Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained yesterday, September 15, 2006, however, my vote on the following rollcalls would have been as follows: roll No. 451, H. Con. Res. 210-- ``yea,'' roll No. 452, H. Res. 622--``yea,'' roll No. 453, H. Con. Res. 415--``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained yesterday, September 14, 2006; however, my vote on the following rollcall would have been as follows: rollcall No. 447, H.R. 2864, ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, as we stand here today, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and other representatives of the United States are attending the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Kuala Lampur.

As a Representative from a State with a large and vibrant Cambodian community, I have been very closely following issues on the ground in Cambodia.

For some time, I have been deeply concerned about Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's policy of undermining democratic principles and justice.

Having met with leaders like Sam Rainsy, Mu Sochua and Kem Sokha, I have heard their chilling reports of routine violations of the Cambodian constitution's guarantees of freedom of expression and association. I have been outraged by Hun Sen's arbitrary arrests and violations of fundamental human dignity and respect.

I urge the Secretary of State to use the ASEAN forum to rally the world community to remind the Hun Sen regime of its obligations to its people.

The government must immediately end its systematic campaign to undermine democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in Cambodia. The Secretary should remind the regime that the American people, the world community, and the donor community that has provided $2 billion in aid to Cambodia is watching.

Mr. Speaker, I return to the Floor today to call the attention of the House and the American people to what

may become the next tragedy in Africa: the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Since I was last here, I have heard renewed pleas from my constituents who remember the heartbreak and irreplaceable loss from the 1998-2000 war over the border that cost the lives of as many as 100,000 people.

To avoid a repeat of this tragedy, the President and the Secretary of State must rally the world community to achieve a peaceful resolution to this matter.

I cosponsored Chris Smith's legislation, H.R. 4423, the Ethiopia Consolidation Act, which would advance human rights in the Horn of Africa, and link U.S. foreign aid assistance to full compliance with the Algiers Agreement. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

As I said the last time I was here, we must see to it that the tragedy of last decade is not repeated.

Mr. Speaker, as my father approaches his 80th birthday, I would like to share with my colleagues how he has brightened the lives of so many with his conversational Irish wit, passion for life and genuine interest in other people.

Eugene Thomas Kennedy descended from immigrants who came from Ireland at the time of the potato famine. They settled for a period in Kentucky and Illinois before pioneering Minnesota in 1863. The Kennedy's originally settled in what today is called Savage, Minnesota, then called Hamilton Falls, later settling in Decorah Township near St. Clair, south of Mankato, before moving to Murdock at the turn of the century.

Eugene was born August 22, 1926 to Charles, a businessman and longtime mayor of Murdock, Minnesota and Rose, the daughter of a Swift County Commissioner Joe Cannon. Joe Cannon's name is inscribed on the 1890's Swift County Courthouse in Benson, Minnesota that issued the birth certificates for both my father and me. Eugene grew up and initially raised his own family in the home that his parents built right across the street from the Sacred Heart Church in Murdock, where I was baptized. His family sat every Sunday near his grandfather Francis Kennedy's stained glass window just across from the front pew at Sacred Heart. Eugene graduated from Murdock High School in 1944, took some courses at the University of Minnesota and a junior accounting course at Mankato Commercial College.

His father and grandfather taught Eugene to face adversities head on. His grandfather became blind when he was my age, but kept informed by having his son, Charles, read him the paper every day and later, even though blind and in his 70's, moved his family to Murdock, Minnesota for more land for his children. His father Charles took over the livery stable in Murdock. During the pneumonia epidemic of 1918 that killed more people than any war, as liveryman he courageously transported and assisted Murdock's doctor to aid the ill. When the automobile put his livery out of business, Charles did not seek a government handout, he started trucking livestock instead. Later in his life, Eugene tackled adversity head on himself.

As the youngest of four sons, Eugene was a self-proclaimed momma's boy. He learned to cook a few dishes growing up in the kitchen with Rose. The country wisdom he gained participating in many kitchen table conversations with the neighbors shaped his life. Rose was a woman of action. She went to see her Maker in action--weeding her garden, something she loved to do, but not before instilling in her descendents a belief that it is noble to tend not just your own garden, but also your corner of the world, so the community's flowers might also blossom. Eugene took up his hoe to cultivate a more bountiful harvest in the community he adopted to raise his family--Pequot Lakes.

On September 21st of last year, commemorating my mother's 75th birthday, I spoke of

my parents meeting and raising their children and will not repeat that today, but I will share with you the many things that my father taught his children and grandchildren.

Eugene built on his parent's commitment to service. He served on the Pequot Lakes Public School Board for 27 years, including the period when it built an entirely new K-12 campus. He helped lead the committee to build a new church building for St. Alice Catholic Church. He helped my mother found what became the largest 4-H Club in the county. As a member of the Chamber of Commerce's 4th of July Committee, he helped build Pequot's Independence Day celebration into one of Minnesota's best.

He instilled in us a love of work. In 1947, he began working at the First State Bank of Murdock, where he remembers emptying the spittoons and posting the daily numbers in pen and ink in a general ledger as big as the Guttenberg Bible perched on a high desk. Later he worked at banks in Golva and Hunter, North Dakota. Moving to Pequot Lakes in 1961, Eugene joined the independent insurance agency of Farmer's State Bank, later Lakeland State Bank. The six employees there shared one telephone and one typewriter. The employees, just like in an old western movie, were barricaded behind bulletproof glass and metal framing. The bank and agency grew rapidly in this resort community.

He taught us to give work your all. You got more than insurance when Eugene was your agent; you got conversation and advice. The president of a large Minnesota company fondly remembers getting car insurance as a kid from Eugene. Eugene patiently explained why the insurance on his old beater of a car cost more than the car itself. He really appreciated the way Eugene was genuinely interested in him and took the time to simplify the mysteries of insurance for a teenager.

He exhibited to his own children the need to meet adversity head on. Just before his retirement from the bank insurance agency in Pequot Lakes, the FDIC came in one Friday afternoon, shut the bank down, and reopened it on Monday as a different bank. Having lost his pension and with three of his seven kids still at home and two more still in college, he started anew. At age 65, he took his experience of inspecting properties for insurance purposes, became a Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser and started a business as a real estate appraiser, where he still works today with two employees.

He taught us to listen. They say that everyone can brighten up a room, some when they enter, some when they leave. My father brightens up a room when he enters, and then never leaves. Some leave without saying goodbye, my father says goodbye without leaving. We were always the last to leave church every Sunday.

My father taught us his trademark handshake that he learned from his co-worker at his first job. He passes on his technique to all his grandkids--reach out your hand, lean forward, look them in the eye with a smile on your face and give a firm handshake. It is nearly impossible for a visitor to attend St. Alice Catholic Church in Pequot without meeting Eugene Kennedy. Whenever I met people in a three county area, the response often was, ``Oh, you're Gene's boy.''

He demonstrated to us a love of family and those whom others ignored. Eugene had two elderly first cousins, sisters who never married and lived together in St. Paul--Fran and Mugs Kenney. They both served in the military during World War II and both worked for West Publishing. My father made a special point of visiting them regularly and encouraged us to do so as well. With so many children in our family, major events sometimes were everyday occurrences. But, I will still never forget Debbie and I calling our parents to tell them that we were getting married. After talking with my mother, who was very excited, I ask my father if he had any comments. His only comment was, ``Have you seen Fran and Mugs recently?'' Clearly, taking time to spend with seniors and other often overlooked people was a key value he instilled.

He passed down a love our Irish heritage. Kennedys are generally descended from Brian Boru who defeated the Vikings in the Battle of Clontarf in 1041, becoming the first king to unite all Ireland. My father and I were both born in a rural Minnesota town made up almost entirely of those of Irish descent. Murdock's sports teams were called the Irish. It was a rare treat to be able to go in 1982 with him, my mother and my wife on the first trip to Ireland by a Kennedy since Francis Kennedy came to America from Ireland in 1848. Even though my children are less Irish than I, they and their generation still inherited Eugene's infectious love of the Irish.

He taught us to love America. Our family has two family days of obligation, when Kennedy's make every effort to return home--Christmas Eve and the 4th of July--the birthdays of our God and our Country. The 4th of July is a very personal holiday for our family. My father never made much money, but he was proud of his country, proud of his community, Pequot Lakes, in the heart of Minnesota's lakes country, and proud of his family. And the 4th of July, when tourists headed to Pequot area lakes, is a celebration of all three for our family. My father was in charge of the 4th of July celebration at Pequot Lakes for many years and we children were often roped in to help. A few years back, we all gathered to watch the parade and it was pouring rain, but the parade went on. I will never forget seeing my father sitting in his lawn chair after all the prep work was done, at our customary spot just down from the reviewing stand on the flatbed trailer, with his cowboy hat on that my mother had tried repeatedly to take from him, sopping wet, surrounded by his seven kids and 27 grandkids, watching the parade go by--the bands, the beauty queens, and then standing up and putting his hand over his heart as the veterans came marching down the street carrying the stars and stripes with the biggest smile I can ever remember seeing on him. My father's infectious spirit taught us to live the spirit of the 4th of July every day--family, community, a strong America and Freedom.

He imparted on us the importance of prayer. We regularly knelt down as a family to say the Rosary, often upstairs by our family's shrine to the Infant Jesus of Prague. When my Hereford cows Priscilla and Modesty got out and could not be found, I distinctly remember praying with him to St. Jude, the patron Saint of lost causes, and thankfully they were found. You can often find my father praying a Rosary by his bed early in the morning when you wake up, or if left alone for any period of time riding in a car. I fondly remember him coming into our bedroom when we were young and saying nightly prayers with my three brothers and me who shared a bedroom.

Eugene Kennedy has been recognized for his community service on a number of occasions, including receiving the Big Heart Community Award in 1988, where people voted at the Northern National Bank on their choice to receive the award and being named Outstanding Senior Citizen for Crow Wing County. This year he also received a statewide appraiser's award and recognition by the Minnesota Independent Insurance Agents for a lifetime of achievement. Eugene continues to be active in the community, starting a 50+ Club at St. Alice and serving on the advisory board for the Minnesota Board on Aging.

Finally, on a lighthearted note, my father taught us to love dessert. Every dinner had to have dessert, even if that meant sharing a can of pears. On the occasion of his 80th birthday, I would like to recognize that my father's life has indeed been dessert for so many people who upon meeting him get a break from having to eat their vegetables and relish in his rich sense of humor and focused attention on them. Happy Birthday, Dad!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the centennial anniversary of the city of Hugo, Minnesota, located in my district.

Originally settled on a small plot of land in the 1850s, the town of Hugo was formally established in 1906 around a railroad and a post office.

Although its beginnings were modest, by 1917, this small town, populated by residents who made their living cutting and hauling wood to the railroad, had its own hotel, store, and school, and had begun to build its reputation for quality agriculture.

One hundred years later, Hugo has remained true to its roots, and is still known for its commitment to its rich farmland.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join the residents of Hugo in celebrating its first one hundred years. It is solid communities like this which make Minnesota great.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act.

Before the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, thousands of citizens were denied their constitutional right to vote on the basis of race. While the system has vastly improved, the need for the Voting Rights Act remains.

A sacred right possessed by Americans is the right to choose their government. That is why it is so important to pass the bill today, to preserve the rights for all citizens. We have a moral obligation to ensure that no citizen is ever denied their right to vote based on race, creed, or color.

I am grateful for the strong leadership of Chairman Sensenbrenner, who has never wavered in his commitment to the Voting Rights Act over his entire career.

I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the City of St. Cloud, Minnesota, as it celebrates its sesquicentennial.

In 1856, three settlements along the Mississippi River formed the City of St. Cloud. Bolstered by the area's rich granite deposits, St. Cloud's local economy grew quickly, and it remains today the largest metropolitan area in central Minnesota.

Home of St. Cloud State University and nearby St. John's University and the College of Saint Benedict, as well as a multitude of parks, community organizations, and thriving businesses, St. Cloud has built a reputation as a positive place for families and a community that works together.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating this milestone for St. Cloud, a city that has brought 150 years of pride to the State of Minnesota.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Chairman, in the last 5 years, funding for the grants under the consolidated Byrne-JAG formula have been cut by almost two-thirds. At the same time, we have had two consecutive attempts by the administration to eliminate this program entirely. I don't know about my colleagues, but my police officers in my district don't understand this.

The minimum this program should be funded at is $900 million, which is what 162 Members of this House requested in a letter to the Budget Committee earlier this year and that was recommended by the Budget Committee in the report accompanying the fiscal year 2007 budget resolution.

I realize how tight this bill is and how much the chairman and the committee have worked to give as much as they can, and I realize tough choices have been made; but we must do better for our law enforcement officers, and our Members will have a chance to do that here today.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 50 seconds to my friend from Kansas (Mr. Moran).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 50 seconds to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hooley).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 40 seconds to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 50 seconds to the gentleman from Nebraska, Congressman Fortenberry.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 50 seconds to the gentleman from Utah, Congressman Matheson.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 50 seconds to the gentleman from the great State of Minnesota, Congressman Ramstad.

Mr. Chairman, who has the right to close?

In my last 10 seconds, I would just compliment and applaud the committee and the chairman for the great work that they have done in trying to offset the cut by the administration, but say with a two-thirds cuts in Byrne grants funding, this amendment is absolutely necessary. And I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Offered By: Mr. Kennedy of Minnesota

Amendment No. 29: Page 23, line 4, after the dollar amount,

insert the following: ``(increased by $532,148,000)''.

Page 23, line 9, after the dollar amount, insert the

following: ``(increased by $532,148,000)''.

Offered By: Mr. Kennedy of Minnesota

Amendment No. 30: Page 23, line 4, after the dollar amount,

insert the following: ``(increased by $50,000,000)''.

Page 23, line 9, after the dollar amount, insert the

following: ``(increased by $50,000,000)''.

Page 39, line 25, after the dollar amount, insert the

following: ``(reduced by $50,000,000)''.

Mr. Speaker, had bad weather not delayed my flight back to Washington on Monday, (June 19, 2006), my votes on the following rollcall votes would have been as follows:

Rollcall vote No. 289, H.R. 5540--``yes''.

Rollcall vote No. 290, H.R. 5504--``yes''.

Mr. Speaker, where is the outrage? We hear stories today of two of our soldiers having suffered unspeakable tortures and left in a nearly unrecognizable condition, yet where are the cries of outrage against this brutality?

Instead, we hear today of the EU leadership focused on closing Gitmo and Members of this body rushing to judgment on national TV before the facts are known about what our troops in the field have done.

Yes, we should hold our troops to the highest ethical standards, but we must be outraged by acts against our troops. Our troops deserve our full support, and we must recognize the intensity of evil that we face, the lengths they will go to harm America and undermine our values, and the need to make sure we win this war on terror to keep our families safe at home.

Mr. Speaker, I am here today to call attention to what may become the next tragedy in Africa, the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

My constituents in Minnesota remember the destruction and death from the 1998 to 2000 war over the border that cost the lives of 70,000 people. I urge the President and the Secretary of State to leave no stone unturned to bring a peaceful resolution to this matter.

Additionally, I urge my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring the Ethiopian Consolidation Act, which would advance human rights in the Horn of Africa and links U.S. foreign aid assistance to full compliance with the Algiers Agreement. We must see to it that the tragedy of the last decade is not repeated.

Mr. Speaker, for our families and country to truly be secure, we must prevail in the war on terror. Iraq is a central front in that war.

Mistakes have been made, but so have corrections. But the fundamental fact remains that John F. Kennedy's words have never been more true: ``If men and women are in chains anywhere in the world, then freedom is in endangered everywhere.''

Men and women in the chains of tyranny, without hope, provide the breeding grounds for terrorists that endanger America and the entire civilized world. Terrorism can only be defeated by bringing hope to harsh places.

America has always found that the best way to make our families secure is to confront tyranny and expand the frontiers of freedom. That is our mission in Iraq. And with a democratically elected government and Iraqi troops increasingly taking over for our troops, we are on a path to success.

Others offer a different path, a path that says get out now no matter what the commanders in the field say; get out now, whether or not milestones have been achieved; get out now, whether or not Iraq becomes a sanctuary for terrorists to regroup and attack America again; get out now no matter what signal that sends to Iran.

Let me be clear. Cutting and running is one path, but it is the wrong path. The only path for security for our families is victory in the war on terror.

The troops that I visited in Iraq in each of the last 3 years have told me that they should come home as soon as possible, after we have defeated the terrorist threat and set out a lasting peace.

I support this proposal and encourage all my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Resolution offered by the gentleman from Illinois, a man who has spent his life as a tireless advocate for freedom and respect for the fundamental dignity of all human life.

It cannot be overstated how important it is that we are here for today's debate. There is no more important issue facing this Congress or this country than winning the War on Terror.

Our mission in Iraq is a central front in that war.

At stake is not only the safety of our families and our country but also the resolve of this great Nation to stand up and oppose the forces of terror wherever they may appear.

Make no mistake about it: there is more at stake in our mission in Iraq than helping rebuild a country decimated by a despot for decades. We must defeat the terrorists overseas, so we don't have to fight them here at home.

Mistakes have been made, so have corrections, but the fundamental fact remains that John F. Kennedy's words have never been more true: ``If men and women are in chains anywhere in the world, then freedom is endangered everywhere.''

People in the chains of tyranny without hope are the breeding ground for terrorists that endanger America and the entire civilized world. Terrorism can only be defeated by bringing hope to harsh places.

We must also remember our own proud historical tradition: America has always found that the best way to provide for our security at home is to confront tyranny and expand the frontiers of freedom.

That is our mission in Iraq.

And with a democratically elected government and an Iraqi army and police force increasingly taking over for our troops, we are on a path to success, and a path to bringing our troops home.

Others offer a different path, a path that says, get out now, no matter what the commanders on the ground think; get out now whether or not milestones are achieved; get out now, whether or not Iraq becomes a sanctuary for terrorists to regroup and attack America again; get out now, no matter what signal it sends to Iran and other countries that would endanger our security.

Cutting and running is one path. But it is the wrong path.

The only path that makes our families secure is victory in the War on Terror.

Mr. Speaker, beyond the lessons of history, I look to what the soldiers on the ground are saying.

The soldiers I have spoken to on the ground in Iraq, at places like Camp Victory in Baghdad, many of them men and women from the Minnesota Army National Guard, want to come home as soon as possible.

However, they realize better than most that if they come home before they have defeated the terrorist threat, there will be no lasting peace--there will be no victory in the War on Terror. They know that if we don't finish the job in Iraq, we'll have to finish it someplace else.

Like them, I want to finish the job in Iraq, because if we don't finish it there, the horror of 9/11 should inform us that the war will be brought to us here at home.

Mr. Speaker, let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those who have sacrificed, as well as those who continue to stand in harm's way around the world fighting the War on Terror. Let us deserve the bravery and selflessness of our men and women in uniform.