Dennis Kucinich

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. The gentlewoman is correct, and we go back to this, that there is a way out of this mess that we are in. We need a comprehensive solution to the crisis in Iraq, and that solution appropriately involves the world community through the United Nations. Those inspections ought to begin immediately, and we should work cooperatively with all nations to rid Iraq of any weapons of mass destruction or any capability they may have if such weapons exist, and we should come up with a comprehensive solution which includes negotiations over sanctions because we know that hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi children have perished because of those sanctions, and we should include negotiations over the no-fly zone. We need to create a framework in the region for a zone free of weapons of mass destruction to ensure we do not come back to the situation at another time. The thing that gets me is we want Iraq to give up weapons of mass destruction if they have them, but why would Saddam Hussein want to cooperate with the United States if we have a policy of regime change which also includes a policy of wanting to assassinate him? If you have inspectors in your country and they are measuring you for a box, you might think twice about showing them around because sooner or later something might happen to you. So if we truly want to get rid of weapons of mass destruction, we should set aside the regime change policy which defeats the goal of assuring compliance. We should rescind our policy which permits assassination of foreign leaders. I think there is a comprehensive solution which can avoid the war, and if the administration truly desires a solution without war, it must explain how that squares with its stated policy of regime change. The goal of the United Nations is weapons inspections with these competing goals of, on one hand, weapons inspections and then regime change is going to make it very difficult to have peaceful resolution. I think that war is not inevitable here. Except if the administration's goal, if the irreducible goal is the overthrow of the Iraqi government, then we are going to have difficulty completing the inspections in which we place so much hope. So one of the things that we have been told over the last few weeks is that Iraq presents an imminent threat. A number of us have had discussions across the country, and we have talked to people who are really learned on these arms issues, and they say Iraq really is not an imminent threat. So what is the rush to war? In my district, which is similar to the gentlewoman from Ohio's (Ms. Kaptur), in Toledo, in Cleveland, people talk about an imminent threat, but they do not talk about Iraq. They talk about the threat of not having health insurance. There are 41 million people in this country without health insurance. That is imminent threat. Senior citizens talk about not having access to a plan which can reduce the cost of prescription drugs for them. The high cost of prescription drugs, that is an imminent threat to the American people. The corruption in Wall Street which took hundreds of billions of dollars away from investors over a period of time, that is an imminent threat. So many people lost their 401(k)s. That is imminent threat. People in our manufacturing industries losing their job, that is imminent threat to the American people and a long-term threat to our economy. I get calls in my office in Cleveland from people who are right on the edge of losing their homes. They have an imminent threat of losing their homes. People who need a job, retirees who lost their health insurance because their company went bankrupt, they are an imminent threat because they cannot get decent health care and they are in their senior years, not yet eligible for Medicare, though. American people have a right to expect that we do something about these issues that affect their domestic economy, but because of all this war talk, because of this talk of an imminent threat from Iraq, which does not have usable weapons of mass destruction, which does not have the ability to deliver those weapons, which has not indicated an intent to do so, which did not have anything to do with 9-11, which did not have anything to do with al Qaeda, which did not have anything to do with the anthrax attacks, because of this imminent threat by Iraq, we somehow are supposed to forget all of the concerns of the American people who are suffering in this economy and an economy which is slowing down. We are supposed to forget all that because Iraq is an imminent threat. Iraq is not an imminent threat, but the destruction of the American economy, the destruction of people's 401(k)s, the destruction of a family when someone has a serious illness and they cannot pay for it, that is an imminent threat, and we in this country have an obligation. We should demand that this country start focusing on the real problems which affect the daily lives of the American people. I did not come here to have to cast a vote on a bogus war against Iraq to let the real human concerns of my people in my district go wanting. As the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) said, $100 billion and more will be spent on this war and my senior citizens in my district are splitting their pills so they can make their prescriptions last because they cannot afford the cost of a prescription drug.

Mr. KUCINICH. I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio.

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman is correct in suggesting that we should open up discussions and negotiations. I mean, is that not our purpose as a Nation to find a way to communicate with other nations and with the community of nations bring about global security? Certainly when any one nation in that community of nations wants to stand apart and threaten the safety and the peace of the community of nations, that needs to be regarded. That is why we need arms inspectors in Iraq. But I want to go back to something I said initially, and that is that Iraq has not been connected to 9-11. There is no connection at all. There is no connection between Iraq and al Qaeda. Even the CIA had to admit that. There is no connection between Iraq and the anthrax attacks. Americans are still grieving about 9-11, but I do not think there is a single person in this country who believes that we should attack a Nation as a payback for 9-11 when they did not have anything to do with it, and yet some people in this confusion are turning around and connecting Iraq with 9-11. We need the inspectors, but we already know from the work that Scott Ritter did that there are not any usable weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. They do not have the ability to deliver such weapons to attack the United States. If Israel thought they had the ability to deliver such weapons to Israel, Israel has the military force to destroy that Iraqi capability if they had it.

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to address the House of Representatives. I would first like to say that in this next hour, I and several of my colleagues will discuss the issue which is uppermost in the minds of the American people, the issue of war and peace, the issue of whether our sons and daughters are going to be sent to a distant land to fight in a war which the American people really have not had a chance to talk about in their own communities. So tonight we are going to make the case as to why the United States should not go to war against Iraq. We are going to talk about the various elements which are motivating this effort to go to war against Iraq; and finally, we are going to talk about what people can do who are concerned about what appears to be this effort that has almost seemingly unstoppable momentum towards a war, because this still is the government of the people. That is the beauty of this wonderful forum we are in, the House of Representatives, and we are going to this evening have an opportunity to show how a government of the people works, not only here, but how it works back in the communities which we represent. So as we begin our discussion, I want to recognize my colleague, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), who has been a fearless defender of the rights of working people, a defender of the highest principles this country stands for, and someone who is respected and admired across this Nation. I want to thank the gentlewoman for participating in this 1-hour, and at this time I yield to her.

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) and again repeat what an honor it is to serve with her in this House and I thank her for enabling me to be in this House because she assisted in that effort. Mr. Speaker, I want to raise this question, and that is why is war with Iraq being presented as inevitable? Is it not time to insist that our leaders suspect this incessant talk of preemptive war, of assumed right to unilateral action, and is it not time for insistence upon preventative diplomacy and our obligations to work with the world community on matters of global security? Why is this war being presented as inevitable? The headlines from the New York Times of September 12, 2002, read: Bush to Warn UN, Act on Iraq or U.S. Will. He Leads Nation in Mourning at Terror Sites. Mr. Speaker, there is no credible evidence linking Iraq with 9-11. There is no evidence linking Iraq with al Qaeda. There is no evidence linking Iraq with the anthrax attacks on this Nation. There is no credible evidence that Iraq has usable weapons of mass destruction, the ability to deliver those weapons or the intention to do so. When Iraq used such weapons, sad to say, they did it with the knowledge and sometimes with materials from the United States. During the administration of Ronald Reagan, 60 helicopters were sold to Iraq. Later reports said Iraq used U.S. helicopters to spray Kurds with chemical weapons. We have heard about that. We have heard about the Kurds being attacked by Iraq with chemical weapons, but what we have not heard is that U.S. helicopters were used. According to the Washington Post, Iraq used mustard gas against Iran with the help of intelligence from the CIA. Now, we heard that Iraq used mustard gas against Iran, but we did not hear that they did it with the help of intelligence from the CIA. Intelligence reports cited the use of nerve gas by Iraq against Iran. What was Iraq's punishment? At that time, the United States reestablished full diplomatic ties, believe it or not, around Thanksgiving of the year 1984, for the fans of George Orwell. Throughout 1989 and 1990, U.S. companies, with the permission of the administration of the first President Bush, sent the government of Saddam Hussein tons of mustard gas precursors, live cultures for bacteriological research, helped to build a chemical weapons factory, supplied West Nile virus, supplied fuel air explosive technology and computers for weapons technology, and hydrogen cyanide precursors, and computers for weapons research and development, and vacuum pumps and bellows for nuclear weapons plants. Now, we have to recognize that our country made a mistake in its past dealings with Iraq; that America made a mistake giving biological weapon capability and chemical weapon capability and nuclear weapon capability to Saddam Hussein. That was a mistake. But we also have to recognize that the Gulf War destroyed most of that capability; that through 7 years of work, Scott Ritter, an arms inspector, determined that 95 percent of what they were able to track down in terms of Iraq's weapons have been eliminated through that weapons inspection process, and anything else was obliterated during the war. So there is a good reason to believe that Iraq does not have any usable weapons of mass destruction. I want to conclude this part, and then go to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), and then back to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur). There is a way out of this. We do not have to go to war. It is important that we get those inspectors in there on a timely basis. There is a comprehensive solution to the crisis in Iraq. It appropriately involves the United Nations. Inspections for weapons of mass destruction should begin immediately, and inspectors should have free and unfettered access to all sites; but, also, we need new negotiations concerning the counterproductive policies of regime change and sanctions. Emergency relief should be expedited; free trade, except in arms, must be permitted; foreign investments must be allowed; and the assets of Iraq abroad must be stored. So, in conclusion, on this segment, Mr. Speaker, this whole idea about war being inevitable is wrong. War is not inevitable. We do not have to send America's sons and daughters to perish in the streets of Baghdad. We do not have to do that. There is a way out of this, and the American people have a right to expect that we solve this without going to war. They have a right to expect it. I want to thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), who has been articulate and passionate and learned in her explication of this issue, as she is in her explication of all issues; who serves honorably and with great integrity on the Committee on the Judiciary. I want to say what a pleasure it is to have the participation of the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) in this discussion. I thank the gentlewoman for her presence, and I yield to her.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember September 18th, 1988, a day fourteen years ago that a totalitarian military regime in Burma brutally shot, stabbed, and tortured its way to control. The regime killed an estimated 10,000 innocent people who marched on the streets and called for democracy, including women, children, students, Buddhist monks, teachers and others from all walks of life. To this day, the 50 million people of Burma still suffer gross human rights abuses. According to credible organizations including the United Nations, U.S. State Department, and Amnesty International, the Burmese regime presses millions of persons into forced labor, holds over a thousand political prisoners, and organizes systematic, mass rapes in the Shan state. Evidence shows that Burma's military regime is among the world's most brutal. In fact, the regime is so fearful of its own people that it has established a military intelligence service to squash free thinking and prevent even the discussion of ideas like freedom and democracy. On August 17th and 18th of this year, 15 students from the Rangoon University and Rangoon Institute of Technology, all under age 21, were arrested by the regime. Thirteen were arrested simply for forming a literary study group without permission of the authorities. Two others, Thet Naung Soe and Khin Maung Win, were arrested in front of Rangoon City Hall for handing out leaflets calling for the realization of democracy. It is expected that they will be sentenced to long prison terms where they are likely to be in serious danger of torture. In July, two youth members of the rightfully elected National League for Democracy were arrested for possessing a secretive pro-democracy journal. They were beaten severely by the police and later sentenced to seven years imprisonment in a summary trial held in the infamous Insein prison. In July, two youth members of the rightfully elected National League for Democracy were arrested for possessing a secretive pro-democracy journal. They were beaten severely by the police and later sentenced to seven years imprisonment in a summary trial held in the infamous Insein prison. At the same time the regime has abused its own people, it has initiated an international diplomatic charm offensive to curry favor with the United States and other countries. The regime announced to the world on May 6, 2002, ``We shall recommit ourselves to allowing all of our citizens to participate freely in the life of our political process.'' The United States should not be fooled by false propaganda of the regime while the people of Burma sacrifice for the freedom and democracy I believe in. The United States has always supported the struggle for freedom in Burma. Now, at this critical time, we must do all that is in our power to increase international pressure on this regime. 1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has courageously held together her country's freedom movement for the past 14 years, and she and the people of Burma deserve our ongoing support. Fourteen years into the struggle for freedom and Burma, I commend the courageous people of Burma who have never allowed their call for freedom to be crushed. Freedom united their cause. Courage gave it life. Tyranny tried to crush it. But to this day, hope inspires the people of Burma to continue in their struggle for democracy.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, for the thousands of steelworker retirees who have lost or are at risk of losing their pension and health care benefits, help is needed immediately. The bill we have introduced, the Dingell-LaHood Steel Legacy Relief Act, will ensure that all retirees of all troubled steel companies-- companies that have closed, companies that are bankrupt, companies that are being acquired--will have for themselves and their families health benefits equivalent to what's provided by Medicare, and a prescription drug benefit similar to the Blue Cross/Blue Shield program. To do this, this bipartisan bill sets up a trust fund in the Treasury Department that taps steel import duty receipts, the assets of government-assumed retiree health care plans, and a portion of the profits made by healthy steel companies that benefit from this program. We are saying that the United States will not stand by and watch while thousands and thousands of workers who helped build this country are left unable to take care of themselves and their families. We are saying to all of our nation's retired steelworkers: We have not forgotten, and we will not let you down. This bipartisan legislation is a critical step in our ongoing efforts to help the steel industry and steel workers. We pushed a long time for the Administration to initiate a Section 201 steel investigation, and finally last year we got one. We pushed the International Trade Commission to recognize the devastating effect of steel imports through a finding of injury, and we got it. Many of us have spent countless hours trying to save steel companies in our districts that are on the brink. In my hometown of Cleveland, our entire community--steelworkers, local government, state government, businesses, churches, citizens--coalesced to keep LTV from shutting the doors on our steel mills forever. And we won--the mills remain, and a new owner will keep them running. And now we are all stepping forward--the steelworkers, steel companies, Members of Congress--to ensure that men and women who have given 20, 30, even 40 years of their lives to the manufacture of steel are not left behind. I want to tell all retired steelworkers--whom I meet all the time and who ask me how they are going to afford health insurance, how they are going to take care of their families--I want to tell all of you: We will not rest until this legislation is passed.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, we owe it to the memories of those who lost their lives on 9-11 to remember, to reflect, and also to bring to justice those responsible. We also have a similar obligation not to use the events of 9-11 and the great losses which so many endured as a pretext for launching a war against Iraq. Iraq was not responsible for 9-11. Iraq has not been linked to 9-11. Yet here we are on the anniversary of that grim day, and all the administration is attempting to do is reframe 9-11 by beating the drum for war against a nation not connected to 9-11. America has had enough violence in the past year for our country to have to suffer even more violence to the truth which brings us into an unjustified war. Let us heal our Nation and heal it with truth and with justice. That is the American way.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of George ``Bullwinkle'' Durinka, for his outstanding service to our country both as a soldier and as a veteran. For the 2002-2003 year, Mr. Durinka has been selected to be the State of Ohio Commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Mr. Durinka joined the V.F.W. in 1968 following subsequent tours in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970. While overseas, he demonstrated his patriotism by earning, among others, the Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the National Defense Medal, for his honorable service as a fuel specialist in the US Air Force. Currently serving his post as Judge Advocate of the Lake Erie VFW Post 1974, from 1990 to 1994, Mr. Durinka was elected Post Commander and was named an All-State Post Commander. In 1995, he was elected District 7 Commander, serving as the Athlete-of-the-year Chairman, the POW/MIA chairman, and the Color Guard. At the national level, Mr. Durinka has served as a member of the National VFW MIA/POW Committee, the National Veterans Service Resolutions Committee, the National Youth Development and Recognition Committee, and the National Veterans Employment Committee. Outside of the V.F.W., Mr. Durinka is employed by J.G.D Associates, working as a civil engineering draftsman. Mr. Durinka enjoys training in the Martial Arts. Author of a 1985 Martial Arts book, and since 1979 the Chief Martial Arts instructor for the Western Campus of the Cuyahoga Community College, Mr. Durinka is a 4th Degree blackbelt in Tae-Kwan-Do. A family man, Mr. Durinka has the full support of his wonderful wife Judy, and the love of his two daughters, Kelly and Michelle. Mr. Speaker, please join me today in tribute to George Durinka for his exemplary record of service, and for his unrivaled dedication to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, May his upcoming opportunity to serve as State Commander prove to be an incredible and memorable part of his career serving the both the V.F.W. and America in general.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition and remembrance of Jimmy Warfield. As a trainer with the Cleveland Indians since 1971, Mr. Warfield will be remembered for his unrivaled dedication to the professional baseball community. But most importantly, Mr. Warfield will be remembered as a beloved husband, caring father, wonderful son, cherished brother, and an unforgettable friend. A native of Hershey, Pennsylvania, Mr. Warfield grew to develop a strong love not just for baseball, but for Penn Statefootball, one of his passions. Though a graduate of Indiana University, he never forgot his childhood team, and constantly followed and defended his heroes, including Penn State coach Joe Paterno. In 1971, Mr. Warfield joined the Cleveland Indians' professional baseball organization. For six years he worked as an assistant trainer under Head Trainer Paul Spicuzza. Following Mr. Spicuzza's departure six years later, Mr. Warfield took the position as Head Trainer, a position with which he was honored to hold for twenty-six years. Arriving early in the morning, and staying at the field until late at night, Mr. Warfield, called ``Bruiser'' by former Indians' manager Pat Corrales, and ``Daddy Warbucks'' by former manager Mike Hargrove, not only used his skill and experience to help ballplayers recover from injury, but he also helped them in their personal lives. He was always there to add a soothing word, or a calming piece of advice. A tolerant, amiable, and wise man, Mr. Warfield has touched hundreds of lives. Though he will be greatly missed, his life-- a life dedicated to friends and family--is cause for recognition and celebration. Mr. Warfield is a man commonly considered to be the most beloved figure in the history of the Indians' organization. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance of a truly outstanding individual, Jimmy Warfield, whose kind, compassionate and thoughtful nature profoundly impacted so many lives, in and out of the Indians' clubhouse. His unforgettable spirit will be a shining legacy which will live on forever.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, the concerns that some of us have had is that the amendment that was passed by the House would open up the possibility for the military to be empowered to act as a domestic police force and would be a clear invitation to put the Posse Comitatus Act at risk. The American constitutional experience has required the separation of the military from domestic police authority. Countries where the military has the power to act as a domestic police force include dictatorships and totalitarian regimes. I think many of us believe the Federal military is no substitute for civilian police authority. Now, notwithstanding that the underlying bill contains language reaffirming the posse comitatus, I think many of us in this Chamber are familiar with statements by some high-ranking administration officials indicating a strong interest in employing the military in a domestic police force setting. So that is what causes our concern to arise here and why we bring this matter to the House. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for allowing this opportunity for this discussion.

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, it would be unfortunate, in our efforts to improve homeland security, if suddenly our government became less open, less transparent. It would appear if we do that, then the terrorists win, because their attack is on our basic premise of democracy, of a free and open society. The current language in the bill fails to protect transferred homeland security, civil servants from whistleblower reprisals. Under the current Whistleblower Protection Act, the standard bureaucratic response has been to silence messengers blowing the whistle on national security breakdowns. Now, the Schakowsky-Kucinich-Mink amendment is designed, and it is needed, to protect national security whistleblowers by allowing them to petition Congress directly and providing an effective remedy for any reprisal taken by the new agency. Whistleblower rights are workers' rights and no worker should lose his or her job for exposing waste, cover-up, and lies of his or her superiors. It is ironic that in a bill which is designed to fight terrorism we have a provision designed to terrorize workers. The passage of this amendment is vital to protect the security of the American people. The September 11 terrorist attacks highlight a long- standing necessity to strengthen free speech protections for national security whistleblowers, a number of whom have already made significant contributions to reducing U.S. terrorist vulnerability. Now, Mr. Chairman, I just want to offer one example of a case that this House ought to be aware of, the case of Mark Graf. Mark Graf was an alarm station supervisor and Authorized Derivative Classifier. He worked 17 years at the Department of Energy's Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site. After the Wackenhut Services, a private security agency, took over this site with more than 21 tons of uranium and plutonium, Mark Graf witnessed the elimination of their bomb detecting unit, sloppy emergency drills, and negligence at taking inventory of the plutonium for months at a time. He and several other high-level officials raised serious concerns about a terrorist risk to the security of plutonium, as more than a ton of the material is unaccounted for at Rocky Flats. He took his concerns to management, which took no action. In 1995, after blowing the whistle to a Member of Congress, Mr. Graf was immediately reassigned from the areas that raised concerns in the first place. In a classified memo to the site supervisors and later to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, he outlined specific vulnerabilities which, if exploited, could result in catastrophic consequences. With no corrective action being taken, he did an interview with CBS News. After the interview, he was subjected to a psychological evaluation and placed on administrative leave. As a condition of returning to work, he was gagged from speaking to Congress, the media, the agency, and also under the threat of job termination. In 1998, he filed and later won a whistleblower reprisal complaint currently being appealed by his employers. His disclosures contributed to legislation in the 1998 Defense Authorization Bill requiring an annual review of the safety and security program. We have a nuclear industry in this country with over 100 nuclear reactors, many of which have been relicensed and have reactor vessels that have been embrittled. We have a hole in a reactor that is trying to be repaired in Toledo, Ohio. Nuclear reactors are part of the critical infrastructure. This bill would let a cover-up be, in effect, okay in the name of national security so that the public would never know about a hole in a nuclear reactor or anything that was done that compromises the security of people who lived in the area. This amendment is necessary. This amendment is in the interests of our national security and our public health.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, whistleblower rights are workers' rights. No worker should lose his or her job for exposing waste, cover-up or lies of their supervisors. It is ironic that in a bill designed to fight terrorism, we have a provision designed to terrorize workers. Congress must be able to receive the insights of security guards, border patrol agents, policemen, military and others who may need to expose security weaknesses to Congress. Therefore, the Waxman-Frost amendment improves the law, protecting whistleblowers to ensure the security of our Nation. It would apply remedies, the right to a civil action in U.S. district court. Remedies available would include lost wages and benefits, reinstatement, costs and attorney fees, compensatory damages and equitable, injunctive or any other relief that the court considers appropriate. If we really want our Nation to be secure, then let us make sure that the workers who are a part of homeland security are going to be protected when they do the right thing.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, after an attack on our Nation, Franklin D. Roosevelt told our Nation, ``We have nothing to fear but fear itself.'' Over 61 years later, we are told we have everything to fear. We now measure our fears by the size of the bureaucracy we could create to deal with those fears. But I submit that we will not have responded to the underlying conditions which have created those fears in the first place. This bill will not accomplish a more effective defense of our Nation because there has been no analysis of the threat. There has been no risk assessment. There is no sense of the actual causes of insecurity and there is no strategy which would provide justification for sweeping changes in 153 different agencies. Little in this bill demonstrates how this bill will accomplish security superior to what these 153 different agencies can now accomplish with strong leadership. $4.5 billion more will be spent, but how do we know it will work in a new department when there has not been any agency-by-agency analysis that justifies the creation of a new Department? Mr. Chairman, this House just passed a national independent commission to investigate 9/11. We will have a new department with 170,000 employees to respond to 9/11, yet the commission which will analyze 9/11 has not even begun its work. That is quite a feat, especially with our President saying tonight, ``I didn't run for office promising to make government bigger.'' 170,000 employees in this new Department, no idea how they will integrate, 10 years for the Department to be up and running. In the meantime this reorganization itself will represent a threat to the security of our Nation because it will induce paralysis and administrative breakdown.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman and the members of the committee for their work on this bill and I wish them well in conference. I want to take what I think it is going to be particularly important for the conferees to focus on the work of the committee in insisting that the language of the committee's work limits the administration to action relating only to September 11, and that, in fact, there is no authorization for any action against Iraq. It is important for this Congress to have a debate. It is important for this Congress to insist on its prerogatives under Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States, and our conference committee has an opportunity to protect that prerogative. I am hopeful that the administration will recognize the importance of having a debate over Iraq on the floor of this House. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding me time, and I want to thank the gentleman and the chair for the fine work they have done on this bill.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, when Members of Congress take an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, that includes defending article I, section 8 which says that only Congress shall have the power to declare war. The administration is proceeding with plans to invade Iraq, first with an air attack and then with an invasion of 250,000 ground troops. Yet there has been no consultation with this Congress, there has been no debate in this Congress, and there has been no vote in this Congress. The American constitutional experience relies on a separation of power. It depends upon Congress being willing to check the raw exercise of power by the executive. Wake up, Congress. We are on the verge of a major war in Iraq and the administration is ignoring our Constitution. Wake up, America. Our sons and daughters are about to be called to fight a war in Iraq, without any debate, without any sense of purpose, without any sense of direction, and with grave jeopardy.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, we all want America to be more secure. The American people are entitled to it. We need to eliminate fear and insecurity in our post-September 11 Nation, but this bill will not accomplish a more effective defense of our Nation because there has been no analysis, no risk assessment, no sense of the actual causes of insecurity, no justification for sweeping changes in 153 different agencies. Nothing in this bill will accomplish security superior to what those 153 agencies can now accomplish through strong leadership. Furthermore, it has been 16 hours since this House passed an amendment to the intelligence authorization bill which will establish a national independent commission to investigate September 11. We will have a new Department with 170,000 employees to respond to 9-11, and yet the commission that will analyze 9-11 has not even begun its work. That is quite a feat. Meanwhile, 170,000 new people in this Department, no idea of how the organization will integrate, 10 years for the Department to be up and running, in the meantime, I predict the reorganization itself will represent a threat to the security of our Nation because it will induce paralysis and administrative breakdown.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Ohio delegation, I have been proud to call Tony Hall ``leader.'' He has led our delegation with dignity and honor, and he has brought to this House a grace, a wisdom, and a compassion which has filled up this House. It is a work of mercy to feed the hungry, and Tony's life has been about showing mercy and about bringing together resources to make sure that hungry people would be fed in this country and around the world. When Tony saw a challenge, where hungry people did not have their needs met, Tony put himself on the line physically to challenge the sensibilities of our Nation and the world. So it is no surprise that President Bush would tap him to be our ambassador to the world on issues of food and issues of hunger. In his new capacity, Ambassador Tony Hall will be the one who people will look to from all over the world to deal with the challenges of world hunger. He will be the one who will make sure that the World Food Program is effective and that food gets to people who need it. He will be the one to make sure that the Food and Agricultural Organization coordinates its efforts to those most in need. He will be the one to make sure that the International Fund for Agricultural Development uses its resources to grow new opportunities for people around the world. Many of us in life are challenged to step up to our responsibilities to help others; and when we are, we sometimes hear the echo of words that come from Scriptures; and the echo that Tony Hall heard years ago was of a question that asked, ``When I was hungry, did you feed me?'' Tony Hall has been able to stand before this Congress and say, yes, and next he will stand in Rome in front of the world and answer again, yes. What a blessing it has been to work with you, Tony. God bless you. We all in this Congress look forward to working with you to continue to address the challenges of hunger, which are so serious all over this world and which your large heart encompasses, all the people of the world, so that they can share in the abundance which we know this world has. Thank you, Tony Hall.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition and celebration of the Golden Anniversary of the Garfield Heights Baseball League. I also stand in honor of the founding members of the League: Arthur Grugle, Dan Kostell and John Rawlins, and all the individuals over the past fifty years who have volunteered countless hours to ensure that the League remain a viable and significant recreational outlet for the youth of Garfield Heights. The Garfield Heights Baseball League has the noteworthy distinction of being one of the oldest self-supporting leagues in the nation. Over the years, the League has grown and changed, reflecting our evolving society in many ways. Beginning with less than one hundred players, the League grew to over ninety teams playing on nine fields by the late seventies. Today, over 1,000 youth, both boys and girls are active players in the Garfield Heights Baseball League. In 1987, the League formed the Garfield Heights Baseball League Hall of Fame. This honor is reserved for those individuals who have gone well beyond the normal call of duy in supporting or enhancing the day- to-day operations of the League, There are currently eighty-nine members in the Hall of Fame. In 1992, the League founded the Steve Huntz Alumni Award, named after the only League alumnus to play in the Major Leagues. Mr. Speaker, please join me in honor, tribute, and celebration of the past and present leaders of the Garfield Heights Baseball League, for their fifty years of commitment to the youth of Garfield Heights. These leaders are the guardians of the most beloved and historic game in American history, and because of them, the boys and girls in Garfield Heights will come to know the joy of fielding a ground ball, hitting the winning run, teamwork, and winning and losing gracefully. The Garfield Heights Baseball League has given its youthful ballplayers much more than the love of the game--they've given generations of kids an understanding of life's lessons in the form of a baseball game, and they've created cherished childhood memories that last from the early innings of childhood, to the bottom of the ninth, two down, tie score, bases loaded. Batter up.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of the Reverend Gary Hoover, OSB, on the occasion of his 25th Anniversary of his profession of vows, on July 16, 2002. Reverend Hoover, a Benedictine monk, has taught theology at Benedictine High School for the past eighteen years. He has recently been assigned to the position of Director of Alumni Affairs at the High School. In addition to his new position and teaching duties, Reverend Hoover is the director of Campus Ministry, and is the chaplain for Benedictine's athletic teams. Reverend Hoover continues to demonstrate his commitment and dedication to his faith, and to the students and families he serves. He is an integral part of what makes Benedictine High School an outstanding, faith-centered, educational institution. Mr. Speaker, please join me in honor and recognition of Reverend Gary Hoover, on the occasion of his 25th Anniversary in the priesthood. Reverend Hoover's dedication, counsel, and teaching have enhanced and strengthened the entire Benedictine community.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of the Union & League of Romanian Societies, Inc., on the occasion of their 96th Anniversary, to be celebrated in July, 2002, in Cleveland, Ohio, In 1928, two separate Romanian organizations--The Union and The League--unified to become The Union & League of Romanian Societies, Inc. The organization continues to be one of the largest Romanian organizations in the United States, and has maintained its rich history and legacy of service to others. For almost one hundred years, the members and leaders of the Union & League of Romanian Societies have offered a source of hope, faith, support and resources to American citizens of Romanian heritage, and Romanians abroad. The organization has undoubtedly been a great source of strength for thousands of Romanian immigrants, and fosters the continuity of Romania's significant cultural, religious and historic heritage. The Union & League of Romanian Societies, Inc. has an impressive record of assisting and supporting Romanians in their homeland. In 1989, a Union & League Relief Fund was established to assist Romania in its economic and social reconstruction. In 1990, a Relief Fund was created with funds specifically earmarked for Romania's most vulnerable citizenry--its children and elderly. The Society continues to demonstrate support of its homeland--connecting the old world with the new--and never forgetting the sacrifices of ancestors who journeyed before them. Mr. Speaker, please join me in honor and recognition of the Union & League of Romanian Societies, Inc., based here in Cleveland. Americans of Romanian descent have bestowed their professional talents, sense of community, and tradition and culture, within every facet of American society. Moreover, thousands of Americans of Romanian descent have made the ultimate sacrifice--giving their lives to protect the freedoms in their new American homeland, beginning with the Civil War. I stand in honor of the significant and noteworthy contributions and sacrifices that members of the Romanian community have made here in Cleveland, and across the nation.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of Joan Adler Gaul, tutor of special needs children, long-time volunteer, devoted wife and mother, and beloved grandmother. Mrs. Gaul was born and raised in Cleveland's West Park Neighborhood. After receiving her diploma from St. Stephen High School, she worked briefly as an executive assistant for a railway company, then left to begin raising her eight children. Above all, her family remained the focal point of her life. Mrs. Gaul warmly embraced life, and possessed a generous spirit. She channeled her talent, kindness and patience by volunteering her time to help special needs children. In addition, Mrs. Gaul was very active in her church, St. Angela Merici Catholic Church, where she was president of the Altar and Rosary Society. Her great enthusiasm and energy for life extended to her participation in many musicals produced by the St. Angela Players, and she also enjoyed golfing in the warmer months. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Joan Adler Gaul will be remembered as a devoted wife and trusted friend to many. Although she will be deeply missed, her legacy of caring, volunteer spirit, and great zeal for life, will live on through all who knew her well.