Neil Abercrombie

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. As we draw the discussion for the passage of this resolution to a conclusion, I would ask, Mr. Speaker, that at the appropriate time if you could indicate to the House that perhaps we could rise and observe a moment of silence in honor of Patsy Mink with the passage of the resolution, I would be very appreciative, and I think it is the appropriate way to finish our commemoration. Let me conclude my remarks, then, Mr. Speaker. I had not intended to speak much further because of the eloquent, articulate, certainly comprehensive manner in which the Members tonight have discussed the great contributions of Patsy to this body and to the Nation. But all through this evening, Mr. Speaker, I have been unable to avoid looking at the picture that has been down by the podium on the floor. That picture of Patsy really captures the essence of this tiny giant. You can see her steadfastness, her sense of perseverance, the stalwart person that she was on behalf of all those who had no hope. Mr. Speaker, it never occurred to me in my youth that I would have the honor and privilege of serving in the people's house, the House of Representatives. I look around the floor at my colleagues here. I see my dear friend Dana Rohrabacher and others here on the floor; Nancy Pelosi, who has just finished speaking of her friendship and love for Patsy, and I understand what it was that I knew intellectually so many years ago when I worked on Patsy's first campaign as a college student at the University of Hawaii when she first came here to the House of Representatives. I understood intellectually what it was to serve in the House of Representatives. But I am sure, Mr. Speaker, you know, as all of our colleagues do here in the people's house, that those of us who have sworn an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution in this house of freedom know what it means to have had the presence of someone like Patsy Mink. Surely, Mr. Speaker, there is no other people so fortunate as we, free men and women, in the freest country on the face of the Earth, in the history of the planet. No one has embodied more the spirit of this House than this gentlewoman from Hawaii, a true daughter of Hawaii who celebrated in herself and in her service the true spirit and meaning of aloha. Aloha means that our diversity defines us rather than divides us. In this world of adversity and pain and terror and cruelty and horror, Patsy Mink was able to stand for those who could not speak for themselves and was the living embodiment of what aloha meant not just for our Rainbow State, not just for our multicultural, multiethnic, multiracial people, but it gave the message of aloha to this House, to this Nation and to this world. Aloha, Patsy. Mr. Speaker, I believe that the time is appropriate to call for an expression of assent to the resolution before us, and if I could ask for that to be in the form of Members rising, Members and those present to rise with a moment of silence not only in commemoration of Patsy Mink, but to constitute passage of the resolution.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, Patsy was so moved by the gentleman from North Carolina's (Mr. Etheridge) remarks that she let him know what she thought about it. She is our guardian angel here tonight. She makes her presence known. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Honda), who I might say could also look Mrs. Mink eye to eye.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that at the end of the allotted time, the House rise for a moment of silence out of respect for the Honorable Patsy T. Mink.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr). (Mr. FARR of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks in support of the pending resolution.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Just before I go on, Mr. Speaker, I most deeply want to thank everyone who has spoken so far. There are many more people to come, as we can see, Mr. Speaker, but the depth and the breadth of what Patsy accomplished I think is now going on the Record here in the 107th Congress. It will be there for all to see and view, and I know it will be an inspiration. I am very, very grateful, as are the people of Hawaii, to all who have appeared so far and are yet to come for letting everyone know of Patsy's legacy. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to extend the debate time on the resolution honoring Patsy Mink by 30 minutes and that this time be controlled by the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\3/4\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews). (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays).

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Chairman, no one doubts for a moment the motivation of the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers). No one doubts the desire of the body to move forward in this area, not just with dispatch but with a focus that will accomplish the task. The problem I think that we have is that some of this has been debated, including this amendment, in a late hour, without much opportunity for exchange between the Members. The plain fact is that those of us on the Committee on Armed Services know there are some folks, perhaps in the Pentagon and elsewhere, who have a separate political agenda on this which may be in contrast to what the intentions are here, and that is why I think the question is being raised at this point.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about a distinguished member of my district who is being honored by an organization which has had an immeasurable impact on America. Richard Ching of Hawaii Appraisal Services is Junior Achievement's National Elementary School Volunteer of the Year. He has volunteered for nine years and taught 40 JA classes in that time impacting more than 1,000 students on the island of Oahu. Mr. Ching always goes above and beyond his classroom duties, ensuring that his students have a fundamental understanding of business, economics and the free enterprise system. The history of Junior Achievement is a true testament to the indelible human spirit and American ingenuity. Junior Achievement was founded in 1919 as a collection of small, after-school business clubs for students in Springfield, Massachusetts. As the rural-to-city exodus of the populace accelerated in the early 1900s, so too did the demand for workforce preparation and entrepreneurship. Junior Achievement students were taught bow to think and plan for a business, acquire supplies and talent, build their own products, advertise, and sell. With the financial support of companies and individuals, Junior Achievement recruited numerous sponsoring agencies such as the New England Rotarians, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boys & Girls Clubs the YMCA, local churches, playground associations and schools to provide meeting places for its growing ranks of interested students. In a few short years JA students were competing in regional expositions and trade fairs and rubbing elbows with top business leaders. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge hosted a reception on the White House lawn to kick off a national fundraising drive for Junior Achievement's expansion. By the late 1920s, there were nearly 800 JA Clubs with some 9,000 Achievers in 13 cities in Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. During World War II, enterprising students in JA business clubs used their ingenuity to find new and different products for the war effort. In Chicago, JA students won a contract to manufacture 10,000 pants hangers for the U.S. Army. In Pittsburgh, JA students developed and made a specially lined box to carry off incendiary devices, which was approved by the Civil Defense and sold locally. Elsewhere, JA students made baby incubators and used acetylene torches in abandoned locomotive yards to obtain badly needed scrap iron. In the 1940s, leading executives of the day such as S. Bayard Colgate, James Cash Penney, Joseph Sprang of Gillette and others helped the organization grow rapidly. Stories of Junior Achievement's accomplishments and of its students soon appeared in national magazines of the day such as TIME, Young America, Colliers, LIFE, the Ladies Home Journal and Liberty. In the 1950s, Junior Achievement began working more closely with schools and saw its growth increase five-fold. In 1955, President Eisenhower declared the week of January 30 to February 5 as ``National Junior Achievement Week.'' At this point, Junior Achievement was operating in 139 cities and in most of the 50 states. During its first 45 years of existence, Junior Achievement enjoyed an average annual growth rate of 45 percent. To further connect students to influential figures in business, economics, and history, Junior Achievement started the Junior Achievement National Business Hall of Fame in 1975 to recognize outstanding leaders. Each year, a number of business leaders are recognized for their contribution to the business industry and for their dedication to the Junior Achievement experience. Today, there are 200 laureates from a variety of backgrounds. By 1982, Junior Achievement's formal curricula offering had expanded to Applied Economics (now called JA Economics), Project Business, and Business Basics. In 1988, more than one million students per year were estimated to take part in Junior Achievement programs. In the early 1990s, a sequential curriculum for grades K-6 was launched, catapulting the organization into the classrooms of another one million elementary school students. Today, through the efforts of more than 100,000 volunteers in the classrooms of America, Junior Achievement reaches more than four million students in grades K-12 per year. JA International takes the free enterprise message of hope and opportunity even further to nearly two million students in 113 countries. Junior Achievement has been an influential part of many of today's successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. Junior Achievement's success is truly the story of America--the fact that one idea can influence and benefit many lives. Mr. Speaker, I wish to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Richard Ching of Honolulu for his outstanding service to Junior Achievement and the students of Hawaii. I am proud to have him as a constituent and congratulate him on his accomplishment.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, yesterday and this morning, I was unavoidably detained and I was unable to vote on matters before the House at the time. Had I been present, I would have voted: Rollcall 324--H. Res. 439, Honoring Corinne ``Lindy'' Claiborne Boggs on the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the Congressional Women's Caucus ``yes''; Rollcall 325--H. Res. 492, Expressing Gratitude for the World Trade Center Clean-up and Recovery Efforts at Fresh Kills Landfill ``yes''.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, yesterday and this morning, I was unavoidably detained and I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 326. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''