Howard Berman

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, because I have no further requests for time and I understand that the sponsor of this resolution has both the right and the intention of closing, I will yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the majority leader, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

Mr. BERMAN. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, initially, I yield an additional 2 minutes of my time to that of the ranking member. It is to be added onto her time and is to be subtracted from our time. Now I yield 3 minutes to the chairman of the Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment Subcommittee, the delegate from American Samoa, Mr. Eni Faleomavaega.

Mr. BERMAN. I yield the gentleman an additional minute.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the resolution, and I yield myself 4 minutes. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to say I have quite enjoyed working with the gentleman from Ohio on this issue and a number of the issues we have had dealings with since I have become chairman, and I fundamentally agree with him and other supporters of the resolution that it is right for the House to have an open, honest debate on the merits of our ongoing military operations in Afghanistan, and outside, outside, the context of a defense spending bill or a supplemental appropriations bill. This is a good thing to be doing. By vesting the power to declare war with the Congress, the Founders intended the United States would go to war only when absolutely necessary, and it is incumbent on this body to consider as thoroughly as possible the purpose and ongoing necessity of committing U.S. forces to battle. Now, as a procedural matter, I take issue with the invocation of section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution as the basis for this debate, because that section authorizes a privileged resolution, like the one before us today, to require the withdrawal of combat forces when Congress has not authorized the use of military force. There really can't be any doubt that Congress authorized U.S. military action in Afghanistan. The authorization for the use of military force passed by Congress in late September 2001 explicitly empowers the President to use force against the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks and those who harbored them. President Obama is doing just that. But putting aside procedure, the notion that at this particular moment we would demand a complete withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year, without regard to the consequence of our withdrawal, without regard to the situation on the ground, including efforts to promote economic development, expand the rule of law, and without any measurement of whether the ``hold'' strategy now being implemented is indeed working, I don't think is the responsible thing to do. Our troops are fighting a complex nexus of terrorist organizations-- al Qaeda, the Taliban--all of which threaten the stability of the Afghan Government, and they have demonstrated their ability to strike our homeland. If we withdraw from Afghanistan before the government there is capable of providing a basic level of security for its own people, we face the prospect that the Taliban once again will take the reins of power in Kabul and provide safe haven to al Qaeda. That would be a national security disaster. I am keenly aware that even if we remain in Afghanistan, and here I want to emphasize this, there is no guarantee we will prevail in this fight. But if we don't try, we are guaranteed to fail. President Obama has taken a very deliberative approach. He has examined numerous options over the course of several months and consulted with all relevant military leaders and allies. He really left no stone unturned and no issue unvetted as part of this review. He deserves an opportunity now to implement his strategy. He has given us the timeline for when he expects to see results, and there will be a reassessment of our strategy in 18 months. General McChrystal, the commander of the U.S. and international forces, indicated that we have made progress since the new strategy was announced on December 1. We are witnessing the first major joint NATO- Afghanistan military operation in the city of Marja, considered a strategic fulcrum for ridding the region of the Taliban. Our troops are working side by side with their Afghan counterparts. They retook Marja in 3 weeks of hard but well-executed efforts. They are making the Afghan people their number one priority, which is the basis for this counterinsurgency strategy. And to that end, the State Department and USAID have been working very hard to develop a concrete governance and development strategy. I was here during the frenzied debate following 9/11 when Congress authorized the use of force against those responsible for the horrors of that day and those who chose to provide the perpetrators a safe haven.

Mr. BERMAN. Second, I would like to now yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boccieri), one of only two Members of this body who actually have been deployed in our uniformed services in Afghanistan.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay homage to the pioneering work of Daniel Hays Lowenstein, who is retiring from UCLA School of Law to begin service as the founding director for UCLA's Center for the Study of Liberal Arts and Free Institutions. The field of election law has grown exponentially in recent decades, thanks in no small part to the pioneering work of Dan Lowenstein, who has been a professor of law at UCLA since 1979, teaching a variety of courses focusing on election law and legislation. His textbook, Election Law, published in 1995, was the first major text on American election law since 1877. Since then, there has been an explosion of interest in the subject and Dan has written seminal work on virtually every important issue in election law including: initiatives and direct democracy; partisan and racial gerrymandering; political party associational rights and issues related to party primaries and caucuses; campaign finance and political bribery; election administration; and the role of competitiveness in election law jurisprudence, not to mention literary criticism of works including The Merchant of Venice. Since 2002, Dan has served as co-editor of the only peer-reviewed scholarly journal devoted to election law issues, the Election Law Journal. He has, on several occasions, represented members of the House of Representatives in litigation and has counseled them for several decades on strategies regarding redistricting and other political issues. Lowenstein began his career as a staff attorney at California Rural Legal Assistance, where he spent two and a half years. He served as Chief Deputy for California's Secretary of State, Jerry Brown, where he specialized in election law, and was the main drafter of the Political Reform Act, which was adopted as a statewide initiative (Proposition 9) by an overwhelming majority of California voters in 1974. The law requires detailed disclosure of the role of money in California politics. It created a new Fair Political Practices Commission. Jerry Brown, then Governor, appointed Dan as the first chairman of the Commission. In that position he earned a reputation for fair play and nonpartisanship. Dan has served on the national governing board of Common Cause and has been a board member and a vice president of Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the award-winning theatre troupe Interact and twice yearly brings the company to the School of Law to perform plays with legal themes, such as Sophocles' Antigone, Ibsen's Rosmerholm, and Wouk's The Caine Mutiny Court Martial. He graduated from Yale University in 1964 and Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Law School in 1967. He is married to Sharon Yagi Lowenstein, who is originally from Watsonville, California. They have two sons, Aaron Lowenstein and Nathan Lowenstein, who are both attorneys working in Los Angeles. Dan's work, careful, yet provocative, has been cited and debated in Supreme Court opinions and in law review and political science articles too numerous to count. His decision to take emeritus status at the law school and take up a new position as director of UCLA's new Center for the Liberal Arts and Free Institutions (CLAFI) represents a new turn in his career. Developments in America's great universities over the past several decades, while introducing important and often much-needed innovations, have also sometimes shouldered aside the study of the great achievements of western civilization and of the foundations of the free institutions on which our nation rests. From Magna Carta to the Declaration of Independence, from William Shakespeare to William Faulkner, from the Gothic cathedrals to the monuments that adorn our nation's capitol, we are all blessed by a heritage that guides us as we seek what is good, what is true, and what is beautiful. CLAFI and comparable efforts starting up at other great American universities will help assure that we pass our heritage down to future generations. Lowenstein's leadership in this movement reflects his own introduction to great works as an undergraduate in the Directed Studies program at Yale, followed by a lifetime of immersion in the study of free institutions, great ideas and great artistic achievements. Daniel Hays Lowenstein has set an example for scholarly excellence, community service, and intellectual integrity. He is a true Renaissance Man. I am proud to call him a friend.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, today we honor the accomplishments of Kerry Dumbaugh, a Specialist in Asian Affairs at the Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Division of the Congressional Research Service. Ms. Dumbaugh recently retired after 26 years at CRS and a total of 30 years in the legislative branch. Congress has benefitted immeasurably from her expertise, analysis, insights and timely responses. She has helped legions of legislators understand the profound changes that have taken place in China and in United States-Chinese relations. Ms. Dumbaugh joined CRS in 1984 at a time when China's political and economic systems were deeply opaque and the economic experiments that would transform the country were in their early years. Her comprehensive research and writing on developments in Chinese politics, economics, human rights and a range of other issues informed Members of Congress and their staff about the dizzying changes that have continuously transformed the region through the years. During her time at CRS, Ms. Dumbaugh also served as head of the Asia and Latin America sections, helping shape the work of other analysts covering those disparate regions. Ms. Dumbaugh has been a frequent university lecturer and an active participant in academic and policy discussions on China and the Asia- Pacific. She has received numerous awards in recognition of her work at CRS. I want to take a moment to thank Ms. Dumbaugh for her indispensable contributions to the United States Congress, and to let her know that we wish her well in her future endeavors.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, today we honor the accomplishments of Larry Niksch, a Specialist in Asian Affairs at the Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Division of the Congressional Research Service. Mr. Niksch is retiring after 46 years of Federal service, including 43 years at CRS. The United States Congress has benefitted immensely from his expertise, analysis, insights and timely responses, which have covered a wide array of issues concerning the world's most populous and fastest growing region, from India to Japan and nearly all nations in between. Mr. Niksch has served during 23 Congresses, and has written extensively on issues ranging from the War in Vietnam, the democratic changes that transformed Asia in the 1980s, years of nuclear diplomacy with North Korea and countless other issues. He has helped inform Members of Congress and their staff as they considered the challenges and opportunities facing the United States in the region. He also served as head of the Asia and Latin America section at CRS, helping shape the work of numerous analysts covering those disparate regions. Mr. Niksch has been a frequent and active participant in policy discussions surrounding North Korea and East Asian security, and has received many awards recognizing his comprehensive work at CRS. I take this moment to thank Mr. Niksch for his countless contributions to the United States Congress, and to let him know that Congress wishes him well in his future endeavors.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my good friend Bobby D. Arias on the occasion of his 60th Birthday. Bobby is being honored by his many colleagues, family and friends for his dedicated career as President of the Communities in Schools of Greater Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley. As a lifelong resident of Southern California, Bobby began his career as an Executive Director of USC's Learning Center and the Director of Athletics at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles. While at LMU, Bobby was instrumental in bringing the 1984 Olympic Weightlifting Competition to that institution, in addition to negotiating contracts for the Lakers/Clippers and the NBA Summer Pro-League to practice at LMU facilities. I know first hand of Bobby's commitment to our community. Since 2004 Bobby has volunteered to be the Master of Ceremonies at the annual San Fernando Valley Veterans Day Parade. Additionally, Bobby has committed himself to improving the minds, spirits, and bodies of children throughout Southern California as the Southwest Regional Director for our nation's largest Drop out Prevention Program, Communities In Schools, Inc. He developed public and private partnerships between the community and its schools, brokering in-need resources to at-risk youth and their families. In 1996, he also served as the Chairman for the Executive Committee for Arnold Schwarzenegger's inner City Games, an Olympic style sporting/academic event for 100,000 at-risk youth throughout the Los Angeles County. As a result of his professional achievements, Bobby has received numerous awards including the prestigious ``Man of the Year'' award for youth empowerment from MCI and Hispanic Magazine, and the ``California All Star Dad's'' Award by the California Department of Social Services. Madam Speaker and distinguished colleagues, I ask you to join me in wishing Bobby Arias a happy birthday and best wishes for continued success.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, we are honored to pay tribute to our friend, Rabbi Joel E. Rembaum, on the occasion of his 25 years of service to Temple Beth Am and the Pressman Academy. Rabbi Rembaum's lifelong dedication to the Jewish community started at an early age when he was a camper at Camp Ramah. Soon after he graduated from UCLA with his masters, he left for New York where he earned his ordination as a Rabbi from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Rabbi Rembaum returned to Los Angeles where he earned a Ph.D. in history at UCLA. He also holds the degrees of Master of Hebrew Literature and Doctor of Divinity, Honoris Causa, from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Rabbi Rembaum was part of the well renowned faculty and administration of the American Jewish University from 1970 to 1985, pursuing his steadfast vocational climb to the positions of Dean of Undergraduate Studies and eventually becoming an associate professor of Jewish history. He was a visiting assistant professor at UCLA and UC Irvine. He then taught at the Wexner Heritage Foundation and served on the faculty of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. He has received countless graduate and research fellowships and contributed to the Melton Research Institute Seminar in Jewish History. He was also a member of the board of directors of the Association for Jewish Studies. Rabbi Rembaum has published an impressive variety of articles in the field of Jewish history and has lectured extensively throughout the United States. Since July 1985, Rabbi Joel E. Rembaum has passionately served as Senior Rabbi of Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles, California. As Senior Rabbi, he successfully launched a reform of the synagogue's education system and worked with the congregation's lay and professional leadership to construct the Rabbi Jacob Pressman Academy. I commend Rabbi Rembaum for making the academy a holistic educational system. Nevertheless year after year, Rabbi Rembaum has continued teaching in all facets of Beth Am's educational programming, in which he continues to inspire and touch the lives of students and faculty. Rabbi Rembaum lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Fredi, herself a respected and prominent Jewish public professional. The Rembaums have four children: Yona, Avi, Nomi, and Joshua. They also have six grandchildren: Itai, Dani and Ella Rembaum and Ilan, Uri and Maayan Eshkenazi. Madam Speaker and distinguished colleagues, we ask you to join me in saluting Joel E. Rembaum for his impressive career and dedication to the Jewish community, and to congratulate him on his service to Temple Beth Am and the Pressman Academy.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, on December 31, 2009, the House of Representatives will lose one of its most senior and valuable staff members--Mr. James B. Farr. Jim will be retiring after 38 years of service in the House of Representatives, during which time he served on the Committee on the Judiciary and, most recently, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, where he is the Financial Clerk. Thirty nine years ago, as a young man from southern Maryland, Jim decided to leave the tobacco farm founded by his grandfather and seek a job on Capitol Hill. This was quite an adventure for a country boy who had grown up tilling the land. Proudly, the farm is still in the family, but no longer grows tobacco. Following his graduation from Prince George's Community College with a degree in personnel and business management, Jim headed for Washington, D.C., where he landed on the doorstep of Congressman Emanuel Celler from Brooklyn and Queens, New York, the longtime former Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Jim was hired by Mrs. Dick, the Staff Director of the Committee, and began working as a clerk in the publications office where he sorted mail, answered the phones, referred bills and assisted in hearing preparation. It was shortly after his arrival on the Hill that he met his future wife, Christine Lynn Wills, who had moved to the Washington, D.C., area from West Virginia. Christine Lynn and Jim have been married for 31 years and have two lovely daughters--Michelle and Jennifer. Jim's career on the Hill also progressed. In February 1973, he became the Judiciary Committee's publications clerk, where he was responsible for maintaining the Committee's documents. Three years later, Jim was promoted to be the Committee's financial clerk where, under the guidance of the Committee Chairman, he prepared, maintained and oversaw the Committee's budget. Jim was so talented, and his services so highly prized, that he was retained by Chairmen Peter Rodino, Jack Brooks and Henry Hyde. In 2001, when the late Rep. Hyde became Chairman of what was then known as the House International Relations Committee, he asked Jim to move with him and serve as financial clerk for that Committee. There, Jim once again became an indispensable figure, helping to ensure the smooth functioning of the Committee and easing the transition to the late Chairman Tom Lantos and, subsequently, to me. Mr. Farr has served the Congress under both Democratic and Republican leadership with great distinction and integrity. His service epitomizes the finest qualities of government service. We are all grateful for that service and for the example he has provided to generations of new committee staff whom he has mentored. He will now retire and spend more time with his family and more time on the farm, where third and fourth generations of the Farr family now reside. Thankfully, despite his years of dedicated and impressive service, Jim wears his years easily, and we wish him much good will as he pursues his favorite hobbies of boating, fishing, and hunting. Good luck and thank you Jim from a grateful House of Representatives.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my good friends Janice and Benjamin Reznik on the occasion of their Parnas Award honor from the Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel 14th Annual Los Angeles Celebration. Before becoming the Founding President of Jewish World Watch, Janice Kamenir-Reznik led an active career in the field of law. A graduate of UCLA law school, Janice spent years building a distinguished career in the legal field and then, recognizing her passion for community service work, turned to that avocation. Under her able leadership, Jewish World Watch--founded jointly with Rabbi Harold Schulweis--has become one of the leading advocacy groups in the fight against the genocide in Darfur and other global human rights abuses. Janice served as the director of the Commission on Soviet Jewry for the Los Angeles Jewish Federation, and during her years in practice was President of California Women Lawyers, the statewide women's bar. She was a founder and president of California Women's Law Center, a public interest organization advocating for the rights of women and girls. She has testified before the House Judiciary Committee. In addition to the numerous legal positions held by Janice over the years, she also served in many Jewish community leadership roles. I commend her for her invaluable contributions in serving on the following boards: Los Angeles Hebrew High School, Valley Beth Shalom, Los Angeles Hillel Council, UCLA Hillel, and the Jewish Federation Council. Ben Reznik boasts a stellar professional and philanthropic record. Widely respected for his tenacious legal acumen, Ben has been described as ``the most litigious attorney in Los Angeles'' by his peers. He has been a key leader and activist in the community, devoting himself to a wide variety of organizations and causes. Currently, he is chairman of the Government, Land Use, Environment and Energy Department at the law firm of Jeffer Magels Butler & Marmaro LLP, JMBM, and leads 25 lawyers who comprise that department. Ben has also argued before the Supreme Court and has represented many prominent companies including the Mitsubishi Corporation and The Clarett Group. Ben and Janice have three children, Yoni, Devi and Sami. They live in Encino where, through years of community activism and professional success, they have helped numerous people and are shining examples of what the Jewish tradition calls tikkun olam. Madam Speaker and distinguished colleagues, I ask you to join me in congratulating Janice and Ben Reznik for their impressive career and dedication to the community and to congratulate them on receiving this honor.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the author of this legislation, the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff), my friend, colleague, and neighbor.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation and yield myself as much time as I may consume. H.R. 3714 reinforces and broadens our country's commitment to media freedom around the world. Dedicated to the memory of a prominent U.S. journalist who lost his life in the pursuit of truth, the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act will ensure that our embassies and consulates overseas bring word to Washington in a timely and regular fashion about those parts of the world where journalists face obstacles, harassment and physical harm merely for doing their job. I want to particularly congratulate my colleague and recognize him, Adam Schiff of California, for authoring this legislation which will enshrine in law the practice of including information about media freedom in the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices written by the Department of State. With passage of this legislation, our embassies and consulates will be required to report every year on the status of press freedom in each country, both the good and the bad. Where media freedom is threatened in a country, our diplomats will report on what steps that government has taken to preserve journalists' safety and independence and to ensure the prosecution of those who commit violence against journalists. Mr. Speaker, the dangers faced by the media worldwide continue to mount. On World Press Freedom Day this past May, Freedom House reported a seventh straight year of decline in global media freedom, with twice as many losses as gains and with deterioration occurring in every region of the world. Of the 195 countries and territories that Freedom House monitors, 36 percent have a free press while 31 percent are rated partly free and 33 percent not free at all. As the organization noted, ``The press is democracy's first defense, and its vulnerability has enormous implications for democracy if journalists are not able to carry out their traditional watchdog role.'' Daniel Pearl was one such watchdog. A long-standing correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and its South Asia bureau chief, he was investigating possible terrorism links in Pakistan in early 2002 when he was kidnapped, held hostage, tortured, and killed. His murder was videotaped and released on the Internet. Although the circumstances of this horrific crime were meant to send a chilling message to the U.S. government and the world's media, it served instead to strengthen our resolve. A number of initiatives have been established in his name to promote intercultural understanding and freedom of the press. We should let the legislation before us today, Mr. Schiff's bill, become part of this legacy in the interests of ensuring that those who would seek to extinguish the light of truth around the world will instead be dragged out of the shadows and defeated. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased now to yield 1 minute to one of the great supporters of this legislation, the Speaker of the House, the gentlelady from California (Ms. Pelosi).

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Edwards) on behalf of the legislation.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2194) to amend the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to enhance United States diplomatic efforts with respect to Iran by expanding economic sanctions against Iran, as amended.

Mr. BERMAN. I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York, the chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, Mr. Engel.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to split the time evenly, the 20 minutes, in support of the bill with my colleague, the ranking member from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.