Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Bread of Life Drive of Staten Island, NY For the past 16 years, the University of Notre Dame Alumni Club of Staten Island has sponsored this enormous food drive, which provides necessary provisions to soup kitchens, shelters, and other charitable organizations on Staten Island. This year, with the help of students from 92 elementary, junior and high schools and colleges, this year's Bread of Life Drive was able to raise enough supplies to fully stock 25 essential organizations that serve the homeless, low-income families, single mothers, and victims of abuse.

Since its inception, the Bread of Life Drive has contributed 800,000 cans and boxes of food items to a wide range of charitable entities. This year's drive was very appropriately dedicated to Father Ted Hesburgh, president emeritus of Notre Dame, in celebration of his 90th birthday.

I would also like to personally highlight the efforts of Joe Delaney who has tirelessly headed up the Bread of Life Drive for many years.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I would personally like to thank the University's Alumni Club as well as all of the students, teachers, family members, and volunteers for their tireless efforts to help the needy of Staten Island. These good Samaritans have made the Bread of Life Drive an exemplary model of generosity and selflessness. Finally, I would like to wish Father Hesburgh a very happy 90th birthday and many more.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association on the auspicious occasion of the 85th Anniversary of its founding. For nearly a century, AHEPA has been a leading organization of Greek-Americans, today representing 1.3 million individuals.

On July 26, 1922 AHEPA was formed by eight visionary Greek immigrants to unite their community against discrimination, denigration, and violence perpetrated by hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.

From its modest origins, AHEPA has grown into a bastion of philanthropy, education, humanitarianism, and family life. Its members are patriotic, civic-minded Americans enriched with a deep respect and admiration for the heritage and culture of their homeland, Greece, the cradle of democracy. Their members have served bravely in the armed forces, worked diligently in civilian life, and been elected to every level of American government.

Each year, AHEPA contributes more than two million dollars for scholarships, medical research grants, and other charitable causes. Since the 1940s, when its health centers first opened their doors, AHEPA has become a world-class benefactor of improved health care. From the Cooley's Anemia Foundation, which issues grants to medical researchers to find a cure for the disease to the Bone Marrow Registry, established to help match those in need of marrow with compatible donors, Americans enjoy superior medical facilities and treatment thanks in part to AHEPA's assiduous efforts.

Mr. Speaker, in closing I would like to extend my congratulations and thanks to the entire AHEPA family, including the Daughters of Penelope, the Sons of Pericles, the Maids of Athena, and AHEPA's chapters in Canada and Australia. May their next 85 years be as productive and inspiring as the last.

Madam Speaker, on January 31, 2007, my good friend and colleague, Mr. Honda, introduced H. Res. 121 on Comfort Women, of which I am a proud co-sponsor. Given recent events, the necessity and imperative to pass H. Res. 121 by the full House of Representatives is now more important than ever. It is my hope that this non-binding resolution will signal to our friend and ally, the Government of Japan, that working to

officially resolve its longstanding historical issues will not only restore honor and dignity to the Comfort Women survivors, but bring out greater trust and cooperation among our other friends and allies in the region.

A formal apology by the Japanese government would help bring a sense of peace and healing to the women who were abused as well as to their families. Many of these innocent women were taken at a young age and suffered unspeakable and disgusting crimes that destroyed their lives. An apology cannot undo this damage, but it is important for the victims to know that the Japanese government has accepted responsibility in a clear an unequivocal manner. I believe an official apology would help strengthen and improve relations between our friends and allies in the Northeast Asian region.

Without objection, I wish to insert into the Congressional Record an editorial on this issue that appeared in the New York Times on Tuesday, March 6, appropriately entitled: ``No Comfort.''

[From The New York Times, March 6, 2007]

No Comfort

What part of ``Japanese Army sex slaves'' does Japan's

prime minister, Shinzo Abe, have so much trouble

understanding and apologizing for?

The underlying facts have long been beyond serious dispute.

During World War II, Japan's Army set up sites where women

rounded up from Japanese colonies like Korea were expected to

deliver sexual services to Japan's soldiers.

These were not commercial brothels. Force, explicit and

implicit, was used in recruiting these women. What went on in

them was serial rape, not prostitution. The Japanese Army's

involvement is documented in the government's own defense

files. A senior Tokyo official more or less apologized for

this horrific crime in 1993. The unofficial fund set up to

compensate victims is set to close down this month.

And Mr. Abe wants the issue to end there. Last week, he

claimed that there was no evidence that the victims had been

coerced. Yesterday, he grudgingly acknowledged the 1993 quasi

apology, but only as part of a pre-emptive declaration that

his government would reject the call, now pending in the

United States Congress, for an official apology. America

isn't the only country interested in seeing Japan belatedly

accept full responsibility. Korea and China are also

infuriated by years of Japanese equivocations over the issue.

Mr. Abe seems less concerned with repairing Japan's sullied

international reputation than with appealing to a large

right-wing faction within his Liberal Democratic Party that

insists that the whole shameful episode was a case of healthy

private enterprise. One ruling party lawmaker, in his

misplaced zeal to exculpate the Army, even suggested the

offensive analogy of a college that outsourced its cafeteria

to a private firm.

Japan is only dishonored by such efforts to contort the

truth.

The 1993 statement needs to be expanded upon, not whittled

down. Parliament should issue a frank apology and provide

generous official compensation to the surviving victims. It

is time for Japan's politicians--starting with Mr. Abe--to

recognize that the first step toward overcoming a shameful

past is acknowledging it.

I thank the lady for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the question before us is whether the front line in the war on terrorism moves from Baghdad back to America.

Although this resolution is nonbinding, the message it sends to our troops on the battlefield and to our enemies is crystal clear. Our words have consequences, as powerful as our actions. We must choose them carefully, for they are being listened to all over the world. And the words this Congress speaks today will send a message to both our allies and enemies about our resolve.

It is not a contradiction to support our warriors in battle and also to seek a lasting peace. That principle has guided us through tougher times than this. Indeed, it is America's gift from one generation to the next that we create a Nation that is stronger, freer, more prosperous, and more likely to enjoy God's world in peace.

To abdicate this responsibility for political expediency is a dereliction of duty and a sign of lost faith in the promise of America.

Throughout history, it has been proven that you cannot surrender the battlefield and still win the war. This war on terrorism was thrust upon us. America and other free nations were attacked by evil forces. To leave these forces unchecked would stoke the insatiable appetite of the beast. We know this because we have seen it before.

Regarding the fall of Cambodia, Henry Kissinger wrote:

Sirik Matak, who was the prime minister, was asked by then Ambassador John Dean if he would like to be evacuated, as the United States had just announced it was leaving. The prime minister responded, in part: Thank you for your offer to transport me towards freedom. I cannot, alas, leave in such a cowardly fashion.

As for your great country, I never believed for a moment that you have the sentiment of abandoning people which have chosen liberty. You have refused us your protection and we can do nothing about it. You leave, and my wish is that you and your country will find happiness under the sky. But mark it well, that if I shall die here on this spot and in my country that I love, it is no matter because we are all born and we must die. I have only committed this mistake in believing in you, the Americans.

The very next day the New York Times reported the evacuation with the following headline, ``Indochina Without Americans: For Most, a Better Life.''

As for the Prime Minister, he was shot; and it took him 3 days to die without medical help. Every other government official and their families were executed, and one to two million Cambodians were rousted from their homes and led to the slaughter like cattle.

Is this the fate we wish to leave millions of Iraqis who have tasted freedom after decades of oppression?

Is this the fate we wish for our allies and the leaders who are nurturing an infant democracy?

Is this the legacy we choose for our airmen and our soldiers and for those heroes who have fallen?

With an open mind I have spent hours this week listening to the debate. Like many Americans, I was willing to listen to new ideas and explore a new course in Iraq. But an opportunity was wasted, because all I have heard is no from the other side. I have not heard a plan, nor have I heard a strategy.

And let me be clear. It is not my place to question one's motivation or patriotism. But I can question judgment. This resolution is either an endorsement of the status quo or a clarion call of retreat, and neither is acceptable to me or to many in this Chamber.

Some now talk about a slow bleed strategy to cut off funding for our troops. I ask, if we surrender this battlefield, which battlefield will our enemy choose next? Will it be New York? Will it be Los Angeles? Will it be Washington, D.C.? Appeasement does not work. Just look back. The World Trade Center in 1993, Somalia, the Khobar Towers, Kenya and Tanzania, the USS Cole and, of course, September 11, 2001.

This copy of the Staten Island Advance, my local paper, shows the faces of some of the victims, 240 on this sheet alone. These are the people I knew, and they were the people who we promised, these 240 people who left 450

children without parents because they perished because evil people attacked this country. We made a promise to them that we will never let this happen again. I ask you, do we break that covenant? Do we surrender to the beast? To that I simply respond, no.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to someone that lost their life several days ago.

Today, on Staten Island, at St. Peter's Church in St. George, many gathered, family and friends of John Lavelle. He was a State assemblyman from Staten Island and also the Democratic Party leader from Staten Island. His mother, his children and not to mention his colleagues in the State legislature, the Governor, the Attorney General and many members of the City Council, Councilmen Oddo and McMahon; State Senator Andrew Lanza; State Assemblyman Vincent Ignizio; the borough president; and so many others who flocked to the church to honor a good, decent guy.

As I mentioned, he was a leader of the other party; and perhaps, if he had had his way, I wouldn't be here today. But in a way it is a reminder, and John Lavelle to me lived it, that you can disagree and you can feel very passionately about certain things, and, in fact, most often, John and I, we shared the same goals: how to help those who are poor, how to help those who are oppressed.

He was the son of immigrants. The notion that new immigrants to this country make it the great country that it is and they need our help. The fact that he was such a community oriented guy.

Some of the eulogies today emphasized not just his passion, but his son talked about John's grandson and will the community be okay now that his grandfather passed away? He had a beautiful family. Three boys and grandchildren that kept him going and kept him strong.

He was someone who came into office not just for the sake of running. In fact, he spent many years in the private sector and, while in the private sector, paid his dues. He paid his dues at the soup kitchens. He paid his dues at helping those who were poor and oppressed. Politics was his life and his passion, but it wasn't just about politics. In my opinion, John was truly someone who wanted to help others.

And I will bet you right now there are folks gathered back in Jody's Club Forest on Forest Avenue in Staten Island who are raising a beer to John and his life and his memory, as well they should, because as much as he brought to life a passion for politics, he also brought a passion to be around others and to fight hard during the day. Almost like two lawyers in a courtroom, they are fighting it out on behalf of their clients, but when the courtroom door closed, you could get together for a beer and share and swap a story or tell a joke.

The world needs more folks like him. He was someone who wasn't so caught up on style. He was focused more on substance. Indeed, a straight shooter and someone who, although you may disagree with his policies or his point of view, he knew exactly what he meant and where he was coming from.

So we pay tribute because I know sometimes in life, especially in political life, we have a tendency to get caught up in the toxic environment which is created, but I can tell you in Staten Island folks were able to rise above it. And last week alone, while John laid in the ICU, Democratic- and Republican-elected officials as well as so many family members and friends held vigil in the hospital to hope for a recovery that tragically and sadly did not come.

Staten Island was a better place because of John Lavelle. This country was well served by his service. So tonight I pay heed not as a political official here but as a friend of John Lavelle.

Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Catholic Schools not only in my Home Congressional District of Staten Island and Brooklyn, but also the entire nation as we honored Catholic Schools Week from January 28-February 3, 2007.

America's Catholic schools educate nearly 2.5 million students a year, providing the nation's young men and women with a broad academic background emphasizing the lifelong development of moral, intellectual physical and social values.

Catholic school initiatives that reach out to disadvantaged young people have touched a diverse group of students who sometimes find themselves trapped in underachieving schools. It is not surprising to me that more than 27 percent of Catholic school students are from minority groups and nearly 14 percent are non-Catholics. Parents recognize the importance of a quality education and are willing to sacrifice to ensure their children have every opportunity to succeed in the world.

Catholic Schools Week pays tribute to the dedication, character, compassion, and values that embody Catholic education in this country. I believe it is important to recognize the outstanding contributions Catholic Schools make in our country today. Their commitment to the educational standards and values ensure our children will have the right moral framework to help lead our great Nation in the future.

I would like to recognize all Catholic Schools in the 13th Congressional District of New York: Academy of St. Dorothy, Blessed Sacrament, Holy Rosary, Immaculate Conception, Notre Dame Academy, Monsignor Farrell High School, Moore Catholic School, Mother Francciska, Notre Dame Academy Elementary, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Our Lady Help of Christians, OL Mount Carme/St. Benedicta, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Our Lady Star of the Sea, Sacred Heart, St. Adalbert, St. Ann, St. Charles, St. Christopher, St. Clare, St. John Villa Academy, St. Joseph, St. Joseph by the Sea High School, St. Joseph Hill Academy, St. Joseph-St. Thomas, St. Margaret Mary, St. Mary, St. Patrick, St. Paul, St. Peter's Boys, St. Peter's Girls, St. Peter's Elementary, St. Rita, St. Roch, St. Sylvester, Seton Foundation For Learning, St. Teresa, Most Precious Blood, Fontbonne Hall Academy, Our Lady of Angels, Our Lady of Grace, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Anselm, St. Bernadette, St. Ephrem, St. Finbar, St. Frances Cabrini, St. Patrick School, Sts. Simon & Jude, Visitation Academy, Xavarian High School, Xavarian Genesis Program.

Mr. Speaker, at the outset let me just thank the majority for bringing this bill to the floor because I think that most Americans want Democrats and Republicans to work together to ensure that all America remains safe and secure and not to repeat another September 11.

And by and large there are some very good elements of the legislation, but let me right at the outset request that as we go forward there are some specific concerns that New York City has that I think need to be addressed. First is the issue that the city itself cannot apply directly for the interoperable communications grants, it must go through the State without any requirements that the State get the funds to the locality like New York City such as exists in the UASI process. We know by now that New York City has specific needs and therefore I believe this should be addressed.

The same would apply to what could be a duplicative process in relation to the new interoperability grant program under DHS speaking as someone who was involved with the establishment of the first interoperability grant program under the Department of Commerce where as we speak the NTIA is in the process of preparing guidelines. My concern is that we don't get in a situation where there are two different agencies getting into a bureaucratic trap which will prevent the flow of money.

Most importantly, however, is that we know that one size does not fit all and I speak specifically that under current law there could be, and I think will be a problem, with relation to section 3006 of Public Law 109-171. And that is, as much that over the last 10 years New York City has allocated a lot of money and in the last 5 years since 9/11 almost a billion dollars to upgrade its interoperability capacity to allow firefighters and police officers to talk to each other. So now under current law we are essentially saying that everyone must use the 700 MHz in the spectrum. New York City cannot, like I said, they have allocated a billion dollars, in the 400 and the 800 megahertz spectrum, Why? Because they found out that it is easier to use that to communicate into subways, into high rise buildings. The last thing I think this Congress wants to be on the record for is to essentially tie the hands of New York City. Undo much of the good work that has taken place over the last 5 years and allow New York City and other localities that have unique and specific needs to continue to deploy and build on the networks that they have put in place. I think it would be a big mistake, I encourage the majority to consider using this legislation as a vehicle to clarify congressional intent in current law as the process goes forward. I make no mistake, I make no hesitation that not acting will hurt and punish New York City and the millions, tens of millions of people who come there to visit the greatest city in the world.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 522 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on October 8, 2006 Brother Paul Hannon will celebrate 25 years of service as a Christian Brother and educator.

For the past 25 years Brother Hannon has worked as a teacher, athletic director, and hockey moderator. He has spent the past 10 years of his service at my Alma mater, Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island, NY.

Over the last quarter century Brother Hannon has served as a Christian Brother

whose assignments have been varied and enriching. His most fulfilling calls to service have been spent working with many youth, particularly those near and dear to me at Monsignor Farrell. His enthusiasm is unwavering, and he has created programs such as in-house television studios which have given students exposure to areas of study they never before would have imagined.

Brother Hannon is an invaluable member of the communities I represent and I commend him for his outstanding leadership and commitment to the people of Staten Island and Brooklyn.

Mr. Speaker, on July 10, 2006, one of the world's greatest terrorists, Shamil Basayev was killed during a special operation by Russian Security Services. Basayev represented the radical aspect of the Chechen rebel movement. The movement began as a secular fight for independence and has become overrun by Islamic extremists. Russia claims that Basayev's efforts have now been supported by international terror networks like al-Qaeda.

For more than 10 years, Basayev, designated as a terrorist by both the United States and the United Nations, was the mastermind behind the most horrific attacks on the Russian people. His reign of terror includes the seizure of a hospital in Budyonnovsk in southern Russia in 1995 that killed approximately 100. He attacked a theater in Moscow in 2002 where dozens of hostages died. And most tragically and horrific in its cowardice, he abducted a school in Beslan in 2004, where 331 people died, more than half of them schoolchildren.

Basayev was set to strike again, but the Russian government stopped him in his tracks. Russian security officials engaged in a special operation that used information gained from tracking weapons and explosive shipments from abroad. They linked this information to plans for a terrorist attack in southern Russia intended to coincide with a meeting of the Group of 8 leaders.

Before his death, in his last known statement in public, Basayev was said to express ``great thankfulness'' for the insurgents in Iraq who killed 5 Russian diplomats.

Terrorism is an affront to civilized people the world over. We in New York and the United States know the bloody price of terrorism. This represents a small victory in the global war on terrorism. Civilized society cannot rest until terrorism is stamped out once and for all.

Mr. Speaker, on June 26, 2006, a homicide bomber drove his explosive-laden motorcycle into a car carrying Major General Parami Kulatunga, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, killing him instantly. While they deny responsibility, this act mirrors many terrorist attacks carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

This is another unfortunate event in the constant struggle between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE. Sri Lanka and the United States share a good friendship, with Sri Lanka as Asia's oldest democracy. While on the other hand, the LTTE is a group that the Secretary of State has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

One possible step in mitigating this violence is for the Government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers to renegotiate a cease-fire agreement. This must be done in a successful manner so the hostilities do not resume. However, with the LTTE's refusal to renounce violence, this peace process is constantly in jeopardy. Tragically, the number of violent acts the LTTE has committed since the peace agreement with Government of Sri Lanka has only increased.

While it has been the United State's policy to encourage peace through negotiation, if the violence continues, the State Department should consider taking more aggressive steps in aiding the Government of Sri Lanka's fight against the LTTE. It is in the interest of the United States to ensure that the LTTE renounces violence, primarily so all Sri Lankans can live in peace, but also so the LTTE's reign of terror does not spread. Reports have indicated that the LTTE had ties with al Qaeda. Furthermore, the LTTE has at least a dozen oceangoing vessels with which they have honed waterborne terrorist tactics not unlike what occurred with the USS Cole bombing.

The Government of Sri Lanka is a friend to the United States, and I stand by the commitment to ensure that friendship lasts well into the future.

Mr. Speaker, on July 11, 2006 seven separate bombs were detonated throughout the train network in India's cultural capital, the city of Mumbai. More than 180 people were killed, and over 900 were injured. The bombs exploded simultaneously during the evening rush hour resulting in an entire shut down of the rail network which stranded hundreds of thousands of commuters. The terrorists may have hit a target with high practical and psychological impact, but I am confident that the people of India will again stand tall and not relent to such senseless and unfathomable violence.

Following the attacks, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the incidents as a ``shocking and cowardly attempt to spread a feeling of hatred.'' Even Pakistani leaders condemned the blasts as a ``despicable act of terrorism.''

The tragedy continued even after the bombing, with an eyewitness reporting that some of the dazed survivors who had jumped from the train after the blast were run over by another train coming in the opposite direction.

Undoubtedly, the hospitals in Mumbai were swamped with casualties.

Many parallels can be drawn between Mumbai and New York City. Mumbai is home to 17 million people, and is headquarters to many big Indian companies and foreign multinationals, with property prices among the most expensive in the world. Both Mumbai and New York have been attacked more than once by terrorists. In 1993 New York saw the first bombing of the World Trade Center, and in the same year 250 people were killed in Mumbai from bombings throughout the city.

Mr. Speaker, in closing I would like to remind the people of India, as partners in a civilized world, America will not stand for senseless terrorism and together we can fight this evil until it no longer impedes the advancement of society.

Mr. Speaker, on November 15th, 2005, America lost one of its greatest entrepreneurs, the great Preston Robert ``Bob'' Tisch, the former Postmaster General and owner of the New York Giants Football Club.

Bob Tisch grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, to middle-class parents who had emigrated from Russia. He had a vision that anyone could succeed in life if they worked hard enough to achieve it. He once mentioned that ``perseverance is at the heart of meeting any challenge.'' This is a motto he would live by for the rest of his life. In 1943 Bob Tisch joined the U.S. Army and fought in World War II. Shortly after he left the military, he earned his bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Michigan in 1948. That same year he began what he would later become famous for: he joined his family hotel business at the Laurel-in-the-Pines in Lakewood, New Jersey.

Later in life he would move on to gain total control of the Loews Theater Corporation and in 1962, would build the Summit Hotel in Bal Harbour, Florida. At over 50 stories, it was the world's tallest hotel at the time. Throughout his life he would find success in all that he did. This would continue into the later years of his life. At the age of 60, President Ronald Reagan appointed him the United States Postmaster General, a post he would hold for two years. And finally in 1991, he purchased a 50 percent share of the New York Giants Football Club, an ownership he would happily share with the late Wellington Mara.

Recognizing the financial crisis that New York City was experiencing in the 1970s, Bob Tisch organized regular breakfasts at his Regency Hotel with some of the cities most influential movers and shakers. These breakfasts helped attract influential businessmen and women from all over the country and turned New York City's financial crisis into a burgeoning economy.

Bob Tisch had an incredible record of charity work. He helped create the Meals-on-Wheels program and would serve as its president for over 20 years. His final campaign was called the ``Take the Field'' imitative which was established to revitalize the ragged athletic fields of the city's public high schools which raised over $140 million. He also gave countless millions of dollars through his philanthropic works to hospitals, charities, and universities in the spirit of improving the lives of Americans.

While we mourn his loss, we as a Nation should smile proudly at his life and his deeds, for there is no greater credit to his accomplishments than having left this Nation and our world better than he had found it.

Mr. Speaker, after 28 years covering Capitol Hill for The Staten Island Advance, Terence J. Kivlan is retiring. In an age when many news reporters gravitate to the glamorous national story and use the news to raise their own profiles, Terry, 61, has doggedly followed issues of concern to his hometown readers. His appreciation for Staten Island was evident in his stories, and his words helped educate millions of residents on the daily happenings in Washington. Terry seemed to have a knack for finding the Staten Islander in a crowd. His stories always brimmed with a local flavor and featured the thoughts, opinions and voices of Staten Island residents.

Terry distinguished himself with his reporting on the ABSCAM scandal in the 1970s and his honest and sensitive coverage of the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City. Terry is a throwback to a day of shoe-leather reporting that put a premium on getting out of the office and taking the pulse of the people in the know. His first priority was getting the story for the people of Staten Island and it's a tribute to Terry that he would be proud to be remembered just that way.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

As mentioned, last week with approximately a billion people watching, for the first time in 24 years, the Italian National Soccer Team won the Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup. It was indeed a great day for the people of Italy. I know they celebrated with pride and enthusiasm, and they probably still are, and rightfully so.

But it was also a very important and poignant day for many Americans of Italian descent. While I, like many here, rooted for the American team, and I tip my hat to the U.S.A. team that tied the Italian soccer team, they should be very proud for trying and giving their best and representing our Nation well in Germany.

But no question, Italy's victory captivated the world and showed that teamwork is the key to success.

It was wonderful to watch the game across Staten Island and Brooklyn, whether it was the Dyker Heights section of Brooklyn, and I spent much of the day in Bensonhurst along 18th Avenue. I stopped into many of the clubs and restaurants, and literally televisions were in the middle of the street as people poured out to watch their favorite players and cheer. There were thousands celebrating into the night as well.

During the game, we were proud to watch Italy play with a passion, overcoming every challenge to go undefeated in the tournament and walk away the champions.

Team Italy, known as Azzurri, or simply ``The Blue'' went undefeated in World Cup play and won the final game in only the second World Cup championship to be determined by a shoot-out.

That makes Italy the second most successful country in World Cup history, winning four championships in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006. But fate rested on the side of Italy this year, and despite strong competition of many countries, Italy was the victor.

I am delighted to have introduced this resolution to recognize Azzurri and extend our praise to its coach, Marcello Lippi, and the entire team. I would like to thank Chairman Hyde, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member Lantos. And also, finally, I know this has been a great relationship, which has just been mentioned, between Italy and the United States. The role that Italy has played is often taken for granted. It is one of our largest trading partners.

It is a nation that embraces Western values, that celebrates and cherishes freedom and individual liberty and has been an especially strong supporter of our country in the last several years as we engage in the war on terror.

There is no question that we have a tremendous bond with the Italian people and that it serves our interests as well as theirs. There is no question that there are many Americans of Italian descent who have made this country the greatest in the history of the world. From the art, the literature, the law, politics, music, you name it, there have been contributions from Americans of Italian descent.

And I would say, finally, if you had a visual of driving around at least Brooklyn on that day to see the American flag waving so proudly outside people's houses and on their door steps, and next to it the Italian flag, I think it represents the strong alliance and unbelievable embrace that Americans of Italian descent love this country, respect their heritage, and on that day, Italy proved to the world that teamwork and pride works. No, ifs, ands, or head butts.