Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise with pleasure today to congratulate the City of Novato, California, on the fiftieth anniversary of its incorporation.

Novatans are rightfully proud of their community, which has tripled in size since its founding without losing the warm, small-town atmosphere that makes it a charming place to live. As the city has grown from an agricultural settlement to a destination in its own right, residents have kept their focus on the qualities that make Novato unique--strong sense of community, attachment to the natural surroundings, and an appreciation of the region's vibrant and diverse history.

Indeed, the history of Novato long predates its formal establishment half a century ago. Hundreds of years before the arrival of the Spanish, the Coast Miwok inhabited the area around Novato, valuing it for many of the same reasons that Novatans do today. The city's warm summers, tranquil hills, and fertile soil make it a unique corner of Marin County.

Early European settlers realized this as well, and Novato quickly became the site of some of Alta California's early Mexican land grants, including the 1839 Rancho Novato grant that later gave the city its name. It was also during this time that another Novato rancho became one of the first in the region to experiment with growing wine grapes, an industry that has since contributed so much to the identity and economy of our region. After California joined the United States, Novato grew into a more diverse agricultural hub, attracting Portuguese and Swiss-Italian pioneers to farm the land.

Since the 1930's, however, Novato has had to adapt to dramatic changes. During the Great Depression, as local farms struggled to survive, construction began on what would become Hamilton Air Force Base. The Base served as a critical center for defense and pilot training on the Pacific Coast, both during and after the Second World War. The city subsequently began a process of rapid development, attracting tens of thousands of new residents.

In face of this change, Novatans chose to incorporate in 1960 (with 72 percent of voters in favor) in order to take control over their collective future. They adopted their first General Plan in 1966 and have worked together ever since to maintain what matters to them. For instance, many of the structures that arose in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are preserved in modern Novato as a treasured part of the community's heritage. The downtown area, first subdivided in 1888, still recalls its original spirit as a rural outpost far removed from the cares of urban life.

The story of Novato is one of reinvention and perseverance. From its rural beginnings, the city has grown into a home for innovators in industries from biotechnology to winemaking and from insurance to artisanal tea. From a small settlement of Mexican ranchos, Novato has become a thriving city and only the second in California governed by an all-woman city council.

Hamilton Air Force Base, one of the most successful base closure efforts in the Nation, has been reclaimed as a vibrant, mixed-use community with one of the largest wetlands restoration projects in the State. I am especially proud to have worked in partnership with residents, city leaders, and government agencies in the ongoing efforts to achieve this transformation.

This is also a community committed to a healthy and sustainable future. Novato offers recreational facilities and support programs for people of all ages, including one of the country's premier research institutes on aging. The city boasts 27 parks and over 3,600 acres of open space protected by urban growth boundaries. Even now, Novato residents are setting a leading example on promoting sustainable practices and adopting green building standards.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to represent the City of Novato. I ask that you join me in celebrating its achievements and in wishing all its residents the best for the future. Congratulations, Novato, on your 50th birthday!

Madam Speaker, I rise today with a mixture of sorrow and pride to honor the Angel Island Immigration Station on its 100th anniversary--sorrow because of the Station's history of unjust treatment of immigrants, especially those from China, and pride because we are now acknowledging and respecting the struggle and courage of these immigrants.

Located off the coast of Tiburon, California, in Angel Island State Park in San Francisco Bay, the Station is the site of the detention of 175,000 Chinese immigrants from 1910 to 1940. Because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, many of them were held for weeks, months or years in a prison-like barracks where life was difficult and humiliating.

The ghosts of these people speak to us through poetry written and etched into the walls of these barracks. The experiences reflected here remind us that it is essential to treat all people with dignity and respect. In today's debates about immigration policy, at a time when we have moved beyond the inhumanity of the Chinese Exclusion Act, these ghosts tell us to learn from our past and set a new course that reflects who we are as a nation.

And now, thanks to the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation and its many supporters and partners, including the California State Parks and the National Park Service, the Immigration Station is being restored. It helps us understand this rich and complex history by hosting more than 50,000 people, including 30,000 schoolchildren, every year.

Angel Island itself was once inhabited by the native Miwoks and was discovered by Europeans in 1769. It has served for both cattle ranching and military uses, from the Civil War era Camp Reynolds to a base for Nike missiles in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1891, a quarantine station for immigrants was established and, on January 21, 1910, over 200 Chinese immigrants shipped from San Francisco marked the opening of the Angel Island Immigration Station. It was officially closed in 1946, and many of the barracks were razed when the Island became a State Park in 1957. Today, the Park's stunning views and abundant wildlife complement the historic structures.

As a mother and grandmother, I am grateful that the restored Angel Island Immigration Station will continue to keep the past alive for our young people. And as the Congresswoman representing this unique resource, I have had the privilege of participating in its rehabilitation by securing Federal funding for a bi-partisan effort that recognizes that we all have a stake in remembering that America is a nation of immigrants.

Madam Speaker, Angel Island Immigration Station today, on the occasion of its 100th anniversary, is both a reminder and a challenge. It reminds us that America hasn't always lived up to its highest ideals of freedom and equality. But it challenges us to live up to those ideals now and in the future. One of the poems from its walls poignantly serves to educate and inspire us:

In the quiet of night, I heard, faintly, the whistling of

wind.

The forms and shadows saddened me; upon seeing the landscape,

I composed a poem.

The floating clouds, the fog, darken the sky.

The moon shines faintly as the insects chirp.

Grief and bitterness entwined are heaven sent.

The sad person sits alone, leaning by a window.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 583) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Lester Flatt has made an invaluable contribution to American art as both a songwriter and a performer, leaving an indelible legacy in bluegrass music, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 583 into the Record.

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

I rise today to support House Resolution 583, which recognizes Lester Flatt's invaluable contributions to American art as both a songwriter and a performer. One of nine children, Lester Flatt was born on June 9, 1914, and raised in Sparta, Tennessee. As a singer and a guitarist, Lester Flatt is widely considered one of the founding fathers of bluegrass music.

He learned to sing and to play the guitar in local churches. As a member of the legendary Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, Flatt not only popularized bluegrass music, he transformed the music genre from regional to national. Bluegrass music itself, Madam Speaker, originated in the early 1600s as an American art form of immigrants as they came to America. Irish, Scottish, English and African American cultures have played a major part in developing bluegrass music.

The music started in rural areas and in small towns describing life in the hills or on the farms. Eventually this sound became popularized and Lester Flatt emerged from Tennessee as our Nation's premiere bluegrass artist.

With Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys in the mid-1940s, Lester helped bring national acclaim to bluegrass music with the Original Bluegrass Band. Later in Flatt's career he teamed up with Earl Scruggs to create the Foggy Mountain Boys in 1948. This group went on to achieve longstanding success and prestige unprecedented in the bluegrass music world. Parting with Earl in 1969, Lester continued successfully with his own ``Nashville Grass'' until shortly before his death in 1979.

Though he reached tremendous heights across the Nation, Flatt preferred to perform in small towns. He, along with two others, became inaugural members of the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

Madam Speaker, I want to once again congratulate Lester Flatt on his artistic accomplishments and honor his extraordinary life. I thank Congressman Lincoln Davis from Tennessee for bringing this resolution forward today.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I'm pleased to recognize the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Davis), the sponsor of this legislation, for as much time as he may consume.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 583, which recognizes Lester Flatt's invaluable contributions to American art as both a songwriter and a performer, and I yield back the remainder of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 990) expressing support for designation of January 2010 as ``National Mentoring Month''.

Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 990 into the Record.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 990, which recognizes January as National Mentoring Month. Today we acknowledge and thank the millions of caring adults and students who volunteer as mentors, and we commend their efforts. National Mentoring Month serves as a great opportunity to encourage others to get involved mentoring and volunteering their time. Mentors directly improve the lives of those who are in need of guidance by providing support, care, and encouragement to facilitate a younger person's development in life.

Research consistently proves, Madam Speaker, that mentors bolster academic achievement, self-esteem, social skills, and career development. In addition to these positive outcomes, mentoring reduces delinquency, substance abuse, and academic failure. Mentoring, whether it is for school work or life in general, helps young people realize that a better life is attainable, and it helps them to obtain the tools they need to succeed.

Today, there are over 4,700 mentoring programs in communities all across the United States serving approximately 3 million young people. This country, however, is in need of more mentors to help fill the gap and reach the nearly 15 million young people who would benefit from a positive, solid mentoring relationship. As a Nation, we must continue to encourage volunteers to invest their human capital in our youth. Through nonprofit government and private sector partnerships, we can expand mentoring.

The National Mentoring Month is a reminder to reinvest our energy towards mentoring relationships. By building awareness on this issue, we can encourage more people to serve as mentors.

Madam Speaker, once again, I express my support, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the sponsor of this legislation, the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Congresswoman McCollum).

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 990, which recognizes January as National Mentoring Month.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1030) congratulating Messiah College men's and women's soccer teams on winning the 2009 NCAA Division III national championships.

Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House Resolution 1030 into the Record.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Messiah College men's and women's soccer teams on winning the 2009 NCAA Division III national championship against Calvin College and Washington State University-St. Louis, respectively.

Messiah is the only NCAA institution to claim men's and women's soccer national championships in the same season. Messiah College men's team won their national championship game 2-0 and provided the men's team with its seventh national title in the last 10 seasons--an NCAA Division III all-time best, to say the least.

Messiah College women's team collected its third national championship and second championship in a row capping a 3-year run in which the Falcons' only loss was to Wheaton College in the 2007 title match. After outscoring their opponents by a 20-1 margin in last year's NCAA tournament, the Messiah College women posted just seven goals in their final five games this year winning four contests 1-0, one in double overtime.

Congratulations are in order for head coaches Brad McCarty and Scott Frey. McCarty was recently named head coach of the Messiah men's soccer program and became the seventh head coach in the program's storied 42- year history. Before becoming head coach, McCarty helped Messiah to five of its six national championships as an assistant coach.

As for the women's coach, Scott Frey has compiled a record of 156 wins, 12 losses, and 8 ties in his 8 seasons with the women's soccer program. Winning over 90 percent of his games, he was placed on the Winningest Active Coaches list.

The success of both the men's and women's soccer teams is a testament to Messiah College's commitment to excellence. They have won 10 national soccer championships combined in the past 10 years.

Not only does Messiah College excel athletically, but they are also a premier academic institution. The school

is a nationally ranked private Christian college with a socially, denominationally, and politically diverse student body of 2,800 undergraduate students. Located in Grantham, Pennsylvania, Messiah College awards bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees in more than 55 majors.

Madam Speaker, once again, I congratulate the Messiah College soccer program for their success, and I thank Representative Platts for bringing this bill forward.

I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 1030, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 1030 congratulating Messiah College men's and women's soccer teams on winning the 2009 NCAA Division III national championships, and I yield back the remainder of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1029) expressing support for designation of the week of February 1 through February 5, 2010, as ``National School Counseling Week''.

Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 1029 into the Record.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1029, which recognizes the impact that school counselors have in students' lives throughout the country. It encourages the observance of February 1 through 5 as National School Counseling Week.

School counselors play an essential role in students', teachers', and families' lives. National data show that school counselors improve teacher quality, bolster student achievement, and lower dropout rates. Additionally, research demonstrates that students who receive social and emotional support and other services carried out by school counselors achieve higher academic results.

Our education system employs school counselors at all levels, in elementary, middle, and high school, as well as in district supervisory positions. The educational backgrounds of school counselors qualify them to work with students to address their academic, personal, social, and career development needs. Through the implementation of a school counseling program, counselors offer a range of services to students. They also offer these services to parents, guardians, other school staff, and the community at large. School counselors assist with curriculum design and implementation, offer individual guidance and counseling, and other intervention activities that meet immediate student needs. Examples include education on mental health

issues, school violence prevention, social and career skills training, college guidance and preparation, as well as conflict resolution.

Day in and day out, Madam Speaker, school counselors work tirelessly to provide academic, college preparatory, career, and emotional support to our children. Through their leadership and advocacy, school counselors strive to foster healthy school environments that promote equity and access to quality educational experiences for every student.

I thank the American School Counselor Association and the National Education Association for supporting this important resolution and the work of counselors in our schools. National School Counseling Week reminds us that the crucial role counselors play is absolutely important in every student's life.

Madam Speaker, again, I support this resolution and thank Congresswoman Linda Sanchez for bringing this resolution forward. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentlewoman from California (Congresswoman Linda T. Sanchez), the sponsor of the legislation, for as much time as she may consume.

I am ready to yield back.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 1029, which recognizes the impact that school counselors have in students' lives and encourages the observation of February 1 through February 5 as National School Counseling Week.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to call the House's attention to the work of Greg Mortenson, who has built schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan and written two bestsellers about it. Mr. Mortenson has a lot to say about the power of education to dramatically improve the lives of people, especially girls and women, and how education can bring peace to the world.

Mr. Mortenson began his work in Pakistan, where he originally went to climb K2, the world's second-tallest mountain. After the climb, he was very ill, and he was helped by the people of an impoverished village. To thank them, Mr. Mortenson built the town's first school. He wrote a widely acclaimed book about the project called ``Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time.'' Mr. Mortenson then went on to build schools in Afghanistan.

So far, he has built 131 schools, educating 58,000 children with a special emphasis on education for girls. He has written a second book about his remarkable work entitled, ``Stones Into Schools: Promoting Peace With Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan.''

Mr. Speaker, in a recent interview with Bill Moyers, Mortenson explains how the education of girls can transform lives and whole countries. He said, and I quote, ``The education of girls has very powerful impacts on society. Number one, infant mortality is reduced. Number two, the population is reduced. And, number three, the quality of health improves.''

Mr. Speaker, he also explained how the education of girls can be a powerful weapon against terrorism. He said, ``Culturally, when someone goes on jihad they should get permission from their mother first. If they don't, it's very shameful. But when women are educated, they are less likely to encourage their sons to get into violence. I've seen that happen over the last decade in rural areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.''

Mr. Speaker, in fact, Mortenson said that when men leave the Taliban, it's often because their mothers said what you're doing is not a good thing. It's not in the name of Islam. He went on to say, ``I ask widows and women in rural areas in Pakistan and Afghanistan, what do you want? They say, we don't want our babies to die, and we want our children to go to school.'' Mr. Speaker, he said, ``we need to listen to those women. It doesn't mean we just go around the world holding hands and drinking tea and having peace.'' Actually, I would say, as an aside, why not.

But he continued that he really did ``believe that there's a lot of power behind love and compassion and resisting and listening to people.'' Now, some people might call Mr. Mortenson a fuzzy-brained peacenik, but he isn't. Far from it. He opposes the Taliban and he believes that there's a place for American troops in Afghanistan. His books have even influenced our military commanders, including General McChrystal and General Petraeus.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has made Mr. Mortenson an adviser. So Mr. Mortenson isn't saying let's pick up and leave Afghanistan and sing ``Kumbaya.'' But he does want to change our mission there, as I do. He wants to see much more emphasis on diplomacy, economic development, better policing, a better legal system to protect women's rights and of course, more schools.

These are some of the cornerstones of SMART security, which I've been advocating because, Mr. Speaker, President Obama is sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. It will cost $1 million per year to support each of those soldiers. Greg Mortenson says that we could build 30 to 40 schools with $1 million and educate up to 30,000 young people

for the cost of one soldier. I think that's a far better way to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people and defeat violent terrorism.

Mr. Mortenson is really on to something. I think we should all listen to what he has to say. There has to be a smarter way.

Madam Speaker, on January 19, 2010, I was unavoidably detained and was unable to record my vote for rollcall No. 6. Had I been present I would have voted:

Rollcall No. 6: ``yes''--Congratulating the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine for its 150 years of commitment to advancing science and improving health.

Madam Speaker, President Obama is certainly doing the right thing when it comes to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti. He's responded quickly, he's responded effectively, and he's pledged that the United States will do all that we can do to alleviate the suffering of the Haitian people and to help them rebuild their lives. President Obama has shown that America stands for hope, decency, and human rights, which is, of course, the kind of moral leadership that the President of the United States must always show. But while the administration is getting it right in Haiti, we still have a lot of work to do in Afghanistan, where the President plans to ask Congress for $33 billion in emergency funding to pay for the escalation of the war there.

Madam Speaker, we do need to appropriate more funds for Afghanistan, but not for more troops, because there is no military solution to the problem there. Sending more troops makes us look like occupiers, which will surely help the Taliban recruit more violent extremists, who will attack their own Afghani neighbors and the United States. So instead of investing in the military in Afghanistan, we need to invest in SMART security, which means investing in economic development, health, infrastructure, humanitarian aid, better law enforcement and governance. SMART security also includes helping the Afghan people to build schools so girls and women can be offered an education as well as the boys.

Madam Speaker, General McChrystal, our commander in Afghanistan, recently said that the Taliban looks for young people with no education when they are looking for new recruits. That's why I believe that investing in books, not bombs, is the way to stop violent extremism in Afghanistan and actually in every other part of the world as well. We also need to invest in our own economy and our own people right here at home, because we can't keep our country safe unless we have a strong economy, well educated, and with everybody having jobs that they can afford to support their families on.

So that's why we must invest in jobs. We must invest in housing. We must invest in child care and health care. And we must especially be concerned about those facing their own humanitarian crisis in our communities.

So just consider some of these facts, Madam Speaker: one in every 50 Americans is living in a household where food stamps are the only source of income. The effective unemployment rate today is really over 17 percent. And middle class families are now earning less than they did a decade ago, adjusted for inflation.

The economic disaster right here in our own country is unprecedented in American history. Unfortunately, the Congress will soon be presented with a record Pentagon budget, however, for the next fiscal year. I would suggest that instead of increasing the Pentagon budget, we should reduce it by cutting out funds for useless Cold War weapons, which would slash the defense budget by 25 percent. Isn't that amazing? We could slash the defense budget by 25 percent if we would just stop building useless Cold War weapons. We can make those dollars available to invest right here at home to put SMART security to work in Afghanistan as well.

Madam Speaker, the best way to keep our country safe is to stick to our fundamental American values of peace and compassion for the people of the world. We must put these values to work in Haiti, in Afghanistan, and right here at home. I urge all of us and our President to do just that.

Mr. Speaker, when a President decides to go to war, his or her plans must have clarity. The American people need to know exactly where the President stands and what his goals are. The President's original proposal was to begin withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan 18 months from now, in July 2011. When the President first announced the plan, it sounded like a pretty clear timetable, but then the picture started to get really fuzzy when American and Afghan officials began to backtrack.

National Security Adviser James Jones said the withdrawal date is ``not a cliff, it's a ramp.'' Secretary of State Clinton said the withdrawal would continue ``for the foreseeable future.'' Defense Secretary Gates called the withdrawal plan the ``beginning of a process, an inflection point,'' and dependent upon ``conditions on the ground.'' He also said that the actual withdrawal would ``probably'' take 2 or 3 years. And then President Karzai really threw cold water on things when he said that Afghanistan would not be able to provide for its own security for 15 to 20 years, let alone 18 months.

So the question is this: When July, 2011, rolls around, will we be at the beginning of the troop withdrawal or just in the middle of it? Will we be standing on the cliff or going down the ramp? And will we be at the inflection point or at the point of no return in another open-ended war?

Mr. Speaker, the American people and our troops deserve a solid plan. We have the right to know exactly what we're getting into before we start spending billions of dollars more and spilling more and more of our troops' blood. That's why Congress must ask the administration some tough questions and demand better answers, especially before we authorize another dime for this foreign occupation.

You know, that's our responsibility. That's our job. We must make sure that the next appropriation has a much better balance between the military and civilian need, a balance that will be considerably better than the last appropriation. We must make sure it includes sufficient funds for economic development, humanitarian aid, infrastructure, education, and other elements of smart security. And the House must have a full and open debate about the administration's escalation plan and an up-or-down vote on whether we support it.

We have a solemn obligation, Mr. Speaker, to let the American people know where each one of us stands. As for me, I've made it clear that I am opposed to the escalation. I have proposed a clear alternative, House Resolution 363, the SMART Security Platform for the 21st Century. Mr. Speaker, after the catastrophe of Iraq, we can't march blindly into another war that will drag on for years and years. The time to change and to choose a better path is right now.

Mr. Speaker, the year 2009 ended 12 days ago, and many were glad to see it go. It was a very difficult year for American families as they struggled with the recession. It was also a very difficult year for our brave troops in Afghanistan. The death toll was 317. That was twice as many as the previous year, and it made 2009 the deadliest year of the war. We'd all like to believe that this year will be safer for our troops in Afghanistan, but it doesn't look like it will be that way. Our military leaders have already predicted that President Obama's decision to send 30,000 more troops will lead to an increase in violence this spring and summer.

Sadly, America's military families who have already sacrificed so very much must brace themselves for more as the attacks on our troops continue. Violent extremism is thriving in Afghanistan because of the crippled economy, the broken infrastructure, the lack of education and other social services, the breakdown in law and order, and the belief that the central government isn't doing nearly enough to help their people.

Mr. Speaker, there is no military solution to these problems. That's why I'm opposed to sending more troops to Afghanistan. We don't need new troops. We need a new strategy. We must start using the tools of smart security to improve the lives of the Afghan people and give them hope for a better future. One of the keys to this new strategy must be a civilian surge, a surge of experts and aid workers who can help the

Afghan people to rebuild their communities and to rebuild their country. Everyone seems to agree that this is a good idea. The President said it's a good idea. Our diplomats and military leaders in Afghanistan have said it's a good idea. The people of our country certainly know that it's a good idea.

However, the last supplemental appropriations bill, which I voted against, lacked significant funding for the civilian surge, and President Obama only mentioned it once in his address on Afghanistan at West Point. The numbers on the ground tell the story, Mr. Speaker. When I questioned Ambassador Eikenberry last month at a Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, he indicated that there will be 1,000 civilians in Afghanistan by the end of this month, but we will have 100,000 troops there soon. That's a ratio of 100 to 1. So we aren't getting the civilian surge that we were promised. The current strategy, in fact, of relying on the military option ignores what will really work in Afghanistan: A real commitment to economic development, humanitarian aid, and social services, better law enforcement to disrupt terrorist networks, and better governance and systems of justice. The Afghan people desperately need a better future and a reason to reject violent extremism. They need hope for a positive future.

Mr. Speaker, winning in Afghanistan is about winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Smart security is the way to do that.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3326, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act.

The bill extends unemployment and COBRA benefits, which I have fought for and continue to support.

It also funds a number of employment, medical, and transportation programs that I also support.

Nevertheless, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill because it continues funding for our futile efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, which have already cost our country too much in blood and treasure.

Instead of pursuing military action where there is no military solution, we need a new strategy that relies on the effective tools of what I call smart security.

These tools include diplomacy, humanitarian aid, economic development, education, civil affairs, and better intelligence and police work to search out and capture extremists.

In the case of Afghanistan, for example, a great majority of all further funding should be devoted to these smart security efforts.

Madam Speaker, let's change our strategy before it's too late. We can begin by voting against this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 100th anniversary of the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has long served as a spirited defender of the Valley's interests, by encouraging new industry, organizing beautification projects and managing flood control efforts.

The Chamber began the evening of April 10, 1909, when 32 businessmen convened over dinner to discuss how they could stimulate commerce for the benefit of local merchants and professionals.

Membership quickly grew to 100 and the Chamber began their first initiatives, like publishing marketing material and establishing committees to begin tackling an ambitious agenda. In the early years, the Chamber called for transportation improvements and successfully lobbied Congress to protect a local federal facility from closure.

During the Great Depression, the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce was instrumental in addressing needs of a paralyzed business community. To generate renewed interest in the organization, the Chamber hosted an event benefiting street and driveway improvements.

In the subsequent years, the Chamber pioneered many efforts, including the creation of a commuter bus service to San Francisco, the endorsement of a municipal water system, support for State Parks and advocacy for underground utility and telephone lines. Notably, the Chamber raised local matching funds for a job stimulus program that was part of President Roosevelt's New Deal.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Chamber was designated as a farm labor office tasked with steering workers to local farmers. In the years following the war, the Chamber focused on supporting an adequate sewage system, the introduction of local hospital and the adoption of a zoning plan.

By mid-century, the Chamber hosted an industrial conference, boldly escalating efforts to bring new industry to the Valley.

Today the Chamber has expanded its membership to more than 700 leaders who continue to help ensure a thriving economy through advocacy, promotion, networking, education and services.

Operating under the mantra that ``Strong businesses make strong communities'', the Chamber hosts events, publishes a business magazine and offers comprehensive business, community and visitor resources. The Chamber also leads recognition efforts, honoring the business of the year and green businesses.

Madam Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we acknowledge the 100th anniversary of the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce. In years to come, this organization will remain an integral and powerful force that continues to enrich the business community for the benefit of all Sonoma Valley residents.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleague, Representative Mike Thompson, to honor the memory of Donna Cook Freeman of Bodega Bay in my district, an energetic community activist from whose petite frame exuded a feisty kind of determination combined with warmth and humor that earned friends, political power and a long list of accomplishments.

Donna came to Bodega Bay a half-century ago as a young, poor and pregnant fisherman's wife with two small children in tow. She left Bodega Bay and this earthly plane on October 30, 2009 after two weeks of farewell visits from at least 150 friends. She was 72.

Donna Cook Freeman became involved in local politics in the early '60s in one of the earliest environmental battles of the modern era, the fight over the planned construction of a nuclear power plant at Bodega Head. Donna and several other ``ordinary'' townspeople and their friends took on the giant utility, and ultimately won after they exposed the danger of building the plant directly on the San Andreas Fault.

Remaining active in coastal issues, she served on the California Coastal Commission's advisory board for the county's coastal plan. She campaigned for a local assessment to provide paramedics for the Bodega Bay Fire Protection District. Later she served three terms as a director of the Fire District. She was also a founder of the Bodega Bay Fishermen's Festival, and served as president and a director of the Bodega Bay Chamber of Commerce, and for a decade served on the board of the Sonoma County Fair. She successfully fought for new port facilities for commercial and recreational fishermen that became Spud Point Marina.

She also created a special place in a scrub filled ravine at the foot of Bodega Head. She filled it with cool ferns, waving trees, rippling ponds, narrow foot bridges and a gazebo she salvaged from the set of Alfred Hitchcock's Bodega Bay-based classic film, ``The Birds.'' This sheltered refuge she called ``Compass Rose Garden,'' named both for the center of a compass and her mother. She raised her family in a cottage in the garden, and turned its verdant grounds into a place for weddings, family events, community celebrations, and political fundraisers that both advertised and expanded her political influence.

She served on the Democratic State Central Committee, and her endorsement was gold to numerous political candidates courting west Sonoma County votes. She served a vital role in ushering in progressive politics to the county when she successfully managed the campaign of former Sonoma County Supervisor Ernie Carpenter.

Last month she was diagnosed with advanced liver cancer and as her life ebbed away she made plans for a final celebration at Compass Rose Garden. It was not to be. Yet she leaves a legacy of progress, a legion of friends, and a loving family that includes her husband, Clarence Freeman, her two daughters Melinda McLees and Melissa Freeman; three sons, Scott Freeman, Kevin Freeman, and Steve Freeman; and their families, which include seven grandchildren; as well as her brother James Cook and a sister Dorothy Cook Hewett, and their families.

Madam Speaker, Donna Cook Freeman brought creativity, vibrancy and determination to every endeavor she took on. She led by her powers of persuasion and her personal magnetism. She was born in the Depression but was guided through her life by her joyous sense of possibility. When the boats are blessed at the next Bodega Bay Fishermen's Festival, we will think of her, and recall a spirit that could rise above the waves.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to fondly honor my friend, Dr. John Shearer, who passed away on November 18, 2009, at the age of 77 in Petaluma, California.

Publicly, John was a powerful advocate for children's health care and health care reform. He preferred a single-payer system and privately he was a kind, selfless man of great integrity.

As a physician, he was expert, compassionate, and gentle, the kind of doctor you would want to have care for your sick child. I should know, because John Shearer was our family doctor, and my family adored him.

A native of Kokomo, Indiana, John moved with his family to Detroit and originally trained as a pharmacist. Then he earned his medical degree from Wayne State University in 1962.

John moved his wife and his children to Petaluma in 1964, where he started El Rose Medical Clinic with three other doctors. His son, David Shearer, recalls that his father made a lot of house calls with his black doctor's bag in the early years of his practice. In those days, you see, there were no OB-GYNs, so he delivered hundreds of babies in Petaluma.

Dr. Shearer was very active in community and social issues. He was involved in Physicians for Social Responsibility, an organization dedicated to preventing nuclear war and proliferation, and halting global warming and toxic deprivation of the environment. In 1972, he was a part of a grassroots Save Our Schools, or SOS, that I also worked on with him in Petaluma to raise money to keep Grant Elementary School, which was located in Petaluma, open when it was threatened with closure.

In the 1980s, he was the head of Physicians for Social Responsibility in the North Bay. He also began the Children's Health Initiative to ensure that all uninsured children in Sonoma County would have health care.

Dr. Shearer served as medical director of the Jewish Community Free Clinic in Cotati and Rohnert Park. He was the chief of the medical staff at Hillcrest Hospital from 1974 to 1975, and president of the Petaluma Valley Hospital medical staff from 1986 to 1987.

He also served as chairman of the Petaluma Valley Hospital ethics committee for many years. He served as president of the California Physicians' Alliance, an organization of physicians advocating for single-payer national health insurance.

John is survived by his wife, Donna Brasset Shearer of Petaluma; his son, David Shearer of Gig Harbor, Washington; his daughter, Annette Moussa of Petaluma; and two grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, even as John Shearer was a tender man with impeccable manners, he was a bold and fearless activist for justice and health care. He did not hesitate to advocate for a single-payer system among his physician peer group. He was a prince of a man who was loved and respected by many and will be genuinely missed.

John, I thank you for your friendship, your counsel, and for making my family feel like they were part of yours.