Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, last week newspapers disclosed the details of a secret program used to track terrorist financial activity. Some newspaper editors make vague references to the public interest as their justification for publishing national security secrets. The greater public interest is protecting our homeland from another savage terror attack.

Our terrorist enemies are crystal clear about their intention. They seek the death not of hundreds or thousands but tens of thousands of innocent Americans. The program revealed last week by the media had been successful in stopping the terrorists from achieving their murderous aims. But now, thanks to the media, one more tool used to protect each and every one of us has been compromised.

Should this disclosure contribute to another attack on America, I wonder how the media will explain itself to the husbands, wives, sons, and daughters of those killed.

Mr. Speaker, the media got it wrong in this case. Because of them, we are in greater danger today than we were yesterday. In a time of war, this is truly disgraceful.

Madam Speaker, the pictures running with recent news reports tell the story: The Palestinians are in upheaval. Earlier this month, hundreds of supporters of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah faction stormed parliament buildings in Ramallah, setting parts of them ablaze. This was in response to earlier Hamas-led attacks on Fatah security forces in Gaza.

Madam Speaker, this escalating violence among rival Palestinian factions should teach the world a lesson. Elections alone do not make people democratic. The elections are important, but without the foundation of a civil society and certain values, they will not guarantee democratic freedom.

The Palestinian people must also embrace basic democratic values and principles: the rule of law; freedom of speech; due process protections; respect for honest, civil debate; religious liberties. The list goes on.

Continuing to choose extremism rather than fundamental civil reforms like these will only lead to further upheaval and hardship.

Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of visiting our troops in Iraq last month. I asked General Casey, the commander of our troops, how the political carping in Washington affected the troops. He responded, It doesn't really affect the troops so much, but it really grates on their families back home.

During Vietnam, I will never forget, as a young Air Force officer flying combat, how much we despised the politicians in Washington who were undermining the war effort. We visited the Iraqi leaders and Prime Minister al Maliki said, Welcome to a free and democratic Iraq. He said, Please tell the American people of our deep gratitude for the sacrifices that your sons and daughters have made to give us our freedom. He said, Please finish the job. Don't abandon us. Don't go backward.

Mr. Speaker, I don't question the patriotism of our opponents in this manner, just their judgment. The cause of freedom is too important to quit. The world and the terrorists are watching. Let's not lose our resolve.

Mr. Speaker, the Federal activist courts have dealt yet another blow to religious freedom in America. Earlier this month a Federal district court ruled that a faith-based prisoner rehabilitation program in an Iowa prison be shut down. The court ruled that the program sponsored by Prison Fellowship goes too far in blending church and state.

But consider the facts. The program is completely voluntary. The prisoners can opt out of it at any time. It is open to persons of all faiths or no faith, and prisoners are not required to assimilate into any certain faith in order to graduate into the program.

Mr. Speaker, this is sad news for those who wish to see prisoners undergo real change and rehabilitation. This program works. Their recidivism rate is only 8 percent for their graduates compared to about 80 percent for the prison system.

Having worked with Prison Fellowship since its founding 30 years ago, I can personally attest to the tremendous life-changing success it has had in our Nation's prisons for many, many prisoners. This ruling seeks to stop a very successful program of change or renewal. For the sake of our prison population, I hope it is overturned.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this resolution.

We often hear about deadbeat and delinquent dads. So it is easy to forget the millions of dads across America who are striving to be good husbands and positive role models for their kids.

Today, we recognize those dads and the tremendous importance of promoting fatherhood in America. There is no denying the invaluable role that a father plays in a child's life.

According to research from the National Fatherhood Initiative, children with involved and loving fathers have a significant advantage in life. They tend to perform better in school, have a healthy self- esteem, exhibit positive social behavior, and avoid drug use and other criminal activity.

But this kind of statistical research really just affirms what we already know to be true: Fatherhood is important. A loving father plays an integral role in the family, and healthy families are the foundation for a healthy society.

This resolution acknowledges that fact, Mr. Speaker, and it is worthy of our consideration and adoption today. I commend the gentleman, Mr. Sullivan, for his leadership on the issue and urge support for the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, today is an important day in the global war on terror. One of al Qaeda's most evil and ruthless terrorists, al- Zarqawi, has been eliminated, along with seven of his top aides. Justice has prevailed.

As the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Zarqawi was the mastermind behind the brutal murder of countless innocent Iraqis, car bombings, assassinations, kidnappings and attacks on our troops. It was Zarqawi who appeared on Internet videos personally beheading innocent civilians for the whole world to see.

News like this shows that we are making steady progress in Iraq. The death of al-Zarqawi strengthens the new Iraqi government and Prime Minister al-Maliki and sends a clear message to the terrorists of the world. The courage and dedication of the U.S. and Iraqi and coalition security forces remind the world that the forces of freedom and liberty will ultimately prevail over the forces of murder and terror.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the proceedings had during the recess be printed in the Record.

Mr. Speaker, the effort to bring real decency standards to our airwaves is taking a major step forward this week. A couple of weeks ago, the Senate passed the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act ending months of inaction by that body on the issue, and the House had passed its own version earlier last year.

While there are differences between the two bills, they both send a clear message: If you violate decency standards over broadcast airwaves, you will pay a price, a big price. Under current law, fines are limited to $32,500 per violation. The bill we will vote on today gives the FCC real teeth to enforce decency standards by increasing fines to 10 times that amount. Broadcasters will think twice about airing obscene material if they know it will cost them more than a quarter million dollars to do so.

Mr. Speaker, common decency is under attack in our society. The airwaves often lead the charge. Broadcast decency legislation seeks to do something about that. I applaud my colleagues in the House and Senate for acting on the issue, urge the Members to vote for the bill, send it to the President for his signature, and once again, enforce broadcast decency laws in our country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Leach for his leadership on this issue.

I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 828, a resolution that I authored with strong bipartisan support from the members of the International Relations Committee. And I thank the committee members for their support and I thank the House leadership for bringing it to the House floor today.

America has a long and proud tradition of standing with those who stand for freedom and democracy in the world, and that is why it is altogether appropriate that we recognize the people of Mongolia on the occasion of their 800th anniversary of statehood.

The history of Mongolia is a great testament to the power of freedom. Once a communist state closely allied with the Soviet Union, Mongolia has undergone remarkable changes in recent years. After peacefully severing communist ties in 1990, the people of Mongolia have established a stable democracy in Asia.

The reforms Mongolia has undertaken have set a shining example for its region of the world. In 1992, Mongolia adopted a Constitution. Five parliamentary elections and four presidential elections have now been held in Mongolia.

I personally became involved after the parliament heard of the Contract With America in 1994 and what happened here. In the mid-1990s, they created the Contract With the Mongolia Voter. They printed 400,000 copies, distributed it by horse and yak and camel all over the country. They had a 92 percent voter turnout and swept the existing then- communist government out of power. At that point I went over with others and gave a seminar to the young members of parliament. Over half were under the age of 35. It was an inspiring experience.

Mongolia has introduced economic reforms that reflect its commitment to establishing a free market economy. In the wake of September 11, 2001, the terrorist attacks, Mongolia has been a steadfast partner in the global war on terror. Mongolia has repeatedly sent troops to serve in the cause of freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan, six rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are standing with us, and they have also made troop commitments to NATO to peacekeeping missions.

In an expression of our appreciation for their support, President Bush traveled to Mongolia last November, the first sitting American President ever to do so. During his visit, President Bush addressed the Mongolian people. He expressed the relationship and appreciation for the relationships our nations share. He said, ``As you build a free society in the heart of Central Asia, the American people stand with you.'' We echo those sentiments today. By passing this bipartisan resolution, we send a clear message that this House stands firmly with the people of a free and democratic Mongolia.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be withdrawn as a cosponsor H.R. 4755, the Federal Aviation Administration Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006.

Mr. Speaker, public opinion polls show shrinking support for the war in Iraq. No doubt the nonstop media coverage questioning President Bush's motives for going to war have contributed greatly to these poll numbers.

But where is the coverage of the progress being made in Iraq? A recent 230-page Pentagon report analyzing thousands of Iraqi documents and interviews with officials from Saddam Hussein's regime is extremely enlightening.

The report shows Saddam's well-established support of terrorist activities dating back to 1994. This includes the establishment of terror training camps within Iraq's borders, and one document shows Saddam's son, Uday, coordinating a martyrdom operation called Blessed July aimed at targets in the West.

Russian President Putin has publicly stated that Russian Special Services had received information that Saddam's officials were preparing attacks on the U.S., and he reported this to the U.S.

Mr. Speaker, it is time the American people hear more about the facts that supported our decision to go to war. We must maintain our resolve to fight extremist terrorists, and we must finish the job in Iraq.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday demonstrations in over a dozen countries, including the U.S., U.K., Thailand and Japan took place demanding that the U.N. Security Council take action to stop the violence in eastern Burma.

I join them today in speaking out against the brutal military dictatorship of Burma. The thugs of Rangoon are on an all-out rampage. Since March the Burmese military dictatorship has forced over 15,000 Karen tribal people from their homes.

This map shows more than 2,800 villages. All of these dots are villages that have been destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of people displaced since 1996. These photos point to the awful plight of the displaced persons.

There are numerous reports documenting the systematic tracking, torturing, the killing of many of the Karen tribe in the recent weeks. But ethnic genocide is occurring in Burma.

On December 16 the U.N. Security Council held its first-ever briefing on Burma. At the briefing, U.N. Secretary General Annan indicated that the Security Council should get involved in Burma.

But mere talk is not enough. The U.S. should lead an effort to pass a resolution on Burma and the Security Council.

The world knows what is happening. If the international community does not act, we are complicit in their atrocities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the wonderful generosity of the people of my district, the Pennsylvania 16th. This generosity has been on full display in the aftermath of the hurricanes that hit our gulf coast last year.

The small Mississippi town of Pass Christian is roughly 1,200 miles from Lancaster County, but this hasn't stopped the people of Lancaster County, including many of the Amish community, from providing an outpouring of volunteer help to this devastated gulf coast town.

Organized through a group called Community Aid Relief Effort, dozens of Lancaster County residents have been traveling to the gulf coast every week since Katrina to help out with whatever was needed, and the results are showing. Debris has been cleared, damaged homes are being repaired and new homes are being built.

Mr. Speaker, while this outpouring of compassion warms my heart, it doesn't surprise me. The people of Lancaster County have a long tradition of helping those in need, and this is just the most recent example. I honor their efforts.

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Iraqi insurgent terrorists are shameless in their conduct. From blowing up crowded streets full of citizens to beheading innocent noncombatants, their ruthless brand of violence is well documented. What is not so well known is the funding sources these terrorists use to carry out their atrocities.

Thanks to the leadership of my colleague, Sue Kelly, some of the most outrageous fundraising sources for the Iraqi terrorists have recently come to light.

One fundraising campaign, called 10 Euros for Resistance, uses posters of bloody American soldiers to solicit funding in Europe. So far, it appears the terrorist extremists have found sympathetic radicals in more than one European country to donate to their cause. The funding is then funneled to Iraq, where insurgent terrorists use it to finance more attacks on American forces and innocent civilians.

This is an outrage, Mr. Speaker; and I applaud Congresswoman Kelly's efforts to call attention to it. European countries should be doing all they can to stop this fundraising practice within their borders. I do not think that is too much to ask of our allies.

Mr. Speaker, the President this week threatened to veto the emergency supplemental spending bill currently under consideration in the Senate, and rightfully so.

Members of the other body have been busy adding billions of dollars in non-emergency pork to this emergency spending bill, and the price tag is simply unjustifiable.

One particularly egregious earmark seeks $700 million in Federal funds to move a railroad track that has just been repaired at the cost of $250 million. Supporters of the project say the rail line needs to be moved because it is vulnerable to hurricane damage. Yet the proposed new location is just a short distance inland and was greatly damaged by Katrina last year.

The real reason supporters want this newly repaired rail line moved is to make room for a casino gambling development along the gulf coast.

Mr. Speaker, relocating a newly updated rail line to an equally vulnerable area simply to make room for casino gambling is not an emergency. The taxpayer should not have to pick up the tab for this railroad to nowhere.

I urge the President to stand by his veto threat unless pork like this is removed from the bill.