Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, the situation in Afghanistan is as bleak as I can remember at any point in the last 10\1/2\ years that we've been at war.

In recent months, we've seen the burning of the Koran by American troops, a video of soldiers urinating on bodies of dead Afghans, spontaneous riots in the Afghan streets protesting the continued U.S. occupation, as well as deadly attacks by Afghan soldiers on the U.S. and NATO forces that are there to help and to train them.

And now, in the most grotesque tragedy imaginable, 2 weeks ago a U.S. staff sergeant left his base, walked more than a mile to an Afghan village outside Kandahar, going door-to-door and systematically gunning down 17 civilians.

The New York Times reported that one Afghan farmer was visiting a nearby town for the day and returned home to find that his wife, four sons, and four daughters had all been murdered in the attack. And here's the irony: According to the Times' account, because the Taliban still lingered in the area, the farmer had been concerned about moving his family back to this part of southern Afghanistan last year, but he was reassured by the very fact that he would be near an American military base.

With these latest atrocities, how can we expect President Karzai, a reluctant ally under the best of circumstances, to continue to cooperate? How do we expect to convince the Taliban to come to the negotiating table for a peace and reconciliation settlement? And most importantly, after this incident, how do we convince the people of Afghanistan that we are their friends, that our presence in their country is a force for good?

Staff Sergeant Robert Bales will be tried for these unspeakable crimes, but I also think any responsibility analysis would conclude that he is also a victim of the war. He was on his fourth deployment. He clearly suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder, or even worse, mental health affliction. He clearly had no business being on active duty.

Mr. Speaker, more than a decade of war is weakening and wreaking havoc with the bodies and minds of our servicemembers. Staff Sergeant Bales will be held to account. But what about the cruel and unforgiving war machine that absolutely has to bear some responsibility? When are we going to finally set warfare aside and embrace a SMART Security approach?

Yesterday, 80 retired top military leaders took out an ad in Politico calling for robust investment in development, diplomacy, and other civilian efforts that will do a lot more than military force to keep America safe. And yet the Republican budget we'll debate later today cuts that very foreign aid in humanitarian programs.

When will we learn, Mr. Speaker? How bad does it have to get?

Our Afghanistan policy is an absolute shambles, and the American people know it. The latest polling shows more than two-thirds, 69 percent, believe we shouldn't be waging this war.

This is the moment we must realize that this mission has no hope of succeeding, that the only humane and responsible course is to end the war at once. This is the moment, finally, after all the tragedy and mayhem, to bring our troops home.

Mr. Chairman, the Budget for All rearranges our national security spending priorities in a way that keeps America safe instead of keeping America bogged down in expensive, immoral wars. By bringing our troops home from Afghanistan, we save over $1 trillion over 10 years. We reinvest that money in the American people, their education, their health care, their infrastructure, their retirement security, and their hopes and their dreams.

There's money left over to beef up SMART Security priorities-- development, diplomacy, foreign and humanitarian aid--the tools that will truly combat terrorism and protect our Nation in the 21st century.

We get rid of ancient, obsolete Cold War weapons systems that are doing nothing to address today's security threats as well. We also take care of our veterans, and we dramatically reduce our nuclear arsenal.

I urge all Members, read this budget and embrace it, because it truly reflects the values and priorities of the American people--the Congressional Progressive Caucus' Budget for All.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend James Kimo Campbell, who passed away on February 16, 2012. Kimo, as he was known locally, has been recognized for decades as a principled leader on environmental issues, education, and social justice. I admired the values he stood for and appreciated the opportunity to work with him over the years. He was a man of conscience, and his work has benefitted not only Marin County, but the entire Pacific coast.

Campbell was born in 1947 in Los Angeles. He was raised in Ewa Beach, Oahu by his grandmother, Alice Kamokila Campbell, part of a prominent Irish-Hawaiian landowning family. After studying at the venerable Punahou School in Honolulu, Campbell came to northern California in 1966 for a journalism program at College of Marin.

It was at College of Marin that Campbell first earned recognition for his intelligence and insight, winning journalism awards and becoming editor of the college student newspaper by 1968. It was also at College of Marin that Campbell became involved in the earliest activities of the antiwar and environmental movements of the late 1960s. Campbell was an active reporter and demonstrator in Vietnam war events across the San Francisco Bay area, and he served as a public voice for peace and civil liberties on the national stage.

As his work progressed, Campbell was especially effective in translating advocacy and protest into political power and substantive change. He ran four times for a seat on the College of Marin Board of Trustees before finally winning his first, narrow election at the age of 27. From then on, he worked tirelessly to defend the interests of the students, staff, and institution he represented, and to effectively manage College of Marin through a period of modernization.

Campbell brought the same focus to a range of environmental priorities. He served on the Boards of the California League of Conservation Voters, Earthjustice, the Trust for Public Land, and other organizations. He also had a particular interest in projects supporting Hawaiian culture, including the Pohaku Fund and his home-based publishing operation, Pueo Press.

Campbell is survived by his wife, Kerry Tepperman Campbell, and his two children, Mahealani and Kawika Campbell.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me in recognizing a man whose leadership has set an example for all of us--a man whose tireless advocacy and positive spirit teach us all a lesson in the value of `ohana.

Mr. Speaker, on March 19, 2012, I was unavoidably detained and was unable to record my vote for rollcall No. 111. Had I been present I would have voted: rollcall No. 111: ``yes''--To allow otherwise eligible Israeli nationals to receive E 2 nonimmigrant visas if similarly situated United States nationals are eligible for similar nonimmigrant status in Israel.

Mr. Chairman, it's inconceivable to me that with all the challenges we have that are facing our Nation, this body is taking up legislation today having to do with a 32-acre parcel of land in Virginia. Is this really the best we can do at a moment when our economy is still underperforming? At a moment when we're still sending brave Americans to die in an immoral war that's gone on for nearly as long as my grandson Teddy has been alive?

We still have more than 8 percent unemployment in this country. We still have families and entire communities wondering what happened to the American Dream. We have people losing their home through no fault of their own. We have people wondering how they're going to pay next month's bills, never mind the daunting cost of sending their child to college. We have families wondering why the very health care reforms they needed are about to go on trial at the U.S. Supreme Court. We also have people who, more than ever, are depending on safety-net programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which have a big fat target on their backs put on by the Republican budget plan that was just unveiled today.

A good start would be to pass the Senate transportation bill to rebuild our infrastructure and put our people back to work. And then, how about getting down to the business of ending the war in Afghanistan, which is killing our people, undermining our national security, and diverting the money that we need to meet human needs right here at home. I can't believe that the American people want us to debate a bill about 32 acres of land in Virginia--not when we still have thousands of troops in harm's way, fighting a war that is doing nothing to keep America safe and nothing to protect our vital interests.

We have important issues to debate, Mr. Chairman, big problems to tackle, Americans who need our help, and an overseas conflict that must end. This is a moment of great urgency. Why isn't the majority acting like it?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to praise Stanley Kosta, a veteran of World War II who was recently honored by the Republic of France with its highest military decoration, the French Legion of Honor. He was named ``Chevalier'', or Knight, in the National Order of the Legion of Honor and presented with the medal at the French Consulate in San Francisco on January 23, 2012.

The Republic of France is awarding this prestigious honor to United States veterans who helped in the liberation of France in WWII during one of four major campaigns: Normandy, Southern France, Northern France, and the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge).

Born on May 5, 1917 in San Francisco, California, Mr. Kosta was 26 years old when he was drafted into the United States Army in July 1943. Serving in the 9th Infantry Division, 47th Infantry Regiment, he landed in Normandy in July 1944 about a month after D-Day. For the next nine months he advanced through France, Belgium, and Germany serving as a radio operator on and near the front lines.

He fought courageously in the battle of Saint-Lo and to strategic victory in another key-town in Normandy, Falaise. From there his division crossed the Marne River, just east of Paris for the Ardennes Counteroffensive, also known as the Battle of the Bulge, which was one of the largest and bloodiest of WWII. On January 30, 1944, his unit crossed the Rhine River to enter Germany. Shortly thereafter, he became ill during combat and was sent to a hospital in England.

After the war, Mr. Kosta settled in the West End neighborhood of San Rafael, California. After 35 years of marriage his first wife passed away. Eventually, he found happiness again and remarried. He has two amazing sons, one a former police captain from San Rafael, and the other an artist in Denmark.

Few people discover a lifelong passion at an early age and find time to enjoy it daily, but Stanley was introduced to the accordion by the age of 9 and to this day he plays regularly. Unable to read sheet music, he can still play over 300 songs.

From a young age, he always knew he wanted a job doing physical labor. He was not one cut out for an office. Growing up during the Great Depression, he dropped out of high school during the 11th grade to find a job. He took several odds jobs including selling papers, passing out theater fliers, and constructing mannequins. After the war, he worked for several breweries in San Francisco, California, including Acme, Burgermeister, and Rainier.

In 2004, sixty years after the liberation of France, the Republic of France started recognizing the service of United States Veterans of WWII for their part in the liberation. Mr. Kosta is joined by several other WWII veterans from Marin and Sonoma Counties who have received the French Legion of Honor and they are: Mr. Reginald Alexander of Kenwood, CA (deceased); Mr. Marion Grohoski of Santa Rosa, CA; Mr. Earl Shanken of San Rafael, CA; Mr. John Thomson of Santa Rosa (recently deceased); and Mr. Gerard Cormier of Corte Madera. Many veterans have applications pending, but even more did not live to see this day.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great respect and awe that I extend my gratitude to Mr. Kosta and his comrades for their service to the United States of America during WWII.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dorothy Bertucci, a leading citizen of Petaluma, CA, who passed away February 23, 2012. She died peacefully at home at the age of 93 after a lifetime in her hometown where she was best known for her promotion of libraries and her kind spirit.

Dorothy was born in Petaluma, at home. Her parents, the prominent Mattei family, owned a men's clothing store downtown, not far from the house. She attended St. Vincent de Paul High school and graduated from UC Berkeley (Cal) in 1941. With a degree in library science and history, she then worked in the libraries at both Cal and UCLA.

Later at Cal, she also met her husband Andy Bertucci. In 1949, the two went to a Cal game on a blind date, married in 1950, and enjoyed a 49-year marriage. Andy worked in the family clothing store, and the couple raised their four children in Petaluma. After Andy's retirement in 1977, the two traveled together frequently and enjoyed many games of golf till Andy's death in 1999.

Dorothy was active in the City, including its political campaigns, but libraries were her true mission. She knew libraries represented the heart of the community, a place where everyone had access to information and a gateway into the magic of reading. She was a librarian and a member of the Library Board of Trustees in Petaluma as well as serving on the Sonoma County Library Commission and the California Association of Library Trustees and Commissioners (including a stint as President).

Straightforward, dedicated, and optimistic, she was the ideal person to help in the campaign for a bond measure for a new library in Petaluma. It passed in 1976 on the fourth try, with Dorothy championing the effort all the way. In 1974, she was honored as Petaluma's Citizen of the Year for her involvement.

Dorothy is survived by her four children John, Paul, Tom, and Ann and their partners as well as three grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, citizens like Dorothy Bertucci remind us what caring people can accomplish for their communities. Please join me in honoring her life and accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Maxine Kortum Durney, who passed away on January 24, 2012, at her home in Petaluma, California. Durney was a lifelong naturalist, a leader in the Sonoma County conservation movement, and a tireless advocate for the unique natural environment that makes our region such a special place to live.

Durney was born in Santa Cruz in 1921 and raised in Petaluma, a community to which she returned regularly even after her family and career took her elsewhere across Northern California. After studying at Santa Rosa Junior College and UC Berkeley, Durney became a librarian at Petaluma Public Library. She later worked in libraries in Red Bluff, Fremont, and Santa Rosa, where she developed her passion for local history, and public service, and the preservation of our natural heritage.

In 1972, Durney was recruited by her brother, Dr. Bill Kortum, into an active role in the campaign for California's Proposition 20. The successful Proposition led to the establishment of the California Coastal Commission and a landmark change in our approach to conservation and development in threatened public spaces. Durney's work was vital in the hard-fought victory, and in ushering in a new era for environmentalism in California.

Durney brought the same attention to her work locally, where she was instrumental in cleaning up creeks and watersheds, and in engaging the public to better appreciate and care for our shared resources. In her role on the board of the Southern Sonoma County Resource Conservation District, Durney also demonstrated a collaborative approach to environmental stewardship. She understood that everyone has a stake in sustainable water and land management, and she made a particular effort to share that message with Sonoma County youth.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me in recognizing a woman who has made immense contributions to our environment. Maxine Kortum Durney's legacy lives on in the revitalized watersheds and wild California coastline that will be treasured by generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, on March 7, 2012, I was unavoidably detained and was unable to record my vote for rollcall #103 106. Had I been present I would have voted:

Rollcall #103: Yes--Himes of Connecticut Amendment No. 3

Rollcall #104: Yes--Ellison of Minnesota Amendment No. 5

Rollcall #105: Yes--Waters of California Amendment No. 6

Rollcall #106: Yes--Connolly of Virginia Amendment No. 9

Mr. Speaker, today marks exactly 125 months to the day that we've been at war with Afghanistan. That's 125 months that we have been sending brave young men and women to be maimed and killed in a conflict that is not advancing our values but actually degrading them.

I've never believed more fervently that this war is a national security disaster, as well as a national tragedy and a moral catastrophe.

What we need, Mr. Speaker, is a greater commitment to peace and security. What we need is a more generous humanitarian spirit. What we need is diplomacy and international dialogue, cooperation, and conflict resolution. What we need is to cherish human life and human dignity here in the United States and on every corner of the globe.

Yesterday, we lost one of this body's fierce champions for these values, our colleague, Donald Payne. He was a peacemaker, a man of conscience, an ambassador of decency and compassion. He would not tolerate genocide and despair. He didn't turn a blind eye to human suffering, and he didn't care if it was happening in Newark or Nigeria. He went to some of the most dangerous places on Earth to make lives

and conditions better. He was a voice for the otherwise voiceless. He used his power to advocate for people who were otherwise powerless.

In the mid-nineties, I observed Representative Payne at a hearing with the Bush State Department. He was arguing, he was pleading with the State Department to designate the Darfur genocide. He actually had tears in his eyes and tears in his voice, and this is a man known for being very mild mannered.

His compelling arguments and his compassion and passion actually made it possible to convince the world to condemn the Sudan/Darfur government's role in planning and executing the militia's campaign to kill. His leadership had an indelible impact on African nations.

Congressman Payne shared my belief that the wars we've been fighting for the last decade are dreadful mistakes. He was one of those who stood with us in 2005, when the war in Iraq was still popular, to say no, this is wrong, we have to bring our troops home. But he also understood that it wasn't just about ending war, Mr. Speaker. It was about also leaving something else behind: hope, opportunity, democracy, and human rights.

He knew that the key to ending violence, terrorism, and instability was to build up human capital, to fight hunger and disease, to defend and advance women's rights, to build strong schools, and provide decent health care worldwide.

We've lost Donald Payne. But in his honor, let's not lose sight of the ideals he made his life's work. Let's not lose sight of the goals he fought for so tenaciously.

Because of Donald Payne's example, I will fight forever for peace and for stability worldwide, and believe me, the beginning of this effort will be to bring our troops home from Afghanistan.

Mr. Speaker, on March 5, 2012, I was unavoidably detained and was unable to record my vote for rollcall No. 95. Had I been present I would have voted:

Rollcall No. 95: ``Yes''--Roy Schallern Rood Post Office Building.

Madam Speaker, there was good news on the national security front last week. North Korea, one of the most dangerous rogue nations on the Earth, far more dangerous than Iraq was when we invaded 9 years ago, has agreed to suspend nuclear weapons activity. Through careful diplomacy, the Obama administration has secured this concession by offering badly needed nutritional assistance to North Koreans.

The North Korean regime has also consented to stop uranium enrichment, impose an important moratorium on long-range missile testing, and allow international weapons inspectors into the country for the first time in 3 years.

Of course, we must remain cautious, and we must remain vigilant in our dealings with North Korea. But it's clear that peaceful negotiations and diplomacy, as opposed to saber rattling that we've seen much too often in the recent past, is advancing our national security interests and moving us closer to a future of peace and security.

The President and Secretary Clinton deserve credit for this breakthrough. They have made nonproliferation and the securing of loose nuclear material top priorities. The New START Treaty represented a critical step in finally putting the Cold War behind us and increasing security cooperation between Russia and the United States.

It's my hope now that we will be bolder and more ambitious because it's time for the United States to exercise global leadership and true statesmanship, and move toward complete dismantling of our nuclear arsenal. That's exactly the long-term goal we committed to as a Nation when we signed the NPT 40 years ago.

To that end, Madam Speaker, I've introduced a resolution called NO NUKES, which stands for Nonproliferation Options for Nuclear Understanding to Keep Everyone Safe. NO NUKES. NO NUKES moves us aggressively in that direction.

It makes no sense at all that we have thousands of nuclear warheads when just one of them has the power to end life on Earth as we know it.

And if that's not good enough, eliminating nuclear weapons isn't just a matter of human rights and moral urgency, it's also a big budget item at a time when we must be exercising fiscal restraint.

We currently spend over $50 billion a year on maintenance of our existing nuclear arsenal. How about we invest that money on programs that save lives instead of weapons designed to destroy life? For nearly a decade now, we've defended our country and its interests by sending thousands of troops to die in a foreign war that isn't making America safer but is costing Americans billions of dollars every month.

Madam Speaker, there has to be a different way. My SMART Security Platform advances the idea that we make the world safer, not through acts of war and arms escalation, but through cooperation and conflict resolution.

For nearly my entire life, the world has lived under a shadow of nuclear confrontation. My oldest child turned 50 over the weekend. He was an infant in my arms during the terrifying days of the Cuban Missile Crisis. We can't make another generation go through that.

Actually, my 7-year-old grandson, Jake Eddie, is joining me in Washington this week, and I believe it is our responsibility to make a promise to him and to his classmates and his peers. Our legacy to them must be a world free of nuclear weapons. Our legacy to them must be a peaceful future. And one step in the right direction, in the memory of Donald Payne, is to bring our troops home from Afghanistan.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a man I loved, a man I respected, a friend for life, and a mentor.

When I came to Congress, I couldn't have picked a better mentor: a public school teacher from New Jersey, someone kind and smart, dedicated, actually burning in his belly about issues of value and conscience.

I served on Congressman Payne's Africa Subcommittee. He served on my Workforce Protection Subcommittee. On both panels, I benefited from his wisdom, advice, and his expertise. On the Africa Subcommittee, I was always amazed at how much and who he knew.

This is a man who knew what public service was all about. He was, as he described himself, a mild-mannered man; but he was also tenacious, dedicated, and stubborn.

No one has worked harder to bring peace, democracy, and human rights to Africa. He almost gave his life for the cause a few years ago when his plane was shot by rebels as he prepared to come home after a Somalia mission that actually the State Department had warned him against.

As change continues and as change continues to come--particularly to Africa in the coming years--we'll all remember the role that Donald Payne played in laying the groundwork in helping make that change happen.

A true statesman and a humanitarian, Donald's death this morning already leaves an indescribable void. Donald Payne had a huge heart and a keen mind. And believe me, I will miss them both.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of a man who truly embodied the American Dream, who came here with nothing and built something, whose ethic of sacrifice and responsibility represents a life to be emulated.

Raul Solis of La Puente, California died last Wednesday at the age of 88. He was born on February 27, 1924 in Tucson, Arizona, but he spent most of his youth in Veracruz, Mexico. He returned to the United States as a teenager, as a part of the Bracero program to address labor shortages caused by World War II.

Mr. Solis worked in both the fields and the factory--as a farmworker, on the railroads, in a battery recycling plant and eventually as a Teamster shop steward. He was a proud union man. He eventually settled in southern California, where he met Juana in an American citizenship class. She survives him after 58 years of marriage. Together, they had seven children--Irma, Raul Jr., Hilda (our former House colleague and current U.S. Secretary of Labor), Victor, Beatriz, Anna and Leticia. Their family would grow to include 10 grandchildren and 15 great- grandchildren.

The Solises lived modestly but happily. Their riches came in the form of love, family and faith; humility, self-respect and hard work. Raul Solis cared about politics, the law and social justice. He was a Teamsters shop steward at a battery recycling plant. Secretary Solis tells of her father coming home from work and pulling scraps of paper with Spanish writing out of his pocket. He wanted her to translate these notes from his co-workers, outlining concerns about safety conditions at the plant. And now his firsthand experience informs the wisdom and the decision-making of his daughter, as she meets her mandate to improve the lives of workers around the country.

Mr. Solis was also an outdoorsman who passed along to his children important lessons about the beauty of the natural world and the imperative of environmental justice. Secretary Solis' career and priorities in public service have been driven by the experience of living around polluted landfills while nearby affluent communities experienced little environmental degradation.

It was my pleasure to meet this extraordinary man and to see the quiet strength of his character. Raul Solis, laid to rest today,

leaves behind an impressive legacy of honesty and dignity. Please join me in extending my condolences to his entire family.

Mr. Speaker, on February 29, 2012, I was unavoidably detained and was unable to record my vote for rollcall Nos. 80 82. Had I been present, I would have voted: rollcall No. 80: ``no''--Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1837) to address certain water- related concerns on the San Joaquin River, and for other purposes; rollcall No. 81: ``no''--Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1837) to address certain water-related concerns on the San Joaquin River, and for other purposes; rollcall No. 82: ``yes''--On Approving the Journal.