Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, there can be no worse public act than a government that refuses to acknowledge the humanity of its citizens.

Throughout history, the United States has struggled to rise above the divisions among its people and, instead, fuse its people into a single, unified citizenry.

Whether it was the struggle over civil rights for persons of color, the fight for women's rights or, most recently, the battle for access by persons with disabilities, the United States has risen above our differences and embraced them as worthy of a society that sees itself as open, free, and inclusive.

The fight by persons with disabilities for nondiscrimination in matters of employment, transportation and building access, and accommodation, was landmark.

Through the enactment of the ADA, our country removed the cloak of secrecy wrapped around our disabled citizens and announced to the world that persons with disabilities were valued members of our society.

So, today, as we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, I rise to honor ever person, disabled or not, who worked so hard to see this law enacted. These persons and their effort are a testament to the spirit of fairness, the spirit of perseverance, and the spirit of hope that inspires us all.

There can be no worse public act than a government that refuses to acknowledge the humanity of its citizens.

Throughout its history, the United States has struggled to rise above the divisions among its people and instead fuse its people into a single, unified citizenry.

Whether it was the struggle over civil rights for persons of color, the fight for women's rights, or most recently, the battle for access by persons with disabilities, the United States has risen above our differences and embraced them as worthy of a society that sees itself as open, free, and inclusive.

The fight by persons with disabilities for non-discrimination in matters of employment, transportation and building access and accommodation was landmark.

Through the enactment of the ADA our country proclaimed that 43 million Americans were real people, deserving of amenities everyone else took for granted.

Through the enactment of the ADA our country removed the cloak of secrecy wrapped around our disabled citizens and announced to the world that persons with disabilities were valued members of our society.

The successes of ADA continue to astonish us, even 15 years later: the disabled child who now can play Little League ball; disabled veterans who can now use special equipment to play golf at military golf courses; disabled patrons who can now go to movie theaters, restaurants, and museums who before found the trip daunting, or were blocked entirely. Now we have buses that kneel for our disabled riders, earphones for opera lovers who just don't hear well enough, and talking elevators that tell blind passengers their floor stop.

All of this may have been mandated by the ADA but just as consequential is that it was American ingenuity that developed it. We figured it out. We set a goal to integrate persons with disabilities into mainstream America, and by gosh, we did.

Unfortunately, even with the ADA in place, the road to full accommodation has been pitted with potholes and rough spots. As it was with civil rights, or women's rights, the full recognition of disability rights falls short in many regards. As a Nation we need to recommit ourselves to these lofty laws; it is the right thing to do. There are still too many instances of persons with disabilities being excluded from public venue because they are different. That is just wrong and it is un-American. In the land of freedom, established so every man and woman could pursue their dreams, these incidents are blots against our national value of equality.

So today while we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I rise to honor every person--disabled and not-- who worked so hard to see this law enacted. These persons and their effort are testament to the spirit of fairness, the spirit of perseverance and the spirit of hope that inspires us all.

Mr. Speaker, August 8th is the 90th birthday of an outstanding American scientist who deserves to be recognized and remembered. I wish to recognize Dr. Jose Delgado's scientific achievements and contributions to our understanding of the brain and human behavior. He has been a pioneer in the exploration of brain function, including how our minds work based on electrical and chemical studies in many animal species.

Dr. Jose Delgado was born in Ronda, Spain. At the age of 22 he joined the Republican army fighting against Franco as a military doctor, and toward the end of the Spanish Civil War was interned in a concentration camp from which he escaped twice and was

later released. He was invited to the United States by Professor John Fulton, as a Spanish Research Council Fellow, and later was a James Hudson Brown Fellow, and an Assistant, Associate and then Full Professor of Physiology and Psychiatry at the Yale University Medical School.

For 25 years Dr. Delgado taught and did breakthrough research at the Yale Medical School, and then returned to Spain and organized a brain research institute at the Ramon y Cajal Hospital in Madrid, bringing together an international group of over 100 scientists. His major methodological innovations include: Permanent implantation of electrodes in the brain; intracerebral Chemitrodes and Dialytrodes; Cardiac pacemaker implantation; brain pacemakers; brain radio stimulators; two-way radio communication brain-to-computer; time-lapse recording of social behavior in monkey colonies; and the design and application of non-invasive electromagnetic devices for the investigation of biological effects and application of therapeutical uses.

Dr. Jose Delgado's main goals have been to alleviate pain and diminish aggression and human suffering. His discoveries have resulted in over 500 research publications and 6 books, enriching our lives, knowledge of brain development, and how we can educate our children toward what he called a Psychocivilized Society. Among many others, he received the following honors: Countess of Maudes Prize (1944), Roel Prize (1945), Member Sigma Xi Society (1951), Ramon y Cajal Prize (1952), Fellow, New York Academy of Sciences (1955), Guggenheim Fellow (1963), Master of Arts, Yale University (1967), Salmon Lecturer, New York Academy of Sciences (1968), Gold Metal Exhibit Award, American Psychiatry Society (1971), Alfonso X EI Sabio Medal (1972), Gold Metal Award, International Society of Biological Psychiatry (1974), Rodriguez Pascual Prize (1975), Adolf Meyer Lecturer, American Psychiatric Association (1979), Honorary Professor, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Santo Tomas, Manila (1980), Humanist Laureate, The Academy of Humanism (1985), Favorite Son of Ronda, Spain (1985), Academician, Royal Academy of Doctors, Madrid, Spain (1986), the name of `Rodriguez Delgado' is given to Public School No. 2 in Ronda, Spain (1988), Favorite Son of Andalucia (1988), Author of the Year, ``EI Medico'' Prize, Madrid, Spain (1989), Favorite Son of Malaga (1996), Century Award, International Organization of Psychophysiology (1998), Gold Medal, Ateneo of Malaga (1999), Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Granada, Spain (1999).

Dr. Delgado is now living in San Diego, California, and we celebrate his return to the United States. We wish him and his family a very happy 90th birthday celebration, and many more fruitful and rewarding years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of United States Army Master Sergeant Arthur C. Agpalasin who served our country for 33 years, earning many medals as a result of his bravery and dedication. He passed away peacefully on July 13, 2005, in the company of his family. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Shirley and nine children.

Enlisted in 1940, MSG Agpalasin saw combat duty in World War II, the Korean war and the Vietnam war. Despite being wounded and captured as a POW during the Bataan campaign, MSG Agpalasin continued his military service to the United States through covert guerrilla operations against the occupying forces. During the Korean war, MSG Agpalasin participated in and survived the Inchon landing. He was wounded and captured as a POW at Hagaru ri but successfully escaped his captors.

In 1961, MSG Agpalasin continued his service to our country as a Drill Instructor at Fort Ord. He trained countless young soldiers for the war in Vietnam and in 1969, he joined his soldiers for what would be his final combat tour of duty.

Upon retiring from the U.S. Army, MSG Agpalasin continued his spirit of service by becoming involved in various community and civic organizations including the Fort Ord Retiree Council.

Mr. Speaker I wish to honor this man for his relentless commitment and service to our country, as well as his contribution as a role model for younger troops. Long into his retirement, MSG Agpalasin often visited the Defense Language Institute, DLI, located in Monterey Bay where he became a mentor and a heroic example for the soldiers. He was recently honored by the DLI troops at a picnic for war veterans for his utmost dedication to the core tenets of the U.S. Army. His contributions will be remembered and appreciated by citizens and his legacy will serve as an inspiration to future generations of soldiers.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization bill. This bill tramples on the Bill of Rights in the name of patriotism.

To be patriotic means to be loyal and devoted to one's country. As Thomas Paine once said, ``It is the duty of the Patriot to protect his country from his government.'' We are all Patriots today in the finest sense of the word, but just because some of us want to ensure that Congress retains its legislative oversight over these draconian provisions, some will call us unpatriotic. To quote Thomas Jefferson, ``Dissent is the highest form of patriotism''.

While not one of us in the Chamber takes lightly our Oath to protect and defend the United States, the permanent extension of the Patriot Act, as the expense of our civil liberties, will not in and of itself make our country safer.

I voted against the original PATRIOT Act that was hastily passed in October 2001. The same concerns regarding the abuse of power still exist. With such broad, sweeping provisions as roving wire taps and sneak and peek searches, Congress must retain its ability to exercise legislative oversight to ensure the civil liberties of the people are upheld. The provisions of the misnamed Patriot Act should be reauthorized periodically, not made permanent.

This Administration consistently hides behind the fear of terrorism to achieve their legislative agenda. In this case, they are trying to convince the American people that giving up their civil liberties is necessary to combat terrorism. My constituents remain unconvinced. In my district, the local governments of Pacific Grove, Salinas, Santa Cruz, and Watsonville, California have all passed resolutions expressing their concerns with the anti-privacy and anti-liberty portions of the Patriot Act.

Mr. Chairman, homeland security means protecting the civil rights of Americans.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to commend the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on International Relations for their work in drafting the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for FY 06 and 07. Though I was supportive of the underlying bill that was passed out of Committee, I regret that I will not be able to vote in favor of final passage due to the inclusion of a variety of amendments that were added to the bill during floor consideration.

Additionally, I would have liked H.R. 2601 to address and correct the failed U.S. policy towards Colombia. Current U.S. assistance to Colombia is heavily weighted towards military and drug interdiction assistance, with only 20 percent of U.S. aid going to social and economic programs like alternative development programs. I strongly believe that only through addressing the root causes of conflict in Colombia, that of poverty and despair, will we be able to have lasting peace in Colombia.

I am very thankful though that the Chairman and Ranking Member for the inclusion of a Sense of Congress that states that the U.S. foreign assistance should be used to support local capacity-building in developing countries. I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia during the 1960s, and the goal of our service was to ``work ourselves out of a job.'' By the end of our two year service as Peace Corps volunteers, our goals were to have educated host country nationals in different skills who could then take ownership of development projects and finish the job of developing their own country, in a culturally appropriate way.

As Peace Corps volunteers, I worked on micro development issues, and U.S. foreign policy, if it is to succeed in creating long-term development and foster stability in developing countries, should take this mantra to heart, and focus on building local capacity. I am therefore very thankful for the Chairman and Ranking Members recognition of the importance of local capacity building by including this important Sense of Congress in H.R. 2601.

Madam Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. I too rise, Madam Chairman, in strong support of the Dreier amendment.

I, as many of my colleagues know, was a Peace Corps volunteer in South America; and as a returned Peace Corps volunteer elected to Congress, I realized that what we needed was some activity in this country that would start educating people somewhere between the Peace Corps and the Work Corps. As the ranking member just mentioned, we have countries where we have been in with the military, but it is the ability to respond to the post-conflict issues that we need, a FEMA- type, a response-type corps of people who are linguistically capable of speaking that language, that know the country culture, can work with the nongovernmental organizations that are abroad, with military personnel that are still in the country, with the host country governments, with our United States USAID, with our United States Department of State. And where do you bring all of those people together to train them and educate them? That is what the Active Response Corps is: taking people with those skills and putting them together so that they can be rapidly deployable, U.S. citizens who are civilians, who are educated and trained in fostering the stability in a post-conflict situation.

I am very pleased that the first one of these activities is going to take place at the Naval Postgraduate School on August 1 with Ambassador Pascual coming out to California where, for the first time, the military, the civilians, the State Department and so on will all be together in developing this.

I look forward to this as one of the great new initiatives of this Congress and of this country to really give us the ability to respond to stabilization and respond to conflict reconstruction.

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Madam Chairman, I thank the gentleman for his amendment and thank him for his active response corps. And I would just like to close by saying that Douglas Feith, who is the Under Secretary for Defense and Policy, recently stated that there is a strong argument that the United States should be intensifying its efforts to build partnership capacity with other countries to give them the capability to fight terrorism at home, not just law enforcement, not just military but also civilian administration and education.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a man who was a rising star in the fresh produce industry. At age forty, Joe Nucci was one of the youngest leaders in his field. Tragically, Joe passed away suddenly July 7, 2005, while vacationing with his family in Florida.

Joe was born and raised in Salinas, California. In 1983, he graduated from Salinas High School and went on to study for two years at Hartnell College. He completed his college education at California State University Chico and spent a year in Buffalo, New York working with JC Brock Fresh Foods. In 1989, Nucci returned to California to take a position at Mann Packing Company, which was run by his father, Don Nucci, and his father's business partner Bill Ramsey.

One of Joe's first achievements at Mann Packing Company was finding a new use for a previously unpalatable product: broccoli stems. Impressing his coworkers and superiors with a new bagged broccoli coleslaw, it wasn't long before he advanced to Mann Packing Company's product development and quality assurance division, then to the position of vice president of marketing. In 2000, he became president and CEO of the Mann Packing Company. Under his leadership, the company grew at an unprecedented rate and became one of the produce industry's strongest innovators. The Produce Marketing Association recognized Joe's fairness, integrity, and innumerable talents and invited him to serve on their Board of Directors as secretary/treasurer. He was to become its chairman in 2006. His contributions to the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association, the Produce for Better Health Foundation, and the International Fresh-cut Produce Association will not long be forgotten either.

Joe Nucci made tremendous strides to better his industry, local community, and our Nation. He will be remembered for his innovation, his leadership, and his devotion to his family. He is survived by his wife, Debbie; two sons, Michael and Matthew; three sisters, Lorri Nucci Koster, Gina Nucci, and DeDe Nucci Reyna; father Don Nucci; and mother Barbara Manning. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise to honor the memory of Joe Nucci.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Edna Kimbro, State Parks Historian and architectural conservator. On June 26, 2005, Edna Kimbro, 57, died of cancer at her Watsonville residence. She is survived by her husband Joe, sons David and Joey, brother Todd, and granddaughter Sakura.

Ms. Kimbro was born on June 25, 1948. She graduated from the University of California Santa Cruz with a degree in Art History. In the 1970s, Kimbro bought the last remaining building of an early civilian Spanish settlement and began preserving it as best her finances would allow. In 1998 Kimbro, along with her husband and two sons, purchased a 150 year old adobe home in Watsonville, CA. To preserve the building, she traveled to Europe on a United Nations grant to study the earthquake resistant preservation of old mud brick based buildings. Sadly shortly after she returned home, the Lorna Prieta earthquake destroyed the 150 year old adobe home. This unfortunate event did not daunt her. Edna convinced State administrators to buy the damaged adobe, repair the damage, and create a State park.

Mr. Speaker, I am joined by Edna Kimbro's family and mends to honor her life and contributions to the preservation of California's history. Her memory will always be preserved in our minds, just as the adobe structures she worked so tirelessly to preserve.

Mr. Speaker, the President asked this Nation to fly the flag for our troops over the Fourth of July holiday. But while the Nation supports the active duty men and women in uniform serving in harm's way, the President is shortchanging the soldiers who are now serving and will be veterans in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I serve on the appropriations subcommittee most ably led by the ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards), who has led the battle of pointing out the underfunding of the Veterans Administration for health care. We now see it is a fact.

Both the Republican leadership in the House and the Senate made a quick fix. The Democrats have said this fix is not enough, claiming that we will have a greater shortfall as the veteran soldiers from Iraq come home.

If you truly want to honor those serving, you have to pledge to honor them in the future. Fully funding veterans health care is the most patriotic way we can honor our troops, all of whom will some day be veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Captain Jeffrey E. Kline, United States Navy, who retires this month after 26 years of uniformed service to our Nation's Navy. His career is highlighted by a blend of significant operational and academic achievement.

At the University of Missouri, Capt. Kline participated in the NROTC Program and was commissioned in 1979 upon graduation with

honors. He then attended Surface Warfare Officer School at Newport, RI. His first assignments were as Gunnery Officer and Navigator onboard the USS Moosbrugger from 1979 to 1981 and then on the USS Ranger as the Propulsion Officer until 1983. Upon completion of USMC Instructors School, Capt. Kline was a Naval Gunfire Instructor with the Land Force Training Command, Pacific, until 1986. He returned to Department Head School at Newport followed by another sea duty assignment as Combat Systems Officer onboard the USS John L Hall from 1986 to 1988. This led directly to a billet as the Combat Systems and Operations Officer on the staff of Commander Destroyer Squadron Three Two through 1990. Captain Kline then continued his education at the Naval Postgraduate School, graduating with a Master's degree in Operations Research with distinction in 1992.

Upon graduation, Captain Kline served his first tour as a Commanding Officer onboard the USS Aquila. In 1993, he was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Programs, Analysis and Evaluation as a Naval Forces Analyst, and was awarded the Legion of Merit for his work in 1996. Returning to academia, he graduated with distinction from the National War College at the National Defense University in 1997.

From 1997 to 1999, Captain Kline assumed his second operational command as the Commanding Officer of the USS Cushing. This was followed by a two-year tour as Deputy Operations Officer for the Commander, Sixth Fleet. For this work he received the Defense Meritorious Service Medal in 2001. Captain Kline completed his distinguished naval career as the Associate Dean and Chair of Warfare Innovation at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Captain Kline has been consistently recognized for his outstanding service throughout his naval career. In addition to the Legion of Merit and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, he has been awarded two Meritorious Service medals, three Navy Commendation Medals, and two Navy Achievement Medals by various commands. His academic achievements in naval education earned him the 1992 CNO Excellence in Operations Research Award, the 1996 Naval War College Award for the best Geostrategic Context paper and two Northrop Grumman Awards of Excellence for Systems Engineering in 2003 and 2004 while at the Postgraduate School.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to applaud a person who has served his country with such distinction for so many years. I join with all his friends and family in honoring this talented man and his many achievements.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Captain Jeffrey E. Kline, United States Navy, who retires this month after 26 years of uniformed service to our Nation's Navy. His career is highlighted by a blend of significant operational and academic achievement.

At the University of Missouri, CAPT Kline participated in the NROTC Program and was commissioned in 1979 upon graduation with honors. He then attended Surface Warfare Officer School at Newport, RI. His first assignments were as Gunnery Officer and Navigator on board the USS Moosbrugger from 1979 to 1981 and then on the USS Ranger as the Propulsion Officer until 1983. Upon completion of USMC Instructors School, CAPT Kline was a Naval Gunfire Instructor with the Land Force Training Command, Pacific, until 1986. He retuned to Department Head School at Newport followed by another sea duty assignment as Combat Systems Officer on board the USS John L Hall from 1986 to 1988. This led directly to a billet as the Combat Systems and Operations Officer on the staff of Commander Destroyer Squadron THREE TWO through 1990. Captain Kline then continued his education at the Naval Postgraduate School graduating with a Masters Degree in Operations Research with distinction in 1992.

Upon graduation, Captain Kline served his first tour as a Commanding Officer on board the USS Aquila. In 1993, he was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Programs, Analysis and Evaluation as a Naval Forces Analyst, and was awarded the Legion of Merit for his work in 1996. Returning to academia, he graduated with distinction from the National War College at the National Defense University in 1997.

From 1997 to 1999, Captain Kline assumed his second operational command as the Commanding Officer of the USS Cushing. This was followed by a two-year tour as Deputy Operations Officer for the Commander Sixth Fleet. For this work he received the Defense Meritorious Service Medal in 2001. Captain Kline completed his distinguished naval career as the Associate Dean and Chair of Warfare Innovation at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Captain Kline has been consistently recognized for his outstanding service throughout his naval career. In addition to the Legion of Merit and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, he has been awarded two Meritorious Service medals, three Navy Commendation Medals, and two Navy Achievement Medals by various commands. His academic achievements in naval education earned him the 1992 CNO Excellence in Operations Research Award, the 1996 Naval War College Award for the best Geostrategic Context paper and two Northrop Grumman Awards of Excellence for Systems Engineering in 2003 and 2004 while at the Postgraduate School.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to applaud a person who has served his country with such distinction for so many years. I join with all his friends and family in honoring this talented man and his many achievements.

Mr. Chairman, the hypocrisy of this Administration is stunning. Sergeant Lazo was sent by his commander in chief to fight in a war that President Bush has claimed is a ``fight for freedom.''

Yet this same Sergeant Lazo, an American citizen, has been told by the Government he serves that he is forbidden from seeing his children simply because they live in Cuba.

This tragedy is an extension of the administration's idiotic policy to restrict travel to Cuba.

This myopic policy is anti-family, anti-democratic values and it must be repealed.

I have been a strong supporter of lifting the travel ban and embargo; there is no better way to spread democracy and improve relations between Cuba and the United States then by allowing for people-to- people exchanges and unlimited family travel and promoting trade between our two countries.

But because of the restrictive travel policies implemented by this administration, each and every U.S. citizen should be very concerned that fellow American citizens do not enjoy the same rights and freedoms that each one of us has.

Sargeant Lazo is a tragic victim of a flawed 40-year-old policy. It is time for change. Support the Flake amendment and allow Sargeant Lazo to visit his children.

Point of Order

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Davis amendment to the Treasury Transportation bill.

Our foreign policy should reflect our Democratic values. The Administration claims that family values are the bedrock of our society,

yet this same Administration has instituted one of the most anti-family policies in US history.

In June 2004 the Office of Foreign Assets Control issued regulations that only permit Cuban-Americans to visit their immediate family members in Cuba every three years.

Are any of us willing to trade places with Cuban-Americans living in the United States who are denied the opportunity to visit freely with their family members . . . because of geography? I think not.

What does such a restrictive policy say about American values to Cuban Americans? What does such a restrictive policy say about American values to the rest of the world? What does such a policy say about the civil rights of Cuban Americans living in the United States?

It is akin to a ``separate but equal'' policy since Cuban Americans, who should enjoy the same civil liberties that all other Americans enjoy, cannot freely visit their families in Cuba.

As this Nation prepares to celebrate its 229th birthday on July 4, I urge my colleagues to remember the democratic principles our Founding Fathers enshrined in the Constitution. Don't treat Cuban Americans as ``separate but equal.''

Overturn the ban on travel to Cuba and support the Davis amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time.

I rise today to speak on an issue that is probably best spelled out in The Los Angeles Times today by Sonni Efron, who is a writer for the Times. The Times article is entitled ``Drug War Fails to Dent U.S. Supply.''

I would like to thank the chairman and the ranking member for their commitment to international development and improving our national security by attacking the culture of poverty and injustice, which I think are the root causes of terrorism in this world. I would also like to thank the chairman for engaging in a debate with me during the full committee markup regarding the increased funding for alternative development in Colombia.

I had offered an amendment in committee that would have shifted funding from the military and fumigation side of the Andean CounterDrug Initiative to funding more alternative development programs. My amendment would have shifted funds in five of the departments, which are like ``states'' in Colombia that are receiving little or no alternative development assistance; yet they are being heavily fumigated. While we are using all stick and no carrot in these regions, only spraying a farmer's crop but not providing for an alternative livelihood is not a sustainable solution to a coca growing problem in the Andean region.

Given the chairman's commitment to work in conference to increase the funding for alternative development programs in Colombia and the Andean region as a whole, I withdrew my amendment in committee.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind the chairman of his commitment and thank him again for his efforts regarding the alternative development in Colombia, and I know the chairman has been a tireless supporter of development and security in Latin America. I look forward to working with him and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), ranking member, on these important issues and hope in conference that they can restore the funding that I am sure the Senate side will add to.

I would like to close by referring everyone to this L.A. Times article today. I think it speaks to the point that America needs to focus on working itself out of jobs, not making people dependent upon American jobs to develop economic security in their own countries.

[From the Los Angeles Times, Jun. 28, 2005]

Drug War Fails to Dent U.S. Supply

(By Sonni Efron)

Washington.--The Bush administration and congressional

allies are gearing up to renew a plan for drug eradication in

Latin America despite some grim news: The $5.4 billion spent

on the plan since 2000 has made no dent in the availability

of cocaine on American streets and prices are at all-time

lows.

United Nations figures released this month show that coca

cultivation in the Andean region increased by 2 percent in

2004 as declines in Colombia were swamped by massive

increases in Peru and Bolivia. And the nonpartisan

Congressional Research Service said last week that the anti-

drug effort had had ``no effect'' on the price or purity of

drugs in the United States.

The findings have fueled skepticism in Congress, where

conservative groups have joined efforts to lobby against

continued funding. The National Taxpayers Union called the

anti-drug program a ``boondoggle.''

Nonetheless, a House committee last week approved the

administration's request for $734.5 million for next year as

part of a foreign aid bill. Debate on the bill could start as

early as today. President Bush also may unveil a renewed

multiyear commitment to South American anti-drug efforts this

year when Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, a staunch U.S.

ally, is expected to visit.

``We are heading in the right direction and we are

winning,'' the federal drug czar, John P. Walters, told

Congress last month.

``Plan Colombia''--a six-year effort by Washington and

Bogota to eliminate drug trafficking, end more than 40 years

of armed conflict with rebels and promote economic and legal

reform in Colombia--expires this year. The Bush

administration wants to continue it, a senior State

Department official said.

``You adjust your tactics and you adjust your resources,''

the official said. ``There's no inclination on the part of

our administration to give up just because it's tough.''

Negotiations with Bogota over details of a successor

program to Plan Colombia will begin next month, the official

said.

Administration and some congressional officials say Plan

Colombia has had some striking success. Killings, massacres

of villagers and other attacks blamed on drug trafficking all

have fallen sharply since 2002, and kidnappings have fallen

by half, according to Colombian Defense Ministry figures,

even though this year has seen a resurgence of violence.

Drug crop eradication and drug interdictions are cutting

into the profits of Colombia's right-wing paramilitaries and

leftist rebels, Walters told Congress last month.

Walters testified that ``cocaine production in the Andes

has declined by 29% since 2001, and Colombia's opium crop was

cut in half from 2003 to 2004.'' He said the reason that

price and availability had not been affected was the lag of

six months to a year between the time when the coca plant was

harvested and when its cocaine was available on American

streets.

The reports call the administration's assessment into

question. Whereas cocaine production fell 11% in Colombia in

2004, it soared by 23% in Peru and 35% in Bolivia, according

to the report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. Overall,

coca cultivation in the region increased 2%, the U.N. study

said.

``The [U.N.] numbers are devastating,'' said Adam Isacson

of the Center for International Policy, which has argued that

eradication campaigns must be accompanied by large-scale

development efforts that offer peasants alternative

livelihoods.

``The spraying, when it isn't accompanied by any

alternative development, doesn't seem to discourage [coca

farmers] from trying again, because there just aren't a lot

of other good choices out there,'' Isacson said.

Peasants have responded by planting even more coca, hiding

it under trees and among other crops, and turning to

varieties that produce a higher yield, the U.N. report said.

Whether or not the anti-drug effort is succeeding, the U.S.

foreign aid budget is under new scrutiny, especially with the

war in Iraq costing more than $4 billion a month and a $379-

billion deficit looming for 2006. Colombia, the fifth-largest

recipient of U.S. aid after Iraq, Israel, Egypt and

Afghanistan, could be a target for cuts.

The Congressional Research Service tallied State Department

and Defense Department spending on the Andean Counterdrug

Initiative at $5.4 billion since 2000. Though the anti-drug

program aids Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Panama and

Venezuela, Colombia has received most of the money, about

$4.5 billion. ``While there has been measurable progress in

Colombia's internal security, as indicated by decreases in

violence, and in the eradication of drug crops, no effect has

been seen with regard to price, purity and availability of

cocaine and heroin in the United States,'' the research

agency report said.

The report said Colombia was no closer to ending its

decades-long armed strife. The conservative National

Taxpayers Union last week called for the program to be cut

back or killed.

``By all measurable criteria, Plan Colombia's effectiveness

is dubious,'' said Paul Gessing, governmental affairs

director of the anti-tax group. ``It's a big taxpayer

boondoggle.''

Liberals also contend that the program is wasteful. Rep.

James P. McGovern (D-Mass.) plans to offer an amendment to

the foreign aid bill that would slash $100 million in U.S.

military and security aid to Colombia.

One senior U.S. government policy advisor, who spoke on

condition of anonymity out of fear he would be excluded from

administration policy discussions, agreed with many of the

critics.

``It's a complete waste of money,'' the advisor said. ``You

have to ask yourself, why are we in Colombia?''

He added: ``The bottom line is not how much they produce or

how much we eradicate, the bottom line is, is there enough

supply to meet the demand [in the United States], and there

always is. . . . The traffickers are always one step ahead of

us.''

Plan Colombia began under the Clinton administration

primarily to fight drugs. But after the Sept. 11, 2001,

attacks, the Bush administration has emphasized counter-

terrorism and regional security.

While some conservatives wish to cut funding for Colombia,

many Democrats want to spend less on its military and more on

rural economic development. Democratic critics also wonder

whether the U.S. has an exit strategy for Colombia.

Rep. Sam Farr (D-Carmel), a former Peace Corps volunteer in

Colombia, said the U.S. effort there violates a key principle

of international aid: ``Work yourself out of a job.''

After five years of U.S. funding, American military

advisors are still training Colombian troops and American

companies are still being paid to maintain expensive U.S.

Black Hawk helicopters, Farr said.

``Look at how much attention is being paid to building

local capacity in Iraq so we can leave,'' Farr said. ``This

is where we're failing in the war on drugs, because we're not

developing the capacity of these countries to handle their

own problems.''

Mr. Chairman, I rise with a great deal of concern about Colombia and in support of this amendment, because I think the facts I have heard here on the floor just misconstrue what is really going on down there.

We need to wake up and smell the coffee. The debate here should be about improving sales of Colombian coffee, not about the increased sales of Colombian coca. What was Plan Colombia has now become Plan K Street. What was supposed to help Colombians help themselves has now become Help American Corporations Stay in Business in Colombia. What should be money to eradicate the poverty that drives drugs in the first place has become a program to give Dyna Corporation $80 million, to give 16 U.S. contractors money to maintain Colombian helicopters and money to U.S. firms to own and fly the eradication aircraft. This is not about Plan Colombia anymore. This is about Plan K Street. Lockheed Martin got $9 million.

Congress Members here travel to Colombia almost monthly on what I have now called the Narcotourism Tour that American Congressmen like to have. They come home thinking that they have seen the problems in Colombia and that all we need to do is give more money. I am all for a real Plan Colombia, a plan that invests in Colombia, that lets Colombians do the jobs that Americans should be working themselves out of. For 5 years the same companies are doing the same things they have been doing; 5 years without

the Colombians owning those companies, without the Colombians doing that work.

It is time that we make a statement. Cut this $100 million, put it into alternative development, do something that helps Colombians help themselves so that we do not have to keep American corporations on the handout from American Congress Members to keep their businesses going in the guise of trying to eradicate drugs in Colombia. It is time to stop.

Mr. Chairman, it doesn't take an inside-the-beltway policy work to understand that the current policy towards Colombia is broken.

My district on the Central Coast of California is filled with compassionate people who closely follow US foreign policy towards our southern neighbors and they recognize that our current policy towards Colombia is broken.

They are well aware that only eradicating a farmer's crops and not providing for alternative livelihoods is not a sustainable solution to the coca growing problem in the Andean region.

US assistance to Colombia is reflective of this flawed policy: 80 percent of funds have gone for military assistance and been eaten up by coca eradication.

Only 20 percent of funds have gone to social and economic programs. These programs are what build local economies and communities and provide alternatives to coca production.

This distribution of assistance is not a recipe for permanent coca eradication. It's not a recipe for peace. It's a recipe for disaster.

And that disaster is reflected in the Administration's own figures for coca production. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy statistics for 2004 show that, despite a record number of crops sprayed in Colombia, data shows that coca production remains ``statistically unchanged'' and the US street prices of cocaine and heroin are at or near all-time lows.

I'd like to quote a constituent and friend of mine, Bert Muhly, who has traveled extensively throughout Latin America for decades and has been a tireless advocate for the downtrodden throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Bert correctly states:

``Plan Colombia must be abandoned in favor of a Plan for Peace where the billions our government spends on shoring up the military establishment of countries of Latin America that are used to suppress the hopes of their people is diverted to programs that will alleviate poverty and give hope to the people within those countries.''

I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia in the 1960s and have visited Colombia many times since then. I have seen first hand that Colombians are resilient and bright people who desperately want peace.

Yet U.S. assistance and the Colombian government have not laid the ground work for peace.

The Colombian government has failed to focus on creating a rural development strategy to address the underlying causes of poverty.

With such a lop-sided policy that fails to invest in the innate capabilities of rural Colombians so that they can build a life for themselves that doesn't involve coca production, I am sad that my adopted country will remain stuck in this quagmire of civil war.

House rules prevent the $100 million from the McGovern-Moore-McCollum amendment to be reallocated to alternative development, which would be my preference. Absent that option, I strongly urge my colleagues to vote in support of this amendment which is a step in the right direction to encourage reform of U.S. policy in Colombia.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Charles C. Barr, former president of the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau. On June 17, 2005, Charles Barr died of cancer at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz at the age of 81. Mr. Barr is survived by his wife Patricia; daughters Candy, Katherine, and Patricia; and his sons Chuck, Peter, Jeffrey, and Jonathan.

Charles C. Barr was born in Natick, MA on January 23, 1924. He was a third generation carnation grower, and pioneered the commercialization of miniature carnations in the United States. He joined the Navy and served our country in the capacity of a pilot on an aircraft carrier during WWII. In 1963 he moved his wife and seven children to Watsonville, CA and became a valuable member of the community.

Mr. Barr served as the President of the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau from 1968-69 as well as the president of the American Carnation Society. Mr. Barr also resided on the Pajaro Dunes Homeowners Association Board of Directors, and was the president of the Watsonville Rotary Club as well as the vice-president of the Watsonville Bank of America.

Mr. Speaker, I am joined by Mr. Barr's family and friends to honor his life and contributions to the community. His leadership and love of the community serve as a model for all citizens.