Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, there is alarming news from Newsweek magazine. I read the article in part: ``There are ominous signs the Earth's weather patterns have begun to change dramatically and that these changes may cause a drastic decline in food production. The evidence in support of these predictions has now begun to accumulate so fast that meteorologists are hard-pressed to keep up with it . . . The central fact is that after three quarters of a century of extraordinarily mild conditions, the Earth's climate seems to be cooling down . . . If the climate change is as profound as some of the pessimists fear, the resulting famines could be catastrophic . . . The present decline has taken our planet about a sixth of the way toward the Ice Age average.''

Madam Speaker, this article was written in Newsweek in April 1975. Those doomsayers said we were all going to freeze in the dark. Now these are the same people who say we're going to roast because of global warming. Were they correct in 1975 or are they correct today? Before we panic, we need to separate science from junk science and get the facts about global warming.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia for yielding some time.

Madam Speaker, I was a former prosecutor for 8 years and a judge in Texas for 22. I spent all my life basically in the criminal justice system as a prosecutor or as a trial judge, and I can attest to the high workload, long hours and low pay attributed to our Nation's prosecutors and to public defenders.

I have found over the years that most of them do what they do because they are committed to serving the public, either as a prosecutor or a public defender. They certainly don't do it for the money.

According to the Law Schools Admission Council, however, the average law school debt for an individual who borrows Federal or private loans is anywhere from $90,000 up. The starting salary for local and State prosecutors and public defenders starts anywhere at $25,000 and sometimes it reaches $50,000. It is not nearly enough to cover the expenses and keep up with the high loan repayments every month that these lawyers have to deal with.

This leaves many qualified and dedicated lawyers leaving the district attorney's office and the public defender's office for work in the private sector where they can make more money. What happens is these lawyers get trial experience at taxpayers' expense, then leave for the big law firms because of their low government salary and their high law school debt.

When I served in the criminal courts as a judge for 22 years, I saw many good prosecutors and public defenders just leave public service because of this problem.

The people of our Nation and the victims of crime need to have the best trial lawyers we can find to prosecute criminal cases. Defendants, likewise, need conpetent public defenders to represent the rights of the citizen accused.

I am honored to be a cosponsor of H.R. 916, the John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act of 2007. Prosecutors and public defenders can have up to $30,000 of law school debt erased if they serve 3 years in their current position in public service.

Of course, this is a renewable debt forgiveness. If the trial lawyer is willing to work another 3 years as a prosecutor or public defender, then a total of $60,000 of law school debt can be forgiven. Most of the time, this will still not cover the majority of their law school debt.

Of course, local and State courts will benefit because they will be able to keep qualified and competent trial lawyers. We need the best trial lawyers in our legal profession to try criminal cases for the State and the defense.

Madam Speaker, we basically have two types of lawyers--trial lawyers. We have civil lawyers, and there are a lot of wonderful trial lawyers who are civil lawyers.

But, basically, civil lawyers argue in the courtroom over money. Nothing wrong with that, but that's what they are arguing over.

But in the criminal courts, we are arguing over something much more important than money, and it's the liberty of the person on trial. It is very serious business, and that's why you need the best prosecutor and the best public defender that we can find to represent both sides because the stakes are so high.

I urge my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 916.

I want to thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) for introducing this important piece of legislation.

Thank you to the gentleman from Tennessee for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this legislation as a cosponsor. Being from Texas, we get the brunt of trucks coming from Mexico into the United States. Mexican truck drivers shouldn't be treated any better or worse than American truck drivers.

The general reputation of the American trucking industry is very good. They maintain their vehicles, and they maintain competence of their drivers. This legislation will require the same of Mexican truck drivers that come into the United States to have vehicles that don't pollute, that are not overweight, that are maintained as well as American trucks, and it will require the simple but very logical principle that Mexican truck drivers that drive throughout the United States, those massive 18 wheelers, be able to read a street sign.

I think it's important that people who drive our freeways are able to read the directions and the signs of the cities into which they travel. This legislation makes a lot of sense; it's common sense. It's needed to equalize the crossings into the United States of Mexican truck drivers with the competence of American truck drivers.

Mr. Speaker, under the hot summer-like sun of today, several thousand peace officers dressed in their bright uniforms, along with citizens, paid tribute to the 147 peace officers killed in service to America in 2006. Also honored were the families, the spouses, the children, the parents of these peace officers. This service today was held on the West side of the Capitol. It was attended by some of us in Congress and the President of the United States spoke.

The wind blew the flags of the 50 States. They were held by peace officers, and the bagpipes played a solemn tribute in the background to these 147 peace officers. It was a fitting event sponsored for the 26th year of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Mr. Speaker, I have known a lot of police officers for the last 30 years. I was a prosecutor for 8 years in Texas, and then a criminal court judge for 22 years. I came to know a lot of them. Those rare and noble breed that wear the badge of a peace officer are remarkable people. I have even known some that have given their lives in the line of duty for the rest of us.

Peace officers that patrol the small towns or the big cities or the vastness of our counties, whether they are local, State or Federal officers, are America's first line of defense against the lawless, the criminals, the outlaws that live to steal, murder, rob and assault America. Keeping the peace this last year cost 147 men and women from across the Nation their lives. I will submit the names of these 147 names for the record.

Peace officers are all that stand between the law and the lawless. They stand between the good and the evil. They stand between the people and the criminals. When they wear the badge, they are the protector of America's people and the public servant of all communities.

They are on patrol 24 hours a day, so that the rest of us can go about our lives in peace. When we are fearful, they are fearless, and when we flee from terror, they run to terror. They are a cut above the rest of us. They are a true example of the public hero.

So we do not forget the fallen and forget what they have done with this solemn reference today, we remember the 147.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, I include the names of the peace officers killed in the line of duty in 2006 for the Record.

Peace Officers Killed in the Line of Duty in 2006

Alabama

Anthony Maurice Andrews, Micah Joe Burks, Keith Edwin

Houts, Mary Freeman Smith.

Arizona

Robert Daniel Targosz, Kevin Louis Weeks.

Arkansas

Stacy Edward McMurrough, James Walter Sell.

California

G. John Bailey, Pierre Walter Bain, Kyle Russell Ballard,

Daniel S. Bessant, Nich Tomasito Birco, Brent William

Clearman, Landon Michael Dorris, Scott Anthony Hanson,

William Joseph Hudnall Jr., Richard Allen May Jr., Jeffrey

Vaughn Mitchell, David Stan Piquette, Maria Cecilia Rosa,

Earl Harwood Scott, Darryl Takeo Tsujimoto, Bryan D. Tuvera.

Colorado

Jared Scott Jensen, Kenneth C. Jordan, Michael Del Thomas.

Connecticut

Daniel Patrick Picagli.

District of Columbia

Gerard Walter Burke Jr.

Florida

Phoenix Montana Braithwaite, Michael Anthony Callin,

Christopher Cooper Daniels Sr., Margena Silvia Nunez, John

Michael Piskator, Ryan Christopher Seguin, Juan A. Serrano,

Brian Keith Tephford, Vernon Matthew Williams.

Georgia

Peter William Faatz, Michael William Larson, John William

McKinney, Dennis Carmen Stepnowski, Joseph Tim Whitehead Jr.,

Dennis Christian Wright Sr., Michael Douglas Young.

Hawaii

Steve Bastidas Favela.

Illinois

Jeremy Chambers, Thomas Alan Cook, Elizabeth Mazella

Edwards, Brian Keith Gibbons, James F. Knapp, Rodney Todd

Miller, Eric Solorio, Thomas T. Wood.

Indiana

Gary E. Dudley, Gary L. Martin, Scott Lee Severns.

Kansas

James Leroy Johnson, Cory Allen Ricks.

Kentucky

Elmer Kiser, Jonathan Kyle Leonard, David George Whitson.

Louisiana

Herman Wayne Brooks, Christopher John Doyle III, Octavio

Rafael Gonzalez, Christopher Michael Metternich, Jeremy Paul

Newchurch.

Maine

David Jerome Rancourt.

Maryland

William H. Beebe Jr., Anthony A. Bryd, Robert Thomas

Krauss, David Warren McGuinn, Jeffery Alan Wroten.

Massachusetts

Paul Francis Barry.

Michigan

Kenneth Lee Daniels Jr., Jason Anthony Makowski, Riley

Scott Sumner, Matthew J. Tuttle.

Mississippi

T. Michael Byrd, Robert Michael Langley.

Montana

David Leroy Briese Jr., Patrick Roy Kramer.

Nevada

Henry Prendes.

New Hampshire

Michael Leland Briggs.

New Jersey

Wayne Robert Clark, Matthew J. Melchionda, Kieran Tyon

Shields.

New Mexico

James Archuleta, James Francis McGrane Jr.

New York

John Robert Allen, Joseph Daniel Corr, Francis J. Hennessy,

Kevin M. Lee, Joseph Anthony Longobardo, Andrew J. Sperr,

Craig J. Todeschini, Kenneth P. Wilcox.

Ohio

Lawrence M. Barnes Sr., Ethan G. Collins, Dale Rodney

Holcomb, Joshua Patrick Risner, Jonathan James Schroeder.

Oklahoma

William Lloyd McClendon, Steven Roy Smith.

Pennsylvania

David Michael Petzold, Gary S. Skerski, Scott Alan Wertz.

South Carolina

Jason Lannes Sheppard.

Tennessee

William Birl Jones, L. Keith Lyon, Jeremy Victor Reynolds.

Texas

Eduardo Chavez, Dwayne N. Freeto, Dale David Geddie, Rodney

Joseph Johnson, Matthew DeWayne Myrick, Gregory Dean Stewart,

James Lee Sunderland Sr., Donald Ellis Wass, Billy Jack

Zachary.

Utah

Kevin Shumway Orr.

Virginia

Vicky O. Armel, Gary Jonathan Buro, Seneca Bailey Darden,

Charles Aubrey Fisher, Michael E. Garbarino, Robert Earl

Green, Robert A. Hill Sr., Kevin Carder Manion, Eric E.

Sutphin, William Henry Tiedeman Jr.

Washington

Joselito Alvarez Barber, Steve E. Cox, Edwanton Allen

Thomas.

West Virginia

Charles Eugene Smith.

Wisconsin

Stephen Joseph Hahn, Jackie Davis Ryden.

Wyoming

Dennis Merwin Shuck.

Federal

Lorenzo Gomez, Nicholas D. Greenig, Daniel Joseph

Kuhlmeier, Gregory J. Rahoi, William Sentner III, David

Norman Webb.

Puerto Rico

Juan Jose Burgos-Velez, Raul Canales-Mundo, Jose Luis

Torres-Martinez.

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, the citizens of Farmers Branch, Texas, voted overwhelmingly to make it a crime for landlords to rent to people illegally in the United States, fining landlords $500 a day. The people have spoken. They want only citizens and legal immigrants to live in the city.

Oh, but some landlords object. I find this odd. It is illegal to be in the United States without permission. It is illegal to hire illegals that are in the United States without permission. So if illegals aren't supposed to be here in the first place or work here, it is only logical they shouldn't be able to rent here.

In spite of this new law, some landlords want to take this American city to court and demand that they, these money-grabbing landlords, be able to rent to the illegals.

This is perplexing. The Federal Government doesn't adequately protect the border or prosecute or deport illegals, so cities like Farmers Branch, Texas, are simply trying to make their city a sanctuary city for Americans and legal immigrants. And good for them.

But who knows what the Supreme Court will do. Let's see if in the name of the almighty dollar these rogue businessmen will convince the Supreme Court that illegals should be able to rent property, even though they are illegally on the land they are renting.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, my grandmothers were remarkable women. I enjoyed the time I spent with them up until they died late in years-- one at 88; the other at 99.

They lived during times when there were few if any modern conveniences. No air conditioner. No microwaves. No electricity. They forged lives for their families out of sheer will and determination. My Grandmother Poe was of Scots-Irish decent. My mom's mother, Meme, was of German heritage. Both were wonderful cooks, and I always showed them utmost respect.

Sundays were special. When we visited them we would go to Church, and then back to one of my grandmother's house for the big Sunday lunch that was all home cooking.

The summer that I was 5 years old, I visited Grandmother Poe, and on one particular Saturday she was preparing for Sunday lunch. Fried chicken was the meal. I never made the connection between the chicken we ate on Sunday and the chickens that ran loose around my grandmother's house.

I soon learned that connection and one of those chickens was the next day's meal. Grandma Poe told me on that Saturday afternoon that we needed a chicken for Sunday lunch. So I eagerly and happily followed her out to the yard and was unaware of what was about to happen. I saw her small, petite hands latch on to the neck of a hen, and with the slightest of movements she popped the head off that chicken. I was horrified. I had never seen anything so ghastly. She calmly waited for the chicken to stop ``running around with its head cut off,'' plucked the feathers off of it, and put it in a big 5-gallon bucket to be fried and eaten the next day. I don't think that I ate chicken on Sunday, but I learned respect and a little bit of fear of my Grandmother Poe that afternoon.

About a year later, a similar situation occurred with Grandmother Meme, when I stayed with her.

Sunday was to be another meal of fried chicken. So on Saturday, I was emotionally prepared in my youthful mind for the ``chicken hunt''-- ready to see the neck pop off of another unsuspecting chicken--just to be devoured by humans.

But this time, my Meme did not go wring a chicken's neck. Instead, just as calm as my Grandmother Poe had been, she picked up her 22 rifle, stepped out of the back porch, took aim at the moving, head- jerking hen, and pulled the trigger. She shot that chicken in the head and it flopped over with no movement at all. One shot--one dead hen. I was stunned. She picked up the carcass and fried it, just as my other grandmother had done.

I gained a lot of respect for my gun-totin' grandmother that Saturday.

After those two incidents occurred early in my life, I was always careful on how I treated my grandmothers--careful never to anger either one of them--and remembering in a childlike way, the fate of those chickens. I admired my grandmothers and cherished all those special lessons they taught me for numerous years.

This Mother's Day, we pay tribute to those wonderful, hard-but-soft ladies like the generation of my grandmothers.

We praise and respect all of the American mothers this Sunday that have made us who we are and taught us about respect and honor of these remarkable women. And Madam Speaker, I still don't eat chicken. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, another day, but yet not other dollar has been sent by Congress to supply our warriors in Iraq with the equipment and resources they need.

The troops will soon be out of money to carry on the war in Iraq. Congress needs to get needed funds to our military.

Our troops are the best ever assembled for warfare. They are all volunteers. They will do their duty in spite of congressional inaction for money.

Our troops are relentless. They adhere to the words of Winston Churchill in 1941. ``There shall be no halting or half measures. We cannot for a minute afford to relax. On the contrary, we must drive ourselves forward with unrelenting zeal.''

So Congress must appropriate money to make that military mission successful. And what is that mission? -

In part, it is what President John F. Kennedy said years ago: ``Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we will pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.''

And that's just the way it is.

I want to thank the gentlelady from North Carolina for yielding the time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to also thank the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis, for their support of this legislation, and, of course, the gentleman from Illinois as well.

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 291 supports the goals and ideals of Peace Officers Memorial Day, our Nation's first line of defenders. I would also like to thank the 78 Members of Congress who cosponsored this bipartisan resolution for their support.

Law enforcement officers are a special type of people. They put on the uniform and the badge of a law officer. They swear an oath to uphold the law of our land and vow to protect the citizens of all communities.

In carrying out their duties, law enforcement officers are routinely subjected to threats against their personal safety. According to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, more than 56,000 law enforcement officers are assaulted every year in the line of duty. They are subjected to being slapped, punched, kicked, bit, stabbed, and even shot by suspects. And this does not include what could happen in the course of high-speed chases that occur throughout our country.

Most of these peace officers that are assaulted walk away from that fight with minor injuries and the suspect generally is carted off to jail in handcuffs. There are those community protectors, however, that aren't as fortunate, because they give their lives in the line of duty.

Since the first recorded police department death in 1792, over 17,900 peace officers have been killed while performing the duty of a law officer somewhere in this great country. Statistics show that every 53 hours a law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty. Last year, 2006, 143 officers were killed in the line of duty.

We all remember September 11 and what occurred on that day, how many of us watched on television when those planes hit the World Trade Center, when they hit the Pentagon; how thousands of people, good people, as soon as that terror hit those buildings, those people were running as fast as they could to get away from that danger.

But there was another group of people, not very many, but they were there running as fast as they could to get to the danger, and those were the people who wear the badge. That also included our firefighters and our emergency medical technicians. Seventy-two of those peace officers that ran to those buildings that were being assaulted from the air were killed in the line of duty that one day.

Of course, it strikes all communities, even our community down in Beaumont, Texas, and the Beaumont Police Department and its recent tragedy of a peace officer killed in the line of duty. Last week, this community suffered the loss of one of their own, Officer Lisa Beaulieu, the first female peace officer in southeast Texas that has been killed in the line of duty.

She was a 6-year veteran of the Beaumont Police Department. She was on patrol by herself at 1 a.m. when she responded to the scene of a motorcycle accident in Beaumont. As she got out of her vehicle and started directing traffic, a drunk driver slammed into her, throwing her over the side of the freeway and killing her. It was a tragic end for a peace officer that loved to protect the people of our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, during the time that I was a judge in Texas for over 22 years, I encountered many, many peace officers who wore the badge, and proudly did so; and I considered those peace officers who would do that, that cross over the line to represent the rest of us and protect us, a rare and noble bleed.

So on Tuesday, May 15, thousands of local, State and Federal peace officers will gather across the Nation to remember their fellow officers. Known as National Peace Officers Memorial Day, established by President Kennedy in 1962, the day serves as a tribute to the men and women who daily put themselves in harm's way to ensure the safety and security of our country and our Nation. The flags will be lowered at half mast and ceremonies will be held across the entire country.

The national memorial ceremony is held right here on the lawn of the United States Capitol, where the President of the United States, thousands of law enforcement officers, and Members of Congress will be there. Those officers that are in attendance, their badges will be draped in black as a remembrance of their fellow officers who were killed in the line of duty.

Law enforcement officers are the first line of defense between law- abiding citizens and those who violate the law. They are public servants who dedicate their time and their lives to protect us. They wear the badge of courage with pride, and we as a Nation need to honor them for their service of the American people.

I hope that our Congress, these folks in this body, will pass this legislation as fast as possible.

Mr. Speaker, does anybody realize there's a war going on out there in the desert sands of Iraq and the rough mountains of Afghanistan? Apparently not, or Congress would be taking care of our troops.

Mr. Speaker, the troops will be out of funds to carry the fight to the enemy by the end of June. So where's the money?

Spending money is what Congress does. Why hasn't this body provided the funds for our troops and equipment and for more personnel?

This is an emergency. Delaying will put our troops at risk. We should authorize the funds now; send equipment now and, if needed, send more troops.

The American people expect our military to do their duty. Well, the American people expect us to do ours as well.

Congress needs to quit talking about supporting the troops and put money where our mouths seem to be.

Nathan Bedford Forrest, successful Confederate general, said it best about winning and victory and the means to do so. He said: ``Get there firstest with the mostest.''

Congress needs to send the generals the mostest, Mr. Speaker, needs to send equipment and personnel that is needed. Doing this will help our mission in spite of the Congressional Surrender Group's desire to retreat and quit.

And that's just the way it is.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from American Samoa for sponsorship of this resolution and Mr. Lantos, the chairman, and the ranking member from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).

Today I rise to offer my endorsement of a resolution that recognizes the enduring ties of the United States and

the Pacific Island nations. Our Nation's links with the Pacific Islands extend back to the earliest days of the American Republic, when New England whalers, symbolized by Captain Ahab, sailed in the South Pacific. In those early days, clipper ships also set sail from American ports across the Pacific in pursuit of the China trade. American missionaries soon followed, journeying to the Pacific Islands to deepen the cultural and religious ties between our two peoples.

Our bonds to our Pacific neighbors have been further enhanced by their ethnic and historic links to our 50th State, Hawaii, America's gateway to the Pacific.

When war came to the Pacific at Pearl Harbor on that day of infamy, December 7, 1941, the peoples of the Pacific joined the United States in turning back the threat of the invader. It was two Solomon Islanders who bravely carried a coconut hidden in a canoe through enemy lines with the immortal words: ``Commander . . . native knows position . . . he can pilot . . . 11 alive . . . need small boat . . . Kennedy.''

The rescue of the crew of PT-109, including a future President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, is remembered as one of the great epic stories of the war in the Pacific.

In the six decades since the end of that war, our diplomatic, commercial and cultural ties have grown steadily with our Pacific neighbors. One legacy of the American President rescued by the Pacific Islanders has been the Peace Corps, which has sent volunteers to work together with the peoples of the Pacific for the past 40 years.

The East-West Center in Hawaii, established by the United States Congress in 1960, has been a vital source for cultural and academic exchange and for a dialogue on critical issues of mutual concern. The center has played a pivotal role in cementing the ties between the peoples of the United States and the peoples of the Pacific Islands. I commend the center for hosting the Pacific Island Conference of Leaders here in Washington, D.C. Therefore, I welcome the opportunity to offer my strong and enthusiastic support for House Resolution 355, welcoming America's good friends, the leaders of the Pacific Islands, to Washington, D.C.

I offer them and the people of the Pacific a warm welcome of ``aloha.''

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to once again commend the gentleman from American Samoa for not only bringing forth this resolution, but his work in educating the American public on the Pacific Islands and the need for cooperation with the United States and the Pacific Islands.

He mentioned the Solomon Islands during World War II. The Solomon Islands, among many other island nations in the Pacific, helped the United States combat imperialism. And when the American troops left those islands, many of those nations had to suffer continuously for the destruction that occurred on their islands. And of course there are still Americans who are volunteering from American Samoa and Guam fighting in our American forces overseas. And some Americans sometimes forget that these two areas of our country help in the great war on terror. So I want to commend him for bringing this resolution, and I support the adoption of House Resolution 355.

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

Mr. Speaker, France has a new President, Nicolas Sarkozy. While the world waits to see if he will give vigor and energy and leadership to his complex and sometimes difficult French people, his position on illegal immigration is quite clear.

Europe has its influx of illegals, not unlike the United States. Northern Africans are fleeing their native lands for Europe. They go mostly to Spain, where French President-elect Sarkozy accuses Spain of promoting amnesty in that Nation. Of course, once in Spain, it seems these illegals can roam Europe with ease.

Mr. Sarkozy claims Spain wants to give amnesty to now 600,000 illegals in its Nation. Mr. Sarkozy wants to ban European Nations from offering amnesty. He wants to bolster the EU border agency, the group that parols the African coast, with more police forces and use of the military to prevent the illegal landings in Europe.

It is interesting to note, Mr. Speaker, that Morocco, one of the Nations where people illegally flee to Europe from, wants the illegal flight to stop from its Nation. Almost 40 percent of the Africans that go to Europe by sea die in the process. This is a world crisis. Morocco wants to develop its native lands with European aid to keep people home, change the despair to hope by economic development, quit sending its problem to Europe but solve its problem. African Nations see the answer to solving their economic problems is not sending their populations to the north to Europe.

Mr. Sarkozy wants the European Union to have an EU-wide policy on illegal immigration and deal with this issue head-on instead of ignore the obvious. We shall see if this cooperation with the EU and France and the African countries works to stop the illegal entry, and we wish Mr. Sarkozy well in his presidency of France.

Meanwhile, back at home, here in the United States, our borders seem to be as open as ever because our government does not have the moral will to enforce the rule of law.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, this House last night, about 11:30 p.m., authorized money for some absurd projects, including the study of bison hunting on the prehistoric Great Plains and, get this, the study of the sex lives of the Phayre's Leaf monkeys.

Meanwhile, our troops in Iraq are running out of money to fight the bad guys. Why? Because some Members of Congress think they know more about conducting the war in Iraq than the Generals do. So this congressional surrender group refuses to send more money without also demanding the day the United States will retreat and quit the fight.

This Nation is at war with the people of hate. Those ill-informed people who are determined that we lose this conflict by keeping a tight fist on the war money have their priorities wrong.

Money for the study of monkey business, but no money for the troops is a mockery. Money for our troops is more important than investigating the sex lives of the Leaf monkeys and the study of prehistoric bison anyplace in the world.

Mr. Speaker, we need to work as late tonight to provide money for our U.S. warriors as we did last night to send money to the monkeys.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, now that the media sideshows and the press conferences are over for the Iraqi Surrender Group, and the President vetoed the day of surrender bill yesterday, and properly so, Congress needs to get on about the business of funding our troops. Failure to fund our troops not only will affect our troops there, but it will affect the Iraqi security forces, the National Guard, and, of course, our Reserves.

That first bill may have funded some of the troops, but it had the pork and beans provision, $26 billion for the shrimp industry, the peanut farmers and the spinach farmers. Eliminate that and eliminate the day of surrender provision in that bill. Have a clean bill to support our troops. No more complaining. Send them the money they need.

This reminds me of the same problem that General Stonewall Jackson had with the Confederate Congress when they were complaining about the war. He said, ``Send more troops, not more questions.''

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, teenagers Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena were viciously raped, beaten, strangled and stomped to death by six gang members in Houston in 1993. One of these killers, Mexican national Jose Ernesto Medellin, was given the death penalty. But the World Court claims that Medellin was denied access to the Mexican consulate during his arrest. The U.S. administration sided with the World Court in Mexico and ordered Texas to hold a new hearing for Medellin based on a treaty the United States signed in 1969. But the Texas court, highest Texas court, ruled 9-0 the administration had no constitutional authority to order Texas courts to do anything; upheld the conviction, ordered the execution, especially because Medellin never objected at trial that he did not see his consulate. The killer, with the support of the administration and Mexico, has appealed the Texas court decision to the United States Supreme Court. One wonders why the administration is siding with Mexico over the American court system.

Madam Speaker, the ironic thing is the United States has withdrawn the consulate treaty provision. The United States justice system and the sovereignty of the United States Constitution should be paramount to the wishes of Mexico, the World Court and the administration. The Supreme Court should uphold this valid conviction and not give in to the wishes of Foreign Courts.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, peace officers are the last strand of wire in the fence between the law and the lawless. They do society's dirty work for us. They are a cut above the rest of us because of who they are and what they do.

For Lisa Beaulieu, becoming a police officer was her life's ambition. She wanted to protect and serve the citizens of the community that she loved. Lisa worked hard at becoming a peace officer, and it didn't come easy for her. To gain experience, she worked as a jailer in Dayton, Texas while putting herself through the police academy at Lamar Institute of Technology. And when she graduated, Lisa got a job as a dispatcher at the Beaumont Police Department. To gain more experience as a law enforcement officer, Lisa became an unpaid part-time reserve officer with the Kountze Police Department in Texas. After years of determination, Lisa was hired by the Beaumont Police Department as a patrol officer in 2001.

For 6 years, Officer Lisa Beaulieu was, as many officers are, the first line of defense between the good and the evil of our community. She was dedicated to her job, and she took it seriously. Friends of Lisa stated that, when off duty, she was a girly girl. She loved the color pink, she always had manicured nails and pedicured toes, and had a closet full of shoes. Lisa had a smile that could light up a room and a great sense of humor, often telling men that would hit on her that she was just a driver's education instructor. She was dedicated to the family she had and her friends, and she cherished the moments she spent with them. She was also an avid animal lover, housing two dogs that she adopted from the animal shelter.

During the devastation of Hurricane Rita, Lisa took care of the citizens of Beaumont and her law enforcement family. She worked long, tireless 12-hour days, patrolling the hurricane's aftermath and caring for the residents of Beaumont. For her fellow officers, she turned her own garage into a makeshift shelter, offering them a place to come and get some rest before heading back into the disaster zone.

Friends stated that when she put on her uniform, however, she was all business. She was fearless and Texas tough, invincible when she wore the badge of a peace officer. Known as the type of officer who would set an example for others, Lisa's police file was filled with commendations from Chief Tom Scofield.

Around 1 a.m. Friday morning, April 27, the seasoned Officer Beaulieu responded to the scene of a motorcycle accident on the Eastex Freeway in Beaumont. She began directing traffic around the accident, allowing motorists to pass. While controlling the accident scene and out of the darkness of the night, a car driven by 24-year-old Willie McCray slammed into Officer Beaulieu, knocking her over the guard rail and onto the road below, killing her. She became the first female police officer in Southeast Texas killed in the line of duty.

Mr. Speaker, this is a photograph of Lisa Beaulieu. The Beaumont Texas community was stunned by the loss of this veteran peace officer. Some news reports, however, have tried to portray the person who ran over Lisa as the victim instead of her. McCray was not the victim, he was the offender. McCray's driver's license was suspended and he had no liability insurance. He had been arrested eight times for minor crimes. And the worst part, McCray was allegedly drunk and believed to be high on marijuana when he was blasting down the road. McCray has been charged with the intoxicated manslaughter in the death of this peace officer of Texas. He robbed the Beaumont community and Officer Beaulieu's family of a dedicated law officer.

Yesterday, I had the honor to attend her funeral, where over 1,000 citizens, law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency personnel throughout Southeast Texas were all in attendance showing their support for their fallen comrade. The peace officers present wore a black ribbon of sorrow across their badges as they paid a last farewell to Lisa Beaulieu.

Mr. Speaker, Officer Beaulieu exemplified what it meant to be a peace officer. She was a protector of the innocent, the community, and her fellow peace officers. Officer Beaulieu wore the badge with pride, honor, and courage. The people and peace officers of Texas are saddened by the loss of one of their dedicated servants.

As a former Texas judge, I have known a lot of peace officers in my day, and some of them were superior peace officers. Lisa was one of those superior officers. Officers like Lisa Beaulieu serve us well and are on duty in the middle of the night so that the rest of us can sleep with safety and security.

And that's just the way it is.