Tom Lantos

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank members of my staff who worked so hard on this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield the balance of my time to the ranking member of the African Subcommittee, my good friend from New Jersey, Congressman Payne.

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

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to my friend from Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee, an eloquent voice for human rights. (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield such time as he might consume to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the distinguished Democratic whip and a strong voice on all human rights issues.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I might consume. First, I would like to thank my chief cosponsor, Congressman Joseph Pitts, and the other 116 cosponsors of this resolution who, along with me, continue to demand action to protect civilians and stop the genocide in Darfur. Mr. Speaker, as we meet here today, the Sudanese Government has launched a new brutal campaign against innocent civilians in Darfur. The only troops standing in their way are the understaffed and underfunded African Union Monitoring Force. But even the days of the African Union forces are numbered. Their mission is scheduled to end in 3 short months, leaving the people of Darfur completely unprotected. I fear, Mr. Speaker, that a full-scale onslaught mass murder against the civilians is imminent. The signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement on May 5 of this year seemed to offer a ray of hope that the darkest days were behind the innocent men, women, and children of Darfur. But immediately after the negotiators left Abuja with the peace agreement signed and sealed, the security situation in Darfur began to deteriorate. In characteristic fashion, the Sudanese Government launched a massive and indiscriminate assault on civilians, humanitarian efforts, and the rebel forces. Nearly 1 month ago, the United Nations Security Council authorized the deployment of 22,500 military and police into the Darfur region. To no one's surprise, Khartoum rejected the proposed deployment, and instead launched into unspeakable vitriol against the world community, threatening a terrorist war against the peacekeepers and, in a sickening anti-Semitic rant, invoked a Jewish conspiracy behind the international humanitarian movement to save Darfur. To counter the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers, Khartoum said it would send 30,000 of its own troops to Darfur to protect civilians. Mr. Speaker, as a Holocaust survivor, I cannot think of more despicable cruelty than to have Khartoum send its armed forces who have raped, tortured, and slaughtered thousands and displaced 2 million to protect civilians in Darfur. In the past few weeks, the government has escalated its campaign of death in Darfur. Bombers, attack helicopters, and Arab militias have been deployed in a new campaign of terror. Just recently, the government unleashed its forces on Tawilla Town and seven nearby villages, forcing thousands of residents to flee. The barbed wire fence surrounding the nearby African Union peacekeeping base provided scant protection for terrified civilians fearing for their lives. Mr. Speaker, it is time for the international community to put words into action whether or not Khartoum agrees to a U.N. peacekeeping force. The international community knows full well that Khartoum should not be given a choice whether to stop the genocide. If necessary, an enforced civilian protection regime must be put in place. I concluded 2 years ago when I first called for NATO's support to the African Union to protect civilians in Darfur that diplomacy does not move the leaders in Khartoum. The Sudanese Government must be made to understand that there will be severe consequences for further genocidal assaults on the people of Darfur. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 723 calls on the world to put actions behind words and to undertake civilian protection once and for all by supporting the transition of the African Union mission to the United Nations and for NATO to broaden its support. The genocide in Darfur is not just an African crisis; it is a crisis of all humanity and obligates all of us to act with urgency. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2\1/4\ minutes to our colleague from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver), a bold fighter for human rights.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to my friend from Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee. (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois, Chairman Hyde, and our ranking subcommittee member, Mr. Payne, for the extraordinary hard work that went into writing this potentially life- saving legislation, the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act. This bill, Mr. Speaker, has a simple goal: to increase steadily the pressure on the politicians in Khartoum so they finally will end the genocide there. Congress has acted before to pressure the Sudanese government, and perhaps we will have to do so again in the future. But we must continue to press until the genocide is ended, the displaced can return to their home, and justice will have been served. This important and comprehensive piece of legislation does many things. It imposes sanctions on political and military leaders in Sudan who are responsible for the Darfur genocide. It authorizes the President to provide additional assistance to the currently over- matched African Union military mission. It prohibits assistance to countries in violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions which impose sanctions on Sudan. It maintains existing United States sanctions on the government of Sudan to keep on the pressure. And it makes special provisions to aid the Government of southern Sudan by exempting it from sanctions. Madam Speaker, the measures in this bill are ``smart sanctions'' on individuals. They target specific measures against political and military leaders who have directed the scorched Earth policy against men, women, and children in Darfur. Consider the scope of this tragedy: over 200,000 have died. More than 2 million innocent civilians have been displaced from their homes. Rape is a weapon of choice against women and girls. And even those who find shelter in refugee camps beyond the country's borders are not safe from attack. The perpetrators of genocide in Darfur have lied about their actions. They defied international rebuke. And they attempted to hide their duplicitous nature by participating in peace negotiations while keeping up the aggression against the people of Darfur. Madam Speaker, the murderers in Khartoum do not respond to the fine points of diplomacy without blunt pressure that hampers their ability to do business as usual. Khartoum responds only to hardball tactics and then only reluctantly. Madam Speaker, genocide is not perpetrated by anonymous unidentifiable individuals and groups. Genocide is conceived, planned, and carried out by malicious immoral people with names and faces. Our legislation focuses specifically on those individuals who have been identified by the President as complicit in or responsible for acts of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity in Darfur. The list of individuals includes their family members and people to whom assets have been transferred since the genocide began. Madam Speaker, we know who these perpetrators of evil are, and I am pleased beyond words that the House and the Senate are prepared to act against them. But our bill goes beyond sanctions against the evil-doers in Khartoum. It also ensures that sanctions on Sudanese Government officials remain in place until they have stopped the genocide and implanted the Darfur Peace Agreement, disarmed the murderous Arab militia, adhered to all U.N. Security Council resolutions, and negotiated a peaceful settlement to the crisis in eastern Sudan. Madam Speaker, the legislation before us today does not contain divestment provisions of the type that were so instrumental in bringing down the Apartheid government in South Africa. I strongly support such provisions, and the other body's refusal to include them in the comprehensive bill represents a missed opportunity. But this bill remains a very strong piece of legislation that will undoubtedly increase pressure on the Government of Sudan to end the genocide. With its passage, Congress is signaling that we will not be passive observers to mass murder. We will act and act decisively. I urge all of my colleagues to support this important bill. Madam Speaker, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to a distinguished member of the International Relations Committee, my good friend from Minnesota, a strong voice for human rights, Congresswoman Betty McCollum.

Mr. LANTOS

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

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, we have no additional requests for time, and we yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of this resolution. I would first like to commend the efforts of my good friend and our esteemed colleague from New York (Mr. Crowley) for offering this timely measure. His work on Latin American issues in the International Relations Committee is greatly appreciated. Madam Speaker, Peru has a long history as the center of cultural, political and economic life in the Andes. Before the country declared its independence from Spain in 1821, Peru served for centuries as the principal location of Spanish colonial power and wealth. Peru's pre-colonial heritage is equally grand. The Incas built their impressive empire from Cuzco, their capital city. This empire stretched from what would become Ecuador's northern border to central Chile. After its independence from Spain, Peru oscillated between authoritarian and democratic forms of government. Finally, in 2001, Alejandro Toledo was sworn in as President of Peru and consolidated the country's return to democracy. The Peruvian economy grew on average by 5 percent a year since then, one of the most robust rates in all of Latin America, and foreign exchange reserves reached a record $14 billion by the end of last year. The Toledo government is respectful of human and political rights. Nevertheless, grinding poverty still hamstrings over half of Peruvians, and the societal divide between indigenous people and those of European and mixed descent has widened. Peru's new President, Alan Garcia, has promised to address these inequities and social cleavages. He has also embarked on a rapprochement with Chile as part of a larger effort to solidify cooperation between the like-minded nations of South America which are friendly to the United States. Madam Speaker, I am confident that, by the time of Peru's bicentennial celebration, we and our Peruvian neighbors will enjoy one of the strongest alliances in this hemisphere, an alliance which will continue to build upon the policies of Peru's democratically elected government and the contributions of the vibrant Peruvian American community in our own country. I strongly support this resolution and urge all of my colleagues to do so. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and we yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, the transparency that makes our legal system the best in the world requires that the public have access to its proceedings, and a chance to view the record. Although often overlooked, the court reporter is an integral component of this system as he or she sits quietly in the courtroom diligently producing a transcript of the trial. In addition to their work in the courtroom, freelance court reporters are hired to work at depositions and to transcribe conversations between parties. I recently read about the extraordinary work of one court reporter named Mark Brickman, a constituent of mine from San Mateo, CA, and wanted to share his story with my colleagues. Mark was born in San Francisco, but moved to Millbrae, CA as a teenager. A talented musician, he graduated from Mills High School and went on to San Francisco State University intent on pursuing his interest in music. At his parent's request he agreed to consider a more ``typical'' career and like many college students he explored multiple options before finding his calling as a court reporter. Mr. Speaker, after passing the California State Court Reporters exam, Mark worked for a couple of different firms before his entrepreneurial spirit lead him to start his own firm Brickman Deposition Reporting in 1986. Like so many successful enterprises this company was started out of his house, before growing and now operating out of San Francisco. Mark's success has taken him across the country and around the globe. However, even more impressive is the fact that Mark is still able to make sure he is always around for his wife Cynthia, herself a court reporter, and their children. Although able to type over 100 words a minute, Mark is taking the time to write a book with advice for step- fathers. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Mark Brickman, a professional court reporter and a terrific guy and to read more about him in the following article from the San Mateo Daily Journal. A Man in the Know (By Heather Murtagh) Mark Brickman isn't an ordinary reporter, but the man is in the know. He can type fast. He knows a lot about many topics and he can keep a secret. Brickman, 49, is one of thousands of court reporters paving their own way tailoring a job that fits their lifestyle. It wasn't the path Brickman believed he would end up on--music was his passion. Brickman moved from San Francisco with his family to Millbrae when he was 13. He graduated from Mills High School in the early 1970s. Before leaving the school, Brickman made his mark in the music department. By playing the clarinet and saxophone, Brickman was able to partake in all things music around the campus. The musical love even brought him over to Europe for a class trip. He began San Francisco State University wholeheartedly committed to studying music. At his parent's request he looked into studying a more lucrative area--like business. It was the first of many changes before a neighbor introduced him to court reporting. ``It was right up my alley. I was always into words and I love politics and being social,'' he said. Once he found the right career the motivation just hit Brickman. Since private school allowed him to focus on the court reporting rather than general education, Brickman was able to finish in two years--graduating in 1978. While in school Brickman worked as a typist for a court reporting firm. It took him two tries to pass the court reporting exam, but once he did his hard work paid off as he was offered a job. There are two types of court reporters--actual court reporters and freelance reporters. Court reporters sit in the courtroom transcribing what is being said. Freelance reporters complete depositions, transcribe conversations and complete any paperwork outside of the courtroom. Brickman is primarily a freelance reporter but he dabbles in courtrooms from time to time--only for topics that interest him. He produces hundreds of pages in a day, and it's not because of his typing skills. Brickman can type over 100 words per minute but court reporters use a different method of typing. The language is a special kind of shorthand, which sometimes consists of typing two letters simultaneously. To type the, for example, Brickman just presses ``t,'' and the word if is the letters t and p pressed at the same time. It's a difficult language to master, said Brickman, but the work is worthwhile. Brickman worked for a couple of firms before opening Brickman Deposition Reporting in 1986, the firm is currently in San Francisco but started in his bedroom in Foster City. It's the kind of job, which can be as consuming or low maintenance as a worker could want. Reporters are paid between $4 to $10 per page. Brickman's work has taken him to multiple states and as far as Tokyo. He's listened in on the personal information of Debbi Fields, the woman behind Mrs. Fields, and self-help guru Deepak Chopra. Brickman loves being in the know of personal and political situations going on around the nation. The career, he said, is great for anyone needing flexibility in a work schedule. It's also something that requires lots of work, accuracy and studying to get right. Brickman had one professor who would read names and numbers out of the phone book for hours as they transcribed it--a task he hated at the time. ``I could kiss his forehead. Twenty-six years later and I still use those skills,'' he said. Despite his busy schedule, Brickman still makes time to have a life. He lives in San Mateo with his wife of four years, Cynthia, and her 18-year-old daughter Erika. Cynthia has four children, two girls and two boys. Brickman adopted Beverlee, the older daughter, just a few months before he married Cynthia. Brickman met Beverlee at a convention for court reporters, which they both are, when Brickman first started dating his wife. He instantly felt protective of her. When the idea to adopt her was brought up, Brickman never looked back. Even with success in business Brickman said it's important to have a balance with family and an outside life. He spends much time with his wife and children. He'd love to help with a national election one day. When he has the chance he loves to write. In fact, he's currently working on a book detailing his experiences with mixing families and tips for stepfathers.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Audrey Rust for her tireless efforts to preserve the natural beauty of the San Francisco Peninsula. For nearly twenty years, Audrey Rust has been the CEO of the Peninsula Open Space Trust, an organization that has been highly effective in protecting well over 55,000 acres of land in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, California. I congratulate her for this great achievement, and I am proud that she resides in my congressional district. The Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) owes much of its great success to Ms. Rust's ability to create partnerships between public agencies and private landowners to bring significant tracts of land under permanent protection. Highlights of POST's work include securing the preservation of the 7,357-acre Cloverdale Coastal Ranches, the 3,681- acre Driscol Ranch, the 1,623-acre Bair Island in Redwood City, and the 2,438-acre Rancho Canada del Oro in San Jose. Also, POST played a significant role in the creation of Cowell Ranch State Beach. When it opened in 1995, it was the first state beach created in California since the early 1980s. Mr. Speaker, one of the most impressive preservation efforts by Ms. Rust and POST was saving the Rancho Corral de Tierra from planned development. The 4,262-acre region contains awe-inspiring views, rich farmlands, important watersheds, miles of public trails, and diverse wildlife. Under Ms. Rust's leadership, POST was able to secure millions from private donors to purchase this beautiful land. Senator Feinstein and I were inspired by the pristine grandeur of Rancho Corral de Tierra and introduced to include the ranch within the boundaries of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. We were successful in that effort with the passage of Public Law 109-131 in this Congress. Prior to her years of leadership at POST, Ms. Rust worked with the Sierra Club, and Yale and Stanford Universities. She has served on the boards of numerous local, state and national organizations, primarily in the fields of conservation and housing. Over the years, Ms. Rust has received several major awards, including the Times Mirror-Chevron National Conservationist of the Year Award, the League of California Voters Environmental Leadership Award, the Cynthia Pratt Laughlin Medal, the Garden Club of America's top environmental honor, and the Jacqueline Kennedy Award from JFK University for her achievements in land conservation. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating Audrey Rust for her integral role in preserving the natural landscape of one of our nation's most beautiful regions. I am inspired by Ms. Rust's dedication to maintaining the pristine beauty of the San Francisco Peninsula.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. I want to thank my friend Congressman Oberstar for yielding. I want to thank Chairman Young of Alaska and Congressman Oberstar for their stewardship of this important piece of legislation that my friend Congressman Chris Shays and I introduced, and we are thrilled and delighted that we have reached this day, and hopefully it will pass. I also would like to congratulate our colleagues in the Senate, Senators Stevens of Alaska and Lautenberg of New Jersey, for leading the fight to pass the PETS Act by a unanimous vote. In my own office, three young and committed men worked hard on this legislation, Ron Grimes, Jason Rosenstock, and Guido Zucconi, and I want to express my appreciation to them. But primarily I want to thank my wife, Annette, who, over a long lifetime together, taught me the love of animals. Mr. Speaker, if I may, I would like to call special attention to three doggies in our office, Masko, Chippy, and Cassie, who bring a civilized tone, joy, fun, pleasure, and wit to our congressional office. Their work, along with the tireless efforts of animal welfare organizations, will ensure the safety of household pets and service animals and their owners as well. Mr. Speaker, before the images of the gulf coast hurricanes of last year begin to fade from our national memory, it is imperative that we help our citizens prepare for the next disaster. Our legislation, the PETS Act, will ensure that families and people with disabilities will never be forced to choose between being rescued or remaining with their pets or service animals. The scene from New Orleans of a 9-year-old little boy crying because he was not allowed to take his little white dog Snowball was too much to bear. Personally, I know I wouldn't have been able to leave my little white dog Masko to a fate of almost certain death. As I watched the images of the heartbreaking choices the gulf residents had to make, I was moved to find a way to prevent this from ever happening again. Requiring local and State emergency planners to take into consideration the needs of evacuees with household pets and people with disabilities who have service animals is a simple and effective way to ensure saving as many human lives as possible. If people can leave their homes knowing that all members of their family, including their pets, will be safe, it will make for a more civilized and more efficient evacuation. That is the reason why, along with my colleagues, Mr. Shays, Mr. Young, Mr. Oberstar, and Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, I introduced the Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, which we call the PETS Act. Never before in my long congressional career have I received so much support and encouragement for a piece of legislation, Mr. Speaker, not only from citizens in my own district, but from a national audience that shares my concerns for the safety of these animals and their owners. Since the hurricanes of last year, the PETS Act has influenced State officials to make plans for people with pets and service animals. Miami-Dade and Broward Counties in Florida have shelters that accept animals, as well as careful instructions for people forced to leave their homes who may have animals. This demonstrates that emergency planners are more than capable of making effective plans for people with pets or service animals. Now, more than ever, with hurricane season upon us, this bill is of the utmost importance. The PETS Act will ensure that States will continue to plan for their pet and service animal populations, which will in turn ensure a smoother and safer evacuation for all members of the family. On behalf of the tens of millions of families across our Nation who have pets, I urge all of my colleagues to vote for this important legislation.

Mr. LANTOS

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

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

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. I first would like to commend my good friend and distinguished colleague from Texas for introducing this important resolution and for his powerful and eloquent words. This body has regularly condemned Iran for its nuclear program, which is clearly designed to build weapons of mass destruction. We have condemned Iran for its support of terrorism and other aggressive policies. But for far too long we have not adequately called attention to the broad range of horrific human rights violations practiced by the Islamist Republic of Iran. In fact, Madam Speaker, Iran is among the world's leading human rights abusers. It is morally incumbent upon us to affirm our commitment to support the victims of Iranian repression and to express our sympathy for the long-denied democratic desires of the Iranian people. That is exactly what this resolution does. Madam Speaker, I believe we all are familiar with many aspects of Iranian repression. Iran today is an authoritarian, intolerant, theocratic state, and the Iranians are at the mercy of a cynical, self- indulgent clerical elite, whose extremist views do not even reflect those of the majority of Iranian clergy. We all know how Iran treats religious minorities, most infamously the Baha'i, and we all know that Iran represses democratic dissent, cooks the elections to make sure that the winners are theocrats unrepresentative of the will of the Iranian people. But perhaps nothing more eloquently expresses Iran's cynicism about human rights than Iran's willingness to sign all manner of international agreements committing itself to adhere to international human rights standards while, in practice, scorning those very standards. Presumably the Iranian regime thinks it can fool us by signing documents. In that regard, Madam Speaker, Iran's attitude towards its human rights obligations and its nuclear obligations are two sides of the same coin. Tehran takes neither set of commitments seriously. By supporting this resolution, we will send a skyrocket message to the Iranian regime and to the Iranian people that we see through the regime's veil of cynicism, that we will keep the pressure on the Iranian regime to cease its repression, and that we look forward to the day when Iran will join the ranks of democratic, human-rights- respecting, law-abiding countries. We will not cease to believe in the goodwill and democratic inclinations of the vast majority of the Iranian people. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield to my friend from Ohio as much time as he might consume.

Mr. LANTOS. I thank my friend for his generous words.

Mr. LANTOS

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

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I might consume. I want to congratulate my friend and distinguished colleague from Iowa, Congressman King, for introducing this important resolution commemorating Iran's democratic revolution of 1906. I want equally to congratulate my friend and committee colleague, Mr. Blumenauer, who introduced the resolution on the very same topic at virtually the same time. The issues raised by the King and Blumenauer resolutions are both simple and complex. On the one hand, it is important simply that we commemorate the events of 1906, a popular uprising that led to the drafting of a constitution brimming with democratic guarantees. Indeed, this was a heady time for tens of thousands of Iranian liberals, as the writings of the esteemed contemporary British scholar Edward G. Browne make abundantly clear. Recalling these events reminds us that the yearning of the people of the Middle East for democracy has a long and storied history. In fact, there were other significant manifestations of democratic sentiment in the Middle East in the late 19th and early 20th centuries including both in Egypt and in the Ottoman Empire. At the same time, we cannot help but acknowledge that the high hopes of the 1906 Constitutional Revolution were quickly dashed on the shoals of reactionary resistance, foreign interference, and the lack of unity among the constitutionalists. Iran has gone through many permutations since 1906, but it has experienced very little democracy. Today's Iran is a far cry from that envisioned by the revolutionaries and constitution writers of a century ago. The Iran of today is an authoritarian, intolerant, theocratic regime in which ultimate authority rests with the clergy, and a minority of clergymen at that. There are elections and there is a parliament in Iran, but candidates must first be approved by an unelected clergy. The democratic promise that Iranians set out for themselves in 1906 remains unfulfilled, but it is not forgotten. It stands as a beacon of democratic hope for Iran and for others throughout the Middle East. At a time when we have committed our resources to supporting the emergence of a liberal, tolerant Middle East, it is very appropriate that we recall one of the earliest efforts in that region to establish a constitutional democratic regime. And we honor those Iranians who struggled for positive change. That is why I support this resolution and urge all of my colleagues to do likewise. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, we have no additional requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield to my good friend and distinguished colleague from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich) as much time as he might consume.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for his heartfelt and warm words. I yield 2 minutes to my distinguished colleague and very good friend from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I want to thank all of my colleagues for their very significant statements. We have no additional requests for time, and I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. We yield back the balance of our time.