Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I am honored to recognize a talented Texas woman, Catherine ``Cat'' Osterman, a fast pitch softball legend. Born in Houston, Cat discovered at an early age that she wanted to be a pitcher. There was no denying that she was a natural athlete, but it wasn't until the day that she filled in as a back-up pitcher for her Little League softball team that sparked the fire making her so successful in her sport.

Since that first taste of pitching, Cat's love for the game blossomed. Through her hard work and determination, she became a star on her high school's softball team. Her pitching is incredible: she has mastered six pitches, and she reserves her most famous pitch, the fast pitch, for critical moments on the field.

She graduated from Cypress Springs High School where she earned the Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year Award as well as her now famous nickname ``Cat.'' She went on to play softball for the Longhorns at the University of Texas at Austin when the softball team was only 5 years old. During Cat's time in Austin, she broke every softball record at the University of Texas.

Cat's talent and passion for the game took her and her team to 3 Women's College World Series. She remains the only person to have ever won the national college player of the year 3 times. Because of her incredible talent and statistics, Cat was asked to play for Team USA in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. At only 21 years of age, Cat became an Olympic gold medalist, having pitched nearly 15 innings without allowing a run. Athens was not Cat's only Olympic experience; she returned to the Olympic Games 4 years later in Beijing, once more pitching for the United States national softball team.

After the Olympics, Cat's career in softball continued to be successful. She played for Team USA, winning 2 world championships, and she was the first draft pick for Connecticut Brakettes in the National Pro Fastpitch softball league.

This April, Cat announced that she will be retiring from pitching. But you can't keep her away from the game that she loves. Her passion for the game has driven her all these years, and passion like that doesn't just die. Cat's passion is leading her to coach softball for St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas, and to help others to become passionate about the game themselves. People like Cat Osterman, who dedicate their lives to what they are passionate about, are the reason why this country remains great.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, every day throughout the United States, criminals commit crimes against good people. Some of those cases make the news. The news usually spends a lot of time talking about the defendant. There is a trial, justice occurs, and the world moves on.

But many times, unfortunately, in our culture, there is a victim in that crime. And the victim after the trial is just ignored in some cases. Some of those victims are sexual assault victims. Back in the day when I spent 30 years at the courthouse in Houston as a prosecutor and a judge, I saw a lot of them. In fact, I keep up with some of them today. The crime affects them a lot of ways. Some of them lose their jobs. Some of them are hurt physically and emotionally, and they don't have any money.

And this is not a new concept. Years ago under the Reagan administration, Congress recognized this problem, this issue about the fact that many victims, after the crime and after the trial, they just disappear into lives of quiet desperation, and culture and community doesn't keep up with those people. So during the Reagan administration, Congress decided here's what we're going to do: We're going to make criminals who are convicted in Federal court pay into a fund, and that fund is used to help crime victims. What a great concept--make criminals pay the rent on the courthouse. Make them literally pay for their crime by putting money into a fund that goes to crime victims. And that's the Victims of Crime Act that passed--VOCA as it is called.

And the Federal judges, God bless them, they are nailing those criminals. They are taking a lot of their money away from them and putting in about $2 billion a year into that fund. Today, we have a situation where the fund is over $11 billion, money criminals paid to help crime victims.

But here's the problem: that money isn't going to crime victims. Crime victims only get about $700 million a year out of that fund of $11 billion, with $2 billion coming in every year. And then the government gets an 8 percent cut, that makes it even less. And there's a cap, and government sets the cap on that money. Remember, this is not taxpayer money. It doesn't belong to anybody except to the victims of crime. That money is used and offset for other purposes. It goes to other programs in commerce, science and justice--probably good programs.

And now with sequestration, we hear that that fund may be completely cut off this year for crime victims because of some squirrelly math somebody's using saying sequestration should apply to the crime victims' fund. That's nonsense.

Meanwhile, throughout the country, victims organizations, shelters, groups like CASA, who represent kids in the courtroom when their parents are not doing the right thing by their kids, and many programs are barely keeping the lights on because they don't get enough money from VOCA even though money is available and it's just sitting there, or being offset for other programs.

So what needs to happen is this: one, raise the cap every year. Two billion dollars is coming in every year. We ought to at least allow the victims to have a billion of that, maybe $2 billion of it because it keeps coming in.

And more importantly, what we ought to do is take that money and put it in a lockbox concept. It's a very simple concept; that the criminals pay into the fund, and the funds should go only to crime victims and crime victims' programs. It shouldn't go to other programs in the Federal Government, even if they're good programs, because it was designed by Congress, approved by the administration, to go to those silent, quiet victims who are still, today, hurting because of crimes that are being committed against them. And it just seems nonsense to me.

We have the money available. It's not taxpayer money. We can help victims of crime get their lives back together, and it's not happening because somebody else wants crime victims' money. So let's put this in a lockbox.

Mr. Costa from California and I have sponsored legislation to say, look, it's not the government's money. It's victims' money, and it ought to all be spent to help victims and victims' programs throughout the country, groups that are doing a great job to help rescue crime victims because of crimes that have occurred against them in the past.

That is justice. And, Mr. Speaker, justice is what we do in this country.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, ``English as a second language,'' ``Pashto to English,'' ``Arabic to English,'' ``art,'' ``life skills,'' ``computers,'' ``personal health and wellness,'' ``finance and business''--sounds like courses at a swanky New England university, but these are just a few classes offered at Gitmo University on the Caribbean.

That's not all.

These terrorists get training in resume writing and interviewing. Are they going someplace? And what do they put on that resume-- ``professional bomb maker''?

If they get bored with classes, they can meander over to the ``detainee library'' with its 17,000 books, video games and CDs.

More still.

Terrorists have access to the fancy, new taxpayer-funded $750,000 soccer field--play volleyball, basketball, table tennis, and even foosball. Lastly, they get cultural religious training--ironic since the radicals kill in the name of religion.

Mr. Speaker, why does the government spend millions to train and entertain those who kill Americans?

However, this is just another day for the 166 terrorist trainers, financiers and Osama bin Laden bodyguards at Gitmo University on the Caribbean.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, last week, just after suppertime in a neighborhood in McLean, Virginia, a 14-year-old girl--we'll call her Sarah--was jumping on a neighbor's backyard trampoline. Suddenly, Sarah heard a noise and looked up, only to see a low-flying object hovering overhead. It was a small, remote-controlled flying object. It was a drone. It had a blinking red light coming from it.

The object hovered over her for about 10 minutes. She began to get real nervous and uneasy. So she jumped off the trampoline and ran home to tell her parents, but the flying object continued to follow her. She told her mother. So her mother walked outside into the street and observed the flying object. Suddenly, the object moved away into another neighbor's backyard, where three other teenage girls were sitting in the pool. The small drone hovered over them momentarily, then it moved away.

The police were called. They arrived at the scene and told the citizens: ``Sorry, there's nothing we can do.'' Mr. Speaker, this sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie--someone up to no good spying on teenage girls with a drone.

Mr. Speaker, drones are easy to find and easy to obtain. With a simple Google search, you will find out that one can buy a drone on eBay or go down the street and buy one at Radio Shack.

According to the FAA, the group that monitors and issues permits for drones, by 2030, there will be 30,000 drones cruising American skies-- looking, observing, filming, spying, and hovering over America. We will not know who they are, what they're up to, what they're looking at, or what their purpose is, whether it's permitted or really not permitted, whether it's lawful or unlawful. And we won't know who's flying those drones.

There are legitimate uses for government and private citizens for the use of drones, but a nosey neighbor or snooping government should not be able to spy on citizens without legal guidelines.

As technology changes, Congress has the responsibility to be proactive and protect the Fourth Amendment right of all citizens--``The right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.'' Thus sayeth the Constitution.

Nowadays especially, Americans are concerned about their Fourth Amendment rights being taken away. Well, no kidding. The right of a reasonable expectation of privacy is a constitutional right. The general rule is snooping, spying, surveillance, or eavesdropping goes against the basic rights outlined in the Constitution. That is why I have introduced the Preserving American Privacy Act, along with Representative Zoe Lofgren from California.

Congress must be proactive in protecting the rights of civilians from private use and government use of drones. This legislation balances individual constitutional rights with legitimate government activity and the private use of drones. The bill sets forth clear guidelines, protects individual privacy, and informs peace officers so they will know what they can and cannot do under the law.

There will be limits on government use of drones so that the surveillance of individuals or their property is only permitted or conducted when there is a warrant based on probable cause, as the Constitution requires.

Of course there will be exceptions. They are called exigent circumstances, which is already in our law, and these will apply, as it does now, regarding search and seizure. Those exceptions include fire and rescue, monitoring droughts and floods, assisting in other emergency cases, or to chase a fleeing criminal.

The bill also allows for the use of drones for border security. The bill also sets forth guidelines for the private use of drones. Basically, private citizens cannot use drones to spy on others without consent of the landowner or that person.

Congress has the obligation to set forth guidelines, to secure the right of privacy, and protect citizens from unlawful drone surveillance while maintaining lawful private and government use.

Drone laws are needed because a Peeping Tom should not be able to spy on young girls who are in the privacy of their backyards just because the Peeping Tom has the ability to do so.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker:

The administration puts forward a false choice between the

liberties we cherish and the security we provide. No more

illegal wiretapping of citizens. No more ignoring the law

when it is convenient. That is not who we are. That is not

what is necessary to defeat the terrorists. We will again set

an example for the world that the law is not subject to the

whims of stubborn rulers and that justice is not arbitrary.

This administration acts like violating civil liberties is

the way to enhance our security. It's not.

Mr. Speaker, that was candidate Obama in the year 2007 when he was attacking another administration, but that was then and this is now. How times have changed. Flash forward to the summer of 2013, the Summer of Surveillance. The Department of Justice seized information from 20 different Associated Press phone lines. The Department of Justice seized phone records of FOXNews reporter James Rosen, his parents, and several FOXNews phone lines.

The NSA, which I call the National Surveillance Agency, seized from Verizon Business Network Services millions of telephone records, including the location, numbers, and time of domestic calls. Thursday, we learned about another secret government program called PRISM that allows the NSA to search photos, emails, and documents from computers at Apple, Google, and Microsoft, among many other Internet sources.

Mr. Speaker, the American people have lost trust in this government. Do you think? The government spooks are drunk on power, and it's time for Congress to intervene to prevent the invasion of privacy by government against the citizens.

The administration says its snooping activities are lawful. Well, not so fast. Let's start with the PATRIOT Act, which needs to be reviewed, but let's look at it as it now stands. The PATRIOT Act requires ``a statement of facts showing that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the tangible things sought are relevant to foreign intelligence, international terrorism or espionage investigation.''

I see no way that the National Surveillance Agency could be lawfully conducting such a widespread and intrusive fishing expedition based on the PATRIOT Act or FISA. They're supposed to be justifying each individual search based on lawful grounds, not snooping, prying, and spying through tons of data hoping to find a hit on some bad guy. In other words, the government should only be able to collect phone records with a court order for someone they have reasonable suspicion to be connected with a terrorist. Government cannot use a Soviet-style dragnet approach hoping to catch a big fish while also catching the endangered species of freedom.

What the PATRIOT Act does not allow is widespread, warrantless invasions of privacy where government blindly snoops around looking for some mischief. But the government claims it got some bad guys--two or three terrorists, it says. Well, if so, show us the cases. Those cases should be public if charges were filed. But that still doesn't justify the invasion of privacy.

Let me continue. The administration could also be seizing emails of citizens over 6 months old without a warrant in its snooping frenzy. Unfortunately, the law allows this to occur. This needs to be changed.

Representative Zoe Lofgren and I are trying to fix that with legislation to reform the outdated Electronic Communications Privacy Act by requiring a warrant for government to search and seize emails. Such a basic constitutional requirement should be made the law when government wants to arbitrarily take people's emails.

The bullying and badgering of the Fourth Amendment must cease. The Federal Government tries to scare the citizens and arbitrarily redlines the Fourth Amendment.

Mr. Speaker, technology may have changed over the years, but the Constitution just does not. We can have security, but not at the cost of losing individual freedom because to quote the constitutional law professor, there should be no ``choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we provide.''

But the Summer of Surveillance continues.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the seas were high and seasickness was rampant. The sky was gloomy and dark, and the rain was blindingly hard. The sun was hidden from the beaches below as 63,000 GIs, with thousands of our allies, stormed landing sites called Utah, Omaha, Gold, and Juno.

The average age of the American soldier was 20; 2,500 of them died on the first day. It was June 6, 1944. It was D-day in World War II. It was a noble cause: free Europe from the Nazis.

But today, the bootprints, the red crimson beaches of blood of the U.S. soldier are gone. The sea is calm, peaceful, as if it never happened.

But at the top of the cliffs of Normandy, France, 9,387 white glistening crosses and Stars of David of the American fallen shine as an eternal memory that here on this spot the Americans fought and gave all.

They came. They died. They liberated. We remember they were soldiers once, for the worst casualty of war is to be forgotten.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I thank you, and I want to thank Judge Carter as well.

This amendment is relatively simple. It started back in March of 2010. On March 27, 2010, a rancher by the name of Rob Krentz was on his own property about 20 miles north of the Arizona-Mexico border, and he was murdered. Even now 3 years later, the killer or killers have not been captured. When he was found by the people who lived there, his wife, Sue, was convinced one of the reasons he was murdered was he was in a certain area of his ranch that's a dead zone. Dead zones, Mr. Chairman, exist along the Arizona-Mexico border, the Texas-Mexico border, and are areas where there is no cell phone service. Ranchers rely many times on short-wave radios to communicate with each other and law enforcement. Basically, Rob Krentz could not call for help before he was murdered.

This legislation first started when Gabby Giffords was here in Congress. She proposed in 2010 that we fix that problem by taking about $10 million from the Office of the Under Secretary of Management of DHS and move it to the Border Security, Fencing, Infrastructure and Technology account with the purpose of allowing the ranchers to have access to cell phone service so they can call for help when they're in trouble. The legislation has passed twice, but has not passed the Senate and become law.

So this legislation is being brought to the House again for the third time. I appreciate the support from my friend, Henry Cuellar from Laredo, Texas. It's commonsense legislation. There are portions of the border that are not secure, and those portions, those dead zones, let's help the ranchers so they can call for help when they are in trouble. That's what this legislation does.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, when there is a blaze, when there is a fire, when there is an explosion, when someone has an emergency medical problem, the firefighter--the EMT rush in. That is what they do. While others flee danger, the firefighter with sirens, red lights, horns, red and white trucks charge into the jaws and midst of danger. Sometimes the danger is overwhelming and firefighters are injured and some are killed.

This has been a tragic year in Texas for firefighters. On April 17 in West, Texas, 10 firefighters were killed while putting out the fire at a fertilizer plant that had exploded.

Last Friday, in the heat of the Texas noonday Sun, a restaurant on the highly traveled Southwest Freeway caught fire. Then with the high winds, the fire spread to a nearby hotel. Houston firefighters arrived at the scene in minutes. They heard screams from citizens, and they rushed into the hotel to find potential trapped guests.

The hotel suddenly became a hellish inferno. First, the two-alarm, then a five-alarm fire. It took over 2 hours to get the fires under control. While the firefighters were in the hotel looking for people who stayed there, the roof of the hotel collapsed, trapping and killing four firefighters. Thirteen others were injured--some critically.

These are photographs of the four firefighters, Mr. Speaker:

Engineer Operator EMT, Robert Bebee, right here. He was 41 years of age. He's a graduate from Dobie High School, and he was a firefighter at Station 51. He started his career at the Houston Fire Department in August of 2001. His cousin, Joshua Gandara, said when he heard his cousin died, he knew why. ``I knew he was saving somebody else.'' ``That's him. He always put people first before himself, anybody's needs before his own needs.''

Over here on the far left, photograph Mr. Speaker, is Anne Sullivan. She was 24 years of age. She was assigned to Station 58. She grew up in Sugar Land, Texas. She was just 5 feet 2 inches tall. Anne knew she wanted to be a firefighter since the day she graduated from high school. She had just graduated from the Houston Fire Department Academy in April. Anne was an avid soccer player, cross-country runner, and she ran 10 miles a day. Her father, Jack Sullivan, was in his car on the way home from work Friday when he heard on the radio about the fire. He realized the fire was in the same area where his daughter Anne worked. He wasn't sure whether or not she was involved and hoped with all his might it wouldn't be her. Then came the terrible news that four firefighters had been killed in the blaze. He started to cry. When he pulled up to his home, the emergency vehicle parked in front of his house said it all. Anne, 24, was one of the fallen firefighters.

Firefighter Captain EMT Matthew Renaud, 35 years of age. He graduated from North Shore Senior High School. He was an 11-year veteran of the fire department. Station 51 was where he was assigned. He was close to Bebee. He transferred to Station 51 to work with him because they were like brothers.

And then firefighter EMT Robert Garner, 29 years of age, Station 68. He had previously served in the United States Air Force; and since he finished serving, he wanted to be a firefighter in Houston. He did two tours of duty in Iraq. Garner's dad once told him: ``Use your training because God will be with you.'' He awoke his dad that morning when he walked out of the house to go to work. That was the last time he saw his father.

Mr. Speaker, Houston is the third largest fire department in the United States. It is the busiest. This is the most tragic event in the history of the Houston Fire Department. So tomorrow at Reliant Stadium, an estimated 30,000 citizens, firefighters, police officers, and other people will pay tribute to these amazing firefighters. They were the best we have in Houston, and we are saddened that they are gone; but we thank the good Lord that such people ever lived.

And that's just the way it is.

I insert into the Record the 10 firefighters killed in West, Texas, on April 17, 2013.

Firefighters Killed in West, Texas, Explosion--April 17, 2013

(1) Morris Bridges, Jr., 41, West, Texas Volunteer Fire

Department.

(2) Perry Calvin, 37, Merkel, Texas Fire Department.

(3) Firefighter Jerry Chapman, 26, Abbott, Texas Fire

Department.

(4) Cody Dragoo, 50, West, Texas Volunteer Fire Department.

(5) Captain Kenneth Harris, 52, Dallas, Texas Fire-Rescue.

(6) Jimmy Matus, 52, West, Texas Volunteer Fire Department.

(7) Joey Pustejovsky, 29, West, Texas Volunteer Fire

Department.

(8) Firefighter Cyrus Reed, 29, Abbott, Texas Fire

Department.

(9) Kevin Williams Sanders, 33, Bruceville-Eddy, Texas

Volunteer Fire Department.

(10) Douglas Snokhous, 50, West, Texas Fire Department.

(11) Robert Snokhous, 48, West, Texas Volunteer Fire

Department.

(12) William ``Buck'' Uptmor, Jr., 45, West, Texas

Volunteer Fire Department.

Mr. Speaker, the taxman has gone wild. The IRS spent $50 million on boondoggle conferences. At one conference, the agency declined the cheaper government group rate and instead opted for perks including stays at swanky presidential suites, free drinks, and high-dollar tickets to the L.A. Angels baseball game. Now, isn't that lovely?

The IRS spent thousands on touchy-feely speakers, including a $17,000 lecture about ``leadership through art.'' More like the art of wasting money.

The taxacrats-turned film-makers spent $50,000 for videos, including spoofs of ``Star Trek,'' ``Gilligan's Island,'' and line dancing to ``Cupid Shuffle.'' Cupid Shuffle? Are you kidding me?

Mr. Speaker, this is corrupt, contemptible behavior. Ironically, instead of tracking our tax dollars, the Internal Revenue Squanderers waste tax dollars.

The head of the IRS says the expenses were inappropriate. Well, no kidding.

When the revenuers find inappropriate behavior by taxpayers, the taxpayers pay more taxes with interest. The IRS should return the $50 million with interest to the Treasury, and it's time it audited the taxman.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, RAINN, Merced's Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Task Force, Michele Steeb, Martha Herm, LaWanda Hawkins, and Suzanne Beaudoin are six selfless individuals and organizations that have changed the lives of innumerable victims around the country.

Recently, the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus honored these very special advocates and organizations during our annual VRC Awards Ceremony for going above and beyond for victims.

Congressman Jim Costa and I serve as co-chairs of the Victims' Rights Caucus.

I nominated RAINN, the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network, for the Suzanne McDaniel Award for Public Awareness. Just like Suzanne, RAINN has pioneered efforts in the victims' rights community.

RAINN was founded by my friend Scott Berkowitz. It began with the creation of the National Sexual Assault Hotline and has grown to assist and advocate for victims in a variety of innovative ways. Although Scott is from New Jersey, he's a lot like a Texan, and that is why I respect him so much.

Scott and his organization RAINN do not stop until they reach their goal. And their goal is to prevent sexual assault and serve the victims of this awful crime. RAINN never gave up advocating for the SAFER Act (Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting Act), a bill to end the rape kit backlog. This organization knows firsthand the importance of testing rape kits in order to bring justice to victims and put perpetrators behind bars. Because of RAINN's unceasing efforts, the SAFER Act was signed into law as part of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act earlier this year.

RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline has served more than 1.5 million victims, and the number of victims affected by RAINN's other services and advocacy are countless. Groups like RAINN turn victims into survivors.

Merced's Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Task Force, nominated by VRC co-chair Congressman Jim Costa for the Lois Haight Award of Excellence and Innovation, is helping to prevent crime before it happens.

This organization is a collaboration of local leaders formed in 2006 in response to gang related violence in the Merced community.

The Task Force makes Merced a safer place by educating the community about violence, promoting character development, and providing information for families and youth.

From Gang Awareness Workshops to Merced County's first anonymous ``text a tip'' line, the Task Force has contributed greatly to the Merced community. Organizations like this Task Force are critical to stopping our citizens from becoming victims.

Congressman Costa's fellow member of the California Delegation, Congresswoman Doris Matsui, a particularly active member of the Caucus recognized a leader in her community, Michele Steeb. Ms. Steeb, the CEO of St. John's Shelter Program for Women and Children in Sacramento received the Allied Professional Award for her dedication. Under Ms. Steeb's guidance, St. John's Shelter Program has expanded into more than just a safe place for women and children but a program to help victims thrive. The unique assistance offered like parenting classes, financial management classes, and on-the-job training empower the victims under Ms. Steeb's care to take on the world. Leaders like Michele Steeb transform the lives of crime victims.

Like Michele Steeb, Martha Herm runs a domestic violence program with innovative, community-based components that have lead to the betterment of Peoria, IL for years. Ms. Herm is the Executive Director at the Center for the Prevention of Abuse, which she has lead for many years. The Center for the Prevention of Abuse is well known and highly regarded in Congressman Aaron Schock's district. To honor Ms. Herm's leadership, Congressman Schock nominated this hero to victims with the Ed Stout Memorial Award for Outstanding Victim Advocacy. This award honors the memory of Ed Stout, the Director of Aid for Victims of Crime of St. Louis, MO--one of the nation's three oldest victim assistance organizations--who died in 2005 following a 30+ year career of inspiring crime victims and those who serve them.

Through Ms. Herm's efforts, the Center has grown from serving mainly women and children to serving all populations and working to stop violence before it starts. In the words of Mike McCoy, the Sheriff of Peoria County, ``Martha Herm is a constant voice for those in need.''

LaWanda Hawkins is another one who helps those in need. Congresswoman Karen Bass nominated her for the Eva Murillo Unsung Hero Award. Ms. Hawkins is an inspiration to her community and mothers around the country.

I won't forget the story Ms. Hawkins shared with us during the award ceremony. One day she was in her car, listening to a story on the radio about a young man that was murdered. She prayed for the young man and his family the whole car ride, only to find out later that it was her own son, Reggie. He had been tragically murdered.

Ms. Hawkins never wanted another family to feel the pain she felt when she answered the phone that day notifying her that the young man she heard about on the radio was her son. She connected with other parents who experienced similar tragedies. They realized that their cases were not being solved, and they were left out of the criminal justice process. Ms. Hawkins knew that this was not right and in 1996, founded Justice for Murdered Children. Through her organization, she provides a variety of services to families of murdered children, including legal assistance,

family support groups, counseling, and community outreach and education. Not only does she continue to help aid families, but she successfully advocates for legislation to protect victims' rights.

Ms. Hawkins is a force to be reckoned with and a true champion for crime victims.

Suzanne Beaudoin is another bold woman who dedicated her life to serving crime victims. She was nominated for the Ed Stout Memorial Award by one of our newest VRC Members, Congressman Mark Pocan from Wisconsin. Like Ed Stout, Ms. Beaudoin has seen her work directly benefit survivors of crime.

Suzanne Beaudoin currently serves on the Wisconsin Crime Victims Council and has been the Director of the Victim Witness Unit of the Dane County District Attorney's Office for 20 years.

Throughout her years working in the Victim Witness Unit, she established ground-breaking programs in her community and advocated for critical victim legislation, including Wisconsin Victim's Rights Constitutional Amendment and the establishment of a local children's advocacy center. We are thankful for Ms. Beaudoin and those like her who guide victims through the criminal justice system and address the needs of survivors.

The work of these determined individuals never ceases to amaze me.

America is the greatest country in the world because of people like these.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, at 1.8 million people, Thailand is home to the third largest ethnic Malay population in the world. Since 2004, extremists in the country have been fighting the government for an independent state for the ethnic group. This has been one of the bloodiest conflicts in Southeast Asia and has left nearly 5,000 people dead.

According to the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, in the past four years alone, more than 1,400 people have died and 3,200 have been wounded. The violence has killed indiscriminately. Fatalities have included soldiers, policemen, village leaders, monks, teachers, and innocent civilians. While most of those killed were the victims of shootings, there have also been nearly 600 improvised explosive device attacks and 40 beheadings since January 2009.

Thankfully, it is possible this cycle of violence could be coming to an end.

With the help of Malaysian mediators, the chairman of the Thai National Security Council and a representative of one of the Malay separatist groups active in the region, Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), signed an agreement in February to formally begin peace talks. Reports indicate former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's started talks behind the scenes years ago that helped lead to this milestone agreement. He should be commended for those efforts.

Public peace talks between the government and the rebels will be a big step forward in solving the conflict in southern Thailand. While previous attempts have been made, this marks the first time that both sides have agreed in writing to hold talks.

Mr. Speaker, the progress that is slowly being achieved in southern Thailand is significant, and we should hope that it continues until there is lasting peace throughout the country. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, they are from every State and territory. They are of all races, both sexes. They are from farms, ranches, and cities. They are rich and poor, but generally they are young. They all to a person are volunteers, the all-American volunteers, volunteers to defend America. Some have gone off to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some have returned. Some have returned with the wounds of war, and some have returned with an American flag draped over their coffin.

Here are 37 warriors from the Second Congressional District in Texas who died protecting us from the forces of evil in Afghanistan and Iraq. You see they are very diverse. They are all races, they are young, they are old, they are from privates to colonels, enlisted to even West Point graduates, they are from different branches of the service.

So this Memorial Day we remember them all, those who gave all, and we thank their families for giving America their sons and their daughters, for the worst casualty of war is to be forgotten.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record the list of the 37 warriors killed in Afghanistan and Iraq from the Second Congressional District of Texas.

SSgt Russell Slay, U.S. Marine Corps, 11/9/2004.

LCpl Wesley J. Canning, U.S. Marine Corps, 11/10/2004.

LCpl Fred Lee Michael, U.S. Marine Corps, 1/26/2005.

PFC Wesley R. Riggs, U.S. Army, 5/17/2005.

SGT William B. Meeuwsen, U.S. Army, 11/23/2005.

LCpl Robert A. Martinez, U.S. Marine Corps, 12/1/2005.

SSG Jerry Michael Durbin, U.S. Army, 1/26/2006.

TSgt Walter M. Moss Jr., U.S. Air Force, 3/30/2006.

PFC Kristian Menchaca, U.S. Army, 6/16/2006.

SSG Benjamin D. Williams, U.S. Army, 6/20/2006.

LCpl Ryan A. Miller, U.S. Marine Corps, 9/14/2006.

SSG Edward Reynolds, Jr., U.S. Army, 9/26/2006.

CPT Michael Fraser, U.S. Army, 11/26/2006.

LCpl Luke Yepsen, U.S. Marine Corps, 12/14/2006.

SPC Dustin R. Donica, U.S. Army, 12/28/2006.

SPC Ryan R. Berg, U.S. Army, 1/9/2007.

SSG Terrance D. Dunn, U.S. Army, 2/2/2007.

LCpl Anthony Aguirre, U.S. Marine Corps, 2/26/2007.

PFC Brandon Bobb, U.S. Army, 7/17/2007.

PFC Zachary Endsley, U.S. Army, 7/23/2007.

SPC Kamisha Block, U.S. Army, 8/16/2007.

CPL Donald E. Valentine III, U.S. Army, 9/18/2007.

LCpl Jeremy W. Burris, U.S. Marine Corps, 10/8/2007.

SSG Eric Duckworth, U.S. Army, 10/10/2007.

CPL Scott A. McIntosh, U.S. Army, 3/10/2008.

SGT Shawn Tousha, U.S. Army, 4/9/2008.

Lt. Col. Mark Stratton II, U.S. Air Force, 5/26/2009.

SPC Jarrett Griemel, U.S. Army, 6/3/2009.

Cpl Jeremy W. Johnson, U.S. Marine Corps, 5/11/2010.

P03 Zarian Wood, U.S. Navy, 5/16/2010.

Sgt. Brandon Bury, U.S. Marine Corps, 6/6/2010.

SPC Matthew Ryan Catlett, U.S. Army, 6/7/2010.

SSG Edward Loredo, U.S. Army, 6/24/2010.

SSG Jessie Ainsworth, U.S. Army, 7/10/2010.

SSG Leston "Tony" Winters, U.S. Army, 7/15/2010.

SFC Calvin Harrison, U.S. Army, 9/20/2010.

PFC Cody R. Norris, U.S. Army, 11/9/2011.

Mr. Speaker, from the establishment of our great State, people have traveled from all over the world to come to Texas either to live, to work or to visit. Before Texas was a state, some even came to fight for us. Many of the soldiers that fought in the battle at the Alamo were from different states and even a few countries. The diversity of people that have traveled to the state since the 1800's has contributed to its vast culture. That has made Texas what it is today.

Today, Texas' diversity is expansive and includes the contributions of many different cultures that help make Texas' own culture that much more unique. From the numerous Vietnamese Pho restaurants in downtown Houston to the German Karbach Brewery in North Houston, the global influence on Houston's culture is immense.

The Houston Chronicle recently reported about a Houston historian who focused on determining how streets in Houston-area communities received their names. Many settlers provided the names for not only cities and counties but for streets in local communities as well. Spring Branch, a community in the Second Congressional District of Texas, had several streets named after early immigrant settlers from Germany. Most of the early settlers were German farmers who came to the United States in pursuit of prosperity and to have land to farm. The City of Houston was named after the great Sam Houston, who was of Scots-Irish descent and originally from Virginia. The county that encompasses Houston, Harris County, was named after John Richardson Harris, a settler who came to Texas from New York by way of Missouri.

As the saying goes, if you weren't born in Texas, you got there as fast as you could.

People from around the world continue to hang a ``Gone to Texas'' sign on their front door. Our Texas pride comes from our rich history, a history that was built by the contributions of many local heroes and leaders who simply got to Texas as fast as they could. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, peace officers are the ones who diligently protect and serve the people. They are the first to respond to the call for help in time of trouble.

They go after the bad guys and provide us safe communities to live in. Some take extra jobs to make ends meet. They wear the badge of commitment over their heart. Sheriffs departments in Texas wear a star over their heart.

Today, peace officers in Houston, Texas, have placed a black band across their badges in honor of one of the fallen among their number. Sergeant Dwayne Polk, 47, of the Harris County Sheriff's Department, was killed about 3 a.m. Sunday morning. He was headed home in his uniform after working a contract assignment.

Sergeant Polk grew up in Houston, Texas, with his three sisters and his two brothers. His mother always encouraged him and the other kids to read the Bible.

He had worked for the sheriff for 16 years. Sheriff Adrian Garcia said:

It was tough talking to his son, but he will have many big

brothers in the sheriff's department.

As Sergeant Polk was driving home that Sunday morning, his pickup truck was struck by Andres Munos-Munos, who ran a red light, never slowed down, and crashed into Polk. Polk was killed. Munos-Munos was drunk and had minor injuries.

Munos-Munos was charged with intoxication, manslaughter, and is in jail. He had been convicted last year for drunk driving and unlawfully carrying a pistol. He went to jail for 30 days for that offense. News reports also say Munos-Munos was in the country illegally.

Last weekend, while Polk was being killed in Texas, America's families of peace officers killed in the line of duty last year were here in D.C. Their fallen were honored by thousands of other officers from America on the west side of this Capitol.

Next year, about this time, Sergeant Dwayne Polk, of Harris County, Texas, and the sheriff's department will be remembered here as his name is read from the rollcall of the dead.

Citizens should appreciate the service of officers like Sergeant Polk. They do the work most of us would never do. They go into the worst places of our cities to root out evil that lives among us. They sacrifice for us. The least we can do is appreciate them for wearing the star or the badge over their heart, protecting the rest of us.

They are the only thing that stands between us and the lawless. They are among the best we have. So we mourn the loss of Sergeant Polk, while thanking the good Lord such men as him ever lived.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Chairman, 5 years and still no decision.

What does 5 years mean? Well, World War II, where we mobilized America, we went to war, we fought for our liberty and our national security on two fronts, thousands and thousands of Americans worked in our factories, went off to win a war in less than 5 years, but yet we can't get a decision out of the White House for 5 years on this project? Are you kidding me?

If we had to wait for the environmentalists to make up their mind, we

never would have built the Panama Canal.

This pipeline needs to go down to Texas near my district, 20 percent of the Nation's refineries. It's a national security interest.

Some of my friends on the other side have been bad-mouthing Canada. Let me tell you something. If the United States and Canada and Mexico can work together on an energy policy and make a North American energy policy, we can make Middle Eastern politics irrelevant. This pipeline will bring in as much crude oil as we get from Saudi Arabia.

Mr. President, pick a horse and ride it. Sign the deal.