Dennis Kucinich

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Correct.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, this is the beginning of a lively debate that will take place over the next few days. The administration is attempting to inject this idea of this being a national security vote. Well, look at the kinds of high technology which we are buying now from China as a result of a $70 billion trade deficit where we have forgotten the commitment that we should have to this country's security first. We are buying now from China, not shipping there. We are buying turbojet aircraft engines, turbo propeller aircraft engines, radar designed for boat and ship installation, reception apparatus for radio, prison binoculars which are military issue, rifles that eject missiles by release of air and gas, parts for military airplanes and helicopters, parascopes designed to form parts of machines, turbojet aircraft engines, transmitters, bombs, grenades, torpedoes, and similar munitions of war. They are making this now and selling it back to us. What is happening with this country? We are forgetting about our own strategic industrial base.

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time there is?

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, today I speak in celebration of the 80th birthday of His Holiness Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul II was born Karol Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland in 1920. He studied secretly during the German occupation of Poland. His experience during the Nazi occupation of Poland changed his path. Karol Wojtyla was active during the war in the Christian democratic underground group and helped Jews escape Nazis. Before the end of World War II, he decided to become a priest. In 1946, he was ordained and spent eight years as a professor of social ethics at the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland. In 1964, he was named the archbishop of Krakow and only three years later he was appointed cardinal by Pope Paul VI. On October 16, 1978, Cardinal Wojtyla was elected Pope. He took the name of this predecessors, and became the first Polish leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the youngest pope in this century. John Paul II has been the most traveled, popular and political pope. He has visited over 100 countries and almost every country that would receive him. He was a strong critic of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, especially in his native Poland and Soviet Union. In addition, he has opposed economic sanctions against Cuba, Iran and Iraq. Pope John Paul II is determined in promoting liberty and equality for all the people. Pope John Paul II stays determined to lead Catholics into the third millennium. Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues will join me in sending His Holiness Pope John Paul II the best wishes for his birthday and many years of healthy and productive work. Stolat!

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Moakley amendment to the Defense Authorization bill. This amendment will officially close down the School of the Americas until a report to Congress is submitted assessing the training procedures and their effect in Latin America. Without this amendment, this bill would merely change the name of the School of the Americas to the Defense Institute for Hemispheric Security Cooperation and make other cosmetic changes. The School of the Americas needs more than superficial changes. I would like to take a moment to provide a roster of human rights violators who graduated from the School of Americas. Nineteen of 26 Salvadoran officers accused of the 1989 massacre of the Jesuits were graduates of the School of the Americas. Ten of twelve cited for the El Mozote massacre graduated from the school of the Americas. Two of the three officers cited in Archbishop Romero's assassination were School of the Americas graduates. And four churchwomen--including Dorthy Kazel, a nun from Cleveland and a friend of mine--were raped and brutally murdered in El Salvador. The UN Truth Commission investigating the murders verified that the School of the Americas trained three of the five officers responsible for the churchwomen's deaths. Dorthy Kazel was more than a friend to me. She was a friend to humanity. She went to El Salvador to bring about peace and justice for those who most desperately needed it. And she was brutally murdered for her efforts. The bill fails to make necessary changes to the School of the Americas. It does not address the crimes committed in the past, it does not provide any comfort to the families who were impacted by these human rights violators which I listed. The New School will not establish adequate screening of incoming soldiers and it will not monitor graduates of this school. I urge my colleagues to support the Moakley amendment, and if this amendment does not pass, I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill.

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, my fellow colleagues, today's New York Times reports that Dr. Theodore Postol, a prominent scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says that the National Missile Defense Plan that we are considering authorizing at this moment is a hoax. He says that the Missile Defense System cannot distinguish incoming weapons from decoys. He says in this article, in today's New York Times, that the contractors and the Department of Defense have deceptively planted the data of the tests. I want to repeat that, this article in today's New York Times says from a prominent scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology that contractors and the Department of Defense have deceptively manipulated the data of tests for this National Missile Defense System, which this bill will authorize $2.2 billion. This time we know about the scandal before we vote on the money. Dr. Postol is calling on the administration to appoint an independent high- level scientific panel to investigate alleged efforts to cover up these flaws. Why would Congress authorize $2.2 billion for more fraudulent tests on the same day that The New York Times carries this story? I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the motion to recommit in order to give us a chance to take account of the fraud in past tests of the National Missile Defense System and to save the taxpayers billions of dollars in tests. When you have the credibility of the Pentagon and of defense contractors being called into question by a prominent scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, when this report says they are covering up flaws in data, this makes it a national security matter, because if this system cannot work, then we are telling the American people to pay $2.2 billion in the hope that somehow a system will work when there is data that has been according to this scientist when there is data that has been phonied up. Now, this is a matter for the taxpayers, and it is a matter for national security. And if we care about national security, if we care about the taxpayers, we will vote to recommit this bill, straighten out this thing in committee and put forth a bill which is good and solid. I know a lot of good Members have done great work on this bill. It is a shame to have the bill clouded up with deception by the Pentagon and by defense contractors. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KUCINICH. I am, Mr. Speaker, in its present form.

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to recommit.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, today's edition of the New York Times on page A-21 has an article which I think would be very interesting to the Members of this House. The headline is ``Antimissile Systems Flaw Was Covered Up, Critic Says.'' Now, this House is due to vote on a defense authorization bill today, $2.2 billion of which will go for an antimissile defense system. This report in the New York Times claims that the Pentagon and its contractors have tried to hide failures that have shown up in the testing of this system where the system cannot distinguish between decoys and the real thing. Now, this New York Times article points out there are allegations of fraud, there are allegations of a company faking antimissile tests and evaluations of computer programs, and that there is an elaborate hoax involved here. Save the taxpayers $2.2 billion. Recommit this legislation. Do not vote for a hoax. Do not vote for fraud.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong opposition to the Sanford Amendment to H.R. 4205, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001. This amendment proposes to eliminate an important element of a federal cooperative purchasing program which allows state and local police departments to purchase supplies and services at superdiscounted federal prices. In 1997, I worked with police departments in my own congressional district to promote participation in cooperative purchasing. Twelve of my district's sixteen police chiefs attended a workshop that I sponsored on the cooperative purchasing process. I sponsored this workshop because I view cooperative purchasing as an invaluable resource for police departments seeking to maximize their operations budgets. The ability to purchase supplies and services at superdiscounted federal prices makes for better equipped and more efficient police forces. The elimination of cooperative purchasing would clearly be contrary to the interests of the tax payers not just in my own district, but across the country. Created in 1994, as a provision in the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA), cooperative purchasing takes advantage of the federal government's purchasing power. As a large consumer of all kinds of goods and services, the federal government's procurement agency--the General Services Administration (GSA)-- negotiates superdiscounted prices with the suppliers of these goods and services. Cooperative purchasing simply allows state and local police departments to purchase surplus items directly from the federal government at these superdiscounted prices. The result is millions and millions of dollars in savings for our nation's taxpayers. To eliminate cooperative purchasing would be to eliminate these savings. Cooperative purchasing has allowed state and local police departments around the nation to make meaningful cuts in their supply budgets. Some police departments have been able to cut their supply costs by 10 percent. Should we vote to eliminate cooperative purchasing, the American tax payer will be forced to pay a premium in order to properly equip the men and women who keep our nation's neighborhoods safe. The elimination of cooperative purchasing powers would represent yet another instance of special interests being promoted over the public interest. I urge my fellow Members of Congress to vote against the Sanford Amendment.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, today I speak on behalf of the people of the self-proclaimed Dnestr Moldavian Republic (DMR). Moldova, inhabited by a Romanian majority, declared its independence of the USSR in 1992. However, Moscow did not recognize their independence. Consequently, a conflict has ensued between the ethnic Russian minority and the Romanian majority, resulting in the arrest of six Romanians who have been jailed every since. The case of the ``Tiraspol Six,'' as they came to be known, was taken up by many international organizations. According to a 1998 Amnesty International Report, ''Their trial has apparently failed to meet international standards of fairness, and the men had allegedly been prosecuted for political reasons, because of their membership of the Christian Democratic Popular Front, a Moldovan party favoring reunification with Romania.'' While two of the men have been released, four others remain in jail, suffering inhumane living conditions, denial of medical treatment and of visits by international organizations. I cannot make a formal judgement on the merits of the Tiraspol Six case, but I will defer to the findings of international human rights and pro-Democracy organizations. Amnesty International urged the authorities to ``conduct prompt, impartial and effective investigations into all allegations of ill-treatment by police and to bring those responsible to justice.'' These four men remain in jail today awaiting a fair and open day in court and a right to defend themselves against the charges made against them. The United States should help to promote freedom and democracy in region, by advocating just and fair treatment in court of the people of Moldova.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. I appreciate the work done by all the members of the Committee on Armed Services. Mr. Speaker, I am here to say that I support the cause of peace, I support the defense of the United States and the men and women who serve. I also support the taxpayers of the United States of America. That is why I rise in opposition to this rule, because it authorizes a $2.2 billion boondoggle called the national missile defense, NMD. The NMD will consume defense budgets, undermine legitimate military expenditures, and contribute to the erosion of the readiness of our forces. Taxpayers will regret the day we authorize $2.2 billion in wasteful spending for the NMD. Everything is wrong about spending $2.2 billion for the missile defense building in the bill. First, the technology is not feasible, it is not testable, and it would not and could not be reliable. Second, there is no real threat that such a missile defense system could protect anyone against anything. Third, it clearly violates the ABM Treaty of 1972. The concept of the ABM Treaty recognizes that countries have nuclear missiles, swords, but could not deploy shields. If the U.S. tells Russia, we want a shield, what can Russia conclude, other than they may need a shield and more swords, more nuclear missiles? The deployment of the NMD will decouple all arms agreements. It will undermine the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. It will negate the anti- ballistic missile treaty and, furthermore, will frustrate SALT II and SALT III. It will lead directly to the proliferation by nuclear nations. It will lead to transitions towards nuclear arms by nonnuclear nations. It will make the world less safe, and lead to the impoverishment of people of many nations, as budgets are refashioned for nuclear arms expenditures. The United States would be willing to risk a showdown with Russia or China and the rest of the world over the unlikely possibility that North Korea may one day have a missile that could touch the continental United States. What that argues for is talks with North Korea, not the beginning of a new worldwide arms race. The fourth reason why this bill is wrong is that it lacks adequate funding for the cooperative threat reduction program, Nunn-Lugar, which helps in denuclearization and demilitarization of the states of the former Soviet Union. Nunn-Lugar has proven real and successful and effective in reducing nuclear threats, yet this program receives only $143 million in comparison to a total of $5.2 billion for an imaginary ballistic missile technology, the NMD, which has proven to be unworkable and easily defeated by countermeasures. Fifth, the NMD is a waste of taxpayers' money: $2.2 billion for a system which everyone knows does not and cannot work will only serve to undermine taxpayers' confidence in the spending for the military. Today's Washington Post reports that three high-level Pentagon officials, who have served in this administration are saying that a national defense missile system is expensive and unnecessarily alienating to the Russians. The Russians just passed START II and a comprehensive test ban treaty. We are saying the Cold War is over. If the Cold War is over, what are we doing putting together a national missile defense shield? The officials conclude in The Washington Post that the development and testing of the system is not mature enough for the United States to make a confident deployment decision this year. Let us recommit to nuclear arms reduction. Let us recommit to nuclear disarmament. Let us do this for ourselves and future generations. There is no security in a future saturated with nuclear weapons. The Cold War is over. The benefits of the end of the Cold War ought to start coming back to the taxpayers, not to arms contractors for a missile shield that does not work.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I am in favor of this amendment. This amendment requires the President to submit a report to Congress confirming European obligations in Kosovo. If, before April 1, 2001 a report is not submitted, then the amendment would prohibit funding for further deployment of US ground troops. This amendment is a common sense amendment. It does not withhold funding for maintaining our troops that are there currently. It is flexible because it gives the President room to waive this requirement for up to 180 days. And it provides the President time to certify that our allies are meeting up to their financial commitments. Mr. Chairman, the current situation in the Balkans is grim and unpromising. Ethnic cleansing is still taking place. More than a year later we are witnessing reversed ethnic cleansing of Serbs and Gypsies by Albanians. Since June of last year, more than 240,000 Serbs, Roma and Muslim Slav Gurani have fled the province of Kosovo. Human rights abuses are rampant. An Amnesty International report issued in February concluded that after six months of peacekeeping efforts in the region that ``human rights abuses and crimes continue to be committed at an alarming rate, particularly against members of minority communities.'' It goes on to say that UN police and KFOR troops have been ``unable to prevent violent attacks, including human rights abuses, often motivated by a desire of retribution, against non- Albanians.'' Many refugees are forced to live in nearby enclaves under heavy NATO protection. The UN's goals of maintaining a multi-ethnic, peaceful Kosovo has failed. For example, an attempt to reintegrate Serb and Kosovar children in school in the village of Plementina recently failed. In response, the UN Kosovo Mission (UNMIK) decided to build a separate school several kilometers away for security reasons. These failures have forced the head of the UN Kosovo Mission Bernard Kouchner to concede that ``the most one can hope for is that they [Serbs and Albanians] can live side-by-side.'' So, it would seem that UNMIK's mission in Kosovo has drastically changed from maintaining a multi- ethnic society to one that must learn to co-exist side-by-side, but not together. Indeed, that is not even a representative picture. Moreover, I am concerned that continued peacekeeping operations may actually facilitate an escalation in violence in the region. It is my understanding that part of the mission of KFOR is not only to ``keep the peace'' in the region, but to also train local residents into a civilian police force. My concern is that UN troops are legitimizing and institutionalizing extremist or radical elements of society there by training them to be a police force. If that's true, then our forces and our funds are propping up extremist elements in Kosovo and consolidating their power. Despite European cooperation, the United States continues to bare the majority of the financial burden in the region, and we have really nothing to show for it. Congress needs to know that our NATO allies are meeting their financial obligations. Congress needs to know that US and European taxpayer dollars are being spent proportionately. Congress needs to know that our allies will provide their share of the cost of the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. This amendment does this by prompting the President to report back to Congress on our allies commitments. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bipartisan amendment.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, if you were told that the Yankees scored six runs in a ball game, would you conclude the Yankees won? Of course not. You need to know how many runs the Yankees' opponent scored in the game to know if they won, especially if they played against our Cleveland team. Whether it is baseball or trade, people need to know the score. In this case, between the U.S. and China, the U.S. has a trade deficit with China of about $70 billion. So we are losing the game with China. The rising trade deficit is unlucky for the United States and our workers. But the bill number for PNTR for China is H.R. 4444, and four is a very unlucky number. Ask the Chinese. And the Chinese workers are unlucky already because some get only three cents an hour pay for their work. This bill is bad luck for the United States, and it is bad luck for China. Vote against PNTR.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I oppose the Military construction appropriations bill. This bill effectively appropriates $65 million for the initial phase construction of a national ballistic missile system. This bill will begin to pave the way for deploying a boondoogle of unprecedented size and a hoax of a military strategy, a so-called national missile defense system. Once we begin down the road of an expanded nuclear defense system, there may be no turning back for Washington. If the history of defense funding serves, we will be creating policies to promote the use of and spending on more missiles. We will create a gravy train for every kooky weapons idea, without regard to effectiveness and affordability. We will undermine military readiness and we will weaken U.S. defense. We need to stop this now before spending billions of dollars on a system that has only been previously tested on a computer as a simulation. Billions of taxpayers dollars will fund a weapons system that simply does not work. Let's really strengthen our military and use these funds for programs that work and that really defend against real threats. According to testimony taken from Dr. David Wright of the Union of Concerned Scientists before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: There have been no intercept tests of the NMD system, but since 1982 the U.S. has conducted 16 intercept tests of exo- atmospheric hit-to-kill interceptors, which operate in a similar manner to the planned NMD interceptor. To date, the test record of such interceptors has been absymmal. Only 2 of these 16 intercept tests scored hits, for a 13 percent success rate. And the test record is not getting better with time: the most recent successful high-altitude test occurred in January 1991 and the last 11 such intercept tests have been failures. Moreover, deploying a national missile defense system will have devastating effect on United States-Russian arms reduction talks. Recently, the Russian Parliament has ratified the START II treaty. I think we have a great opportunity to lead by example but not deploying this dangerous system. Let's continue the dialog with Russia and cooperate on reducing nuclear military threats worldwide. Let us continue to fund successful programs, the Cooperative Threat Reduction program or the Nunn-Lugar program which aims to assist Russia in the denuclearization and demilitarization of the states of the former Soviet Union. This program has proven successful and effective in reducing nuclear threats, yet this program is due to receive little in comparison to the billions that will go to a ballistic missile technology which has not been proven to be successful and which can be easily defeated with countermeasures. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill because it prematurely approves the construction of national missile defense system which has not been fully tested, does not work, and is of unprecedented cost.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior) for yielding to me. I want to thank him for the leadership that he has shown to this country. People are really concerned about basic human values, about what is right, about what is wrong. It is a privilege to be here with the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) who is my partner from the Cleveland area, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) and the other Members, including the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) who participated in this important discussion about the vote which is coming up next week, which would grant China permanent most-favored-nations trading status. During the presentation of the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior), he had talked about a book that Marianne Williamson had written. The title of the book is Healing the Soul of America. I know he remembers because she is a constituent of the people of Michigan.

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I mean it is ridiculous. So what is this trade about? It is about creating a platform in China to wipe out American manufacturing jobs, so dump cheap goods on to the market here, while the major corporations literally make a killing at the expense of the human and worker rights of the people of China. Let me tell my colleagues where this is going. For those who say, well, that is just China. Let China handle its own problems. Let us send the business over there and create business, and let China lift up its values for the people there. Well, what will happen is this, as we create an environment in China where people are working under slave labor conditions, earning 3 cents an hour and, in some cases, netting less than that, owing their employer money at the end of a month's work, where they work 16 hours a day, 6 and 7 days a week, at the end of all that, what happens in America? Those same corporations go back to the American working men and women, and they tell American working men and women they are going to have to take a wage cut. We do not want them to have a union anymore to speak for them. They better not complain about their working conditions. Do not go with trying to negotiate with us. There is nothing to negotiate. We are moving to China. We are in a time right now where we as Americans have to once again say whether or not we believe in the basic principles upon which this country was founded: the principles of liberty, the principles of democracy, the principles of equality, the principles of everyone in this country counted. One cannot do that when one is reducing the value of a human being to 3 cents an hour, to 3 cents an hour. I think there was a time in history where one of the greatest persons ever to walk this earth was sold out for 30 pieces of silver. Are we going to sell out the people of China and the people of this country for three pieces of copper?

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, she lives in Michigan and is a fine writer. In the preface to that work, she writes, ``Would Jesus, if he were a citizen of the richest nation on earth, choose to feed the poor or fatten the rich?'' She goes on to write, ``All of us are better off when contemplation of holy principles is at the center of our lives. But it is in actually applying those principles that we forge the marriage between heaven and earth, while merely dwelling on principle falls short of the human effort needed to carry out God's will.'' This book, the Healing of the Soul of America is about reclaiming our voices as spiritual citizens. Here in this August Chamber, above the Speaker, the words ``In God We Trust'' symbolize that we do believe in spiritual principles as well as trying to navigate this material world. In a way, our founders understood that, because, while they believed in the separation of church and State, as I do, they did not believe in an America that would be devoid of spiritual principles, the kind of principles that Marianne Williamson talks about in her book. When we reflect on the current situation in China, we can ask if the reports that we have in our hands, how they reconcile with spiritual principles. Is it spiritually appropriate for workers to be locked up in a work space working from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., 7 days a week, and in some cases earning 3 cents an hour. Is that spiritually appropriate? Because if we as Americans cannot see that clearly for what that represents, cannot see that when an American manufacturer moves jobs over to China, closes down factories in this country, and moves the work to China, closes down jobs in this country where workers are paid $15 an hour, $18 an hour, $20 an hour, and moves those factories to China so they can pay the workers 3 cents and hour, we have to ask is that spiritually appropriate. I think that every fair-minded American would have to agree that it is not spiritually right, it is not morally right. It is devoid of sensible economics. It is devoid of human values. This is the kind of judgment that we have to make. When we face the issue of whether or not China should be given permanent most-favored-nation status, which means that we would lose our opportunity to review the conduct of the Chinese Government when it comes to the workers. I think we have to avoid condemning the people of China in this debate, because they are our brothers and sisters. Those are our sisters working for 3 cents an hour to make Kathy Lee handbags for Wal- Mart at the Qin Shi factory where 1,000 workers are held under companies of indentured servitude, working 12 to 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, 1 day off a month, while earning an average wage of three, count them, 1, 2, 3 cents an hour. Can they buy anything that the United States would ship over there, Mr. Speaker?

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 75th anniversary of the launching of the William G. Mather Steamship on May 23, 2000. The Mather has had a presence on Cleveland's waterfront for nearly 75 years, first as a working Great Lakes freighter, and since 1991, as a floating maritime museum. The Mather is one of only four Great Lakes freighters in existence, boasting Northeast Ohio's proud heritage as a major maritime industrial and shipping center. A former flagship of the Cleveland-Cliffs fleet, the 618 foot William G. Mather was a state-of-the art technology in Great lakes freighters when first launched in 1925. It is named for long-time Cleveland-Cliffs president and leading Cleveland businessman and philanthropist, William Gwinn Mather (1857-1951). The Mather made hundreds of trips transporting iron ore from the Upper Lakes to Cleveland's waiting steam mills. This is how the Mather was nicknamed, ``The Ship That Built Cleveland.'' The William G. Mather has had a long and distinguished merchant marine career. It was one of the first commercial Great Lakes vessels to be equipped with radar in 1946. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for its industrial first of a single marine boiler system, its computer- like, automated boiler system and its dual propeller bow thrusters. In 1980, the Mather retired from service. In 1987, it was donated for restoration and preservation as a maritime museum and educational facility. Since 1991, thousands of visitors and area school children have ``come aboard'' and toured the historic Mather freighter. The Mather freighter has served this community for years as ``The Ship That Built Cleveland.'' My fellow colleagues, join me in recognizing the Mather as we celebrate its 75th Anniversary.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call the attention of my colleagues to one of the nation's most successful technology transfer programs impacting our daily lives and which promises economic advantage to our great country in the very competitive area of telecommunications. This project, call the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS), is the culmination of a decade of satellite technology development by NASA. The ACTS mission will conclude in June 2000 after 81 months of operations far exceeding its 4-year design life. Before this innovative flight project reaches its operational conclusion this summer, permit me to share with you more about its outstanding contributions and examples of how our government research spurs industry growth and jobs, and continues the worldwide preeminence of our technology base. The explosion of the Information Age and the evolution of the National and Global Information Infrastructure has created a critical need for the next generation of communications satellites. The ACTS Project centers around an experimental payload that incorporates an architecture of advanced technologies typical of what will be found in the next generation of commercial communications satellites. NASA funded this development to maintain America's dominant position in providing communications satellites to the world. This project has been led by a dedicated team of researchers and technologists at NASA's Glenn Research Center, which, I am proud to say, is within my Congressional district. Mr. Speaker, permit me to tell you more about this success story in space. The technologies selected for ACTS were those that had the potential to enhance dramatically the capabilities of the next generation of satellites. The technologies ACTS pioneered included use of a previously unused high frequency band (called Ka-band which is 20/ 30 GHZ.), a futuristic dynamic hooping spot beam antenna, advanced on- board processing and switching, and automatic techniques to overcome increased signal fades experienced at these higher frequencies. After its launch in September 1993, NASA partnered with major corporations and small businesses, academia, and other governmental agencies to demonstrate the new technology in actual user trials. An experiments program involved over 200 organizations that used the satellite for demonstrations, applications, and technology verification across the far reaches of our nation. With an ever-increasing global economy, ACTS was used to demonstrate wideband communications in five other countries (Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, and Antarctica). Applications over the satellite have been done to improve living conditions and ensure a safe and prosperous life style in areas such as telemedicine by transmitting data-intensive imagery for linking urban medical specialists to underserved areas of the U.S.; control of power grids for electric utility companies using ultra-small terminals to pool the grid in remote areas; distance learning utilizing high-quality interactive video and audio for delivery of advanced degree, continuing and remedial training to all people without regard to location; integrating design teams for business and industry; natural exploration by connecting remote research equipment over high-speed links with major companies analysis facilities; and personal and airborne mobile communications services including technologies enabling advanced passenger services onboard the U.S. commercial airline fleet. The innovative technologies proved that on-demand, integrates communications are viable, economical, and of national importance for the future of communications. The ACTS users have transformed this space technology into commercial products and services. As a result of the program, the satellite industry is on the cusp of initiating whole new constellations of satellites that represent a market size in the $10s of billions that use many of the concepts developed and verified through the ACTS program. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to share other success stories of how ACT has benefited this country in the area of satellite manufacturing. Motorola used ACTS-type on-board processing and Ka-band communications in the first operational system using ACTS technology--Iridium, and continues to include these technologies in the next generation wideband system. Hughes Space and Communications' Spaceway system will utilize an ACTS- like spot beam antenna at Ka-band frequencies to provide low-cost, global high-speed, communications to both residential and commercial users. Loral's Cyberstar will also incorporate Ka-band ACTS-type technology. Lockheed Martin's nine-satellite Astrolink system being developed includes such advances as Ka-band, on-board processing, and spot beam technology. The Teledesic system will provide service with a network of hundreds of satellites using on-board switching to route information between satellites and users. All of these systems show that our country's satellite manufacturers are integrating the ACTS design concept and technologies into their communications systems. This increases the number of highly technical jobs in the U.S. and improves the balance in trade with the strong international market for communications satellite systems. Thank you Mr. Speaker for allowing me the opportunity to salute this special project with my colleagues. I congratulate NASA and the men and women who developed and operated this satellite technology for the benefit of our nation. It's because of their personal dedication that this country benefits.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, today I celebrate the 88th birthday of Perry Como, a great entertainer and Grammy Award winner. Perry Como was born the seventh son in a family of thirteen children on May 18, 1912 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He began working at the age of ten in a barbershop, sweeping and sharpening. By age fourteen, he had his own shop with two barbers working for him. In 1933, Perry Como was encouraged by a friend to audition for a vocalist part with Freddy Carlone's Dance Band. Although he would earn less than a quarter of the income he made as a barber, Como accepted the job when he was offered the position. When he left Canonsburg to tour with the band, his girlfriend, Roselle Belline, went with him. The couple married on July 31, 1933. Throughout the next years, Perry toured the country, first with Freddy Carlone's Band, and later with the Ted Weems Band. While performing with the Ted Weems Band in Chicago, Perry left the stage in the middle of a performance to be with his wife as she gave birth to their first child, a son named Ronnie. The Como's later adopted another son, David, and a daughter, Terri. In 1941, Ted Weems joined the Armed Forces and his orchestra disbanded. Perry Como was offered his own nightly 15-minute radio show for CBS in New York. This break led to a contract with RCA Victor that would begin Perry Como's recording career. Two years after signing with RCA Victor, Perry had his first major hit with Till the End of Time. Perry Como had a series of popular hits in the forties and fifties. In 1958, he won the first Best Male Vocal Grammy award for the song Catch a Falling Star. His radio show, which had transferred to television in the late forties, was also successful, running from 1948- 1950 as the Chesterfield Supper Club, then from 1950-59 as the Perry Como Show. From 1960 through 1963, Perry Como hosted the Kraft Music Hall. My fellow colleagues, join with me in celebrating the notable and inspiring career of Perry Como on the momentous occasion of his 88th birthday.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, today I honor the memory of Sean Boland, President of the Cleveland Feis Society, who helped to develop the Cleveland Feis into one on the largest traditional Irish dance competitions in the country. Mr. Boland lived an exceptionally full life. In addition to his first job, purchasing supervisor for the Ohio Lottery Commission, he also served on the board of directors of the Michael Coleman Heritage Center, a museum in Ireland that honors internationally known Irish musicians. He was also a member of the Irish Northern Aid Society, the East and West Side Irish American clubs and has volunteered his time at events like the Irish Cultural Festival. Mr. Boland's most recent accomplishments were working with the Cleveland Memorial to the Great Hunger Committee to erect a monument in the Flats in memory of those who died in the Potato Famine and being named 1994's Irish person of the year. America is known for being a melting pot society. Mr. Boland selflessly volunteered his time to help others feel the same pride and honor he did when looking back at the glorious Irish heritage. Mr. Boland's inspirational life has left a lasting legacy. He will be missed. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, two sons, a daughter, and many loving relatives and friends. I ask you, fellow colleagues, to join me today in honoring, Mr. Sean Boland, a deeply dedicated, committed man who was an inspiration to us all.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize the Philippine Nurses Association of America, which is holding its 21st annual convention on June 21-23, 2000 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Philippine Nurses Association of Ohio will co-host the event along with the chapters from Michigan and Indiana. This year's convention, titled Nursing Odyssey: New Realities, New Vision, will reflect the dynamic role of nurses in a changing health care delivery system. The Philippine Nurses Association of America was established in 1979 in response to the growing need to address the concerns and issues important to Filipino nurses within this country. The Ohio Chapter was formally established in 1992. The PNA of Ohio is a voluntary, non- profit organization encompassing the areas of Cleveland, Akron, Medina in Ohio. There are over one hundred paid members in the chapter. The objectives of the Philippine Nurses Association reflect their commitment to community service and the promotion of activities and programs that unify the Filipino nurses of the United States and advance health care of Filipinos throughout the nation. Their contributions to the betterment of their community is noteworthy. Their dedication, caring, and love for others is most evident, and I am grateful for their service to others. My fellow colleagues, I ask you to join with me in recognizing the important accomplishments and essential contributions of the Philippine Nurses Association of America.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Jeanne Simon, the wife of former Senator Paul Simon of Illinois. Jeanne Simon passed away on February 20th of this year. She was not only a gracious and dutiful politician's wife; Jeanne Simon forged her own career as a lawyer, author, politician, and lobbyist. Throughout her full life, Jeanne Simon held many roles. She was among the first women to attend law school at Northwestern University. She served as an Illinois State Representative, Chairwoman for the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and was a member of the faculty at Southern Illinois University, where she and her husband helped establish the Public Policy Institute there. After her marriage to fellow Illinois State Representative Paul Simon in 1960, Jeanne Simon chose not to run for re-election to her third term as State Representative. Instead, she dedicated her time to her husband's campaigns as he was elected State Senator, then Lieutenant Governor, U.S. Representative, and finally U.S. Senator in 1984. Aside from her notable political career, Jeanne Simon was also a successful author and an authority and spokesperson on varied issues from libraries to education to arms control. Her diverse and dynamic career was an inspiration and her tireless devotion to her country and her government will not be forgotten. My fellow colleagues, I ask you to join with me in remembering Jeanne Simon, an extraordinary and passionate woman who will be greatly missed.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I honor Judge Eddie Corrigan who served on the Cleveland Municipal Housing Court for eight years in the late 1980's and early 1990's. He was a brilliant jurist. After graduating from Yale University, Judge Corrigan served in the Army infantry in the Pacific during WWII, where he held the rank of lieutenant. He later earned a law degree from the Western Reserve Law School in 1949 and opened a law practice in Painesville, Ohio in 1950. He realized early that people needed to be challenged in order to get the point, and he quickly became a master at this. His wit and wisdom added a sudden spark to often-routine court proceedings. Quick with a quip, insightful and incredibly perceptive, Judge Corrigan was a true spark plug in the court room. He was Cleveland's most entertaining legal venue. Judge Corrigan, who legally changed his given name of Edward to Eddie in 1980, saying it sounded more American. His unconventional approach to life was a breath of fresh air to the city of Cleveland, Ohio and to its Municipal Housing Court. Judge Corrigan managed to live an extraordinarily full life and raise a wonderful family, including his wife of 33 years, seven children and ten grandchildren, in the process. He has become a Cleveland icon and an inspiration to us all. He will be missed. I ask you, fellow colleagues, to join me in honoring this unique and brilliant man, Judge Eddie Corrigan of the Cleveland Municipal Housing Court.