Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 1, the Implementation of the 9/11 Commissions Act of 2007, which would enact the recommendations of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.

This legislation provides funding that is critical to protect our Nation and improve our preparedness capabilities. It will give us the necessary tools to secure our country by increasing rail and transit safety, improving communication for first responders, and implementing programs to prevent terrorist organizations from acquiring weapons of mass destruction.

This bill is especially critical to New York, which is still recovering from the terrorist attacks on 9/11, because it will award homeland security grants based on risk assessment. Enactment of this proposal will further protect our country by requiring scanning of all cargo containers originating from foreign ports, increasing funding for baggage and checkpoint screening, and requiring scanning of all cargo on passenger flights.

H.R. 1 will help to address the many challenges that the United States faces in the wake of 9/11, and I am proud to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I believe the majority leader's recounting of what happened last night is correct; and I wish to express my apology to all of the Members of the House for calling the vote prematurely. I called the vote at 214-214. Subsequently, Members of both parties changed their votes.

The majority leader is correct. Very soon after that the board showed a different vote, which was, I believe, in favor of the motion to recommit. And then when all of the Members had been counted, it was 212 in favor and 216 opposed. All of those numbers in those various iterations add up to 428. So all Members had voted, but Members of both parties had changed their votes.

I just want to express regret to all the Members of the House, and especially the minority, for any role that I had in causing that confusion by calling the vote prematurely. The Members who have been around for a long time, and staff, know that I have presided over the House many, many times since 1989, when Jim Wright first put me in the Chair. And all during that time, I have always strived to be scrupulously fair, to the extent where a number of Members of my party in the old days used to criticize me for calling voice votes in favor of the minority when the minority had more Members in the room than the majority did. And Members of the minority party mentioned that to me many times through the years, as did Members of the minority staff.

And so I just want to reiterate that I regret any role that I played in causing the confusion.

I just want to pledge to all of the Members of the House that I will continue to go out of my way to be fair when I am given the privilege of serving as Speaker pro tempore to all Members of the House and to both parties.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of both the rule and the conference report.

Thank you, Chairman Obey.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to enter into a colloquy with the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittee, Mr. Obey.

Mr. Chairman, today my goal is to draw attention to the backlog of applications for disability benefits at the Social Security Administration. Today, more than 1.3 million Americans are awaiting a decision on their disability cases. SSA is staffed with dedicated, hard-working employees, but due to staffing shortages at the agency, some applicants for disability benefits must wait as long as 3 or 4 years before receiving a decision on their case. Many of these individuals are severely ill or injured, cannot work or have little or no income or access to health care.

American workers pay into the Social Security system with the promise that if they become severely disabled, Social Security will be there for them. Today we are falling far short on that promise. This situation is a direct result of the understaffing of the Social Security Administration in recent years. Other important programs under the Labor, Health and Human Services bill have also been underfunded.

Given these competing needs, I greatly appreciate the chairman's efforts and the committee's effort to include additional funding for SSA in this year's bill. Nonetheless, I believe we should strive to do better in conference.

Mr. Chairman, I just want to say to Chairman Obey that, Dave, I approached you on this earlier in the year. Your response was immediate and positive. You have provided the additional funding. We hope to get more in conference. But what you have done is going to accrue to the benefit of thousands and thousands of Americans who have been waiting a long, long time for these decisions. On their behalf, I thank you.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the ``Social Security Number Privacy and Identity Theft Protection Act of 2007.'' As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security, I am proud to introduce this bipartisan bill along with my chief cosponsor, the Ranking Member of the subcommittee, Sam Johnson. We are also joined by Members of the Committee on Ways and Means, which has jurisdiction over the Social Security number (SSN). This bill is modeled after legislation sponsored in prior Congresses by our friends and former colleagues Congressman Clay Shaw, and the late Congressman Bob Matsui, who were our predecessors on the subcommittee.

The bill is the subcommittee's response to the growing problem of identity theft. Our subcommittee has held 16 hearings on identity theft and the misuse of Social Security numbers since 2000. Numerous experts have testified that identity theft is greatly facilitated by the easy availability of SSNs in public and private sector records and because of the rampant use of the number as an individual identifier. Once obtained, criminals use the SSN to impersonate their victims or unlock access to their good credit histories to open new accounts.

Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the United States. Research by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2003 found that almost 5 percent of the adult population of the U.S.--some ten million people--were victims of some kind of identity theft in just a single 12-month period. A more recent private sector survey estimated the number of victims at 15 million in the 12 months prior to August 2006.

Identity theft ruins individuals' good names and destroys their credit ratings. Identity thieves have stolen the homes of elderly retirees, and have caused innocent persons to be arrested when crimes are committed under a falsified identity. It has even ruined the future credit ratings of young children.

The FTC reports that individuals spend $5 billion a year attempting to recover their good names and credit histories. Annual surveys find that businesses lose more than $50 billion

per year to identity theft-related fraud. Victims often spend years recovering from the damage done by such thieves.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) and its Inspector General have worked diligently to increase the integrity and security of the Social Security number, and the procedures used in issuing numbers and cards. But despite its value as a key facilitator of identity theft crimes, SSA has essentially no control over how the Social Security number is used by other governmental agencies or the private sector. The SSN was originally created for SSA's use in the administration of the Social Security programs. Its use has grown, piecemeal, by the federal government as a result of regulation or legislation, wherever a unique identifier was needed for official government purposes. However, no law of general applicability explicitly allows or specifically requires the private sector to collect, sell, or use the SSN to the extent that it is done so today. Although the Social Security Act requires government entities to protect the confidentiality of the SSN, no law exists that generally protects the privacy of the SSN in the private sector.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) and other law enforcement experts have testified before the subcommittee that the current patchwork of laws that regulate how businesses and government agencies use and disclose personally identifiable information in their records leaves large gaps in protection for the SSN. While financial services and consumer reporting agencies are subject to some regulation controlling how and when they may disclose SSNs to third parties, there are limitations in these protections. Moreover, other industries remain completely free to buy and sell personal information about individuals with whom they have no business relationship. Sophisticated identity thieves have taken advantage of the gaps in protection and have been able to pose as users of personal information for purportedly legitimate purposes, gaining access to hundreds of thousands of SSNs sold by information brokers. Stalkers are also able to capitalize on the lack of protection for Social Security numbers and use them to locate and track their targets.

For these reasons, the legislation we introduce today will restrict the ability of government agencies, private businesses and others to sell, purchase or publicly display Social Security numbers. In recognition that a general prohibition may disrupt legitimate government uses and business practices that rely on the SSN, certain exceptions are made for law enforcement purposes, national security, public health, where the health or safety of an individual is at risk in an emergency situation, to ensure the accuracy of credit and insurance underwriting information and certain other Fair Credit Reporting Act purposes, for tax compliance purposes, if incidental to the sale or merger of a business, to administer employee or government benefits, for limited research purposes, with the individual's affirmative and written consent, and to the extent authorized by the Social Security Act. Further exceptions may be made for other purposes by regulation. Among other new requirements, the bill also restricts the display of SSNs on the Internet, on government documents and identification cards and tags. The bill's provisions will be enforceable by civil and criminal penalties imposed by federal agencies or state attorneys general; and by a limited ability of citizens to stop a federal agency's lack of compliance and recover actual damages through federal court action.

Madam Speaker, it is my expectation that this legislation will give us more control over how the SSN is used, in order to better protect the SSN from identity thieves and other criminals. I am proud to sponsor this bill and to join my colleagues as we move this legislation forward.

A summary of the bill follows.

Provisions Related to Social Security Numbers (SSNs) in the Public and

Private Sectors

Federal, State, and local governments would be prohibited

from:

Selling SSNs (limited exceptions would be allowed, such as

to facilitate law enforcement and national security, to

ensure the accuracy of credit and insurance underwriting

information and certain other Fair Credit Reporting Act

purposes, for tax purposes, for research purposes, and to the

extent authorized by the Social Security Act). Further

exceptions may be made for other purposes by regulation.

Displaying SSNs to the general public, including on the

Internet.

Displaying SSNs on checks issued for payment and

accompanying documents.

Displaying SSNs on identification cards and tags issued to

employees or their families; patients and students at public

institutions; and Medicare cards.

Employing prisoners in jobs that provide them with access

to SSNs.

Requiring the transmission of SSNs over the Internet

without encryption or other security measures.

The private sector would be prohibited from:

Selling or purchasing SSNs (limited exceptions would be

made for law enforcement (including child support

enforcement); national security; public health; health or

safety emergency situations; tax purposes; to ensure the

accuracy of credit and insurance underwriting information and

certain other Fair Credit Reporting Act purposes; if

incidental to the sale, lease or merger of a business; to

administer employee or government benefits; for some

research; or with the individual's affirmative, written

consent). Further exceptions may be made for other purposes

by regulation.

Displaying SSNs to the general public, including on the

Internet.

Displaying SSNs on checks.

Requiring the transmission of SSNs over the Internet

without encryption or other security measures.

Making unnecessary disclosures of another individual's SSN

to government agencies.

Displaying the SSN on cards or tags issued to employees,

their family members, or other individuals.

Displaying the SSN on cards or tags issued to access goods,

services, or benefits.

Public and private sectors would be required to safeguard

SSNs they have in their possession from unauthorized access

by employees or others.

Sale, purchase, or display of SSNs in the public or private

sector would be permitted by regulation in other

circumstances, when appropriate. In making this

determination, regulators would consider whether the

authorization would serve a compelling public interest and

would consider the costs and burdens to the public,

government, and businesses. If sale, purchase, or display

were to be authorized, the regulation would provide for

restrictions to prevent identity theft, fraud, deception,

crime, and risk of bodily, emotional, or financial harm.

A person would be prohibited from obtaining another

person's SSN to locate or identify the individual with the

intent to harass, harm, physically injure or use the

individual's identity for an illegal purpose.

Would specify that, wherever a truncated SSN is used, it

must be limited to the last 4 digits of the number. (This

truncation standard does not change the permissible uses of

the SSN.)

State law governing use of SSNs would not be preempted

where state law is stronger.

The National Research Council would be required to conduct

a study to evaluate the feasibility of banning the use of the

SSN as an authenticator.

Enforcement

New criminal penalties (up to 5 years imprisonment and fine

up to $250,000) and civil penalties (up to $5,000 per

incident) would be created for violations of the law relating

to the display, sale, purchase, or misuse of the SSN,

offering to acquire an additional SSN for a fee, and for

selling or transferring one's own SSN.

Prison sentences would be enhanced for SSN misuse

associated with repeat offenders (up to 10 years), drug

trafficking or crimes of violence (up to 20 years), or

terrorism (up to 25 years).

New criminal penalties (as much as 20 years in prison and

fine up to $250,000) and civil penalties (up to $5,000 per

incident) would be created for Social Security Administration

employees who fraudulently sell or transfer SSNs or Social

Security cards.

The bill permits enforcement by the Social Security

Administration (which would have civil monetary penalty

authority); the Department of Justice (which enforces

criminal violations of federal law); and state attorneys

general (who would be granted civil enforcement authority

over private-sector users and state and local government). In

addition, individual victims affected by violations of this

bill by federal agencies would be provided with limited legal

recourse to stop an agency's violation and recover any actual

damages they may have suffered.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to salute and pay tribute to the memory of Marine Sergeant Shawn Martin, who gave his life in service to his country in Iraq. He died on June 20. His funeral will be on Thursday morning.

Sergeant Martin's death is a reminder to all of us that, regardless of how we feel about this particular war, that young men and women across our country put on the uniform of the United States military and are willing to go anywhere in the world at the direction of our government to protect American interests.

It reminds me not to let even a single day go by without remembering with deepest gratitude all of those who, like my own brother, Bill, made the supreme sacrifice, all those like Shawn who made the supreme sacrifice, and all of those who serve in the military with great honor and then come back home, render outstanding service in the community and raise beautiful families to carry on their fine traditions. These are the things that I'm most grateful for today as a citizen of the United States of America.

So today I extend my deepest sympathies to Shawn's wife, to his parents, to all the members of his family for his tremendous service to our country for making the supreme sacrifice, and we shall never forget this true American hero.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the important and essential role that oncology nurses play in providing quality cancer care and to recognize May as Oncology Nursing Month.

Oncology nurses are the health professionals involved in the administration and monitoring of chemotherapy and managing the associated side-effects patients may experience. Every day oncology nurses see the pain and suffering caused by cancer and understand the physical, emotional and financial challenges that people with cancer face throughout their diagnosis and treatment.

Since 1975, the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) has been dedicated to excellence in patient care, teaching, research, administration and education in the field of oncology. The Society's mission is to promote excellence in oncology nursing and quality cancer care. I am pleased that ONS has 13 chapters throughout New York State which support oncology nurses in their efforts to provide high quality cancer care to patients and their families.

I urge my colleagues to support ONS in its important endeavors and to recognize the oncology nurses in their communities for all they do for people with cancer.

Madam Speaker, the 27th Annual Maimonides Scholarship Shining Examples Tribute Dinner will be held this evening in Albany, New York. The Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District in Albany, New York has been providing quality Jewish and General Education in the Capital Region, Albany, NY since 1980. It is a beneficiary of the United Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York and has partnered with numerous area organizations and institutions over the years. Its motto is ``A Beautiful Blend--Torah and Worldly Experience'' following its namesake, Moses

Maimonides (the Rambam), the great scholar, codifier, physician and philosopher.

The Maimonides School will present Abraham ``Avi'' Losice the Dr. Morton Berger Memorial Award. The Berger Award is presented annually to an outstanding individual who combines Torah with worldly excellence.

In addition, the Maimonides School will present Zahir awards to the following persons: Dr. Joe Adler, Lori Calka, Phil Chandler, Salia Galitz, Judy Kaskel, Rivka Kochman, Dr. Michael Lozman, Thomas Nathan, Raizel Neiman, Barbara Scher, Tanya Schwartz, Rita Shachne, Chana Sidi, Jack Sissman, and Rachel Weitz.

Madam Speaker, last Thursday, April 26, on roll call No. 269, I missed the vote. Had I been present and voting, I would have voted in the affirmative.

Mr. Speaker, I join today with many of my colleagues in remembering the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Today, April 24th, is the 92nd anniversary of this human tragedy.

From 1915 to 1923, the world witnessed the first genocide of the 20th century. This was clearly one of the world's greatest tragedies--the deliberate and systematic Ottoman annihilation of 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children.

Furthermore, another 500,000 refugees fled and escaped to various points around the world--effectively eliminating the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire.

From these ashes arose hope and promise in 1991--and I was blessed to see it. I was one of the four international observers from the United States Congress to monitor Armenia's independence referendum. I went to the communities in the northern part of Armenia, and I watched in awe as 95 percent of the people over the age of 18 went out and voted.

The Armenian people had been denied freedom for so many years and, clearly, they were very excited about this new opportunity. Almost no one stayed home. They were all out in the streets going to the polling places. I watched in amazement as people stood in line for hours to get into these small polling places and vote.

Then, after they voted, the other interesting thing was that they did not go home. They had brought covered dishes with them, and all of these polling places had little banquets afterward to celebrate what had just happened.

What a great thrill it was to join them the next day in the streets of Yerevan when they were celebrating their great victory. Ninety-eight percent of the people who voted cast their ballots in favor of independence. It was a wonderful experience to be there with them when they danced and sang and shouted, `Ketse azat ankakh Hayastan'--long live free and independent Armenia! That should be the cry of freedom- loving people everywhere.

Madam Speaker, this morning I had the honor of introducing our guest chaplain for today, my very dear friend and teacher, Dr. Rabbi Paul Silton of Temple Israel in Albany, New York.

In order for House Members to have a greater understanding of Rabbi Silton's extraordinary accomplishments, I submit a more detailed description of his impressive background:

Dr. Rabbi Paul Silton, Rabbi of Temple Israel, the largest conservative synagogue in northeast New York, received his B.A. in Philosophy from Boston University, an M.A. in Hebrew Literature and Rabbinical Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1970, and a Doctor of Divinity in 1996. At his graduation from the Jewish Theological Seminary, he was awarded the top prize in Pastoral Counseling. While at the Seminary, he studied at the Meir Yeshiva in Brooklyn and taught at religious schools in Fort Lee, New Jersey; Hartford, Connecticut; and Rumson, New Jersey. He also served as Gabbai of the Seminary Synagogue under the

supervision of Dr. Rabbi Saul Lieberman and Dr. Rabbi Louis Finkelstein. Prior to his move to Albany, New York, Rabbi Silton spent 6 years as a teacher and Education Director at Camps Ramah in Glen Spey, New York and in Palmer, Massachusetts. Rabbi Silton arrived in Albany after serving as Rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in North Adams, Massachusetts. While in North Adams, Rabbi Silton taught at Williams College and served as prison chaplain.

Already in 1974, the pattern of Rabbi Silton's Rabbinate began to diverge from that of his colleagues. Here at Temple Israel, he began his career as Educational Director for students N-12, including the Communal High School, Camp Givah Director and assistant to Rabbi Kieval. In each of those areas, he actively fostered growth and change. Gradually the nursery school expanded into a full Early Childhood Center, servicing day care needs of pre-kindergarten youngsters and their parents. It now includes Baby and Me, Mommy (or Daddy) and Me toddler programs, and morning and afternoon nursery. The Religious School extended to 7 hours a week and featured a school-wide Israeli Dance Program, which eventually grew to present dance performances in Albany, Boston, and New York City. On Shabbatot and High Holidays, preprimary and primary children in addition to ``Juniors'' could now attend services especially designed for them. As they grew older, students could tour and study in Israel with double the amount of scholarship aid from generous member endowments and community sources. Adults could now attend class 5 days a week and occasionally participate in Hebrew Reading Marathons; Professor Stephen Berk's lecture series became a most successful Adult Education program.

At Camp Givah, Rabbi Silton founded the Kibbutz Program, inspired the building of Yam Sarah (Givah's lake), the arts and crafts center, and the early childhood shelter. He introduced and developed programs in boating, gymnastics, computers, horseback riding, and Red Cross Boating Certification. For younger children who literally could not wait until next summer's Givah excitement, he originated and organized Camp Horef Katan, a winter camp.

As Rabbi Silton's responsibilities increased, so his avid interest in many other areas continued to expand. He founded Holocaust Survivors and Friends in Pursuit of Justice and he hosted the first major 3-day national Holocaust conference for 1500 participants in April 1984 at Temple Israel. Since then he has organized a multitude of services for the community Kristalnacht and Holocaust Memorial commemorations, featuring international figures such as Beate Klarsfeld. He visited Germany several times in support of those testifying at war crimes trials, to officiate at an interfaith service in Passau, Germany, and at other events that united survivors and liberators.

Silton's most passionate efforts, however, have focused on Temple and community. In addition to attending to traditional Rabbinical duties at Temple Israel, he greatly expanded the Bar and Bat Mitzvah roles of boys and girls, initiated full reading of the scrolls by women on various holidays, a women's prayer group, Rosh Chodesh benching, P'Sukei D'Zimra, and regular Torah reading; he introduced Birkat Kohanim on an ongoing basis, a hashkamah (early) minyan and a learners' minyan. He also began a daily study program of Jewish text which takes place every morning. This study program has continued for the past 10 years. In addition, he strengthened the daily minyanim, instituted Yom Kippur dialogues with inspiring international figures, initiated holiday dinners and workshops, organized Hassidic Song Festivals, Cantorial concerts and innumerable Kallot featuring international performers and scholars. Through the efforts of Rabbi Silton, Temple Israel has received numerous awards from United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism including those for: Israel Affairs, Camp Givah, Performing Arts, Community Relations and Israel/Masorti Affairs as well as Education Awards for Programming, High School Education and the Framework for Excellence Synagogue School Program Award. He assisted in the founding of HADAR, the award-winning Judaic Art and Book Center at Temple Israel. Rabbi Silton has also been featured in four books including The Outraged Conscience by Rochelle G. Saidel, 1984; Against the Stream: Growing Up Where Hitler Used to Live by Anna Rosmus, 2002; Out of Passau: Leaving a City Hitler Called Home by Anna Rosmus, 2004; and in a soon to be published book about the Sabbath by Christopher Ringwald.

All of the above mentioned activities attracted the community to Temple Israel but Silton directly involved himself in countless community events as well. For nearly 20 years he directed the Communal High School and taught at the Bet Shraga Capital District Hebrew Academy. When Soviet Jewish immigration was at its height, he supervised the ritual circumcisions of nearly all Soviet immigrants' male children, arranged and officiated at the first Russian Jewish wedding and Bar Mitzvah of these newly settled immigrants in the Capital District. In addition to serving on a host of community boards and committees including the Police Review Board under Mayor Gerald Jennings, he initiated the first Jewish-Latino Seder, hosted the third annual Black-Jewish Seder, assisted the Aviva chapter of B'nai B'rith with the first Seder for the developmentally disabled, discussed Judaism with hundreds of church groups and taught basic Judaism classes and has lectured at area colleges including College of St. Rose, Maria College, Siena College, and SUNY Albany. He also worked with Mayor Jennings on the observance of Yom HaShoah to honor the late Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese ``Oskar Schindler''. In 1994, Silton built the first mikveh owned by Temple Israel to serve the congregation and the entire Capital district community. The building of the mikveh has been an inspiration to other conservative congregations throughout the country. An article about it will be coming out in the very near future of United Synagogue Review.

On an ongoing basis, Rabbi Silton teaches in the Temple Israel Educational Center: junior high, high school, and adult education departments. Following the Six Day War, Rabbi Silton spent a year of study in Israel with his wife, Faye. While studying at the Hebrew University and the Rav Kook Yeshiva in Jerusalem, he learned to become a Mohel. Ordained in 1968 by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, he has officiated at thousands of B'ritol Milah from Syracuse to the Catskills to Western Massachusetts. Rabbi Silton and his wife, Faye, are the parents of Elana (Dr. Ari) Moskowitz, Michal (David, Esq.) Kahan, Dr. Akiva (Dr. Sharon) Silton, Tamar, Esq. (Jeremy) Epstein, Aviva (Ami) Robinson, Nava Silton and Shira Silton. They currently have 15 grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to welcome my very dear friend, Dr. Rabbi Paul Silton, and to thank him for offering the opening prayer this morning for the United States House of Representatives.

Rabbi Silton has served the community of New York's Capital Region for over 30 years as Rabbi of Temple Israel, the largest conservative synagogue in northeastern New York. He began his career at Temple Israel as the education director where he was responsible for fostering growth at every education level, including the addition of an adult education program.

Rabbi Silton has made enormous contributions not just to Temple Israel, but to the entire community. He founded the Holocaust Survivors and Friends in Pursuit of Justice. He also hosted a 3-day National Holocaust Conference for 1,500 participants at Temple Israel.

He has also organized a multitude of services for the community Kristallnacht and the Holocaust Memorial commemorations.

Through the efforts of Dr. Rabbi Paul Silton, Temple Israel has received numerous awards from the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, in addition to education awards for programming, high school education, and the Framework for Excellent Synagogue School Program Award.

I am proud to welcome my very dear friend, Dr. Rabbi Paul Silton this morning, and to thank him on behalf of the entire United States House of Representatives.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

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

Mr. Speaker, in the spring of 1970, during my first term as Town Supervisor of Green Island, I testified against the War in Vietnam at a Congressional Field Hearing in Schenectady, New York.

Several months after that testimony, my brother, HM3 William F. McNulty, a Navy medic, was killed in Quang Nam Province.

I have thought--many times since then--that if President Nixon had listened to the voices of reason back then, my brother Bill might still be alive.

As a Member of Congress today, I believe that the Iraq War will eventually be recorded as one of the biggest blunders in the history of warfare.

In October 2002, I made a huge mistake in voting to give this President the authority to take military action in Iraq. I will not compound that error by voting to authorize this war's continuation.

On the contrary, I will do all that is within my power to end this war, to bring our troops home, and to spare other families the pain that the McNulty family has endured every day since August 9, 1970.

Madam Speaker, the American people join with the people of Greece in celebrating the 186th anniversary of the revolution that freed the Greek people from the Ottoman Empire.

The bedrock of our close relationship with Greece is our mutual devotion to freedom and democracy and our unshakable determination to fight, if need be, to protect these rights.

Greek philosophers and political leaders--Cleisthenes and Pericles and their successors--had great influence upon America's Founding Fathers in their creation of these United States.

We, as a Nation, owe a great debt to Greece. Greece is the birthplace of democracy, as we know it.

Thomas Jefferson said, ``To the ancient Greeks, we are all indebted for the light which led ourselves (American colonists) out of Gothic darkness.''

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were an attack on democracy and freedom--not just against our people, but also against all freedom-loving people everywhere in the world. The Greek people understand this.

I congratulate the people of Greece and wish them a Happy National Birthday.