Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, the three words from the official seal of the United States Army states: ``This we'll defend.'' Sergeant Bill Meeuwsen was a member of the Army and he died carrying out this motto, defending the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Sergeant Bill Meeuwsen. He was truly a remarkable person. Bill was born in Mount Vernon, Washington, on February 10, 1981, and when he was 10 years old, he and his family found their way to southeast Texas and moved to Kingwood, Texas. He attended Kingwood High School, one of the finest high schools in this country, and he graduated in 1999.

He went on to Texas A&M University, and he and some of his friends enlisted in the United States Army as a result of the attacks of September 11, 2001. His father Mike said ``Bill strongly believed that we all share a responsibility to serve on behalf of God and country, to protect freedoms we all cherish so deeply.'' It was that sense of

patriotism that led him to enter the United States Army.

Bill was initially deployed with the renowned Band of Brothers to Camp Giant, near the Korean demilitarized zone in March of 2003. A year later, he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. It was there he married his wife, Lauren Lynn, on August 18, this year, 2005. She was the daughter of a Colonel who was also serving in Iraq.

Bill was then deployed to Iraq just 3 months later, in October of 2005. Two months after that, on the day before Thanksgiving this year, Sergeant Bill Meeuwsen was one of two soldiers killed in action when his unit came under direct fire near Baghdad. He was the 186th Texan killed in Iraq since the war began. One out of every ten people serving in the United States military today is from the State of Texas.

Mr. Speaker, Bill is remembered as a person who loved his friends and family. He enjoyed playing basketball with his buddies, and he had compassion for animals. When he was growing up, he used to hide animals in his home. His friends and family will never forget his friendly and ever-present smile.

He had a great sense of humor and a way of making anyone around him feel comfortable. His father, Mike, spoke of his sense of adventure and interest in exploring other countries and cultures, which he was doing by fulfilling his Army experience.

While in Iraq, Bill spoke with his wife, Lauren, and parents, Mike and Thresa frequently. In one of his most recent conversations, he was upbeat and excited about his unit's recent success in the field in Iraq. He felt strongly they were accomplishing their mission and goal, making a difference in Iraq for those people. A week before he died, he sent home this photograph of him taking a break in Iraq enjoying tea in the Iraqi custom.

Mr. Speaker, here is a photograph of Bill shortly before he was killed in active duty in Iraq. It shows this big man, this big son of America, taking a break while on duty in Iraq for his country and for the people of Iraq.

During another conversation with his mother Thresa, she was crying when she spoke with her son because Bill's platoon had recently suffered four casualties, and she was worried how he was handling this. But Bill was very clear in his response to his mother. He told his mother, ``Mom, you do not need to cry for the soldiers who were killed. They are all in heaven. They were good men. They died doing what they wanted to do. Cry for their families.'' Wise words from one of America's sons.

His clear and matter-of-fact responses have been a tremendous source of comfort to his wife and to his parents since his death.

While Bill was stationed in Korea before he went to Iraq, he met a man named Ahn. Ahn was a sergeant in the South Korean Army. He and Bill made quick friends. They made an odd pair since Ahn was relatively short and Bill was 6 foot 4 inches tall. On numerous weekends the two of them would catch the train to Seoul, South Korea, where they explored the city, and Ahn helped Bill learn the customs of the Korean people. Bill even got to go to Ahn's parents' home.

After he learned of Bill's passage, Ahn sent a heartfelt letter in broken English to the Meeuwsen family in Texas. It reads in part: ``There is an old Korean saying that `too nice and good person tends to be taken by God earlier than usual.' I strongly sure that Holy Father have special plan to brighten the heaven with Mr. Meeuwsen.''

Mr. Speaker, I am sure that heaven is already brighter with Bill up there, and I would like to extend my prayers and our condolences to his parents, Mike and Thresa, to his relatives, his friends, the community of Kingwood, Texas, his wife, Laura Lynn. Sergeant Meeuwsen touched so many lives in his 24 years. He was a freedom fighter, he was an Aggie, a son of proud parents, a member of the band of brothers, an American warrior, and an inspiration to all patriots. His patriotism and heroism and his life will not be forgotten. He paid for freedom with his life. He paid for our safety with his blood, and he paid for our future years with his youth.

When I talked to Sergeant Meeuwsen's father, Mike, about what his son believed in and his reasons for his personal involvement in Iraq, he said this: ``I am here for God, country, and freedom.''

Mr. Speaker, that says it all.

God bless Bill and God bless our troops and God bless America. That is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, I want to make a few comments regarding our situation in Iraq.

You and numerous other Members of this body have been to Iraq to see firsthand exactly the situation, see the finest military that has ever existed from any country; and I met with those young men and women and all branches of the service, and to a person they were proud not only to be Americans but they were proud to serve in Iraq to free the Iraqi people from the tyranny that they have had for years, numerous years.

I think it is important that we remember our own history and how it is necessary to be eternally vigilant because of the issue and concept of liberty. Our own American Revolution took at least 7 years before this country became a free and independent Nation. Back then there were the naysayers and the quitters and the cut-and-run folks who wanted to give up and surrender and not fight for that liberty.

It is good our history reflects those people were not listened to by the vast majority of those people who lived in the colonies and gained freedom and an independent Nation as well.

In many wars since then, the same was true. Including back during World War II that we mentioned yesterday on this House floor that all started with another terrorist attack against this country, and the war was not going well for the United States at the beginning of World War II. Both the Japanese and the Germans had the upper hand. It is good that our history does not reflect that that greatest generation got tired of the war, quit and left that engagement but finished the job, finished the job for freedom as well.

The country has a plan. I think the plan is very simple. We are going to win the war, finish the job, and bring our troops home as soon as liberty is established in that democracy, that democracy that many people said would never exist, that does exist.

I was proud to be one of two Members of this body on January 30, 2005, when Iraq started that democracy with that parliament that occurred. People voted that day, and of course there are those who said they will never vote; they do not understand democracy. They will never come out and vote. And yet they did, even though there were over 50 Iraqis murdered because they chose to vote. Over 400 were wounded because they chose to vote, and they did it anyway because freedom is that important.

But it all occurred because we are there. Our troops are there. Our young men and women are there doing what they can to have democracy in this part of the world that many years ago did not even understand the concept of it.

I appreciate the opportunity to make these comments. The last 2 days I have stood on this House floor and mentioned two people in my district, one a marine and one a soldier, who gave their lives for this country in Iraq, gave their lives for the Iraqi people, and gave their lives for freedom. Both of them and their families have reiterated to me personally how they believed in what they were doing because they were doing the right thing.

I appreciate the chance to make these comments. It is important that the American people focus, finish the job, win the war, and bring the troops home as soon as we can, but not until freedom is established.

We started out in Fallujah that day. I was there with Mr. Shays. When the sun came up, we were wondering whether people would come to the polls. The whole nation was shut down to vehicular traffic. The only vehicles on the roads were Iraqi security forces and our military. Nobody else could be driving, so everybody had to walk to the polls that day, sometimes up to 2 hours.

After the sun came up, people started going to the polls. They walked. Not only did they walk, they took their families and their in- laws. They stood in line to vote. They voted. It was a very simple process. To mark the ballot, they put their finger in that ink that stayed on their finger for about 5 days. It was a mark. It was a sign not just that they voted, but it was a sign to the terrorists that if we see anybody with those purple fingers we are going to do harm to you. Yet the Iraqis when they finished voting, many of them, especially women who had never had the right to vote in their history, walked defiantly down the street holding up their hand and finger to show the world, especially the terrorists, that they were not going to be intimidated because freedom is that important.

So we traveled all over the country that day. Late that night we visited with the interim president of Iraq. And he said to us about midnight in a very somber, emotional way, but serious, that this day in Iraq would never have taken place if it were not for the American youth who were there. He was serious. He and the Iraqi people are grateful for this concept of freedom.

That is what the United States does. We did that in World War II. We set up those democracies in Germany and Japan. People said that would never happen because of those totalitarian countries; yet those countries are democracies today. They are world powers, and they are our allies.

Who is to say that in a few years the same thing may not happen in Afghanistan and Iraq. I would not trade anything for being there on election day.

No question about it. It was a very moving experience.

Mr. Speaker, around breakfast time on a stunning Sunday sunrise, Luke Trahin, a 22-year-old sailor from Texas, noticed large formations of aircraft darkening the glistening sky. He kept watching it until suddenly bombs from the Japanese invaders started dropping on Pearl Harbor Naval Base. It was December 7, 1941.

After the smoke cleared that morning of madness, the American battleships, the ships of the line were destroyed. 188 planes were destroyed. 2,471 Americans, servicemen and civilians were killed by this unwarranted terror from the skies.

Luke and his buddies in Hawaii quickly got organized and for 2 days, waited for the Japanese landing, but it did not occur. Luke Trahin stayed in the Navy a total of 6 years until World War II was won by his greatest generation.

He is now 86 years of age and he lives in southeast Texas. He still wears his Navy blues and medals on Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and, of course, the 4th of July. He is a proud Pearl Harbor survivor.

To my friend, Luke Trahin, and all those who served the cause of freedom, and the 400,000 Americans who died in World War II, December 7, as FDR said, is a day that will and has lived in infamy. That's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, Kenneth Lee Boyd committed a violent and vicious crime on the evening of March 4, 1988, in North Carolina. On that night, Boyd armed himself with a .357 Magnum pistol and committed cold-blooded murder against members of his very own family.

On that evening, Boyd picked up his children from his father-in-law's home and told the boys they were going for pizza. But that was a lie. With the pistol sitting in the seat of the car between Boyd and his children, he went back to his father-in-law's home, a place where his estranged wife was staying.

His 13-year-old son, Christopher, sensing something was up, tried to hide that pistol. And when Boyd pulled up to his father-in-law's driveway, Christopher, frightened, jumped from the car and ran to warn his grandparents and his mother.

Boyd then approached the house and began his shocking shooting spree. He first shot and killed his father-in-law, Thomas Curry, through the door. He then found his estranged wife in the doorway of her bedroom. He shot her several times and then went outside and reloaded his murder weapon, came back and shot her some more. In the end, it was decided Julie Boyd was shot a total of eight times.

Boyd went back outside, shot some more, and this time at his brother- in-law, Craig Curry, who was moving Boyd's children and a nephew to a wooded area to safety. The bullet missed Craig, who was trying to hide in the woods.

Boyd then returned to the home, called 911, informed the operator he had just killed his wife and father-in-law and told them to come get him. When the police arrived, he surrendered.

Last week, finally, Kenneth Boyd became the 1,000th execution to take place in the United States since the Supreme Court allowed the death penalty to resume in 1976. Last week, Kenneth Boyd was finally punished for his sins and crimes that he committed over 17 years ago.

Last week, when justice was served, the weak-kneed do-gooders and media had a heyday. Headlines surfaced and everyone focused on the number 1,000. Boyd was portrayed as a martyr. If the media was so gung ho keeping score, why did very few of them also report the number 558,000?

Mr. Speaker, this higher number is the total number of murder victims since the ruling in 1976. That is 558,000 people murdered by killers here in the United States. And who is carrying the torch for their cause? We continuously hear about the murderers, but we hear very little about the victims of crime.

Mr. Speaker, as a former judge and prosecutor, I have witnessed firsthand how victims are being treated in the justice system. Being a victim is a terrifying and unforgettable nightmare; then to become a victim at the hands of the criminal justice system is shameful, especially in a system that claims to have justice for all. The first duty of government must be to protect its citizens and victims, and victims should never be ignored to the benefit of criminals.

A Federal judge in Houston is now playing his role in overlooking the victims of crime as well. In June 1994, Charles Raby was sentenced to death for the 1992 slaying of 72-year-old Edna Franklin. Her throat was slit twice, her ribs were broken, and her body was stabbed numerous times with a knife. Charles Raby is currently on death row waiting to be executed, but he has filed another lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of lethal injection on the grounds it is cruel and unusual punishment.

U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes recently denied a motion by the State Attorney General to dismiss Raby's ridiculous claim, and now he will be given access to State documents and employees to try to prove this worthless claim. This man brutally killed a 72-year-old woman with a knife and Judge Hughes is concerned his execution may be painful. Where was this Federal judge when Edna Franklin was brutally executed? This ought not to be.

Mr. Speaker, victims deserve to be treated better than this. We as a culture must not stand by and do nothing while those 558,000 were murdered and others hurt in our country. We must support victims of crime, and we must make sure the criminals who commit crimes against them pay for those acts of violence.

There are too many victims who cannot stand up for their own rights, and so it is up to us as concerned citizens, justice officials, public policymakers, and Members of this Congress to stand up for the rights of every homicide victim in this Nation to honor their memories through action. By continuing our commitment to helping the families and friends of murdered victims, and promoting a crime policy that ensures a place at the table of justice for them, we honor those lives that were stolen by senseless violence.

The theme of the 2005 National Crime Victims Week put it best: Justice is not served until crime victims are. That is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, when the American Revolution arrived, Thomas Paine published these words in ``The Crisis.'' In 1776 he talked about the Americans who go to war, the causes for which they fight, the conditions under which they wage war. He exhorted the soldiers and all Americans with these words: ``These are the times that try men's souls: the summer soldier, the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of this country. But he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly. Heaven knows how to set a proper price on its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.''

So to America, we must have this unwavering resolve to finish the task before us. And to our troops, stand firm. Stand tall. Stand for freedom. Because we over here support you over there. And come home victorious for freedom when it's over over there. That's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the great General Douglas MacArthur of World War II once commented, ``I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is not a finer fighting organization in the world.'' Lance Corporal Robert ``Robbie'' Alexander Martinez was a member of this fine fighting organization. He was killed December 1 while fighting and serving our Nation in Iraq. He was a member of the Second Battalion, Seventh Marine Regiment, First Marine Division, based at Marine Corps Air Ground and Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, California.

Mr. Speaker, to date, there have been 185 Texans killed since the war began in March 2003. Lance Corporal Martinez was just 20 years of age. He was on his second Iraqi tour. He had already spent 7 months on the Syrian border in 2004. He went to Iraq and into Fallujah this past June. He and nine other Marines were killed last Thursday when a roadside bomb exploded next to them in the deadliest attack against American troops in Iraq in 4 months. Martinez was scheduled to come home this past Monday but at the last minute his tour was extended for a month and a half.

Just a week ago, Robbie Martinez had just called his mother and asked her to buy a diamond because he was coming home. He had planned to propose to his ``love at first sight'' girlfriend, Taylor Wilkenson, as soon as he got back.

Robbie Martinez graduated from Cleveland High School in Cleveland, Texas, in 2003. While in high school, he was known as the peacemaker. By the time he started his senior year, he had already signed up for the Marines. He pre-enlisted at the age of 17 so he could be activated as soon as he graduated from high school. Martinez was a baseball pitcher at Cleveland High and dreamed of getting his degree in education and becoming a baseball coach. He put his dreams on hold to join the elite fighting forces of the United States Marine Corps. He left for basic training 2 days after he graduated from high school.

Lance Corporal Martinez's stepfather, Jeremy Hunt, called Robbie his ``diamond in the rough'' and one of the greatest things that had ever come into his life. He said Robbie loved being in the Corps and was proud of it. He was proud of being a Marine. He knew he was there for a reason and he was resolving the situation in Iraq and looking forward to coming home. He had requested lots of candy in his care packages from Texas. This candy was not for him because he would hand it out to the Iraqi children that he would see.

He is remembered for his infectious smile and someone who loved spending time with his family and friends, barbecuing and making people smile. Robbie's mother, Kelly Hunt, said that her 14-year-old son Mikie wants to join the military, just like his brother.

President Ronald Reagan once said, ``Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but the Marines don't have that problem.'' Lance Corporal Martinez was working to make a difference in the world when he gave his life. His bravery, his dedication, his patriotism will not be forgotten by his friends, his family and freedom-loving peoples throughout the world.

Lance Corporal Martinez died for this country, the Iraqi people and for that word freedom. His Nation made the call and he responded without hesitation with his unwavering courage and his commitment. He served his country with honor and distinction. He wanted to be in the Marines since he was 12 years of age.

Mr. Speaker, as we extend our prayers and our condolences to his parents, his relatives, his friends and his fellow students at Cleveland High School in Texas, we take time to reflect on this American hero's devotion to country and to the people of Iraq. He is a heroic representative of the State of Texas and an honorable defender of liberty and freedom.

Country music singer Brad Cotter wrote the following in his tribute to American soldiers and it is fitting right now:

``Thank God for Americans in uniform. Those who fight to keep our freedom every day. Thank God for Americans in uniform. Those who fight to keep us safe along our way.''

Semper Fi, Lance Corporal Martinez. Semper Fi.

Mr. Speaker, Officer Brian Jackson loved his job. He had been a member of the Dallas Police Department since 2001. He moved to Dallas from his hometown in Rhode Island because he wanted to ``be a big city cop.''

But in the early morning hours of last Sunday, the last 15 minutes of his shift, Officer Brian Jackson, 28, responded to one last call. His shift was basically over, but he agreed to answer one more emergency.

It was not only his last call of the night, but it was his last call ever. Officer Jackson was responding to a domestic disturbance call when he was murdered, allegedly by an illegal alien from Mexico named Juan Lizcano.

But this crime could have been avoided. This illegal alien had been arrested twice in the last year, but because of safe haven sanctuary laws in Dallas, he was never deported. Because of these preposterous laws, a dedicated police officer, husband, and friend lost his life.

Officer Jackson and his newlywed wife had just returned from a delayed honeymoon in Hawaii.

Americans are dying because the government does not protect our borders. This is yet another example of our Nation's flawed immigration policy. This ought not to be.

When the First Lady of the Gulf, Katrina, unloaded her wrath on Louisiana and Mississippi, thousands of people fled to my home State of Texas. This evacuation brought in not only good folks but it brought in registered sex offenders to the communities and neighborhoods of southeast Texas. Now, 2\1/2\ months later, many child molesters remain unaccounted for, lurking in the shadows, some waiting to attack again innocent children.

The Houston Chronicle reported yesterday that almost 300 known sex offenders from Louisiana have moved to the Houston area alone since Hurricane Katrina. None of them have been accounted for.

Some of these sex offenders registered with FEMA and received Federal disaster assistance. So FEMA has an address and a location of these registered sex offenders, but they will not release the names to local law enforcement. They are citing privacy reasons. This defies common sense.

Sex offenders gave up their privacy rights when they decided to rape and molest children. It is for this reason today I am filing legislation giving FEMA the authority and the duty to release this information about registered sex offenders to local law enforcement officials. The public has a right to know who these people are. Our children are in danger, and there should be no red tape when it comes to their safety.

That's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, southeast Texas has over 40,000 acres of rice fields. Until recently, the combined acreage of rice farms in the State of Texas was about 600,000 acres. That is bigger than the State of Rhode Island. Hometown rice farmers, like my friend Ray Stoesser, are seriously struggling, however. Ray, like most rice farmers, simply wants more markets to sell American rice.

The House and Senate versions of the Treasury, Transportation appropriations bill enhanced markets and included language that would allow agricultural trade to Cuba. The conference report, however, stripped that language out and maintains the current trade embargo. The conferees' refusal to allow rice trade to Cuba defies common sense. It places politics above American farmers like Ray Stoesser, not to mention it is bad for the American economy.

The Cuban people will continue to eat rice. If we do not sell it to them, they will get it from that communist nation Vietnam. We hear talk of free trade. NAFTA, CAFTA, we trade with the Communists in China, but not selling rice to Cuba does not punish Castro and his Communists. It punishes American rice farmers.

Mr. Speaker, this ought not to be.

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to U.S. immigration policy, who is really in charge? Is it Mexico City or Washington, D.C.?

On almost a daily basis, Mexican officials seem to interfere with the immigration matters and U.S. laws. Mexican officials on both sides of the border are righteously indignant about American policies pertaining to the security of our border. Many American officials are oblivious to the problem as well. There is a continuous moaning and groaning rhetoric complaining we should not prevent illegals from entering the sovereign United States.

I want to make it clear again that I fully support immigration, legal immigration. It is not fair to America, nor is it fair to those who are trying to enter our country lawfully that every year thousands of people enter our country illegally. We must stop sending the wrong message to the world that we will wink at illegal immigration. It appears to me that the leaders of Mexico give lip service to our immigration and border security laws. Mexico must stop encouraging illegal entry to the United States and the disrespect for the dignity and sovereignty of this country. So I ask, When it comes to U.S. immigration policy, who is in charge? Is it Mexico City or is it Washington, D.C.?

Let me give you some examples. I will start with our open borders. You know, our government does not acknowledge the term open borders or porous borders, but that is exactly what we have. I have recently visited the United States-Mexico border and witnessed firsthand the lax security in place there. It takes very little effort for illegals to cross or hire someone to cross them into the United States and enter this country illegally.

Some estimate that 5,000 people a day cross illegally into our country. Some of them even do it with the help of the Mexican Government. The Foreign Ministry of Mexico distributes a pamphlet called ``Guide to Crossing the Border.'' I have shown this on the floor before. It is produced in English and Spanish, and it is essentially a book of sneaking into the United States. The Mexican consulates encourage this illegal conduct as well. Their purpose is not to help their citizens break American law, but that is what occurs. Passing out these guides is a disgrace to our laws and encourages illegal behavior. This lone act of a document showing people illegally how to come into the United States is a disrespect for America's borders and encourages the daily invasion of illegals into the United States.

So once again I will ask the question, When it comes to United States immigration policy, who is in charge? Mexico City or Washington, D.C.?

Consulates also hand out matricula consular cards which illegals use for identification purposes. This card resembles a driver's license and has become widely accepted as a form of identification to get services at U.S. banks, car dealerships, and American insurance companies. Even in some States they are allowing individuals to purchase or get a driver's license based on this document. The consulate issues these cards to people who are illegally in the United States. This is an absurd policy because these people are in our country illegally, yet we are helping them set up a residence in our country.

The Mexican Government has heavily lobbied the Federal Government of the United States to use these cards as identification cards, but so far the Federal Government does not do so. So Mexican consulates are going to local communities and local governments and trying to get them to accept this document. And some do, unfortunately.

This is just one more example of blatant disrespect for American law, yet we do nothing about it. We give illegals and the Mexican Government another pass. When it comes to the United States immigration policy, who is in charge? Is it Mexico City or Washington, D.C.? The answer is becoming more and more blurred.

Let me give you another serious example. In Los Angeles during the past year, the Mexican Government has provided over 100,000 Mexican text books to 1,500 schools. In fact, according to a recent Houston Chronicle editorial written by Heather McDonald, the sixth-grade Mexican history book celebrates the Mexican troops who fought against Americans during the Mexican-American War. The book refers to the enemy flag as the flag of the United States and says that the war's consequences were disastrous for Mexico.

So is this what we are going to teach American school children? Has political correctness gone so far that we now refer to Old Glory as the enemy flag? And why do we allow the Mexican Government to inundate our kids with Mexican text books anyway? This is very disturbing. The Mexican Government should spend more time enforcing their own rule of law and fighting corruption in Mexico and less time undermining our rule of law. Mexico has many advantages and natural resources. Perhaps they should take advantage of these to improve their own country so residents will quit leaving. They need to address their problems at home instead of sending them north to us.

Mr. Speaker, the lawlessness of the border will promote more lawlessness. We welcome people who want to make a better life for themselves and come to America for the American Dream, but they must do so legally. Our government cannot afford to continue to ignore the invasion from the south of our borders. The Mexican-American War started because Mexicans did not recognize the Texas-Mexico border at the time. They ignored the treaty that their dictator, Santa Anna signed, and they invaded the United States in 1846.

Sound familiar? It seems to me that a second attempt at invasion and colonization has already begun. Is Mexico trying to retake the Southwest? It is said that Caesar fiddled while Rome burned. I ask, Is Washington fiddling while the border burns with the lawlessness of an illegal invasion? Who is in charge of the U.S. immigration policy? Washington, D.C. or Mexico City? Only history will reveal the answers to that.

That is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, each and every Member of Congress has crime victim advocates in his or her District. It's likely you hear from them now and again, particularly when critical funding for crime victim services is at stake--like the Administration's proposal to drain the Crime Victim Fund to balance the budget--or you may hear from them when they plead that victims' rights are enforced in accordance with the law. It's also likely that you have an inkling of what these folks do for a living. But I'm pretty sure that you don't know just how much victim advocates are the ``unsung heroes'' of America today.

Back when I was a prosecutor in the great state of Texas, we didn't have ``victim advocates.'' There was nobody to provide the victim with support and guidance. The criminal and juvenile justice systems were like a maze to them and, let me tell you, the laboratory mice did a lot better in finding the cheese! Crime victims were lost. Crime victims were forgotten. Crime victims were merely ``evidence'' used to successfully prosecute criminal cases. Crime victims were ``re- victimized'' on a daily basis by a system that should be designed to protect them.

At the end of my days as a prosecutor and the beginning of my days as a judge, I started to see these folks called ``victim advocates'' in court. Back then, their job was to notify victims of the status of their cases and offenders, and explain to them what is often an overwhelming criminal justice process. But if you listened to victims back then, they would tell you that their advocates were so much more. They were a ``Rock of Gibraltar'' in a rocking sea of confusion. They were there to hold their hands and provide comfort. They were, as one prosecutor from Texas last month noted, ``the centerpiece of the courtroom'' when it came to helping crime victims and witnesses.

I was privileged earlier this month to deliver a keynote speech at the National Conference of State VOCA Assistance and Crime Victim Compensation Administrators in New Mexico. These are folks that, every single minute of every single day, are on ``the front line for victims of crime.'' There were over 300 ``victim advocates'' in the house, and I think it is well worth the time of the U.S. Congress to recognize them.

You should know about the remarkable victim advocates who spent the last year planning this conference, and spent some really quality time learning from each other about how to better help crime victims. For 4 days, state-level victim advocates who oversee funding for vital victim services, and manage state victim compensation programs that help victims recover from the financial losses resulting from crime, came together to teach each other, and learn from each other, and figure out ways to improve assistance to crime victims in ALL our Districts.

Let me begin by saluting John Gillis, the Director of the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime. John knows too well the impact of crime on victims. When he was an LAPD detective almost 30 years ago, his beautiful daughter Louarna was murdered by gang members in a vicious ``kill a cop's kid'' murder that would move them up the gang hierarchy.

John and his wife Patsy reacted to Louarna's death as so many crime victims and survivors do. They became activists to change how our criminal justice system treats victims, and change how our society views victims. John has spent the last three decades fighting for crime victims' rights, and does so now at the helm of the Office for Victims of Crime, considered the ``mother ship'' of victim assistance in America. John has become a friend and someone whom I admire and deeply respect. He is our nation's leading ``victim advocate'' and crime victims everywhere in America are fortunate to have him at the Office for Victims of Crime.

Next, I would like to recognize the Directors of the two national associations that help states manage funding for victim services and victim compensation.

Steve Derene is the Director of the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators. Back in 1984, he helped craft the Victims of Crime Act, which uses fines and fees assessed against convicted Federal offenders to support crime victim services. He has been a true advocate for victims in Wisconsin and, in the past five years, for victims across our nation. He is known as ``Stevie Wonder'' because he, more than most, has embraced technology as a means to facilitate more effective justice processes and victim assistance; and because it seems he is on call 24/7 to help victims and those who serve them.

Dan Eddy is the Director of the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards. Dan is a quiet, unassuming victim advocate, but the impact of his work is far-reaching. Under his direction, victims of crime in all of our Districts have received millions of dollars--again, not from taxpayers but from convicted offenders--to help them cope with the financial impact of crime. Dan Eddy is truly an ``unsung hero'' whose efforts are felt in states, communities, neighborhoods and homes across America each and every day.

The Presidents of both Associations--Joe Hood from Georgia and Larry Tackman from New Mexico--also deserve mention. These are two men with a true vision for the field of crime victim services. When they are not managing their state VOCA and compensation programs, they are working hard to promote strength and unity in victim services across our land. With their respective Boards of Directors, they put on a fine conference, and deserve our thanks.

I am guessing ya'll have attended events where everything ran very smoothly. I can assure you this doesn't happen by ``accident.'' So let me tip my hat to Ms. Gillian Nevers, who had an illustrious career as a Wisconsin victim advocate, and who earlier this month facilitated one of the best victim assistance training conferences ever.

And now I'd like to introduce you to some wonderful victim advocates from New Mexico, and know that my colleagues from New Mexico join me in thanking them. These are the folks who not only put on the conference I attended, but also help victims of their state

every day, in ways large and small. These are people for whom compassion is part of their DNA. Let me introduce you to the staff of the New Mexico Crime Victims Reparation Commission: Kristy Ring, Deputy Director; Robin Brassie, VOCA Administrator; Sheila Allen, VAWA Administrator; Julie Duren, Reparation Officer Supervisor; Terri Ruegger, Financial & HR Officer; Dorothy Padilla; Randy Vallejos; Debra Yepa; Jacqueline Chavez; Denise Jaramillo; Mary Anne Garcia; Michele Threlkel; Moises Valdez; Paula Smith; Debra Simpson; Suzanne Gallegos; Wendy Archibeque, and Robert Norfor.

You are simply hearing their names. But I had the chance to meet them, and want you to know that our Nation is a better place because of their ongoing commitment to helping victims of crime.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, when Kenneth Meyers was born in 1889, Teddy Roosevelt was charging up San Juan Hill, the airplane had not been invented, and electricity was a novelty. Kenneth Meyers, at 107, is the oldest surviving World War I veteran in Texas. There are less than 50 World War I veterans in all of the United States.

Meyers joined the Navy as a teenager in 1917 and served aboard the Battleship Oklahoma in World War I until 1919. Meyers, who lives in Houston, says he was proud to serve in the ``War to End All Wars.''

After the Navy, Meyers earned his masters degree, became an agricultural expert for Uncle Sam, and even helped farmers as far away as Greece. He herded cattle in Wyoming, and he still owns land there.

As we honor American veterans, we appreciate the generations of sailors and doughboys in World War I who adopted the song ``Over There'' that states, in part, ``Send the word to beware, that the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming and we won't come back 'til its over, over there.''

Mr. Speaker, like warriors since then, those Yanks got the job done for freedom and only came back when it was over, over there. That's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the American veteran has fought in these conflicts: French and Indian war, War for Independence, the First Barbary War, the War of 1812, the Second Barbary War, War for Texas Independence, the War Between the States, the Indian Wars, the Spanish- American War, the Philippine-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, First World War, Russian Revolution, Spanish Civil War, the Great World War II, the Cold War, Korean War, Vietnam War, Tehran hostage rescue, Grenada, Beirut, Panama, the Gulf War, Somalia, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and the Iraq War.

These are wars that were fought in, fought by and fought for Americans. This land of the free is consecrated by the blood of the fallen. In many of these wars the liberty of the Nation's people was at stake. Across the massive seas of time the American veteran shall be remembered and praised, for they fought in lands they had never seen, and they fought for peoples they did not know.

These, like my dad, represent the finest the Nation has ever produced. We honor them and we thank them on Veterans Day.

Madam Speaker, the out-of-touch notorious Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has struck again. They have created their own version of restrictions on parenting. These wayward judges rule that parents do not have a constitutional right to prevent a public school from teaching students whatever it wishes, including sexual information.

Instead, they say that the State has ultimate power over the education of our children. This ruling stems from a case filed by parents whose children, ages 7 through 10, were given a survey that asks questions pertaining to sex that are even too expressive to repeat on this House floor.

According to the education police judges, when parents decide to send their child to a public school, the parents lose authority and control over what the child is taught. The State decides.

This ruling violates the Constitution. The Supreme Court long ago ruled that parents do have the fundamental right to make decisions about the care, custody, education, and control of their children. This is just another example of elite judges trying to replace parents with bureaucrats. Out-of-control judges are taking away property rights, our pledge rights, and now they are after our parenting rights. This ought not to be.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of the gentleman from Indiana.

Mr. Speaker, it has been said that ``never in the history of the world has any soldier sacrificed more for the freedom and liberty of total strangers than the American soldier,'' said by Zell Miller about the American fighting men.

I rise today to honor a young American marine from my southeast Texas district, Marine Staff Sergeant Russell Slay, who valiantly served the Nation in Iraq and who died doing so. He was a member of the 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion of the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Russell Slay grew up in my hometown of Humble, Texas. As a student at Humble High School, he played football and was in the band. After he graduated from Humble High School, he started working, but quickly realized that he needed something more in his life. His high school friend Jason Tucker had joined the Marine Corps, and he had made the decision to join him and fight for his country. His father, Roy, a retired Houston police officer and a long-time friend of mine, said of his son, ``Russell wanted to be somewhere that would teach and inspire him.''

During his 10-year military career, he was trained to drive armored vehicles that carried combat troops from ships to beachheads during amphibious attacks. During his first tour of Iraq in 2002, Slay took part in overtaking Baghdad. He had been in charge of a section of four armored all-terrain vehicles. He left for his second mission on September 11, 2004.

Upon receiving his orders to report for a second tour in Iraq, Staff Sergeant Slay told his family and friends that he did not think he would make it back. A year ago today, Russell Slay's perceptive premonition became a reality. He was the 100th Texas member of the Armed Forces to be killed in Iraq. And, by the way, Mr. Speaker, one out of every 10 Americans wearing the uniform today is from the State Texas. Russell Slay was 28 years old. He died in combat with seven others in Fallujah when his armored vehicle was attacked by terrorists.

His funeral was a moving memorial to him as a devoted father, son, and friend. More than 450 people paid their respects to a man that was remembered for his engaging spirit and his love of life. Family and friends expressed that Slay was nothing short of spectacular. His sense of humor was contagious. He was a loving, loyal, and dedicated father.

He left behind a 9-year-old daughter, Kinlee, and a 5-year-old son, Walker. At the funeral, Marine Captain Mike Evans read letters that Slay had prepared for his children in anticipation of his death. He told his daughter, Kinlee: ``I love you and never knew what life was before you were born. You will always be Daddy's little girl.'' He encouraged her to have the best life possible and to be sure that she went to college. He said: ``Daddy will always be with you and watching out for you. Hugs and kisses. I'll miss you.''

He also wrote to his son, Walker, and told him that watching him grow up was ``like reliving his own youth. He said: ``You're the best little man there ever was. Be a studious son and stay in school. Always be a man. If you make mistakes, stand up and say so.'' Russell Slay encouraged his son to have children of his own so he too could feel the joy and happiness that had been brought to him.

He insisted in his letter that his family know how much he loved them, and he wrote: ``I promise you my family was my last thought. Don't mourn for me, but celebrate my life.''

Nine-year-old daughter Kinlee spoke at her father's funeral, and through tears she talked about playing cars with her dad and brother and shopping at Wal-Mart. She spoke fondly about the weekend family ritual of washing the car.

Charlie Flannigan, who officiated the funeral service, told of Slay's skills in the band that he and his buddies had created in Iraq. They called it the Texas Trio. He said Russell was not the best athlete, but he sure knew how to play a guitar.

Staff Sergeant Russell Slay in 28 short years had already exhibited a lifetime of bravery and boldness. Mr. Speaker, Thomas Jefferson once said: ``From time to time the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots.'' Russell Slay was a true American patriot. Russell Slay died for Americans. He died for Iraqis. He died for freedom.

Staff Sergeant Russell Slay, we will never forget the price you paid for America, and we thank you for devoting your life to your country. You are a true American hero. You make us proud.

So Semper Fi, Staff Sergeant Slay, Semper Fi.