Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, this is a moment that I had hoped would never come. I am rising for the 250th time to oppose the occupation of Iraq. It's a sad task, because 250 times means that the occupation has dragged on and on nearly 5 years.

I had hoped that my first speech would be my last, or my 50th or even my 100th, but the administration continued to follow its blind and destructive path year after year. As the saying goes, ``All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good people do nothing.''

So, to be sure, I have raised my voice time and time again on this floor to protest the administration's folly and hold it accountable for its reckless actions and its reckless policies.

The American people have raised their voices, also, Mr. Speaker. They have said that they want an end to this occupation and a responsible redeployment of our troops. But our leaders in the White House, who first turned a deaf ear to the people of the world when they invaded Iraq, continue to turn a deaf ear to their very own people in the United States of America.

What makes this occasion even sadder for me is that I will have to rise many more times before the occupation ends because the administration has made it absolutely clear that it will continue its occupation right to the bitter end of its term in office.

And I fear that the occupation may go on long after that. A leading Republican Presidential candidate said that he has no problem with the occupation lasting 100 years. No problem. And this same candidate said the other day, and

I quote, ``There's going to be other wars.'' This is exactly the kind of ``shoot-first, ask-questions-later'' thinking that got us into trouble in Iraq in the first place.

Fortunately, the Democratic Presidential candidates have a different mindset, a mindset that uses diplomacy and international cooperation to solve problems, not war. But the current administration is working hard to tie the hands of the very next President. It's negotiating to establish permanent bases in Iraq. And it is planning to keep troop levels absolutely as high as possible.

Remember all the sweet talk, Mr. Speaker, last September about possible troop cuts? It was an absolute sham. And what are we getting for the tragedy of Iraq? Are we any safer? Absolutely not. In fact, the director of National Intelligence has warned that al Qaeda is getting stronger in its cozy safe haven in Pakistan, and that they are busy training more and more operatives.

A whole new generation is growing up in occupied Iraq. Their memories begin after U.S. forces rolled in. Since electricity and water and basic services have been on the fritz. Since whole neighborhoods have become wandering refugees. Many have never known the cultural gems of their own country. This cannot bode well for the region.

Secretary of State Rice has admitted that the Taliban is resurgent in Afghanistan. And the report of the Congressional Commission on the National Guard and Reserves found that there is an ``appalling gap'' in our ability to defend the homeland because of Guard and Reserve redeployments to Iraq.

Meanwhile, we are squandering $12 billion per month on the occupation while our economy slides into recession and the American people face the loss of their jobs, their health care, and their homes. Let's be clear, Mr. Speaker, the main reason we are in this recession is because of the senseless and unending occupation of Iraq.

And our brave men and women in uniform, what about them? They're paying a very high price for this occupation. Every day, five U.S. soldiers try to commit suicide because the frequency of deployment has put tremendous stress on them and their families. This is simply unacceptable and a national disgrace if we do not act to reverse this trend.

Mr. Speaker, I will be back on this floor talking about this some more, but this is my 250th time, and I want you to know, it's time that this occupation be over.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 5104, the Protect America Act Extension, which will extend the authorization for the administration's warrantless wiretapping program for another 15 days. I voted against the Protect America Act when it passed in August 2007 because I believe it violates the Constitution and undermines Americans' fundamental civil liberties. Today, I cannot support extending this unconstitutional program for another 15 days.

The Protect America Act (PAA) abandoned the protections of Americans' rights and freedoms that were the hallmark of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which became law in 1978. FISA was established in response to past abuses of electronic surveillance by Administrations who justified wiretaps under national security concerns. Surveillance was to be subjected to court oversight, where warrants would be required if an Administration sought surveillance of Americans.

We live in a dangerous world and we must protect our country from terrorist attacks. However, commitment to the rule of law, consumer privacy, freedom from unwarranted government intrusion, and our system of checks and balances should never be sacrificed to accommodate an Administration determined to expand its own powers. Instead of extending the PAA for another 15 days, we should be modernizing FISA to accommodate new technologies while requiring that surveillance of American citizens is always subject to court oversight and in compliance with the 4th Amendment. This is the only way to protect America and American freedoms.

Mr. Speaker, my district, just across the Golden Gate Bridge north of San Francisco, includes 100 percent of Marin County and 80 percent of Sonoma County, where we are blessed with many environmental treasures. In fact, it is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and it is just across the bridge from one of the largest cities in our country.

In this area we have a stand of old-growth redwoods known as Muir Woods, and we consider this our crown jewel. Muir Woods is nearly 300 acres of what I refer to as ``Heaven on Earth'' where its natural beauty has been preserved and protected for everyone to enjoy so that we can enjoy the trees, which are mostly redwoods that stand over 250 feet tall and are, as the chairman just told you, as old as 1,100 years. That is why I am so pleased that Congress is considering H. Res. 868 today, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of President Teddy Roosevelt's declaration of Muir Woods as a national monument.

It is fitting that we honor the centennial of Muir Woods on the floor of the House of Representatives, because it was the actions of Congressman William Kent who represented Marin County at that time who made the national monument possible. William Kent privately owned the land where Muir Woods now stands, and he and his family donated it to the Federal Government to ensure its protection. I am proud to say that 100 years later Congressman Kent's vision is still going strong.

The leadership in conservation that William Kent showed 100 years ago is a valuable lesson for us today. Imagine all the national wonder that could have been saved in the last 100 years, wonders like Muir Woods, that we could be enjoying today had more people been as selfless as he. We in Congress have the power to ensure that 100 years from now people can look back and applaud new conservation efforts.

Mr. Speaker, Muir Woods is a unique sanctuary for the protection of one of Earth's greatest wonders, the coastal redwoods; and its preservation is to be commended. I want to thank Chairman Rahall, Chairman Grijalva, Ranking Member Young, and Mr. Bishop for bringing my resolution here to the floor today, because working together, Mr. Speaker, working together today, we will ensure that 100 years from now our grandchildren, our great grandchildren and their children will enjoy the Muir Woods bicentennial.

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and was not able to record my votes for Rollcall Nos. 29-31.

Had I been present I would have voted:

Rollcall No. 29--Yes--Commending the Houston Dynamo soccer team for winning the 2007 Major League Soccer Cup;

Rollcall No. 30--Yes--Recognizing the significance of Black History Month; and

Rollcall No. 31--Yes--Remembering the space shuttle Challenger disaster and honoring its crew members, who lost their lives on January 28, 1986.

Mr. Speaker, last night this House was host to the President for his final State of the Union address. Like all past Presidential speeches in this Chamber, it was historic. But this time it may have been historic because of what it did not achieve and what it left unfinished.

Forget all of the unfulfilled commitments on education, health care, environmental conservation, employment, energy efficiency, worker protections and immigration. Let's just look at the record on foreign policy. The state of that union? Dismal.

Upon taking office in 2001, this administration promised a new kind of international engagement, one based on partnerships and regional alliances.

We didn't exactly get what we bargained for, unfortunately. And the recent administration tour through the Middle East just about summed it up.

Remember those children's books, ``Where's Waldo?'' We had a case of ``Where's W?'' Let's start our tour in Israel and the Palestinian- controlled lands.

After nearly two terms of ignoring the real crisis in the region, the administration tried to make a last-ditch effort at a peace agreement: first by hosting a summit, one that wasn't expected to achieve anything, and then by a visit to the region. No ideals were outlined, no real road map was sketched out. To be generous, it was a half- hearted effort. It greatly saddens me, Mr. Speaker, that such an important opportunity was squandered. The Israeli and Palestinian people deserve more. They deserve a chance to at least hope for peace.

Next stop on the Where's W? trip, Kuwait and Bahrain. In Bahrain, the political opposition faces arrest, torturers are granted immunity, and a woman must go before family, not civil courts, family to fight back against violence and abuse.

In Kuwait, the world saw how Kuwaiti justice is carried out when al- Azmi was hanged inside the Interior Ministry complex in Kuwait City on December 21.

Next stop, the United Arab Emirates. This is the land where noncitizens are a subclass of people. They have very few rights. They face huge obstacles and discrimination.

Oh, and another thing, women can't pass on citizenship to their children unless their husband is a citizen. What does that mean? It often means insurmountable barriers to education and employment.

Now we are on the home stretch. Where in the world is W?

Saudi Arabia. The country with the choke hold on international energy markets, the homeland of the majority of the 9/11 terrorists, the land where women cannot legally drive a car yet. Sure, there is a proposal on the table to give women this right, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

How did the United States President clearly demand the rights of all Saudi people? By walking hand in hand with members of the Saudi royal family. That sounds like a strange negotiating tactic to me.

And the final stop on this regional tour, Egypt. Let's just look at what Amnesty International has to say about Egypt. We have longstanding concerns on systematic torture, deaths of prisoners in custody, unfair trials, arrests of prisoners of conscience for their political and religious beliefs or for their sexual orientation, wide use of administrative detention and long-term detention without trial, and use of the death penalty.

This, Mr. Speaker, was a tour of wasted opportunity and flagrant disregard for the most basic human rights.

So what will the President's legacy be in the Middle East? What is the state of that union? Not good. Not good at all.

We have a seemingly endless occupation of Iraq destabilizing the region. Osama bin Laden is still missing. We have the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Opportunity after opportunity for regional stability has been squandered and our standing in the region is embarrassingly low. But know this: This Congress will continue to demand an end to the occupation of Iraq and a return to sensible and sustainable policies in the Middle East. We will not stand by while the clock runs out on this administration.

Madam Speaker, in the richest country in the world, no one should go to bed hungry, no one should have to go without heat on a cold winter night, and no one should be deprived of life saving medicine because they can't afford it.

It is so sad that in our country, the richest in the world, 37 million people live below the poverty line and deal with these fears everyday.

As a Congress, we need to do more to help these people, which is why I am proud to stand in support of Congresswoman Barbara Lee's bill, H. Con. Res. 198, and the goal of cutting poverty in the U.S. in half in the next 10 years.

This bill, recognizing the problem of poverty in our country is a good start, but we need to do more. We can put our money where our mouths are, starting with an economic stimulus package that gets money to the people who need it most in an economic downturn. This can be done by extending unemployment insurance and food stamps to help the neediest among us . . . not by extending tax breaks for the richest people in this country who have amassed great wealth at the expense of the rest of us. Let's do the right thing and help those who actually need it.

Madam Speaker, again I thank Representative Lee for her leadership in fighting poverty and for bring this resolution to the floor and urge all my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, this Thursday night, I will join many of my constituents at the 26th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Awards hosted by the Marin County Human Rights Commission in San Rafael, California.

Ten of my constituents, including four high school seniors, will receive awards for the many, many contributions they have made to our community, and I would like to name a few of them. Two doctors, Paul Cohen and Alicia Suski, will be honored for developing a partnership to provide medical and legal services to low-income residents. An educator, Whitney Hoyt, will be honored for protecting the rights of gay students. A high school senior, Joanna Sitzmann, will be recognized for her work with a therapeutic horseback riding program for people with disabilities. Another student, Morgan Green, will be cited for helping to raise money for the victims of the crisis in Darfur. And another high school senior, Allison Franklin, will be honored for working with disadvantaged youngsters, including those participating in the Marin Special Olympics.

I am really proud of these wonderful constituents, constituents who are serving others. I know there are millions of other Americans just like them, and they can be found in every single congressional district. They represent the true face of America, the America that has compassion for the people of the world, who want the world to be a better place for all of us.

But today, the world has a very different picture of America, Mr. Speaker. The people of the world see us through the lens of the occupation of Iraq, Abu Ghraib, and Guantanamo. They hear about torture, waterboarding, and the reckless activities of the Blackwater military contracts.

In addition to the very real human rights issues that these problems raise, they have made it much harder for us to win the public relations battle against the terrorists. And in the long run, that public relations battle, along with other elements of so-called ``soft power,'' are just as important, if not more important, than any military battle that we will fight in Iraq.

Even Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has recognized this. In a speech he gave 2 months ago, Secretary Gates said, and I quote, ``One of the more important lessons of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is that military success is not sufficient to win. Economic development, institution building, and rule of law, promoting internal reconciliation, good governance, providing basic services to the people, and strategic communications are essential ingredients for long-term success.'' He also called for an increase in spending on the soft power components of national security. These include diplomacy, foreign assistance, and economic reconstruction and development.

I agree with Secretary Gates about all of this, but this appears to be one more example of our leaders not backing up their words with actions. This administration has relied solely upon military power to achieve its objectives. It hasn't believed in diplomacy in the first place, or of the other elements of soft power.

Our leaders think they can bomb and shoot their way to a more democratic and peaceful world, and they've been proven wrong over and over again. In their latest testimony before the House, our generals have told us that our occupation of Iraq may last until the year 2020. And even Secretary Gates has undermined his own lofty rhetoric about diplomacy by saying that a 50-year occupation would be just fine with him.

The only way to restore our moral leadership and our ability to influence events is to responsibly redeploy our troops out of Iraq. That would allow the regional and international diplomacy needed to end the conflict to begin. It is up to Congress to use its power of the purse to make this happen. The administration will never do it. Our leaders offer us high-minded speeches about the rule of law and diplomacy, but all they give us are bloodshed and occupation. And Mr. Speaker, it must stop.

Madam Speaker, I rise to make an important and urgent announcement to the House: the conflict in Iraq is still going on, and we are still occupying that country.

I have to make this announcement because apparently some people have forgotten all about Iraq or don't think it's an important issue anymore. That's because it doesn't dominate the TV news like it used to. As an example of that, a recent story on CNN began with the words, ``Whatever Happened to the War?''

Well, I hate to spoil everyone's day, but I have to report, with great regret, that the occupation is still going. As proof of that, nearly 300 American and Iraqi soldiers and Iraqi civilians have been killed or wounded so far this month alone. Yes, the bloodshed continues.

And after nearly 5 years of occupation, our leaders still have no exit strategy. They have even stopped pretending that they have one. Last year they told us we couldn't get out of Iraq because things on the ground were going badly. This year they're telling us we can't get out because things are going well; and if we get out, they'll go badly again.

So if you follow the administration's argument to its logical conclusion, this is what you get: we can't leave when things are good; we can't leave when things are bad. Which means we can never leave. The result is permanent occupation, which is precisely what the administration appears to want.

Forgetting about the bloodshed in Iraq is bad enough. But it's dangerous for many, many other reasons. It gives the administration a free hand to ratchet up the threats against Iran. It takes the pressure off the Iraqi Government to make progress toward national political reconciliation. It means our military will continue to be overstretched and less capable of meeting real challenges to our national security that may and will arise elsewhere. It continues to make America appear to be a lawless and arrogant Western occupier of the Middle East. And it allows our budget to be plundered at a time when our economy is more than shaky. People are in danger of losing their jobs here at home; but thanks to the administration's policies, the boys at Blackwater will always have their high-paying military contractor jobs in Iraq where they can continue to terrify the Iraqi people.

We are spending over $300 million every day in Iraq, Madam Speaker. We couldn't afford that when the economy was good, and we certainly can't afford it as the economy goes into recession.

But thankfully, thankfully, the American people are too smart to fall into the trap of believing that everything is just swell. According to a recent CBS News poll, nearly 60 percent of Americans continue to believe the occupation is going badly, and 58 percent believe the U.S. should never have gotten into Iraq in the first place.

Madam Speaker, we cannot stick our heads in the sand and pretend that Iraq isn't a problem anymore. The only way to change course is to hold the administration accountable, and the only way to do that is to keep the pressure on the administration every single day. That's why I'll continue to raise my voice against the madness of this occupation, and why I will continue to urge the House to use its power of the purse to end it.

Iraq is not a television show that got canceled because of the writers' strike. Iraq is a real place where real people continue to die. We must redeploy our troops. We must give the Iraqi people back their sovereignty, and we must give them their hope for a brighter future.

Mr. Chairman, I am proud to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 2768, the S-MINER Act. The health and safety of miners is too important to ignore or to delay, and it is vitally important that we act now, not tomorrow, not in another year, to pass this critical legislation.

I want to commend Chairman Miller for putting together comprehensive legislation that actually tackles the problems plaguing mining for many, many years.

With this legislation, we can prevent the appalling loss of life that we have had in the past couple of years at Sago, at Darby, at Aracoma, and most recently at Crandall Canyon in Utah.

Since the year 2006, about 80 miners have been killed at their workplaces. And that is in the 21st century. Don't forget, this is the 21st century.

Now it is true that working conditions for miners have improved over the years, and we have come a long ways since the turn of the last century when thousands of miners died every year. But miners, who provide a valuable service to this country at great danger to themselves, are still dying as a result of incidents that were preventable had everyone been following the law.

And black lung, a disease we thought had pretty much been eradicated, is back with a vengeance. This is absolutely unacceptable.

I have heard on numerous occasions that miners love their jobs. So our job for them is to keep them as healthy and safe as possible so they will return home every night to their families at the end of the working day and that they will return safe and healthy.

The Subcommittee on Workforce Protection, which I chair, had a hearing on this legislation in July. And the S-MINER Act actually puts teeth in the MINER Act which Congress passed in 2006. Let me mention a few provisions which I think highlight why this legislation is so very important.

For example, while we know that true wireless communications systems are not yet fully developed, technologies do exist that greatly improve communications between miners below ground with those on the surface. The MINER Act requires that wireless communications systems be installed, but not until the year 2009. Miners can't wait until 2009. And the S-MINER Act mandates that miners have communication capabilities now instead of having to go without until the most perfect system has been developed.

One of the things that is so outrageous, as I said, in this day and age is that black lung is back, a disease everyone thought was eradicated. This legislation, the S-MINER Act, requires the use by each miner of a personal dust monitor so that exposure to coal dust can be cut in half. And because the committee recognizes it could be a burden for mine operators to provide this equipment to their employees, the manager's amendment authorizes $30 million for MSHA to pay for those devices.

In addition, the Crandall Canyon disaster showed us once again that retreat mining is a perilous activity, and this legislation requires MSHA to closely review these plans.

Another thing the families of miners told us was that miners were afraid to come forward to report safety and health violations. So this legislation provides for a miner ombudsman to be appointed to process complaints and assist whistleblowers with their cases.

And finally, this legislation requires that physicians be created at MSHA to be in charge of communicating with families and the community while a rescue effort is going on.

In developing this legislation, we have done our utmost to reach out across the aisle and to all interest groups, including industry, to come up with a bipartisan bill.

While industry does not support this bill, and shame on them, many of their concerns are reflected in the current legislation and in Mr. Miller's manager's amendment.

Mr. Chairman, this is the 21st century and we must have 21st century solutions to adequately protect miners in this country. Vote for the S- MINER Act.

Madam Speaker, today marks the 79th anniversary of the birth of history's greatest champion of peace, Dr. King, who became the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize when he received that great honor at age 35.

At the King Center in Atlanta, visitors are asked to take a pledge that includes the words: ``I pledge to do everything I can to make America and the world a place where equality and justice, freedom and peace will grow and flourish.''

Today, Madam Speaker, America needs to hear Dr. King's message of peace more than ever before, because our Nation's leaders continue to take reckless actions to put the world on the road to ever-widening conflicts. We have seen many new examples of warmongering in just the past few days and weeks. Twelve days ago, a leading Republican candidate for President said it would be fine for him if the American occupation of Iraq continued for another 100 years. Think about that. He would ask babies born 80 years from now to go to Baghdad for a commitment that the American people want to end right now.

Now, President Bush continues his saber-rattling over Iran. Days ago, he warned that the world must take action against that country before it is too late. Isn't this a clear signal that the administration is still considering an attack against Iran, even though we know that it is not developing nuclear weapons that can threaten the United States?

Therefore, as a lesson to be learned, we don't know all the facts about the

incident with the Iranian boats yet; but until we know the whole story, I would advise my colleagues to be wary of coming to any conclusions too soon.

And as if that weren't enough, the administration told us again that the occupation of Iraq will continue indefinitely, right into the next Presidency. But this morning we learned that it could last through several more Presidencies. The Iraqi defense minister was quoted in the press as saying that Iraq will not be able to take full responsibility for its internal security until the year 2012, nor responsibility for defending its borders until at least 2018. Yet, it has been over 2\1/2\ years since this administration announced that its strategy in Iraq is: as the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down. And it has been over a year since the President's famous surge speech where he said: ``I have made it clear that America's commitment is not open-ended.'' But, Madam Speaker, it is.

Madam Speaker, America loses its moral authority every day that our occupation of Iraq continues. According to a study conducted by the Iraqi Government and the World Health Organization that was published last week, 151,000 Iraqis died of violence in the first 3 years of our occupation. The study also found that there was a 60 percent increase in nonviolent deaths in Iraq, including deaths from childhood infections.

Martin Luther King understood that, if America is to lead the world, we must be more than a powerhouse; we must be a moral powerhouse.

I ask my colleagues to devote this session of the 110th Congress to the responsible redeployment of our troops out of Iraq and the creation of a new foreign policy committed to the values that Dr. King espoused: equality and justice, freedom and peace.

Madam Speaker, on December 18, I was unavoidably detained and was not able to record my votes for rollcall No. 1174- 1182, had I been present I would have voted:

Rollcall No. 1174, ``yes''--Providing for the consideration of the Senate Amendment to the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 6. Energy Independence and Security Act.

Rollcall No. 1175, ``yes''--Providing for the consideration of the Senate Amendment to the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 6, Energy Independence and Security Act.

Rollcall No. 1176, ``yes''--Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act.

Rollcall No. 1177, ``yes''--Energy Independence and Security Act.

Rollcall No. 1178, ``yes''--Terrorism Risk Insurance Revision and Extension Act.

Rollcall No. 1179, ``yes''-- Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act.

Rollcall No. 1180, ``yes''--Expressing the unconditional support of the House of Representatives for the members of the National Guard.

Rollcall No. 1181, ``yes''--Providing for the concurrence by the House in the Senate Amendments to H.R. 3997, with an amendment.

Rollcall No. 1182, ``yes''--U.S. Capitol Police and Library of Congress Police Merger Implementation Act of 2007.

Madam Speaker, on December 17, 1 was unavoidably detained and was not able to record my votes for rollcall Nos. 1163- 1173.

Had I been present I would have voted:

Rollcall No. 1163--``yes''--Expresses heartfelt sympathy for the victims and families of the shootings in Omaha, Nebraska, on Wednesday, December 5, 2007.

Rollcall No. 1164--``yes''--Honoring local and State first responders, and the citizens of the Pacific Northwest in facing the severe winter storm of December 2 and 3, 2007.

Rollcall No. 1165--``yes''--Same Day Rule.

Rollcall No. 1166--``yes''--Same Day Rule.

Rollcall No. 1167--``yes''--Sine Die Adjournment resolution of the 1st Session of the 110th Congress.

Rollcall No. 1168--``yes''--Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 2764, State, foreign operations appropriations, FY 2008.

Rollcall No. 1169--``yes''--Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 2764, State, foreign operations appropriations, FY 2008.

Rollcall No. 1170--``yes''--To award a congressional gold medal to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in recognition of her courageous and unwavering commitment to peace, nonviolence, human rights, and democracy in Burma.

Rollcall No. 1171--``yes''--Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations for FY 2008--Amendment No. 1.

Rollcall No. 1172--``no''--Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations for FY 2008--Amendment No. 2.

Rollcall No. 1173--``yes''--Recognizing and celebrating the centennial of Oklahoma statehood.

Madam Speaker, I support S. 2499, the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007. It's important that Congress pass this legislation today to ensure that our Nation's poorest children retain their health insurance and doctors who take care of our seniors on Medicare do not receive a 10 percent cut in reimbursements.

It's deeply disappointing that this bill doesn't address the issue of the Medicare physician geographic payment discrepancy that is faced by many areas in California and across the country. One of these areas is Sonoma County, in my District. This inconsistency has led to doctor's reimbursements being based upon their geographic location and not the true cost of providing services. Because of this discrepancy, doctors in Sonoma County receive a lower payment for the same services than doctors in next door Marin County and this discrepancy is causing doctors to leave Sonoma County. Congress needs to act to fix this discrepancy and ensure that physicians with Medicare patients can continue to afford to see their patients regardless of where their practice is located.

Because of the Republican led efforts, the bill only delays a real solution to the Medicare physician payment cuts that all doctors are facing. We can and must do better for our seniors. When the Medicare extension expires in June, we owe it to our seniors and physicians to replace it with a permanent fix to the physician payment cuts and payment discrepancies.

With this bill, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) will be extended and states will receive enough funding to keep all the children currently enrolled on SCHIP from being removed from the program. But, this bill doesn't help the millions more children whose families cannot afford health insurance and who should be covered under SCHIP. Earlier this year, Congress passed an SCHIP bill that would have given 4 million more children healthcare, for a total of 10 million children receiving healthcare on SCHIP. However, the Administration showed that its priorities are completely out of line with the rest of this country when it vetoed that legislation. We need to do better for our nation's children and provide all of them with the healthy start and security that SCHIP can provide.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill and look forward to working with them to provide a permanent solution to the Medicare physician payment issues and in ensuring that every child in America is insured.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to honor Dr. Lloyd Martin Griffin for his outstanding contributions to Sixth Congressional District, the State of California and the Nation. Dr. ``Marty'' Griffin is a physician who realizes that a healthy individual depends on a healthy environment. Since the fifties Marty has been involved in successful preservation efforts in Marin and Sonoma Counties, founded several environmental groups, and fought numerous battles to protect the environment.

Bom in a cabin on the banks of the Ogden River in Utah, Marty recalls ``being intoxicated by the cool desert canyon smell of trout, willow and sage, while my father's mandolin and the murmuring river waters put me to sleep.'' Then, not long after moving to Oakland and becoming a Boy Scout, he met Brighton ``Bugs'' Cain. Learning from Bugs and his father, Loyal, Marty became enamored with nature and medicine. After working his way through college to earn a M.D. at Stanford University in 1946, he set up practice in Marin County. Over the next decade became one of the county's top physicians and was instrumental in founding several clinics, hospitals, and retirement homes.

In 1958, Marty joined three legendary patrician activists, Elizabeth Terwillinger, Caroline Livermore and Rose Barrell, and Dr. David Steinhart and members of the Marin Conservation League and Martin Audubon to save Richardson Bay from fill and development. The bay was saved through a strategic purchase of 900 watery acres, which was leased to the National Audubon Society and became the Richardson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

In 1958 Marty discovered plans for transforming rural Highway 1 into a coast hugging freeway from Golden Gate Bridge to Sonoma, destroying wildlife habitat and threatening the rich agricultural lands of West Marin. The freeway would lead to a marina in Bolinas Lagoon and several new coastal communities. In response, in 1961, he teamed up with another Audubon leader Stan Prichard and created the Audubon Canyon Ranch and several projects to raise money, buy land and block the proposed freeway and preserve the gateway to the then proposed Point Reyes National Seashore. From this came the Bolinas Lagoon, Bouveri, and Tomales Bay Preserves. In 1973 Marty lent his skills to a successful effort to overturn a development-oriented Marin General Plan and replace it with one that preserved the open spaces of west Marin.

In 1961, Marty purchased a 240-acre ranch on the banks of the Russian River in Sonoma County. With his usual energy he planted grapevines, turned an old hop drying barn into a winery and eventually hauled onto the property a 100-year-old farm house, which he had

exquisitely restored. In the mid-seventies he produced his first wines, including award winning Petite Syrah, Johannesburg Riesling, and Zinfandels.

Hop Kiln Winery became a Sonoma County landmark, and Marty soon became a Sonoma County force to be reckoned with. He saw that local gravel mining operations were destroying the banks and bed of the Russian River, filling its aquifer, lowering water tables, blocking off tributary mouths, and endangering salmon migration. Marty then began a long struggle against river gravel mining that goes on today.

Also in the Sixties, Marty became the public health director at Sonoma State Hospital and Developmental Center, where with his usual tenaciousness and energy, he rooted out corruption, and founded a model program to fight hepatitis. In 1999, Marty was honored with a Public Health Hero Award from the University of California, Berkeley.

Today Marty Griffin lives with his wife, Joyce, in Belvedere in Marin County not far from where his environmental battles began. In his eighties, he remains active and abreast of environmental issues. His work goes on through several organizations he founded including the Marin County Environmental Forum, the Sonoma County Environmental Forum, and Russian Riverkeeper (founded as Friends of the Russian River). His book, ``Saving the Marin and Sonoma Coast: the Battles for Audubon Canyon Ranch, Point Reyes and California's Russian River'' is an engaging story of the ongoing battles and larger than life personalities involved in preserving nature's treasures on the edge of the Bay Area's teaming cities.

Madam Speaker, it is a book as well worth reading as Dr. Griffin's life is well worth emulating.

Madam Speaker, I rise with great pleasure to honor a labor leader in my district who has done so much to protect people's rights. Alexander Mallonee is retiring after 30 years with the United States Postal Service, including more than 25 years with the National Association of Letter Carriers, NALC, and almost 10 years with the North Bay Labor Council. Since he first joined the union, Alex has demonstrated a calm, caring and respectful approach to addressing the issues facing members of the National Association of Letter Carriers and of the labor council.

Alex didn't set out to be a labor leader. In fact, he was attending San Francisco State University for a master's degree in English when his life changed. As his wife, Kathy Farrelly, remembers it, he was studying in the library in the fall of 1969 when there seemed to be some sort of commotion outside. People raced out of the building, so Alex went to the terrace to take a look. What he saw was the school quad filled with police toting bullhorns and billy sticks to break up a student demonstration.

A command squad rushed up the stairs, Kathy continues, stating simply, ``He got hit over the head with a baton.''

There he was, an innocent bystander, unconscious, his head bleeding onto the cement, and a cop looming over him with a club in his raised hand. It was a perfect picture of the times, and a photographer who happened to be there snapped it for the cover of Rolling Stone and for Newsweek magazine.

``I think that's what launched him into social advocacy,'' Kathy says. ``It was a colossal injustice.''

From that decision evolved a life devoted to advocating for free speech and human rights. Alex gave up the idea of teaching Victorian literature and instead, because he needed to make a living, became a letter carrier. ``He quickly joined the union and became active,'' Kathy notes. And from that decision came his involvement in labor issues. Soon thereafter, in 1980, he became president of the local branch. He has been re-elected every two years since.

As always, Kathy says, his motivating force has been a search for justice.

``There are so many crises we have handled,'' explains Jerry Andersen, vice president of Branch 183 of the NALC. ``He just doesn't lose his cool.''

At the same time, Alex works to protect people's rights, he takes time to teach people, Andersen adds. ``A lot of management in the postal service have learned from him.''

Alex is one of those people who makes a difference quietly. He doesn't seek glory for himself, but gets satisfaction from doing a good job. In fact, he becomes embarrassed by pomp and circumstance, Andersen notes. Fortunately for Alex, he doesn't need ceremonies to recognize his authority. He has the respect of those he works with and those who work for him.

Kathy, who is retiring as well from her long career as counsel to Sonoma County, says she doubts either one of them will sit back and watch the world go by. Alex will keep on with the letter carriers union for a while, she expects, and with his efforts to make labor unions more a part of an overall progressive movement that includes the environment and affordable housing.

And of course, as an avid cyclist, he will spend more time enjoying the stunning bike trails of northern California.

But the impact of his life protecting workers' rights will live on in Sonoma County. So, too, will the philosophy he and his wife share and live--that no one can afford to ignore justice that goes awry.

Madam Speaker, Alex Mallonee's advocacy for just causes has meant a lot to me over the years. Because of this and especially because of his life and legacy to the people of Sonoma County, I am proud to honor him on his retirement.