Dennis Kucinich

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of the 20th anniversary of Slovenian Statehood. I am also pleased to be joined by the Consul General of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Jure Zmauc, his wife, Mrs. Janja Zmauc, and Dr. Bostjan Zeks, Minister for Slovenes Abroad, to celebrate Slovenian Statehood Day. The twenty-fifth of June is Slovenian Statehood Day, an annual celebration of Slovenia's independence and the sovereignty it gained in 1991. It is a commemoration of the struggles and triumphs of the people of Slovenia. It also serves as an opportunity for residents of northeast Ohio to celebrate the customs, traditions and contributions of Slovenian Americans to our community. This year's celebration of Slovenian Statehood Day begins with a reception at the Slovenian Museum and Archives where a special exhibit depicting the role of Americans of Slovenian heritage that worked to gain independence will be on display. Later in the evening the city of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and Councilmen Michael Polensek and Joe Cimperman will host an event that will feature musical performances by Raine Austen and the Men's Chorus Mi smo Mi. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition of the 20th anniversary of Slovenian Statehood. Slovenia has grown in many facets over the years and should be recognized for its prosperity.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Henry L. Meyer III and his leadership of KeyCorp on the occasion of his retirement. Henry L. Meyer began his long career with KeyCorp in the summer of 1970, when he worked as a teller. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in econometrics from Colgate University in 1972, Mr. Meyer joined KeyCorp, formerly Society National Bank. In 1978, he received a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard University. In 1984, Mr. Meyer relocated for his position with Society National Bank to Dayton, but moved back to Cleveland in 1987 after being elected Executive Vice President of Society Corporation and Senior Executive Vice President of Society National Bank. In 1990, he was elected as Society National Bank's President and Chief Operating Officer, and became the Chief Executive Officer in 1993. After Society National Bank became KeyCorp in 1994, Mr. Meyer became the Chief Executive Officer in February of 2001. In May of 2001, he was elected as KeyCorp's Chairman of the Board. In addition to his career, Mr. Meyer is involved in his community. He serves on a number of civic and cultural boards in the Cleveland area, including the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education, Law Enforcement Foundation, Inc., ideastream (WVIZ/PBS and WCPN), United Way of Greater Cleveland, University School, the Greater Cleveland Partnership, University Hospitals Health System, Inc., and University Hospitals of Cleveland. Mr. Meyer is also on the Federal Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve System and serves as a director of Continental Airlines, Inc. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor of a hardworking and worthy individual, Mr. Henry Meyer. We should reflect on his good deeds and his admirable work ethic.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor James H. Trout who is being honored as a 2011 Father of the Year by the Father's Day Council of Northeastern Ohio and the American Diabetes Association. Mr. Trout is the Executive Vice President of Acme Fresh Market Stores, serving on its Board of Directors and its Executive Committee. He has been with Acme Stores since 1973, working in a number of different capacities in increasingly important roles, serving as Director of General Merchandise, Senior Director of Merchandising, and Vice President of Sales and Merchandising. Mr. Trout and his wife, Debbie, are the proud parents of two children--Jennifer, 31, and Jeff, 29--and one grandchild. Jim and Debbie currently reside in Suffield, where they are active in their community. Mr. Trout, former President of the Suffield Jaycees, also serves as a trustee for the F.W. Albrecht Family Foundation. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring James H. Trout, a hardworking and industrious man, and a wonderful husband, father and grandfather, on the occasion of his recognition as Father's Day Council's Father of the Year 2011.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mr. William D. Hall and Mr. Brian E. Hall who are being honored as a 2011 Father of the Year by the Father's Day Council of Northeastern Ohio and the American Diabetes Association. This father-son duo demonstrates the long-lasting, positive effect that one father can have on another. Mr. William D. Hall is the founder of Hall's Trucking, which later became Industrial Transport, Inc. and later, Industrial Inventory Solutions. He also founded the Holly Development Company. Mr. Hall has been active in public policy as well as redeveloping neighborhoods. Despite Mr. Hall's many successful endeavors, his greatest source of pride remains his two children and ten grandchildren. Mr. Brian E. Hall is the son of William D. Hall. He is the current Chairman and CEO of Industrial Inventory Solutions, where he has helped the business grow into a national comprehensive logistics firm. Mr. Hall also holds many other positions, including Secretary and Governance Chairman for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Chairman of the President's Council Foundation, Trustee of the University of Cincinnati Foundation and Trustee of University Hospitals. Brian E. Hall's main commitment, however, is to his three children. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing Mr. William D. Hall and Mr. Brian E. Hall who exemplify model citizens and outstanding fathers. I wish Mr. William D. Hall and Mr. Brian E. Hall the best in all of their future endeavors.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Kenneth A. Lanci who is being honored as a 2011 Father of the Year by the Father's Day Council of Northeastern Ohio and the American Diabetes Association. Mr. Lanci, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Consolidated Graphics Group, Inc., is also the Chairman of Project Love and Purple America. While Consolidated Graphics, Inc. is a leader in graphic art technology, Purple America is a leader in uniting Americans through shared values. Its mission is to create new forums to share beliefs, engage young people in meaningful dialogue, and connect all Americans through shared American ideals. Purple Love is a character-building program that has trained thousands of American teens and their educators to build a culture of kindness, caring and respect in their schools. Mr. Lanci has also brought OneSight to Cleveland's Municipal School District, a non-profit organization which has given free eye exams and eye glasses to thousands of children in the area. Mr. Lanci's good work extends to his family as well. Mr. Lanci is a devoted husband to his high school sweetheart, father to his three children, and grandfather to his six grandchildren. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring Kenneth Lanci, a man of great honor and spirit, a wonderful husband, father and grandfather, on the occasion being recognized as Father's Day Council's Father of the Year 2011.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mary Anne Crampton to acknowledge her tremendous service to the Northeast Ohio community. A native of Pittsburgh, Mary Anne relocated to the Cleveland area to begin her career and has prospered in various organizations since. She has been credited with transforming the downtown area of Lakewood, Ohio, into a lively, historic area. Mary Anne served as the Executive Director of LakewoodAlive, an economic development organization that strives to facilitate economic stability and growth in the Lakewood area, since its inception. She was recently was chosen as the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce 2011 Business Person of the Year. Her unwavering devotion to furthering economic development in Lakewood has proven beneficial for the Cleveland suburb. Prior to working for LakewoodAlive Mary Anne was Manager of Marketing and Public Relations at Cleveland Sight Center, a nonprofit organization that works to enhance the lives of blind persons. In addition to her career, Ms. Crampton is a dedicated and involved member of the Northeast Ohio community. Mary Anne is a member on the board of the Lakewood Hospital Foundation where she serves on the governance committee. She is a board member of the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce where she serves on the economic development committee, and she chairs the board resources committee for the Beck Center for Cultural Arts. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, Mary Anne Crampton has proven herself a very valuable citizen of the Cleveland community and surrounding areas. Her exceptional passion to better the lives of the members of her community is truly a blessing. Mary Anne's vision and hard work make her one of Northeast Ohio's most remarkable citizens.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Parma Community General Hospital. In June 2011, Parma Community General Hospital will be celebrating 50 years of service. Their mission has been to provide excellent, personalized care incorporating their core values of integrity, community partnership, commitment and stewardship, collaboration and teamwork and individual growth and development. In August 1961 the hospital was founded. Within a few years it was fully accredited and joined the Cleveland Hospital Council. Parma Community General Hospital is a successful, not-for-profit, community hospital. It is a state-of-the-art facility in a close-to-home, friendly, community setting. The hospital has grown extensively, adding floors and new Intensive Care and Coronary Care units in the 1970s and several medical office buildings in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1982 the hospital expanded health education programs by opening the Health Education Center. In the 1990s they added the ElderCenter Adult Day Care which was designed as an alternative to nursing homes and a Child Care Center for hospital employees and the public. It has an award-winning Home Health Care program, and an EMS Education Program that has endeavored to meet the region's safety needs for the past 25 years. In the 1990s, Parma Hospital grew further, adding the Pain Center, expanding the inpatient Acute Rehabilitation Center, modernizing the Small Wonders Maternity Center and adding the Behavioral Center for Older Adults, a geriatric psychiatric unit. Parma Hospital won its first of numerous awards for excellence in orthopedics the year before the 1999 opening of The Heart Center, a cardiovascular intensive care unit that would garner its own array of awards, including the 100 Top Hospitals for Cardiovascular Care more than once and the fastest heart attack care in the region throughout the Code STEMI program. The past decade brought the addition of outpatient oncology care in a community setting and the opening of Residential Seasons of Life Hospice on Pleasant Valley Lake. Parma Hospital also enlarged its Emergency Department, adding an innovative Doc at the Door program for efficient triage, and built a new Intensive Care Unit. Outpatient radiology services were brought to both Ridge Park Square in Brooklyn and WellPointe Pavilion, offering outpatient services. Other specialized patient care areas include: physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapies, laboratory and radiology, the Bariatric Center, inpatient and outpatient care and surgery, inpatient care floors including oncology, medical and surgical, inpatient rehabilitation unit, diabetic counseling and sports medicine. In 2010 Parma Community General Hospital President and CEO Terrence G. Deis was named to the list of top Hospital and Healthcare Industry Leaders to Know. Mr. Deis is proud that the hospital, with nearly 2,000 employees, has flourished as a community partner and credits the hard work and integrity of the employees, management and medical staff with the success of Parma Community General Hospital. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognition of Parma Community General Hospital's 50th anniversary and in honor of those past and present whose unwavering dedicated service will be the legacy of Parma Community General Hospital.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Mr. Steve Popovich, a man of immense generosity, endless energy and a lifelong passion for music. This passion led him to play a vital role in launching the careers of The Jacksons, Michael Jackson, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Mac Davis, Paul Simon, Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones, Boston, Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, Frankie Yankovic and Meat Loaf. Mr. Popovich, who was born on July 6, 1942 in Nemacolin, Pennsylvania, moved to Cleveland, Ohio as a teenager. While he was considered a music-industry insider, he also continually reached beyond the mainstream to promote the music and musicians he knew had great promise, even when others chose to ignore them. He founded his own label, Cleveland International Records, which promoted one of the industry's biggest selling albums, Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf. The album was released in 1977 and remains the fifth best selling album worldwide. Mr. Popovich has been described by his colleagues and those who knew him best as ``a man with a big heart,'' `` a kind and generous man who was a mentor to so many,'' `` a man who would literally give you the shirt off his back,'' `` a man with a rare enthusiasm that made things happen'' and a man whose passing ``marks the end of an era.'' Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognition of Mr. Steve Popovich, a man who spent a lifetime giving of himself, leaving behind a legacy of music that will be enjoyed for years to come and many, many friends who will miss his energy and creative enthusiasm.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of Officer John Michael Kick, the first Cleveland police officer to lose his life in the line of duty. Officer Kick was a lifelong Clevelander of German descent. He joined the Cleveland Police Department upon its formation in 1866. His colleagues described Officer Kick as a ``quiet, faithful, brave and fearless officer.'' On the night of May 13th, 1875, Officer Kick accompanied his fellow officers as they investigated a suspicious group who were thought to be behind several robberies that occurred in Cleveland. Officer Kick located the perpetrators and began to follow them, along with some fellow police officers and eventually tracked them down. The officers were outnumbered three to six, yet they continued on with their duties. Officer Kick and his fellow colleagues confronted the suspects, inquiring about their names and occupations. After a loud shouting match, the group of criminals quickly drew their revolvers and began to open fire. The officers, including Officer Kick, drew their weapons and returned fire. During the crossfire, one round shot by the criminals struck Officer Kick in the chest and wounded him. Doctors attempted to save his life, to no avail. On May 15th, Officer Kick passed away. He left everything he owned to his mother, his wife and his three children. Officer Kick will be remembered by the Cleveland community and the Nation. His name is inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall in Washington, DC. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in remembering the sacrifice that Officer John Kick made to ensure that Cleveland would remain a safe city.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mr. Michael Catanzarite, a prominent businessman, community leader, and a proud father. Mr. Catanzarite is being honored as a 2011 Father of the Year nominee by the Father's Day Council of Northeastern Ohio and the American Diabetes Association. Mike Catan is a successful businessman, born and raised in northeast Ohio. His father, Pat Catan, was an entrepreneur who began both the Darice craft products company and a chain of Pat Catan's craft stores. Mike has followed in his father's footsteps and serves as Co-Chief Executive Officer of Darice Inc. Mr. Catan has also been an active community leader. In 2002, when he found out that Strongsville High School's athletic field had fallen into disrepair, he spearheaded efforts to raise money to build a brand new stadium. Pat Catan Stadium opened only 83 days after ground was broken, and the facility is a boon to the community. Mr. Catan has also been known for his volunteer work; in 2009, he led a team including family and friends in building a new home for a Strongsville family whose two young daughters had been diagnosed with a very rare genetic condition. Mike Catan, along with many other volunteers and donors, worked to create a home that would meet the life-long needs of the two young girls. These are only a few examples of Mr. Catan's commitment to improving the community. Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in recognizing Mr. Michael Catan, whose children nominated him 2011 Father of the Year. His dedication to improving the community for his children and all citizens of northeast Ohio is awe-inspiring. I wish Mike Catan the best in all of his future endeavors.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. I move to strike the last word.

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, my colleagues, what we really have here is a discussion not so much as to which party has moral superiority here, but it's really a deeper question about what's the purpose of our Nation and whether we are aligned with the Founding Fathers' spiritual principles, because while the Founders separated church and State, they did not intend our Nation to be separated from spiritual principles. And I think that at this moment, if we really want to sincerely appreciate the dilemma that we have created with these cuts, we need to reflect on some of our own spiritual training for those of us who are Christian, when, in John 21:15, Jesus was dining with his apostles. And so when they dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He said unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. And the Lord said to him, Feed my lambs. He said to him again, the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He said unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. And the Lord answered, Feed my sheep. He said unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus said unto him, Feed my sheep. There are spiritual principles at stake here. We know what the right thing is to do. We know that feeding the hungry is a corporal work of mercy. We know that we have a responsibility to do this. We know that when the Bible says, Whatever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me, in Matthew 25, that we're actually referring to how spiritual is the act of feeding the poor. This decision that we make with respect to whether or not we are going to fully fund the Women, Infants, and Children program does have profound spiritual consequences. We cannot escape them. ``For when I was hungry, you gave me food,'' remember that. When I was hungry, you gave me food. You didn't give me war. You didn't give me a tax break. You didn't give me an oil depletion allowance. When I was hungry, you gave me food. Who among you, the Bible asks, if his son asks for bread, would give him a stone? These are spiritual principles we're talking about here. This really goes to the core of who we are as a Nation, whether we recognize people who are out there are suffering. People may not have a roof over their head. Mothers may be living in a car, having to tend to their children. America today is not the country it was at its founding, but it can be a Nation that aspires to great things again. But it cannot do it if we forget the poor, if we forget the children, if we forget their mothers, if we tell them that, No, you cannot have the resources you need to be able to provide proper nutrition to your child so that he or she can grow up in this United States of America to be a full participant in the affairs of this Nation. This is a defining moment for who we are as a Nation. This isn't about whether we're Democrats or Republicans. This is about whether we are prepared to realign ourselves with the deeper truths of the spiritual mission of the United States of America. Feed the hungry. Feed my sheep. When I was hungry, you gave me food. Restore these cuts.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. I yield 2 minutes to the prime cosponsor of this important constitutional initiative, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).

Mr. KUCINICH. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel).

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock), who has been very closely involved in helping construct bipartisan support for H. Con. Res. 51, and I thank him.

Mr. KUCINICH. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones).

Mr. KUCINICH. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake).

Mr. KUCINICH. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch).

Mr. KUCINICH. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Johnson).

Mr. KUCINICH. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).

Mr. KUCINICH. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe).

Mr. KUCINICH. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul).

Mr. KUCINICH. I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).

Mr. KUCINICH. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. I thank the gentleman from California for yielding. In defense of Mr. Burton's description of U.S. involvement already in Libya, I would like to have entered into the Record an article from the Guardian U.K., dated May 22, which talks about the United States having 50 percent of the ships, 50 percent of the planes, 66 percent of the personnel, 93 percent of the cruise missiles. I just want to say briefly, Madam Speaker, that this article was written about 10 days ago. If it's true, it points out that we've undertaken a huge mission through the United States in the name of NATO--now, without coming to the Congress, and that's what we're debating, of course. Yet if, on the other hand, the information that the administration has communicated as of late to the Congress suggests a lighter footprint, then there should be no difficulty in pulling out of Libya in 15 days. If there is, we need to start asking questions about how deeply enmeshed we are if our participation is truly no boots on the ground. [From the guardian.co.uk, May 22, 2011] Libya: Britain's 1bn War (By Richard Norton-Taylor and Simon Rogers) Britain's involvement in the Libya conflict will cost the taxpayer as much as 1bn if it continues into the autumn as expected, according to expert analysis and data gathered by the Guardian. Two months after western powers began bombing Libyan targets to protect civilians in Operation Unified Protector, the cost to Britain so far of the dozens of bombs dropped, hundreds of sorties flown and more than 1,000 service personnel deployed is estimated at more than 100m, according to British defence officials. But defence economists have told the Guardian the costings are conservative. Francis Tusa, editor of the Defence Analysis newsletter, estimates that by the end of April Libyan operations had already cost the UK about 300m and that the bill was increasing by up to 38m a week. Defence chiefs in the UK and US are also said to be concerned that some NATO countries are unwilling to commit air power to the campaign. It is not only the cost that is worrying the Ministry of Defence, and, indeed, defence chiefs in the Pentagon. The reluctance of most countries to commit their air forces to action--Norway, which has dropped about 300 bombs, is to pull out at the end of June--is causing serious concern among military commanders throughout the alliance about whether NATO countries have the political will and military capability to continue operations that now have the stated aim of removing power from Gaddafi, his sons, and closet advisers. For Britain, the Libyan conflict has also presented military commanders and ministers alike with an uncomfortable reminder of the perilous state of the defence budget. As Paul Cornish, head of the international security programme at the thinktank Chatham House, has observed, many of the military capabilities used in and around Libya--HMS Cumberland, the Nimrod R1 eavesdropping plane, the Sentinental surveillance aircraft, and Tornado jets--are among the first casualties to be scrapped or their numbers reduced (in the case of Tornados) as a result of last year's strategic defence and security review. ``The obvious question to ask,'' Cornish writes in the latest issue of The World Today, ``is whether Britain could have made a contribution to the intervention in Libya had the crisis developed later in 2011 when most of the decommissionings, disbandments, and retirements would otherwise have taken place.'' The U.S. led the assault, during the first week flying more than 800 sorties in Libya, of which over 300 were strike sorties. It fired more than 200 Tomahawk cruise missiles from its ships. Britain has fired fewer than 20 Tomahawks, costing an estimated 1m each, from the submarine HMS Triumph. Britain, which has accounted for some 25% of all sorties, was so worried about the gap left by the U.S. when it ceded command to NATO, and stood down its aircraft--including low- flying A10 tankbusting ``Warthogs'' and C130 gunships.