Mike DeWine

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security be authorized to meet on Friday, July 15, 2005, at 9:30 a.m., for a hearing regarding ``Securing American Sovereignty: A Review of the United States' Relationship with the WTO.''

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, this evening I honor the life of Army SGT Charles ``Chuck'' Webb, from Hamilton, OH. Chuck was a member of Company A, 82nd Engineering Battalion, 1st Infantry, Division, based out of Bamberg, Germany. On November 3, 2004, Sergeant Webb was killed near Salman Pak, Iraq, when a roadside bomb detonated. He was 9 days shy of his 23rd birthday. Days before his death, Chuck had told his squad that he didn't want them in harm's way if he could help it and that he would be taking the lead whenever possible. That was the kind of person Chuck was--always looking out for others, always giving them strength, always keeping them safe. Chuck was born in San Antonio, TX, on November 12, 1981. He moved with his family to Hamilton when he was in sixth grade. Chuck was an easy going, likable kid. He had a passion for history, especially World War II history. He and his father, Conley, could talk at length on the subject, and Chuck was known for his ability to recall facts and figures from specific battles. Conley, a veteran of Vietnam and Desert Storm, was also the source of Chuck's interest in the military. Chuck's sister, Teresa, remembers when Chuck was 5 years old, and the family dressed him up in his father's BDU's and gave him a plastic machine gun. They took pictures of Chuck dressed up in his father's uniform in front of a large American flag. Teresa says he looked like a ``miniature G.I. Joe.'' Chuck was proud of his military heritage, and his family and friends were proud of the person Chuck became. His junior high school principal, Tom Alf, remembers Chuck as ``a fine young man--quiet and polite. I remember his smile . . . he always had a smile.'' Chuck also always had an eye out for others. His sister, Teresa, remembers a phone call she got from her brother in the dead of winter a few years ago. ``Teresa,'' Chuck said, ``I need a huge favor.'' Apparently, Chuck had been approached by a homeless man asking for money. The man had no coat and instead of money, Chuck gave him the coat off his back. He then struck up a conversation with the man and found out that he was trying to get to the other side of the city to meet his wife and kids. That's when Chuck called his sister to come and pick up his new friend and give him a ride. ``That's just the kind of guy Chucky was,'' Teresa recalled, ``He'd give you the coat off his back if you needed it.'' In 2000, Chuck graduated from Hamilton High School. He still had a passion for history and had determined he wanted to become a teacher. Chuck decided to take advantage of the G.I. Bill, while also following in his father's footsteps. Just weeks after graduation, the boy who had once posed as a ``miniature G.I. Joe,'' became the real thing when he enlisted in the Army. During basic training, Chuck broke his foot. He was also, at this time, set to marry his high school sweetheart, Stephanie. Chuck wanted everything to be perfect on that day and had his tuxedo specially altered so that the cast on his foot would be unobtrusive. Friends remember Chuck being incredibly happy on his wedding day, shedding tears as he said his vows. Chuck was a very sensitive person, who wore his emotions on his sleeve. The same qualities that made Chuck an exceptional human being made him an exceptional soldier. He was beloved by his fellow service men and women. In a deployment to Kosovo, Chuck earned the nickname ``Cabbage Patch,'' because of, what his sister Teresa describes as, ``his chunky face, deep blue eyes, and blonde hair.'' His buddies made a gift of a modified cabbage patch kid to Chucky by giving the doll a ``high and tight'' hair cut, adding some tattoos, and dressing it in tiny BDU's. Chuck's mother still has that doll. It sits in a room dedicated to her son in Alexandria, AL. In Iraq, Chuck led a squad of 10 men. They specialized in mine clearing, bridge building, and in assisting the Iraqi patrols. Their mission was one of rebuilding and security. In carrying out this mission, Chuck was known for protecting his men, putting their safety before his own. He often led patrols, ``on point,'' meaning he was out front in combat formations, leaving himself the most exposed to danger. This leadership style led to a Purple Heart, when Chuck was wounded by shrapnel from a previous roadside explosive, and earned him the admiration of his fellow soldiers. SSG Scott Swanson speaks for many of those who knew Chuck when he said this: [He] was a great NCO--one who soldiers looked up to for knowledge, strength, and most of all, courage. I'm honored to be able to call [Chuck] my brother in arms. In an email posted on an Internet tribute to Chuck, fellow serviceman Sergeant Shane Uras, wrote the following: Chuck--it's been two months now, and I'm still having trouble getting it through my head that you're gone. I love you bro, and there's not a day that goes by that your memory doesn't make me a stronger person. You were my best friend and godfather to my son Luca. . . . We are having a huge party when we get back in your memory and were going to send the video of it and other videos to your parents so they understand how big a part you played in our lives while you were away from them. I love you man, and I'm proud to have known you. Your country is grateful for your sacrifice--I know my family and I are. God bless you Chuck! It is hard to lose someone like Chuck Webb. He was the anchor of his unit. His comrades looked to him for strength and depended on him to keep them safe. Such a role was not new for Chuck. His life was one of service to others. He was a caring, sensitive, devoted person who, quite literally, would--and did--give the ``coat off his back.'' The following lines, from Emily Dickinson, seem, in a way, to have guided Chuck's life. She wrote: ``If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain. If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.'' Chuck Webb was a good person, who cared so much--so deeply--about others. We owe it to him to celebrate his life--a life devoted to easing the aches and cooling the pains of so many others. It is in these good deeds that his memory lives on. My wife, Fran, and I continue to keep Chuck's family and in our thoughts and in our prayers. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Marine Cpl Richard Gilbert, Jr., from Dayton, OH, who gave his life in the defense of freedom on January 26, 2005. Richard lost his life in a helicopter accident near the town of Rutba, Iraq. Thirty-one service members lost their lives in this tragic accident. Having just completed major operations in Fallujah, Richard and his unit were on their way to help secure Iraq for the upcoming elections. They sacrificed their lives standing up for freedom and standing against terror and tyranny. Like his comrades who perished with him, Richard Gilbert gave his body, will, and soul to his country and for his country. For that I wish to honor him this evening. Richard Gilbert was born on May 12, 1978. He was a caring boy, who loved animals and being outdoors. He hated when people cried. His mother, Helen, recalls that if Richard saw anyone around him crying, he would go over to them, throw one of his small arms around their shoulders, and tell them it was ``ok.'' As Richard grew up, he made friends, played Little League, and followed his favorite sports teams. He was an avid fan of the University of Dayton Flyers basketball team and The Ohio State University football team. His support of the Buckeye's football team, however, caused a bit of tension in the Gilbert home every year in the late fall. It seems Richard's brother was a Michigan Wolverines fan and according to their mother, when the Wolverines and the Buckeye's squared off, ``You didn't even want to be near the house when those boys watched the game!'' When Richard wasn't discussing football with his brother, he was often found discussing something with somebody. He was an incredibly articulate and intelligent young man, able to spout facts about anything from sports to religion to politics. His friends would often call Richard over if they were having a dispute and needed someone with the knowledge to settle it. Richard also loved music. He was a self-taught guitarist, who composed his own music. According to friends, he loved heavy metal and he was always at peace when composing or playing his guitar. Of all his interests, however, Richard's greatest love was of politics. After discovering that President Harry Truman was one of his distant cousins, Richard made it his goal to ascend one day to that same office. His passion for politics earned him the nickname ``The Governor'' from his friends, and his mother jokingly recalls that, ``[h]e was a natural-born politician. When you asked him a question, he'd talk for a half-hour and never give you an answer!'' Richard had hopes of running either for Mayor of Dayton or the Dayton City Commission after he returned from Iraq. I remember being at calling hours and talking with people who told me about his aspirations, and how they thought he would be a great politician, a great public servant. He would have been great in either position. Richard was, like many of our service men and women, deeply affected by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Prior to the attacks, he was working on the assembly line at Behr Dayton Thermal Products. He had just purchased a house, not far from his mother. Richard was also studying political science at Sinclair Community College. He had thought about joining the military, but had held back because he didn't want to cut his long hair. After September 11, however, Richard saw a clear duty to his country and to protecting all of us from future threats. In December 2001, he joined the Marines, where he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit based in Hawaii. His lifelong friend, Marine SSgt Lonnie McMurchy, remembers the phone call he got from Richard. Lonnie tried to talk him out of the Marine infantry, telling Richard that his intelligence would be more valuable in another area that might also be less dangerous, but, according to Lonnie, ``He wanted it. He wanted the infantry. He wanted to go fight [and] defend our country.'' In joining the Marines, Richard stood up for freedom, leaving behind a good paying job, a new house, and his beloved friends and family. He put his life on hold so that we could safely go on with our own. Richard served our Nation with a dedication and fervor that was noteworthy even to one of his fellow Marines. According to JJ Holmes, who wrote in an email message on an Internet tribute to Richard: I served with Gilbert, and we became very good friends, which is saying a lot, because I didn't make many good friends while I was in the Marines. I guess it's because I'm picky about the company I keep. And it doesn't get much better than Gilbert to have as a friend. We had very different religious and political views, yet it never hindered our relationship, because we had a mutual respect for each other. I know this though, out of all the Marines in our Company, Gilbert never complained once about his duty to his country. I could see every day I spent with him how proud he was to serve. Not to diminish the belief of all the other Marines in their duty, Gilbert shined a little more. His dedication was unwavering. [He was] an example to all Marines. I know without a doubt through our conversations we had sitting on the backs of our packs waiting to move out, that if Gilbert had to go, he wanted to leave us the way he did--fighting for the country he believed in more than anything. As a child, Richard wrote an essay about his father, Richard Gilbert, Sr., who was a Vietnam veteran. In the essay, Richard described his dad as a hero. Today, Mr. Gilbert says this of his son: ``[H]e was my hero, and he was the bravest person I ever met.'' This sentiment was echoed by his friend, Lonnie McMurchy: ``He was a warrior. He was a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend, and a U.S. Marine. He wanted nothing more and nothing less.'' Richard Gilbert wanted our country to be safe from the dangers of terrorism, and he wanted the Iraqi people to be safe and free. He gave everything he had for those things, as they were the things in which he so firmly believed. Richard stood so that freedom could flourish. We will never forget his service and his sacrifice. My wife, Fran, and I continue to keep his family and friends in our thoughts and in our prayers.

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, next week, on Saturday, July 23, people of all ages will gather for a special 5K race in Alliance, OH. This race will benefit the Megan Adelman-Tenny Foundation, which was set up in memory of Army PFC Megan Adelman-Tenny, who was killed in an airborne training accident on January 25, 2005, when her parachute failed to open. She was 19 years old. This foundation will award an annual scholarship to a high school student who has participated in cross-country, has lettered in the sport, and who possesses the same attributes that made Megan such a special person. I rise today to pay tribute to Megan and to celebrate those attributes--her zest for life, her zeal for organization, and her unmatched competitiveness. According to her mother Melissa, Megan grew up as a ``tomboyish'' girl. She was always outside, riding her bike or rollerblading. She never backed down from her older siblings and twin- brother, Matt. She was always speaking her mind and asserting her will. Her sister, Tina, describes her as ``energetic and full of life. She was a kick-butt girl. She took no prisoners. She didn't let anything hold her back.'' Indeed, Megan was someone who lived her life to the fullest. At Alliance High School, Megan played the violin, sang in the choir, and ran on the cross-country team. Starting her sophomore year, Megan also worked part-time at McDonald's. Her involvement in all these activities left her just enough time to spend with her junior high and high school sweetheart--the love of her life--Joshua Tenny. As a testament to Megan's penchant for living in the moment, she and Joshua eloped on December 22, 2004. Her older brother, Marcus, remembers the surprising elopement: I picked Megan and Joshua up, and we were driving to the Best Buy store in Canton, and Megan told me they needed to make a stop first because they wanted to get married. So, we went to the municipal building in Canton. They filled out all the paperwork for their marriage license and were getting excited. . . . It was spur-of-the-moment, but they wanted to get married and be together. While Megan lived her life as it came to her, she was also the type of person who made plans, set goals, and did her best to fulfill them. As a member of the cross-country team, Megan took responsibility for packing the medical bag, organizing meets, and taking care of her twin- brother. According to their mom, Megan acted as another mother to Matt. She cooked for him, cleaned his room, and packed his cross-country bag before meets. In addition to being exceptionally organized, Megan was also a fierce competitor. In junior high school, she faced the choice between two sports: basketball and cross-country. Megan decided to join the cross- country team, an individual sport in which the athletes must compete with other runners, as well as their own bodies. Megan excelled. She was a fantastic runner, qualifying for the State meet three times. She was a leader on her team and inspired others to do their best. Her track coach, Al Eibel, remembers Megan as a hard worker who never complained. During the 2002 season, Megan was clipped by a car mirror while on a practice road-run. Though she didn't break it, her arm was badly bruised and swollen. Even though she could barely move her arm, Megan competed a few days later. Coach Eibel recalls Megan's perseverance: I know she was in pain, but she didn't say a word. She ran, and by districts, she was fine. Everyone knew we'd always be able to count on Megan. Upon graduating from high school, Megan knew that it wasn't the right time for her to go to college. She didn't feel particularly drawn to it and, with two siblings already attending Ohio University, Megan knew it would be a financial hardship for her family. Instead of college, Megan made a plan to serve 4 years in the Army, with her husband Joshua, and then start a family. She reserved a place for college at a later time, if she felt inclined to go. Her mother remembers Megan's decision to join the Army: She thought about it and came to the conclusion she was going to do it. And, she went in and did it with gusto. Megan completed advanced individual specialty training in human resources and was part of the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, NC. Megan's organizational skills and attention to detail allowed her to breeze through basic training. At one point, she even mentioned to her mother that she might want to become a drill sergeant. Her mother said: Well, you're bossy and you're organized--I don't see what would keep you from doing it. It didn't surprise anyone when Megan was the strongest woman and fastest person in her basic training unit. She earned the nickname ``Speedy Gonzales'' from others in her unit because of her running ability. Megan was not someone who held back when it came to competition and she never backed down from anyone or anything. Her brother, Marcus remembers Megan crying during boot-camp, not because it was difficult, but because she felt others were not taking it as seriously as she was. That's just the type of person Megan was. She was passionate about the things and the people she cared about. Marcus talked to his sister after she had completed her first training jump with the 82nd Airborne. Megan, who was always something of a daredevil, had ``loved the jump.'' She told her brothers and sister that they would have to try sky diving with her. Megan was also extremely excited about her next jump and her career in the Army. Frankly, Megan was just excited about life. Any person who devotes a large part of their time and effort to competitive running has probably seen the movie ``Chariots of Fire.'' In the film, one of the characters asks the question: ``[W]here does the power come from to see the race to its end?'' The answer to this question is, ``From within.'' Megan Adelman-Tenny had that power, that passion, that drive from within, which allowed her to accomplish anything she set her mind to. She was someone who, like any good runner, took things step by step, while also keeping the finish line in sight. On July 23, many people will run and walk 5 kilometers in memory of Megan. And, with each step taken, they honor her life. As I think about Megan's short, but full life, I am reminded of a very familiar passage from the Bible, a passage from St. Paul's second letter to Timothy, in which St. Paul said: [T]he time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. There is no question, Megan Adelman-Tenny fought the good fight. She finished the course. She kept the faith. Megan was truly a wonderful young woman, whom we will never forget. My wife, Fran, and I continue to keep Megan's husband, Joshua, her parents, Mark and Melissa, her sister Tina, and brothers Marcus and Matt in our thoughts and in our prayers.

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I today honor the memory of Army SPC James ``Jim'' Miller, IV. The West Chester, OH, native died on January 30, 2005, when an improvised explosive device hit his convoy near Ramadi, Iraq. He was 22 years old. That date--January 30, 2005--should sound familiar. It was an historic day on which Iraqi citizens participated in their first, truly democratic election. And Jim Miller, an Army medic, was an integral part of that remarkable day. Having already treated three of his wounded comrades, Jim could have stayed at an aid station to wait out the dangerous Election Day. Instead, he volunteered to go back out to the streets and help safeguard Iraqis waiting at polling places. To some, Jim's choice to do that might have seemed like an extraordinary act. But, with Jim, such actions were typical. That's just the way he was--always choosing to be brave, always choosing to be selfless. He was, indeed, a hero. Jim Miller was one of those people who left an impression on everyone he met. He was always courteous, polite, and quick to laugh--a laugh that those who knew him describe as soft, gentle, and distinct. Jim was a very intelligent young man--wise beyond his years. His pee-wee football coach and mentor, John Hayden, said of Jim's intelligence: He had the most sophisticated, elaborate vocabulary of any young boy I'd ever seen. [After every football practice], he would send me home looking to the dictionary for what he had called me that day! The oldest--and biggest--of three brothers, Jim had many passions, one of which was football. In pee-wee football, he was an offensive lineman who proudly called himself a ``B-U-B,'' or ``Big Ugly Body.'' Jim excelled at football and played until his sophomore year at Anderson High School. But, according to John Hayden, under the large, intimidating physique, Jim was still just ``a big teddy bear. . . . He was . . . a sensitive kid with a lot of depth.'' Tragically, during his sophomore year of high school Jim's mother, Alice, died of breast cancer. He turned inward to find purpose and solace. At that time, Jim discovered another passion--and that was music. He started a band, in which he played the guitar, and during his senior year, he signed up for music theory and music history classes. His principal, Diana Carter, remembers him as a ``very bright, insightful, and mature young man--an independent spirit.'' She was also impressed with his decision to take music theory and music history because it was an extra bit of dedication to music that many musicians don't exhibit. It seems Jim was always a bit more dedicated to the things he was passionate about. Jim graduated from Anderson in 2001 and decided to attend Xavier University and study English. After 18 months, though, Jim realized that college was not providing him with the fulfillment he desired. As his father, James Miller, III knew, ``[Jim] was the type of kid who was always looking inside himself.'' When he looked inside himself, Jim found that what he really wanted was to join the Army. He enlisted in April, 2003. He completed basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and then decided to train as a medic at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. Becoming an Army medic was the fulfillment for which Jim searched. He felt a sense of purpose and pride in saving the lives of his fellow servicemembers. Father Harry Meyer, who presided at the funeral liturgy, said this about Jim: [He was a] sensitive young man who was struggling to find his place in this world. He found himself as a medic and had decided to pursue a career in the medical field. He was happiest when he was able to serve others and felt helpless when he could not. In planning for the future, Jim hoped to work in a trauma unit someday, so he could continue to provide life saving assistance to those in dire need. After a year as a medic in Korea, Jim was deployed to Iraq in August of 2004 with the Army's 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. Jim believed in his mission in Iraq and, according to his father, Jim found that most Iraqis he talked with believed in it too: ``He was surprised to find out that the Iraqi people were fed up with the insurgents and wanted to take back their country.'' True to his nature, Jim became determined to help the Iraqi people realize their dreams of freedom. It was Jim's usual ``extra bit'' of determination that led him back out to the streets of Iraq on Election Day. He was determined that the Iraqi people would be free to vote safely. In the beginning of my remarks I called SPC James Miller a ``hero.'' But, in today's world, what does that term truly mean? To define Jim Miller's heroism I turn to Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote: A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave 5 minutes longer. Jim decided to leave the safety of college and enlist in the Army. In doing so, he was brave 5 minutes longer. Jim dutifully answered the call of his country when he was deployed to Iraq. In doing so, he was brave 5 minutes longer. On January 30, 2005 Jim--Doc Miller--volunteered to protect the lives of Iraqis waiting to vote. In doing so, he was brave five minutes longer. That is why I choose to call him Jim Miller a hero. My wife Fran and I continue to keep Jim's father and stepmother, James and Jodi, and his brothers, Dan and Jeff, in our thoughts and prayers. Specialist Ryan Martin Mr. President, at all military funeral services it is traditional for a lone bugle to sound ``Taps.'' It is a powerful piece of music that calls us to remember the fallen and honor their sacrifice. Upon its origin, however, ``Taps'' was actually a common bugle call that signified ``Lights Out.'' The call told soldiers that it was time to end their activities and conversations and turn in for the night. The history of ``Taps'' is significant because it reminds us not only of the sacrifices of the men and women it is played for, but also of the men and women, themselves. That call for ``Lights Out'' has been played for countless service men and women as they were undoubtedly talking with each other about their homes, or about their spouses and children, or about just a hot shower or a good meal. These men and women were and are heroes who put their lives on hold to safeguard the lives of others. Taps plays as much for the lives they gave up as for the lives they gave. I today honor one of these heroes--Army SPC Ryan Martin, from Mt. Vernon, OH, who gave his life on August 20, 2004, near Samarra, Iraq, when a roadside explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was 22 years old. Ryan Martin, the youngest of three boys, grew up enjoying hunting, sports, and fixing cars. He was always willing to help his father, Tom, work on his cattle farm. With his keen mechanical skills and interest in fixing cars combined with his love for the outdoors, Ryan was a big fan of ``mud running.'' This is a recreational or competitive activity in which 4 x 4 vehicles navigate a course of thick, muddy terrain. According to Matt Hull, one of Ryan's friends, Ryan planned to buy some land when he returned from Iraq and create his own place for mud running--a place where he could enjoy being outside and spending time having fun with his friends and family. Ryan had a knack for ``hands-on'' work and mechanics. These skills led him to study at Knox County Career Center. Ryan graduated from Mt. Vernon High School and the Career Center in 2000, with training as a carpenter. He then spent a few years working with heavy machinery at construction sites. The September 11th terrorist attacks changed everything for Ryan. According to his father, the attacks had a profound effect on Ryan. He felt a sense of duty to protect his country and to seek out those who had harmed so many. And so, after much contemplation, in April 2003, Ryan enlisted in the Ohio Army National Guard. He then volunteered for active duty in February 2004. Ryan wanted to be part of the effort to rebuild Iraq, hastening the development of democracy and making the world a more stable and safe place for all of us. He operated bulldozers, excavators, and mine clearing machinery with the 216th Engineering Battalion, based out of Chillicothe, OH. At its core, Ryan's service to our country was a humanitarian service to the Iraqi people. He used his mechanical expertise to build roads, dig foundations for new buildings, and clear deadly mines from roads and fields. Ryan built not only infrastructure in Iraq, but also lasting friendships with his fellow soldiers. According to his stepmother, Jackie Martin, on the eve of a 2-week leave from Iraq, Ryan said that ``he was looking forward to coming home, but when it came time to pack up, he didn't want to leave his buddies. He really made some good friendships and bonded with others while he was there.'' Ryan is remembered fondly by his friends and comrades, who called him ``Little Bear''--referencing his 6' 2", 240 pound body. One of his buddies, Sergeant Ron Eaton, recalls Ryan's sense of humor: [Ryan would] get us to laugh in extremely harsh situations. I remember talking in our bunks one night, and hearing him tell of how he purchased a semi truck just after this 16th birthday, without his parent's knowledge. They made him sell it back, but knowing Ryan, that's just the kind of thing he would do. Risking his life to protect his friends was also the kind of thing Ryan would do--and did do. Ryan's father, Tom Martin, said that at a military ball he attended after Ryan's death, a general came up to him and told him that ``when there was trouble, [Ryan] didn't stand behind people and he didn't stand beside them--he stood in front of them.'' Ryan was always willing and eager to volunteer for dangerous missions, missions that had the protection of others as their goal. In the words of one of his commanding officers: Ryan [made] work much safer for other soldiers. When he was killed, Ryan was doing just that: making the area more secure for his comrades, as he helped clear deadly mines and other detonation devices from the vital highway so his fellow soldiers--his friends--could do their jobs more safely. Mr. President, as we all know, our Armed Forces are made up of men and women from all of our communities, people who are volunteering their time, sacrificing their safety and their lives to serve on our behalf. It is through their service that they spread democracy and help make our world safer. That is what Ryan Martin did. He built roads and houses, cleared mines, and made friends. In doing all of it, he was making the world a better place. He ultimately gave his life, a life that was just beginning, and he did so so that others could have a fresh start and a better tomorrow. Mr. President, when I mentioned earlier the calling of ``Taps,'' I did not mention the words that go along with the bugle call. Let me now read those words: Day is done, Gone the sun, From the Earth, from the hill, from the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. While the men and women for whom ``Taps'' is played are gone from this Earth, we can take solace in knowing that they may now ``safely rest.'' The Sun may have set, but it will rise again and a new day will dawn. And with every new day, we will always remember the sacrifice and service of those who have fallen. My wife Fran and I continue to keep Ryan's family in our thoughts and in our prayers. Army Staff Sergeant Aaron Reese and Army Sergeant Todd Bates Mr. President, I, today, honor two men from Ohio who gave their lives in the defense of freedom. Army SSG Aaron Reese and Army SGT Todd Bates were from two different parts of Ohio. They grew up with different life experiences and different kinds of opportunities. However, when both became members of the 135th Military Police Company of the Ohio Army National Guard, their lives became irrevocably linked. All of our armed services, all of our Armed Forces' members, serve this country with pride and with a sense of duty. Whether it is a mission deep in the mountains of Afghanistan or a night patrol on the Tigris River or in the back alleys of Fallujah, the men and women in our military serve with a great sense of responsibility for the safety and security of those in their own units. They care about each other. Our men and women in uniform feel a unique connection to each other. They see each other as brothers. They see each other as sisters. And they are willing to put their own lives on the line so their comrades will be safe. They do it every single day. It was this dual sense of duty--to their country and to their fellow service members--that put Staff Sergeant Reese and Sergeant Bates in harm's way on December 10, 2003. You see, their squad was on a night patrol boat mission on the Tigris River. At some point during the mission, Staff Sergeant Reese, who was the squad leader, lost his balance, and he fell from the boat, plunging into the swift, murky waters of the Tigris. Seeing his leader fall into the river, Sergeant Bates acted immediately. He quickly discarded his heavy body armor and weapon, and, without a life jacket, he dove into the river in an attempt to save Staff Sergeant Reese. Mr. President, Members of the Senate, tragically--tragically--the river was too strong for them both. In William Shakespeare's play ``Henry V,'' the title character delivers a stirring call to arms to rally his troops. Within this St. Crispin's Day speech, Henry tells his men that one day each one of them would ``strip [their] sleeves and show their scars,'' proud that they had fought and proud in knowing that they were a ``band of brothers''-- a ``band of brothers.'' Aaron and Todd can no longer strip their sleeves and show us their scars, and so it is up to us to do that in their honor. It is up to us to remember their lives--lives that they each gave for our country and for their brothers. Aaron Reese was from Reynoldsburg, OH. He grew up, however, in Elida, OH, where he attended Elida High School. Aaron worked hard at both academics and athletics. His Latin teacher, Mike Herzog, said Aaron was ``one of those you can't forget--always working hard, always smiling. He didn't have a bad day. He was always in a positive mood.'' Aaron was a hurdler on the Elida Bulldogs track and field team and a defensive back on the football team. Aaron participated in sports with a quiet confidence. His principal, Don Diglia, cites Aaron's team- oriented personality as his biggest leadership quality: He was the kind of guy who was content on being on the team instead of being the star of the team. He was a team player all around. . . . After graduating from Elida in the year 1990, Aaron decided to put his leadership qualities and physical prowess to the test. So he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served 7 years. While on active duty in Central America, he met the love of his life. He married the love of his life, Emilia, and then they became the proud parents of a son, Anthony, and a daughter, Nicole. Wanting to spend more time with his new family, Aaron joined the Ohio Army National Guard. While serving in the Guard, Aaron also attended the Ohio State University and Columbus State. He planned to join the Cincinnati Police Department when he returned from Iraq. Aaron had been serving in the Guard for nearly 6 years when his unit was called up for Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was hard for Aaron to leave his wife and his son and his new baby, Nicole, who had been born only a few months before he was deployed. SGT Sheri Brown remembers seeing Aaron saying goodbye to his family in February of 2003 and describes it this way: His toddler son was playing in the snow. Aaron wept as he cradled his baby and tried to say a few last words to his wife. Aaron Reese cared for his family, but he also felt a strong obligation to his country and to his unit. It was an obligation that was not foreign to the Reese family. Aaron's grandfather, Paul Shafer, served in World War II. His uncle, James Shafer, was killed in Vietnam in 1967. Aaron also had two other uncles who served in the Armed Forces. As Aaron's father, Ed Reese, said: What you will see in our family is the red, white, and blue. Indeed, Aaron's military heritage, experience, and leadership ability gave him confidence in his mission. The 135th Military Police Company was responsible for the safety of their fellow soldiers, for the training of Iraqi police, and for various support missions. Aaron Reese proudly led his unit in their tasks. Mr. President, 1LT William F. Lee had this to say of Aaron's service in Iraq: I had the privilege of leading this outstanding noncommissioned officer in Operation Iraqi Freedom. I have known Aaron for many years. We have served many deployments together--some good and some not so good. Aaron executed his duties with exceptional performance and was one of my best leaders. First Lieutenant Lee's comments are a ringing endorsement of Aaron's consummate professionalism and dedication. He was a model soldier, someone whom others not only looked up to but also tried to emulate. SGT Timothy Haskamp had this to say: I had the great opportunity to serve with Aaron. Over the months in Iraq, he taught me how to be a good NCO. He wasn't just a fellow soldier and my squad leader, he was a friend and someone who would do anything he could for you. I can only imagine what a good father and husband he must have been. As I continue my service, I will remember everything he taught me and teach those things to all who serve under me in the future. For those who served with Aaron, he was an anchor of strength, an experienced leader, who made it his personal mission to keep his men and women safe. April Engstrom, Aaron's sister, said that her brother loved the soldiers in his squad and wanted to protect them. Todd Bates' actions on that night in December, however, really speak to the love Aaron's squad also had for him. Aaron Reese leaves behind a wife, two small children, and a loving family. But he also leaves a legacy of leadership. He made a sacrifice so that his children and our children can live in a safer world. And for that a grateful Nation honors and remembers him. Army SGT Todd Bates was 20 years old when he dove into that dangerous Tigris River to try to save his squad leader, Aaron Reese. Todd Bates spent his all-too-short life growing up in Bellaire, OH, where he was raised by his grandmother, Shirley Bates. Todd was a fun-loving kid, who was loved dearly by his friends and family. One of his lifelong friends, Richard Kendle, remembers growing up in Bellaire with Todd. This is what he had to say: I knew Todd all my life. We went to school together from kindergarten on up through graduation. I remember the many days that I used to go over to his house and play video games. Or, we'd go out in his backyard and shoot his BB gun. I remember the meals that his grandmother prepared for us after a day of play. Todd and I never had much growing up . . . but we never knew it. We had families that loved us and a friendship that would never die. Family and friends are important in Bellaire, OH. For many young men and women who grow up there, the two most promising paths to success are sports and the military. Todd Bates realized this and applied his tireless work ethic to both endeavors. At Bellaire High School, Todd excelled on the ``Big Reds'' football team. But he did not do so through just raw talent. Rather, Todd worked his way into the starting lineup. He worked his way there. More often than not, if you wanted to find Todd, all you had to do was look in the football weight room. His coach, John Magistro, thought Todd was humble, genuine, caring, and unselfish. And I quote him: He was a good player and he worked really hard. Todd's work ethic and attitude were recognized by his teammates on the 2000 ``Big Reds'' team. They voted him one of their cocaptains. And under Todd's leadership, Bellaire reached the State playoffs that year. Todd was recognized in Bellaire for being a leader of the football team, for being a quiet and respectful young man, and for his beloved car--called the ``Bates-mobile,'' by most people. His football coach remembers Todd, often in the school parking lot long after practice had ended, under his car's hood, trying to get it started. Reverend Donald Cordery also remembered the ``Bates-mobile.'' Reverend Cordery was an assistant football coach and a mentor to Todd. One day after practice, he asked Todd for a ride home: I said, ``Bates, what's the chance I could get a ride in your car?'' He said, ``Pastor Don, do you really want to take a ride in my car?'' I said, ``Bates, with my looks and your car, the ladies will be out!'' Todd was respected by his peers, his teachers, and his community, but he wanted more. He wanted to go to college. He knew, though, that he wasn't going to be able to secure a football scholarship. Financially, that left Todd with very few options. So, after graduating from Bellaire High School in 2001, Todd decided to join the Ohio Army National Guard to make money for college. But, like many things in Todd's life, it wasn't easy. He had played as a lineman in high school and he had the body of a lineman. Todd was 6 feet tall and 250 pounds--not quite the ideal weight for a National Guardsman. Todd needed to lose some weight if he hoped to get into the Guard. To qualify, Todd loaded a backpack with 50 pounds of weight and walked eight miles a day. He repeated this workout until he had lost fifty pounds. Todd was, indeed, a remarkable young man. As with his dedication to losing weight and to football, Todd brought the same focus and work ethic to his career in the Army. His drill sergeant, Jason Patrick, from Ft. Leonard Wood said this about Todd: Todd was a remarkable soldier and person--always striving to be the very best and fully committing to every task at hand. I watched this fine young American grow from civilian to soldier. I watched as he endured everything I could throw at him. I am proud to have trained him and extremely proud of all he accomplished. After being deployed to Iraq in February of 2003, Todd continued to out-perform the expectations of his commanders. Brigadier General Ronald Young said of Todd, ``[He] was an exceptional soldier . . . He served his assignments with great distinction, and his commanders have recognized his dedication to duty and personal leadership on several occasions.'' Todd had a passion for what he was doing in the Guard and as with his other passions in life, he was the standard for hard work and excellence. While he was certainly a very focused young man, Todd also had a terrific sense of humor and never took anything too seriously. The other members of his unit remember Todd as a funny guy who was always trying to make tough, stressful situations a little easier with a joke. At the same time, Todd was always looking out for the other members of his unit. He felt connected to them--like they were all a big, extended family, who believed in the National Guard motto: ``Of the troops, for the troops.'' When Todd Bates jumped into the Tigris River on that cold, December night, he was not thinking of himself. He was only thinking of his squad leader--his friend, his ``brother,'' Aaron Reese. Both Aaron Reese and Todd Bates gave their lives not thinking of themselves, but only thinking of us. They put our lives, Iraqi lives, and the lives of their fellow service men and women before their own. We will never forget their sacrifices. My wife, Fran, and I continue to keep the families of Aaron Reese and Todd Bates in our thoughts and in our prayers.

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, the Senate Appropriations Committee this week took an important step. That step was in providing $275 million to the Child Survival and Maternity Health Programs. I congratulate the full committee for this work. I also congratulate the subcommittee, chaired by Senator McConnell, and Ranking Member Leahy, for the bill they reported which contained this money. I want to use this occasion and the passage of this bill--in the future, it will be coming to the Senate floor with this language--to share some important statistics about child and maternal mortality. It is so very important that we understand what this money can do. I am often hesitant to recite statistics on the floor of the Senate because when you hear them repeatedly, it is all too easy to become numb to statistics, to forget the human realities that they do, in fact, represent. It is important for all of us and for the American people to listen to some of these statistics because they are so unbelievable and so tragic and because they do represent human lives. These are lives that can be saved, lives that can be saved by making resources available to developing countries and people who are in such great need. Let me recite some of these statistics. Today, over 10 million children under the age of 5 die each year from preventable and treatable diseases and ailments. These include diarrhea, pneumonia, measles, and, yes, malnutrition. It is an unbelievable figure. Of those 10 million deaths worldwide, 3.9 million occur in the first 28 days of life. These babies don't even have a shot at getting as old as 2 or 3 or 4 or 5. Yet two-thirds of these deaths could be prevented if available and affordable intervention had reached the children and their mothers who need them. Malnutrition contributes to 54 percent of all childhood deaths. As many as 3 million children die annually as a result of vitamin A deficiency. An estimated 400,000 cases of childhood blindness are reported each year, children who are condemned to going about their lives blind. These are preventable. Of the 130 million babies born each year, about 4 million die in the first 4 weeks of life. In poor communities many babies who die are unnamed, unrecorded, indicating the perceived inevitability of their deaths. Four hundred fifty newborn children die every hour, mainly from preventable causes. According to World Health Organization estimates, over 4.4 million children died from vaccine-preventable diseases in 2001, diseases such as hepatitis, polio, and tetanus. Of all the vaccine-preventable diseases, measles remain the leading childhood killer, claiming the lives of 745,000 children, more than half of them in Africa. Such staggering numbers of children dying from preventable diseases is unacceptable. It is up to us--the Congress, the Senate, people in the developed world, the United States, around the world--to change this tragic human reality. We have an obligation to make this change because we have the know-how, we have the resources to prevent these deaths. The Lancet, a British medical journal which ran a series of articles last year about child survival, just published a new study indicating that the lives of an estimated 6 million children could be saved for as little as $1.23 per child. Yes, for as little as $1.23 per child in the 42 countries with the highest rates of child mortality, 23 lifesaving interventions could be made universally available. These interventions, many of them as basic as vitamin A or zinc supplements, are critical to preventing the deaths of millions of children. The full Appropriations Committee has agreed to provide this $275 million for child survival in the Foreign Operations bill. This is very significant. It is an important step in our efforts to improve the health of children around the world. This funding will save lives. I urge my colleagues to support this funding level when the bill comes to the floor. I urge my colleagues, when the bill then goes to conference committee, to keep this funding in that bill as well. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, as we approach the celebration of America's Independence Day, I am reminded of something that President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said about the ideals we hold dear. He said this: ``In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.'' That was certainly true of our Founding Fathers when they established America's freedoms and independence over 225 years ago. And, it is still true today of the men and women in our military who are serving around the globe to achieve freedom in nations that have never, ever known it before. Today, I rise to recognize the contributions of an exceptional young woman whose mission it was to protect our freedom here at home and to promote its achievement abroad. I pay tribute to her now as we approach the Fourth of July--a date that is significant not just because she embodied the ideals it represents, but because it marks the anniversary of this brave young woman's death. Army SPC Julie R. Hickey, of Galloway, OH, died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, on July 4, 2004, from diabetic complications. She was 20 years old. Julie Hickey was born on January 17, 1984. Growing up, she was a fun- loving child with a gift for making friends. Her younger sister Rachel says that Julie was always the shoulder to cry on and also the person who wanted to make sure you had fun. Julie was very loyal and very protective of her friends. She was 5 feet and 11 inches tall and built to shelter and stand up for them. Julie's friend, Audria Daniels, remembered a time when she was having a fight with an old boyfriend. Displaying the personal courage that would serve her so well in the Army, Julie stepped right into the middle of this particularly heated exchange and said, ``You can't talk to her like that.'' Even though the young man stood 6 foot 8, he quickly backed down. Looking back, it makes perfect sense that Julie would dedicate her life to standing up for others in need. She'd been doing it all her life. Julie attended Westland High School in Galloway, OH. During high school, she enlisted in the Army Reserves and completed the Civil Affairs Specialist Course at Fort Bragg, NC. She graduated from Westland High in 2002, and, wanting to earn money for college, she joined the Army Reserves. Julie had been planning to start school at The Ohio State University in the fall of 2003, but before she could realize that dream, Julie was called to serve in Operation Enduring Freedom. Julie was deployed to Afghanistan as a member of the 412th Civil Affairs Battalion, where she was assigned to the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Asadabad. As part of this team, she provided humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, particularly women and children in need. Seeing the unfair way that women were treated in Afghanistan, Julie again decided to stand up. During her time there, Julie gave impassioned speeches to women's organizations about how they needed to fight for their rights. Following one particular speech, Julie's mother, Melody, recalled this: One of the women came to see her afterward and told her through an interpreter that it made them happy to see Julie wearing pants and working beside men. She said it gave them hope for the future. For women who had grown up in oppression, Julie Hickey was an inspiration--a hopeful example of what they, too, could be. Ask anyone who knew Julie Hickey, and they would tell you about her passion for her work. As her mother said: [Julie] loved her job. She spent some of her time working at a medical clinic, where she assisted children. She would teach them personal hygiene. She taught them a little English--how to count from one to 10 and say ``Groovy, man!'' Julie's work was direct--one-on-one with people--and she could see, firsthand, the good she was doing on the faces of the women and children with whom she worked. Julie was the type of ambassador that the United States depends on in our efforts to spread the great blessings of freedom and democracy in a part of the world still troubled by violence and fear. More than anyone, Julie's mother understood her commitment to serving others in the fight for freedom. She once said that Julie strongly believed that we need to ``appreciate everything [we] have. We have so much here just because we were born [in the United States].'' Julie never took this wonderful gift for granted. In fact, she spent her life paying it back through her service to others. Tragically, Julie's life of service was cut short by diabetes. Julie's mother said that their family has a history of diabetes, but that Julie hadn't been diagnosed with the illness before she left for Afghanistan. Even a preliminary medical exam didn't reveal anything abnormal. However, when Julie fainted at work one day, she was stabilized and moved to a hospital in Bagram. Only then and there was she diagnosed with diabetes. Julie Hickey was transferred to Landstuhl on June 30, 2004. She went into insulin shock and died on the Fourth of July--the day before she was to be sent to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The sudden nature of this tragedy struck all of Julie's friends and family. Her mother said that Julie was planning her wedding to another soldier and that she was going to be honorably discharged. According to Julie's family, one of the deepest disappointments is that Julie would never get to become a mother and have ``the children she longed for.'' Given the love and compassion she demonstrated all throughout her life, Julie clearly would have made a wonderful mother. Julie's awards hardly do justice to the full breadth and depth of her service. But, they do illustrate how special this young lady was. Her awards include the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon. While these awards are, indeed, impressive, there is, perhaps, a better symbol of Julie's service. On a 2-week leave in late May of 2004, Julie brought home with her a burqa--the head-to-toe covering that many Afghani women wear. One of the women she had been working with gave this to her. Julie was buried with that burqa in her casket. It was a fitting reminder of the profound impact she had on the life of so many Afghan women. As Julie's mother Melody has said, it is, in some respects, fitting that Julie passed away on the day of our Nation's birth. On this July Fourth, let us remember Army SPC Julie Hickey's dedication to freedom and learn from this splendid 20 year old about what it truly means to be an American.

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I yield myself 10 minutes from the time of Senator Grassley.

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, DR-CAFTA is good for my home State of Ohio, and it is good for our country. I was in the House of Representatives in the 1980s when significant strides were made toward democracy in Central America. We all remember that struggle. We all remember the resources that were put into Central America by the United States. It is time for us to refocus on Central America. If Central America is going to flourish, if democracy is going to continue in Central America and the economy is going to develop there, this is an essential component of that, an essential piece of that. While it is true that DR-CAFTA is only one piece of the puzzle, it is an important piece in determining the economic health of our neighbors to the south. Also, it is important to our own Nation as well. DR-CAFTA is about fairness. It is about reciprocity. It would provide U.S. exporters with the same market access to Central America that Central American exporters unilaterally received through the past 20 years through various trade agreements. These trade agreements led to a one-sided lowering of tariffs. Currently, approximately 80 percent of Central America's exports enter the United States duty free. This unilateral tariff reduction helped Central American countries export to the United States but left U.S. producers facing steep and often prohibitive tariffs when they tried to export their own goods into Central America. With DR-CAFTA, more than 80 percent of U.S. manufacturing exports to the region will be duty free immediately, and the remaining tariffs will be phased out over 10 years, including the up to 15 percent tariffs on some of Ohio's top exports to the region such as chemicals, electrical equipment and appliances, machinery, plastics, rubber, paper, processed foods, and transportation equipment. For Ohio's agricultural producers, DR-CAFTA would eliminate tariffs on 50 percent of U.S. exports immediately and most remaining duties within 15 years. A perfect example of the benefits of DR-CAFTA is a situation faced by Heinz. Heinz has a catsup production facility in Fremont, OH, where they produce 80 percent of the catsup consumed in the entire United States. Heinz also produces numerous other condiments throughout the United States. Yet Heinz faces 15 to 47 percent tariffs on their products when they try to export to Central America. DR-CAFTA will change that. CAFTA will help ensure that the up to three generations of workers in Fremont, OH, in that factory will have jobs for themselves, jobs for their children when they grow up. This is just one example of why Ohio needs DR-CAFTA and why this entire country needs DR-CAFTA. Another good example is Polychem, located in Mentor, OH. They have been in business for over 30 years. They have grown to more than 200 employees. They manufacture industrial strapping but cannot export into the Central American market competitively now because of high tariffs. DR-CAFTA would level the playing field for Polychem, allowing them to expand their exports and grow jobs in Ohio. By requiring Central American countries to lower their tariffs on U.S. products, the United States would be able to sell into a consumer base 45 million strong that already today buys American. The 45 million citizens represented by the DR-CAFTA agreement purchase today more U.S. goods than the 1.53 billion citizens of India, Indonesia, and Russia combined. DR-CAFTA will simply increase that. Not only do these consumers already buy America but, significantly for my State, they buy Ohio. In the past 5 years, Ohio exports to the DR-CAFTA region have grown by 90 percent, far outpacing their demands for exports from any other State in America. In 2004 alone, Ohio exported $197 million in manufactured goods to the region, including chemical and manufacturing goods, plastics, rubber products, fabric milled goods, electrical equipment, and appliances. These are just the largest categories. Each and every Senator could easily come to the Senate today and add a list similar to this. The list of DR-CAFTA support is long in my home State of Ohio. In Ohio, the Ohio Pork Producers Council, the Ohio Soybean Association, the Ohio Poultry Association, the Ohio Dairy Producers, the Ohio Cattlemen's Association, the Ohio Farm Bureau, the Ohio Farm Growers, and the Ohio Wheat Growers Association all support DR-CAFTA. Those are just the supporters in the Ohio agricultural sector. While many are helped by free trade, we understand whenever we have free trade legislation or free trade there are some individuals in society who are hurt. We need to make sure we always are concerned about them, that we pass legislation that assists them, and we must continue in this Congress to do that. Yet if we turn our backs on free trade, we would ultimately have far more unemployed Americans, and our economy would be a fraction of what it is today. For example, in the first year after the enactment of the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement, Ohio's exports to Chile grew 20 percent; and since NAFTA was enacted in 1993, Ohio's combined exports to Canada and Mexico have increased by more than 106 percent. More exports means more jobs for Ohio and more jobs for our country as a whole. Mr. President, as I said already, DR-CAFTA is good for Ohio, it is good for the United States. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this important free-trade agreement. But let me say one additional thing. As much as I support DR-CAFTA, there is something else that needs to be done, and that is this Congress needs to pass trade legislation that will assist the country of Haiti. Last year, the Senate passed an important trade bill for Haiti, only to see that trade agreement die in the House of Representatives. I have raised this issue with the administration and with my colleagues in both the House and the Senate. Haiti, the poorest country by far in our hemisphere, arguably needs our attention the most. To leave them out and to not pass trade legislation to assist them is shortsighted, it is wrong, and it is not helpful. We make a mistake by leaving them out. If nothing is done by this Congress soon to pass a trade agreement that will be of assistance to Haiti, it will really be a deathblow to what remains of Haiti's economy, and we will be seeing boats swollen with Haitians heading back to our shores again. Mr. President, I simply implore my colleagues, as well as the Bush administration, that after CAFTA is passed, we look again to legislation that I have proposed with many of my colleagues to be of assistance to Haiti. It is the right thing to do from a humanitarian point of view, but it is also the right thing to do from a foreign policy point of view as well. I thank the Chair and yield the floor.

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk about the amendment offered by Senator McCain and Senator Lieberman. Climate change is happening. There is simply no question about that. It is time the United States takes the lead in slowing its progress and in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. The amendment before us now, while it certainly has a great deal of merit, is, I am afraid, drafted in a way that I cannot support at this time. First, the amendment, if adopted as currently written, sets an unreasonable schedule. Simply put, the energy sector would be unable to adjust quickly enough to adopt new technologies and new operating procedures in the limited time mandated by the amendment. When you are talking about energy, you cannot just change and pivot on a dime. It takes time to build infrastructure and capacity. As of today, the technology for capturing carbon is simply not ready yet. In essence, we have designed an engine that is not quite able to run yet. Second, the amendment uses the year 2000 as a baseline. This concerns me. It concerns me because the fact is that some companies' emissions were at an artificially low point in the year 2000, due to the recession and other economic fluctuations. A sound carbon control system has to be fair. If we provide no flexibility to that standard, some companies would bear a higher burden than other companies with emissions at a normal rate at that time. Third, the amendment does not provide a big enough upfront Federal investment into scientific research and development. We have to invest substantially more Federal dollars into the development of the technologies we need to reduce the greenhouse gases causing global warming. For instance, we need to dramatically increase funding for the Clean Coal Power Initiative. In the year 2005, we only funded this program at 25 percent of its authorized level. That must change. We must be bold. We need to be imaginative. We need to be visionary. This is truly a race, and we are not moving forward fast enough. Realistically, greater investments are not going to be made until we, as a Nation, pull our heads out of the sand and accept the reality that climate change is in fact occurring. In 1997, when the Senate debated the issue the last time, the science wasn't as good. Today, however, we know a lot more, and the science is unambiguously clear. Since 1997, we have had the 5 hottest years on record, and there is now a clear consensus that temperatures have risen globally at least 1 degree Fahrenheit over the last 100 years. Since 1997, the National Academy of Sciences, the Nation's most prestigious, most credible and most vigorous voice for the scientific community has said that: Temperatures are in fact rising [and that] national policy decisions made now in the long term future will influence the extent of any damage suffered by vulnerable human populations and ecosystems. Almost daily we hear reports from the field of natural indicators of climate change. For example, glaciers are melting. Dr. Lonnie Thompson, distinguished professor of geological sciences at the Ohio State University, is an expert on the study of glaciers. All of his work points to one conclusion: Every glacier we have any data on is retreating . . . Our best evidence for the current loss of tropical glaciers is mainly due to rising temperatures, and those temperatures are higher in many areas than they have been for more than 5,000 years, with the major increase occurring in the past 50 years. Glaciers operate on thresholds and as such are extremely sensitive to global climate change. Other national indicators strongly suggest the Earth is warming. The sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic is declining. Coral reefs are disintegrating. Snow cover is decreasing. The oceans are getting warmer, and extreme weather events are occurring with increased frequency. As the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, the United States has an obligation to take the lead in efforts to control climate change. We have an obligation to be an engaged global player. We have an obligation to urge other nations to join efforts to lower emissions. It is time for our Nation to get into the driver's seat and take the lead in developing the technology and the alternate energy sources that will become an inevitable part of our economy. Right now, we are falling behind. Japan and Europe are well on their way to developing the very technologies that will be necessary to retrofit our powerplants and make our cars environmentally friendly. We should be the ones developing that technology. We should be the ones designing and creating and inventing the tools we need to adapt and adjust to their future. Let me repeat: Climate change is happening and a shift to a new global energy economy is also happening. We cannot avoid it. It is inevitable. Without question, we are going to have to change operations and clean up our powerplants and find alternatives to oil and gasoline. Do we want to be the buyers of the technology that gets us there or, rather, do we want to be the sellers? This much is obvious: If we do not do something, in a few years we will be creating jobs, but they won't be in the United States. They will be in other countries. They will be in Europe; they will be in Japan; they will be other places. That is not the way to go. We will have ourselves to blame and no one else. I am pleased to say my home State of Ohio is beginning to position itself to face the future and is already involved in efforts to successfully transition to the new energy economy. Ohio has the opportunity to deploy, and in some cases develop, the very technology our own State needs so we can continue to burn coal in our powerplants but with dramatically lower emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and mercury. There is a process called integrated gasification combined cycle, IGCC, which will allow coal, including high- sulfur Ohio coal, to be burned more cleanly. The IGCC process immediately reduces the emission of nitrogen oxide. It also makes it possible, for the first time, to capture carbon before it is emitted into the atmosphere. This is the kind of technology that can put Ohio at the top. As James Rogers, chief executive of the Cincinnati-based Cinergy Corporation, said: I'm making a bet on gasification. I don't see any other way forward. Similarly, Jason Grumet, the executive director of the National Commission on Energy Policy, called the IGCC process ``as close to a silver bullet as we are ever going to see.'' Currently, there are only IGCC pilot plants operated in Florida and Indiana. However, American Electric Power, AEP, in Columbus and Cinergy Corporation are on track to build additional plants in Ohio and Indiana, respectively. AEP plans to build a $1.6 billion clean coal plant along the Ohio River in Meigs County. Ohio also can lead the way in commercialization of fuel cell technology which produces electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen. Cars are one of the biggest emitters, of course, of carbon. Fuel cells have the potential of providing a carbon-free fuel source for vehicles. Ohio is ideally suited to develop this technology and, at the same time, help begin again its leadership in automotive technology. I applaud Ohio Governor Bob Taft for his new plan to invest significant funds in fuel cells. He has announced a 3-year extension of the Ohio fuel cell initiative which is a $103 million program aimed at making Ohio the leader in fuel cell technology. Over the last 3 years, already the State has awarded $36 million in grants to 24 future cell projects involving academic researchers and small companies. Indeed, Roger McKain, chairman of the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition, was correct when he said: If you want to be in fuel cells, you should be in Ohio. Use of clean renewable sources of energy is another way to help slow climate change. As we all know, solar power is one of the most commonly recognized renewable sources. Ohio has several companies that are developing technologies to lead to widespread commercialization of renewables. For example, First Solar in Perrysburg, OH, is a leader in the development and manufacture of solar collection systems. And Parker Hannifin, headquartered in Cleveland, is developing a hydraulic drive system that can precisely position solar collectors used in a powerplant, thereby increasing their efficiency. I encourage the State of Ohio to do all it can to become a leader in energy technology. We are on our way, but we need to do more. It could help decide the future, quite candidly, of our great State. In closing, climate change is here. We have to face that fact. And we have to address it. We have to do it in a practical, workable, intelligent way. I look forward to working with my friends Senator McCain and Senator Lieberman in the months ahead to craft a bill that will, in fact, work; a bill that will work for Ohio, a bill that will work for the United States, and a bill that will put the United States out front as a leader on global climate change in dealing with this problem. I am confident we can, in fact, draft a bill that will own up to our obligations to our children and our grandchildren and, at the same time, will have dates that are practical so the emerging technologies will be ready to meet the needs of the energy sector--technologies that will allow us, for example, to expand the use of Ohio coal, something we have in Ohio in abundance, and we have in this country in abundance. We can also craft a bill that will frontload more money in research and development and a bill that will use a baseline date that does not unfairly penalize certain regions of the country. I am confident we can work together to produce such a bill. We can do these things. If we do, the United States will have done the right thing. We will begin to make demonstrable progress in slowing the rate of climate change and in protecting our environment. History is on our side. History is on the side of passing a bill similar to this bill. It is imperative we get it right. It is imperative we do it right. I thank Senator McCain and Senator Lieberman for their courage, for their vision and their leadership in taking up once again this tough issue. We must finish the task. I look forward to working with them to do the right thing for Ohio, but, more importantly, to do the right thing for our country and for the world, for our children, and for our grandchildren. I yield the floor.

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I send to the desk amendment No. 788.

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, is there any time remaining?

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, this is what our bill says: When you want to do business with America, you must abide by our antitrust laws and rules of the free market. When OPEC one day abides by the rules of the free market, we will all see lower oil and gas prices. That is what this amendment is about. I yield the floor. I thank Senator Domenici.

Mr. DeWINE. What is the pending business?

Mr. DeWINE. I yield to my colleague from New Mexico.

Mr. DeWINE. We can certainly do whatever the Senator would like us to do.

Mr. DeWINE. Yes.

Mr. DeWINE. I yield myself 3 minutes.

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, today I join my colleague, Senator Kohl, and 16 cosponsors to offer the No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2005 to the Energy bill. This amendment would give the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission legal authority to bring an antitrust case against the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. We need this amendment because, simply put, gas and oil prices are too high, and it is time that we do something about it. Every consumer in America knows that gasoline prices are simply too high. What is the cause? There are a number of causes, but certainly one of them, the primary cause, is the increase in imported crude oil prices. Who sets these prices? OPEC does. The unacceptably high price of imported crude oil is a direct result of price fixing by the OPEC nations to keep the price of oil unnaturally high. What this amendment does is to give the executive branch permission or authority--it does not compel them to do it--it gives them authority to file under our antitrust laws against OPEC. If this was any other business, if this was any business in this country or any other international business, they could be filed against. What this amendment simply does is it makes it very clear that they come under our antitrust laws. It is the right thing to do. I ask my colleagues to adopt the amendment. Mr. President, I yield to my colleague, Senator Kohl.

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Douglas Rathbun be granted the privilege of the floor for the duration of debate on H.R. 6.

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, the importance of learning and appreciating history cannot be understated. Men and women--young and old--benefit from learning about the past as a way to shape the future. Today, the National History Day Program is honoring students from around our Nation who have displayed excellence in the study of history, and I am pleased to recognize five students from my home State of Ohio who are participating in this important program. The National History Day Program actually originated in Ohio at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. The National History Day Program allows students to create exhibits, documentaries, and performances by using their critical thinking and research skills in the subject of history. This year is a special year, as the National History Day organization is celebrating its 25th Anniversary of training students and teachers to incorporate libraries, museums, and archives into their learning plans. I would like to take a moment to recognize the Ohioans who are participating this year. Megan Daines, a student at Hannan Trace Elementary in Crown City, OH, presented her project, titled ``The Underground Railroad: Communication between Two Worlds,'' at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Holly Anderson, a student at Canton County Day School in Massillon, OH, was one of 19 students chosen from over 2,000 finalists to perform her original work, ``All of a Flutter: The Secret Language of the Fan,'' in the Grand Salon in the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Ian Shaw of Sylvania, Michael Kreuz of Swanton, and Ben Spang of Toledo are three Ohio home-schooled students, who have been selected to present their project at the National Museum of Health and Medicine. Ian, Michael, and Ben joined Isaac Skaggs of Michigan to complete a documentary titled, ``A Voice in the Darkness: Dr. Jonathan Mann, Uniting the World Against AIDS.'' I congratulate all of these students for their presentations and performances. Their dedication to the pursuit of excellence in the study of history sets a great example for our Nation's youth. I join all Ohioans in wishing them all the best in their future endeavors.

Mr. DeWINE

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, we have just seen a major accomplishment in the Senate in the last several weeks: the confirmation of five nominees to serve on the Federal bench. These confirmations were achieved after a historic agreement was reached in the Senate, an agreement that allowed us to proceed. We have seen five individuals confirmed by the Senate--Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown, William Pryor, David McKeague, and Richard Griffin. The majority leader has indicated that Thomas Griffith will be on the Senate floor shortly and we will take up that nomination. This represents a major accomplishment and a major change in the way the Senate has been doing business. This shows bipartisanship. This is a step forward. It is progress. As one of the 14 Senators involved in negotiating the recent compromise agreement on the use of filibusters to block judicial nominations, I am very pleased to see this progress and to see what has happened since this agreement was reached. As everyone knows, of these five nominations, several of them have been held up for years. Two I have a particular interest in come from the Sixth Circuit from the States of Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee. These two come from the State of Michigan but are part of the Sixth Circuit which has had vacancies for many years. Now we have these two positions filled. I am pleased to see this progress we have been making the last 2 weeks on nominations but also the progress we have been making in the Senate on other matters, as well. I think it is good for the country. The agreement that we entered into not only cleared the field for the President's judicial nominations, some of whom, as I have said, have been waiting for over 4 years, but by avoiding confrontation it also allowed the people's agenda to move forward. And that is a very important matter. Already, since the agreement was reached, the Senate Judiciary Committee has passed out of the committee the asbestos bill, and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has passed the Energy bill. Now, as someone who was in the room for the negotiations of the filibuster agreement, I would like to take just a few moments to talk about what happened, why I was involved, and where we go from here. Candidly, I became involved in the negotiations because I was not satisfied with what I had seen in the Senate over the last few years. Everyone got in the negotiation, I am sure, for different reasons. I am just speaking for myself. I believed that judges were not getting voted on in the Senate, that the circuit court judges were not being acted upon when they should have been, that many of them were being denied an up-or-down vote. I believed the filibuster was being used in excess to block their nominations. I felt that the status quo was simply not acceptable, that we could no longer continue down that path. Well, what was the solution? How were we going to get judges voted on in the Senate? The status quo abuse of the filibuster, which I felt clearly was an abuse of the filibuster, was not acceptable to me. I was prepared to take action to deal with that. Yet I felt that, in the best interests of the Senate and the Nation, it was really not in the best interests of the Nation or the Senate to totally change the rules and totally eliminate the filibuster, if we could avoid that. I felt what we needed basically was a resolution to this crisis, a new option or alternative that could restore the Senate to where it was when I entered the Senate a decade ago. That was a Senate where the possibility of a filibuster for judicial nominations was there but hardly ever used. I believe that is exactly what we were able to achieve with the agreement. During our negotiations, we agreed that a filibuster for a judge should not be used unless under extraordinary circumstances. Furthermore, we made sure the agreement included a provision that if the terms of the agreement were violated, and a judge was filibustered in circumstances that an individual Member considered not to be extraordinary--in other words, if Mike DeWine or any Member considered that another Member was filibustering a judge under a circumstance that was not extraordinary, that I or any Member had the right to pull out of that agreement and to go back and say: I am going to use the constitutional option to change the practice, the precedent of the Senate. That was my right. I insisted on that when I entered the negotiations. I felt that was important and that was the only way I could be a part of the negotiations. So let me make that very clear. The constitutional option was on the table, and it does remain on the table today. There was never any question in my mind about that. In fact, let me repeat exactly what I said at the press conference that the group held on May 23, right after we had reached our agreement. This is what I said that evening at that press conference when everyone was there, at least 12 of the 14 people who had reached the agreement. This is what I said. I quote myself: This agreement is based on good faith--good faith among people who trust each other. And, it's our complete expectation that it will work. Senators have agreed that they will not filibuster except in extraordinary circumstances. We believe that will, in fact, work. Some of you who are looking at the language may wonder what some of the clauses mean. The understanding is--and we don't think this will happen--but if an individual Senator believes in the future that a filibuster is taking place under something that's not extraordinary circumstances, we, of course, reserve the right to do what we could have done tomorrow, which is to cast a yes vote for the constitutional option. I was prepared to do that tomorrow if we could not reach an agreement. Mr. President, let me also quote from the May 30, Washington Post article by Dan Balz. He wrote the following about the agreement: [Senator] DeWine, Senator Lindsey Graham have disputed the assertion . . . that the nuclear option is off the table. DeWine said he explicitly raised the issue just before the group announced the deal. Balz then quotes me: I said at the end, ``Make sure I understand this now, that . . . if any member of the group thinks the judge is filibustered under circumstances that are not extraordinary, that member has the right to vote at any time for the constitutional option.'' Everyone in the room understood that. Now, the article goes on to say--again, Dan Balz's article in the Washington Post-- Senator Mark Pryor, [a Democrat and] another member of the group [of 14], concurred, saying that while he hopes the nuclear option is gone for the duration of the 109th Congress, circumstances could bring it back. Quoting Senator Pryor: I really think Senator DeWine and Senator Graham have it right. Mr. President, Members of the Senate, Senate Majority Leader Frist also agrees with this assessment. He said, in this May 30 article by Dan Balz: The nuclear option remains on the table. It remains an option. I will not hesitate to use it, if necessary. And later, Senator Frist was quoted in the June 5 New York Times from his comments in a speech at Harvard University, as follows. This is Senator Frist: The short-term evaluations, I believe, will prove to be shortsighted and wrong after we get judge after judge after judge after judge through, plus at least one Supreme Court nominee and an energy bill . . . and we will get Bolton. Mr. President, Members of the Senate, as the recent judicial confirmation votes in the Senate demonstrate, the majority leader is right. We are getting things done. We are getting things done because this agreement was negotiated in good faith by good people who want to get things done, who want to proceed step by step. It was negotiated in good faith by Members working together in the best interests of this Senate and of our Nation. It is a good agreement, one that has enabled us in the Senate to get back to doing the business of the people, for the people. That is what the American people expect, and it certainly is what the American people deserve. We have made progress. We have been able to confirm judges and bring to the floor of this Senate for up-or-down votes three judges who have been held up for years and two other judges in a circuit, the Sixth Circuit, in Ohio and three other States, that has suffered from a lack of judges on the Sixth Circuit for years, with many vacancies. Today, we filled two of those vacancies. That makes a difference. We are making progress. I am not arrogant enough to come to the floor today and say that everything is going to work out perfectly. I don't know that it will. I don't have a crystal ball. I just know that we have come a ways. We have taken some steps. We have made some progress. I believe we can rely on the good faith of Members to try to continue to work together, continue to make progress, and continue to try to exercise good faith. We have set a bar now, a standard. Seven Members of the Senate on each side have said they will not filibuster except under extraordinary circumstances. That is something that had not been set before. That is the bar. No, it is not specifically defined. I understand that. But at least there is a bar. It is an understanding. That is progress. It is a recognition that the filibuster is not something just to be used; it is something to be used only in very rare cases. You have to use it after you think long and hard about it. It is the recognition of 14 people that they will only use that filibuster after thinking long and hard. That is progress. What we have seen with these five judges is progress. So we celebrate tonight progress, not total victory. You are never done in the Senate. We are always trying to move forward. But at least we should stop for a moment tonight and say: We have made progress. We have come this far. We know we have a ways to go, but here we are, at least. I yield the floor.