Vic Snyder

Mr. Speaker, as a boy growing up in southern Oregon, Medford, Oregon, I was blessed with a wonderful public school system. Of course, that is about a half century ago now, but you only have a good school system if you have good teachers, and I did: Mr. Merriman and Elsie Butler and Devere Taylor and John Smock and Mrs. Leininger and Irv Myrick, and I do a disservice to all of them by naming just a few.

Chuck Nevi was one of those teachers, and he helped me explore America and humanity through the words of Mark Twain.

For a boy growing up in 1950s America, the world of riverboats, scalawags, runaway slaves, and sassy, independent, barefooted boys was magical. The world of Mark Twain taught readers universal truths about the human animal, and some of those truths are not flattering. Like all youngsters, I imagined myself to be Huckleberry Finn, and when Huck Finn chooses what he believes will be hell and eternal damnation so that his love, loyalty, and friendship with a runaway slave will be preserved, well, for me, being raised in a town with few minorities, I learned both about racism and about the power of even young boys to find the real truths and confront confusing human institutions that allowed racism to persist.

A few weeks ago, I saw the news report of Tina Fey winning the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and it reminded me that this year, 2010, should be acknowledged for the 100th anniversary of Mark Twain's death and the 175th anniversary of his birth. And so even though it was late in the session, I filed this resolution on his birthday to honor Mark Twain.

Mr. Speaker, when parents are away from their babies, particularly during these holidays, we talk about our kids, and so I will. My 4- year-old, Penn, and my three 2-year-olds, Aubrey, Wyatt and Sullivan, are the four little boy Huck Finns in our Arkansas household geographically not far from Huck Finn's world, but such a different world now, one that 19th century contemporaries of a young Sam Clemens would not recognize, except, of course, for his insights into the strengths and weaknesses of human nature. And because of that genius, that genius expressed with humor, I hope my young boys, my young Huck Finns, learn to love the world and works of Mark Twain.

Probably there is no greater honor serving in the House than to support our military families. Each of us on the Armed Services Committee, as well as do all Members of the Congress, take this responsibility very seriously. No one has served more honorably than the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton). No one is a prouder honorary marine than the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton). Semper fi, Mr. Chairman.

One important provision in this bill gives military families the same right civilian families now have to keep children up to age 26 on their insurance. That will not occur unless this bill passes, and I strongly recommend a vote for the bill.

Mr. Speaker, my 4-year-old, Penn, and his three 2-year- old brothers, Aubrey, Wyatt and Sullivan, like all babies came into a changing world and a changing America, and yet, in many ways, when it comes to issues regarding gays and lesbians, America has already changed.

Their first home church would not have thrived without the labor and dedication of numerous gay and lesbian members. My babies' child care benefited from several loving lesbian couples who have given their time to help my wife and I raise them. And America benefits from gay and lesbian pilots, doctors, scientists, diplomats, teachers, police, firemen, EMTs, construction workers, many other professions, somehow all without distracting each other.

Implementation by repeal, not by court case, allows the military to catch up with the rest of America, and my boys and all American children will be the better for it.