Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about Albert Santiago Du Bouchet Hernandez, a political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba. Mr. Du Bouchet Hernandez is the director of the independent Havana Press Agency. His peaceful, pro-democracy activities and truthful articles have helped the world to learn the facts about the nightmare that is the Castro regime. Unfortunately, those who believe in truth are targeted by the tyrant's machinery of repression. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports that Mr. Du Bouchet Hernandez was harassed and threatened because he insisted on reporting and covering the historic congress of the Assembly to Promote Civil Society (APSC). The CPJ also reports that Castro's thugs ordered him to appear at a police station on the opening day of the APSC meeting. Mr. Du Bouchet Hernandez bravely disobeyed their command, and reported on the momentous events that occurred at the historic congress. In retaliation for telling the world the truth about the nightmare that is the Castro regime, Mr. Du Bouchet Hernandez was arrested on August 6th and, in a sham trial 3 days later, sentenced to 1 year in the totalitarian gulag. As the 2005 edition of the U.S. Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices states, ``Prison conditions continue to be harsh and life threatening.'' According to CPJ, Mr. Du Bouchet Hernandez has suffered severe headaches and progressive loss of his vision since his arrest in August 2004. Mr. Du Bouchet Hernandez is a brilliant example of the heroism of the Cuban people. Despite incessant repression, harassment, incarceration and abuse, he remains committed to the belief that freedom of the press and democracy are inalienable rights of the Cuban people. It is a crime against humanity that Castro's totalitarian gulags are full of men and women, like Mr. Du Bouchet Hernandez, who represent the best of the Cuban nation. Mr. Speaker, it is morally repugnant that, in the 21st Century, men and women are still locked in the dungeons of dictators because of their beliefs in freedom and human rights. It is as inconceivable as it is unacceptable that, while the world stands by in silence and acquiescence, independent journalists who write the truth about totalitarian regimes are systematically tortured. My Colleagues, we must demand the immediate and unconditional release of Albert Santiago DuBouchet Hernandez and every political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about Fidel Garcia Roldan, a political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba. Mr. Garcia Roldan is a pro-democracy activist and a member of the 24 February Movement, named for both the commencement of the glorious Cuban War of Independence in 1895, and the day in 1996 when two civilian aircraft carrying four members of the Brothers to the Rescue organization were shot down over international waters by the Cuban dictatorship's fighter jets. The 24 February Movement desires, and struggles for, freedom in Cuba. According to reports, Mr. Garcia Roldan has been imprisoned since April 16, 2004 and, after a sham trial, sentenced to 4 years in the totalitarian gulag. In the U.S. Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices--2005, it is reported ``On February 19, a `reeducation specialist' forced political prisoner Fidel Garcia Roldan into a cell, pushed him against the wall, then hit him repeatedly in the head.'' That same report details the abhorrent conditions in the gulag: Prison conditions continued to be harsh and life threatening. Conditions in detention facilities also were harsh. Prison authorities frequently beat, neglected, isolated, and denied medical treatment to detainees and prisoners, particularly those convicted of political crimes or those who persisted in expressing their views . . . Prisoners sometimes were held in ``punishment cells,'' which usually were located in the basement of a prison, with continuous semi-dark conditions, no available water, and only a hole for a toilet. Mr. Garcia Roldan, despite being imprisoned, despite facing even more severe maltreatment in the inhuman gulag, continues to advocate for liberty. Mr. Garcia Roldan is a brilliant example of the heroism of the Cuban people. No matter how intense the repression, no matter how horrifically brutal the consequences of a dignified struggle for liberty, the totalitarian gulags are full of men and women of all backgrounds and ages who represent the best of the Cuban nation. Mr. Speaker, we must speak out and act against this abominable disregard for human rights, human dignity, and human freedom just 90 miles from our shore. It is categorically unacceptable that men and women who demand freedom from tyranny are locked in dungeons and abused by totalitarian monsters. My Colleagues, we must demand the immediate and unconditional release of Fidel Garcia Roldan and every political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Shaw for his kind remarks. I want to thank all the distinguished Members who have made possible this legislation today. I think it is very timely. I had the privilege of visiting Ukraine last December along with Under Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky and a humanitarian delegation from my community. My community has begun a process of helping the people of Ukraine, especially the sick children who, because of the decades-long environmental degradation, really attack upon the environment of the totalitarian regime, are still suffering and for generations, unfortunately, will have to suffer the consequences of the horrors of totalitarianism in a most unfair way. So humanitarian efforts are ongoing, and I am very proud of that, from my community, to help the people of Ukraine. I was again very impressed and thank Mr. Lantos for standing up today and mentioning an extremely important subject area. I want to point out that in the discussions that we had with President Yushchenko, Under Secretary Dobriansky, I was impressed by how much emphasis she made and the seriousness with which she made arguments that were brought out today by Mr. Lantos. And so I am pleased to see that he will continue his very important monitoring of really the despicable matters that he made reference to, and I certainly look forward to joining him in that monitoring. That said, I think it is important that a friend that has gone through, because of really the heroism of its people, has gone through a democratic transition, and, even after independence from the Soviet Union, was really still living under the undue influence of Russia. I think that those hundreds of thousands of people that took to the streets just over a year ago, they deserve our respect. And the people of Ukraine deserve our respect. And in the same manner in which Jackson-Vanik, I am very proud of, was another way in which the United States stood on behalf of freedom, I think today it is time to remove Jackson-Vanik from democratic Ukraine, to say congratulations for what you have achieved, and to say we will be with you as you further achieve progress in perfecting your democracy and the rule of law.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues about Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia and his brother Luis Enrique Ferrer Garcia, both political prisoners in totalitarian Cuba. Mr. Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia is the regional coordinator for the Christian Liberation Movement and his brother Mr. Luis Enrique Ferrer Garcia is also active in the same movement. They are peaceful pro- democracy activists who believe in the cause of freedom for the people of Cuba. Because of their steadfast belief in human liberty, and their constant work to bring freedom to an island enslaved by the nightmare that is the Castro regime, these courageous brothers have been a constant target of the dictatorship. According to Amnesty International, Mr. Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia has been harassed and detained numerous times for his pro-democracy activism. In January 2002, he was forced from a bus and beaten by the tyrant's thugs because of his activities and ideals. Amnesty International reports that Mr. Luis Enrique Ferrer Garcia, in December 1999, was sentenced to 6 months of ``restricted freedom.'' In March 2003, as part of Castro's heinous crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy activists, both brothers were arrested. Subsequently, in two sham trials, Mr. Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia was sentenced to 25 years in the totalitarian gulag and Mr. Luis Enrique Ferrer Garcia was sentenced to 28 years in the gulag. While confined in the inhuman horror of Castro's gulag, both brothers have been the constant target of abuse. According to the Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2004: ``On January 1, Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia reported serving 45 days in a punishment cell for protesting the suspension of correspondence and the delivery of food and medical supplies from his family. He did not receive food or water during the first 3 days of his confinement and slept on a cement floor. Authorities confiscated his Bible and prohibited any contact with other prisoners.'' According to Amnesty International, Mr. Luis Enrique Ferrer Garcia was transferred to a punishment cell for having bravely refused to militarily salute a warden of the gulag. The Department of State Country Report describes the true horrors of a punishment cell: ``Prisoners sometimes were held in `punishment cells,' which usually were located in the basement of a prison, with continuous semi-dark conditions, no available water, and a hole for a toilet.'' This is in addition to the grotesque depravity of the gulag that also includes beatings, isolation, denial of medical treatment to detainees, and multiple forms of abuse. These two brothers are brilliant examples of the heroism of the Cuban people. No matter how intense the repression, no matter how horrifically brutal the consequences of a dignified struggle for liberty, the totalitarian gulags are full of men and women of all backgrounds and ages who represent the best of the Cuban nation. Mr. Speaker, it is as inconceivable as it is unacceptable that, while the world stands by in silence and acquiescence, these two brothers are systematically tortured because of their belief in freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. My Colleagues, we must demand the immediate and unconditional release of Luis Enrique Ferrer Garcia, Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia and every political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues about Rene Gomez Manzano, a heroic political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba. Mr. Gomez Manzano is a lawyer and a distinguished member of the pro- democracy opposition in Cuba. Along with fellow Cuban patriots Martha Beatriz Roque and Felix Bonne Carcasses, he is a leader of the Assembly to Promote Civil Society. The Assembly is an umbrella organization of over 300 groups of Cubans who have asserted their independence from the totalitarian state. On May 20, 2005, the Assembly carried out a meeting of approximately 200 Cubans who publicly demonstrated their rejection of totalitarianism and their support for democracy and the rule of law in Havana. Mr. Gomez Manzano was one of the primary architects of that historic, admirable accomplishment. Accordingly, he has been the constant target of Castro's machinery of repression. He has been harassed by the tyrant's thugs and, now, unjustly incarcerated as a political prisoner for his peaceful activities. Almost a decade earlier, in 1997, after coauthoring the important and historic work ``La Patria es de Todos''--``The Homeland Belongs to All''--with Martha Beatriz Roque, Felix Bonne Carcasses and another Cuban patriot, Vladimiro Roca, Mr. Gomez Manzano was arrested by the dictatorship and sentenced to various years in the gulag. During his unjust imprisonment, and after being released, Mr. Gomez Manzano never wavered in his commitment to bring freedom, democracy and human rights to the Cuban people. Unfortunately, in an additional act of extreme and despicable repression by the dictatorship, Mr. Gomez Manzano, along with dozens of others, was arrested once again on July 22, 2005, before he could attend a peaceful demonstration in front of the French Embassy in Havana to protest the resumption of the European Union's policy of so-called engagement with the terrorist regime in Havana. I have never had the honor of personally meeting Mr. Gomez Manzano, but I can certainly say that I know him quite well. I have spoken to him by telephone during various congressional hearings and other public events dedicated to highlighting the suffering and oppression of the Cuban people. He is a great patriot, a man of the law, a man of peace, and an apostle of freedom for Cuba. Mr. Speaker, it is completely unacceptable that, while the world stands by in silence and acquiescence, Mr. Gomez Manzano languishes in the gulag because of his belief in freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. We cannot permit the brutal treatment of a man of peace like Mr. Gomez Manzano by a demented and murderous tyrant for simply supporting freedom for his people. My colleagues, we must never forget those who are locked in gulags because of their desire for freedom for their countries. My colleagues, we must demand the immediate and unconditional release of Rene Gomez Manzano and every political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order at any time to consider in the House the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 341); that the concurrent resolution be considered as read; and that the previous question be considered as ordered on the concurrent resolution and preamble to final adoption without intervening motion or demand for division of the question except (1) 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on International Relations and (2) one motion to recommit which may not contain instructions.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on February 24th the Cuban people commemorate a glorious and tragic date in the history of Cuba. The 1895 war of independence began exactly 111 years ago; the Cry of Baire constitutes one of the most heroic acts of the Cuban people. Intimately connected with this date is the heroism of Marti, Gomez, Maceo, Banderas, and the thousands of freedom fighters known as mambises who shall forever ennoble the Cuban nationality. Tragically, February 24th will also be forever connected with the murders which took place on that date ten years ago. The Cuban tyrant, ultimately insulted by the courage demonstrated by the Brothers to the Rescue when they dropped pamphlets and other pieces of paper over Havana with pro-democracy slogans and copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ordered the murder of the men and women who were going to fly on February 24th in civilian planes carrying out humanitarian missions for Brothers to the Rescue. The Cuban tyrant prepared his murders well. An agent of his by the name of Roque, who had occasionally flown for the Brothers to the Rescue organization, was ordered to return the day before to Cuba. Roque was going to publicly declare after the murders of February 24th that he was a survivor from the mission and that the humanitarian group's planes were taking arms to ``Concilio Cubano'', a coalition of dissident organizations inside Cuba which had announced its intention to host a public meeting in Havana on February 24th and whose membership was brutally repressed by the dictatorship. Roque would also announce that the planes had been shot down over Cuban waters. We all know that Pablo Morales, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Pena, and Carlos Costa were brutally murdered on February 24, 1996. I am sure that those four martyrs of freedom, peace, and patriotism will be duly memorialized in the democratic Cuba of tomorrow, as they are in South Florida today. The intervention of destiny saved the third Brothers to the Rescue plane which flew on February 24, 1996. That intervention of the imponderable made it possible for the world and for history to know that the planes were shot down over international waters, while engaged in a peaceful and humanitarian mission. Mr. Speaker, let us remember the four martyrs from the Brothers to the Rescue, let us remember all the political prisoners, and let us remember the countless men and women who have given their best years, and often their lives, for the freedom of Cuba. My colleagues, this February 24th, we must recommit ourselves to the cause of freedom and liberty for all who languish in the darkness of totalitarianism. My Colleagues, we must recommit ourselves to hastening the dawn of a free and democratic Cuba.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues about Rafael Ibarra, a long suffering and heroic political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba. Mr. Ibarra heads the 30th of November Democratic Party, an island wide movement dedicated to the establishment of a democratic society, an opposition movement to the Castro tyranny. In 1995 he was sentenced to 20 years in the totalitarian gulag. In 1997, his wife Maritza Lugo, also a highly respected pro-democracy activist, was arrested and incarcerated for 2 years; leaving their 2 daughters without their parents. On multiple occasions after 1999, Maritza would continue to be arrested and harassed by the tyannical regime. Even while they were in prison at the same time, the tyrant insisted on evicting their 2 girls from their small farm house, which had become a gathering point for human rights and pro-democracy meetings. Mr. Ibarra was one of the political prisoners who signed the Cuban flag painted on a pillow case and sent it to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva. Maritza and her two daughters, at Mr. Ibarra's request, fled Cuba as refugees in 2002 to the United States so that the 2 girls would be able to live in freedom. This year marks an abominable anniversary, the 11th year that Mr. Ibarra has been imprisoned. While other fathers have been able to watch and guide their daughters as they grow up, Mr. Ibarra has been incarcerated in the gulag for daring to dream of and to work on behalf of a democratic Cuba. Rafael Ibarra is a hero, in the tradition of the great figures of Cuba's long struggle for liberty. Quintin Banderas, Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, Ignacio Agramonte, Antonio Maceo, and thousands of other Cuban heroes established a tradition of heroism that today is being continued by countless men and women who have given their best years and often their lives for the freedom of Cuba. Rafael Ibarra is a hero in that same admirable tradition. My thoughts and prayers are with him, as is my solidarity and profound admiration. Mr. Speaker, this courageous man is locked in Castro's gulag for failing to keep silent about the nightmare that is the Castro regime. My colleagues, we must never forget those who are locked in gulags because of their desire for freedom for their countries. We must demand the immediate and unconditional release of Rafael Ibarra and every prisoner of conscience in totalitarian Cuba.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairman for the time. I was walking by here and then stumbled here on this interesting debate. I think our friends have to decide which of two arguments that have been propounded is really the argument they have to come down upon in support of. One is, we have heard, that we offer lack of democracy. We just heard that. I guess that means insufficient input, ability for Members, et cetera. Another debate we just heard is that the legislation that we brought forth should do more. We have presented this resolution the first day that we are back to do what we are able to do on the first day we are back, having done it through regular order. In other words, the Rules Committee had a hearing on this resolution and brought it forth yesterday for the consideration of the floor today. With regard to the other aspects that have been mentioned here, it is precisely because of our offer of full democracy, regular order, the committee process that the Speaker has instructed that this legislation go through, the ethics reform go through, that it is not before us in its completion today. In other words, with regard to all these other ideas that have been mentioned, precisely they are going to be considered, not only under regular order by the appropriate committees, but the Speaker has asked that all of those committees act with great promptness; in other words, that they report back within 4 to 6 weeks. So we are offering what we are offering today, which is important, which I am glad as my friend from Massachusetts says he is going to vote for and I will join with him in voting for. In addition, we are offering so much democracy that we are submitting to the regular order the consideration of all of these ideas that have been mentioned by the distinguished Member from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan) and others. So substantive ideas of importance, the first day we are back we have brought forth to the floor, due to the leadership and instruction of the Speaker, who has demanded that we act immediately, and with regard to input ability, ability for discussion, for thought, et cetera; in other words, plenty of democracy, we are also offering that, Mr. Speaker, with regard to all of these other important ideas which our friends on the other side of the aisle have mentioned. They have mentioned some of them. So in summary, Mr. Speaker, this is an important piece of legislation that I am glad we are bringing forth today. It shows the seriousness of the Speaker of the House, of the chairman of the Rules Committee, of the Committee of Rules generally and the leadership to consider this important issue. So I am glad we are considering it the first day we are back.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues about Jorge Luis Garcia Perez, better known as Antunez, a long suffering and heroic political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba. Antunez, Mr. Speaker, is the face of the real Cuba. Antunez has been locked in the totalitarian gulag since 1990. In a sham trial, he was sentenced to 6 years in prison for ``oral enemy propaganda.'' In May 1993, he was tried in a second sham trial, and sentenced to an additional 15 years to be served from that moment. In total, Antunez has been sentenced to 18 years in Castro's grotesque, inhuman gulag. Despite being locked up in the tyrant's gulag, Antunez has bravely carried out heroic activism in Cuban jails, writing reports on prison conditions and carrying out numerous protests and hunger strikes to demand more humane treatment for prisoners. He has never wavered in his commitment to human rights and democracy for the Cuban people. Antunez has never given in to the beatings, the punishment cells and the instruments of torture inflicted on him by the Castro regime. Antunez always rises up and calls out, demanding human rights and freedom for Cuba. After over 15 years in the gulag, Antunez is still feared and relentlessly attacked by the dictatorship. According to the Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2004, ``on July 6, family members of political prisoner Jorge Luis Garcia Perez, reported being beaten along with Garcia during a prison visit. Authorities handcuffed and beat Garcia and later punched his sister and kicked his girlfriend's 9 year old son after the visitors protested the harsh treatment.'' No matter how intense the repression, no matter how horrifically brutal the consequences to him and his family, Antunez will not waiver in his conviction that Cuba should be and will be free. He is a symbol of dignity and heroic resistance to tyranny. Mr. Speaker, this courageous man has been in Castro's gulag since 1990, for failing to keep silent about the nightmare that is the Castro regime. My Colleagues, it is a profound embarrassment for mankind that the world stands by in silence and acquiescence while political prisoners are systematically tortured because of their belief in freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. We should never forget those who are locked in gulags because of their desire to be free. We must demand the immediate and unconditional release of Jorge Luis Garcia Perez and every prisoner of conscience in totalitarian Cuba.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, once again I rise today to speak about Ricardo Gonzalez Alfonso, a political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez is the president of the Manuel Marquez Sterling Journalists Society and an independent reporter in totalitarian Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez works and writes to inform the world about the gross human rights abuses that occur every day under the repressive regime of the Cuban dictator. Unfortunately, writing and reporting the truth is not allowed under Castro's tyrannical dictatorship. All attempts to portray the absolute lack of freedom in totalitarian Cuba are viciously condemned and their authors are imprisoned or exiled. Mr. Gonzalez has been harassed by Castro's thugs since 1997, and on March 18, 2003, he was arrested for his insistence on publishing the truth about Castro's totalitarian Cuba. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Gonzalez was 53 years old when he was condemned to 20 years in Castro's gulag. The conditions in the Cuban totalitarian gulag are so atrocious as to almost guarantee that Mr. Gonzalez will not walk out if he were to have to serve the entirety of his sham sentence. Let me be very clear, Mr. Gonzalez has been sentenced to die in the gulag by the Cuban tyrant for writing the truth about Castro's brutal, repressive and disgusting regime. Mr. Gonzalez's wife is calling for the governments of free nations, NGOs, and all those that cherish human rights to demand the release of her husband. I applaud her bravery and patriotism and join her cause. It is categorically unacceptable that men and women who demand freedom from tyranny are locked in the dungeons of monsters. The willful ignorance of Cuba's suffering under the Castro regime by much of the world's press, and most of the international community, amounts to aiding and abetting the Cuban dictatorship. Let us never forget and always support, those who are struggling to liberate their people from the grip of tyranny. Mr. Speaker, we must cry out for the release of all those who languish in dungeons because they believe in human rights and freedom. My Colleagues, we must demand the immediate and unconditional release of Ricardo Gonzalez Alfonso and every prisoner of conscience locked in Castro's toalitarian gulag.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about Antonio Augusto Villareal Acosta, a political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba. Mr. Villareal Acosta is an economist and bookkeeper under a regime that bans truth and facts. As a student of truth, Mr. Villareal Acosta quickly joined the courageous opposition to demand human rights, democracy, and freedom from tyranny. Because he believes in freedom and because he actively and peacefully advocates for liberty, Mr. Villareal Acosta has been targeted by the despotic regime. In March 2003, as part of the tyrant's heinous island wide crackdown on peaceful, prodemocracy activists, Mr. Villareal Acosta was arrested by the regime. In a sham trial, he was sentenced to 15 years in the totalitarian gulag. Mr. Villareal Acosta is languishing in the revolting, hellish gulag. However, being confined in these inhuman conditions has not stopped him from continuing to demand freedom and justice for the people of Cuba and his fellow political prisoners. Amnesty International reports that Mr. Villareal Acosta has participated in hunger strikes while imprisoned in Castro's dungeon. He has undertaken these strikes to bring attention to the repulsive squalor of the gulag, the lack of medical attention, and the barbaric punishment cells; all of his actions have been in defiance of the machinery of repression that has unjustly confined him in these repugnant conditions. Mr. Speaker, it remains categorically unacceptable that men and women who demand freedom from tyranny are locked in the dungeons of tyrannical monsters. Here, under the dome that represents freedom and democracy, we must continue to demand the liberation of all who suffer in the darkness of totalitarianism. Let me be clear, the willful ignorance of Cuba's suffering under the Castro regime by much of the world's press and most of the international community, amounts to abetting the Castro dictatorship. Let us never forget, and always support, those who are struggling to liberate their people from the grip of tyranny. My Colleagues, we must demand the immediate and unconditional release of Antonio Augusto Villareal Acosta and every prisoner of conscience locked in Castro's totalitarian gulag.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 565 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. (Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 565 is a standard, traditional rule for consideration of the conference report for the fiscal year 2006 Departments of Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, District of Columbia, and Independent Agencies appropriations conference report. The rule waives all points of order against the conference report and against its consideration. The underlying legislation before us, Mr. Speaker, makes appropriations for the departments that I have mentioned. The bill is fiscally sound. It represents our commitment to provide the necessary resources for programs and projects throughout the Nation ranging from transportation to housing and the judiciary and the Executive Office of the President and the District of Columbia. It is well-known that our transportation infrastructure is the backbone of the economy. Obviously, its continued strength is essential to economic growth, and the bill ensures that we continue to have a reliable and stable transportation infrastructure that will help the economy continue to grow. The bill includes almost $37 billion in funds for our highway system, an increase of $1.6 billion. These funds will serve the American people by contributing to a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient highway system that meets the vital national interests and enhances the quality of life. The underlying legislation includes $13.8 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration. Included in this amount is $25 million to hire and train 595 new air traffic controllers. This is a vitally important aspect of this legislation and is critical as air traffic controllers begin to retire, and, nevertheless, air traffic continues to increase. Certainly in my district, home to Miami International Airport, the third largest international airport in the country, we are very well aware of how important the air traffic controllers are. Without an increase in the number of air traffic controllers, MIA would not be able to continue its projected growth to serve as really the hub of the Americas. Housing and Urban Development is funded at $34 billion. That is an increase of $2.1 billion over last year. The funds will permit the Department to administer programs that assist the public with housing needs, economic and community development, fair housing opportunities, and will also empower low- and moderate-income residents toward self- sufficiency. Under HUD, the bill includes funding for such important programs as Tenant Based Rental Assistance, also known as section 8, and other important programs. H.R. 3058, Mr. Speaker, provides $5.8 billion for the Judiciary. It is an increase of 6 percent. This will fully fund the Judiciary's request for security improvements at Federal facilities and will enable the courts, obviously, to continue to effectively carry out their duties to guarantee the rule of law. This is a good bill, Mr. Speaker. I think it is essential to our continued commitment to our transportation needs and the needs obviously encompassed, dealt with, by the other departments that we are funding today. I want to thank Chairman Lewis, Chairman Knollenberg and everybody who has worked so hard on this legislation. I know it has been a tough, tough bill, and it has required a lot of work. I urge my colleagues to support both the rule and the underlying legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time. Sometimes subtleties are lost, especially when we are dealing with very difficult, critical issues, such as war and peace, and unfortunately, the message has gone out quite clearly to the world press, as recorded throughout the world today by the media, that there is a serious diminution in support for the mission that the United States of America is engaged in in Iraq here in Congress. So I think that this resolution today is very important to eliminate any confusion that may exist by virtue of a very clear message that has spread around the world today of a serious diminution of the mission of our troops, and that this resolution will clear up that confusion. Let us say very clearly with this resolution, with the overwhelming defeat of the message of diminution of support, that we stand with the troops and that we stand with the mission of the troops; of being in Iraq until there is a stable, democratic government there. That is critical for the security not only of the Iraqi people, but of all of the neighborhood in that area and of the United States.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about Ricardo Ramos Pereira, a political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba. Mr. Ramos Pereira is a member of the November 30 Democratic party and a member of the pro-democracy opposition in totalitarian Cuba. Unfortunately, those who believe that freedom, liberty, and the right to worship are the birthright of all men and women are targeted by the tyrant's machinery of repression. According to an article for the Information Bridge Cuba Miami (IBCM), Mr. Ramos Pereira was arrested on January 25, 2002 for participating in a mass offered on behalf of all the political prisoners in Cuba. IBCM also reports that on February 28, 2002, Mr. Ramos Pereira was arrested for simply participating in a civic activity at the Catholic Church of the Passionists. More than 2 years later, in a sham trial, he was sentenced to 5 years in the totalitarian gulag. Let me be very clear, Mr. Ramos Pereira is currently languishing in the depraved conditions of the totalitarian gulag for his belief in freedom. The U.S. State Department describes the conditions in the gulag as, ``harsh and life threatening.'' The State Department also reports that police and prison officials beat, neglect, isolate, and deny medical treatment to detainees and prisoners. It is a crime of the highest order that people are imprisoned in these nightmarish conditions simply for their belief in democracy and freedom of religion. Mr. Ramos Pereira is one of the many heroes of the peaceful Cuban democratic movement who are locked in the dungeons of the dictatorship for their beliefs. They are symbols of freedom and democracy who will always be remembered when freedom reigns again in Cuba. President Bush addressed those brave men and women who spread the light of freedom in the darkest corners of the world when he said, in his second inaugural address, ``Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know: America sees you for who you are: the future leaders of your free country.'' Mr. Speaker, it is a profound embarrassment for mankind that the world stands by in silence and acquiescence while political prisoners are systematically tortured in totalitarian gulags. My Colleagues, we must demand the immediate and unconditional release of Ricardo Ramos Pereira and every political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 307) and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 553 is a fair rule. It provides for consideration of H.R. 1065, the United States Boxing Commission Act. The rule allows for consideration of the amendments, all the amendments that were submitted to the Rules Committee. We are making in order all the amendments that were submitted to the Rules Committee. It also provides 1 hour of general debate, with 40 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and 20 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary. The rule also provides one motion to recommit, with or without instructions. The underlying bill, Mr. Speaker, would establish a Federal boxing regulatory agency, the United States Boxing Commission. The commission would have the responsibility to protect the general interests of boxers, ensure uniformity, fairness, and integrity in professional boxing, and oversee all the professional boxing matches in the United States. The boxing commission, in consultation with the Association of Boxing Commissions, will formulate uniform minimum standards for professional boxing. The commission would also ensure that Federal and State laws applicable to professional boxing are enforced and will assist State boxing commissions in meeting the minimum standards prescribed by the bill. The bill requires that every boxer, promoter, or sanctioning organization connected with a boxing match must obtain a license from the boxing commission. The license could be suspended or revoked for violations of the standards adopted by the commission. This bill does not preempt any existing State boxing standards. As I stated before, Mr. Speaker, what it does is it establishes a national boxing commission really to oversee this sport, which is a sport of long tradition; but it is obviously one that is peculiar in terms of its degree of violence. Mr. Speaker, when I was a child, I remember I was living in Spain. We had a friend, my family had a friend, who was in exile from Cuba. He was living in Madrid at the time. He had been welterweight champion of the world. He was a fine, gentle man. Really just an extraordinary human being. His name was Kid Tunero. He was very famous not only in Cuba but throughout the boxing world. And I remember, and obviously this bill is not directly related to this that I am going to bring up now, but he impacted me in a number of ways. I remember his gentleness. It was impacting that a man who had made such a reputation as a champion boxer was perhaps one of the most gentle men that I have ever met. And he had two sons, and they were both artists. I do not know where they are today. At that time they were living in Paris. And he told me, I would do anything in the world, anything in the world, so that my sons are not boxers because of what you go through when you are a boxer. Not only the actual physical torture, the physical pain, but having to deal with really much of an unfortunate set of circumstances. By the way, another aside, he was such a great boxer, Kid Tunero, in Madrid I remember, when I was a child, he was training a young man who became the flyweight champion of the world, and I met him. That was the only time I have ever been to a boxing fight, but I remember he got us really good seats. Imagine he was training Legra, and Legra got to be the flyweight champion of the world. Mr. Speaker, I will tell the Members I remember I was 9 years old and to this day I can tell the Members I was up ringside being shocked, and I can remember the shock that I felt at the violence, the violence of that sport, the physical pain that those two boxers were feeling. I have never gone back to a match. I respect it. There are millions, millions of fans. What we want to do with this legislation is set minimum standards for the protection of those people who make a living out of that tough sport. So even though Kid Tunero is no longer around, no longer with us, I think of him today and the lessons that I learned from him, how to be an ultimate gentleman. What a great man he was. Anyway, that is what we are doing with the underlying legislation, Mr. Speaker. The will of the House will be manifested today, and people can either establish or not establish the boxing commission, but we are bringing forth that legislation with this rule. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that my friend has advocated for the importance of States' rights. I think that is something that is to be commended. We certainly do believe in the American system of federalism. We do believe as well in regular order, and this bill came up. There were hearings before Chairman Barton. Mr. Stearns was telling us in the Rules Committee about how impacted he was at the hearing when he listened to Mrs. Ali because Muhammad Ali could not speak, but he was insisting on supporting, through Mrs. Ali, urging the committee to support and pass out this legislation because of corruption that exists in the boxing world and the need to regulate the sport and eliminate that corruption. We believe in regular order in addition to federalism, and this bill had hearings. It came up through regular order, and we believe in letting the House express its will. Every single amendment, every single amendment that was brought to the Rules Committee for consideration was made in order for debate. I am going to vote for the bill, and obviously the Members can make up their minds whether they support it or not. I urge all Members to support this rule. The rule is fair and made in order every amendment submitted to the Rules Committee. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. (Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 553 and ask for its immediate consideration.