Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, we are daily inundated with the rhetoric of terrorists selling their singular savagery to the world as revolution. Yet, when did we cease to be a revolutionary country? Never.

One look about this weary, wanting world sufficiently reminds us it is we, the Americans, who were, are and continued throughout our democracy always must be the embodiment of the revolutionary ideals, powering the emancipation of populations throughout the globe.

Thus, today is this resolution offered and its adoption urged in order that we might hearten our Iraqi allies in this dark hour before the dawn of their democracy, in order that we might unmask the archaic barbarians of evil and find, not revolutionaries, but lying reactionaries; and, finally, hopefully, in order that we might recall our own indispensable, indisputable revolutionary role in the advancement of man.

Let us, then, pass this resolution and duly honor our revolutionary brethren, the Iraqi people, upon the occasion of the assumption of their sovereignty and the advancement toward their democracy, which like ourselves since our inception, they must win and keep.

I urge support of the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, being from Detroit, I am often able to watch CBC, and last night I was privileged to watch Albert Finney's performance as Winston Churchill in a movie called ``The Gathering Storm.'' And perhaps it was his finest hour, the former prime minister's. When Hitler was rearming, he stood in front of the House of Commons and warned his own conservative party's government, led by Stanley Baldwin, that Hitler was indeed more than prepared for war; that he was arming to instigate a new one.

Churchill was thought insane at the time, because no one, coming off the horror of the millions killed in World War I, could believe that a European leader would seek to rekindle that tinderbox, certainly not a corporal of the German army who had been blinded by mustard gas in combat. Yet Churchill was proven right.

And when we apply these lessons to our own time, one of the first things we can realize is that sometimes the forest is so menacing, we choose to stare at the tree which shields us, until it is too late.

Our Nation is in a war on terror. In this war on terror, Iraq is a theatre. It is not a war unto itself, any more than FDR's much- maligned, at the time, strike into north Africa was a diversion from the war against Hitler.

What we have seen in our time is the preemption doctrine applied, and what I have not heard anyone say is that the pillar upon which this administration entered into the Iraqi theatre in the war on terror did not achieve its result. Saddam Hussein desired weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein had contacts without apparent collaboration, but contacts nonetheless, with terrorist groups and was, in fact, shielding terrorists like Abu Nidal in Baghdad.

Since the United States engaged in hostilities against Iraq, we can be sure of two things, the Saddam Hussein regime will never have weapons of mass destruction that can be used against the United States or its troops in the field, and the Saddam Hussein regime will never again have any contacts with any terrorist groups.

In some polls that are cited, we hear about people believing the link between al Qaeda and September 11; but one of the polls that I saw that was interesting was that about 70 percent of the American people realized that Saddam Hussein was a terrorist, and in the war on terror the states which sponsor terrorism are as much our enemies by enabling the terrorists, as the terrorists are our enemies themselves, for terrorist cells cannot exist without state sponsorship, without state succor.

Now, put yourself in President Bush's position at the time post- September 11. You have seen reports from the past administration up through his present administration detailing contacts, ``shadowy with terrorists,'' including bin Laden. You know that Saddam Hussein wants to engage a weapons of mass destruction program for their acquisition, and you say to yourself, what am I going to do?

The President of the United States in applying the preemption doctrine made sure, again, that two things would not happen: the Saddam Hussein regime would not have weapons of mass destruction, ever, and that they would no longer be able to even be considered for succor as a terrorist haven.

Now, there were some important points brought up in the earlier debate, and I would be more than happy to come back tomorrow or at any time to assist to talk about some of those points with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle; but I find it fascinating some of the points.

Now, we are splitting hairs when we say that the contact between Iraq and al Qaeda in hindsight may not have appeared to have formed a collaboration. Yet, we cannot say whether they would or not. Now, to try to destroy that link or denigrate that link, we will hear that these contacts were meetings, but Iraq never responded.

Now, all of us here in the U.S. House have to get elected. Now, as politicians, put yourselves in an interesting position. Consider this: you are sitting around getting ready to run for re-election. An opponent you have defeated in the past is having coffee on a regular basis with the opponent running against you now. Do you say to yourself, well, I am sure they are just having pleasantries and this has absolutely nothing to do with me, and that while they be having contact, there is apparently no collaboration that they are out to get me? I highly doubt many of the people in this room would ascribe to the latter theory. If Saddam Hussein could, he would do anything to hurt the United States.

Now, why would bin Laden and his associates that are in captivity deny any link with al Qaeda? Al Qaeda's premise, on a perverted facade of Islam, is to work with the secular Ba'athist regime under Saddam Hussein, but undermine its very credibility as it goes after Saudi Arabia and other regimes in that region.

Now, the ones in captivity like al-Anni that were referenced before, I would just caution everyone, do not take a terrorist at their word unless they say they are going to kill you, because whether in captivity or not, there is no incentive to prove any member of the United States' present administration was correct, and there is certainly no impetus for these people to undermine the very position, belie the very myth of al Qaeda as an Islamic group trying to liberate its people and lead them to a greater life in Islam. So I would caution against that.

I also would like to just reiterate something that I think is very troubling to me, that we hear many people saying that our ability to preemptively deal with the situation in Iraq has somehow hurt us internationally. I suppose there will always be those people who believe that when the United States has to defend itself that we will be hurting ourselves. This is mistaken.

In fact, many of these same people never credit the good will of the acts of the United States in the immunization of Iraqi children or the education of Iraqi children or the free speech and association that is occurring in Iraq today. I would argue that over the long term, these benefits to the United States are going to outweigh any short-term anger that the terrorist organizations may feel, because we are striking a blow at them in the heart of the terrorist network.

I also have not heard about how the regime change and reconstruction nexus that has been applied in Iraq has also led to the regime conversion and potential rehabilitation of the Libyan regime, which also not only in that regard shows what strength and resolve have done in Iraq.

I think that one of the things that has been missed when Qadhafi admitted he has a weapons program, he invited weapons inspectors in, who were then led to the labs or testing facilities of the Libyan Government. Some of the inspectors pointed out that they would never have found these unless they were shown. Dr. Kay, who I have much respect for, when I met with him in Baghdad did not say that we had weapons of mass destruction, to his credit. But he did say that Saddam Hussein and his regime were actively engaging in re-energizing to try to acquire them, especially chemical and biological, which could have been generated in 2 weeks to 2 months.

If we had trouble finding extant technologies for weapons production in Libya, even with the Libyans' assistance, it should come as no surprise that in Iraq we are having extreme difficulty finding not only the weapons of mass destruction, if they exist themselves, but the labs or the scientists

who were trying to accumulate them, because, as Dr. Kay pointed out, the trouble we have in Iraq is that many of the scientists whom we would go to to try to find this information are being killed or are frightened.

I eagerly await to see what the fruits of security once it is firmly established in Iraq will yield to us in terms of intelligence regarding the weapons program and its state; and if there were any weapons, where did they go once the scientists and others in the community that participated in these programs feel that they are free of the threat of assassination or other reprisals to themselves or their family for sharing this information with the United States of America.

In conclusion, I would like to add just one personal point. I will not condemn the Clinton administration for what it did not do prior to September 11, but I would hope that others would be slow to condemn the Bush administration for what it has done since September 11 in defending the interests of the United States. In many ways, I do understand what occurred under the Clinton administration. While I was not one who was swayed at the time, when we defeated European Communism, we saw books from left and right proclaiming to the United States that the end of history was here, that we had peace dividends, that our future was bright, that we could go on to the task of perfecting the American experiment in democracy by addressing internal problems, such as education, race relations, poverty, hunger, injustice; and on September 11 that was taken from us.

What was foisted upon us was an unsought struggle against extremists perverting the tenets of Islam. Our generation and all the generations have to face the fact that once again we are called to our historic duty to defend freedom and civilization from every would-be tyrant bent upon world domination. On September 11, we went from sorrow to anger. But it is fair for us to also feel frustration that a country as great as ours, that has offered the world so much, could be so lowly stricken and have to deal with this type of aggressor yet again. It is unfair, but it is here.

As I said at the beginning, it is a menacing forest; but the trees will not shield us from the truth any longer, and we must accept the fate that we now share and succeed and continue with our resolve in the overarching war on terror to do one thing: it is to kill the terrorists before they kill us, to kill the terrorists before they kill our children; and it is to win the war on terror in our lifetimes.

Mr. Speaker I rise today to honor and acknowledge an important milestone as Mr. Rhys Lewis celebrated his 80th Birthday on Thursday, May 13, 2004.

Rhys honorably served in the South Pacific during World War II as a United States Marine Corp Sergeant, fighting against tyranny and defending America's freedom and security. Following his invaluable service to our country, Rhys returned safely home to marry Ruth M. Lewis in 1947. After successfully building and managing two small businesses, Rhys was elected a Trustee of the Charter Township of Redford. His personal commitment and ongoing efforts to better the community have made Rhys indispensable and the people of Redford have benefited from his character, dedication, leadership, and tireless motivation. His wife Ruth, and their two children, Arthur Lewis and Judge Charlotte Wirth, should be extremely proud of the indelible mark he has made.

Mr. Speaker, I extend my appreciation to Mr. Rhys Lewis, upon his 80th birthday, for his fine service to our community and country.

Madam Speaker, I rise to offer a long delayed thank you to President Reagan for his help with a personal matter of mine. By the time I turned 15 in 1980, I had grown acutely aware of a quadrennial rift between my parents. My father was a Truman Democrat, my mother was an Eisenhower Republican, and my brother and myself were, of course, KISS fans.

Then one cold November night, there was a thaw. My father walked in the door, sat my mother down and, in a hushed, tremulous tone, as if every fellow Irish Catholic Democrat he had known from his days in the St. Francis Home for Boys Orphanage, every worker in a Detroit Labor Day parade, and everybody on every St. Patrick's Day pub crawl might somehow overhear him, Dennis Vincent Patrick Mullen McCotter admitted to his wife, quote, ``I cannot believe I went and did it, Joan, I voted for him.'' Him was Ronald Wilson Reagan.

This vignette of American democracy's unifying force occurred in millions of homes across our Nation in 1980. The resulting national unity, which was brought about through the thawing of so many families' political Cold Wars, ultimately led to the end of the global Cold War.

Madam Speaker, today the words of Albert Camus ring true: ``A man does not show his greatness by being at one extremity or the other, but rather by touching both at once.'' Truly, President Reagan was a unifying force for moral good in our Nation and our world. And thus his great humility would have precluded him from ever agreeing, Ronald Reagan was a great man. He will be mourned and missed and forever remembered.

I offer my perpetual gratitude to the man, and my profound condolences to his family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mr. James McIlvain upon his retirement after 37 years of service to Wayne- Westland Community Schools.

Mr. James McIlvain has had a long and distinguished career in academia. Following his graduation from Ohio State University where he developed a love of history, government and politics, James was led to the noble profession of teaching. Beginning his career in 1967 at Adams Junior High School, he taught United States History and Geography contributing to the education of countless students and enriching the lives of the students, families, staff and faculty around him. After advancing excellence in the classroom, James became a guidance counselor where he served as a role model promoting good character and helping students as they made the transition into adulthood. Undoubtedly, the everlasting legacy of James's work can be seen in the community, as he has helped create the future generation of leaders.

His wife, Susan, and his two daughters, Becky and Kelly, should be extremely proud of the undeniable mark he has left on the community. We at home will remember and always benefit from his dedication and leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I extend my sincere appreciation to Mr. James McIlvain upon his retirement as a John Glenn High School Guidance Counselor and for his fine service to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mrs. Barbara White upon her retirement after nearly 40 years of service to the citizens of the City of Garden City, Michigan and the students of Garden all City Public Schools.

Barbara White began her career in the Garden City Public School District in 1964 where she served as Head Secretary for Memorial, Maplewood, Cambridge, and Marquette Elementary Schools. Over the next 23 years, she contributed to the education of the countless students enriching the lives of the students, families, staff and faculty around her. Following her retirement in 1987, Mrs. White was elected to the Garden City School Board. During her tenure as a Board Member, she served on the Finance, Facilities, and Policy Committees where she helped to create and implement policies that would educate and prepare students to be knowledgeable, responsible, contributing citizens. Serving 16 years on the school board, she tirelessly acted as an advocate for an intellectually alive and meaningful curriculum for all students in Garden City Public Schools.

Her husband, Dwight, and her sons, Glen, Howard, and Noel, should be extremely proud

of the undeniable mark she has left on the community. We at home will fondly remember and always benefit from her dedication and leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I extend my sincere appreciation to Mrs. Barbara White upon her retirement from Garden City Public Schools and for her fine service to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and honor the Village of Wolverine Lake, Michigan on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. Incorporated on April 5, 1954 under the State of Michigan's long tradition of Home Rule, the Village of Wolverine Lake's caring citizens, diligent community leaders, superior schools, and vibrant economy accumulate and constitute an exceptional civic life for its citizens.

The Village of Wolverine Lake's rich history dates back to 1919, when Dr. Howard Stuart's efforts led to the construction of a dam connecting several area lakes to form Wolverine Lake. Local residents then established the Consolidated Subdivision of Wolverine Lake Neighborhood Association to maintain and protect the beauty of Wolverine Lake. The Village of Wolverine Lake has now grown to a population of more than 4000 residents. Undoubtedly, the Village of Wolverine Lake will continue to fulfill its promise of boundless opportunity and beauty for its people.

Mr. Speaker, today I ask you and my esteemed colleagues to please join me in congratulating the Village of Wolverine Lake on their very special anniversary.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, while I strongly support the underlying bill and fully respect the intent of the esteemed Member's amendment, I reluctantly rise in opposition to it, which I believe at present could potentially result in the alacritous demolition of Iraq's Abu Ghraib Prison.

In so rising, I site the present disposition of another notorious site of murder and repression, Ireland's Kilmainham Jail. Built in Dublin by the British, from 1796 until the release of its last prisoner and future Irish president, Eamon de Valera, in 1924, Kilmainham Jail played a grim host to the incarceration, repression, and execution of Irish prisoners by both the English and then, most tragically, by the Irish themselves.

After initially falling into disrepair and dilapidation, the jail's restoration was commenced in 1960 and eventually concluded in the 1980s by the Irish Republic's Office of Public Works. Today, over 150,000 visitors a year come from all over the world to view Kilmainham Jail, for it constitutes a historical mirror into the torturous times which culminated in Irish independence.

In its present state, Kilmainham Jail has been wrested from its inhuman captors' use as a paradigm of oppression and death, and has instead been presented to humanity as an enduring testament to the transcendence and ultimate triumph of the human spirit in the face of evil.

Mr. Chairman, so too must stand Abu Ghraib Prison. For decades, Abu Ghraib Prison housed the murder, torture and rape of Iraqi citizens at the hands of a butcher, Saddam Hussein, and most tragically has seen the inhumane treatment of Iraqi prisoners by an unrepresentative smattering of despicable captors.

Thus, just as Irish suffering secured Irish ownership of Kilmainham Jail's fate, Iraqi suffering has secured Iraqi ownership over Abu Ghraib Prison's fate.

Abu Ghraib is not America's to obliterate as a site of evil. It is Iraq's to elevate as a testament to history and a caution of the future.

Yet, this is but my opinion, for not being an Iraqi, such is not my decision to make. Nor, I caution, is this a decision to be made by the Coalition Provisional Authority or the Iraqi Governing Council. The CPA and IGC are transitory stewards of Iraqi sovereignty. They are not the sovereign government comprised of the Iraqi people. Thus, if the CPA and/or the IGC makes a determination on Abu Ghraib's future, especially its demolition, such an action will be viewed by many Iraqis as having been done at the behest of the U.S. and our allies and not on behalf of the Iraqi people by the Iraqi people.

In a country and a time teeming with missed opportunities and impending deadlines, let us not miss this chance to act presciently, not precipitously.

I make then the following proposal: Immediately upon the transfer of sovereignty from the Coalition Provisional Authority to the Iraqi people on July 1, the United States must formally tender to the Iraqi government Abu Ghraib Prison. Then the Iraqi people and their new sovereign government, without external pressure and through free speech, debate, assembly, petition and all lawful political processes, the very political freedoms we are trying to impart to them, can justly make their final determination upon Abu Ghraib's final fate.

Nothing could more clearly and fully exhibit our true and sustained commitment to our own democratic principles and to the Iraqi people that our manifest comprehension of a few depraved captors' shame does not eclipse thousands of Iraqis' pain.

This is the sovereign Iraqis' decision to make. It is not ours to insist upon or suggest but only to abide.

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

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

First, I am aware of America's not having a role in Kilmainham Jail or grandpa would not have come here in the first place, quite likely. I never implied that. It was never stated.

I think the fact that we are having this debate is a worthwhile debate, but it is not what is reflected in the amendment. If the new Iraqi Government applies, if the Iraqi Government referenced in the amendment on line 17 applies to the new sovereign Iraqi Government, it should say so. And since this seems to be the age of deadlines or timelines, put July 1 or later.

It also should not suggest only one course of action. It should suggest that after a new sovereign Iraqi Government decides what they want to do with that facility, I cannot use that word, that evil site, then we should be able to assist them in whatever decision they make.

I was talking to another Member today, it was kind of ironic, about this situation, and he mentioned he had been to Dachau. And there are two testaments to evil that I can right off think of, Dachau and Auschwitz where America liberated.

Auschwitz, which is in Poland, still stands intact. Dachau is a fence with pictures; Dachau is in Germany.

This is an intensely personal decision for the Iraqi people. It should be done through their sovereign government. There should be no external pressure or suggestions as to what they should do.

I believe that a better amendment would have been that we will assist them and the new sovereign government after July 1 in whatever disposition of that prison that they sought and saw fit, based upon the suffering on that site.

I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, in a time of war events often lead legislation and precede it.

I have the utmost respect for the sponsors of this amendment and their intent. I believe him about the legislative process. It is my concern that come July 1 Abu Ghraib prison may not stand anymore and may not be there for a new sovereign Iraqi Government to make that determination. That is my concern; and the drafting of the amendment, as such, could arguably allow that to happen with the implicit consent of a House that passed this amendment.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Dorothy Marie Korzym upon her retirement after 25 years of teaching the children of our community.

After receiving her masters degree from the University of Michigan in 1984, Ms. Korzym taught at various schools, including Our Lady Gate of Heaven in Detroit, St. Fabian in Farmington Hills, and Marygrove College.

In 1995, Ms. Korzym began teaching at St. Edith in Livonia.There is no doubt, her wisdom and guidance were a great asset to our community. Although she will be sorely missed at the school, she will continue to have a presence at St. Edith as she has been a member of the parish for the past 20 years.

Mr. Speaker, I extend my sincere appreciation to Dorothy Marie Korzym, upon her retirement after 25 years of teaching, for her fine service to our community and our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Geraldine Catherine Murphy upon her retirement after 40 years of teaching the children of our community.

After graduating from Marygrove College in 1964, Ms. Murphy taught the students of SS. Peter and Paul School in Detroit until 1998. During this time, she served on many educational committees, including the committee which wrote the Language Arts/English curriculum for the Archdiocese of Detroit.

In 1998, Ms. Murphy came to the educational community at St. Edith in Livonia. There is no doubt, her wisdom and guidance were a great asset to our community. The impact she had upon St. Edith will be felt for many years to come, as she will be sorely missed.

Mr. Speaker, I extend my sincere appreciation to Geraldine Catherine Murphy, upon her retirement after 40 years of teaching, for her fine service to our community and our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Garden City Hospital's Center for Counseling upon the center's 30th anniversary.

In 1974, the vision of former Garden City Hospital President and CEO Allan Breakie led to the development of counseling services which responded to an identified community need and also served as a resource for the medical staff of the hospital. Initially, the focus was on providing treatment for the chemically dependent patient in an inpatient setting.

Under the leadership of Dr. Phil O'Dwyer, the Center expanded into the treatment of eating disorders and a broader range of mental health issues. The Center received national attention when its Patient- Treatment matching system was described as a ``model for the nation'' in the 1990 Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report to Congress.

In recent years, services for children and adolescents were added, in response to the growing national concern with teen problems. In 2002, the Michigan Health and Hospital Association awarded the Center for Counseling its prestigious Patric Ludwig award for innovative community programming for adolescents.

Today, the Center has an experienced staff which includes a Board Certified psychiatrist, doctoral and masters level psychologists, clinical social workers and professional counselors.

Over the past 30 years, more than 8,000 patients and their families have benefited from the treatment services of the Center for Counseling. Countless numbers have benefited from the prevention and education efforts undertaken through seminars, public presentations, and TV and radio appearances.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Congress, the 8,000 patients, and family members, I would like to thank the Center for Counseling at the

Garden City Hospital for their 30 years of service to the community.

Mr. Speaker, recently I lost an inspirational family member, and with sadness, I pay my uncle, Eugene Martinyak, a posthumous tribute today.

Eugene truly lived the American Dream. Born to Polish and Ukrainian immigrants in 1936, he served our Nation in the United States Army from 1954-1957. Starting from virtually nothing, Eugene supported his family of four children while working full time attending college.

As a professional, Eugene helped develop computer systems for the Chrysler Automotive Corporation. In doing so, Eugene fulfilled a promise to his children: gave them more than he ever had.

Thus, on behalf of us all, I extend my deepest condolences to his wife Carol and his entire family for their loss.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Eileen Davis upon her retirement after 15 years of service to the citizens of the City of Livonia.

Eileen Davis began her service to the citizens of Livonia in 1989 when she accepted the full time Clerk I position. Over the next 15 years she was promoted twice to the positions of Clerk Il and Elections Record Clerk. During this time, she processed rezoning and waiver use petitions, handled the recording of easements and deeds, processed absentee ballot applications, tabulated ballots on election nights, inputted payroll data and supervised the conducting of elections within the City. For a period of 12 years, she was a stellar help to the Livonia City Clerk, Joan McCotter.

Her husband, Donald, and daughters, Lynette and Deanna, should be extremely proud of the undeniable mark she has left on the community. We at home will sorely miss and always benefit from her dedication and leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I extend my sincere appreciation to Mrs. Eileen Davis, upon her retirement after 15 years in the. Livonia City Clerk's Office, for her fine service to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Joseph Bommarito upon his retirement after 32 years of service to our community.

Since his family moved to Redford when he was just 10 years old, Joe has been a staple in our community. Before accepting the appointment as Deputy Supervisor in January of 1997, Joe served the Redford Township Police Department for 25 years in the capacities of patrolman, sergeant, lieutenant and inspector. Joe's impact was immediately felt as he successfully negotiated cost saving contracts and gave the Townhall a new look.

His wife, Carol, and his sons, Joseph, Tony, Michael and Bryan, should be extremely proud of the undeniable mark he has left on the community. We at home will sorely miss and always benefit from his dedication and leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I extend my sincere appreciation to Mr. Joseph Bommarito, upon his retirement as Deputy Supervisor of Redford Township, for his fine service to our community and our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Laurie Marrs upon her retirement after 20 years of service as Executive Director of the Northville Chamber of Commerce.

Due to her leadership in the business community, the Northville Chamber of Commerce has become one of the premier business associations in the State of Michigan. From 1985 to today, Laurie Marrs has increased membership from 100 to 525 members, founded and served as chairperson for the Northville Victorian Festival, increased the number of Farmer's Market vendors from 6 to 100, instituted the annual State of the Community luncheon and founded the Northville Business Showcase.

Her husband, Terry, and daughters, Kelly and Andrea, should be extremely proud of the undeniable mark she has left on the community. We at home will sorely miss and always benefit from her dedication and leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I extend my sincere appreciation to Ms. Laurie Marrs, upon her retirement after 20 years as Executive Director of the Northville Chamber of Commerce, for her fine service to the community.