Charles Dent

Mr. DENT

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 86, the resolution under consideration.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 86) congratulating the New England Patriots for winning Super Bowl XXXIX.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. On behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Pittsburgh Steelers and all of their fans, I urge all Members of the House to support the adoption of House Resolution 86.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I have no other requests for time at the moment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bradley), my distinguished colleague.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am truly honored to be a new Member of the House. I look forward with great anticipation to this body's numerous deliberations on consequential issues in the months and years ahead. Engaging in debate for this resolution, however, is unfortunately not one that I have looked forward to. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 86 congratulates the New England Patriots on winning Super Bowl XXXIX over the Philadelphia Eagles 24 to 21 on February 6, Super Bowl Sunday. As a big Eagles' fan myself, I know the rules of the House preclude me from wearing this hat, but I thought I would just show it to our audience. I am a dear and devoted Eagles' fan, but I had a very tough day, as did millions of other Eagles' fans across the country. With this Super Bowl title, their third in the last four seasons, the Patriots have indeed earned their place atop the football world, and they deserve this honor from the House. On behalf of all Members, I salute the Patriots for solidifying their place as one of the most successful dynasties in NFL history. In this era of great parity in the NFL, the Patriots' recent success may not soon be replicated. Their three Super Bowls put New England in a class with other great franchises in pro-football history, like the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s, the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s, and the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s. This was the Patriots' ninth straight win in the playoffs over the past 4 years, which equals the great run of Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers during the 1960s as the best pro-season stretch of all time. Led by their infallible coach Bill Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady, safety Rodney Harrison and Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch, the Patriots continued to do whatever it takes to win big games, and the Brady branch connection proved too much for the Eagles. They have won each of their three Super Bowls by just three points, but Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to recognize our Philadelphia Eagles for their outstanding season as well. The Eagles went 13-3 during the regular season and reached the Super Bowl for the first time since 1981 and the second time in team history. Quarterback Donovan McNabb has been their catalyst all season. He threw for a whopping 357 yards and three touchdowns on Super Bowl Sunday, and wide receiver Terrell Owens, who broke his leg and tore a knee ligament just 7 weeks before the Super Bowl, returned for the first time and remarkably caught nine passes for 122 yards. Over 130 million Americans are estimated to have watched at least part of the Super Bowl, nearly half of all residents. Super Bowl Sunday has become an unofficial holiday in this country, and for the third time in 4 years, the New England Patriots, and the Brady branch connection in particular, proved to all of us that they are indeed the champions of football. Mr. Speaker, while I am indeed heartbroken and crestfallen in the wake of the Eagles' loss, I want to sincerely congratulate my colleague, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) both for the success of his Patriots and for moving forward this resolution on the team's behalf. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DENT

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H. Res. 324, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Feeney), my distinguished colleague, the sponsor of H.R. 324.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 324, a bill to designate the U.S. postal facility at 321 Montgomery Road in Altamonte Springs, Florida, as the Arthur Stacey Mastrapa Post Office Building. I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Feeney) for sponsoring this legislation to honor Sergeant Mastrapa, a courageous American hero whom our Nation lost in the war on terror. Sergeant Arthur Mastrapa of Apopka, Florida, an Army Reservist and military police officer, was killed in a rocket attack at a logistics support facility in Balad, Iraq, on June 16, 2004. He was 35 years old. His loss was made more tragic because it came just 2 days before he was due to return home with his comrades in the 351st Military Police Company, based in Ocala, Florida. He is survived by his loving wife, Jennifer, and his two loving children, Marisa and Reese. Nothing could be more appropriate or fitting than to name this post office after Sergeant Mastrapa. Mastrapa was a Reservist and a postal letter carrier who worked full time at this post office on Montgomery Road in Altamonte Springs. I hope and pray that the dedication of this facility in Altamonte Springs will be a meaningful reminder of Arthur's life and service to his family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. The Mastrapa family needs to know that the heartfelt thoughts and prayers of all the Members of the House of Representatives are with them. We join them in mourning their loss. The United States of America owes its security and freedom to people like Arthur Mastrapa. Sergeant Mastrapa and our Armed Forces have helped to prevent another attack against America since September 11, 2001, by taking the war on terror straight to where our enemies live and plot. Certainly, the wonderful democratic election in Iraq on January 30 was in no small part possible to Sergeant Mastrapa's heroism. I know the Iraqi people, like all Americans, would thank Arthur if they could. Mr. Speaker, I thank the House leadership for selecting this bill for floor consideration, and I greatly thank my distinguished colleague from Florida for working on H.R. 324. I urge all Members to support this honor for Sergeant Arthur Mastrapa. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 324.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 324) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 321 Montgomery Road in Altamonte Springs, Florida, as the ``Arthur Stacey Mastrapa Post Office Building''.

Mr. DENT

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support and agree to House Concurrent Resolution 25. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Government Reform, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 25. This important resolution recognizes the tremendous contributions of Ezell Blair, Jr.; David Richmond; Joseph McNeil; and Franklin McCain to the civil rights movement. These four individuals, known as the ``Greensboro Four,'' became tireless icons in our Nation's struggle for civil rights and fairness for all Americans. Mr. Speaker, on a winter afternoon in North Carolina in 1960, this quartet of college freshmen grabbed the attention of the entire world. It was February 1, 1960, when these four simply took their seats at the lunch counter of F.W. Woolworth's in Greensboro, North Carolina. But there was nothing simple about this act. As was to be expected at that time, the young men were refused service when they sat at the segregated counter at about 4:30. Each of them sat quietly at the counter until the store closed at 5:30. They returned to sit at the same segregated counter the next day. This time they were joined by about two dozen other students. The presence of these 30 or so young people overwhelmed the small diner, but again they were denied service. The next day, February 3, students occupied 63 of the 65 available seats at the lunch counter. These civilized acts of defiance inspired similar sit-ins across North Carolina in the days that followed. By the end of February, such protests were taking place at eateries all over the South. Ultimately, the Greensboro Four induced the integration of public accommodations throughout many segregated southern States. Even Woolworth's integrated all of its stores in July of 1960. Mr. Speaker, what an awesome action this was for anyone to take, yet alone four college freshmen. Ezell Blair, David Richmond, Joseph McNeil and Franklin McCain transcended the Nation's civil rights struggle by starting this series of sit-ins. The Greensboro Four deserve the commendation of the Congress 45 years after their historic demonstration for their contribution to the civil rights movement. I am so pleased to be a cosponsor of House Concurrent Resolution 25. I thank the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina for authoring this meaningful resolution. I urge all my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the concurrent resolution under consideration.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 25) recognizing the contributions of Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair, Jr.), David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, and Franklin McCain, the ``Greensboro Four'', to the civil rights movement.

Mr. DENT

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 80, as amended, commends all State fire chiefs associations. Every State in the Union has a fire chiefs association. These groups provide valuable leadership skills to career and volunteer chiefs, chief fire officers and managers of emergency service organizations throughout the United States. The members are literally on the front lines of the homeland security effort, ready to respond in a moment's notice to crisis situations anywhere in America. Fire chiefs are unquestionably the world's leaders in fire fighting, first response, emergency medical services, natural disasters, search and rescue, and many other areas of public safety. Their efforts largely go unnoticed, which is why I am so pleased that the House is taking time to recognize fire chiefs associations today. Mr. Speaker, my thanks go to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goode) for introducing this resolution. I urge the adoption. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 80) recognizing the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association on the occasion of its 75th anniversary and commending the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association for sponsoring annually the Mid- Atlantic Expo and Symposium, as amended.

Mr. DENT

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 14, my vote was not recorded. Had it been recorded, I would have voted ``yea.''