Robert Brady

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be here to welcome our guest chaplain, my good friend and former employer, the right Reverend W. Wilson Goode. Reverend Goode has always served God and the public at the same time. He rose from deacon to associate pastor at the First Baptist Church of Paschall. He rose from a Philadelphia neighborhood block captain to Philadelphia's Mayor, who, in his infinite wisdom, appointed me as his deputy. He went from organizing his block to leading faith-based initiatives at the nonprofit Public/Private Ventures. He is Associate Professor of Political Science and Urban Policy at Eastern College, where he puts his experience as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Education, Philadelphia's Managing Director and Mayor of Philadelphia, to work for his students. Dr. Goode has been awarded 14 honorary doctorates and has published an autobiography, In Good Faith. He is a family man, who has seen his son elected to the city council. More than anything else, Wilson Goode is a person who can bring people together. He did that as a mayor, he did that in his candidacy, and now does that as a reverend. Mr. Speaker, in these troubled times it is important that we hear from people like W. Wilson Goode, so I welcome him with pride, and I thank him for being here. Again, there are a whole lot of titles that he holds, a whole lot of positions that he held, but the one most endearing with me, the position and title that he holds with me, is dear friend. I thank him, and may God continue to bless him, and God bless our troops.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the time to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Manzullo) and the ranking member, the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez), of the Committee on Small Business, as well as the committee staff's hard work in bringing this bill to the floor. I thank them all. We are all still shocked, saddened, and angry as a Nation at the tragic events that unfolded September 11, 2001. The character of America was attacked, our values and our way of life. The spirit that is America is characterized by our freedoms, the ability for each and every individual, regardless of circumstances, to build a better life. We must rebuild our lives, rebuild our economy, rebuild our communities, and rebuild our Nation. A part of the American freedom includes the spirit of entrepreneurship, talented individuals starting their own business. Each day in my home State of Pennsylvania, five new businesses are started because of the work of the Small Business Development Centers. These centers have developed a proven system that works to provide education on starting and managing a business. My bill, The Vocational and Technical Entrepreneurship Development Program Act of 2001, will put the same successful curriculum used by the SBDCs into selected vocational and technical schools throughout the United States. This bill will allow those who wish to return to school to learn a new trade and those first-time technical and vocational graduates an opportunity to not only start their own business but to have a successful business by being fully prepared to manage a firm. For decades, small businesses have contributed to most of our employment growth by creating half of all jobs and doing it more than 60 percent faster than larger firms. Let us look toward the creation and successful maintenance of business enterprises to help rebuild our economy and strengthen our Nation. Again, I would like to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Manzullo) and the ranking member, the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez), of the Committee on Small Business, as well as all the working of the committee staff. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she might consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez), ranking member of the Committee on Small Business. (Ms. VELAZQUEZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he might consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), a dear friend.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), and I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) for his remarks. Unfortunately, in these last couple of weeks, we all feel, in our heart, that we are all from New York. (Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I simply want to thank the chairman and ranking member and the staff of the Committee on Small Business for allowing this bill to come to the floor today. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I saw the worst of the world, but I saw the best of America. The police, fire and rescue workers, and the average person just trying to help showed the world what America is made of. They showed that our values will survive any attack. The murderers behind this will also find out what Americans are made of. They will learn that freedom is stronger than fear. They will learn that our democracy is stronger than murder. And they will learn that America--and Americans--are stronger than them. God Bless the men and women working hard to help their fellow Americans. God Bless the victims of this attack. God Bless America.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Luis Centeno, the founder of Proclaimers of Hope Ministries, a faith-based recovery and addiction prevention program in West Kensington, Philadelphia. Reverend Centeno, who also is the pastor at Bethel Temple Church, was recently chosen to receive the nation's highest honor for community health leadership--a 2001 Community Health Leader award from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The distinction, conferred annually on only 10 people nationwide, includes a $100,000 award to continue his work. Reverend Centeno saw first hand the ravaging effects of addiction on individuals and families in West Kensington--known as the ``Badlands'' because of its reputation as one of the worst drug centers in the United States. He was once a gang member himself and spent time in juvenile detention before turning his life around. In 1988, he created Proclaimers of Hope Ministries to take his message of change directly to the neighborhood's worst drug corners and create a local rehabilitation center. The Proclaimers of Hope Ministries now has 200 volunteers donating 5,000 hours annually to serve the youth of the community and provide counseling and support to addicts. Its staff of 14 raises funds through personal donors and other churches throughout the country. With Reverend Centeno's leadership, Proclaimers of Hope and Bethel Temple Church have a created a diverse approach to prevention and recovery, using programs in the martial arts, music, drama, and tutoring, to help prevent crises in the lives of the community's young men and women. As one of his nominators explained, ``part of the reason Luis has been so effective is that he has not set himself apart from the people he serves. His brand of healing requires hard work and discipline as well as grace and forgiveness, and he freely dispenses them all.'' Mr. Speaker, Reverend Luis Centeno has demonstrated tremendous leadership in the fight against drug addiction in his community and is clearly well deserving of this prestigious community health award. I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating Reverend Centeno on this wonderful achievement.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the Carpenters Local Union No. 845 in Delaware County. Founded a century ago, three Local Unions from Pennsylvania united to form the Delaware County District Council. Over the next 75 years, Local Union No. 845 evolved to become the largest of the three locals in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Carpenters Local Union No. 845 has established itself as one of the most distinguished organizations of its kind. The members of this organization, and their families, have made innumerable sacrifices in order to help future generations of Americans. Furthermore, many of the members of Local 845 have served in the armed forces for our great nation. These individuals have demonstrated impeccable American values, and have participated in countless works of charity. The Union has stood as the backbone of thousands upon thousands of its members by providing decent wages, and a better standard of living for themselves and their loved ones. Mr. Speaker, as a carpenter myself, I know that Local No. 845 has benefitted the Philadelphia community, and will continue to do so for years to come. On its 100th anniversary, members of the Local 845 are leading through example by hard work and dedication. They have been the pioneers for the working class, and will continue to make new advancements and achievements through their endurance, commitment, and leadership.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a great institution that is serving the needs of families in my district and the entire Delaware Valley. For the past two years, the Father's Day Gala Program Committee, led by Karen Burton, has honored that most important of all men, the father. As Father's Day approaches, all of us are compelled to think of our fathers and the role they played in our lives. Those of us who are privileged to have had the support of strong fathers know that our paths were made easier by the love, the advice, the nurturing and the discipline they gave us. Those who have not had that privilege know well the void that lack left in their lives. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, we don't often take the time to honor our fathers, or step fathers. Most Dads are too busy being Dads to worry about that. But it is wonderful that a group of citizens would come together as volunteers to say thank you to all the fathers out there. I must say that I am especially proud of this gala, since so much of the work on this event was done by Karen Burton, who was born and raised in my district. Ms. Burton, her mother Sara, and her entire family have worked tirelessly to make my district a better place. This event is in keeping with their family tradition. And so, to all the fathers at the Gala, and to all the women and children who love them, I say Happy Father's Day and keep up the good work.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of pension provisions in H.R. 10 and the Rangel-Neal substitute. This legislation will make life better for the 10 million hard working Americans, retirees and their families who depend on multi-employer plans for retirement, health and other benefits. I support this legislation for one simple reason. It restores fairness to the tax code. Many working Americans, especially union members in the building trades work their whole lives and pay into pension funds. They expect to get back what they put in. Instead, Section 415 of the IRS code treats union multi-employer pension plans the same way it treats wealthy tax dodgers. Section 415 limits were designed to prevent high income individuals from using pension plans to shelter excessive benefits. But these limits are being applied to multi-employer plans, whose beneficiaries are typical working men and women. Multi-employer plan retirees need relief and they need it now. H.R. 10 and the substitute allow working people to receive more of their retirement benefits that they have worked for and earned. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friends Ben Cardin and Rob Portman for working so hard to bring this much needed relief to working Americans. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Rev. Leon H. Sullivan. Rev. Sullivan was a giant of a man who leveraged the economic power of black Americans for social change from urban Philadelphia to the continent of Africa. As the pastor of the Zion Baptist Church in North Philadelphia where he served for 38 years, he was towering force. His booming voice spread a message of love of God and selfhelp for his people. Rev. Sullivan, who founded the nation's largest community-based job training program, was regarded as a leader by world leaders. Presidents and corporate heads sought his advice. In 1991, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President George Bush. U.N. Secretary-General Kofl Annan says Rev. Sullivan showed the world what one person can do. Early on in his life, Leon Sullivan was confronted by racism. At the age of 9, while attempting to buy a soda at a drugstore in his hometown in Charleston, West Virginia he was informed he could not sit at the counter. Subsequently he told interviewers that this was a life transforming moment that instilled in him a lifelong commitment to confront injustice. Rev. Sullivan was known throughout the world because of the establishment of OIC centers in the U.S. and in 17 African nations; the sponsorship of the Sullivan Principles that helped to dismantle South African apartheid; and, his leadership in civil rights. But he was also known and will be remembered for his ability to reach and touch and make a difference in lives of the people of his community. His death leaves a void in Philadelphia, the nation and the world. His legacy is monumental.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) upon its selection by the Smithsonian Institution as a new Smithsonian Affiliate. Thus, AAMP becomes the only museum in Philadelphia, the fourth in Pennsylvania and one of 67 cultural institutions across the nation with such a designation. The Smithsonian affiliate outreach program brings the institution closer to all Americans by creating exhibition opportunities throughout the nation by the sharing of its collections and resources. And, the affiliation provides AAMP with opportunities to display objects from its collections in the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries building on the national Mall in Washington, DC. Founded in 1976, in celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial, the AAMP is dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting material and intellectual culture of African Americans. AAMP attracts a multi- cultural, multi-generational audience. Located in the First Congressional District, the Museum has a collection of more than 500,000 objects, images and documents. AAMP will open its inaugural exhibition marking the affiliation, Affirmations: Objects and Movements, September 20, 2001. The exhibition will contain objects from the Smithsonian's national museums of American History, American Art and the Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture. The incorporation of the AAMP into the Affiliate program is an important milestone in the history of this vital institution and it also coincides with the Museum's celebration of its 25th anniversary.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, today I honor the German Society of Pennsylvania. Founded in 1764, it is the oldest German American organization in the new world. In celebration of its founding, the Society will hold its 236th Anniversary Ball and its annual German American Day festivities. The first German immigrants came to the new world after being invited by William Penn to come to his colony. Ultimately, thirteen families settled in what became known as Germantown, one of Philadelphia's oldest sections of the city. These families left their homes in the Rhineland City of Krefeld and arrived in Philadelphia on October 6, 1683, a date celebrated by German Americans as the beginning of their history in the United States. The flow of German immigrants continued and the poorest of them suffered many hardships and cruelty. As a result the Society was founded, for the express purpose of aiding these distressed immigrants. And, because of the Society's advocacy a series of measures to protect immigrants were enacted. Today, the Society maintains its presence in the First Congressional District in its historic 1888 landmark building, which is on the national list of historic places. The Society also continues to steadfastly fulfill its mission to serve its members and those who share interests in German and German American culture, heritage and values through its presentations of educational lectures, cultural and arts programs, and seminars.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the Greater Philadelphia Health Action as it celebrates three decades of providing dedicated health and human services to economically disadvantaged and medically under served Philadelphians. Founded in 1970, GPHA has grown to offer a full spectrum of accessible and affordable medical and behavioral health care services. In 1990, GPHA opened the Woodland Academy Child Development Center. Today it offers quality comprehensive day care for more than 100 infants and pre-school and school-age children. It also offers low income and child development programs for teen parents, working families and those enrolled in vocational training programs. Currently GPHA has five full service medical centers, an expanded behavioral health care program, and a day care and child development center. It serves over 28,000 patients as it continues to expand. That expansion includes plans to launch a new youth program that would provide music, arts and computer instruction and life skills instruction. As it celebrates 30 years of service, GPHA remains committed to continue its tradition of providing outstanding service to the Philadelphia community.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a great Philadelphian, Ann Hagele. For a decade, Ann served older Philadelphians as Executive Director of the Philadelphia Senior Center. That 50 year old institution is one of this nation's premier service providers for the elderly. Philadelphians are living longer and are more active than ever. Under Ms. Hagele's leadership, the agency expanded it's services to meet the needs of today's senior. She instituted financial management and housing counseling, community dining, and programs to help seniors live independently and in good health. She launched a wheel chair-accessible mini-bus service to help clients stay mobile, a fitness-for-life center and a learning center, to improve their physical and mental conditions. And when heat waves threatened seniors' lives, Ann started a fan distribution program that gave out almost 6,000 fans to poor Philadelphians. Mr. Speaker, Ann Hagele has decided to retire from the Philadelphia Senior Center. Her leadership will be missed, but her legacy will live on. I know my colleagues will join me in honoring her today.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor WDAS FM and AM Radio, one of Philadelphia's most significant cultural institutions, on its 50th anniversary. Many of my colleagues recognize that Philadelphia is America's premier music cities. Philadelphia has a history of producing America's music. And since 1950, WDAS has been the sound of Philadelphia. But this jewel of the airways has been more than entertainment for my neighbors and I. WDAS has also been the soul and the conscience of our city. The FM station is one of the few music outlets that has consistently maintained a commitment to producing hard news for its audience. It has always maintained an unbiased editorial department, and would class news bureau, which has produced journalistic giants like CBS' Ed Bradley or talk radio's Karen Warrington. Whether the story is an election campaign, a major fire or a local tragedy, if it happened in the past 50 years, WDAS covered it. Mr. Speaker, WDAS AM also serves a major role in the lives of my constituents. It provides in-depth discussion of current events through magazine shows and talk programs. And worship is not left off that station's menu. My dear friend and Pennsylvania State Representative Louise Bishop hosts one of the nation's premier gospel and worship shows on that station. She brings light to the lives of so many people who are shut in and cannot get to services or who attend at a different time. Most importantly, this station proves that music without questionable lyrics, faith based broadcasting, news and information do not have to serve as loss leaders on a station's play list. After 50 years of quality broadcasting, WDAS continues to dominate the ratings. Mr. Speaker, I am proud of this station and all my friends who have made its success possible over the years. I know that all my colleagues will join me in honoring this monument to Philadelphia culture.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Douglas ``Jocko'' Henderson, who passed away July 15, 2000. Douglas ``Jocko'' Henderson was an innovative radio pioneer whose contribution to the industry is legendary. One of the first African American disc jockeys in Philadelphia, ``Jocko'' was known for his smooth rhyming rap before rap had a name. From 1952 to 1974, Jocko hosted his ``Rocketship'' music program on radio stations WHAT and WDAS. He played the popular records of the day but introduced them with his silver-voiced rhyming style that other disc jockeys began to imitate. For many years he hosted popular radio programs in Philadelphia and New York. He also produced sell-out rhythm and blues shows at theaters on the east coast, from Miami to Boston. In 1993 he was honored with a plaque on the Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame. In later years he developed and marketed a series of educational audiotapes designed to help teach children to read by utilizing his rhyming style. Douglas ``Jocko'' Henderson was an innovator and a man of great talent and dignity.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a proud example of American family values, the Phillip White Family Reunion. Phillip White, Sr., was born a South Carolina slave in 1810. By 1870, he and his wife Elizabeth had established roots in Newnan, Corveta County, Georgia. They gave birth to four children during slavery, and one other child four years after the end of the civil war. Amazingly, they kept their family group together while enduring that most evil of institutions. Their model of love of family endures to this day. Since that time, the Phillip White Family has established itself in many states in this great nation, including Maryland, Michigan, Georgia, Ohio, California, Connecticut, New York, and especially in my own District in Philadelphia. Mr. Speaker, the Phillip White Family began holding its reunions on the fourth Sunday in July in the early 1900's in Monroe, Georgia. In 1969, these family meetings evolved into today's Phillip White Family Reunion. Each year, the reunion is held in a different city. Fittingly, the first White Family Reunion of the new millennium will be held in America's First City, my own Philadelphia. I am proud to welcome this great family to our fine city and I invite all my colleagues to join me in honoring them today.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support bill 4554. My friend, Joe Smith, served in Congress, earned the Purple Heart in World War II, was a fellow ward leader for 30 years, and was the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations in the Senate in the State of Pennsylvania. But closer to my heart, he was my predecessor in the city of Philadelphia as the chairman of the Democratic party in the city, and nobody knows better than I do what a tough position that can be at times. He was a people person. He loved the people that he served in his neighborhood. Mr. Speaker, that is why this distinguished honor is so fitting. In naming this post office after him, his memory will remain in that community forever. To his lovely wife, Jean, to his daughter, Gigi, we want them to know that we are as proud of him as they have been throughout his distinguished career. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Borski), for introducing this measure, and my friend and partner, the gentleman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), for bringing this bill to the floor; and I want to also thank the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh), for his hard work in honoring my friend, Joe Smith.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and work of Bishop R.T. Jones Jr. A staple of the Philadelphia Public School System, Bishop Jones has devoted his life to serving the people of Philadelphia. Bishop Jones founded the Christian Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in Chester, Pennsylvania where he served as pastor for nine years. He has served as the Bishop of Delaware and as District Superintendent for Southeastern Pennsylvania under the late Bishop R.T Jones Sr. Bishop Jones currently serves as the founding president of the Philadelphia Azusa Fellowship, Co-Chairman of the Philadelphia Interfaith Clergy Association, Chairman of the Shriners Children's Medical Center's Community Advisory Committee and as Chairman of the Christian Tabernacle Improvement and Development Corporation's Board of Directors. Aside from his religious service, Mr. Jones has proven himself to be a valuable manager for the Philadelphia Housing Authority. During his eight years with PHA, he has received numerous accolades for his management abilities. R.T. Jones Jr. has held positions of great importance throughout the Philadelphia area and has received numerous awards and achievements. Among those who know him personally he is not only thought of as a great teacher and great preacher but as a child of God.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Lois Fernandez, president and co-founder of Odunde, a cultural organization that for 25 years has sponsored the Odunde Festival, one of Philadelphia's brightest cultural attractions and one of the largest African American festivals in the United States. Odunde, which among the Yoruba of Nigeria means Happy New Year, is the greeting that first meets the more than 300,000 people who attend the Odunde festival. The festival transforms a 10-block area in the First Congressional District into a veritable West African marketplace complete with African, African American and Caribbean vendors selling crafts, clothing and food. Those attending the festival can also take part in a traditional Yoruba ceremony that pays respect to Oshun, a Yoruba deity. The festival also offers a broad assortment of performances by musicians, dancers, singers and poets. Ms. Fernandez has enriched our community by providing sorely needed education regarding the rich culture and history of Africa and the Africans of the diaspora. For a quarter of a century Ms. Fernandez has been a formidable force for social change in our city and she has provided us with an invaluable cultural legacy.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Southern Homes Services (SHS) as it celebrates its 150th anniversary. Since 1840 SHS has provided quality services to preserve, build and stabilize the lives of children and families within their communities. During the first 100 years of its existence SHS provided services for youngsters who had been placed in its care because of the death of their fathers and the mothers' inability to care for their children. But, in the early 1950's SHS refocused its mission. The result was the adoption of a psychiatric residential treatment program for children that included support services for their families. Today SHS is a multi-disciplined, multi-facility that is licensed as a Residential Treatment Facility. Annually it provides comprehensive services to more than 2,000 children and adolescents with severe emotional problems. Its comprehensive mental health and social services include: foster and kinship care; residential treatment services; an on-site licensed private school; outpatient mental health and psychiatric services; in-home family preservation services; and mentor/ volunteer opportunities. In February 2000, SHS became one of the first children's services agency to be accredited as a behavioral Healthcare Organization by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). In recognition of its 15 decades of providing critical services to at-risk children when their families are the most vulnerable, I join SHS as it celebrates this important milestone.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to denounce the treatment of the 13 Iranian Jews who have been charged with espionage on behalf of Israel and the United States. To begin, the legitimacy of these charges is highly questionable. The Iranian government, run by the Ayatollah and his Islamic fundamentalist regime, has historically garnered domestic support for their anti-Israel policies by making similar dubious accusations against members of their own Jewish population. The judgments handed down from these ``trials'' over the past 20 years has meant the execution of 17 Iranian Jews. Such atrocities are reminiscent of Nazi Germany and it is America's duty as a leader of the free world to condemn such acts and ensure the fair treatment of these individuals. The evidence provided thus far has proven to me the impossibility for these individuals to receive a fair trial in their home country. Aside from the charges being apparently baseless (it seems as though they were singled out for teaching classes on Judaism and the practice of Jewish rituals), there have been pre-trial events that have effectively denied these suspects the right to counsel, the right to a speedy and fair trial, and the right against self-incrimination. Last month, the accused were brought before a judge in a closed-door session. It was then announced that the trial would be postponed with no explanation. In spite of reports to the contrary, 10 of the 13 are still being denied the right to select their own lawyers. Several of the attorneys have allegedly stated that their clients have confessed while the families consistently state this is not so. The denials of the families of the victims have led most to believe that these confessions were either coerced or never happened. To further illustrate the prejudicial nature of this legal process, it should be mentioned that one court appointed lawyer reportedly has objected to being forced to represent a Jew. The international human rights community has advocated the release of these individuals in order to protect their most basic liberties, and I give my utmost support of this effort. Iran is struggling in the face of revolution and will continue violating the basic rights of their people in order to gag the voice of democracy that is spreading throughout the nation. The West must utterly condemn such guerrilla tactics. We must send the message that the newfound relationship between Iran and the United States will not compromise our values. Such a message is not only significant out of concern for these 13 men, but is vital to our own national security. What kind of message does it send to the Ayatollah that we are willing to bend some of our core democratic beliefs in order to placate the Iranian government? Such weakness is not what has made us a world leader. Blatant human rights violations must have a zero-tolerance level and must be confronted head on. Therefore, I strongly urge Secretary Madeline Albright and the Department of State to do all they can in order to save these innocent men.