through their eyes and divine where common ground can be found and endure.

My great hope is not only that this program continues, but that others will be founded in its spirit and focused towards as many peoples and places as possible in our world.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, wish to offer my congratulations to those who have done so well, Mr. Speaker, Karen Haas and Mr. Jay Eagen in their duties and responsibilities to all of us as Members of this body.

I am a little bit interested in some of the convenient memory that is taking

place here. I happen to recall, Mr. Speaker, that in 1995 we had a CAO appointed; and, of course, I was a member of the bipartisan group that was selected by this body to hire Mr. Eagen. I was one of the ones that interviewed him, as well as others, and was one of the ones that decided to put him in the capacity that he is in.

So I just wanted to say to my friends on the other side that we hired Mr. Eagen to clean up a mess that was not created by those who were in power. It was created by the gentleman who took the office in 1995.

I would want us to be careful about how we recall the history of this, because that is the way all of this developed, and I was on that group that helped to clean it up with the hiring of Mr. Eagen. He has done a professional job. I want to thank him for that.

I, too, have met with Mr. Beard; and I have known Mrs. Lorraine Miller for a long, long time. I think she is an excellent choice. I think she is going to do great work for this institution, and I join with those who see this as a history-making and I think marble-ceiling- shattering appointment.

But when I met with Mr. Beard I said to him that I recognized his professional background. But I also said to him that I had one wish of him, that he carry out his duties and responsibilities in a professional manner. But I said to him when I spoke with him that this is my first elected job. I have been director or manager of something all of my life before coming here.

And one of the things I learned as a manager is that you have to try to balance efficiency and effectiveness. And in order to do the work of this body, I want all of those people who assume positions to be efficient. But I also would like to see the work done be effective. And to do so, we have to, I think, recognize the individual worth that exists in every human being. There are a lot of people working in and around this building who we sometimes don't see, but they come under the purview of the Chief Administrative Officer. So I asked Mr. Beard to remember, as he carried out his duties and responsibilities, that we must always work to balance out efficiency and effectiveness. So I think they will make good additions to the work here in this body, and I want to thank them for being willing to serve and thank the Speaker for making this appointment.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 129.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a legend in South Carolina aviation, community activist, and real humanitarian, Jimmie L. ``Jim'' Hamilton. Jim is a true friend to me and to many other South Carolinians whose lives he has touched through his work and his service.

Although Jim Hamilton has been recognized as South Carolina Aviator of the Year, been awarded the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor in South Carolina; and received the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas Walt Disney Award, he remains a humble man whose big heart and bigger personality mask the adversities he has faced.

The son of a commercial fisherman and ship maintenance father, Jim grew up in Florida's Lower Matecumbe Key, where he was the only school- aged child. He took a boat to school, until his family relocated to Miami, where he attended high school. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army.

Jim's career in the military would change the course of his life. He became a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, but he always wanted to be a pilot. Since the Army required officers to fly, Jim applied to officer training school and was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. From 1949-1958, he flew spotter planes for the Army. Jim maintains that learning to fly shaped his character and taught him honor and determination.

When Jim left the Army in 1958, he became a flight instructor and Jack-of-all-trades with Aircraft Sales and Service at the Metropolitan Airport in Columbia, South Carolina, but he always wanted to own his own business.

In 1961, Jim's life changed completely when his wife, Geraldine, died in a car accident. He was left to care for 3 young boys. His mother moved to Columbia from Florida to manage the household, and just a few months later, Jim was managing Owens Field airport.

The next year, he opened Midlands Aviation in a 1-room office in the Five Points area of

Columbia. He got a contract selling Cessna airplanes, and when he sold the 50,000th plane Cessna manufactured, his fledgling company got a lot of attention in the trade publications. This launched his business to new heights.

From the early days of his business, Jim realized there was a need for support of private airplane owners in Columbia. He had to pay to keep his stock of Cessnas at Owens Field, and he had to transport them to Aiken to be serviced. So in 1964, Jim moved Midlands Aviation onsite at Owens Field. He used a trailer as his office and installed fuel tanks nearby. Later he was able to purchase the building that once housed the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission.

For 44 years, Jim provided fuel, parts and service at Owens Field, a contract that he sold in October 2006. He has also managed the county- owned airport since 1961, and continues to do so earning a salary of $1 per month. One could say that Owens Field is Jim Hamilton's life. However, there is so much more to Jim Hamilton.

In 1974, he started the Jamil Flying Fezzes, which provides free flights for handicapped or burned children to specialty hospitals. He mentors fourth graders through the Rotary Club, helps the Salvation Army recruit bell ringers at Christmas, and for the last 10 years he has driven ladies in a local retirement home on weekly shopping trips. He has also been a member of the South Carolina Board for Mental Retardation and the Babcock Center Board.

Jim has served 3 4-year terms on the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission, and served as its Chairman twice. He has served 2 terms as President of the South Carolina Aviation Trades Association. He was elected Governor and Key man of the Columbia Hangar ``Quiet Birdmen.'' And he has dedicated much of his spare time to educating young people about the adventures of flying.

Jim has been married to his second wife, Patricia, since 1966, and between them they have 5 children. Jimmie Jr., his oldest son and a talented airplane mechanic, tragically drowned in 2000. Despite the difficulties and tragedies in his personal life, Jim has always put others needs ahead of his own.

Madam Speaker, I ask you to join me today in recognizing the extraordinary contributions of Jim Hamilton. He is an outstanding businessman and community leader, who has overcome many challenges in his life and still put others first. He says that flying taught him honor and dedication, and there are many people today who thank Jim Hamilton for passing those qualities along to them.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a South Carolina businessman, who has been honored by his peers for his extraordinary work. Phillip Andrew ``Andy'' Stout owns and operates the Shoney's restaurant just minutes from my Santee, South Carolina office, and he has been recognized as the Shoney's 2006 Franchisee of the Year.

Andy Stout operates five Shoney's in South Carolina, and owns three of them. In addition to his recognition as Franchisee of the Year, two of Mr. Stout's restaurants were honored for their outstanding sales. This recognition did not come easily. Mr. Stout learned to excel in his profession by starting at the ground level and working his way up.

As a teenager, he began working as a busboy in his stepfather's Shoney's restaurant in Sumter, South Carolina. Two years later, he moved up to become Kitchen Manager. Mr. Stout then took a short break from Shoney's to serve as General Manager of a Captain D's restaurant. However, he took that experience and used it to become General Manager of Shoney's in Sumter.

His years of hard work and training paid off in 1994, when he formed P.A.S. Enterprises and purchased his first Shoney's in Manning, South Carolina. He added to his holdings in 2003 and 2005 by purchasing Shoney's in Santee and Dillon respectively. Mr. Stout continues to oversee the daily operations of the Sumter Shoney's and is a partner in the Shoney's in Walterboro.

Mr. Stout has received numerous awards for the performance of his Shoney's restaurants in addition to his 2006 Franchisee of the Year award. He also takes time to serve on the Board of Shoney's Franchise Advisor Council, and he serves his community on the Board of Trustees at Thomas Sumter Academy.

He is married to Donna L. Stout and together they have six children, Nicole, Rina, Austin, Elizabeth, Olin and Rebekah Ann.

I speak often of the need to improve the plight of counties along the I-95 corridor, and I commend Mr. Stout for the example he sets in running these successful businesses along I-95. His story shows that hard work and initiative can create opportunities for oneself and for one's community.

Madam Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in applauding Andy Stout for his entrepreneurial spirit and his leadership in the Shoney's organization and the community. I have been a customer in several of his restaurants and can attest to the quality of service they provide. I wish him continued success and Godspeed.

Madam Speaker, every year at this time I read the ``Letter from Birmingham Jail,'' written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and after these many decades, it still brings new inspiration and insight with every read.

As I consider the challenges we face nationally and internationally, I am struck by Dr. King's words, ``More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.''

Let us break our silence in Congress and across this country on the issues of poverty, education, health care, and Iraq among other things. The people of good will must join together to provide for the common good.

I would like to submit a truncated version of Dr. Martin Luther King's ``Letter from a Birmingham Jail'' to the Record in the hopes that we can all move forward with the social consciousness Dr. King preached of.

Excerpts From Letter From Birmingham Jail*

April 16, 1963

My Dear Fellow Clergymen: While confined here in the

Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement

calling my present activities ``unwise and untimely.'' Seldom

do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I

sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my

secretaries would have little time for anything other than

such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would

have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you

are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are

sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statements

in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms . . .

Author's Note: This response to a published statement by

eight fellow clergymen from Alabama (Bishop C. C. J.

Carpenter, Bishop Joseph A. Durick, Rabbi Hilton L. Grafman,

Bishop Paul Hardin, Bishop Holan B. Harmon, the Reverend

George M. Murray, the Reverend Edward V. Ramage and the

Reverend Earl Stallings) was composed under somewhat

constricting circumstance. Begun on the margins of the

newspaper in which the statement appeared while I was in

jail, the letter was continued on scraps of writing paper

supplied by a friendly Negro trusty, and concluded on a pad

my attorneys were eventually permitted to leave me. Although

the text remains in substance unaltered, I have indulged in

the author's prerogative of polishing it for publication.

But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is

here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left

their villages and carried their ``thus saith the Lord'' far

beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the

Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the

gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman

world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom

beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond

to the Macedonian call for aid . . .

Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all

communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and

not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice

anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in

an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment

of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all

indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the

narrow, provincial ``outside agitator'' idea. Anyone who

lives inside the United States can never be considered an

outsider anywhere within its bounds . . .

You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham.

But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a

similar concern for the conditions that brought about the

demonstrations. I am sure that none of you would want to rest

content with the superficial kind of social analysis that

deals merely with effects and does not grapple with

underlying causes. It is unfortunate that demonstrations are

taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate

that the city's white power structure left the Negro

community with no alternative . . .

As in so many past experiences, our hopes had been blasted,

and the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon us. We had

no alternative except to prepare for direct action, whereby

we would present our very bodies as a means of laying our

case before the conscience of the local and the national

community. Mindful of the difficulties involved, we decided

to undertake a process of self-purification. We began a

series of workshops on nonviolence, and we repeatedly asked

ourselves: ``Are you able to accept blows without

retaliating?'' ``Are you able to endure the ordeal of jail?''

We decided to schedule our direct-action program for the

Easter season, realizing that except for Christmas, this is

the main shopping period of the year. Knowing that a strong

economic with with-drawl program would be the by-product of

direct action, we felt that this would be the best time to

bring pressure to bear on the merchants for the needed change

. . .

We know through painful experience that freedom is never

voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by

the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct-

action campaign that was ``well timed'' in the view of those

who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation.

For years now I have heard the word ``Wait!'' It rings in the

ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This ``Wait''

has almost always meant `Never.' '' We must come to see, with

one of our distinguished jurists, that ``justice too long

delayed is justice denied . . .''

We have waited for more than 340 years for our

constitutional and God-given rights. The nations of Asia and

Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political

independence, but we still creep at horse-and-buggy pace

toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps it

is easy for those who have never felt the stinging dark of

segregation to say, ``Wait.'' But when you have seen vicious

mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your

sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled

policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and

sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty

million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of

poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you

suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering

as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she

can't go to the public amusement park that has just been

advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her

eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored

children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to

form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to

distort her personality by developing an unconscious

bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an

answer for a five-year-old son who is asking: ``Daddy, why do

white people treat colored people so mean?''; when you take a

cross-country drive and find it necessary to sleep night

after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile

because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day

in and day out by nagging signs reading ``white'' and

``colored''; when your first name becomes ``nigger,'' your

middle name becomes ``boy'' (however old you are) and your

last name becomes ``John,'' and your wife and mother are

never given the respected title ``Mrs.''; when you are

harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are

a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite

knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears

and outer resentments; when you know forever fighting a

degenerating sense of ``nobodiness'' then you will understand

why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the

cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to

be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you

can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience .

. .

I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and

Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few

years I have been gravely disappointed with the white

moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion

that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward

freedom is not the White Citizen's Councilor or the Ku Klux

Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to

``order'' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which

is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the

presence of justice; who constantly says: ``I agree with you

in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of

direct action''; who paternalistically believes he can set

the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a

mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro

to wait for a ``more convenient season.'' Shallow

understanding from people of good will is more frustrating

than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.

Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright

rejection . . .

Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The

yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is

what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has

reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something

without has reminded him that it can be gained. Consciously

or unconsciously, he has been caught up by the Zeitgeist, and

with his black brothers of Africa and his brown and yellow

brothers of Asia, South America and the Caribbean, the United

States Negro is moving with a sense of great urgency toward

the promised land of racial justice. If one recognizes this

vital urge that has engulfed the Negro community, one should

readily understand why public demonstrations are taking

place. The Negro has many pent-up resentments and latent

frustrations, and he

must release them. So let him march; let him make prayer

pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides--

and try to understand why he must do so. If his repressed

emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek

expression through violence; this is not a threat but a fact

of history. So I have not said to my people: ``Get rid of

your discontent.'' Rather, I have tried to say that this

normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into the

creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. And now this

approach is being termed extremist . . .

But though I was initially disappointed at being

categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about

the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from

the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: ``Love your

enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate

you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and

persecute you.'' Was not Amos an extremist for justice: ``Let

justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-

flowing stream.'' Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian

gospel: ``I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.''

Was not Martin Luther an extremist: ``Here I stand; I cannot

do otherwise, so help me God.'' And John Bunyan: ``I will

stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery

of my conscience.'' And Abraham Lincoln: ``This nation cannot

survive half slave and half free.'' And Thomas Jefferson:

``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are

created equal . . .'' So the question is not whether we will

be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be.

We be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremist

for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of

justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill three men

were crucified. We must never forget that all three were

crucified for the same crime--the crime of extremism. Two

were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their

environment. The other, Jeans Christ, was an extremist for

love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his

environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are

in dire need of creative extremists . . .

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before.

If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit

of the early church, it vi lose its authenticity, forfeit the

loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social

club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I

meet young people whose disappointment with the church has

turned into outright disgust . . .

I wish you had commended the Negro sit-inners and

demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their

willingness to suffer and their amazing discipline in the

midst of great provocation. One day the South will recognize

its real heroes. They will be the James Merediths, with the

noble sense of purpose that enables them to face Jeering, and

hostile mobs, and with the agonizing loneliness that

characterizes the life of the pioneer. They will be old,

oppressed, battered Negro women, symbolized in a seventy-two-

year-old woman in Montgomery, Alabama, who rose up with a

sense of dignity and with her people decided not to ride

segregated buses, and who responded with ungrammatical

profundity to one who inquired about her weariness: ``My

fleets is tired, but my soul is at rest.'' They be the young

high school and college students, the young ministers of the

gospel and a host of their elders, courageously and

nonviolently sitting in at lunch counters and willingly going

to jail for conscience' sake. One day the South will know

that when these disinherited children of God sat down at

lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is

best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in

our Judaeo-Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation

back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by

the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution

and the Declaration of Independence . . .

I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith. I also

hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to

meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil rights

leader but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother. Let

us. all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will

soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be

lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not

too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and

brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their

scintillating beauty . . .

Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood,

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a medical pioneer, Dr. Carl E. Yaeger, Jr. Dr. Yaeger is the recipient of the Trailblazer Award, a recognition bestowed upon him for his extraordinary contributions to his profession.

Carl Yaeger was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of another trailblazer, Dr. Carl Yaeger, Sr. founder of the Yaeger Clinic in Long Island, New York. Carl Jr. came to my home State of South Carolina to practice his profession after graduating from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles College of Chiropractic and Center States College of Physiatrics. In 1956, Dr. Yaeger joined his father in Miami, Florida to open the Yaeger Clinic there. It is one of the oldest African American owned medical facilities in the country.

Over the years, Dr. Yaeger built a tremendous clientele. He has provided health care to

several generations of patients, treated disaster victims and delivered over 400 babies in the clinic's four-bed maternity ward. Some patients were so loyal to Dr. Yaeger they traveled from as far as Georgia and the Bahamas regularly to see him. He counts among his more than 100,000 patients, Muhammad Ali, who came to his clinic while living in Miami in the 1960s. He continued an active Naturopathic and Chiropractic medical practice until 2005. Dr. Yaeger continues to serve on the executive board of the Yaeger Foundation, Inc. and is actively involved in the organization's establishment of the National Medical Museum.

Among Dr. Yaeger's many contributions, was his appointment as Chairman of the Florida Board of Naturopathic Medicine by Governors Rubin Askew and Bob Graham. He also provided internships to aspiring health care professionals and free medical services to indigent patients.

Dr. Yaeger has been the recipient of many other honors including the Florida Chiropractic Association's Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as the President of the Florida Naturopathic Physicians Association and was a member of the Practice Parameters Advisory Committee of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. Outside his professional affiliations, Dr. Yaeger has been a civil rights activist that helped integrate many of Miami's segregated restaurants and hotels and is a Lifetime Member of the NAACP.

Dr. Yaeger and his late wife, Ollie, raised four children. He is now the proud grandfather of two grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating Dr. Carl Yaeger, Jr. for receiving this distinguished honor. He has given a lifetime of service to the medical community, and has had a tremendous impact on Miami and its people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a doctor, who has had a tremendous impact on his profession and his colleagues. Dr. J. Otis Williams is a renowned chiropractor in South Carolina, who is being honored on November 19, 2006 by his peers with a Trailblazer Award.

It is clear why Dr. Williams would receive this recognition. He was instrumental in insuring a good scope of practice for South Carolina chiropractors in the 1980s when an examining board for the profession didn't exist. He remains dedicated to the cause of high quality chiropractic care, and has served on South Carolina Chiropractic Board of Directors. He has been very involved with legislative matters governing the profession.

Otis Williams was born in Ridgeland, South Carolina in 1947. He was raised by his grandmother, until she died when he was just 11 years- old. From the time he was young, Otis Williams knew he wanted to be a doctor. He graduated from Robert Smalls High School and Morehouse College, and went on to pursue his chiropractic degree at the National College of Chiropractic (now National University of Health Sciences).

Dr. Williams returned home to South Carolina and began his practice on Lady's Island in 1978. He sees a wide range of patients from infants to centenarians. He has done postgraduate work in chiropractic orthopedics, acupuncture, addictionology and compulsive disorders, nutrition, and is presently studying for board certification as a chiropractic internist.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me today in congratulating Dr. J. Otis Williams on this recognition by his peers. He is truly a trailblazer, who is dedicated to continuing his personal development and the development of his profession. I commend Dr. Williams for his remarkable work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a doctor and educator, who works every day to expand the chiropractic profession. Dr. John Henry Porter, Jr., is a highly-regarded chiropractor in my home State of South Carolina, and he is being recognized by his peers on November 18, 2006 as a trailblazer.

John Porter is a native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, where today he has a successful practice and teaches aspiring chiropractic students at his alma mater, Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic. As an Associate Professor of Clinic Sciences, Dr. Porter teaches Toggle Recoil and Full Spine. He has been with the college since 1979, and enjoys helping students enter the exciting and rewarding career of Chiropractics.

While teaching students, Dr. Porter has also continued his education by taking courses in Chiropractic Radiographic Interpretation, Adjusting Methods, and Chiropractic Principals.

He holds state licenses in both South Carolina and Tennessee.

Dr. Porter attained his undergraduate degree from Claflin University and he studied Business and Data Processing at Spartanburg Technical College. He is married to the former Errie Bobo, and the couple has three adult children.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me in thanking Dr. John Henry Porter, Jr., for his commitment to chiropractics and his desire to teach a new generation the skills needed to succeed in the profession. Dr. Porter is a tremendous advocate for chiropractors, and very deserving of his recognition as a Trailblazer by his peers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable doctor and South Carolinian, who, on November 19, 2006, will be the only female recipient of the Trailblazer Award for her contributions to the chiropractic profession. Dr. Beatrice Gamble-Franklin is a native of South Carolina, who has spent her career helping others.

Beatrice Gamble was born in Georgetown, South Carolina and excelled as a student. She graduated first in her class from Choppee High School, and was selected for the MARC (Minority Access to Research Careers) honors program, which enabled her to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees from Benedict College and Atlanta University. Beatrice then attended Life Chiropractic College in Marietta, Georgia.

Dr. Gamble-Franklin has been in the chiropractic field for 20 years. She holds the distinction of being the first African American chiropractor in South Carolina, and has been voted the best chiropractor in the state. At one time, Dr. Gamble-Franklin had six practices. Today, she and her husband, Dr. Gregory Franklin, have two practices in Columbia and Orangeburg.

In addition to her work in chiropratics, Dr. Gamble-Franklin is using her training in scientific research to develop hair products. She has invented the VictoriUs Silk Protein Relaxer, which is highly recommended by hair stylists.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me today in applauding the trailblazing spirit of Dr. Beatrice Gamble-Franklin. Her recognition by her peers is a testament to the extraordinary contributions she has made as a chiropractor, and the difference she has made in the lives of her patients.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a lifelong educator, who has made a tremendous impact on young Chiropractic students. The leadership of Dr. Jerry L. Hardee has prompted South Carolina Chiropractors to honor him with a 2006 Trailblazer Award.

Although his background is education, not Chiropractics, Dr. Hardee's role as President of Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic led to the college's tremendous growth and financial stability. He has officially retired as President of Sherman College, but remains Chancellor in a part-time capacity responsible for fund-raising, public relations and enrollment services.

Jerry Hardee began his career as a teacher in 1960. Ten years later, he took his first administrative job as a principal and Title I Gifted Program Coordinator in the Garfield School District in Maywood, Illinois. Before coming to Sherman College, Dr. Hardee served for a quarter of a century as an executive administrator at three different institutions in the University System of Georgia. He also came out of his first retirement in 1999 to serve as the Director of the Center for Teaching and learning at Albany State University in Georgia.

Dr. Hardee spent 35 years as an education administrator. He holds a doctorate degree in education and a certificate of advanced study in educational administration from Northern Illinois University, a master's degree in science education from Fisk University, and a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Clark College.

While president of Sherman College, Dr. Hardee was renowned for his work to attract more African American students to the profession of Chiropractics. He often met with students, faculty and health care profession advisors at Historically Black Colleges and Universities to encourage more minority student interest in a profession dominated by non-black practitioners. His goal is to make the field more accessible to African Americans as a career option.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me as I pay tribute to this trailblazing educator, who believes in promoting Chiropractics in minority communities. His leadership on this issue demonstrates his dedication to the profession and qualifies him for this outstanding recognition by practicing Chiropractors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great public servant and Southern gentleman. Mr. B. Monroe Hiers is retiring as the attorney for the City of Bamberg, South Carolina, a post he has held for more than forty years.

Monroe Hiers was born on October 15, 1923 in the town of Ehrhardt, South Carolina to Mr. and Mrs. B.W. Hiers. In 1943, he graduated from Wofford College and went on to serve three years as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II. Following his military service, Mr. Hiers returned to school and earned a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina in 1948.

For more than 55 years, Monroe has practiced law in Bamberg, and for many of those years served as the city's attorney. During that time, he worked with five different mayors. The current mayor, Alton McCollum, calls Monroe, ``the essence of a Southern gentleman.''

Monroe Hiers has also devoted his spare time to his community. He has served more than 50 years as the Bamberg County Veterans Service Officer. He is the past president of the Bamberg Chamber of Commerce; past president of the Men's Garden Club; and a past director of the Bamberg County Red Cross. For many years, he has been the vice president, director and attorney for Bamberg's Home Federal Savings and Loan Association, and has been honored by the CFISC for promoting ``Community Financial Institutions Business in South Carolina'' for 40 years.

He currently serves as Adjutant of the Bamberg County American Legion Post #39, and is a past commander of the Post. He has helped many students' participation in the American Legion Oratorical Contests, Boys State, and the American Legion Baseball Team.

Perhaps his greatest loyalty lies with the Lions Club. Monroe has been recognized by the organization for 50 years perfect attendance, and was selected for the Lion of the Year Award in 1973-74 for his outstanding service. He is a past president of South Carolina Lions Sight Conservation Foundation, for which he prepared the first Constitution and By-Laws, and made the application for the first Charter of the South Carolina Lions Sight Conservation Foundation, Inc. He has also served as a past president of the South Carolina Lions Sight Conservation Association, Charitable Services.

Monroe was District 32-B's Governor and a 100 percent District Governor, in addition to several other positions he held with the Lions organization. He also organized two Lions Clubs in Swansea and the Seven Oaks area of Columbia. His extraordinary dedication to the Lions Club won him the honor in 2004 of being named to the South Carolina Hall of Fame for District 32-B.

Monroe is a man grounded by his faith and his family. He is married to Eugenia Crosby of Lodge, South Carolina, and the couple has two daughters, one grandchild and one great-grandchild. For over 50 years, he has been teaching adult Sunday school at both Mt. Pleasant Lutheran Church in Ehrhardt and Trinity Methodist in Bamberg.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me congratulating Mr. Monroe Hiers for his extensive service to his community. He has dedicated more than 50 years of his life to serving others through his profession and his community involvement. I am confident the City of Bamberg and the State of South Carolina will continue to benefit from his extraordinary commitment even as he officially retires. On this occasion, I offer my best wishes and Godspeed.