Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 228) observing the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Republic of Vietnam to the Communist Forces of North Vietnam, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I would like to first start by thanking the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis) for introducing this timely resolution honoring the contributions of Vietnamese Americans to American society over the past 3 decades.

This past week marked the 30th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, a tragic anniversary on many levels. Those events signified the fall of the Republic of Vietnam to the Communist forces of North Vietnam, and also marked the start of several successive waves of people fleeing their homeland in a refugee exodus that ultimately involved millions of Vietnamese. Of those who fled as boat people in the late 1970s, countless thousands died at sea.

The resolution before us honors the memory of those victims as well as the many sacrifices made by the Armed Forces of the United States and of South Vietnam during the Vietnam Conflict. But more centrally, the resolution honors the significant contributions of Vietnamese Americans to the richness, diversity, and success of American society.

Adversity reveals the mettle of a people. The hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese who braved those circumstances to relocate in the United States have since grown into a vibrant American community nearly 1.5 million strong. In addition to thriving in their newfound homeland, Vietnamese

Americans have also worked tirelessly in their attempts to realize freedom and equality for all people in Vietnam, an ideal that remains a work in progress.

This week, many Americans are gathering in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere to commemorate the events of 30 years ago. Thus, it is a particularly fitting time for all Americans to join them in remembering the hardships and accomplishments of the past as well as our shared hopes for the future. For these reasons, House Resolution 228 deserves our unanimous support.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I wish to thank the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for his profound remarks today.

Madam Speaker, this resolution honors the accomplishments of the Vietnamese Americans who have proudly contributed in so many ways to American society, and I am personally grateful for so many friends in eastern Nebraska, including Loan Vu, Bich and Brian Bui, Tha and Cuong Nguyen, and Phi Huynh, who have opened their homes to me, sharing personal stories of hardship and escape, of hope in seeking to rebuild their lives in America, and gratitude for the blessings of our country.

I am grateful for the opportunity to offer this resolution, which I hope my colleagues will support.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Oncology Nursing Society

(Oncology Nurse Ruth Van Gerpen. Oncology nurses play an important and essential role in providing quality cancer care. These nurses are principally involved in the administration and monitoring of chemotherapy and the associated side-effects patients experience. As anyone ever treated for cancer will tell you, oncology nurses are intelligent, well-trained, highly skilled, kind-hearted angels who provide quality clinical, psychosocial and supportive care to patients and their families. In short, they are integral to our nation's cancer care delivery system. ONS has five chapters that serve the oncology nurses of Nebraska and help them continue to provide the best possible cancer care to patients and their families in our state.

On behalf of the people with cancer and their families in Nebraska's First Congressional District, I would like to specifically acknowledge Ruth Van Gerpen for her leadership within the Oncology Nursing Society as a member of the ONS Board of Directors. Ruth is a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) for oncology at BryanLGH Medical Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. She has been an RN for 28 years and has devoted 20 of those years to oncology nursing. Ruth works to improve patient outcomes, enhance professional and consumer awareness, and educate and support newly diagnosed individuals and their families. Through Ruth's and ONS' leadership, our nation is charting a course that will help us win the war on cancer.

Cancer is a complex, multifaceted and chronic disease, and people with cancer are best served by a multidisciplinary health care team specialized in oncology care, including nurses who are certified in that specialty. According to the American Cancer Society, one in three women and one in two men will receive a diagnosis of cancer at some point in their lives, and one out of every four deaths in the United States results from cancer. This year approximately 1.37 million people will be diagnosed with cancer and another 570,000 will lose their battles with this terrible disease. Every day, oncology nurses such as Ruth see the pain and suffering caused by cancer and understand the physical, emotional, and financial challenges that people with cancer face throughout their diagnosis and treatment.

Today, more than two-thirds of cancer cases strike people over the age of 65, and the number of cancer cases diagnosed among senior citizens is projected to double by 2030. At the same time, many of the community-based cancer centers are facing significant barriers in hiring the specialized oncology nurses they need to treat cancer. patients. We are on the verge of a major national nursing shortage, and it is estimated that there will be a shortage of 1.1 million nurses in the year 2015.

The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) is the largest organization of oncology health professionals in the world, with more than 31,000 registered nurses and other health care professionals. Since 1975, the Oncology Nursing Society has been dedicated to excellence in patient care, teaching, research, administration and education in the field of oncology. The Society's mission is to promote excellence in oncology nursing and quality cancer care. To that end, ONS honors and maintains nursing's historical and essential commitment to advocacy for the public good by providing nurses and healthcare professionals with access to the highest quality educational programs, cancer-care resources, research opportunities and networks for peer support.

I commend Ruth Van Gerpen for her leadership and ongoing commitment to improving and assuring access to quality cancer care for cancer patients and their families, and I urge my colleagues to support oncology nurses in their important endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, let me add my voice to the millions of Americans and people throughout the world who now mourn the loss of Pope John Paul II. He was an extraordinary man of great courage and conviction of faith. His life was consumed in sacrifice, out of love of God and love of others; and he reminded us constantly of the duty we have to the least among us, the poor, the vulnerable, the weak who have no power but the protection of those who willfully sacrifice on their behalf.

Pope John Paul II not only confronted physical deprivation but also intellectual and spiritual poverty. His constant admonishment to us, particularly those of us in power, to rebuild a culture of life is a message so desperately needed in our world. He had a heart for the youth and traveled extensively to bring a message of hope and love, saying to the young especially, act courageously and do not be afraid.

Mr. Speaker, I will miss him. America will miss him. The world will miss him. I now believe that he hears the words, Well done, good and faithful servant.

Mr. Speaker, while I was at home this weekend, my little 2-year-old girl wanted me to take her for a walk. I looked forward to having some ``daddy time'' with her. But before we could leave, she fell asleep on our stairway. I picked her up, cradled her, and brought her to her bed.

As I looked at her precious little face, I thought of Terri Schiavo's mother and father: how they must have cradled their little girl, loved her, watched her grow, given her hand in marriage.

But, Mr. Speaker, as we are all now familiar, Terri's life met with terrible tragedy. A debilitating illness left her incapacitated, a medical system has not protected her, and a judicial system has betrayed her. And through this all, Terri's mother and father are still there with their little girl, loving her, caring for her, asking only for one simple thing: do not starve her to death. Give her food, give her water, ordinary care for a living person.

Mr. Speaker, impoverished judicial reasoning has created the need for a new law, granting to Terri the same right given to Death Row inmates to appeal. Given the complexity of who should have final say over Terri's life, an estranged husband who is now in a common law marriage, or her loving parents, it is only reasonable that additional levels of appeal be given.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank our leadership for their exhaustive efforts on Terri's behalf, for their willingness to stand for a compassionate society that protects its most weak and vulnerable members.

Mr. Speaker, let us join Terri's mother and father and cradle Terri in the arms of a just and good decision.

Mr. Speaker, on Sunday America lost a brilliant entertainer, a gifted comedian, and a generous philanthropist. Johnny Carson, who passed away at the age of 79, lived much of his life in California, but he never forgot his Nebraska roots. Johnny Carson was born in Corning, Iowa, but at the age of 8, he and his family moved to Norfolk, Nebraska, a community which continues to embrace him.

Johnny Carson graduated from Norfolk High School in 1943, and, by the way, Mr. Speaker, that is where he happened not to make the cheerleader squad three times. He then served his country as an ensign in the Navy during World War II. He attended the University of Nebraska and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in radio and speech in 1949.

Although much attention has been paid in recent days to the impact that Johnny Carson had on television, I would like to focus on his generosity, which took on many forms. The list of his financial contributions to communities and institutions is very impressive. It seemed that whenever a project in the Norfolk area was short of funds, Johnny Carson came to the rescue. But he did it in his trademark modest and unassuming style, and, in fact, many of his donations were made anonymously.

Over the years he developed an impressive philanthropic legacy. He gave $2.27 million for the Cancer Radiation Center in Norfolk, $1 million for the Lifelong Learning Center at Northeast Community College, $600,000 to the Norfolk Public Schools for the Johnny Carson Theater, and $500,000 for the Norfolk Library Foundation. He gave to numerous other projects both in Nebraska and Iowa.

Johnny Carson also did not forget his alma mater. Last year he donated $5.3 million to renovate and expand the Temple Building, which houses the University of Nebraska-Lincoln theater department. He also provided funding for four merit-based scholarships and donated millions of dollars toward the

construction of the Lied Center for the Performing Arts at the University.

In 1988, he explained his generosity by saying, ``I have always felt that if you're lucky enough in this life to accumulate enough funds to live better than you have the right to, then you have a moral obligation to pay back to the community or to the country or to the place that brought you up.''

Nebraska was truly fortunate that it was the place that brought him up. We as a Nation were fortunate to have a man that made so many people laugh. Johnny Carson's generosity to the State will continue to provide benefits for future generations. And for those who remember, his personality will live on in our hearts.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday tens of thousands of people came to Washington to peacefully stand for life.

I am particularly encouraged, Mr. Speaker, by the multitudes of young people who came and who, despite a culture of death that rages around them, have courageously challenged the judgment of the Supreme Court, showing us that we can be a country of life-giving love, even for those in the most difficult situations.

These young people are saying that abortion is a fundamental injustice against women and their unborn children; that abortion has caused a deep wound in the soul of the country, resulting in untold grief and violence.

These young people are saying that women deserve better, especially those who may feel coerced into abortion. They are the compassionate voices for so many of us in need of healing.

Mr. Speaker, these young people have given me hope that we can rebuild our society with true respect for women and the beautiful gift of life.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 5 I was inadvertently detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

So the motion to commit was rejected.

The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood).