Tom Lantos

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. First, let me say a word about the costs. The cost of rejoining this important international organization, that every other nation on the face of this planet is a member of, is 25 cents per person per year. So I cannot see the crocodile tears that the United States cannot afford 25 cents to join a global organization dealing with education, science, and cultural affairs. I also think, Mr. Chairman, that it is irrational unilateralism to suddenly declare, despite the statements of the distinguished Republican former Secretary of State, George Shultz, that this is a worthless organization. George Shultz was our Secretary of State for the entire period almost of the Reagan administration. Everybody had great respect for him. Why do we suddenly think that he is not worthy of listening to? He is telling us rejoin UNESCO. That is the voice of the Secretary of State of the Reagan administration. Madeleine Albright is telling us the same thing. And all of us who have studied this organization are rejoicing in the fact it has corrected its ways. It is functioning in a professional fashion, and it is in America's national interest to have our voice heard within UNESCO. Please reject the Tancredo amendment.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1646, the foreign relations authorization bill for fiscal year 2002 and 2003, as it was reported by our committee. This is a good bill, Mr. Chairman, and I am proud to be a cosponsor with the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde), my good friend. I am very pleased, Mr. Chairman, that the bill fully funds the administration's requests for the Department of State, including funding for upgrading embassy security and improving conditions for the men and women who serve our Nation in far-flung corners of the world. The diplomatic profession has always been a difficult and dangerous one, but in recent decades the level and nature of threats facing our men and women overseas in the Diplomatic Corps has grown exponentially. The bombing of our embassy in Beirut in the 1980s and, more recently, the tragic bombings in Africa are only the latest and most dramatic examples of the threat and challenges facing our diplomats abroad. The sad and disturbing fact is that Americans serving in our Diplomatic Corps face the same day-in and day-out threats to their safety as those men and women who serve our Nation in the military. In fact, since the end of World War II, more American Ambassadors have been killed in the line of duty than generals and admirals. We have done an excellent job in equipping our military with the best and latest technology and equipment. As a result, Mr. Chairman, our military is the best-trained, best-equipped, best-led force in the world. But, unfortunately, we have not done the same for the men and women who serve on the front lines of diplomacy. As Secretary Powell noted at his confirmation hearing, diplomacy is our first line of defense. We must ensure that this line of defense is as strong and as well equipped as our military defense. We need to upgrade the technology and the security of our embassies. Our bill contains authorities and resources Secretary Powell has requested to help him do just that. Frankly, Mr. Chairman, I had hoped that Secretary Powell would have been more ambitious in his request. Given his high standing in the Congress and in the country, I believe Congress would have supported a bolder request, but as he said in his hearing before our committee, there is always next year; which is why I am pleased that the bill provides flexibility for fiscal year 2003. Mr. Chairman, there are a few important provisions contained in this bill that I would like to highlight. First, this legislation goes a long way towards paying our past dues to the United Nations. Despite last week's deplorable vote on the U.N. Human Rights Commission, I still strongly support payment of these arrears. The United Nations is an indispensable partner in our dealings around the globe, and we must not lose sight of that fact. However, I, along with the rest of my colleagues and with the bulk of the American people, am outraged by the vote last week that put the Sudan on the U.N. Human Rights Commission and took the United States off. The United States has been the champion of human rights long before there was a U.N. Human Rights Commission or even a United Nations. We shall continue to champion human rights and chastise the abusers of those rights, regardless of our membership on any commission. However, it is incomprehensible that any commission on human rights could include in its membership the worst abusers of human rights in the world. Last week's vote makes a mockery of the commission. The gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde) and I will introduce an amendment that will add a new condition on paying U.N. arrears. The United States will not pay off all of its arrears to the U.N. until the United States once again becomes a member of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. Turning to some other important provisions, this bill contains a significant provision introduced by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) that overturns the President's Mexico City policy. We will hear much about this provision from my colleagues as they argue that it funds abortions. While I strongly believe in a woman's right to choose, this provision has nothing to do with abortion. No U.S. Government money has gone towards funding abortion since 1973. It has been illegal since that year, and this bill does not change that. Simply put, the provision of the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) ensures that no foreign nongovernmental organization is denied our funding solely on the basis of health and medical services that it provides through non-U.S. government funds and that no foreign NGOs are restricted in using non-U.S. government funds for advocacy. Our provision merely tries to safeguard that nongovernmental organizations in developing countries have the same rights to free speech that our Constitution guarantees to every American citizen and every American organization. I hope that in the spirited debate that is soon to follow, Members will keep this fact in mind. Some other important elements of this bill include two provisions strengthening our relationship and commitment to Taiwan and the sense of the Congress provision urging U.S. reengagement with the Kyoto process regarding global climate change. Lastly, Mr. Chairman, I was very pleased to work with the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach) in our successful effort to include the provision in the bill to have the United States rejoin UNESCO, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. When UNESCO was founded half a century ago, its slogan was, ``Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must first be constructed.'' This is as true today as it was the day UNESCO came into being. I earnestly hope that my colleagues will support our rejoining UNESCO which is so much in the American interest. I also find it ironic that, while we are complaining of having been removed from the U.N. Human Rights Commission, we voluntarily remove ourselves from UNESCO where all we need to do is express our desire to rejoin. This is a very good bill, Mr. Chairman. It is a bipartisan bill. Virtually every element of this bill has the support of some Republicans and some Democrats. This is in large part due to the leadership of the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde), and I want publicly to salute him for having conducted our hearings and the activities of the committee in a singularly fair and bipartisan fashion. I want to thank him for the open and collegial way in which he has brought this bill through the committee to this floor. I hope my colleagues in the House will support the bill in the same bipartisan manner in which it was passed by our committee. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the last dictatorship in Europe--the regime of Aleksandr Lukashenka in the former Soviet state of Belarus. The Lukashenka regime is one of the most notorious human rights abusers in the world, routinely suppressing the rights of the Belorusian citizens. May 7th marks the second anniversary of one of the most celebrated human rights abuses allegedly perpetrated by the regime--the not-so-mysterious disappearance of General Yury Zakharenko, former Belarusian Minister of Internal Affairs. In 1995, General Zakharenko resigned his post in protest and attempted to form a union of officers to support democracy in Belarus. He also supported former Prime Minister Mikhail Chigir in an alternative presidential election held in May 1999 to replace Lukashenka at the legal end of his term on July 20, 1999. On May 7, 1999, Gen. Zakharenko disappeared while walking home and has not been heard from since. Sadly, Gen. Zakharenko is not unique. Others who dared to challenge the regime appear to have suffered the same fate. Victor Gonchar, Deputy Chairman of the legitimate parliament, the 13th Supreme Soviet; his associate Anatoly Krasovsky; and Dmitry Zavadsky, a cameraman for the Russian television station ORT, have all disappeared without explanation. Since the day Gen. Zakharenko vanished, all evidence has pointed to the Lukashenka regime as being responsible for his disappearance. The regime has not made a serious effort to account for Gen. Zakharenko. Rather than investigate, the regime has targeted the missing general for personal attack, accusing him of fleeing the country or going into hiding to embarrass Lukashenko. Gen. Zakharenko's family was forced to seek refuge in Western Europe to escape the regime's harassment. The regime has also tried to silence human rights activists, such as Oleg Volchek, who have attempted to find Gen. Zakharenko. Last November, when an anonymous letter reputed to be from officers of the Belarusian KGB (BKGB) accusing Lukashenka of blocking the investigation of disappearances in Belarus became public, Lukashenka sacked the head of the BKGB and the Prosecutor General. The Belarusian dictator also promised a serious investigation, but the regime has made no progress in the intervening six months and reports of increased pressure on investigators have surfaced. Under the current dictatorship in Belarus, it would be impossible for such stonewalling and denial to take place without the approval of Lukashenka himself. Lukashenka even went as far as to state in November of last year, that he is personally responsible for accounting for Gen. Zakharenko and the other disappeared. This is a responsibility that the international community cannot let the Belarusian dictator escape from. The United States, the European Union, member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the U.N. Working Group on Involuntary Disappearances, the Swedish Social Democratic Party, and international human rights NGOs have all called on the Lukashenka dictatorship to find the disappeared. I regret that the Russian Government is conspicuously absent from these ranks. This, in my view, sends a negative signal about the Russian Federation's view of its role in promoting democracy outside of its borders. The Belarusian people also want an explanation, as the repeated statements by Belarusian democratic leaders and human rights advocates show. Even high officials in the regime have expressed privately their displeasure with Lukashenka's handling of the disappearances. Until the Lukashenka regime accounts for Gen. Zakharenko, Deputy Chairman Gonchar, Mr. Krasovsky, and Mr. Zavadsky, one can neither expect a normalization in the international community's relations with Belarus nor an end to the climate of fear gripping the country. The Lukashenka regime needs to act immediately to find these brave democrats and Belarusian patriots. This issue of Gen. Zakharenko and the other disappeared will not go away, just as the issue of the disappeared in Chile did not go away, just as the issue of the Polish officers ``disappeared'' at Katyn did not go away, just as the issue of the disappearance of Swedish hero Raoul Wallenberg will not go away. Rather, with each new day the missing go unaccounted for, the call for the truth behind their disappearances will only grow louder, haunting those responsible for these crimes.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay a special tribute to the passing of one of America's greatest crusaders for civil rights and human rights both here at home and around the world, the Reverend Leon Sullivan. He left a rich legacy of activity and awareness, each new endeavor serving his vision of racial harmony and understanding, and he will be remembered for his crucial role in the right against Apartheid in South Africa. As a Philadelphia minister with the Zion Baptist Church in the early 1960's, Rev. Sullivan organized a nonviolent boycott of local companies that would not hire blacks. The boycotts proved to be highly effective, but in order to bring about a genuine turn-around in the employment situation for black residents of Philadelphia he knew that many people would need professional training opportunities. In 1965, Rev. Sullivan attempted to address this training need through the creation of Opportunities International, a job-training program that has trained to date 1.5 million people in 142 centers worldwide. Rev. Sullivan not only tackled tough problems, he also broke new ground in generating presence and visibility for the civil rights movement. He became the first black board member of General Motors Corp. in 1971--``the conscience of the board'' according to then- secretary to the GM board Rod Gilleum. Rev. Sullivan used his influence in this elite corporate environment to promote what would become his most famous civil rights manifesto: the Sullivan Principles. The Sullivan Principles were designed to guide U.S. corporate behavior in apartheid South Africa. He described these principles as ``a code that companies of America and the world came to follow to end apartheid peacefully, starting with the workplace.`` In explaining how one must go about reforming a system as entrenched as apartheid was in South Africa, he once noted that ``if you take a hammer and chisel and pound a rock 100 times, it's going to crack. I pounded and pounded, and it cracked.'' After retiring from Zion Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Rev. Sullivan then created the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help. This foundation aided hundreds of thousands of people in Africa and the United States. Rev. Sullivan's lifetime of service and achievement fortunately did not pass unrecognized. In 1992, then-President Bush recognized Rev. Sullivan's contribution to the promotion of civil rights with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1999, following the release of an updated version of the Sullivan Principles, United Nations Secretary- General Kofi Annan said of Rev. Sullivan, ``He showed us all how much one individual can do.'' Rev. Sullivan's principles will live on to encourage corporations around the world to engage in fair employment practices. Together with his wife Grace, his three children Hope, Julie, and Howard, and to the countless lives he touched and minds he opened, this Congress stands today in admiration and in gratitude of this extraordinary man and his very good works. Thank you, Rev. Sullivan, and may each of us learn from your example.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to Mr. Herbert Pundik--a man who has dedicated his life to promoting greater understanding and tolerance between people of different cultures, especially the Palestinians and the Israelis. His commitment to humanism and his many commentaries have had a great influence in both his native Denmark and his adopted Israel. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Pundik was only 16 years old when he himself was a victim of intolerance and racism. Born September 23, 1927, in Copenhagen, Mr. Pundik was brought up in a Jewish family, and he was only 12 years old when the Nazis invaded Denmark on April 9, 1940. Initially the occupation did not bring much change to lives of the Danish Jews as the Danish government and the Danish laws remained in effect until August 29, 1943, ensuring, among other things, that no Jew in Denmark ever had to wear the yellow star. On October 1, 1943, the Nazis decided to round up all the Danish Jews and deport them to concentration camps. Fortunately, G.F. Duckwitz, a German diplomat with contacts among the Danish Social Democrats, tipped off the leading Danish Social Democrat, Hans Hedtoft, regarding the deportation. Hedtoft quickly alerted the Jewish community, and a spontaneous and courageous rescue action developed among Danes. During the evacuation Mr. Pundik and his family, along with most other Danish Jews, were transported by fishing vessel to neutral Sweden. In 1945 Mr. Pundik joined the Danish voluntary forces in Sweden (Den Danske Brigade), and when Denmark was liberated in May of that year, he returned to Denmark to complete his high school education. Mr. Speaker, Herbert Pundik recently wrote a book published in November 1998 about the incidents surrounding the great rescue of the Danish Jews--In Denmark it Could Not Happen. I urge all my colleagues to read this book to learn the details of how the Danish population courageously committed themselves to common human decency and saved virtually their entire Jewish community. Mr. Pundik later went to Israel, where he was a member of the Israeli voluntary forces from 1948-49 when Israel fought its war of independence. He returned briefly to Denmark and married Susie Ginzborg in 1951. In 1954 they immigrated to Israel where they raised their three children. Their oldest son was killed as a soldier in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Another son was one of the two Israelis who initiated the Oslo peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians. Professionally Mr. Pundik pursued a career as a journalist. He was a co-founder and editor of the Danish periodical Israel, and through the years he has worked at both Danish and Israeli newspapers covering major international crises such as the Vietnam War, the Kashmir conflict, and the Middle East struggle. In 1963 he began working as an international correspondent for one of the largest Danish newspapers Politiken and in 1967 he became a permanent employee. Three years later he was promoted to editor-in-chief. Under terms of a unique agreement, Mr. Pundik managed Politiken for 23 years, commuting forth and back between Denmark and Israel each month and spending roughly three weeks in Copenhagen and one week in Tel Aviv. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Pundik's dedication to human rights and tolerance has earned him many prizes--among those are honorary citizenship of Latvia in 1991 because he was the first person to suggest that Denmark send a cultural representative to Latvia, even though the country was then technically a part of the Soviet Union. In 1993 Mr. Pundik retired from his position as editor-in-chief at Politiken, but he has continued his humanitarian efforts. He is a member on the board of Politiken, the coordinator for the International Alliance for Arab-Israel Peace and a member on the board of directors of Humanity in Action, an exchange student program with participants from the U.S., the Netherlands, and Denmark. Mr. Speaker, often in today's world too much attention is focused on the violent aspects of society. Today however, we have the opportunity to pay tribute to an extraordinary man who is a consistent and eloquent advocate for peace and tolerance. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mr. Herbert Pundik.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a most talented and remarkable Danish scholar--Professor Helle Porsdam. Professor Porsdam is affiliated with the University of Southern Denmark, Odense and is a well known scholar and commentator on American society. Her most recent publication is Legally Speaking: Contemporary American Culture and the Law, which offers an insightful analysis of American culture and discusses the social impact of law in the United States. In addition to her outstanding scholarship, Dr. Porsdam is known for her involvement in human rights. She was instrumental in the creation of the European Master's Degree in Human Rights and Democratization in 1997. Some 90 students from the 15 European Union partner universities earn this Masters degree after a year of intensive study. This summer, Dr. Porsdam will be one of the Danish Speakers at the Humanity in Action Program (HIA), which conducts two educational programs that run simultaneously in both Denmark and the Netherlands. Some 20 students from the United States participate together with 10 students from both host countries. HIA has been established in association with Johns Hopkins University and in cooperation with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The goal is to strengthen the participants' commitment to democratic values and broaden their knowledge of the resistance struggle against human rights violations today and in the past. A special focus of the program is the protection of European Jews during World War II. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Porsdam is an associate Professor of American Studies at Odense, and she holds an M.A. in English from the University of Copenhagen and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University. She teaches American history, and her research interests include American intellectual history, law and American culture, and literature. In 1992-93 she was an American Council of Learned Societies Visiting Scholar and a Liberal Arts Fellow at the Harvard University Law School. She is currently involved in a research Project on Danish legalization as a form of Americanization. In this project Dr. Porsdam explains how the U.S. has exported a tendency to the rest of the world to define major issues in terms of rights. Dr. Porsdam is an extraordinary scholar and ardent defender of human rights and I urge all my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to her today.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues today to join me in paying tribute to Professor Therkel Straede, a remarkable scholar who has put together an important exhibition of photographs of the rescue of Danish Jews in 1943. The exhibition shows how the Danish people acted as the keepers of basic human decency and saved almost the entire Jewish community of Denmark. At a time when most of Europe was oppressed by Nazi tyranny, which was the antithesis of humanity, decency, and brotherhood, the Danes showed great humanity despite tremendous personal risk. Mr. Speaker, since 1995 Dr. Therkel Straede has been a Professor of Modern German History and Holocaust Studies at Odense University in Denmark. During the period 1988-1992 he was a member of a research team at Ruhr-University at Bochum, Germany. There he researched the history of the German automobile company Volkswagen A.G., and the use of forced labor by Volkswagen during the 3rd Reich. He has recorded testimonies of more than a 120 survivors and is producing a monograph on the subject. Dr. Straede has focused most of his work and studies on the Holocaust, and he is a founding member of the Danish National Committee for the Counseling of Victims of Nazi German Persecution, Forced Labor and Genocide. He has received scholarships at the Technical University of Berlin (1986) and the Institute for German History in Tel-Aviv (1992). He was a Fulbright visiting researcher at the Georgetown University at the Center for German and European Studies in 1998-99 and an associate scholar of the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1999. Currently, Dr. Straede is writing a series of articles on a number of German concentration camps for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's Encyclopedia of Nazi Camps. The traveling exhibit on the rescue of the Danish Jews, of which Dr. Straede is the curator, has been displayed in more than 100 locations in 27 different countries. On May 2, 2001, it will be on display in the Rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building. With the help of Project Judaica Foundation Inc., the exhibition will hereafter be on display at a number of locations in the United States. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to take a moment out of their busy schedules to visit this worthwhile exhibit while it is here in Washington at the Russell Rotunda. Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute to Dr. Therkel Straede for his thorough work on the history of Holocaust, and his diligent documentation of the details of the Nazi use of slave labor. We can all learn a valuable lesson from Dr. Straede's work; even a force of evil as powerful as the Nazi regime can be beaten by dedicated people committed to common human decency. I believe this is best shown in the spontaneous and courageous rescue action of the Danish people in 1943.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, due to a longstanding commitment to deliver a graduation commencement address, I am unable to be present to vote against H.R. 503, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act today. Had I been present I would have voted ``no'' on final passage of H.R. 503 because this legislation is an attack on a woman's right to choose.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 503 would undermine Roe v. Wade by recognizing for the first time in federal law a zygote, blastocyst, embryo, or fetus as a ``person,'' with rights equal to those of a woman. As a strong supporter of the Violence Against Women Act, I am concerned that the ``Unborn Victims of Violence Act'' does not ensure that programs aimed at taking action against domestic violence are fully funded.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to the extraordinary talent and civic contributions of Howard J. Rubenstein, who will be honored on Sunday at the Fifth Annual Heritage Dinner of the Museum of Jewish Heritage--A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. Mr. Speaker, Howard Rubenstein was dubbed by Newsweek Magazine as the ``Dean of Damage Control.'' That praise is indeed appropriate because Howard is one of America's foremost public relations consultants. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he later finished first in his class in the night school division at St. John's University School of Law, and later was awarded an honorary doctor of law degree from the University. Howard founded his public relations agency in 1954 and ran it from his parents' kitchen table until his mother refused to answer the family phone, ``Rubenstein and Associates.'' Today his firm is one of the nation's largest and best- known independent public relations agencies with a staff of more than 190 people. Mr. Speaker, the Museum of Jewish Heritage--a Living Memorial to the Holocaust, opened to the public in 1997. Overlooking the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, its mission is to educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the 20th century Jewish experience before, during and after the Holocaust. The Museum contains more than 2,000 photographs, 800 artifacts, and 24 original documentary films. The Museum's core exhibition combines archival material with modern media to provide a thoughtful and moving chronicle of history, keeping the memory of the past alive and offering hope for the future. Howard Rubenstein is being honored by the Museum of Jewish Heritage for his extraordinary commitment to public service. He has served as a member of numerous civic and philanthropic organizations, and currently sits on the Executive Committee of the Association for a Better New York. He is a trustee of the Police Athletic League, the Central Park Conservancy, and the Inner Mr. Speaker, one particular episode stands out in my reflection upon Howard Rubenstein's service to his community. In 1991, the Brooklyn community of Crown Heights exploded in a chain reaction of violence, riots, and ever mounting divisions between the area's African-American and Hasidic Jewish populations. These disputes escalated, eventually dividing the city and receiving national attention. Responding to a request for his assistance from then Mayor David Dinkins, Howard undertook the difficult task of diffusing the tensions between the African-American and Jewish communities. He organized a ``Peace Conference'' in Crown Heights and then planned a ``Neighbor to Neighbor'' event at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. There he screened the movie, ``The Liberators'', a film depicting the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp by African-American soldiers, to an audience of over 1300 Jews and African-Americans. The showing was broadcast live on New York television, while simultaneously 500 ``Neighbor to Neighbor'' meetings were held in homes and community centers around the City. Howard's efforts were critical to defusing tensions as well as restoring civility and understanding in Crown Heights. I believe that this efforts speak volumes about the character and commitment of this outstanding man. Mr. Speaker, in an era when business leaders all too often fail to demonstrate a devotion to the needs of our society, Howard Rubenstein is a model for all of us to emulate. I invite my colleagues to join me in extending warmest congratulations and sincere appreciation to Howard J. Rubenstein on this special occasion.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to a great man who will shortly celebrate his 80th birthday--Irving M. Rosenbaum. In addition to the commendable accomplishment of attaining the age of 80, Mr. Rosenbaum, has provided extraordinary commitment and leadership on behalf of the Open University of Israel. The Open University of Israel, modeled after the Open University in Great Britain, welcomed its first students in 1976. With a current enrollment of approximately 29,000 students, the Open University of Israel has a flexible teaching style that allows many working and older students the opportunity to receive a college education. Students hail from all over Israel and from virtually every walk of life. Utilizing the Internet, satellites, cable TV and other methods, the University is able to provide long distance learning to almost any student who desires it. Mr. Speaker, Irving Rosenbaum has played an active role in the University's history through the American Friends of The Open University of Israel. During the past thirteen years, under his astute leadership, the American Friends of The Open University of Israel has been transformed from a small group to a large organization which contributes significant funding annually to the University. Irving was born in Dresden, Germany, and with his family, he fled Nazi Germany and came to the United States in 1938. Here, he joined S.E. Nichols and Co., a variety store chain. His service at the store was interrupted when he served in Europe with the U.S. Army. As a member of the Psychological Warfare Branch, Rosenbaum participated in Allied war efforts in Africa, Italy, France, and Germany. After the war, he remained in Germany where he served as a member of the Allied Control Commission for Germany. When he returned to the United States he received a bachelors degree in Economics from the New School for Social Research and later earned a Masters degree, also in economics. Mr. Speaker, Irving Rosenbaum's commitment to Jewish and Israeli causes is exceptional. In addition to his leadership of the American Friends of the Open University of Israel, he is a member of the Executive Committee of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a Member of the Board of Directors of the United Jewish Appeal Federation of New York, a Member of the Executive Committee of the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic, and a Member of the Board of the American Friends of Livnot U'Lehibanot. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues in the Congress to join me in recognizing Irving Rosenbaum's years of commitment and passion for education and public affairs. I also invite my colleagues to join me in wishing him the happiest of birthdays.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to one of the great heroes of World War II-- Preben Munch Nielsen, a Dane who has received little recognition for his heroism. In many ways, he is a symbol of the gallantry and heroism of the Danish people during the tragedy of that war. Mr. Speaker, as the only survivor of the Holocaust ever elected to the Congress, I want to pay special tribute to Mr. Munch Nielsen and also to the courage and strong commitment to basic human decency of the Danish people, who saved virtually the entire Jewish community of Denmark from the horrifying fate that befell six million Jews in the rest of Nazi-occupied Europe. The Danish people took spontaneous action--at great risk to their own lives--to save the lives of Denmark's Jews. That selfless action established that a people deeply committed to basic human decency can prevail against an overwhelmingly powerful evil force. In many regards, Preben Munch Nielsen's participation in the saving of Danish Jews is typical of what other Danish citizens did during the horriffic period of the Nazi occupation of Denmark. Munch Nielsen was born on June 13, 1926, and was raised in Snekkersten, Denmark, a small fishing village some 25 miles north of Copenhagen. Every day he commuted to Copenhagen, where he attended school with a few Jewish students. Munch Nielsen, however, did not think of them as Jews. As he explained, the Jews in Denmark ``were considered neighbors, friends, schoolmates and nothing else.'' The Nazi-invasion of Denmark on April 9, 1940, initially brought little change to the lives of Danish Jews. The Danish government and the Danish laws remained in effect ensuring, among other things, that no Jew in Denmark ever had to wear the yellow star. Munch Nielsen joined the resistance movement, helping with the distribution of illegal papers. On August 29, 1943, the Danish Government resigned under strong pressure from the active Danish anti-Nazi resistance. The Nazi's took over the government and declared Martial Law that very same day. Under the military government, the night of October 1, 1943, was set as the date on which all Jews and communists were to be deported and transferred to concentration camps. On September 28, G.F. Duckwitz, a German diplomat with contacts among the Danish Social Democrats, learned about the deportations that were planned for two days later. He informed the leading Danish Social Democrat, Hans Hedtoft, who quickly passed on the warning to the Jewish community. Mr. Speaker, the actions of Preben Munch Nielsen were typical of the response of Danes to this effort to exterminate the Jews of Denmark. As Mr. Munch Nielsen said, participating in this effort to save the Jews was ``the only way to retain self-respect.'' He helped guide Jews to hiding places while they were waiting to be taken by boat from harbors and beaches along the Danish coast. He also helped transport Jews on the ``illegal'' boats and fishing vessels which crossed the straights to the freedom and safety of Sweden, and he aided the fishermen by calming frightened passengers during the crossing. The results of this heroic effort, Mr. Speaker, were remarkable. Of Denmark's 8,000 Jews, only 475 were caught and deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. What began as a spontaneous reaction to human injustice turned into a well-organized underground movement. Upon their return to Denmark, the Jews found their homes and assets in excellent condition. Neighbors and friends cared for their assets and sublet their properties. As a participant in this remarkable rescue, Preben Munch Nielsen personally was involved in helping to transport nearly 1,400 refugees to Sweden. On a courier mission to Sweden in November 1943 Munch Nielsen was urged by friends of the resistance movement to remain in Sweden because returning to Denmark was too dangerous. In Sweden, he joined the Danish voluntary forces in Sweden (``Den Danske Brigade'') and only returned to Denmark in May 1945, when Denmark was liberated from Nazi occupation forces. After returning to Denmark, Munch Nielsen began working in the import-export business. Only at the age of 59 did he consider a role as a public speaker and educator. After sharing his story with some Jewish travelers to Denmark, he was encouraged by friends to continue to share his personal experience and educate people about the rescue of the Danish Jews in 1943. Now a successful businessman, the head of his own company and the father of three sons, Munch Nielsen tours the world with his wife Sonja, sharing the magnificent story of the rescue of the Danish Jews. Mr. Speaker, I have the greatest admiration for Preben Munch Nielsen for his courageous participation in helping to save his fellow countrymen at the risk of his own life. I join Munch Nielsen when he says: ``That your fellow citizens should be doomed because their human value was considered nothing because of their race is an impossible thought.''

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on March 28th, I submitted a statement to the Committee on Education and the Workforce during hearings on H.R. 1, the ``No-Child-Left-Behind'' education proposal. The purpose of my testimony was to call attention to the negative effects that working long hours at after school jobs is having a serious negative impact on our nation's teens. Recent studies have shown that a correlation exists between working long hours after school and decreased academic performance as well as increased drug and alcohol use by teenagers. Mr. Speaker, the Young American Workers' Bill of Rights Act (H.R. 961) which I introduced earlier this year sets sensible limits to the number of hours teenagers can work during times when school is in session. H.R. 961 would assist both families and teenagers' struggling with the competing interests of holding a job while gaining an education. Mr. Speaker, I would like to share my statement with our colleagues in the House, and I request that my testimony to the Committee be placed in the Congressional Record. Statement by Congressman Tom Lantos, The Committee on Education and the Workforce, H.R. 1, ``No Child Left Behind,'' March 28, 2001 Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking Member and distinguished members of the Education and Workforce Committee, I appreciate the opportunity to share my views with you today. As you begin to consider the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), I urge you to keep in mind the negative effects that working long hours is having on our children's education. Working during the school year has become much more commonplace among America's youth over the past decades. Currently, nearly 25 percent of 14-year-olds and 38 percent of 15-year-olds have regular scheduled employment during the school year (as opposed to casual baby-sitting or yard work). A recent National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) indicates that almost two-thirds of high school juniors are employed during the school year and that these students work an average of 18 hours per week. Another study, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in December 1999, reports that the number of working teens has grown by 15 percent in the past five years and that nearly seven million teens age 16-19 were employed in all sectors of the United States economy. Mr. Chairman, as you and your colleagues know, American students continue to score at or below average on international tests. The Third International Mathematics and Science Study showed that American high school seniors on average spend slightly more than three hours a day working at a paid job--more than their counterparts in any of the other 20 nations studied. Some experts believe that such intense work schedules might explain the poor showing of U.S. students on international tests. In both math and science, even America's best 12th graders scored well below the international average. Laurence Steinberg, a professor of psychology at Temple University recently conducted a three-year study (1987 to 1990) of 20,000 students at nine high schools in northern California and in Wisconsin. He determined that a work-load of more than 20 hours seems to mark the point at which work is increasingly linked to a drop-off in the amount of time students spend on homework an increase in their feelings of detachment from school. His research is backed up by Wendy Piscitelli, head of the foreign language department at Hatboro-Horsham High School in Horsham, PA. She states, ``once they get up into 20 or 25 hours. . .they can't keep up the extracurricular activities, and they don't get enough sleep.'' These conclusions are shared by a teacher at the Governor Livingston Regional High School in Berkeley Heights, N.J., who discussed a problem she is having with one of her students who regularly works past midnight at a local diner. The student, a senior, has trouble making it to school on time, and when confronted about falling asleep in class responds, ``but I am making money, Mrs. Tonto.'' These students, who are placing after-school employment above their education aren't getting enough sleep at night and are catching up during the day, in the classrooms. A 1999 National Sleep Foundation survey found that 60 percent of children under the age of 18 complained of being tired during the day, and 15 percent reported sleeping at school during the past year. Mr. Chairman, I ask you, how can we expect our children to learn when they are sleeping through the school day? Another problem that arises when students are working more than 20 hours a week is that they begin to cut corners with their school work to accommodate their job. This accommodation manifests itself in many ways, often in the form of cheating, or taking a less challenging schedule. Moreover, a number of studies document that long work hours are associated with all sorts of undesirable teenage behavior. According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), working more than 11 hours a week has a strong correlation with the likelihood that teenager will smoke and drink. Working more than 26 hours per week has the same correlation to use of marijuana or cocaine. An earlier CDC study found that students who worked more than 11 hours a week had significantly higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. There is also ample evidence that when the number of work hours exceeds 15 hours per week during the school year, academic pursuits suffer. On average, grades go down and truancy increases. When work and school obligations conflict, the great majority will give top priority to their jobs. Mr. Chairman, studies have shown that the majority of children and teenagers who hold jobs in the United States are not working to support their families, but rather are employed to earn extra spending money. I see nothing wrong with minors working to earn extra spending money and I think we all can agree that it is important for children to learn the value of work. I do think, however, that it is a serious problem when teenagers spend almost the same amount of time working at an after school job as they spend in school. We need to set sensible limits on the hours that minors are permitted to work when school is in session so that our children can focus on their primary job--earning a good education. Mr. Chairman, under current Federal law, minors aged 14- and 15-years-old may not work for more than three hours a day and a maximum of 18 hours a week, when school is in session. It is also unlawful for 14- and 15-year-olds to work before 7 a.m. and after 7 p.m. so that work will not interfere with learning. Minors who are 16 and 17, however, face no federal restrictions when it comes to the number of hours they can work, and they often are required to work late into the night. I recently introduced legislation, H.R. 961, the Young American Workers Bill of Rights, which would set sensible limits to the hours teenagers work in addition to their academic schooling. Mr. Chairman, I urge the Committee to consider including the provisions of this bill in your reauthorization of the ESEA. My legislation would reduce the hours 14- and 15-year-olds would be allowed to work while school is in session, while also setting standards for the number of hours that 16- and 17-year-olds can work while school is in session. My legislation caps the hours of 14- and 15-year-olds at fifteen hours per week. The hours for 16- and 17-year-olds would be limited to 20 hours per week. When one adds these hours onto the average amount of time a teenager spends in school, the student is still putting in close to 40 hours a week. This does not include time spent on homework, extracurricular activities, or time spent just being a teenager. I think we can agree that too many teenagers are working long hours at the very time they should be focusing on their education. Mr. Chairman, let me state unequivocally that I, and supporters of my legislation, do not oppose children taking on after school employment. We firmly believe that children must be taught the value of work. They need to learn the important lessons of responsibility, and they need to enjoy the rewards of working. Furthermore, it is not our aim to discourage employers from hiring young people. Rather, our goal is to ensure that the employment opportunities available to young people are meaningful, safe, healthy, and do not interfere with their important academic responsibilities. A solid education--not after-school employment--is the key to a successful future. Mr. Chairman, as you and the rest of your committee began to debate the reauthorization of the ESEA, I strongly urge you to consider the sensible labor standards that my legislation sets forth. These common-sense limits provide American teenagers the ability to have both a valuable academic instruction, while learning the value of work.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am utterly appalled by the Taliban regime's vicious campaign to stamp out freedom and religious tolerance in Afghanistan. But the Taliban's zeal to propagate a warped version of Islam--and the support for terrorism and drug trafficking that goes along with it--is not limited to Afghanistan. Already, an Islamic movement which was designated as a terrorist group by the United States Department of State has taken root in the Fergana valley area where the borders of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan meet. This insurgency has the full support and assistance of the despotic Taliban regime in Afghanistan. So far, Kazakhstan has not been directly affected by this insurgency. However, because of its oil and mineral wealth, Kazakhstan is the crown jewel of the region and is thus almost certainly the ultimate target of the Islamic extremists. Kazakhstan's authoritarian regime has taken note of the alarming developments with its neighbors to the south and has taken steps to strengthen its defenses. That's the good news. The bad news, however, is that President Nursultan Nazarbayev has also stepped up domestic repression. Mr. Speaker, the people of Kazakhstan know that they inhabit a rich country, but they also know that very little of that wealth trickles down to them. They are also not blind to the questionable elections, the stifling of press freedom, and the jailing of opposition leaders that have characterized the country's political life. They are losing hope, and thus they are vulnerable to the siren calls of the Islamic extremists. The parallel to the situation under Suharto in Indonesia ought to be instructive. Fortunately for Indonesia, Islamic extremists were not the beneficiaries of Suharto's ouster, but the same could not be said for Kazakhstan and some of its neighbors. In the March 3 issue of The Economist, there is an excellent article on Kazakhstan's security situation. The author of the article concludes: ``Government repression and mismanagement help to nourish extremism and terrorism in Central Asia. An effort to improve social and economic conditions and freedom of expression might make Kazakhstan less fertile ground for militant zealots.'' That, Mr. Speaker, is the crux of the issue. I submit the full text of this article from The Economist to be placed in the Record following my remarks. Mr. Speaker, some here in Washington may be tempted to urge U.S. support for President Nazarbayev and the other authoritarian regimes in Central Asia, because they claim to be bulwarks of defense against Islamic extremism. Unfortunately, however, the Central Asian domestic political environment is the problem, not the solution. Only a democratic political system, a free press and respect for human rights will stop Islamic extremists. And the United States must stand with those governments in Central Asia who share these values. [From The Economist, Mar. 3, 2001] Kazakhstan--In Defense When the Soviet Union broke up ten years ago, the leaders of Central Asia's newly independent states felt safe from possible attacks on their region. Their main concern was to promote order, economic reform and the assertion of power for themselves and their families. The were jolted out of their complacency by bomb blasts in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, in February 1999 and an attack by Islamic militants in Kirgizstan in August. Last year Islamists again attacked both countries. Although Kazakhstan was not directly affected by these attacks, they have alerted the country to look to its defences. President Nursultan Nazarbaev has set about making Kazakhstan's armed forces capable of dealing with what he believes are the main threats to the state: terrorism as a result of religious extremism, and organised crime. He is strengthening defences in the south, in the mountainous border regions from which an Islamic incursion might come. He wants his soldiers to be more mobile. Sniper groups are being formed. Villagers with local knowledge of the terrain are being recruited as guides. The country's defence budget has been more than doubled this year to $171m, or 1% of GDP. Soldiers' pay is to go up by 30-40%. One difficulty is that Kazakhstan's borders were not clearly defined in Soviet times, so it is difficult to decide what is a ``border incursion''. Kazakhstan has 14,000km (8,750 miles) of borders with neighbouring states. It has agreed on its border with China, but it is still negotiating with Russia, Kirgizstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Bulat Sultanov, of Kazakhstan's Institute of Strategic Studies, worries that ``our border troops cannot carry out any operations because there is no legal basis for them.'' Last year, Uzbek border guards entered southern Kazakhstan and claimed a stretch of land. Since then, there have been several brushes between Uzbeks and Kazakhs, mostly villagers unclear about which country they are living in. All this is a distraction from the task of making the south of Kazakhstan more secure. Then there is Afghanistan. Although Kazakhstan is not a direct neighbour, the fiercely Islamic Taliban who control most of Afghanistan are a worry to all of Central Asia. They are believed to provide training for extremists, among them the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), which wants to set up a caliphate in the Fergana valley, where Kirgizstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan meet. The IMU was said to be behind the attacks in Kirgizstan and Uzbekistan in the past two years and is thought to be preparing another assault before long. Most of Kazakhstan's military equipment dates back to the Soviet period. Replacing, say, old helicopters used in the border areas will be expensive, but necessary. In January a Mi-8 helicopter crashed in the south, injuring the defence minister, Sat Tokpakbaev, who was aboard. Another helicopter crashed near the Chinese border two weeks ago, killing six people. Kazakhstan will receive arms from Russia worth $20m this year as part of its annual payment for the use of a space- rocket site at Baikonur. It is due to receive over $4m from the United States to improve border security. The government might also consider some nonmilitary measures. Government repression and mismanagement help to nourish extremism and terrorism in Central Asia. An effort to improve social and economic conditions and freedom of expression might make Kazakhstan less fertile ground for militant zealots.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to a most beloved and enduring San Francisco Bay Area icon--Dave McElhatton of KPIX Channel 5 television and KCBS radio. His distinguished 50-year career in broadcast journalism is being celebrated at an extraordinary tribute dinner at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco on April 21, 2001, for the benefit of his alma mater, San Francisco State University. David McElhatton, who was born and raised in Oakland, California, enrolled at San Francisco on the G.I. bill in 1948, following service in the U.S. Army. Only two weeks after graduating with a degree in Broadcast & Electronic Communication Arts, Dave was employed at KCBS radio. He quickly became a prominent radio personality in the Bay Area. His first introduction to Bay Area radio listeners was as the host of KCBS's ``Music 'Til Dawn'' and ``Masters of Melody''--the last live network music program to originate from San Francisco. He hosted the Bay Area's first call-in talk show, ``Viewpoint'' and the last local audience-participation radio program, ``McElhatton in the Morning.'' As KCBS' morning anchor for a quarter century, Dave became one of the Bay Area's best known and best regarded radio personalities, and he was instrumental in developing the KCBS News/Radio format. For the second quarter century of his career in broadcast journalism, Dave McElhatton was at the helm of Channel 5 Eyewitness News, where his credibility and affability made it easy for him to move seamlessly from radio to television. His superior journalistic skills and his excellent delivery led to a distinguished television news career marked by a multitude of journalistic awards and a multitude of faithful viewers. Dave McElhatton is the recipient of the rarely-bestowed ``Governor's Award'' from the Board of Governors of the Northern California Emmy Awards, which is given in recognition of truly outstanding and unique individual achievements of long duration. He has also received numerous awards from the Associated Press, United Press International, the Press Club of San Francisco, the Peninsula Press Club, the Northern California Television and Radio News Directors Association, the 19th Annual Radio Fellow Award of the University of San Francisco, the James J. Strebing Memorial Award, a Special Award for Excellence from the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and the highest honor of the Aviation Writers' Association. In 1997, Dave McElhatton was inducted into the San Francisco State University Hall of Fame. For many years, Dave taught broadcasting at his alma mater, San Francisco State University, where I was a professor of economics for three decades. Since retiring from broadcasting, Mr. McElhatton continues to contribute to our community by serving as master of ceremonies and keynote speaker at fund-raising events for Bay Area non-profit and charitable organizations. He also can be seen in California's skies, where he enjoys piloting his own plane. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to Dave McElhatton for a distinguished 50-year career in journalism. We wish Dave and his wife, Karen, a retirement replete with richly deserved good health and happiness.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I yield the remainder of my time to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I want to strongly commend my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), for his powerful and eloquent statement. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, let me first congratulate my good friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), for her leadership on this matter. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. The United Nations Human Rights Commission is meeting as we speak, and it will soon be considering country-specific resolutions, including a resolution on Cuba and the appalling human rights situation there. The Cuban government, Madam Speaker, remains the last dark stain of totalitarianism in the Western Hemisphere, which is otherwise marching forward towards increasingly democratic and open societies. Our State Department Country Report on Human Rights for the year just ended, again describes the Government of Cuba as having continued to violate systematically the fundamental civil and political rights of its citizens. The State Department report states the Cuban government severely restricts worker rights, including the right to form independent unions. One of the most significant aspects of this resolution is providing assistance to independent nongovernmental organizations and independent trade unions that can make an enormous contribution to the improvement of human rights in Cuba, and I strongly welcome the resolution's focus on this issue. I also want to recognize the ranking Democratic member of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), for his extraordinary leadership in this important arena. He was one of the first to propose directing assistance to these kinds of activities. We all hope that the U.N. Commission on Human Rights will provide for the appointment of a special rapporteur for Cuba, who could give an independent and objective view of the human rights conditions on the island. I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 91. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I do not believe we have any additional speakers, but I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This was an eloquent debate, Madam Speaker, and I want to thank all my colleagues. The American people stand united in demanding that our servicemen be released unconditionally and immediately, and we are calling on China to improve its human rights record. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I want to thank all of my colleagues on the other side for their eloquent and strong support. I would like to comment briefly on the observation of the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) about timing. I have the highest regard for my colleague from Washington, and his statement was a carefully thought through and serious one. Upon reflection, it seems to me that it would be unconscionable for this body not to deal with the issue of human rights violations in China as the U.N. Commission is dealing with the question of whether or not to support this resolution. It will be interesting to see whether the Chinese Government will add to the human rights violations of its own people, human rights violations of 26 American servicemen. I hope and pray that they will not, but it would be singularly unacceptable to be intimidated by the current situation on that island. The Chinese are illegally holding 26 American servicemen. This is a fact. It is also a fact that millions of Chinese are deprived day in and day out of their fundamental human rights, and this body will have to speak out on that subject. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), one of the strongest champions of human rights in this body.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join today to pay tribute to a Saint Patrick's Parish in San Francisco, California, which is celebrating its 150th Anniversary. From its humble beginnings the Parish has blossomed into a San Francisco institution that has weathered wars, troubled times, and the occasional earthquake. Despite those hardships, for the last 150 years Saint Patrick's Parish has remained a structure of faith for its parishioners. Shortly after Fr. John Maginnis celebrated the first mass in a rented hall on June 9, 1851, a temporary Church was constructed, and Saint Patrick's had established a foot hold in San Francisco. During this time, California was experiencing the Gold Rush, which brought the proliferation of industry and commerce to the area, and resulted in the population of San Francisco growing rapidly. The Parish responded to this expansion by purchasing a lot on Mission Street, between Third and Fourth Streets and started construction of a magnificent new Church. After two years, construction was completed, and the new Church was dedicated on March 17, 1872 at which time the Catholic population of the parish was estimated at 30,000 parishioners. Having overseen the construction of the Church, Fr. Maginnis now set his sights on new projects, and soon founded both the St. Vincent School for Girls and the St. Patrick's School for Boys. Both schools were taught by the Daughters of Charity from Emmitsburg, Maryland, and served the Parish until 1964. After the schools closed, the site was later transformed into the Alexis Apartments for the elderly. Mr. Speaker, for the first fifty-four years after its founding, Saint Patrick's Parish knew only one pastor, Father John Maginnis. Fr. Maginnis was succeeded by the Reverend Monsignor John Rogers in 1905. Shortly thereafter, the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906 struck, and the Church was reduced to rubble. This catastrophe of biblical proportions was met head on by Msgr. Rogers and the parishioners of St. Patrick's. After establishing a men's shelter named Tir-na-Nog, which is Gaelic for Land of Youth, Msgr. Rogers began the reconstruction of the Church. The reconstruction was completed and the Church was rededicated in 1914. An impressive brick structure, Saint Patrick's Church still stands majestic as a living memorial to the undaunted faith and endurance of people who gave of themselves in times of personal hardship to build this institution. Mr. Speaker, for the last century and a half years Saint Patrick's Parish has provided for the spiritual needs of the community, as well as run programs to aid the elderly, youth, and the marginalized. I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring Saint Patrick's Parish in marking their sesquicentennial.