Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 753) to redesignate the Federal building located at 167 North Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee, as the ``Clifford Davis/Odell Horton Federal Building,'' as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I am joined in H.R. 753 by the entire Tennessee delegation, and I am joined in a companion bill with its authorship/sponsorship of each of our Senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 753.

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

H.R. 753, sponsored by the entire Tennessee delegation of both the House and the Senate, is to designate the Federal building in Memphis, Tennessee, located at 167 North Main Street as the Clifford Davis and Odell Horton Federal Building.

Judge Odell Horton was appointed to the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee by President Jimmy Carter on May 12, 1980. He was brought to the attention of President Carter by then- Senator Jim Sasser and through a proposal by Lieutenant Governor John Wilder who represented the district that Judge Horton grew up in Bolivar, Tennessee.

Judge Horton in 1980 was the first African American Federal judge appointed to the bench in Tennessee since Reconstruction. He has many firsts as an African American, but he has more regard simply as an outstanding jurist, attorney, soldier and human being.

He was born May 13, 1929, in Bolivar, Tennessee, and grew up during the Depression and the Second World War. His father was a laborer and his mother took in laundry. The children, four boys and a girl, picked cotton, stacked lumber, and took other odd jobs to make ends meet.

Judge Horton graduated from Bolivar High School in 1946 and enlisted in the Marine Corps ``as a vehicle to find a way out of Bolivar.'' After an early discharge, he enrolled in Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, using Federal aid under the GI bill to finance his tuition. The Korean War was under way by the time he graduated in 1951, and he returned for a second tour with the Marines. After a second tour, during which he graduated from the U.S. Navy School of Journalism, Horton entered Howard University Law School in Washington, DC. He received his degree from Howard in 1956, then moved to Memphis to begin private practice in a one-room office upstairs at 145 Beale Street in Memphis, the legendary Beale Street in Memphis.

He served in private practice for 5 years from 1957 until 1962 and then was appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney in Memphis. After being Assistant U.S. Attorney, he served in other capacities. First of all, during Mayor Henry Lobe's city administration, he was the first African American member of that administration, head of health and hospitals. That was a tumultuous time in Memphis' history. During that time, Dr. King was killed in Memphis on April 4, 1968, and we will observe that tragedy soon in Memphis. But Judge Horton, as an African American, had a difficult task. As such, he ordered the desegregation of the Bowld Hospital which was the public hospital. That was a great thing that he did in bringing Memphis forward.

A year after he did that in 1968, he received the L.M. Graves Memorial Health Award for his efforts to advance the cause of health care in Memphis. He later became a criminal court judge appointed by then-Governor Buford Ellington. After serving on the criminal court bench, he went on to serve as president of LeMoyne-Owen College, an historically black college in Memphis, a liberal arts school where he served for 4 years from 1970 to 1974.

In 1974, Judge Horton ran for Shelby County district attorney general. Although he lost by just about 4,000 votes, he came very close, and it was a historic election that set a precedent for other individuals running for office and being elected on their merits and not based on their race. He received over 23 percent of the Caucasian vote, which was unheard of at the time, and it showed the respect that he had from all sections of the community.

He returned to Federal service after being at LeMoyne-Owen and after having unsuccessfully sought the DA's job as reporter for the Speedy Trial Act Implementation Committee by the Western District Court. After that, he served as a U.S. bankruptcy judge from 1976 to 1980. Then he received the appointment from President Carter. Then from January 1, 1987, until December 31, 1993, he served as the chief judge for the Western District of Tennessee. On May 16, 1995, he took senior judge status, and 2 years later closed his Memphis office.

He is remembered in Memphis as a calm and patient judge who carefully and deliberately explained legal concepts to jurors. He was a model for judges because of his judicial temperament and set a standard in such regards. Judge Horton and his wife, Evie Randolf, were married for over 50 years and have two sons, Odell Horton, Jr., and Christopher, who graduated from his alma mater, Morehouse College in Atlanta. Judge Horton's widow spoke for so many in his profession and personal life when she stated after his death, ``He was a rare and precious jewel in the crown of humanity and made all of our lives richer and better because he passed this way.'' Indeed, Mrs. Horton was correct.

Judge Horton received many honors for his work from different bar associations and institutions. He was a member of the American Bar Association and Chair of the National Conference of Federal Trial Judges. He served as a member of the Judicial Conference Committee on Defender Services, and Morehouse College awarded him an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.

In the year 2000, the Memphis Bar Association awarded Judge Horton with a Public Service Award. He died February 22, 2006. In honor of Judge Horton's significant contributions to the legal community in Memphis and his pioneering career, it is both fitting and proper to designate the courthouse located at 167 North Main Street in Memphis as the Clifford Davis and Odell Horton Federal Building.

As Senator Alexander mentioned on the Senate floor, it is appropriate that

this building have both the names of Judge Horton, a great pioneer of the latter half of the 20th century, and Clifford Davis, who was part of the first half of the 20th century, served as United States Congressman from 1940 to 1965. It shows a continuum of history, a growth of history, and history is a process. The naming of this building for Judge Horton as well as former Congressman Clifford Davis shows progress in Memphis, progress in race relations, and progress among human beings.

Accordingly, I ask for unanimous passage of the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield back my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1019) to designate the United States Customhouse Building located at 31 Gonzalez Clemente Avenue in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, as the ``Rafael Martinez Nadal United States Customhouse Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1019.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1019 is a bill to designate the United States Customhouse Building located at 31 Gonzalez Clemente Avenue in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, as the Rafael Martinez Nadal United States Customhouse Building.

Although Don Rafael Martinez Nadal was born in the city of Mayaguez on April 22, 1877, he resided and passed away in Guaynabo. He received his college degree in philosophy and letters from the Provincial Institute of Secondary Education in San Juan. At 16, he was sent to Barcelona, Spain, to study law.

In August, 1904, he returned to Mayaguez and began to study coffee growing agriculture. Simultaneously, he began his first successful attempts in the media and politics with the Puerto Rican Republican Party. In 1908, he founded the political newspaper El Combate. In 1912, he obtained his law degree and became one of the most

prominent men in the Puerto Rican political arena. He was considered one of the most famous criminal lawyers of the time.

In 1914, he was elected as a member of the Chamber of Delegates for the city of Ponce by the Puerto Rican Republican Party. In 1920, he was chosen by the same party to serve in the Senate and was re-elected in the next five general elections. When the alliance of the Union of Puerto Rico Party and the Puerto Rican Republican Party formed in 1924, Nadal left the Republican Party and initiated a political movement called the Pure Republican Party, which registered officially as the Historical Constitutional Party.

Later, he founded the Republican Union, working to advance the ideal of statehood for Puerto Rico. In coalition with the Socialist Party, the Republican Union triumphed in the general elections of 1932 and 1936. In both terms, Nadal presided over the Senate. Before the election of 1940, because of a serious illness, he returned to his Guaynabo residence. He died there on July 6, 1941.

In honor of Rafael Martinez Nadal's outstanding contributions to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and his exemplary professional writing career, it is both fitting and proper to designate the courthouse located at 31 Gonzalez Clemente Avenue in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, as the ``Rafael Martinez Nadal United States Customhouse Building.''

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

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be here on this bipartisan Federal customs building, and I yield back my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1138) to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 306 East Main Street in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, as the ``J. Herbert W. Small Federal Building and United States Courthouse''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1138.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1138 is a bill to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 306 East Main Street, Elizabeth City, North Carolina, as the J. Herbert W. Small Federal Building and United States Courthouse.

J. Herbert W. Small, a lifelong resident of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, is a graduate of the University of Virginia Engineering School and the University of North Carolina Law School. He began the practice of law in 1949 and continued in his chosen field for over five decades. During his professional career, he was a member of the First Judicial District Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the North Carolina Bar Association.

In 1974, Judge Small was elected judge of Superior Court of the First Judicial District and served as Senior Resident Judge for 17 years. Judge Small is an active volunteer, serving on the Board of Directors of the Albemarle Hospital and the American Red Cross. He has received numerous awards and honors from the Jaycees, Boy Scouts, Volunteer Firemen, Chamber of Commerce, and the Rotary and Elks clubs. Further, Judge Small, a World War II veteran, served in the United States Navy for 3 years.

Judge Small is an outstanding jurist, civic leader, mentor and volunteer. I support this bill and urge its passage.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the honorable gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield), the sponsor of the bill.

I join in congratulating the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia for this time.

This is my first year in the Congress. In my 24 years in the State senate, I was the leading spokesperson for animal welfare legislation, and I took great pride in that. So I am particularly appreciative of standing up on this bill.

I incorporate by reference all the things that have been said about the harmful effects of this practice, and they are well known. I think that the spread of avian flu and all the other pertinent conduct is to be prohibited.

But the main thing is, dogs are our best friends. Harry Truman said, if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog. So far, I haven't been here 90 days, I have made lots of friends. I haven't needed a dog yet, but I have thought about the day. I saw a Congressman come in the other day, Congressman Whitfield from Kentucky, he had his dog with him. He has been here more years than me.

Dogs are our friends. We all have dogs that we feel that are part of our families. We shouldn't treat any of God's creatures the way that people treat dogs and cocks; and I guess if I was from Kentucky, Congressman Yarmuth, I could speak more fondly about chickens, because the Colonel and KFC have done a lot for his district.

But my particular interest is dogs, and we should treat them well. They are our friends. You can go back in TV lore, Lassie and Asta, and you think about Snoopy. To teach them to fight, to require them to fight, to watch them die is just not what God intended and not what we should encourage and condone.

Children shouldn't be exposed to this, and sometimes they are. This type of conduct leads to other types of harmful conduct and violence against women, violence against seniors. People who enjoy this type of violence and watching it are more often than not going to be the most likely people to pick on others who are unable to take care of themselves.

I am very proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 137. I look forward to its passage and the day that we don't have people who get some type of great enjoyment out of watching dogs, cocks or any other of God's creatures fight to the death and find pleasure and enjoyment in it and teach their children by that association that violence is something good, when it isn't.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday I spoke on this floor about a conflict I had in supporting this measure because I want peace in our world and I want our troops to come home. I asked for my constituents to let me know how they felt.

Hundreds of people responded with e-mails and phone calls, and I appreciate each of them. They want us to support our troops. They want to bring our troops home from Iraq, and they want to take care of our veterans.

The most effective way to accomplish those things is to vote for this bill. This will be the first step in ending the war in Iraq, taking care of our veterans, but at the same time, supporting our troops.

I am proud to be a Member of this Congress and to vote ``aye'' today on this bill.

Madam Speaker, yesterday in Memphis, Tennessee, a giant of a man passed away: G.E. Patterson, the bishop of the Church of God in Christ, a congregation of over 6.5 million people worldwide headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.

Bishop Patterson was born in Humboldt, Tennessee. He lived to the age of 67. He was a giant, godly man, who I last saw in November at a rally with President Clinton and Cybill Shepherd. At that time, Bishop Patterson knew he was dying, he had prostate cancer, but he knew where he was going. He was a bishop. He was a saint. He was a man who graced this planet. He was a valuable citizen and knows where he was going, and he is there now. I hope you will all share with me a moment of reflection upon the great life of Bishop Patterson and what he has meant to this world.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Patrick Neely. Mr. Neely, of Neely's Bar-B-Que, located in both Memphis and in Nashville, was recently named Restauranteur of the Year by the Memphis Restaurant Association. Mr. Neely and his brothers Gaelin, Tony, and Mark have turned what was once a fledgling downtown Memphis operation into one of the most successful restaurants in the entire American South. After first opening its doors in 1988, Neely's Bar-B-Que has opened doors in two new locations and been featured nationwide in magazines and on nationally televised news and cable programs.

The Neelys have continually worked hard to ensure quality in both their food and their people, and have not forgotten about their community. Giving time, money and support to a host of charitable and not-for-profit organizations, Neely's Bar-B-Que has turned itself into a profitable, charitable, and local source of pride. It is for the hard-work, determination, and ultimate successes of Mr. Neely and his entire family that I rise, Madam Speaker, to

honor Neely's Bar-B-Que. Approaching 20 years of excellence, may Neely's continue to thrive and prosper along with the City of Memphis.

Mr. Speaker, as a Tennessean, I am proud of the success of my three schools that have reached the Sweet Sixteen.

In America, there is nothing going on with greater import on the local scene than March Madness; and there is no place more happy about the madness than the State of Tennessee, the Volunteer State.

Three of our schools have teams in the Sweet Sixteen: Our land grant university, the University of Tennessee; and my two alma maters, Vanderbilt University and the University of Memphis.

On Thursday, the University of Tennessee and the University of Memphis will both be playing in the Sweet Sixteen in San Antonio, Texas. Everybody in Texas knows if it weren't for Tennessee, there wouldn't be a Texas. So we bring basketball to Texas, and we brought liberty and independence to Texas. We have a lot of pride in our basketball teams and our universities.

Mr. Speaker, today is the fourth anniversary of our invasion of Iraq. We still don't necessarily know why we went to war in Iraq; I certainly don't. This is my first year in Congress, and we have a very serious and important matter coming up this week which we have to vote on. I haven't decided exactly how I am going to vote. I know I want us out of Iraq. I want our troops to be safe, but be protected, and I want our veterans to be looked after.

There is a proposal to come up to suggest we should have a definite date, September 1 of 2008, to have our troops out of Iraq, and to have certain benchmarks which the Iraqi Government has to meet, and have our President certify they have met them at different times in the summer and next fall.

There are certain restrictions on the troops that says that the military can't send folks in if they haven't had a year off, they are not properly trained and don't have proper equipment, which is kind of hard for me to fathom, that after 4 years of war, we are only now getting around to saying our troops should have proper equipment, proper training and proper rest. It's hard for me to imagine what's gone on the last 4 years, what type of oversight or undersight has taken place in this Congress, and what type of concern that the administration has had for our troops, sending them into Iraq without proper training and without proper equipment.

It borders on malfeasance, and it makes me wonder, in voting for $100 billion in the supplemental budget, if it's not negligence, and Mr. Speaker knows as a lawyer it may be beyond that. It may be gross negligence of this administration, which has shown it doesn't know how to handle money, particularly in sending it to Iraq, where $10 billion is totally missing, other monies have just disappeared, to give them $100 billion and to give them the care and custody of American men and women, great patriots who have volunteered for military duty.

We have had 3,200 Americans die in Iraq, over 3,200 now, and casualties in the area of 20,000. For every day we stay there longer, there will be more and more casualties and more and more deaths.

I understand the proposal being put forth is an advancement, and it's more than the Senate will do, and it's more

than the administration will permit, because they have said they will veto anything with a date, anything with conditions, anything that is reasonable, that reflects what the American people want to have, which is the same policy in Iraq to get our troops home and to find a way to end America's nightmare, which has, indeed, been a nightmare.

We were told the mission was accomplished. I don't know what has been accomplished. I have read newspapers today, and everybody, people in Iraq, have no medical care, they have very little electricity, they are living in squalor, and they say life was better with Saddam Hussein than it is now. We have not improved the lives of the Iraqi people. We have pretty much destroyed their country, and we claim we did it for freedom.

But one of the conditions upon which we will measure the benchmarks is if they give us their oil and give it to some of our multinational companies, which makes you wonder if they hate us because of our love for freedom, or if they hate us because we want to take their oil. Maybe that is what it was all about was oil, blood for oil.

It's hard for me not to support a progressive measure, which I know Speaker Pelosi and I know my party's leadership is going to advance, to try to bring some end to this nightmare. But at the same time it's difficult for me to give another dollar and another life to the care and custody of this administration. I do think it's gross negligence probably to do so when you look at what they have done over the last 4 years.

I read about death this weekend in Iraq, soldiers who died who were 20 years old, 19 years old, 21 years old, and I thought about how young they were. They are children basically, children with guns, going over to Iraq, and they are dying because they fall, they have an IED blow them up. It's not mano a mano, it is not being shot by Iraqis. It's IEDs. Every day we stay, there will be more and more American men and women being blown up, being sent to inadequate facilities such as Walter Reed because we haven't gotten out.

I don't know that the situation there will get any better. The President today called a press conference and spoke and said we need to keep going forward; we won't know in weeks, we won't know in months, we won't know until longer if this surge or escalation will work.

It's not going to work. You learn from history. If you don't learn from history, you are a fool. The fact is you look at the past, you can look at the Sunnis and the Shi'a and the situation over there and the insurgents, and our being there has not made a difference. It just means that American men and women have died, and the dollars that should have been spent in cities in America to help children with education and health care hasn't been spent.

I am conflicted. I hope the people in my district will let me know what they think. Should we spend another dollar and sacrifice another life, or should we get out as soon as possible?

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Hannah Padawer Stark, of Memphis, Tennessee, who passed away early yesterday in her hometown of Memphis.

Ms. Stark was a wonderful mother and a gentle soul, with her kindness and goodwill contributing to what makes Memphis great. She was a sweet, virtuous woman and she never lost her zeal for life. Passing away at age 88, she lived life to its fullest, for years frequenting Huey's in Midtown every Sunday for live rock music with her daughter Laurie. Ms. Stark leaves behind another wonderful daughter Judy, who may have lived miles away, but was never far from her heart.

Ms. Stark had the love of not only her daughters, Madam Speaker, but also the love of all those who entered into her life, as her humanity and thoughtfulness crossed generational lines. She had a love of animals only surpassed by her love of life. Yesterday, Madam Speaker, this earth lost a friend and a lovely spirit. Hannah Padawer Stark, may you rest in peace and watch over us all.

Private First Class Brian J. Schoff; Corporal Rusty L. Washam; Staff Sergeant Brock A. Beery; Corporal David A. Bass; Corporal Robbie Glen Light; Specialist Ty J. Johnson; Lance Corporal Juana Navarro-Arellano; Corporal Joseph A. Blanco; Lance Corporal Marcus S. Glimpse; Corporal Salem Bachar; Sergeant Kyle A. Colnot; Lance Corporal Aaron William Simons; Private First Class Raymond L. Henry; Private First Class Benjamin T. Zieske; Corporal Orville Gerena; Private First Class Jacob D. ``Jake'' Spann; Corporal Brandon S. Schuck; Specialist Patrick W. Herried; Specialist Allen D. Kokesh Jr.; Lance Corporal Steven L. Phillips; Sergeant Nathan J. Vacho; First Sergeant Carlos N. Saenz; Specialist Teodoro Torres; Private First Class Alva L. Gaylord; Chief Warrant Officer Eric W. Totten; Corporal Jeremy M. Loveless; Corporal Bobby R. West; Specialist Brock L. Bucklin; Corporal Alexander J. Kolasa; Sergeant Benjamin E. Mejia; Private First Class Brett L. Tribble.

Thank you, Congressman Emanuel.

Lieutenant Colonel Michael E. McLaughlin; Corporal Albert Pasquale Gettings; Sergeant First Class Randy D. McCaulley; Specialist Fredrick A. Carlson; Lance Corporal Jacob Walter Beisel; Staff Sergeant Eric A. McIntosh; Specialist Mark W. Melcher; Private Travis C. Zimmerman; Corporal Brandon M. Hardy; Staff Sergeant David Michael Veverka; Private First Class Stephen P. Snowberger III; Lance Corporal Adam C. Conboy; Captain Brian D. Willard; Sergeant Jonathan E. McColley; Sergeant James F. Fordyce; Petty Officer Third Class John T. Fralish; Sergeant Radhames Camilomatos; Lance Corporal Kyle W. Brown; Corporal Brett L. Lundstrom; Sergeant Michael Joseph McMullen; Staff Sergeant Mark A. Wall; Sergeant Jose Gomez; Staff Sergeant Bryant A. Herlem; Sergeant Steve M. Sakoda; Private First Class Christopher M. Eckhardt; Specialist Luis D. Santos; Sergeant First Class Daniel Crabtree; Sergeant First Class Clarence D. McSwain; Sergeant Jose M. Velez; Lance Corporal Brent Zoucha; Private First Class Ben Slaven; Seaman Zachary M. Alday; Lance Corporal Salvador Guerrero; and Corporal Bernard P. Corpus.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I also pay tribute to the officers who are here.

Sergeant Matthew J. Fenton; Technical Sergeant Walter M. Moss, Jr.; Private First Class Joseph J. Duenas; Sergeant Israel Devora Garcia; Captain Timothy J. Moshier; Chief Warrant Officer Michael L. Hartwick; Corporal Scott J. Procopio; Corporal Brian R. St. Germain; Staff Sergeant Abraham G. Twitchell; Corporal Andres Aguilar, Jr.; Lance Corporal Eric A. Palmisano; Petty Officer Third Class Marcques J. Nettles; Private First Class Jeremy W. Ehle; Specialist Dustin J. Harris; Specialist Daniel L. Sesker; Private First Class Chase A. Edwards; Lance Corporal Bryan N. Taylor; Corporal Richard P. Waller; Sergeant First Class Gregory S. Rogers; Private First Class Joseph I. Love-Fowler; Lance Corporal Hatak Yuka Keyu M. Yearby; First Sergeant Tobias C. Meister; Private First Class Adam R. Shepard; Chief Warrant Officer Chester W. Troxel; Specialist Michael I. Edwards; Specialist David J. Babineau; Specialist Brent W. Koch; Private First Class Thomas Lowell Tucker; Private Kristian Menchaca; Specialist Robert L. Jones; Sergeant Reyes Ramirez; Private First Class Christopher N. White; Lance Corporal Brandon J. Webb; and Staff Sergeant Benjamin D. Williams.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 162, which recognizes the contributions of Negro Baseball Leagues.

The Negro Baseball Leagues are part of our history when segregation was the rule, segregation was the law. It is an unfortunate, most unfortunate part of America's history, part of a blemish on the soul of America, part of the blemish on the Constitution, on our laws, and the basis of the founding of the country.

No Nation has a more distinguished, honorable, and respected foundation conceived in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and equal justice for all. But in so many institutions it wasn't true, it wasn't real, until about the 1960s. The work of a great Democratic Congress and President Johnson and others, Republicans as well in a bipartisan move, overcame and repealed Jim Crow laws and passed amendments and laws that allowed people to use public facilities and to have integration in this country and to give everybody the American Dream, which had been denied for over 200 years in this country.

The baseball leagues that were reserved for Negroes were an example of that. There were great players who didn't have the opportunity to perform and achieve until integration. Branch Rickey of the Dodgers brought Jackie Robinson up in the 1940s, and there were great players that didn't have that opportunity.

I want to tell you one story about one particular baseball player who is in this resolution. He is in this resolution because he deserves to be in any resolution about baseball, about discrimination, and about kindness, Minnie Minoso. Minnie Minoso was a Cuban, African Cuban, who came to this country. I guess he would be an African American.

Minnie Minoso started his career in the Negro League, and didn't get to the Major Leagues until he was about 28 or 29 years of age. He had a great career. He led the American League in triples and doubles and stolen bases, one time in RBIs, received three or four Golden Glove awards, named to the All-Star games many, many times, and had statistics with home runs and batting average at nearly .300 for his career that should have qualified him for the Hall of Fame. But he hasn't gotten into the Hall of Fame, and he is not going to get in the Hall of Fame because he wasn't allowed to start in Major League Baseball until he was 28 or 29 because of discrimination.

Well, in 1955, at a spring training game in Memphis, Tennessee, at Russwood Park, I went to a ball game in Memphis. I had had polio the previous year, and I attended the game with my White Sox cap and White Sox T-shirt, on crutches. A player came up to me and offered me a baseball; I was down by the railing trying to get them. The player was named Tom Poholsky, who was white. And I thanked him, but he told me, You shouldn't thank me. You should thank that player over there, number 9, Minoso. Minoso gave Poholsky the ball and wanted me to have it. But because of segregation in this country, Minnie Minoso, one of 60 players, they hadn't cut the rosters yet for spring training, was the only player who had the kindness in his heart to see somebody who was a ball fan who couldn't play at the time because he was on crutches. But in a segregated South, he couldn't give me that ball. He couldn't have a decent act of kindness because of segregation.

Well, I got the ball, and I went down with my dad and we got to know Minnie Minoso, and it started a friendship that has continued to this day. Minnie Minoso was a class act, a wonderful human being who goes beyond baseball, the most popular player ever to wear a White Sox uniform, and a person who has given his life to baseball. But because of the denial of segregation, not allowing him to play in the Major Leagues until he was 28 or 29, he will not get the respect he is due, just like other players in the Negro Leagues didn't. So many of them who were great players, who would have led the majors in stolen bases, in doubles, in triples, in home runs, in RBIs, or average, as shown over the years by great players like Maury Wills and Bob Gibson and so many other great players who got the opportunity to play and show they could perform.

This year in Memphis on March 31, the major leagues are having a civil rights game. The last exhibition game of the season will be in Memphis at Auto Zone Park; it will be the Cleveland Indians and the St. Louis Cardinals play. There will be a special luncheon the day before the game where the widows of Roberto Clemente and Buck O'Neal will be honored, as well as Spike Lee, for contributions that baseball and civil rights have given to the growth of this country.

It is somewhat ironic in a way that we now see what baseball did to help integrate our country. And this resolution, which is part of the process of showing what this country has gone through, is about a time when we had segregation. Baseball helped integrate society. It helped get little young white kids to appreciate black players and see simple acts of kindness and see the absurdity of segregation. It gave me the opportunity in 1961 in Memphis to go to the Lorraine Hotel, then an all-Negro institution, and see a hero and other players like Walter Bond and Dick Powell staying in the segregated black hotel when the Caucasian players were at the Peabody, and see how ridiculous is this that my hero, an All-Star, a Golden Glove award winner, has to stay at the Lorraine Hotel which was not up to standards.

Baseball has come a long way. The Negro Leagues did a lot to give entertainment to Negroes and Caucasians who went to those games, and gave players an opportunity to play. And it is unfortunate they had to exist, but they did. They gave these players a great opportunity, from Josh Gibson, the great catcher, Satchel Paige, Buck O'Neal, and so many others who are enshrined in the Hall of Fame in Kansas City where there is a Negro League Baseball museum. But they also gave this country the opportunity to look at segregation for what it was, stupid, ignorant, retarded, and gave a process by which we overcame.

Sports have been a great vehicle to overcome discrimination and prejudice, and it was done in baseball, through heroic works by Branch Rickey, heroic at the time of Jackie Robinson who took all kinds of taunts. Now there is a Hall of Fame and there are players in there of both races, and you get there by talent. And that needs to happen all throughout this society and all throughout this country.

I was pleased to bring this resolution because of my experience with Minnie Minoso, my love of baseball, and the fact that baseball gave me an exposure to the horrors of segregation and what it did to my hero and a man who was kind to me through the years, Minnie

Minoso. But there were so many others. I went to games at Martin Stadium in Memphis, which is the home of the Memphis Red Sox, and it was all Negro players. They were great players. They didn't get an opportunity to show their skills. They later did.

I urge all my colleagues to support House Res. 162, recognizing the contributions of the Negro Baseball League, but at the same time reflect on how sad it was that there had to be a Negro Baseball League, and to reflect upon the need to make amends, not just to African Americans who were enslaved by this country's laws and limited and punished and enslaved by Jim Crow laws, but at the same time to think about the greatness of our country and mend a fault and a tear in our Constitution and our soul and civic justice, and put it together and apologize for slavery and Jim Crow, and make our country more whole and do the right thing. When you are wrong, you apologize. When you do evil, you do apologize, and you move forward. They are different bills, and I hate to mix them, but they are all part of the same story.

America needs to move forward, and progress has been made. We need to appreciate the past, but see where we were and move forward. And I am honored to be with the other sponsors of this bill, I think there are hundreds of them, and recognize the contributions of the Negro Baseball League and the story that baseball has played, and ask everybody in America to pay attention on March 31 to the final exhibition game of the season which will be televised on ESPN, a civil rights game that will highlight the civil rights heroes through sports, where Julian Bond will speak at a luncheon at the Peabody Hotel and tell a story of integration and success through sports that came too late in this country's history.

Mr. Speaker, ladies and gentlemen of the House, today I am going to introduce a bill to call on the United States Government to apologize for the history in this country of having a slave system and for Jim Crow laws that went on for a hundred additional years.

The State of Virginia is to be commended for its action this past week in making, in essence, an apology saying they regretted a system of slavery in this country.

For 246 years, our Constitution and our laws allowed a system that made people slaves, that divided people from their families and treated them as property. And for 100 years thereafter, a system of laws in many States throughout the country had Jim Crow laws that deprived people of the opportunity for equal access to education, health care, public facilities, and other types of programs. These ended by law in the sixties somewhat through the efforts of Thurgood Marshall and other attorneys in Brown v. Board of Education, but the effects are lingering.

This country needs to apologize for a brutal, inhumane system of slavery and Jim Crow laws. President Bush has made remarks similar to this in Senegal; President Clinton also in the State of Virginia most recently.

I hope we will have all our colleagues sign on and pass this unanimously, as the State of Virginia did, and make a proper apology for a harmful and unfortunate part of our history.

Madam Speaker, I had a 1-minute prepared to talk about the debate on Iraq, but I think what is more appropriate at this time is to talk about what this House of Representatives has experienced since January 4.

The doors of this House of Representatives, indeed this country, have been opened to thought, perspectives and issues that have been stifled for the last 12 years. I want to thank the Speaker for her leadership, for the leadership of the Democratic Party, and the chairman and what they brought forward. The first woman ever elected Speaker in this country's history, the first African American to be elected Clerk. History is being made with the issues coming forth from middle America for people who are in need, for the future of this planet.

I want to thank the Speaker. America is going in the right direction.

Madam Speaker, the great poet, Maya Angelou said, ``When I knew better, I did better.''

I am a member of the Progressive Caucus, proudly so, because I believe that we must always strive to do better to truly make progress.

A sign of intelligence and learning is to take the knowledge that we have acquired and adjust our goals accordingly. For some, it seems to be a badge of honor to stay the course, no matter what facts have come to light to contradict that course.

So what did some think they knew then, and what do we actually know now?

Some thought Iraq played a part in the attacks of 9/11. Now we know better.

Some thought that invading Iraq would not diminish our ability to continue our mission in Afghanistan, defeat the Taliban, and find Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the terrorist attacks in America. Now we know better, but we still don't know where Osama bin Laden is.

Some thought that the intelligence used by the President to lead us to war was accurate. Now we know better.

Some thought that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, which could not be discovered by the U.N. peacekeepers. Now we know better.

Some thought that Saddam Hussein tried to purchase yellow cake uranium from Niger. Now we know better.

Some thought that we did not need the support of the free world to enter into war. Now we know better.

Some thought we would never send our troops into harm's way without proper equipment. Now we know better.

Some people thought the people of Iraq would welcome us with open arms, and that the war would be won swiftly. Now we know better.

Some thought on May 1, 2003, some 4 years ago, that the mission was accomplished. Our President told us so on an aircraft carrier in a photo-op. Now we know better.

Most importantly, we know that young Americans have heeded their country's call and have placed themselves in harm's way to serve America. There is nothing nobler than the sacrifice made by our men and women in uniform. But such sacrifice should never be secured through deception. Now we know better, and we must do better.

Early on, many of my colleagues in the Progressive Caucus did not believe all they were being told about the connection between 9/11 and the terrorists and Iraq. We were all very concerned that pursuing an invasion of Iraq would be an act of aggression unheard of in our Nation's history.

What makes America unique is we believe that our Nation is founded on the rule of law, and that is what has made our country great and why we have been respected all over the world.

Millions of Americans put faith in the administration. Many could not have imagined that such a disastrous course would be pursued without truth beyond the assurances that were given. But now we know.

We know we have lost the goodwill of many of our allies. We know we have no exit strategy. We know that more Americans will sacrifice their lives. We know that mothers, fathers, wives, husbands and children will weep. Children will be orphaned, and young people will spend their lives maimed. And for what?

We can choose enlightenment or we can choose blind ignorance. We can choose to wrap ourselves in the American flag and claim that anyone who demands answers about the reasons for sending our troops into harm's way is unpatriotic and does not support our troops.

We can choose to use the knowledge we now have, or we can cling irrationally to the President's failed policies that led us to war.

The Earth is not flat. The sun does not resolve around the Earth, and we did not go to war for the reasons we were told. I don't know what the real reasons were. Maybe we will never know. But we do know better now and, knowing better, we must do better.

That is why I support this resolution, why I support our troops, why I oppose the escalation, and why we must follow the recommendations of the Baker-Hamilton Commission and shift from the war zone to the diplomatic arena. We have gone from shock and awe to aw shucks.

And escalating this war by putting 20,000 Americans into the streets of Baghdad, ala Mogadishu, aka Blackhawk Down, is inviting a 21st century Pickett's Charge or a Charge of the Light Brigade.

May God save us if the President of the United States will not.