Peter Deutsch

Mr. DEUTSCH

Mr. DEUTSCH. If the gentleman would yield, I think one of the interesting things also, as we enter a dialogue stage this evening, it is important to note that the gentleman's comments were so much on point regarding the leadership of the Palestinians. I think there has been a misplaced emphasis in many ways by this administration on calling Chairman Arafat the leader of the Palestinians. Let us be very specific. I think most Americans need to really understand this, that Chairman Arafat was elected, but what he did was he refused to have a reelection. His term of office ended in 2000. All of us who are elected officials, we stand for election every 2 years, and in the Senate every 6 years, and the President every 4 years. I was an election observer. Some of us have participated in international election observation teams. I was an election observer this past year in Belarus, where the president of the country reelected himself. We do not recognize their government. Yet, our government says that Chairman Arafat is the chosen leader, when he chose not to have an election.

Mr. DEUTSCH. If the gentleman could yield, I have a blow-up of a letter which has been in the press, and unfortunately, I think it is something which has not gotten enough press attention at this point. I think it is a very significant letter. It is a letter that was found in the Ramallah headquarters by Israeli defense forces troops. It is there, it is real. There is other information that I will present, as well, but it is disturbing, to say the least, in terms of the whole concept of interacting with Chairman Arafat as a leader in terms of his direct personal involvement in terrorism. I started this evening talking about his direct, personal involvement with the Karine-A incident, which was a direct violation of Oslo, sending weapons to the Palestinian Authority, which was documented, which the Americans completely understand. I think that is what is probably most troubling to the President of the United States, because I do not believe that he wants to deal with this gentleman at all, because he understands who he is. If I can just read some of the specifics, this is a letter to Chairman Arafat from assan al Ashid, who is a senior Fatah activist in the West bank, specifically asking for sums of $2,500 for the following brethren: three gentlemen who are specifically terrorists, they are known terrorists. And in Arafat's personal handwriting, with his signature, he says, ``I will allocate $600 to each of them'' on September 19 of 2001. I do not think we need anymore proof.

Mr. DEUTSCH. This is really the question on what has occurred, and the Israelis and the Americans, Israel wants a peace partner. Israel wants to have peace. Israel offered what we have discussed previously. They have negotiated with Chairman Arafat. But I think what has occurred in the present time is not that Arafat might or might not be, is trying or is not trying, but I think the facts are there: Arafat has direct personal involvement in terrorism. He is a terrorist. The President got a little squeamish when the press asked him, is he a terrorist. He refused to answer. Not only does he have blood on his hands yesterday, he has blood on his hands today. That is the person that the United States is requesting and demanding that Israel negotiate with, at the same time saying that we refuse to negotiate with terrorists.

Mr. DEUTSCH. And let me go through the chart, which I think is interesting. Chairman Arafat is part of the Fatah organization. Actually, I believe the gentleman has a chart, as well, which is very interesting and relevant to this. The Fatah organization is an organization that, in a particular region, many of us have heard of the city, the occupied and the non-occupied Tulkarm. It is a city with a leadership structure in Fatah, an organizational structure. There was a gentleman, Marwan Barghouti, Nasser Awis, Ra'ed Karmi, whose name was one of the names on the previous list as getting direct payment.

Mr. DEUTSCH. They have said if Chairman Arafat requests, they will no longer engage in terrorist activities. Again, what the gentleman's chart points out is this organization, Fatah, which is directly tied to Arafat, in which the people themselves have said they report to Arafat, they have publicly stated if Arafat says to stop violence, they will stop violence. The chart there is very illuminating, the gentleman's chart, which points out that in September to December of last year there were nine terrorist incidents and 66 Israelis were killed, the equivalent of more than one 9/11 for the state of Israel, that Fatah itself, Arafat's organization, claimed responsibility for nine incidents. In January to April, when 99 Israelis were killed, several 9/11s, 67 were claimed by Fatah. Sixty-eight percent of this is suicide bombers were directly claimed by an organizational structure that reports to Arafat, that the members of that structure report to Arafat, and yet Arafat says he has no relationship with that structure. It is not credible. It is not believable are. It is not the truth.

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would yield on a specific point which he brought up again which is very much relevant to what is going on. The gentleman mentioned Lebanon. For the last several days every day there have been artillery attacks from Lebanon to northern Israel. When Colin Powell and the President are calling for a cease fire, that is a cease fire they should be calling for. That is a border that has been peaceful, and there is absolutely no reason at all for artillery to be shot at. We have mentioned this and many of us who have spoken this evening have talked about the analogy to the United States. Could you imagine how we would respond if there was artillery fire over the Canadian border or the Mexican border? There was a point in time when that happened many years ago, and we invaded both Canada and Mexico.

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. I think by definition every day we wake up we live in historical times. In this Chamber where we speak, it is the oldest. We are as America the oldest democracy literally in the history of the world. Many people do not know, but the law givers of the world, the law givers of the world watch us in this Chamber. In fact, the greatest law giver in the history of the world is the gentleman in the center of the Chamber, Moses. We are part of history as we speak here tonight and as we take action as Americans, as a Congress and our ally, Israel, takes action this evening. And I think the purpose of different Members from throughout the country getting together this evening to speak about this issue is to talk about our concern. That as much as we hope and we pray and we work towards Colin Powell's efforts for a cease fire, which again we were completely united in and support for, at that same time we urge Colin Powell and particularly, obviously, the President who Colin Powell works for, that the President understand that we are listening to him. We are supportive of him in the efforts against terrorism. But to stop Israel, to attempt to stop Israel from rooting out terrorism is sending a wrong message to terrorists. It is saying that terrorism succeeds, that terrorist actions will get the United States to do things against its allies; that you can bomb us; you can suicide bomb us; you can sniper attack bomb us; you can kill our children, our women at sacred events in the most inhumane conceivable things and force us to do things. And that is not the message that I believe President Bush has sent to the world nor can we send to the world. We need to be supportive of Israel and its efforts to eliminate terrorism as they were of us, as the rest of the world was of us, as all Americans are with us. And I urge the President to continue in those efforts in the coming days.

Mr. DEUTSCH

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the memory of Abraham Frost, who came to this country from Poland in 1912. Mr. Frost was an individual who was constantly in awe of everything he saw in the United States. For his entire life, he had a deep appreciation for the opportunities this great nation provided to him, and truly enjoyed his work and time spent raising his family. Mr. Frost marveled at the development of modern conveniences such as automobiles and airplanes. He was truly captivated with the possibility of realizing the American Dream. Abraham Frost died in 1976 in Miami Beach, Florida. Mr. Speaker, the accomplishments of Abraham Frost are a testament to his dedication and his passion for life. He leaves a lasting legacy for both his family and friends.

Mr. DEUTSCH

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise tody to congratulate Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, on its 90th Anniversary. Since its beginning, Hadassah has contributed to worthy charities around the world both financially and through volunteer work. Hadassah's tireless efforts have aided in the creation of access to quality health care throughout the Middle East, and Hadassah has always strived for the equal treatment of women in the United States and Israel. Today, Hadassah, with over 300,000 active members organized throughout the United States, has continued its rich tradition of volunteerism by enacting programs to fight breast cancer and other health related issues affecting women. Hadassah has also sponsored numerous programs to increase the quality of the educational system in the United States. While Hadassah's interests are primarily education and women's rights, this group has been active in educating its membership on a variety of public policy issues and encouraging civic participation. In a time of increased violence in the Middle East, Hadassah has also remained a staunch advocate of peace and tolerance between Arabs and Jews. Mr. Speaker, Hadassah has worked since its inception in 1912 to create a higher quality of education and equal rights for women in the United States and the Middle East. It is my sincere belief that as Hadassah continues into the Millennium and to it's own hundredth birthday, it will continue to fight for women against disease, violence, and injustice.

Mr. DEUTSCH

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Broward County, Florida, World War II Veterans who, on May 1, 2001, received honorary high school diplomas from the Florida Department of Education and Broward County Public Schools. Half a century ago, thousands of young Americans risked their lives to fight for our freedom in World War II, and I applaud the dedication of these veterans during that time of war, as well as their loyalty to the security of the American people. Many who fought in World War II forfeited their chance to complete high school and continue onto college when, in the prime of their youth, they were asked to save the world. They entered the war as teenagers and those that survived came home as adults. Many veterans had to immediately enter the workforce upon their return to support the families they left behind. Broward County, through this special ceremony, has honored these deserving veterans for their personal sacrifices and their protection of democracy and humanity. Last year, the State of Florida offered all veterans meeting a general criteria their high school diplomas. Florida's actions are accompanied by similar programs throughout the nation. I commend Broward County Public Schools and the Florida Department of Education on their efforts to honor these World War II Veterans. These institutions further saluted Broward County veterans by arranging a special graduation ceremony at which the diplomas were received. Mr. Speaker, World War II interrupted the lives of young America in the 1940's, and now the State of Florida has presented a chance to thank these individuals by recognizing this well-deserved and hard- earned accomplishment.

Mr. DEUTSCH

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in thanking the chairman of the full committee and the ranking member as well, as well as our excellent staff on both sides. This bill is a product of the entire House, and particularly the Committee on Energy and Commerce can be very proud of. This legislation very well might go down as the very most important piece of legislation that this Congress passes in this session. It has not gotten the most attention at this point in time, and I hope what it tries to prevent does not get as much attention because in a sense that would mean a success. But I highlight some of the issues that we are facing, and really the world obviously changed, each of our lives changed, America changed on September 11. This bill is a step towards dealing with some of those changes. The budgeting that we had in the past, literally in the past year, in last year's fiscal year, amounted to approximately $100 million towards bioterrorism. This bill now raises that level to effectively about $3 billion. Obviously, an incredibly dramatic increase. I think there have been Members who have expressed a viewpoint, and in a sense I share it, maybe that number should even be larger. Even $30 billion, an order of magnitude different than hopefully what we will appropriate and authorize in this legislation. But as we work towards that, it is a question whether or not the agencies could even deal with this large of an increase, but to that other level I am not sure it would be possible. Let me focus on one of the areas where this bill is going to have a very significant effect, and that is the threat of biological terrorism in the United States. The bill specifically authorizes $450 million for smallpox vaccine, requires the Secretary to devise a plan for the distribution of the national stockpile, including the smallpox vaccine. The Secretary can designate priority countermeasures as fast track products for FDA approval. It requires the FDA to issue a final rule allowing for animal studies to prove efficacy of certain vaccines and drug countermeasures, and the secretary can award grants or contracts for research to develop new vaccines, treatments or therapies to counteract bioterrorist agents. Mr. Speaker, we have shifted the emphasis far greater and far more than we had in the past, and this is exactly the response we should be doing. Along with many of my colleagues, I have visited CDC since September 11. They cry out for the need that this bill specifically is addressing. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support adoption of the legislation.

Mr. DEUTSCH

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member of the Committee on International Relations as well as the ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce for yielding me this time. I urge my colleagues to read the resolution. I urge my colleagues to read it because I think when they read it, there should be no votes against it on the floor. I know a number of Members have spoken against it today; but I urge them to read the specifics, because I do not think there is anything in this resolution that any Member in good faith can be against. There are things that Members can object to about Israeli policies, and there is a debate that we can go and we should articulate. But what this resolution is really talking to is specifically acts of terrorism, acts of terrorism that, as Mr. Zinn has said, and I quote, ``the deepest evil one can imagine.'' And that is what we are condemning today, to show that this Congress and the American people are grieving, are feeling some of the pain, although not as significant as the pain that Israelis individually and families are feeling today. We have a unique role to play as America, as the world's only superpower, as a linchpin of Israel's survival and security. In fact, our role as Members of Congress are as linchpins of any potential peace in the region. I have not given up hope. This week, Jews throughout the world are going to read a passage in the Torah about Joseph being thrown into slavery and being in a prison, and it looks as if the worst possible time exists for him. Yet at that worst possible time, by our faith and by our belief, we understand that there is hope for peace. But I urge all of my colleagues to support the resolution.

Mr. DEUTSCH

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Nat Geier, a distinguished citizen of Sunrise, Florida who has devoted himself to improving the South Florida community over the last three decades. Through numerous citizen campaigns, Mr. Geier was the engine of improvement in strengthening the Broward County community. It brings me great sadness to report that Nat Geier passed away on Saturday, November 24, 2001, at the age of 91. Born in Poland in 1911, Nat immigrated to America at the age of nine. He left the New York City School system at age 13 to find employment in the garment business cutting material. The young man learned quickly, worked hard and rose up in the ranks. After a successful career in New York, Nat followed his dream to relocate to South Florida. An early resident of the now well-developed area of South Florida, he always understood that homeownership is the anchor of all communities; it gives residents long-term investment in the quality of their surroundings. For this reason, Nat set out two decades ago to educate Broward residents of the importance of the ``Homestead Exemption'' rules, which encourage homeownership and community enhancement while functioning within the Florida tax codes. Nat's efforts brought the benefits of these rules to thousands of Florida homeowners and helped to build the strong and lasting communities thriving in Broward County today. Upon retirement from the garment industry, Nat reinvented himself as a social and community activist. Understanding the importance of a earning a good, solid education Mr. Geier consistently supported Broward County Schools in their efforts to provide young residents with a quality education and opportunities for success. A shining example, Nat collected more than $750,000 in grocery receipts in 1990 to help purchase a local high school's first computer. The same year, Nat was inducted into the Broward Senior Hall of Fame. Throughout his thirty years in South Florida, Nat remained active in a number of citizen organizations including the Citizens Community Information Council, the Sunrise Consumer Affairs Committee, the Sunrise Code Enforcement Board and the Community Blood Center. Mr. Speaker, Nat Geier was both well-loved and widely respected by all those blessed to have known him. He is survived by his son and daughter, Joel Geier and Caryle Perlman of Chicago; stepsons Leon Silverstein of New York and Jay Silverstein of Los Angeles; stepdaughter Ilene Silverstein of New York; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Nat selflessly served his community and his family was a source of admiration and great pride. Today we celebrate Nat's life, which serves as a wonderful example to all who follow in his footsteps.

Mr. DEUTSCH

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, there really is no such thing as a free lunch, and what this legislation does is it gives 6 months of additional exclusivity for these companies. Again, I think it is interesting, first of all these companies develop these drugs without knowing that they would get the additional 6-month exclusivity, so this was not a factor in any of the research to develop the drugs. None of these drugs are being developed because of it. It really is a gift of this additional 6 months of exclusivity. When we are talking about these billions of dollars, the $1.4 billion for Prilosec or for Prozac about $900 million or for Pepcid $200 million or for Zestril $300 million or for Claritin $580 million, what are we talking about? We are talking about additional profit for these companies. That is not make-believe profit. That profit, that monopoly profit, is coming from our constituents, from us, out of our society, for monopoly reasons, for no good reasons, because the reality is that these drugs would be developed for an incredibly, it seems almost unreal the numbers, the magnitude of what we are talking about. The gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) mentioned in the committee that he offered a 100 percent return, 200 percent return, 300 percent return, 400 percent return. It is almost like the Biblical tale when they are saying how many righteous people does it need to save the city. And the reality is it did not matter. It did not matter how many righteous people were needed. It does not matter how much profit could be made, because that is what the majority and the supporters of this bill want to see happen. The drugs would be developed, anyway. As the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee in the introduction to this debate said, we are all for increasing the availability of prescription drugs for children. In fact, there is nothing about the proposals that we offered in the committee, the substantive proposals, that would make less. In fact, they probably would make more because of the availability of not just doing it for drugs that are blockbusters but for other drugs. But those amendments were rejected in the committee. I urge my colleagues to defeat this bill on suspension. We have the opportunity on a regular order basis to offer amendments. And also to educate our colleagues as much as we possibly can about this. I think this is one of these issues that the light of day shines very brightly; and as it shines very brightly, I believe that in fact it would lead to a program such as some of the proposals in the committee that would not have the $10 billion of these drugs, the 24 drugs that we are talking about, $10 billion that literally is taken out of the pockets of our constituents and given as additional monopoly profits, total monopoly profits to the drug companies. That is the cost of this bill. For my colleagues or anyone who votes for it, I think that should be your standard. You are paying $10 billion for what the reality is you can pay maybe $40 million for. The scale is that dramatic. There is no reason for us to be doing that. Defeat the bill. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Mr. DEUTSCH

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, our esteemed colleague, the chairman of the Committee on Rules, is also someone I have a great deal of respect for; and I am sure if he was given the opportunity to vote on the Senate- passed bill, I have no doubt he would be supportive of it as well. I urge him and I urge the President of the United States, who has said publicly and privately that he supports the airline security bill, to put pressure on the Republican colleagues in this Chamber to make that bill come up now. It is already too late, more than 6 weeks. I want to do an anecdotal story about what is going on today. I would like my colleague from New Jersey just to take a look at my Florida driver's license. This is my ID that I have shown now probably 50 times, including three times when I flew up here this week. If the gentleman could mention the expiration date on that ID?

Mr. DEUTSCH. April 1, 1999. Florida, the State of Florida, has an unusual driver's license. You do not get rephotographed. There is a sticker on the back that you can take a look at, which is when you renew it you actually get a sticker that you put on the back, which says expires in 2005. So it is a valid driver's license, but the front of the driver's license where my identification, which I presented over 50 times----

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman having this Special Order. Let me, because we have had 45 minutes of discussion, at least touch on some of the good things going on, because this Congress has worked extraordinarily well together for many weeks in terms of dealing with the events of September 11. We joined together that week literally; and in near unanimity, both the House and Senate, Democrat and Republican, acted as Americans to assure that something like this will never happen again. Collectively we gave the President more authority in terms of military action than the previous George Bush, the previous President George Bush, had in the Gulf War. We immediately appropriated $40 billion. Again, to put in perspective what that means, the entire Gulf War was about $42 billion in the special appropriation for that. We have worked extraordinarily well in many areas, and I can only say there are no words at this point that can praise the President enough in terms of his efforts in combatting what we need to do that I can offer here today, and I have offered at every opportunity. But let me say that in the area of airline security, the President is on the same side as me and my colleagues here tonight, but he is not on the same side as the Republican leadership; and he has said it both privately and publicly. Apparently, the Republican Speaker of the House is on the same side as my colleagues here tonight, and not on the side of many of his colleagues on the Republican side. Yet this is more than 6 weeks after the events of September 11, more than 6 weeks, and, literally, airline security in America today, and we do not in a sense want to talk about it, but, as has been pointed out, the truth is a very powerful tool. For many purposes, airline security in America today is the same as it was the morning of September 11. Unfortunately, I have not been able to fly the usual way I have flown for the last 9 years back and forth from south Florida through National Airport. National Airport still is not open to south Florida, so I have been flying through either BWI or Dulles. The screeners that screened the plane that hit the Pentagon are still working at Dulles Airport. I have flown 12 times since September 11. I will be flying a 13th time tomorrow. Hopefully, it is not unlucky 13 in any shape, manner or form. But let me mention that there is still not confidence, and for good reason. I represent a district that stretches from the Palm Beach County line in the north to Key West in the south, an area of this country that many people vacation in. Seventy million people a year in the past have come to the State of Florida. Tourism is a vital part of our economy. In fact, many times I point out there are 435 Members of this body, all of whom claim to represent the nicest district in America. There are only about 10 of us that are able to do it with a straight face. I say that I am one of those. Those who have visited south Florida, from Palm Beach to Key West, know exactly what I am talking about. Our economy is being adversely affected. It is an incredible statistic that none of us were probably aware of. In Miami-Dade County, over 96 percent, prior to September 11, of the people who stayed in hotels in Miami-Dade County flew there. In Broward County the number is 50 percent. In Palm Beach County it is a little bit less. Airlines are the lifeblood of our economy, and what we are seeing in that sector of the economy on a daily basis are victims of September 11. Hundreds, in fact thousands, of people, have lost their jobs in south Florida in tourist-related industries. Every one of those stories in the newspapers have written about some, and I have talked to some, and every one of those stories is a human tragedy that is happening right now. It has been pointed out that when you enter this building you go through a metal detector. When you enter the House office buildings you go through a metal detector. The people screening for those metal detectors are the Capitol Police. We do not put out for bid to the low bidder the people that would screen this building. It is inconceivable that we would do that. It is inconceivable that any community in the United States of America would put out for low bid their police, their fire protection. It is just not conceivable. Effectively, what we are talking about is in fact a law enforcement responsibility. There are many aspects of the legislation that need to be changed.

Mr. DEUTSCH. I hope I still am. What it says on the front of that license is it expires in 1999. I have shown that to approximately 50 people. Not one person has questioned me, and it is not in locations where people know me. Not one person has questioned me; not one person has asked to turn over the driver's license or said anything else. On an anecdotal basis, we understand that there are still issues. I think people get it. I plead with my Republican colleagues, I plead for them at so many different levels, that without the confidence in the airlines, there was a reason why we chose the airline industry to provide relief to. There are other issues that we can deal with, but there was a reason why there was an emergency, because it literally is the lifeblood of so many parts of this country and so much of the economy. There are other people that are suffering, and the easiest way to solve that problem is to gain the confidence. The President keeps talking about going back to normal. Well, we cannot go back to normal until we have the confidence in the system, and we are not going to have the confidence in the system until we pass an airline security bill. It is 6 weeks after, and we have not done it. We have not done it for the worst reasons. This is what we do not want to come back to in this Congress. We have not done it because my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, some of them who are able to influence their conference, have ideological positions that are so far out of the mainstream of the United States that I think the more Americans know about it, they would be shocked, absolutely shocked about their positions and their effectiveness as well. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues, I urge the President, I urge the Speaker, to do what is right, to do what the American people want, and pass an airline security bill. We could do it tomorrow. We could take up the Senate-passed bill, the unanimously Senate-passed bill, and pass it tomorrow. It could be on the President's desk. In fact, he could sign it. He has reviewed it. He could sign it tomorrow, and it would make a great deal of different, a positive difference for this country.

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, it is interesting. As most Americans are aware, National Airport has reopened. National Airport is now probably the safest airport in America, because my understanding is they are actually screening every bag. This is not new technology. Israel is continuously being held up as the paradigm. Israel is not the only country that has been screening every piece of luggage. Great Britain screens every piece of baggage. There are machines that are available that we can buy, that we can put in every airport in the United States to do it, to pressurize test the baggage as well. There is no excuse. There is no excuse. In fact, as the gentleman is well aware, the Senate bill provides for that, as well as a number of other additional things, to gain confidence and security in the airline transportation system of America.

Mr. DEUTSCH

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I am speaking on the rule, which I support and hopefully will be passed, but also really in terms of the underlying base bill and supporting the underlying base bill that will be introduced. This bill is very much different than the bill that passed out of the Committee on the Judiciary. The Committee on the Judiciary bill, I think, was really a major problem. The Judiciary bill had some very, very specific problems and was really a nonacknowledgment of the situation that we find ourselves in in the United States of America today. I have the same perspective that the President of the United States does and I believe the vast majority of Americans do, that we, in fact, are at war. We are at war with an enemy that has attacked this country with horrific results, 6,000 people dying in an instance at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon being attacked as well. But as we also know, these are an enemy that almost for sure has biological and chemical weapons available. It is unclear whether or not they have nuclear weapons, but it is only a matter of time before they do. And the only thing that is preventing their delivery of those biological and chemical weapons are a lack of a delivery system. So what we are faced with at this point in time is literally the potentiality of not thousands, as horrific as that is, but literally millions if not tens of millions of Americans whose lives could end in an instance. Now, in the specifics of the Committee on the Judiciary bill in the area of terrorism, the committee, I think, made several major mistakes, including not allowing the use of classified material for cases where property could be seized.

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate that courtesy. Let me mention to my good friend from Oregon, the bill has been available in its present form since 8 o'clock this morning. I have had a chance to review it, staff has had a chance to review it. But in substance, this is the same bill that the Senate passed last night. It is the same bill that has been available for several weeks now. These issues are not new issues. Again, I support the efforts to take this bill up under this rule at this time. I was going through a list of provisions in this bill that the Committee on the Judiciary passed out. Again, it was a unanimous vote, but sometimes unanimity can be the lowest common denominator, not the highest common denominator. I specifically talked about one provision, again, dealing just with terrorism. Again, if you do not accept my premise that we are at war, or the President's premise, if you do not accept the fact that these people have weapons of mass destruction available today, that we literally are talking about national security issues and we are weighing it, I ask my colleagues to look at specifics, look at the specifics in the bill. Another provision that the Committee on the Judiciary eliminated was the ability for non-American citizens or resident aliens, for law enforcement to get education records for those people. As we know, many of those people came to the United States specifically theoretically under their visa applications for that. But the Committee on the Judiciary bill provides none of that. Let me read you something specific again in the Committee on the Judiciary bill. This only applies to terrorists. In order to prosecute someone, the standard that the Committee on the Judiciary put in: ``has committed or is about to commit a terrorist act.'' Has committed. Now, the bill that is in front of us I think has a much more reasonable provision, which I believe if my colleagues read this, a vast majority of my colleagues on the floor will support and the vast majority of the American people will support: ``reasonable grounds to believe that the person being harbored will commit a terrorist act.'' These are dramatically different standards, standards which, again, I believe the vast majority of Americans would support.

Mr. DEUTSCH

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the legislation. Maybe I am looking at it too simply, but I think maybe sometimes simple can really give us clear answers. We are at war. We are in a war right now, and the reality is that the bill as it passed out of the House really did not acknowledge that. There was some specific provisions in the bill only dealing with terrorism that the bill was passed out of the Committee on the Judiciary did not provide for that the bill in front of us does today. Specifically, the bill out of the Committee on the Judiciary did not allow classified information to be used against terrorists in courts in terms of property. The bill, as passed out of the Committee on the Judiciary, had a criminal standard that specifically, and I quote, has committed or is about to commit a terrorist act. Not as the bill now does, a standard reasonable grounds to believe that a person being harbored will commit a terrorist act. A significant difference. The bill passed out of the Committee on the Judiciary had a limitation on a grand jury sharing information on terrorist situations. We have a situation today that the downside of not uncovering terrorists potentially really are catastrophic, nuclear, biological, or even nuclear catastrophes. We need to pass the legislation to provide the tools to prevent that from happening.

Mr. DEUTSCH

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, this is my 9th or 10th year in this Congress, and this is the first time I have sat and listened to this entire debate on this authorization. Obviously, our world has changed; and each of our jobs as Members of Congress has also changed since September 11. There is no more important bill that this Congress will adopt than this authorization today. I think that is a realization that each of the 435 Members of this body need to acknowledge; and I think at some level we have acknowledged, because I think what we all realize now is that this is, in fact, as has been said, our front line of defense as a society. As great as the work that has been done, and we have talked about the successes, unfortunately, at this point in the debate, in a sense we have not addressed what really is a colossal failure, to speak in any other way about September 11 is just sticking our heads in the sand, a colossal failure of unparalleled proportions. We have talked about the difficulty of the job and the successes, but I think what we need to strive for and, in fact, achieve is literally zero tolerance for failure. No one said it will be easy, but that, in fact, is what we need. It is something that effectively the American people are demanding, but we need. I do not know how many of my colleagues have tried to imagine what 6,000 dying means. I do not dwell on it, but I have tried to think about it. And it is beyond my ability to even imagine what 6,000 deaths in an instant means. We do not know the financial calculations of the World Trade Center attacks, what they are at this point. We literally do not know; in the trillions, tens of trillions, hundreds of trillions of dollars; fundamental changes in our economy. We do not know yet. But what we do know is that had these terrorists had biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons and the ability to deliver them, they would have used them; and in fact, what we do not know is their ability at this point to use them. We do know that there are states that have sponsored terrorism. We know this is a fact, and we knew that as of more than 10 years ago, that states that have sponsored terrorism have biological and chemical weapons. Unfortunately, there is no reason to believe that those states who are, in fact, state sponsors of terrorism have not provided methods of mass destruction to terrorist organizations. In fact, the 6,000 deaths in an instant, unfortunately, we know could become 6 million deaths in an instant. As impossible as 6,000 deaths are for us to imagine, I do not think any of us could imagine 6 million. Mr. Chairman, people have talked about the fact that it was impossible to predict the World Trade Center attacks. The intelligence community could not think outside the box, never thought about it. I am not a big fan of Tom Clancy, but maybe I should become one, because as many of us have learned since September 11, Tom Clancy predicted it. One of his novels has exactly this attack, an airplane commandeered by hijackers hitting a building. As some of us have learned since the attack of September 11, the people involved, the students involved, the high school students involved in the Columbine massacre, spoke about this type of attack. For no other reason than those two that I just gave as examples, we need to be thinking outside the box. To limit the ability on this type of committee to people inside the box is, unfortunately, part of the reason why we have gotten to where we have gotten. What I have just said is outside the box, also. Everyone on the committee who has spoken today has said we need to do everything we can. No one has said zero tolerance. That is why I support the substitute. We need the substitute. We need that type of commitment in our society.

Mr. DEUTSCH

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a man who will be greatly missed by all those who knew him. A man who served his country proudly, and a man who displayed immeasurable love for his work, his community, his life, and his family. It brings me great sadness to report that Marvin Greenberg of Plantation, Florida, passed away on September 24, 2001 at the age of 81. Marvin Greenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he was raised and attended high school. Upon graduation, he began what was to become a very long, meaningful life as a contributor to both his country and community in a variety of ways. Before matriculating to college, Marvin was called upon by his country to serve in World War II. As a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army, Marvin bravely commanded a tank battalion in the European Theatre. For the unwavering valor he showed in battle, Marvin was awarded both the Silver Star Medal and a Purple Heart with two clusters, a testament to his willingness to sacrifice himself for the freedom of our nation. After returning home from Europe, Marvin attended Pace College and graduated with an accounting degree. Marvin went on to work as a production manager for a Brooklyn-based company, and later became a successful national sales representative for a security company. In 1983, Marvin moved to Plantation, Florida, where he would remain throughout the rest of his life. It was in Plantation where Marvin became an indispensable member of the community, becoming an avid advocate for those in his condominium community and within the city of Plantation as a whole. Passionate about the importance of equality, Marvin became a frequent visitor before the city council, where he argued for causes including housing, loans, and traffic safety. Marvin would join the Lauderdale West Democratic Club, where he was an active member of the Board for eight years and served dutifully as the President for four. Above all else, Marvin made certain that everyone had a voice, and that it was heard. Mr. Speaker, Marvin Greenberg was both well-loved and widely respected by all those blessed to have known him. He is survived by his wife, Lee, his brother Irwin, his three children, Phil, Paula, and Ricki, and by his five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Marvin selflessly served his country and his family was a source of admiration and great pride. Today we celebrate Marvin's life, which serves as a wonderful example to all who follow in his footsteps.

Mr. DEUTSCH

Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, this is my 10th year in this Chamber; and I will tell my colleagues that I still have goose bumps when I walk into this Chamber every day, even after 10 years, because we are part of not just the greatest Chamber in the history of the world, but the greatest country in the history of the world. Over 300 years ago, people left their homeland and some of them landed on the tip of Manhattan, not far from where the World Trade Center was destroyed; and those were early pioneers in the creation of America, the oldest democracy in the history of the world, a country unique in world history for many reasons. Yesterday was a day that is part of our history now. We have faced challenges as great as what we face at this point in our history, and we have met every one of those challenges. I have no doubt that we will meet this one as well. Mr. Speaker, there are many analogies about Pearl Harbor. I had the opportunity to visit Pearl Harbor for the first time this past July. I read a little bit about the history, both before and after Pearl Harbor. I think in time, people will read about the history of yesterday, as well, in the same context. The Japanese might have thought that they had the strategic advantage and made a policy-correct decision in that attack, but the history is clear. It was an incredible strategic failure. Just as the action of yesterday, I think for sure, history, in time, will show it an absolute colossal strategic failure. This Congress, I do not know if by our actions will, in fact, declare war on the perpetrators of this action, but I believe we should. There is precedent to do such action. The Barbary pirates were not a country, they were terrorists in their day; and this Congress, the same body that we serve in today, declared war on the Barbary pirates and the implications of them. I believe that that is what we should do, whether by direct deeds or by other actions; and it is a war that we are committed to and that we will win.