Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to honor Mr. Neil C. Johnston for his achievements in conservation and environmental education programs. Earlier this week, Neil received a National Wetlands Award for education/outreach from the Environmental Law Institute. The awards are presented annually to those who have dedicated their time and expertise to wetlands conservation and restoration.

Neil is an attorney from Mobile, Alabama. Not only does Neil practice in the fields of forestry and federal environmental law professionally, he is also personally involved with the environment. He speaks at and conducts seminars, as well as speaking to local school children.

Neil is the director of the Project CATE (Conservation Action Through Education) Foundation, Inc., which produces and distributes interactive conservation and environmental education programs. Ribbit's Big Splash is an award winning CD-ROM program which is designed to educate students about various aspects of water in environments such as ponds, rivers, wetlands, and gulfs. Project CATE plans to have more CD-ROM programs for students which will include air, soil, energy, and recycling. The programs are designed for the use of children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Through stories, projects, games, and interactive activities, children can learn about the environment and conservation in their local, state, and regional areas.

I am especially proud of Neil Johnston's achievements and his important contributions to the First District and its surrounding areas. His work as a conservationist and environmental educator has taught many children in my district, as well as others in the region. Thanks to his work, children have become more active in learning about water, and soon they will be able to learn about other aspects of our environment as his programs are completed and distributed.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me in congratulating Mr. Johnston for his hard work and dedication that has earned him this prestigious award, as well as for his commitment to teaching children about our environment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the gentleman from California's amendment.

When President Bush proposed this healthy forest initiative, great care was taken by the administration and leadership in crafting a bill that is beneficial to all forest in the United States, not just some. This is a laudable and logical goal. Healthy forests are not simply forests that are free from brush and undergrowth. Healthy forests are also free from disease and pest infestation.

In my home State of Alabama, our forests are under attack every day from pest infestation in the form of the Southern pine beetle. The beetle burrows into the trees and lays eggs below the bark. The result is a rapid deterioration of the health of the tree and in most cases its death.

Unfortunately, this amendment would take out every single reference to insects or disease. It is not good public policy to address the health of our forests without addressing insects and disease.

Mr. Speaker, if I had been elected to represent the southern pine beetle in my home State I would probably support this amendment. But on behalf of the thousands of landowners and timber growers I strongly oppose it, and I support the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 161, 162, 163, I was unavoidably detained in Alabama due to bad weather and flight delays. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, a childhood friend, Beth Killough Chapman, who now serves my home state of Alabama with distinction as our State Auditor, made a speech at a ``Stand up for America Rally'' in the city of Pelham, a suburb of Birmingham.

Beth's remarks, although certainly unintended at the time, captured the views of many of us in this country and sparked an emotional response from literally thousands of people in all 50 states, including many of the men and women who proudly wear the uniform of our military in defense of this great country.

Unlike so many of the speeches we hear in this city, Beth Chapman's remarks were not made with a particular slant that was either pro- Democrat or pro-Republican. Instead, Beth's comments were simply ``pro- American,'' and after reading her words, it was obvious to me that the speech was made straight from the heart.

Mr. Speaker, in these uncertain times when so many people have questions about where we are going, what we are doing and who can we trust, I found Beth Chapman's words inspirational and comforting. I ask that her speech be entered into the Congressional Record in its entirety, in hopes that even more people can be encouraged to stop and think about the true price of liberty and who is making the real sacrifices to preserve what is so dear to us all:

I'm here tonight because men and women of the United States

military have given their lives for my freedom. I am not here

tonight because Sheryl Crowe, Rosie O'Donnell, Jane Fonda,

Martin Sheen, the Dixie Chicks, Barbra Streisand, the Beastie

Boys, George Clooney or Phil Donahue, sacrificed their lives

for me.

If my memory serves me correctly, it was not movie stars or

musicians, but the United States Military who fought on the

shores of Iwo Jima, the jungles of Vietnam, and the beaches

of Normandy.

Tonight, I say we should support the President of the

United States and the U.S. military and tell the liberal,

tree-hugging, hippy, Birkenstock wearing, tie-dyed liberals

to go make their movies and music and whine somewhere else.

After all, if they lived in Iraq, they wouldn't be allowed

the freedom of speech they're being given here today--

ironically, they would be put to death at the hands of Sadam

Hussein or Osama Bin Laden.

I want to know how the very people who are against war

because of the loss of life, can possibly be the same people

who are for abortion?

They are the same people who are for animal rights but

against the rights of the unborn.

The movie stars say they want to go to Iraq and serve as

human shields for the Iraqis, I say let them buy a one-way

ticket and go.

No one likes war, I hate war. But the one thing I hate more

is the fact that this country has been forced into war--

innocent people have lost their lives--and there but for the

grace of God, it could have been my brother, my husband, or

even worse my own son.

On December 7, 1941, there are no records of movie stars

treading the blazing waters of Pearl Harbor.

On September 11, 2001; there are no photos of movie stars

standing as human shields against the debris and falling

bodies descending from the World Trade Center. There were

only policemen and firemen--underpaid civil servants who gave

their all with nothing expected in return.

When the USS Cole was bombed, there were no movie stars

guarding the ship--where were the human shields then?

If America's movie stars want to be human shields, let them

shield the gang-ridden streets of Los Angeles, or New York

City, let them shield the lives of the children of North

Birmingham whose mothers lay them down to sleep on the floor

each night to shelter them from stray bullets.

If they want to be human shields, I say let them shield the

men and women of honesty and integrity who epitomize courage

and embody the spirit of freedom by wearing the proud

uniforms of the United States Military. Those are the people

who have earned and deserve shielding.

Throughout the course of history, this country has remained

free, not because of movie stars and liberal activists but

because of brave men and women who hated war too--but lay

down their lives so that we all may live in freedom. After

all--What greater love hath no man, that he lay down his life

for his friend,'' but in this case a country.

We should give our military honor and acknowledgement and

not let their lives be in vain. If you want to see true human

shields, walk through Arlington Cemetery. There lie human

shields, heroes, and the BRAVE Americans who didn't get on

television and talk about being human shields, they were

human shields.

I thank God tonight for freedom--those who bought and paid

for it with their lives in the past--those who will protect

it in the present and defend it in the future.

America has remained silent too long. God-fearing people

have remained silent too long.

We must lift our voices united in a humble prayer to God

for guidance and the strength and courage to sustain us

throughout whatever the future may hold.

After the tragic events of Sept. 11th, my then eleven-year-

old son said terrorism is a war against us and them and if

you're not one of us, then you're one of them.

So in closing tonight, let us be of one accord, let us

stand proud, and let us be the human shields of prayer,

encouragement and support for the President, our troops and

their families and our country.

May God bless America, the land of the free, the home of

the brave and the greatest country on the face of this earth!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize McNeil Nutritionals, Splenda Plant, a revolutionary manufacturer located in McIntosh, Alabama.

Each year the Alabama Technology Network and the Business Council of Alabama honors outstanding manufacturers with their Alabama Manufacturer of the Year Awards. This year, McNeil Nutritionals, Splenda plant, has received recognition as a Medium Manufacturer for excellence in leadership, performance, profitability and work force relations. McNeil was chosen based on its demonstration of superior performance in the areas of customer focus, employee commitment, operational excellence, continuous improvement, profitable growth and investment in training and retraining.

McNeil Nutritionals manufactures Splenda, the only no-calorie sweetener made from raw sugar which is from 650 to 750 times sweeter than sugar. This product was introduced in

2001 and within one year achieved the number two market share in low- calorie sweeteners in the world. As a result, Splenda saw more than 100 percent profit growth from 2001 to 2002. Also in that year, McNeil Nutritionals had a 110 percent sales growth from its base year and implemented ``Six Sigma'' quality projects that resulted in cost savings of $15 million.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you and my colleagues to join me, the Alabama Technology Network and the Business Council of Alabama in honoring McNeil Nutritionals, Splenda Plant, for its outstanding accomplishments. I also want to recognize and thank McNeil Nutritionals for its contributions to the local economy and to the quality of life enjoyed in the State of Alabama.

Mr. Speaker, this Saturday, Mobile, and indeed all of Alabama will say goodbye to our first casualty in the war on Iraq. While many Americans will be busy running weekend errands, shopping at the local mall, or spending time with their children at a T-ball game, I will, instead, be attending what will be a much more somber occasion, the funeral services for Private First Class Howard Johnson, II. Private Johnson was killed in combat while bravely serving and protecting this great Nation in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Mr. Speaker, recently I visited with Howard's parents, the Reverend and Mrs. Howard Johnson, at their home in Mobile. Like every other parent would do in similar circumstances, the Johnsons grieve over the loss of their wonderful son. They told me what a fine young man Howard was, how he was always thinking of other people, and how he had a special concern especially for the older people who were in his father's church.

They said Howard loved life, and he was blessed with many wonderful friends. In the living room of their home, I had a chance to view several photographs of Howard, first as a little boy, then as a teenager, and more recently as a young man. Always, always, there was a big smile on his face. Howard Johnson, II, had a contagious smile and an optimistic spirit that looked to the future with hope and anticipation.

In uniform and in service to our country, Private Johnson exhibited courage, selfless service, and honor as a member of the United States Army and its 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company. Tragically, Private Johnson's supply convoy was ambushed in the early days of the campaign in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah.

Although stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, Private Johnson resided in Mobile, Alabama with his family. He was a 2001 graduate of LeFlore High School and a member of the ROTC. Upon graduation from high school, Howard joined the Army and served as an automated logistical specialist after graduating from basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina in August of 2001.

On Wednesday of this week, more than 1,500 friends, former classmates, teachers and members of Howard's extended family attended a memorial service at the LeFlore High School gymnasium. Howard Johnson, II, will be remembered for many fine qualities, not the least of which is the fact that today he is also known as and wears the title ``hero.''

As you might imagine, I was deeply saddened to receive the word of Private Johnson's death. While it is always hard to understand why we must lose any of our young people, especially those serving and protecting our Nation in our Armed Forces, I believe it is accurate to say Private Johnson's family takes great comfort from the fact that Howard was ably performing his duty in an honorable manner that reflects the rich tradition of our military.

Even during this sad time, his parents, family and friends are rightly proud of his many accomplishments and that he voluntarily committed himself to preserving the freedoms that we sometimes take for granted and that we enjoy here in the United States and to spreading those freedoms to the victims of an oppressive regime halfway around the world.

Mr. Speaker, Howard's family is fortunate that they can rely on a rock-solid faith and a loving God to provide personal strength and comfort during these difficult days. Reverend Johnson, Howard's father, is pastor of the Truevine Missionary Baptist Church in Mobile where Howard played drums and was active in Sunday school in the children's ministry. Right before Howard was prepared to ship off to Kuwait, he reassured his father that ``I'm ready, and I know what I'm facing, and I just believe that God is going to do it for me.''

Mr. Speaker, Howard Johnson's willingness to pay what has become the ultimate sacrifice has contributed immeasurably to the freedom and security of this Nation, to Iraq, and the world.

The 507th's ``One team, one fight'' motto also embodies this worldwide mission that our servicemen and women have undertaken. May the prayers of a grateful Nation bring some comfort to the Johnson family and to all other families who have lost loved ones during this war, and may God continue to bless America, the greatest country on the face of the Earth.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening on what may be the eve of war. Like so many Americans, my prayers are with our men and women in uniform who so bravely and honorably prepare to fight the evils in this world in order to insure the continued safety and wellbeing of friends, family and citizens of this great Nation. On this day, my thoughts are also with our President and our other leaders of this great Nation upon whose shoulders the burden of these decisions falls.

I was recently given a prayer written by Jeff Stewart, a close personal friend and lay leader at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Mobile Alabama. The following prayer will be delivered at an ecumenical service in Mobile with the cooperation of four local churches.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in lifting this prayer to our Lord God in hopes that it will provide strength and reassurance to our President and our armed forces.

``Help us, Lord, not be anxious about anything,'' During

this time of pending war and the death that will surely come

to our Service men, women and civilians. Give us Your peace

and the power to invoke Your love and strength, ``but in

everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, we

present our request to You'' that those that will lose their

lives will find the comfort of Your presence and Your peace.

``O God which transcends all understanding, guard their

hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.'' (Phil. 4: 6-7)

We seek not war but peace and we know that You, O God, can

bring peace if it is Your will; therefore, we put our trust

in You and we know that ``You are the Lord, the God of all

mankind. And nothing is too difficult for you.'' (Jer 32:37)

Amen.

Be sober, be vigilant, because our adversary the devil, as

a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. As

we seek to do God's will, we must deliberately make ourselves

subject one to another and be clothed with humility, for God

resisteth the proud and giveth the grace to be humbled.

Humble yourself therefore under the mighty hand of God, that

He may exalt us in due time, casting all our cares upon Him,

for He careth for us all.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Jeff Stewart for this thoughtful prayer and the comfort it provides during these times of needed guidance and wisdom--words from the heart and words from which we may all benefit.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the budget resolution. Let me commend the gentleman from Iowa for his hard work in developing this budget. The product of his effort is bold and innovative, and it deserves our support. Economic growth is the cornerstone of our Republican budget. Too many Americans, too many of my constituents in south Alabama, are struggling to make ends meet. This budget works to grow our economy and to get unemployed Americans back to work.

We assume the President's jobs and economic growth package because it provides an immediate boost to our struggling American workers, and it lays the groundwork for the long-term, sustainable growth of our Nation's economy.

The President's tax cuts were always intended to promote long-term, sustainable growth. Our budget calls for accelerating these tax cuts, because taxpayers and the economy deserve this extra support now. These tax cuts would allow workers to keep more of their hard-earned money to spend as they see fit. With more disposable income, it will be these workers who will propel our economy back to a state of sustained health and growth.

I am particularly glad to note that the 2001 tax cuts would be made permanent, allowing us to avoid a de facto tax increase in the year 2010.

Mr. Chairman, there are plenty of reasons to support this budget. I think one of the most compelling reasons, however, is that it provides the right medicine at the right time to create jobs and get our economy growing again.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Thompson Engineering, an extraordinary engineering design, environmental, construction inspection and materials testing firm located in Mobile, Alabama. Each year, the Alabama Chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies honors outstanding engineering achievements with its Engineering Excellence Awards. This year, Thompson Engineering was recognized with the 2003 Engineering Excellence Honor Award by the Alabama Chapter and received national recognition by the American Council of Engineering Companies for its outstanding work as prime design consultant for the Mobile Landing project.

Mobile Landing is a twelve-acre municipal wharf complex on the Mobile River adjacent to the waterfront business and entertainment districts in downtown Mobile, Alabama. The landing provides the citizens of Mobile with a publicly accessible waterfront development including a new ceremonial docking space for large oceangoing vessels; a riverfront pedestrian promenade; an outdoor plaza with amphitheater, bandstand and fountain; parking for vehicles; utilities; security and lighting and landscaped open space.

Thompson Engineering, as the lead design firm, developed the master plan for the project site and provided architectural and engineering design and construction management services for the project. Thompson also provided grant budgeting and management, regulatory permitting and environmental assessment, subsurface exploration, land and hydrographic surveying, and a cultural resources reconnaissance report for the project.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you and my colleagues to join me and the American Council

of Engineering Companies in honoring Thompson Engineering for its outstanding work with the Mobile Landing project. The landing and its facilities will prove to be another valuable asset to the City of Mobile, its citizens and visitors provided by Thompson and its talented and distinguished team of designers and contractors. I personally thank and recognize Thompson for its continued dedication to the City of Mobile and the State of Alabama.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of Arthur Valentine Yaroch, who passed away March 5, 2003, at the age of 73. Mr. Yaroch, who served with distinction as the director of finance for the City of Mobile under former Mayor Arthur Outlaw, was a pillar of the Mobile community and will be deeply missed.

Art Yaroch, a native of Detroit, was a longtime resident of Mobile and Ono Island. After earning a bachelor's degree in business administration, he worked as a member of the controller's staff at Uniroyal Tire Co. and then as a comptroller with Borden, Inc. Art then moved to Mobile and became the executive vice president of Colonial Sugars.

In March 1989, Art was appointed as the City of Mobile's finance director and resigned at the end of that year. He also served on the board of directors of The Lighthouse, as membership chairman of the Baldwin County Republican Party and as treasurer of the Pleasure Island Republican club. Art Yaroch was a devoted parishioner of St. Thomas by the Sea Catholic Church in Orange Beach where he was an usher and past member of the parish council.

Mr. Speaker, it is my great honor to pay tribute to the life of Art Yaroch. He was my friend and he will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Art is survived by his lovely wife, Isabel; two sons, Arthur and Steven; two daughters, Lauri Ann Grove and Susan Courtney; two brothers; two sisters and eight grandchildren. I would like to extend my prayers and deepest sympathies to his entire family and many friends.

Mr. Speaker, there are many heroes who work night and day, week after week, month after month to keep our neighborhoods, cities, states and this great nation safe and secure. Mr. John Wiggins is one of those heroes. John, at the very young age of 53, is retiring in April after almost 33 years of dedicated service with the Mobile Fire and Rescue Department.

John is the oldest firefighter in the department who actually still fights fires. For more than three decades, he has been able to live out his childhood dream of serving his community as a firefighter. He has seen many changes in firefighting, paramedics and in the department and has raised, and trained, many new recruits and most of the current fire chiefs. John laughs that every time he gets in Ladder Truck 10, which operates out of Gus Rehm Fire Station on Moffett Road in Mobile, ``and those lights and siren come on, it's like I'm 20 years old again.''

John has also assumed leadership roles with his fellow firefighters. He has been a member of the Mobile Fire Fighters Association Local 1349 since he first joined the fire department and has served as its president for the last four years. He has not only worked for his fellow firefighters but has also worked as president of the City Workers' Coalition to approach City Hall with city workers' work- related concerns.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you and my colleagues to join me in honoring John Wiggins for his many years of commitment to bring safety and security to his community and to his nation through his continued service with the Mobile Fire and Rescue Department. The Department and the City of Mobile are losing a valuable and dedicated servant and leader. However, I am sure that John's wife, Joy, and his children, stepchildren and grandchildren will enjoy spending more time with this hometown hero. I wish John all the best in his retirement years and always.

Mr. Speaker, there are many unsung heroes who work day and night, week after week, month after month, to support the operation of the United States Congress. Most of these dedicated people labor outside of the spotlight--away from the glamour that is often associated with public service--but their work insures that our work can be done. One such dedicated public servant, Ms. Diann Condrey, will conclude her distinguished tenure on Capitol Hill this month and I rise tonight to salute Diann for her untiring loyalty and service.

Diann began her government career as a high school student in 1968 when she began working with the Department of Defense during the Vietnam war. At that time Diann's salary was a meager $3,776 a year.

Diann spent the next 16 years working for the Army and Navy originally as a Management assistant and later as a computer specialist and project manager. In 1992, she took a position with the United States House of Representatives as a committee consultant providing computer support services to committees and to leadership offices. In 2000, she became the team leader responsible for training newly hired TSRs.

During my staff days on the Hill, I worked with Diann on a regular basis and got to know her very well. She has been a great asset to our Hill community. Her understanding of often complicated programs was always met with passion for helping her clients understand how to best implement the rapidly changing advances made in computers and technology.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you and my colleagues to join me in honoring Ms. Diann Condrey for her many years of commitment to her Nation through her continued service and employment with the United States. I wish Diann the best of luck in her retirement and always.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of the Honorable Delano

Palughi, who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly last Saturday, February 22, 2003. Judge Palughi, who served with distinction on the Mobile County District Court, was a pillar of the Mobile community and a man whose character and generosity towards others will be remembered by all who were fortunate enough to know him.

Judge Palughi was deeply religious and attended mass daily, often at St. Mary's Catholic Church. His reverence for his country was strong as he opened his courtroom every morning with the Pledge of Allegiance. His dedication to his community and fellow man throughout his law practice, which he maintained for 40 years, and as Mobile County District Court Judge since his election in 1998, prompted the attendance of more than 600 family, friends, fellow judges and colleagues at the service honoring his life. Judge Palughi will be honored and remembered not only for his service to his community but for his unwillingness and inability to turn down an indigent prospective client during his many years practicing law. He represented the poor and downtrodden when others would not. The Reverend Paul Zoghby recognized Judge Palughi's kindness and humility and stated, at the service, that ``If he's not there (in Heaven), I don't think the rest of us have a chance.'' His charitable nature will be missed amongst the legal community and the City of Mobile.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to pay tribute to the life of Delano Palughi. Judge Palughi's love for his wife of 33 years, Frances; his two sons, Vincent and Anthony; his brother, Peter; two grandchildren, family, friends and his church was the foundation of his compassionate and charitable manner towards clients and those who appeared before him as District Court Judge. I would like to extend my prayers and deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. James E. Stewart of Foley, Alabama, on the occasion of his being honored by his friends, family and colleagues on ``James E. Stewart Day'' in Baldwin County, Alabama.

For the past fifty years, Jim Stewart has been the anchor of the Baldwin County radio

broadcast community. Beginning with the formation of Baldwin County's first radio station, WHEP, in Foley, Alabama, in 1953, Mr. Stewart has been the head of a growing broadcast family that has provided immeasurable joy and valuable information for thousands of listeners along Alabama's Gulf Coast. During his professional career, Mr. Stewart has been actively involved in the life of his community and has taken a leading role in many civic and professional organizations. Many groups including the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, the Alabama Council of Hospital Governing Boards, the Foley Rotary Club, and the South Baldwin Health Care Foundation have benefited from his experience, leadership and interest in promoting further growth in Baldwin County, and from his desire to ensure that his fellow residents received the best that life in South Alabama has to offer.

Moreover, Mr. Stewart has received on many occasions the most important recognition of all: the respect and admiration of his professional peers. From his service in the Alabama Radio-Television Broadcasters Association to membership on Legislative Liaison Committees of the National Association of Broadcasters, Jim Stewart has been honored for his outstanding professional and journalistic integrity and for his genuine concern for and love of his community and state.

Mr. Speaker, I don't feet there are a sufficient number of honors or awards to recognize the significant contributions Jim Stewart has made during the past five decades, nor are there enough words to express the thanks of the many people he has touched during that time. I can only express my deepest appreciation for his service to Baldwin County and to the entire State of Alabama. His many accomplishments during his life can be counted; the tremendous number of lives he has impacted cannot.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the nomination of Miguel A. Estrada of Virginia to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. This nomination has been pending before the Senate since May 9, 2001.

Miguel Estrada has experience, intelligence, character and bipartisan support. Mr. Estrada has argued 15 cases before the United States Supreme Court and has served in the Justice Department under presidents of both political parties as a federal prosecutor and as the Assistant to the Solicitor General. Mr. Estrada was born in Honduras and attended Harvard Law School where he served as Editor of the Harvard Law Review. He maintains the highest rating of ``unanimously well qualified'' from the American Bar Association. This rating is based on professional as well as personal evaluations of a nominee, and some Democratic leaders have referred to this rating as ``the gold standard.'' As a result of Mr. Estrada's professional and personal accomplishments, he has received broad support among lawyers and judges associated with both political parties.

President Bush has voiced his concern for the current judicial emergency in America with a large number of seats at the appellate and district levels remaining unfilled. President Bush, as the Chief Executive to the Judiciary, has a constitutional right to name a qualified person to the Judiciary. Mr. Estrada's confirmation will not only place a well-qualified and respected lawyer on the United States Court of Civil Appeals, it will uphold one of the finest traditions of our country. Mr. Estrada has endured over a twenty month nomination process without the courtesy of a floor vote. I strongly support Miguel Estrada becoming the first hispanic judge to sit on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.