Barbara Boxer

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Today, I am joining Senators Allen, Burns, and Gregg in supporting an extension of the Internet tax moratorium for another 5 years. I supported the moratorium when it was initially instituted in order to encourage the growth of the then newly emerging Internet industry. In the 1990s, the industry enjoyed a growth spurt that helped move the whole economy forward. But recently, Internet companies have fallen on hard times. Because Internet commerce and technology firms are not now fairing well, I support a five year extension of the tax moratorium. I believe that renewed investment in the Internet is crucial to the welfare of the entire economy and we need to support its growth as much now as we did in 1998. Through a clean extension of the tax moratorium, Congress can promote an environment for Internet growth that avoids the uncertainty, inefficiencies, and barriers to entry that new taxes would create. The technology sector was in a recession before the September 11, 2001 attacks. In the first half of 2001, more than 300,000 technology sector jobs were eliminated and companies declared bankruptcy because of reduced consumer and business spending on technology products. One example, Webvan, an Internet grocery delivery company, closed shop in July. In the process, 2,000 employees lost their jobs in the company's seven markets--San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Seattle, Chicago, and Portland. With the additional decline in consumer confidence resulting from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the industry has fallen even deeper into recession. The results have been devastating for many firms. For example, since the attacks, Cisco laid off 8,500 workers, Excite@home has laid off 500 workers, and MicroStrategy has laid off 200 workers. By extending the Internet tax moratorium for five years, we send the message to the industry and its workers that we will not turn a deaf ear to this crisis. The economy rose during the last eight years on the new jobs, efficiencies, and demand for products that the Internet and Internet- related companies created. Restoring economic growth will depend largely on our ability to spark renewed investment and growth in this vital industry. Firms that sell products over the Internet are key consumers of computers, software, and hardware. Their growth would encourage additional interest in connecting to the Internet and help produce new consumer demand for more technology products. We should assist, not burden our technology firms at this time. Another five years could give the Internet time to work out its current growing pains. As technology innovations encourage additional growth and renewed interest in the Internet, our economy as a whole will benefit. A stronger Internet will mean more jobs, more companies, and a broader tax base. That is a net gain for everyone.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Today, I am joining Senators Allen, Burns, and Gregg in supporting an extension of the Internet tax moratorium for another 5 years. I supported the moratorium when it was initially instituted in order to encourage the growth of the then newly emerging Internet industry. In the 1990s, the industry enjoyed a growth spurt that helped move the whole economy forward. But recently, Internet companies have fallen on hard times. Because Internet commerce and technology firms are not now fairing well, I support a five year extension of the tax moratorium. I believe that renewed investment in the Internet is crucial to the welfare of the entire economy and we need to support its growth as much now as we did in 1998. Through a clean extension of the tax moratorium, Congress can promote an environment for Internet growth that avoids the uncertainty, inefficiencies, and barriers to entry that new taxes would create. The technology sector was in a recession before the September 11, 2001 attacks. In the first half of 2001, more than 300,000 technology sector jobs were eliminated and companies declared bankruptcy because of reduced consumer and business spending on technology products. One example, Webvan, an Internet grocery delivery company, closed shop in July. In the process, 2,000 employees lost their jobs in the company's seven markets--San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Seattle, Chicago, and Portland. With the additional decline in consumer confidence resulting from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the industry has fallen even deeper into recession. The results have been devastating for many firms. For example, since the attacks, Cisco laid off 8,500 workers, Excite@home has laid off 500 workers, and MicroStrategy has laid off 200 workers. By extending the Internet tax moratorium for five years, we send the message to the industry and its workers that we will not turn a deaf ear to this crisis. The economy rose during the last eight years on the new jobs, efficiencies, and demand for products that the Internet and Internet- related companies created. Restoring economic growth will depend largely on our ability to spark renewed investment and growth in this vital industry. Firms that sell products over the Internet are key consumers of computers, software, and hardware. Their growth would encourage additional interest in connecting to the Internet and help produce new consumer demand for more technology products. We should assist, not burden our technology firms at this time. Another five years could give the Internet time to work out its current growing pains. As technology innovations encourage additional growth and renewed interest in the Internet, our economy as a whole will benefit. A stronger Internet will mean more jobs, more companies, and a broader tax base. That is a net gain for everyone.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Rediscover America Act of 2001 along with my colleagues, Senator Allen, Senator Inouye, and Senator Kerry. The Rediscover America Act is a bipartisan effort to help promote travel and tourism in the United States in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America. The bill directs the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to establish a Travel and Tourism Promotion Bureau. The Bureau would work with the private sector to develop a public service/advertising campaign to encourage people to rediscover America. While the Bureau will work in the same spirit as the former Travel and Tourism Administration, it will not be a large new bureaucracy. The bill is designed to give the Secretary the flexibility to appoint up to three existing Department of Commerce employees to work on this 2-year project. At least $60 million of the funds provided in the supplemental appropriations bill would be available for this effort so that the campaign can begin quickly. We envision celebrities and national leaders participating in ads that will tout the beauty of the nation and encourage people here and abroad to Rediscover America. We need the Rediscover America Act at this time for a number of reasons. The revitalization of the travel and tourism industry following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States is a national economic necessity. The travel and tourism industry has a large impact on the U.S. economy, adding nearly 5 percent of the GDP, generating more than $578 million in revenues, supporting more than 17 million jobs, and providing a $14 million trade surplus for the country. In California, the travel and tourism industry provides over 1.1 million jobs. Those jobs are now in danger. We estimate that the total direct and indirect losses in the travel and tourism industry as a result of declining consumer confidence could reach nearly 20,000. We need to encourage people to travel in order to restore jobs for people in the industry. In light of the effect that the attacks have had on the travel and tourism industry, it is important to put measures immediately into place to encourage consumer confidence in travel and in the economy. Safety and security in travel is of utmost importance in order to restore consumer confidence in the industry. But we will have to get the message out there that it is safe to travel again in order to get passengers back on planes. While this marketing assistance can only constitute one facet of our response to the current crisis in the travel and tourism industry, we hope its impact will be widely felt. More than 95 percent of the businesses in travel and tourism are small to medium sized enterprises who need help now. Again, this is only one step toward getting the travel and tourism industry back on its feet. Its restoration is vital for the future well being of our economy.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Rediscover America Act of 2001 along with my colleagues, Senator Allen, Senator Inouye, and Senator Kerry. The Rediscover America Act is a bipartisan effort to help promote travel and tourism in the United States in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America. The bill directs the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to establish a Travel and Tourism Promotion Bureau. The Bureau would work with the private sector to develop a public service/advertising campaign to encourage people to rediscover America. While the Bureau will work in the same spirit as the former Travel and Tourism Administration, it will not be a large new bureaucracy. The bill is designed to give the Secretary the flexibility to appoint up to three existing Department of Commerce employees to work on this 2-year project. At least $60 million of the funds provided in the supplemental appropriations bill would be available for this effort so that the campaign can begin quickly. We envision celebrities and national leaders participating in ads that will tout the beauty of the nation and encourage people here and abroad to Rediscover America. We need the Rediscover America Act at this time for a number of reasons. The revitalization of the travel and tourism industry following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States is a national economic necessity. The travel and tourism industry has a large impact on the U.S. economy, adding nearly 5 percent of the GDP, generating more than $578 million in revenues, supporting more than 17 million jobs, and providing a $14 million trade surplus for the country. In California, the travel and tourism industry provides over 1.1 million jobs. Those jobs are now in danger. We estimate that the total direct and indirect losses in the travel and tourism industry as a result of declining consumer confidence could reach nearly 20,000. We need to encourage people to travel in order to restore jobs for people in the industry. In light of the effect that the attacks have had on the travel and tourism industry, it is important to put measures immediately into place to encourage consumer confidence in travel and in the economy. Safety and security in travel is of utmost importance in order to restore consumer confidence in the industry. But we will have to get the message out there that it is safe to travel again in order to get passengers back on planes. While this marketing assistance can only constitute one facet of our response to the current crisis in the travel and tourism industry, we hope its impact will be widely felt. More than 95 percent of the businesses in travel and tourism are small to medium sized enterprises who need help now. Again, this is only one step toward getting the travel and tourism industry back on its feet. Its restoration is vital for the future well being of our economy.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I believe as strongly about railroad security and airport security as I do airline security, but we need to move on this particular bill. To put it in personal terms, every one of those jets that were hijacked were headed to my State with light loads and heavy fuel, and those passengers were sacrificed. We need to move forward. We need the air marshals. We need the funds to pay for them. We need the screeners and everybody else. Even though the bill did not officially go through the committee, I praise Chairman Hollings and ranking member McCain because, in fact, they led that committee through some amazing hearings. I think this bill is a terrific first step. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I support the amendment of the Senator from Kentucky to strike language from the fiscal year 2002 Defense authorization bill that would authorize a new base closure and realignment round in 2003. I feel very strongly that the time is not right for another painful round of military base closures, and my opposition is only strengthened in the aftermath of the tragedy that occurred on September 11. As a result of the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and at the Pentagon, I believe we must reevaluate our military force structure needs--both at home and abroad--in a new and very different light. In fact, I was extremely skeptical about the need for additional base closures even before the terrorist attacks. On August 14, Congressman George Miller and I sent letters to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees outlining our reasons for opposing a new base closure round. I ask unanimous consent that those letters be printed in the Record.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, as the American people struggle to come to terms with the horrific events of Tuesday, September 11, we are reminded again and again of the countless individual tragedies still playing out in every corner of our country: another firefighter is laid to rest, a classroom copes with the loss of a teacher, a baby is born who will never know her father, a family accepts that a loved one will never be found. We are all haunted by such stories, each one profound in its deep sadness and, considered together, staggering in their scope. None of us is untouched by last Tuesday's terror, and it is now painfully clear that many residents of California were part of each tragic moment of that tragic day. Some were trapped in the World Trade Center towers. Some were at work in the Pentagon. And the fates of some were sealed as they boarded planes bound for San Francisco or Los Angeles. I offer today this tribute to the dozens of Californians who perished on that awful morning. I want to assure the victims' families that their fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters will not be forgotten. As a nation, we hold them close. Words alone cannot convey the depth of our dismay, but the names of those Californians who lost their lives provide a stark and simple symbol of our anger and our pain. The list that follows may well grow. I will honor each one in every way that I can. David Angell of Pasadena; Lynn Angell of Pasadena; Seima Aoyama of Los Angeles; Barbara Aresteguis of Los Angeles; Melissa Barnes of Redlands; Alan Beaven of Emeryville; Berry Berenson of Los Angeles; Carolyn Beug of Los Angeles; Yeneneh Betru of Burbank; Mark Bingham of San Francisco; Deora Bodley of Santa Clara; Touri Bolourchi of Beverly Hills; Daniel Brandhourst of Hollywood Hills; David Brandhourst of Hollywood Hills; Thomas Burnett of San Ramon; Suzanne Calley of San Martin; Jefferey Collman of Novato; Dorothy Dearaujo of Long Beach; Darlene Flagg of Corona; Dee Flagg of Corona; Wilson Flagg of Corona; Lisa Frost of Rancho Santa Margarita; Ronald Gamboa of Los Angeles; Andrew Garcia of Portola Valley; Edmund Glazer of Chatsworth; Lauren Grandcolas of San Rafael; Andrew Curry Green of Los Angeles; Richard Guadagno of Humboldt County; Stanley Hall of Rancho Palos Verdes; Gerald Hardacre of Carlsbad; John Hofer of Bellflower; Stephen Hyland of Claremont; Barbara Keating of Palm Springs; Chandler Keller of El Segundo; Jude Larson of Los Angeles; Natalie Larson of Los Angeles; Daniel John Lee of Van Nuys; Maclovio Lopez of Norwalk; Dora Menchaca of Santa Monica; Nicole Miller of San Jose; Laurie A. Neira of Los Angeles; Ruben Orneda of Los Angeles; Jerrold Paskins of Anaheim Hills; Thomas Pecorelli of Los Angeles; Robert Penniger of Poway; Mari-Rae Sopper of Santa Barbara; Alicia Titus of San Francisco; Otis Tolbert of Lemoore; Pendyala Vamsikrishna of Los Angeles; Timothy Ward of San Diego; and John Wenckus of Torrance. In the name of these Californians, and in the name of all the other innocent victims, it is time for the terrorism to stop.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I am pleased that the Senate has been able to act so quickly on this issue. As you know, all four planes hijacked last week were headed for my State of California. Consequently, many Californians who were simply trying to make their way home lost their lives in these attacks. My heart goes out not only to the Californians who fell victim to terrorism, but to all the victims of last week's attacks and their loved ones. Our Nation's aviation system was transformed into a terrorist weapon. As a result of the terrorist attack, the airlines are confronting an alarming financial situation. Last week's tragedy will be compounded if the aviation industry is destroyed as well. As an industry, airlines are losing $300 million per day. Lines of credit may not be available. Insurance premiums for some airlines may rise $100 million per year or may be unavailable period. Without insurance, the airlines cannot fly. Therefore, I support this bill to provide financial assistance to the airlines. I also support a victim's compensation fund to help ensure that victims' families receive compensation in a timely fashion. I am particularly pleased with the language in this bill that commits $3 billion of the $40 billion in the emergency funding that we passed last week for airline security. I hope this funding is used to improve screening in our airports. It is extremely important that security be the responsibility of the Federal Government, including creation of a professional security force for passenger screening. I also believe the funding should be used to increase the number of air marshals by placing an air marshal on every commercial domestic flight. This is only the first step in aviation security. In the next week or two, I will be working to see that Congress passes comprehensive security legislation, including federalizing screening and guaranteeing that air marshals are on every flight. Finally, I am disappointed that this bill, while bailing out the airlines, does not provide assistance to laid-off workers. This week almost 100,000 jobs were lost industry-wide. That is 100,000 families who are losing their incomes. These numbers do not even include the manufacturing sector of the airline industry. Boeing also announced that it could lay off as many as 30,000 employees in the next few months. We must not forget the workers who are affected. They may need help with job training and acquiring new skills. They may need help with keeping their health insurance. Again, I will be working to see that help comes to these families soon. This bill is important, but it is only the beginning of what we need to do after last week's tragic events.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I rise today to commemorate the tragic deaths of Larry Groff and Lars Stratte, pilots who were killed on August, 27, 2001 in a mid-air tanker collision while fighting the Bus Fire in Northern California. Both pilots were flying Gruman S-2 aircraft and were making fire retardant drops on the fire when they collided. Larry Groff and Lars Stratte were established and dedicated pilots who have recorded numerous hours of flying time. Both pilots were employees of San Joaquin Helicopters, Incorporated. Larry Groff was a 20 year Navy Veteran pilot and Lars Stratte was Past President of the Redding Area Pilots Association. We will never forget the service of these pilots to their community. In a difficult and dangerous occupation, they demonstrated outstanding courage and extraordinary ability to fight fires from the air in their service with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Larry Groff, from Windsor, CA, leaves behind his wife Christine, his six children and two grandchildren. Lars Stratte, from Redding, CA, leaves behind his wife Terri and two children. Larry Groff and Lars Stratte served their community and the people of California with great distinction. I am honored to pay tribute to these brave men today and I encourage my fellow colleagues to join me in celebrating their lives and service, mourning their passing and extending our condolences to their families.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the recent passing of Rose Ann Vuich, an extraordinary public servant and Californian who died on August 30th at the age of 74, after a long battle with Alzheimer's. Rose Ann Vuich was California's first woman State senator, serving in the California State Senate for 16 years until her retirement in 1992. With the election of Senator Vuich in 1976, she became an icon in California's political history and helped to write a new era in the history of the California State Senate. Rose Ann Vuich set a high level of integrity and decency. To this day, there is a Rose Ann Vuich award recognizing other great public servants who meet her high standards. She was a woman of great determination and dedication, who worked tirelessly for her constituents and was loved and respected by so many. Rose Ann Vuich was the daughter of Yugoslav immigrants and was from the small farming community of Dinuba in Tulare County, California. Senator Vuich was dedicated to agriculture, family, community and promoting the San Joaquin Valley. She will be greatly missed by all. On behalf of the Senate, I extend our thoughts and prayers to the Vuich Family on the loss of an extraordinary woman. I ask that the Fresno Bee Editorial from August 31, 2001 be printed in the Record. [From the Fresno Bee, Aug. 31, 2001] Rose Ann Vuich--Valley Lawmaker Left an Enduring Legacy of Ethical, Honest Behavior At a time when there's so much cynicism about government, Rose Ann Vuich reminded us that public service is noble. Sen. Vuich, who died Thursday, was California's first woman state senator, but her mark in Sacramento was made with her integrity and a commitment to her Valley constituents. A Democrat from Dinuba, Sen. Vuich represented the region for 16 years until retiring in 1992. She served at a time when the Legislature was controlled by special interests and laws limiting gifts from lobbyists were not as strict as they are today. Many legislators had their hands out, and the special interests were only too happy to grease them. But they could not get to Sen. Vuich, although they tried. Sen. Vuich had earned a reputation for voting her conscience and, didn't look kindly on so-called ``juice bills,'' which were bills that had no value other than attracting campaign contributions for lawmakers. In Sacramento, FBI agents played a tape that had a witness saying a bill shouldn't go to the Banking and Commerce Committee, which Sen. Vuich chaired, because she didn't ``play ball.'' In 1998, an award for ethical leadership was established in Sen. Vuich's name. The aim was to raise the ethical bar in the region, which was sorely needed after the many indictments in the local Operation Rezone case. Sen. Vuich also was a role model for women in government. It was difficult being California's first woman state senator, but she broke into that men's club with humor and dignity. She kept a bell on her desk in the Senate chamber, and when her male colleagues referred to the ``gentlemen of the Senate'' or ``fellow senators,'' she rang the bell loudly. The Senate soon became more sensitive to gender-biased language. Sen. Vuich was instrumental in getting the local freeway system built and the centerpiece of her 1976 campaign was completing Freeway 41, which she called ``the freeway to nowhere.'' Sen. Vuich remains a role model for all of us. The lessons she taught us must endure.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, a suicide bombing occurred in Jerusalem during the Congressional recess that claimed the life of a young American woman, Shoshona Greenbaum. Ms. Greenbaum, four months pregnant with her first child, is yet another tragic victim in the numbing string of suicide bomb attacks perpetrated by Palestinian extremists against innocent Israeli citizens. Shoshona Greenbaum was one of 15 people killed on August 9th in a downtown Jerusalem pizzeria, after a Palestinian terrorist detonated a bomb studded with nails, screws and bolts that he had strapped to his body. She died instantly, and with her died the hopes and dreams of a young, idealistic woman, a wife, a devoted school teacher and mother- to-be. Ms. Greenbaum spent most of her life in Southern California, and her parents, Alan and Shifra Hayman, still live in Los Angeles. My heart goes out to her family, her many friends, and to her grieving husband Steven for their cruel and unexpected loss. I have had the opportunity to talk with Shoshona's father, and I know what a deep loss this is for the entire family. I condemn this cowardly attack that robbed a husband of his beloved wife and child, devastated a family and took a remarkable young woman from a community that adored her. It is time for the terrorism to stop. It is time for the suicide bomb attacks to stop. It is time for the Palestinian leadership to renounce the use of violence and to rein in those individuals and elements who seek only to destroy Israel and forever destabilize the region. In the name of Shoshona Greenbaum and the other innocent victims of these attacks, we must seek to understand the roots of terrorism in the Middle East and bring to an end the ever-escalating cycle of violence. I can think of no more appropriate memorial to Shoshona than to ensure one day that the people of Israel can live in freedom and safety, secure in their knowledge of a peaceful and productive future.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. I also concur with the remarks of my colleagues.

Mrs. BOXER. Yes, I would and I thank the Senator for this opportunity to describe the important results of the board's most recent Language Service Review. This review found that our current broadcasting efforts in the Middle East only reach approximately 2 percent of the population. The boards's 2001 Language Service Review highlighted the importance of revitalizing America's Arabic programs in order to offset local Arabic radio broadcasts that often serve to incite violence in the region. An alternative must be offered to the hate radio that so often incites the population to violence. In February, Broadcasting Board of Governors' representatives traveled throughout the Middle East to gather facts, to talk to government and media officials, and to begin to build a concept for success. The research emphasized the need for a greater U.S. media presence and increased local content to U.S. broadcasts. The researchers found that in spite of widespread opposition to the U.S. policies, there is a strong attraction to the American values of freedom and individualism. In addition, the Arab public would like information about U.S. businesses, technology and advances in medicine. I believe my colleague from Nebraska would like to discuss the Broadcasting Board of Governors' plans to address the shortcomings in our broadcasting services to the Middle East.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, the Senate will pass a $40 billion supplemental appropriation in response to Tuesday's terrorist attack. One of the top priorities must be to increase our airport and airline security. I hope that some of the funds provided in this bill will be used to place air marshals on commercial planes and to improve security personnel in airports. Would the chairman of the Appropriations Committee inform me of his intention with this funding regarding airport and airline security.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I thank my dear friend, my eloquent friend, my chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, for this opportunity and for his eloquence, indeed, his vigilance on this topic. I am proud to be on his committee and to head his Subcommittee on Terrorism. Today, I rise with pain in my heart and great emotion to offer my prayers and my condolences for the people in this country who have been directly hit by an act of war, people of my State of my birth, New York, looking at that skyline, the people who work at the Pentagon every day, who have chosen to work to protect our Nation, and the people of California who were on those planes that were hijacked and, of course, to every other individual who was directly affected, and all of us will have our stories. I first thank the people of California for their outpouring of love and support for the people of this country. There were vigils, there were prayer services in every denomination yesterday. There was an outpouring of people giving blood. People did not know what to do. The L.A. County Search and Rescue Team somehow got a plane at 4 a.m. They boarded on that plane and they are on the ground in Manhattan. Indeed, we are one country east coast to west, north to south. I have never seen such unity. One of our colleagues said we remember where we were when tragedy hit this country. In my lifetime, I remember too many things--not as many things as perhaps Senators who are older, but I certainly remember where I was when I saw John Kennedy go down and Martin Luther King go down, the Challenger disaster, and yesterday the image of our planes, commercial American planes, four of them, going down crashing into buildings, being used as lethal weapons against our people--an image that has shaken us but has not shaken our resolve. Once I was on a plane that was in some type of mechanical trouble. We had to make an unscheduled landing. For an hour we really didn't know if we were going to make it. In that time, passengers were consoling each other and getting out their fears, attendants were reading the crash landing manuals. I reached for the phone. I called my family. I left a message. I thought: Did I tell them before how much they mean to me? All I could think of yesterday was about the people on those planes, every one of whom had a family. Basically, as I understand it, they knew they were going to go down, and in many cases, as I understand, were being told if they wanted to call their families, they were crashing. The utter terror, the utter callousness of this, the inhumanity of this, is unbearable, what our people went through on those planes and then those innocent people working in the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. I am going to make a very strong statement. When we look back into history and what happened in Bosnia, people suffered genocide because of their nationality, and to the Holocaust, people suffered annihilation because of their nationality. People were killed yesterday because they were Americans. People were killed not because they were bad people --they were good people--they were killed because they were Americans. It is time for us to say we will fight and stand up for them and their memories. We will take a stand against inhumanity that occurred on our own soil. We are resolved to honor those who died. We are resolved to make our Nation as safe as it can be from those acts. We are resolved to hold those who planned these attacks and who harbor these people absolutely 100-percent accountable. We will hold them accountable. They must pay because this is the test of a civilized nation. We lead the civilized nations of the world. We will not back down. I stand proudly with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and with our President. We will be resolved to do everything--and do it well and do it right--to bring justice in the world. Thank you.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to an extraordinary American and Californian, Alice Waters, who has revolutionized our approach to food and the way we eat. I congratulate her and her flagship restaurant, Chez Panisse, for reaching the milestone of being in business for 30 years. While sustaining a successful restaurant for all of these years is significant, Alice's broader contribution to our culture in the past decades is unparalleled. While I have known and admired Alice for many years, I am astonished when I consider the effect she has had on our country. Alice has cultivated programs and integrated food and gardening into imaginative projects as ways of fostering love, growth, responsibility and respect of life and work. Alice's disciples and her philosophy of fresh, local and natural, have spread throughout our land. A remarkable number of protegees have opened their own path-breaking restaurants and have become culinary artists themselves. But her influence goes far beyond the kitchen. Due to the leadership of Alice and her restaurant, Chez Panisse, the National Restaurant Association reports that over 60 percent of the top American restaurants now mention organic ingredients on their menus. Alice worked to pass the Federal organic food law and has helped define new U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines for school lunches. Alice has written and co-authored many cookbooks, which provide more than recipes. They have helped to spread her philosophy of food into American home kitchens. She has founded gardening projects at the San Francisco jail and the Edible Schoolyard at Berkeley's Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, where she established a curriculum that brings organic gardening into classes and where the results of the children's gardening are used in the school's lunch program. The students who participate not only learn valuable skills but also cooperation and responsibility. Alice believes that as Americans change their thinking about food, America will change for the better. Alice has said about our children that ``Most families in this country don't even eat one meal a day with each other. So how are we going to pass on our values to them if we don't eat with them?'' While Chez Panisse has been graced with many talented people over the years, the one constant has been Alice. She has poured her life into Chez Panisse and into what it represents, and we are all the richer for it. I am proud to know Alice and I wish her, her good works for our community and nation, and Chez Panisse another 30 years of continued success.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to bring to the Senate's attention the exemplary career and service of General Thomas Kane, Commander of the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base in California. General Kane is leaving Travis to accept an assignment with NATO on September 12, 2001. When he arrived in Solano County almost 2 years ago, he brought with him a sense of honor, purpose and teamwork that not only resonated on the base itself but throughout the surrounding community. I am not the only one who will miss his spirit, good nature and strength of character. General Kane is a career Air Force officer. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1974 and has earned numerous advanced degrees since. A pilot and highly decorated officer, he has served in many capacities and in many locations over the course of his time in the Armed Forces including Portugal and Korea. Advancing steadily, he was promoted to Brigadier General on September 1, 2000. I had the pleasure of meeting General Kane in person once at my office in Washington, DC. To me, the most striking thing about him is how much he cares about the men and women in his command. This impressed me very much. In my opinion, this attitude is more than an approach to leadership; it is the very essence of leadership. General Kane often likes to mention that if he ever leaves the Air Force he would like to be a baseball coach. I am not sure if America needs more baseball coaches, but I do know that we very much need dedicated people leading our military. General Kane is just such an officer. He is a credit to his uniform and his country. I wish him, his wife Renee and their family the very best.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I yield 3 minutes to the Senator from Delaware.

Mrs. BOXER. Absolutely. I yield an additional minute.

Mrs. BOXER. I yield to Senator Nelson for 3 minutes.

Mrs. BOXER. I doubt it. I will try. Everybody here wishes to speak.

Mrs. BOXER. If I might propose that we hear from Senator Nelson of Florida for 3 minutes, and then we will go over to Senator Domenici for as much time as he wants to use. Is that fair?

Mrs. BOXER. May I ask the Senator, would he like to take some time or are my colleagues under a rush?