Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a dedicted Michigan resident, Police Officer Brian Duffany, recently named City of Livonia Police Officer of the Year. Officer Duffany has served the City of Livonia with great pride and courage since 1991.

On January 14, 2002, Officer Duffany received a dispatch call stating a robbery had taken place at a nearby restaurant. While on patrol, Officer Duffany observed a vehicle and driver matching the bulletin's description and attempted to stop the vehicle for questioning. The suspect attempted to flee, but after striking two civilian cars the chase continued on foot. Officer Duffany quickly apprehended the suspect, who was still carrying a revolver in his pants pocket.

Mr. Speaker, Officer Brian Duffany is a hero to the people of Livonia, Michigan and the United States. I extend my sincere appreciation to him for making our community a safer place.

Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our guest chaplain, Pastor Dave Stewart, who is a constituent of mine, from Wayne, Michigan, and I would just like to say he has been a tremendous asset to the community, and it has been an honor to have him here today.

Mr. Chairman, we cannot quantify the cost of our freedom; however, in passing a budget we must calculate the cost of our homeland security and our household security. To fulfil this duty, we are best guided by the verities of our history. A war runs a deficit, and, with determination, we retain our freedom and inevitably regain our prosperity. Truly our Nation's homeland security and household security are best served by budgetary balance born out of fiscal discipline. But sadly there come moments when time connives and fate conspires to preclude us from budgetary balance, and we must sacrifice in the present to strengthen our future.

Mr. Chairman, our Nation has been at war since September 11, a war on terror of which Operation Iraqi Freedom is the most recent theater. It has been, is and will continue to be a struggle of momentous sacrifice, yet we will prevail, and we will prosper.

This budget, which restores us to balance in 9 years, will speed our path to

peace and prosperity. For after each year of this budget, our deficit diminishes, our homeland security increases, and our household security increases. Yes, this is a difficult budget for these difficult times because it is a war budget in a time of war. Mr. Chairman, to preserve and promote our Nation's security, opportunity and prosperity, I urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, as our Nation's space program has touched the lives of all Americans with both triumph and tragedy, I rise today to honor the special bond of courage and discovery between our seven Columbia astronauts and Mr. Ronald Ferenczi's science class at Bishop Borgess High School, which is located in my district.

In conjunction with NASA's initiatives to foster a love of scientific knowledge and exploration amongst America's youth, Mr. Ronald Ferenczi's science class created a space experiment to study the effects of solar radiation on the T-4 virus, antibiotics and related drugs and materials. Then, to their delight and awe, the students' ingenious experiment was then chosen for inclusion on Columbia's mission of discovery, and brimming with curiosity and pride, the students eagerly watched and awaited Columbia's return, until . . .

Mr. Speaker, our Nation's space program, buoyed by courage and dedicated to discovery, echoes the journey of life, for cradled within our frail vessels, our lives constitute courageous voyages of discovery about our world and about ourselves; and as with every worthy journey of discovery, the road ahead is often hard and as often filled with triumph as it is with tragedy.

Consequently, how we cope and continue along our path of self- discovery is now and will always be our greatest trial and our greatest triumph because the courageous endurance of unfathomable suffering on the path to self-discovery is now and will always be the greatest moral measure of humanity.

In conclusion, then, to Mr. Ferenczi and his students at Bishop Borgess Academy whose names are Jason Bowens, Tangie Brooks, Evan Collins, Christopher Hill, Lawrence Nelson, Melvin Packer, Ashleigh Roberts, Darryl Earthen, Arielle Williams, Kelsey Dean, Martez Mitchell and Pauline Smith, I offer my sincerest accolades on their accomplishment.

My deepest condolences on their suffering, and I join them in thanking Columbia's fallen crew, not only for what they have taught us about space, but for what they have taught us about ourselves. May we honor their memory by continuing their voyage of discovery.