Scott McInnis

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. I think we are at a real advantage tonight because our colleague from California has come in with some more details that have happened just in the last few minutes or have at least been released. I thank the gentleman for coming out. I think it is a great opportunity for us to send this message out. I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose).

Mr. McINNIS. My district is Colorado. In fact the gentleman from Georgia comes out to Colorado and vacations out in the Colorado mountains. I happen to feel like him, I feel very lucky about the district that I represent. But we camp out a lot in our district, out there in the mountains. We kind of have a rule. It gets cold almost every night, even in the hottest day of the summer it still gets cold in the Colorado mountains at night. It still cools down, so you build a fire. We have a rule. ``If you want to sit by the fire, you got to help gather the firewood.'' That is just a basic obligation. In the morning if you want to eat breakfast, you too got to get out of your sleeping bag when it is darn cold and help get things put together for breakfast. If we have got somebody who has got a broken leg or injured or is otherwise incapable of helping gather the firewood, then the rest of us pitch in and there is no complaint. Where the complaints start is when somebody is capable of pitching in and they simply say, ``Hey, let Jack do it. Jack's good at gathering firewood. I'd just as soon sit by the fire and not have to go out and do the work.'' That is what I am concerned about here. I want a peace agreement. I want this thing resolved. I think there are a lot of details we have to talk about, and I think we should all seriously assess what are the legal precedents that have been set. But at the same time I think this administration, and I hope they are doing it, but I think this administration has an absolute obligation to the citizens of this country to say, ``Hey, we've been gathering all the firewood,'' and I can assure you that on this war in Yugoslavia, all of the firewood or 90 something percent of the firewood that has gone into that fire was gathered by the United States, not by the other 19 people at the campsite. There are 19 people at that campsite. One of them gathered 90 something percent. Our good allies and good friends, the United Kingdom, who have always been good, solid allies for us, they gathered a proportionate share, about 10 percent or a little less, they have been putting in a little firewood, but they have had their arms full when they were coming in so they are working. But what are the others doing? They are not carrying their fair share of the firewood. Now that the real expenses are going to come into play here, now I think it is absolutely critical that a couple of us stand up. We are not going to be popular because at this campsite there are 19 people, 17 who really are not contributing too much, so the two of us who stand up to the other 17 and say, ``You got to pitch in,'' you can imagine those 17 are going to say, ``Be quiet, what are you moaning about?'' and so on. But we have a responsibility to the American taxpayer to stand up and say to our European allies, ``You're going to have to pitch in on this rebuilding. You're going to have to help too. You're going to have to help gather that firewood.''

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I say to the gentleman from Georgia, I think that point is a very valid point and I think it is something that everyone on this floor has an obligation to explore. Six hundred out of the 800 towns in Kosovo have been destroyed. There has been mass destruction, mass refugees who have exiled from that country who are going to have to go back. I mentioned earlier the economy. This is going to cost a lot of money. The United States has already carried by far the vast majority of the financial obligation of this war. There are American forces. It is American equipment. And it is the taxpayer, every one of my colleagues in this Chamber, all of our constituents that are employed out there, we are carrying the burden for this. So far it is $16 billion. But that is not very accurate. I think it is much higher than that. I think the tab to repair this is going to be around $100 billion. Now, does that mean that we should not repair it, that we should not provide these people with heat in the winter, that they should not be provided with food, that we should not try to boost their economy? No. Just the opposite. I think there is an obligation to go in there and help these refugees rebuild their country, help maintain peace. But I am tired of the taxpayers of the United States of America always carrying the burden. Where are our European allies? This is a problem in Europe. But I know what is carrying the burden. It is the United States taxpayers. Now, as my colleague knows, I do not have any objection to helping out somebody; we help people on welfare; if we can help out a neighbor. That is why America is great. That is what makes our country great. But we also believe in sharing, sharing the burden. And that is the big question. I am fully committed as long as I serve in this Congress to standing up to this President and this administration and drawing a line in the sand and say, look, Mr. President, we have got to have burden sharing here. What share are the Europeans going to carry in this? Is it going to be the United States taxpayers that for many, many years into the future will spend a lot of money that otherwise would go to our Social Security, that otherwise would go to our schools, that otherwise would go to our health care programs? My colleagues, do not kid yourselves. If we do not have burden sharing by our neighbors and the other members of NATO, and I mean fair, proportionate burden sharing, it will be a sacrifice in this country. Now, we are all willing to make a sacrifice to help a hungry person get food. But after a while, when we have got neighbors that can help feed them too, we cannot sacrifice our families. So this is a hot issue for me.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, to the gentleman, you know what has been exciting though the last couple of weeks. As you know, Mr. Kingston, you and I a couple of weeks ago talked about this very specific problem we think exists out there with society, and that is go to your local arcade. You will be surprised. These games are actually murder simulators. As I spoke a couple of weeks ago, it is very similar to the simulators that we use to train pilots how to fly an airplane, to teach drivers how to drive a car. These simulators teach people how to kill. Now, if you do not believe me, I know how it sounds. ``Come on, Scott.'' Go into the arcade and see it for yourself. I had not been to an arcade for a long time. My three children, Daxon, he is 22, Tess is 21, Andrea is 17, so I hadn't been in an arcade. So I went into an arcade and I was surprised. But what was exciting to me as a result of our conversations here on the floor was, number one, we came to the conclusion, we do not need more laws. That may not necessarily be the answer. Let us go out and be consumers. Both the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) and I represent constituents, and I think we have the bully pulpit right here. We can use this to talk about the executives at Interplay Corporation and make requests. You know what happened, Mr. Kingston? Well, you know. But for my colleagues, what happened after Mr. Kingston and I discussed it a couple of weeks ago, I had parents start calling me. ``What can I do,'' they said? I said go to your local arcade. If you think there is a game in there that is a murder simulator or is too violent for young people, the age of people playing it, tell the proprietor of that shop and demand that they remove it. Ask them to remove it and if they do not, demand they remove it. I followed that. I went to the Denver International Airport, right in the Denver International Airport Denver, Colorado, there were violent, horrible games in their arcade located on city property. I called the mayor of Denver, Wellington Webb. Within an hour those games were yanked. That is cooperation. Disney Corporation, Knoxville Farms, Six Flags. There are a number of people. Even the Video Association came in and expressed cooperation. They are concerned about this. So what I think is an important message here for us to get out, because you and I are not proponents of more laws, that is not automatically the answer, we will pass more laws and then we will all be satisfied. The answer is getting out there, get swift action, which you do not get with the United States Congress just because of the way the system is set up. Go out there, use consumer demand, go into the private marketplace, use the leverage we have and tell the producers, the manufacturers, the advertisers in the magazines and the people, retailers that put these games out there, look, no more. The game is over. Get those things out of here. A couple of the executives I talked to, I asked them, I said, ``Do your kids play these games? Do you have this game at home, the one you just showed us?'' I said, ``If you do not, do you not have an obligation to the rest of the children in our society?'' We are going to make it out there so consumers do not want this product, consumers are going to want this product out.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, in fact, in Sudan and Rwanda there is not a civil war. That truly is a genocide. And that is the difference. And if our policy is going to be to stop genocide, we ought to be in Rwanda tomorrow or, as my colleague said, Sudan. There are hundreds of thousands of deaths, many, many, many multiples of the kinds of deaths that we have in Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was a civil war, as the gentleman has correctly pointed out. In Rwanda and Sudan, there is truly a genocide. But we do not see that on CNN. We do not see the administration gung ho about doing that.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I want to spend a few minutes rebutting the previous comments that we have all just heard. I will summarize it like this, and then I will move on to the subject that I really came to speak about this evening. Do not misunderstand. Members on both sides of the aisle, both Republicans and Democrats, want to get a medical system out there, health care out there that is effective and delivers a good product to help America stay healthy. It is amazing to me sometimes that some of my colleagues, strictly for political purposes, will stand up here in front of everyone and preach about how some on both sides of the aisle must not want health care for America. It is kind of like when we hear the education arguments up here, as if somebody on this floor really truly does not care about children. I have never met anybody that truly does not care about children. I have never met anybody that truly does not care about health care for America. I have never really met anybody that does not care about patients' rights. Of course, we all care about it, but we all have different approaches. And in order to fairly hear those different approaches we have to have some type of process. We have to have some type of order in the House. The complaint that we have heard in the previous hour is that they just would prefer not to follow that order of the House. They would like to go out of the process. They would like to have it their way. Well, I do not blame them for wanting it their way, but in the House Chamber we have to follow the process. We have rules. If we all follow those rules, we have a chance to be heard. My gosh, how many hours every day does the American public listen to us talk. Of course, we have freedom of speech. I was surprised, disappointed, even somewhat amused that in the last hour someone had the audacity to stand up and say we do not have freedom of speech in this country. Oh, my gosh, being on the House floor, which by the way is one of the highest privileges an individual can get in this country, but they say they do not have freedom of speech. Of course they have their freedom of speech. Both Republicans and Democrats in education, in health care, in transportation, in military, they care about those issues. Of course they care about those issues. And I think it is just plain wrong for somebody to stand up here and imply or directly state that one side or the other, like the Republicans tonight, the Republicans must not care about patient health care, the Republicans must not care about freedom of speech. Come on, grow up, folks. We have a lot of responsibilities out there to the American people, let us appreciate and let us respect the right that we have to stand on this floor without worrying about government oppression and speaking our minds, and that we also have the obligation to follow some type of process to have that order. Well, enough said about that. This evening I really want to visit a little more specifically about a couple of areas. Number one, about Kosovo. As we all now know, the news in Kosovo is good news. We have heard some good news in the last few hours. The peace treaty, if that is what we want to call it, has been signed. That is good news, regardless of where we all are on Kosovo. I, for example, do not believe we should have been there in a military sense. I think we had a humanitarian obligation. And I objected to the strategy that has been used by the administration, their approach to the problem in Yugoslavia, but despite that fact, regardless of where we may stand, we all ought to be happy that some type of peace agreement has been signed in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, it will be executed in such a way that the death and the raping and the burning will come to a stop over in Yugoslavia. But while many people tonight will celebrate what happened with this peace agreement, we have to remember that old saying that the devil is in the details. What are the details of this peace agreement? What do we have in Kosovo? What is the situation? There are a number of areas that we should look at. Remember what is very important about any action taken by a government, really any action taken by anyone, and that is that intent cannot be measured. We must measure results. The intent here was probably well-founded. I have never criticized the President for his intent. I think it was well-founded. Or the administration and the other officers in the administration. It is the results that I question. What are the results of what we have done? Now that we are about to go into Kosovo with military forces on a peacekeeping mission, we need to see what were the results of the last 78 days of bombing. Take a look at the Yugoslavian economy. We are discussing our defense budget. To give an idea of the total gross national product of Yugoslavia, the total gross national product of Yugoslavia is one-fifteenth of our defense budget. In Colorado, that is my home State, our gross State product is about $95 billion a year. Ninety-five billion dollars a year in the State of Colorado. In the entire country of Yugoslavia it is about $17 billion. It took us 78 days to get to this point. What is the result of that 78 days of warfare? There are some questions we need to ask, and I hope we get satisfactory answers. I do not like being a person who constantly criticizes, but I do have an obligation as an elected Member of the United States Congress to stand up and ask questions where I have doubt about the strategy that is being deployed. There are a number of questions that we should ask. And we should not let this peace agreement, which will be spun extensively, the spin doctors are already at work tonight, I can tell my colleagues they are burning midnight oil to spin this as a huge victory for the American people, a huge victory for the freedom of this world. Well, maybe so. I do not think so. But maybe so. But let me say the way we measure, remember, we measure results. Let us take a look at what we have accomplished. Let us talk about what is going to happen now. Remember that the United States, in effect, chose sides when the administration decided to go into the sovereign territory of another country, which, by the way, just a couple of years ago, about 7 years ago, we went to war over. As my colleagues will remember, when Iraq invaded the sovereign territory of Kuwait, we, as a country, said you should not invade the sovereign territory of another country so we will go to war with you to push you outside that sovereign territory. Well, now the United States, through the auspices of NATO, is doing exactly the same thing. They invaded the sovereign territory of Yugoslavia. Now, do not take me wrong. There were some very atrocious things going on in Yugoslavia. But they were not only being committed by the Serbs. They were also being committed by an organization called the KLA, the Kosovo Liberation Army. Do we know anything about the Kosovo Liberation Army with whom we sided in this conflict? The answer is yes. Do my colleagues know how we knew of them? They are terrorists. These people, this organization, was listed by our State Department as terrorists. They committed acts of terrorism. Our country recognized them as terrorists. So what our administration consciously decided to do was to go into the sovereign territory, to go into the sovereign territory of another country to take sides with an organization that we ourselves label as terrorists and to go to battle. Well, now that we have apparently pushed the Yugoslavian Serbs out of the territory of Kosovo, I can tell my colleagues that the Kosovo Liberation Army will not stop there. They do not want the Serbs just out of Kosovo. They want an independent State of Kosovo. If the United States were to grant that or NATO or the world were to say that is what should happen, in effect we would have given our sign of approval and actually participated in the invasion of a foreign country by a defensive organization. Remember, NATO is a defensive organization. So we have NATO go on offense. We go into the sovereign territory of another country. We portion out a part of that country and turn that portion over to an organization called the Kosovo Liberation Army, which we know are terrorists. Well, let us think about what is going to happen. Who is going to disarm the Kosovo Liberation Army? Who is going to control them? We have controlled the Serbs. But remember, this latest conflict started when the Kosovo Liberation Army people started assassinating Serb police officers. How are we going to disarm the Kosovo Liberation Army? In my opinion, we are not going to disarm them. This is the onset of a new problem that will last for a long time. And I can tell my colleagues that our European allies will expect the United States to resolve it. I am going to talk about burden sharing a little later on in my comments. But the United States is going to be the one in the future that is looked upon to resolve this. We have got some other questions. How are we going to police these areas? This is what we want to see in the details of that agreement. Again, if we have got an agreement and if we can answer these questions with a positive result, and that is what we want to measure are the results, then this is great. But we ought to ask those questions. And my colleagues, do not let the spin that is going to come off this agreement tomorrow by the administration or whoever, do not let that spin mask the fact that we all need to look at what the details of this agreement are. Who is going to police the areas? How are we going to set up a judiciary system? What are we going to do about the economy? Remember, in Kosovo they did not have any time to plant the seeds. They did not get in their spring plantings. They do not have an economy. My colleagues, many of those refugees, who, by the way, I think will claim political asylum and ask to stay in the United States, many of those refugees will not go back into Kosovo. Many of those refugees who do go back into Kosovo are going back to burned bridges, destroyed schools, destroyed clinics, destroyed roads, destroyed fields, no economy, no health care, no type of welfare system, no transportation system, no heat for the winter, no air conditioning for the summer, no water that is kind of like the water we have, purified and clean water. This is a huge problem over there. Who is going to pay the tab of that? Well, you got it. In my opinion, the United States will. But I am going to address that a little later on. We also know that the Serbs have destroyed all these legal documents. I mean, let us face it, the Kosovo Liberation Army and the Serbs are both bad characters; the leaders, not the citizens. The citizens are innocent and they are good people. But the leaderships of these two organizations are murderers, both sides of them. They are murderers. They are criminals. They are bandits. They are crooks. Well, what the Serbs did is they made sure that for the innocent citizens in Kosovo, they destroyed all their legal documents. Who is going to set up the judiciary over there, the judicial process? Remember, our military, our soldiers are not judges. They are not police officers. And there is a difference between a police officer and a soldier. I used to be a police officer. I have a little understanding of that. How are we going to set up the judiciary system? How will command and control work? What will Russia's role be in here? What is the future of American foreign policy? What we have done is set a legal precedent here. As I mentioned earlier, we have entered the sovereign territory of another country to resolve a civil war. Now, some people will tell us that this was a genocide, that this is like Adolf Hitler, that the United States of America had a moral obligation to step in and stop this. Well, number one, it is not like Adolf Hitler. Number two, there are in fact atrocities. But three, they are driven more by civil war than by a dictator who is intent on destroying a population. It is a civil war dispute that we are getting into. I am very appreciative of my good friend from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) coming to join us, because as he and I have discussed, these are very critical issues. But let me wrap up this legal point. What is going to be our policy? This is an abrupt change for the United States and for NATO. NATO has never carried out a mission like this. Nor has the United States ever broken with legal precedence and done this. What happens now if Quebec decides to vote for independence in Canada? Should we go to war with Canada to defend Quebec? What happens if some people in Mexico want to become U.S. citizens in the State of Texas and decides that Texans should seek independence and become part of the country of Mexico? My colleagues, these are not imaginary questions. These are issues we should address. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my good friend the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston). As the gentleman knows, the peace agreement has been signed. I am asking questions about, you know, the devil is in the details; what do we really have in these details? I have not seen the details. The briefing I got indicated it has been signed, but we have not been presented with any details.

Mr. McINNIS. You know, we are about to face some tough budget decisions coming up this summer. We are the Republicans, we are in the majority, it is our decision. Somebody has to lead the charge. We have got to make tough decisions. I am not running from a tough decision. But the President in his budget has all kinds of program requests which in my opinion will greatly exceed the budget caps, or so you are familiar with it, the budget discipline that we put upon ourselves. We figured years ago, as the gentleman knows, that in order for this economy to stay solid, for the government to not continue to go into annual debt, we already have the national debt, to reduce the national debt and avoid the annual deficits, we have got to exercise some fiscal discipline that has not been exercised in the past. So we got an agreement out of the President that we would all live within what we call the caps. Well, the President's budget, what it does is it raises taxes so it allows expenses to go way up, but he says it is within the caps, the administration, because they raise taxes. We are saying you are not going to raise taxes, we have got to control spending. Now, out of this, it is going to be tough. We do not have a lot of money laying around back here. While you hear the word ``surplus'' a lot, when you really take an accurate picture, we still have that national debt. What is going to happen is if we do not go to our European allies, then this amount of money we have in the pot for American domestic programs, which is going to be tight as it now exists, in other words, it is going to be a really tough year fiscally, we now are going to have to make additional contributions out of our programs, out of the programs that are the highest priority for us as American citizens, to pitch in. As I said earlier, the gentleman has talked about this off the floor to me, we have an obligation to pitch in. We have a humanitarian obligation. That is what made our country great, is the fact that America always stood up to the plate. The United States was always there to help the underprivileged and to help the needy. We will fulfill that obligation. But, by gosh, I do not want it always coming out of the hide of the American taxpayer and out the hide of the people who benefit from our domestic programs. So my message tonight, as is shared by my colleague from California, is you all, European allies, we all need to say hey, pitch in. No free rides. We have got a problem out there, let us get the solution. And if we all pitch in, by the way, it is not going to be too heavy a burden on any one of us. We can all help carry the pack up the mountain. But so far it is you and I, speaking of the United States, that have carried it this far up the mountain. I am getting tired of it. I want to give some benefit to our taxpayers.

Mr. McINNIS. I appreciate the gentleman, Mr. Speaker. I want to read a couple of letters here, but I do want to thank the gentleman. I appreciate the gentleman, I would like to point out, as a father of several children, and I think he has a great family. The key here is we can do something as consumers. As consumers we can do something about some of these products. Let us go out into an arcade. If we see a violent game, talk to the proprietor. What I found is when we talk to these people, for example, when I talk to the mayor's office in Denver, I am not sure they were aware of that. I will tell the Members, they were really cooperative. They got right on it. They did something about it. I think Members are going to find a lot of positive reaction within our community without more laws being passed by the Congress, being imposed upon citizens of this country. Without more laws, I think as a consumer we have some leverage. Let me conclude first of all by thanking my colleague from the State of Georgia. I appreciate very much his participation this evening, and my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose). I am going to shift gears completely. I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago, I make it a point when I go back to my district to try and go teach classes in the schools. Before the schools got out for the summer I went and taught some young people. I wanted to read some of their responses in the thank-you letters. I like to leave this speech with a high note. We talked about Kosovo, we talked about violent video. Now let us leave it with a high note and talk about a few cute letters. Dear Mr. McInnis, I enjoyed you coming to my class. Thank you for giving us the books, and thank you for saying I have a beautiful smile. Don't I look exactly like my mom? Your job sounds pretty exciting. I was really impressed with all those questions, and you could answer all of them. Thank you for coming. Your friend, Kyra. P.S., Josh was kind of cute. Josh was my legislative assistant. Dear Mr. McInnis, how are you? I hope your trip was great. I never knew that we had the freedom of speech. On your 11th birthday, what did you want to be? Thank you for coming to our classroom. Kyle Webster. Dear Mr. McInnis, I didn't know that in some States you had to smoke in your house or outside your house. Thank you for coming. I think your job sounds fun. You taught us a lot, your friend, Matt. Dear Mr. McInnis, I like you. I like how you taught us the tree. Thanks for the books. Thanks for coming. Thank you for teaching us. Your friend, Amber. The tree means the branches of the judiciary, the executive, and the legislative branch. Dear Mr. McInnis, thank you for telling me about the three branches of government, the executive, legislative, and judiciary. I didn't know anything about the three branches, but now I do. I really liked it when you talked about all the freedom of our country. Thank you for coming. From Derrick. Mr. McInnis, I'm glad you taught me about the tree. I like the legislative branch the most. Thank you for teaching me what they mean, too. I'm glad you got to come in and show my class and me about all you showed us and taught us. I will remember what you taught us. Your friend, Brandon. Dear Congressman McInnis, thank you for coming to our class. I enjoyed it. I learned a lot of things. One of them is that you are trying to make new rules. Your friend, Guy. Dear Mr. McInnis: I never knew that Wyoming had the least people and California had the most people. My dad says that alcohol is like pouring fuel on a fire that's already burning. Thanks for coming to our class. Love, Alanna. Dear Mr. McInnis: Thank you for teaching me things I never knew. I am still thinking smoking is not a law. Thanks for telling me about the three branches of our government. I never know there was such thing. I am surprised that in some places you can smoke. Dear Mr. McInnis, thank you for coming to our classroom. I liked it when you talked about the population. Your schedule must be busy traveling all over. Have a safe trip!'' That was from ``Your friend, Lindsey.'' Dear Mr. McInnis, thank you for coming. We know that you have a busy schedule but we are very lucky to have you come to our class. I didn't know that the most population is in California, and the least population is in Wyoming. Is it fun being a Congressman? Do you like to travel a lot? I think you are a very nice man. I hope you come again. Thank you for coming. Love, Joya L'Ecuyer. Dear Mr. McInnis, thank you for the book. How does that money get to you? Does all that money go to you or do you share some of the money? I will miss you. You are a good teacher. I will never forget the lesson on the three branches. Thank you for coming, love Megan Mueller. Dear Mr. McInnis, I learned the three branches and the names of them. I didn't know you had to travel a lot and go so far. On the tree the branch on the left is called the Executive branch. The one on the right is called the Judiciary. The one in the middle is called the the Legislative. Thank you for coming. From Daniel. Dear Mr. McInnis, I never knew that California had the most people in it. I thank you for coming. Your friend, Gary. Dear Mr. McInnis, thank you for coming to our classroom. I liked it when you talked about our freedom. It was very interesting. Thank you for the books. Morgan. Mr. McInnis, I think our class is very lucky to have you come. Thank you so much, really. Oh, yes, by the way, thank you for the books. Thanks for teaching us all about the Constitution, laws, and tree branches. I think it must be hard to do the stuff you do. Your friend, Brittany. Mr. McInnis, thank you for coming and telling us what it is like in Washington. It is cool how there are three branches of government. I never knew there were so many different ways to have freedom. Your friend, Brittany. Dear Mr. McInnis, I didn't know that that is how taxes worked. Thank you for coming. Thank you for the book. From Douglas. Mr. Speaker, as we talk about some pretty tough issues up here in the Capitol, we should never forget how many times freedom is mentioned in these letters from these young people, how proud these young people are to be Americans. We often talk about what has gone wrong. I spent most of my speech talking about some things that were going wrong. But we should not forget the fact that most things are going right. If Members want to feel good about what is going on in this country, if they want to feel refreshed, go to a classroom. I have nothing but good things to say about a lot of teachers. It must be exciting every day to have these kinds of young people in their classroom. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the time I had this evening to speak to my colleagues, and I want to thank all my little friends that sent a letter to us.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of one of Colorado's great businessmen, Larry Peterson. In doing so, I would like to honor this individual who, for so many years, has exemplified the notion of public service civic duty. Larry Peterson is a self made man who has always exhibited strong morals and family values. After graduating high school, he spent a short time attending Colorado State University. Larry chose to leave college to return home and help care for his family in a time of need. He experienced many areas of the work field, before settling into a career. Late in the 1960's Larry Peterson began working at a pharmacy, which he would later own. Larry Peterson is a successful businessman and has always sought to share his success with others. He finds time to get involved with charities such as Make A Wish Foundation, and the Children Miracle Network. His contributions to charities are too numerous to list, which indicates just how many there are. Aside from his contributions to charities, Larry Peterson has been very active in Republican party politics. As a precinct captain since 1998, Larry has helped many candidates who have run, or are running, for office, including Colorado Governor Bill Owens, President George Bush and Senator Bob Dole. Larry has also played a key role in the organizational efforts of the GOP throughout Colorado. He was very effective in assisting former GOP Chairman Don Bain with important grassroots events from throughout 1993-1996. He even participated as a member of the Colorado Delegation to the National Convention in 1996. In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to say thank you to Larry Peterson for his truly exceptional contributions to numerous charities, and to the state of Colorado alike. People like Larry, who give so selflessly to others, are a rare breed. Fellow citizens have gained immensely by knowing him, and for that we owe Larry Peterson a debt of gratitude.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I now take this moment to recognize the remarkable life and significant achievements of one of Colorado's great war heroes, Arnold Lloyd Gladson. Tragically, Lloyd Gladson died of emphysema on May 3, 1999. While family, friends, and colleagues remember the truly exceptional life of Lloyd Gladson, I, too, would like to pay tribute to this remarkable man. Arnold Lloyd Gladson was a forty-four year resident of Durango, Colorado, and a twenty-six year retiree of The Durango Herald, Gladson was a respected citizen of Colorado. He was a participant in his community as president of the Rotary Club in 1960, and he also served on the city of Durango's city charter commission. Lloyd was the president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, and commander of the Trujillo-Sheets Post 28 of the American Legion of Durango. Aside from all of his accomplishments in Durango, Lloyd's most accredited accomplishments came earlier in life, when he enlisted at age twenty with the Marine Corps. A corporal in the Marine Corps during World War II, Gladson fought bravely and was part of the first assault wave on Red Beach in Tarawa. Surviving one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history, Lloyd Gladson earned the Purple Heart, and many other medals too numerous to mention. Although his professional accomplishments will long be remembered and admired, most who knew him well will remember Lloyd Gladson, above all else, as a friend. It is clear the multitude of those who have come to know Lloyd as friend, will mourn his absence. However, Mr. Speaker, I am confident that, in spite of this profound loss, the family and friends of Arnold Lloyd Gladson can take solace in the knowledge that each is a better person for having known him.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize the career of one of Del Norte, Colorado's natives who has shown great character and motivation, Naval Commander Kent Rominger. In doing so, I would like to honor this individual who has illustrated the notion of duty and service for Colorado and the Navy alike. Kent Rominger has been flying for the Navy since 1978, when he earned his degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University. As a Naval officer, Rominger flew in Operation Desert Storm. In 1992, Officer Rominger was selected to join the astronaut program. Since his start in the astronaut program. Commander Rominger has piloted three previous space missions, one of those being in the space shuttle Discovery. On May 27, 1999, Kent Rominger returned to the space shuttle Discovery and guided six astronauts into orbit. As commander, Rominger oversaw all aspects of the mission and the crew. This is a great honor for Rominger to command a space shuttle that he once piloted into space. Kent Rominger is an outstanding citizen of Colorado who's accomplishments will be long remembered and admired. Selfless service and dedication makes Commander Rominger a valued and respected man. His achievement are a great service to us all, and for that we owe him a debt of gratitude.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I would like to take this moment to honor the remarkable life and exceptional achievements of a great Coloradan and American, Keith Clark. In doing so, I wish to pay tribute to Keith for all of his many years of service and sacrifice on behalf of this nation. At the same time, I would also like to offer my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Keith as they grieve at his passing. Like those who knew him well, the entire Grand Junction community will miss both Keith and his tireless service on their behalf. For 29 years in Grand Junction, Colorado's School District 51, Keith was a pillar of education who served with great distinction, both as a teacher and as an advocate for improving our schools. Keith was, for nearly three decades, a powerful voice of leadership and vision for education in the Grand Valley. It is clear, Mr. Speaker, that his leadership in education will continue to benefit students in our school system for many years to come. I know that this is a legacy that Mr. Clark would take great pride in. In addition to his service as an educator, Keith also served his country with great valor as a B-52 pilot during World War II. Mr. Clark flew and fought bravely over the skies of North Africa and Italy in defense of the nation he loved deeply. At one might surmise from his sustained service and selfless sacrifice, Keith was also a fierce patriot and proud American. He believed deeply in our constitutional form of government and in the bedrock principles--like freedom, liberty, and individual self- determination--upon which this great republic stands. It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I say thank you to Mr. Keith Clark for his decades of service, both in defense of our country as an airman and in defense of our future as an educator. He was truly a great American. At the same time, I would also like to offer my heart-felt condolences to Keith's family: his wife of 52 years Anita, his children Katie and Cal, and his three granddaughters Amber, Lily and Hillary. I hope that these family members, like everyone who has had the good- fortune of knowing Keith, will take solace in the undisputable fact that they are a better person for having known him.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I wish to take this moment to recognize the remarkable life and significant achievements of one of Pueblo, Colorado's treasured pediatric physicians. Tragically, Dr. Theodore Miller died after a long battle with prostate cancer. While his family and friends remember the truly exceptional life of Dr. Theodore, I, too, would like to pay tribute to this remarkable man. As a pediatrician in Pueblo, Colorado, for forty years, Dr. Miller's bedside manner was the best around. According to former patients and colleagues, Dr. Miller was the kind of man who took time for the children to get them directly involved with their diagnosis and recovery. Dr. Miller's love for his work was evident through his dedication to his partner, and his patients. Dr. Theodore Miller served in the medical corps in World War II, and moved to Pueblo Colorado soon after. He graduated from Northwestern Medical School in 1945 and started his partnership in 1951. After forty years of serving the community of Pueblo, Dr. Miller retired in 1991. He was a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Colorado State Medical Society Dr. Miller also served on the American Board of Pediatrics, and was once president of the Pueblo County Medical Society. Although his professional accomplishments will long be remembered and admired, most who knew him well remember Dr. Miller, above all else, as a friend. it is clear that the multitude of those who have come to know him, mourn his absence. However, Mr. Speaker, I am confident that, in spite of this profound loss, the family and friends of Dr. Theodore Miller can take solace in the knowledge that each is a better person for having known him.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize a man who exemplified courage and determination, Staff Sergeant Alvin W. Plaster. Tragically, Alvin Plaster died in 1996 after a long battle with a grave illness. While family and friends remember the truly exceptional life of Staff Sergeant Alvin W. Plaster, I, too, would like to pay tribute to this remarkable man. Persistence and dedication displayed on the part of Alvin Plaster is what got him into the Army. Failing the physical examination twice, he convinced an Army physician to bend the rules slightly and let him enlist. From 1942 to 1945, Alvin Plaster was Staff Sergeant in the Quartermaster Corps. He served with integrity, enthusiasm, and most of all, pride. Individuals such as Alvin Plaster, who contribute selflessly, are a rare breed. Though his family and friends no doubt mourn his absence, they have all gained immensely through knowing Alvin W. Plaster.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy-heart that I wish to take this moment to recognize the life and career of one of The United States' great men, Major John B. Mahan. Sadly, Major John Mahan died after suffering a stroke in 1995. While his family and friends remember the truly exceptional life of Major Mahan, I, too, would like to pay tribute to this remarkable man. Major John B. Mahan served proudly in the U.S. Army from 1938 until his retirement in 1961. During that time, he served in North Africa. While in North Africa, Major Mahan was wounded and had to spend months in a stateside hospital to recover. In the Marine Division, Major Mahan served in the Korean War as a liaison officer/transportation officer in some of the war's most intense months. Later in his life, Major Mahan was stationed at Fort Carson as company commander. In 1957, he was chosen to be the Commandant of Cadets in the R.O.T.C program for the Denver Public School District. Major Mahan put his all into the R.O.T.C. program, running it until his retiremment. Although his professional accomplishments will long be remembered and admired, most who knew him well remember Major John Mahan, above all else, as a friend, It is clear that he is truly missed, yet his family can take solace in the knowledge that each is a better person for having known Major John Mahan.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Reclaiming my time, I do thank the gentleman very much, and as I said, to conclude this evening, there is a lot that has gone right with our young people, and we have millions of kids that go to schools every day, and we do not have these kinds of incidents that occur, and we do not have gang killings in every community every day of the week, but we do have some problems out there. So we have tried to do our part, and I ask you to do your part. In conclusion, I would ask that each and every one of you in the next three or four days commit to your spouse, commit to your children, that you as an adult will go to your video arcade amusement center, just walk through and see what kind of games you think those young people should be exposed to. Announcement By The Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. McINNIS. As my colleague knows, on this particular video game, You're Going to Die, when you kill somebody on this video simulator, it puts points on the board. You score. You get a positive reaction from the game. You win. A little light goes on, here is the score. The more you kill, the more points you put on the scoreboard.

Mr. McINNIS. Well, it is cyber youth, and I want to let my colleagues out here know, because you are listening to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) and myself, we are fathers. We have had some experience. We both have children, and our wives have children, and I mean share that same kind of experience. So we are not speaking as novices. And so I think my colleague's points are very valid, and I do want to say that in the last hour, as my colleagues know, we have been talking about this horrible video game which I call a murder simulator, but I do not want it to cast too black a cloud because we should all remember that in this country we have a lot of things going right with our young people. We have a lot of parents who do care. Most of the parents in this country would never let their children play this game. Most parents in this country, because they love their children, would never let this in their facility. Most schools in this country would never let this be played. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses and many video arcades might, but there is so much more goes right with our children than goes wrong. When we find something that goes wrong, we still need to work on it, but there is a lot more that goes right. So I yield to my colleague to wrap up, but I do appreciate the gentleman coming over. I think we both share the view, obviously we share the same viewpoint, and I hope we have done some good with awareness.

Mr. McINNIS. As the gentleman from Georgia knows, these young people can be impressed so easily. The mind impressions. There are a lot of studies that have been done to see what kind of impact these kind of things have. We know they have an impact. Just the same as this simulator has an impact for a pilot that is learning how to fly. Your question was about urging the letters. My reluctance tonight to give addresses for, for example, Interplay Entertainment Corporation, which is very easy to find on the web and so on, my reluctance in giving addresses is if a lot of letters do not go there, I do not want these corporations to think people do not care. That is why I have decided to take the route of urging every parent, I hope some people are watching this evening that have children or know children or care about children, or a local PTA or a local school association or the local teachers' union or teachers association. Go yourselves to that video arcade store and see what is happening. I was mesmerized the other day when I went in and I saw this video game. There was a kid there, I could not believe how fast that finger was going. He has got two guns and he is shooting like this in this video arcade, and the people are blowing up, blood all over the video screen and things like that. The way that kid was moving that and even going like this, across, it amazed me. That is what is going on in that mind. That kid is not out playing football or baseball. By the way, the community where this is has wonderful recreational facilities for their young children. It is not like this kid had no other choice. But I hope to get some parents into these video arcade stores and they are saying, ``Hey, my kid's not coming in here.'' The question that should be asked, as the gentleman from Georgia brought up, I think the standard here of every chief executive officer in this country, every chief executive officer in this country, before he or she approves this kind of product, they ought to ask, ``Am I willing to take it home for my children?'' Instead of asking, ``Is it going to make us a buck?'' is it going to drive the greed of this corporation, the question that should be really asked is, ``Would I show it to my own children? Would I let my children or my grandchildren play this game? Would I want them exposed to this?'' As my colleague knows, it is just not the Littleton disaster, as he pointed out. Every day we have shootings or violent incidences, not just shooting, but violent incidents in this country. This cannot help but play a part, but my colleague said it all comes back to the core of the family, family responsibility, corporate responsibility.

Mr. McINNIS. That is a good question. The first thing on the awareness level, and I agree with the gentleman from Georgia and I appreciate his points, I think that just the gentleman and I talking on the House floor to these manufacturers and asking them to stop production of these gruesome murder simulators will not work because I think they will just disregard us. But what will work on the awareness level is for parents to actually physically go into these arcade amusement centers. We can urge people, anybody who has a child or anybody that knows a child, cares about children, should in the next 3 or 4 days make it a point to go into a video arcade amusement center and see what kind of games are being played in your neighborhood center. And then what they should do is go to the owner of that store, of that arcade facility and say, ``That game doesn't belong in our community. That game doesn't belong in this store. You ought to send it back.'' In the meantime, I can tell you, I do not want this magazine to have more sales, at least with the kind of advertising. Mind you, there is some advertising in this magazine to me that seems very legitimate, that is fine advertising. I would not use the products, but it is not a death message in there that they are selling. But this magazine, Next Generation, you can go to any store, I would guess, any large magazine store, and you will find these magazines on the racks, video game on the racks. Simply pull it up, look for an ad, if you see an ad on this kind of game, ``You're Gonna Die,'' it is very easy, pull it up on the web. It also has addresses in there and addresses of the magazine. On top of this, you have got the name of the corporations in the bottom of this ad and they have a web site there, www.interplay.com, king in corpse. Notice the web site, king in corpse. That is their web site. Sick web site. Nonetheless, it has addresses for the corporation. But to my colleague, I think the best thing for us to do for awareness is urge parents just in the next few days, go down to the video store and take a look for yourself. Do not take our word for it, take a look for yourself. If you are offended as I am by these games, tell the local proprietor about that.

Mr. McINNIS. There is a label. Mind you that this particular advertisement which I show right here to the gentleman from Georgia is contained within this magazine. This magazine can be bought by anybody. A 5-year-old can buy the magazine. In addition, this particular game is made by Interplay Entertainment Corporation. We pulled it up on the web. So anybody that knows how to use the Internet, and I know kids, 6, 7-year-old kids that can begin to use that, young children, they can pull it up as well. There is over here in the corner, a little label, a little M, that says mature audience. There is a little warning label right here in the corner. There is absolutely no kind of restriction. This magazine, of course, does not say for mature audiences only. When you get onto the web site, you can access it, so in essence this little warning system means nothing. But what amazes me, to my good colleague from Georgia, is this game is so grotesque. As I mentioned earlier, it talks about the exit wounds, the body parts, splattering of blood. It is so grotesque, we should not be asking the question to the manufacturer, ``Is it better if we put a warning label on it?'' We ought to say to the manufacturer, ``Don't you have your own family? Don't you have your own kids? Would you take this game home tonight?'' My bet, as the gentleman from Georgia knows, is I will bet there is not one executive associated with any of these corporations that has this game at home for their video arcade for their own children.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I want to visit about a couple of subjects tonight. I thought the first half hour we would talk about the murder simulators that are being created or are created and are currently in existence in our country, and then perhaps spend the last half hour, I have invited a colleague of mine to come over and talk with me. He is an expert in foreign relations. We are going to talk a little more about the situation in Kosovo. First of all this evening, I want to talk about murder simulation, murder simulation. Last weekend I had the opportunity to have dinner with a good friend of mine, good friends of mine, Dr. Mohamed and Simi Hasan, and their heritage is in Pakistan. I asked them about Pakistan. We got on the subject, obviously, of the shootings in Colorado, at the Columbine High School. I asked them about the situation in Pakistan. In Pakistan, they told me that there at a very young age young boys are given fully automatic weapons, fully automatic weapons. Those are the types of weapons that have been outlawed in this country, against the law in this country since about 1937. I asked my friends, the Hasans, as we had this discussion, do you have these kinds of incidents in Pakistan? And the answer was no. I said, what do you think is the difference? Why does it not happen in Pakistan but happens in the United States? It happens even here in our home State of Colorado. As many know, I am from the State of Colorado. They said, I will tell you why. Give me just a minute. And Mrs. Hasan excused herself. She came back to the dinner table and she had this magazine. I hope the publishers of this magazine have an opportunity to visit with me at some point in the near future. This magazine is called ``Next,'' the Next Generation. It is about video games. It would be more properly titled ``Next, Murder Simulator.'' What do I mean by murder simulator? As I go on with this discussion this evening, remember a couple of things. First of all, simulators in our society are very common. Any Members who have ever studied the art of flying know that we have simulators to teach our pilots how to fly airplanes. We even have simulators today that show people how to drive cars. Now, unfortunately, we have simulators that train and put impressions on very young minds in our country, how to murder. There are a few questions this evening we should consider as I continue with my remarks. Let me go through some of them. Number one, what kind of responsibility and accountability are reflected by our society, and even more specifically, what kind of responsibility and accountability are reflected by the editors and the board of directors and the contributors to this Next Generation video magazine, as well as some of the games or video murder simulators that I am going to talk about? What types of values, what kinds of values are we teaching our young people with the types of murder simulators I am going to show the Members in just a couple of minutes? What type of values are being taught here? What types of values do we want to teach our young people? These are young, fresh minds. Impressions can be made very easily on these young minds. This is the next generation that is going to lead our country, and the generation that is going to create a generation behind them to take their place. What kinds of impressions do we want to make? What kinds of accountability do we want from the people who make those impressions? What kind of future does it offer for our country? Let us talk about what kinds of responsibilities the video game industry has. Here, as I am about to show the Members, they celebrate the most explicit form of violence that a teenager can experience. They celebrate it, they show it off, the most violent type of experience that a teenager can experience. We sell it, not we but video producers out there. The murder simulators are sold by corporations in this country. They are highlighted in magazines, like this magazine right here, The Next Generation. These games appeal to the worst values in our society. We know what kinds of values we want to teach our young people. We have some great young people in this country, and they have a wonderful future, but we have to guide them. We have been there. As adults, we have had that experience. We know that we were blessed, most of us, with experienced guiders, our parents, who guided us, helped take us through life. Now we have that obligation. Why should we have games that appeal to the very worst of elements, the things that all of us would dread the most, the things that horribly, horribly went wrong at Columbine High School in Colorado 3 weeks ago? We glorify these kinds of things in video games in this country. What are the relationships that exist? What kinds of relationships do these types of games portray in our society? In a single video game, remember this, in a single video game, a teenager will see more death and violence than they would in a week's worth of TV. We could take any programs we want and take one week's worth of TV, and we will see in one video game more violence simulation than that whole week of TV. Does this turn on, does this ask a question? What is the mystery here? What is going wrong here? Something is wrong with these games. Do the producers of these games, and I am going to ask this, in fact, we have some of their names, and I would be very interested at some point to talk to them out there to find out if they have children, and if their children are allowed to play these kinds of games that they advertise in magazines like this or the kinds of games that they manufacture, that they go and sell to our teenagers, to our young people. Do they allow their own children to do this? It will be a very interesting question to be asked of some of these corporate executives. Are they legally empowered to deliver this kind of thing? Yes, they are legally empowered to do it. Sure they are. People can talk slut talk, too. People can talk terrible things. Let me tell the Members, we are about to get into this game. Let me caution all of my friends out there who have children, if there are any children watching this evening, anybody on C-SPAN that might be watching our discussions here on the floor, please be advised in advance that there are some very gruesome situations that are going to be portrayed by video games. By the way, we do not find this on the House floor, we can find it in any video arcade, practically any video arcade Members want to walk into. I have not been to a video arcade in many years. This last weekend, as a result of my discussion with my friends over dinner, my wife and I actually went to a mall and went to a video arcade place located within the mall. I was amazed. We can see it right there. There are kids in there with their guns. Of course, every once in a while they put money in, they pay money, and there it is, murder simulation, blowing this person away, blowing that person away. By the way, people do not just drop. There are depictions of their insides, of the exit wounds, of all kinds of things on these video games. These are young people. This was a fairly conservative community, of which I went into the mall to go into this video arcade. These kids were everywhere, I would guess, from 7 years old to 13 or 14 years old, playing these video games. What do Members think the impression is that goes on the mind of a young 7-year-old boy who sits in front of this game shooting, and the more he shoots, the more body parts fly out on this video arcade? Well, hold on, because let us take a look. I went through this magazine right here. Again, I want to keep showing this because if any of my colleagues have any questions or doubts about my comments this evening, before they criticize me, before they pick up the phone and call my office, I urge my colleagues to go out, go to their local mall this weekend, and go to a video arcade store and see what kind of games, what kind of murder simulation is taking place in there, and then draw the question upon your own mind: One, what kind of values are we teaching our young people? Number two, does this have an impression on the mind and could somebody possibly, through some kind of devious thought, extend these to the kind of murder situations that we see with gangs on the streets or in the worst case scenario as we saw at the Columbine High School? Let us go ahead and begin the video murder simulator. This is an advertisement. This is a two-page ad and it is found in the ``Next Generation'' magazine. This magazine, this is the June issue, so their ad is found inside this magazine. The video game is titled ``You're Gonna Die.'' Now I have got a red laser here. Follow my light. My light is right there at ``You're.'' ``You're Gonna Die,'' that is the name of the video game. Right here is a human body. By the way, the weapon they are holding is a fully automatic, it looks like a fully automatic weapon outlawed in this country since 1932. Surrounded by the head of the human body, that is not red hair. This body is laying in a pool of blood. Remember, this game can be played by a 7 year old. This game can be played by a 10 year old. This game can be played by a 13 year old. Here is some of the advertising that is contained within this ad. This, by the way, is called ``Kingpin, Life of Crime.'' That is the name. This is the ``Kingpin'' game, ``Life of Crime.'' Up here, ``Target,'' now my colleagues may not be able to see this but I will read it for them here, ``target specific body parts and actually see the damage done, including exit wounds.'' Well, by gosh, let me tell my colleagues something. This Saturday, I am going to be in Cortez, Colorado. Do my colleagues know what I am going to be doing in Cortez, Colorado? I am going down there for a memorial service for a gentleman named Dale Claxton. Who is Dale Claxton? Dale Claxton was a police officer who was shot and killed in the line of duty in the State of Colorado 1 year ago. He was shot 27 times. If these people, the people that produce this game, want to see exit wounds, maybe they ought to come visit with me and I will show them some pictures of exit wounds. I do not think it is very funny, and I do not think it is an amazing game. I do not think it ought to be something that should be sold in the marketplace. I sure as heck do not think it is something we ought to expose to our young, young children as a game. Put in the quarter, get to simulate murder. Let us go on. Let us go on to our next box right over here. ``Even the odds by recruiting the gang members you want on your side.'' So even the odds. One gets to go out in this game, and one has vicious gang members that they get to pick, kind of like when one lined up in school and one got to pick who goes on which team. You are on the blue team, you are on the red team, you are on the blue team, you are on the red team. In this particular game, one gets to pick which vicious gang members one wants on one's team so one can go out and play the game ``You're Gonna Die''. Or steal a bike or hop a train to get around town. On the game, it simulates a train so that one can figure out how to jump onto it, or to steal a bike. Steal a bike, not borrow a bike, not take one's own bike. It is also incorporated within here. Built on top of the revolutionary Quake II engine. Includes multiplayer gang bang death match for up to 16 thugs. Actual game play screens. Talk to people the way you want, from smack to pacifying. Talk to people the way you want under this game, from smack to pacifying. Here are the people that really ought to be proud of it, ``Kingpin, Life of Crime.'' We will go through some of the names of the corporations that actually make this product and market this product, and then go to this magazine and ask this magazine to put it in the hands, like the hands of that young man whose parents I had dinner with last week. We are going to talk about those people in just a moment. Let me say to my colleagues that I used to be a police officer. I do want my colleagues to know that I am a member of the House Entertainment Task Force. I believe in good entertainment. I think one has a right to good entertainment. I think there is a lot of good entertainment out there without having to revert to this. But when one puts these kind of video games in a video arcade in a mall, it is almost as if one has a magnet drawing these young people into this thing. Really, I just want all of my colleagues, I know that I have said this already, but I think it would be so important for my colleagues, this weekend or as soon as they go by a mall or a video arcade store, go on in there. Walk through there. Just observe what one sees. Then think about. Well, was Congressman Scott McInnis way off base when he talked about this? Does this game really belong out here in the mall for kids to come in and spend their money on? Does a game that talks about target specific body parts and actually see the damage done, including exit wounds, is that what we ought to do? Should we not have a question about where some kid in our society, and I say some because we have a lot of good kids, a lot more good kids by a large, large margin than bad kids, but is it possible that some of the kids that take the wrong path in our society are influenced by these kind of games? We know that simulation influences pilots when we have pilots on a flight simulator. We know that puts an impression on their mind. We know it trains them to fly an airplane. Same thing with the car simulator. We know that if we put one in that car simulating machine, one will learn how to drive a car better. One will actually think one is driving a car, and it will put impressions on one's mind. It imbeds them on one's mind. This game does exactly the same thing, except it does not do it for flying, it does not do it for driving, it does it for murder. Murder. Kingpin. We will talk about him in a minute. There is another game. This is an ad for the D-Link video game. Remember, I did not have to search, go out and do a lot of research to find these games. I got one magazine, this magazine right here. I got one more magazine similar to it in my office. So I just picked up two magazines randomly. This was sent to the House. It is a June edition. One does not have to search very far to find what I am finding. This is not a rare kind of thing, a unique circumstance, and a Congressman just happened to go pull this stuff up through a lot of extensive research. One can buy it probably, I would guess, at any magazine shelf, rack. Let us look at this game. ``Gratuitous violence is 200 times faster with the D-Link network.'' Gratuitous violence, those are the key words. Let us define what Webster's Dictionary says is meant by the word ``gratuitous.'' It is very important. Apply their definition to the game. Gratuitous, in the dictionary. Gratuitous: not called for by the circumstances. In other words, there are no circumstances calling for this kind of action. It is without reason. This kind of action is without reason. There is no reason for it. It is without reason. It is without cause. It is without proof. It is adopted or asserted without any good ground. So it is adopted or it is asserted without any good ground, as a gratuitous assumption. Now look it up here. Let us just put this in here. Not called for by circumstances, without reason, cause, or proof, and adopted without any good ground, et cetera, with a D-Link network 200 times faster than other on-line games. Violence. It is exactly what it does. Gratuitous violence. Here is the next one. This caption is used to promote the game ``Legacy of Kain, Soul Reaver.'' ``Destroying your enemies isn't enough, you must devour their souls.'' ``Destroying your enemies isn't enough, devour their souls.'' Of course the game helps one do that. For those of my colleagues who use the Internet, I think they would find it very interesting to go ahead and download this. If one downloads this on one's computer, and Next Generation publishes this, this is owned by Kingpin, if one downloads it, it allows one to see, and this is a quote, this is a quote from my download, we did this on the Internet, ``Now available, a wonderful,'' look at the word it uses, wonderful, ``a wonderful depiction of a massive gang hit. Blood splatters galore.'' So from the Kingpin web site, go ahead and put Kingpin in the search on the Internet, pull up their web site, and that one is going to find in quotes. Here is their definition. ``It is now available, a wonderful depiction of a massive gang hit. Blood splatters galore.'' That is what we are making available in our society. People that do this, they make money off of this. Do my colleagues know what drives this? Not a conscious, not a conscious decision to do something that contributes to society. That is not what drives this kind of video game and the mind behind it. It is not somebody trying to educate our young people. It is not somebody that, with good intent, is trying to give a strong impression and education for our young people. It certainly not somebody that is trying to create some kind of religious base for our young people. This is driven by one word, greed, G-R-E-E-D. That is exactly what makes these people create these games where one can call, like ``Kingpin, Life of Crime,'' ``You're Gonna Die''. Think about it, folks. We are allowing greed to drive these kind of games, and these kind of impressions are being made on our young people, and then we question, gosh, what went wrong in Littleton, Colorado? Why did that happen in Littleton, Colorado? What is happening to our young people? What is happening to our generation that allows our young people to have these kind of things? What is happening to our generation that, driven solely by the word ``greed,'' manufactures, sells, and advertises these kind of programs? As I mentioned, I want to talk about, for a minute, Interplay executives. As I said to my colleagues, it is my opinion there are people, this by the way, and I am not sure of the complete corporate structure, other than we have the corporation names down in the bottom of the advertisement, one of the corporations is called Interplay, another corporation is called Xatrix, another one is Crystal Dynamics, and Eidos. On this one, who is Interplay, and what do they stand for? Interplay Entertainment Corporation is a worldwide developer, publisher, and distributor of award-winning entertainment software for both core gamers and the mass market. Interplay Corporation, Interplay Entertainment Corporation was founded in 1983. Interplay offers a broad range of products in the action, adventure, role playing, strategy and sports categories across multiple platforms, including Nintendo 64. The company completed its initial public offering in June 1998. There are other things about it. Interplay, on the maximizing franchise and brand value, Interplay seeks to publish hit titles whose strong consumer appeal and resulting consumer loyalty will create opportunities for franchise titles, sequels, add-ons and merchandising. As we went further in the web site, we found out who some of the Interplay Executives are. Brian Fargo, Mr. Fargo is chairman of the board of directors. He is the chief executive officer, and he is the president. I am going to contact Mr. Fargo. I am going to contact Mr. Kilpatrick. Mr. Kilpatrick, Christopher J. Kilpatrick in fact is the president. I am going to contact Mr. Kilpatrick. Manuel Marrero, he is the chief operating financial officer. He is the corporate secretary. Phil Adam, Phil Adam is the vice president of business development. I am going to contact Phil. Kim Motika, vice president of strategic development; Trish June Wrightt, vice president of product development; James C. Wilson, vice president of finance; Jim Maia, vice president of North American sales; Cal Morrell, vice president of marketing; Jill Goldworn, president of Interplay and OEM, Inc.; David Perry, president of Shiny Entertainment, Inc.; Peter Bilotta, president of Interplay Productions Limited. I am going to contact each of these people. In fact, I am sending a letter to them. I am going to ask them a few questions. Let us talk about Brian, Brian Fargo, chairman of the board of directors, chief executive officer and president. He could put a stop to this that fast. Brian, all you would have to do in the morning is pick up a telephone and say, take that thing off the shelves now. And the next time, Brian, somebody comes up to you and says, hey, this is the kind of video game, ``You're Going to Die,'' Mr. President, it is going to show body parts and it will show exit wounds and they can pick their own gang members, what do you think, Mr. Fargo? Do you think this is good for his company? Do you think that he can make a lot of money off this, should we put it on our shelves? And, Mr. Fargo, you are going to have the opportunity to say, ``No, our company does not need money like that. Our company is not in this for greed. Our company sees no values in putting this kind of game on the market. Our company, Interplay, is ready and prepared to accept responsibilities.'' You know why you should be saying this, Mr. Fargo? Because my bet is your children, Mr. Fargo, do not play these games. My bet, Mr. Fargo, is that you and your wife probably have never sat down with any child, any child, probably not any adult and played this game. In fact, Mr. Fargo, I bet if I sat down with your family and wanted to explain this game to them in the front room of your house, you probably would be deeply offended and you would probably say to me, ``I have more values. My family deserves more than what you are about to exhibit to them.'' Well, Mr. Fargo, today you have a responsibility to set in your own mind that the first thing you want to do when you get in your office tomorrow morning is to call up your production manager and say to your production manager, ``Stop production of the video game called `You're Going to Die'.'' And if you do not, Mr. Fargo, then I want you to think about Littleton, Colorado, and Columbine High School. Every time there is a gang shooting in this country, every time there is any kind of violence like that that could possibly come as a result of playing your murder simulation machine, which you allow to be produced for money, which you market out there, you ought to think about it. You ought to think about your own kids. And, Brian, I am not just talking to you. Colleagues, I am talking to everybody that works for this corporation and every other corporation out there that makes video games. We all have a responsibility as adults. It is not a free ride anymore. We are adults. The responsibility of the future of this country does not belong to our parents anymore. It belongs to us. And before too long, it is going to belong to the generation behind us. We now have values and principles that we have to stand up for, even when it means that we could get money instead. It is our generation that has the responsibility. And everybody that works for a corporation like this, every chief executive officer in this country that has a video arcade game manufacturing facility or any other type of product that simulates murder, ought to go to the office tomorrow morning and pull it off the shelves. They ought to tell their research and development people, ``Do not ever bring another product like that to my desk. Because, if you do, you are going to work for somebody else if you are lucky enough to find a job.'' Let us see tomorrow how many executives really carry out what I think is a responsibility incumbent upon them not just as chief executive officers but as concerned parents and as concerned citizens in this country. I am going to write them all a letter, these names, I am going to write these people letters. I would be happy to copy my colleagues on them. I am going to ask them to do just what I have talked about. Let us talk about another entertainment company, Xatrix, X-A-T-R-I-X, Entertainment. Now, they are somehow connected with Interplay Entertainment Corporation to produce ``You're Going to Die.'' Here is what Xatrix's mission is: ``Our goal is to create games that are revolutionary, innovative, inspiring, and, most of all, fun to play.'' That is fair enough. ``Truly a development lead organization, Xatrix seeks to customize its titles with new and emerging technologies in an effort to give gamers what they want. As third acceleration of on-line gaming emerged, Xatrix looks at the forefront with an unparalleled game play technology and design. Technological and creative vision has no boundaries.'' Think of that. This is a corporation saying to you ``technological and creative vision has no boundaries, and we intend to push the limits of interactive gaming.'' Well, who accepts advertisements? Put ourselves in the mind of a magazine. Who on Earth, if they brought this game to us, which one of my colleagues would be willing, if they owned a magazine or a newspaper, which one of my colleagues sitting on this House floor tonight or any of my colleagues that are listening to me, how many of them would be willing to run an ad for this video game ``You're Going to Die,'' which, as I said earlier, targets specific body parts where they actually get to see the damage done, including exit wounds? How many of you, raise your hands, how many of you would be willing to sell this advertisement to help these people market these murder simulators? Well, we have got a list and we have got some people that are very, very willing to do it. Let me read for my colleagues, Imagine Media. This, by the way, is an organization that is willing to take these kind of ads. They are not only willing to take these kind of ads, they are willing to place these ads in the hands of young children throughout this country and they are willing to do it for a buck. That is what is driving it. Remember, as I said earlier, this is not being driven by good will, obviously. It is not being driven by an intent to educate our children. It is not being driven to simulate somebody how to drive a car better. It is not being driven to show simulation for flying an airplane so they know how to fly a plane better. It is being driven out of greed to make a buck off murder simulation. And it is done through this magazine. I will hold it up again. ``Next Generation,'' which is published by Imagine Media, Incorporated, in Brisbane, California, I think. It is 150 North Hill Drive. At any rate, let us get into what they are saying. This is inside the magazine: ``Imagine Media is aimed at people who have a passion, a passion for games, for business, for computers, or for the Internet. These are passions we share frequently. Our goal is to feed your passion with the greatest magazine web sites and CD ROMs imaginable. We love to innovate. We love to have fun and we seem to love to say `passion' a lot. We have a cast iron rule always to deliver spectacular editorial material. That means doing whatever it takes to give you the information you need. That means doing whatever it takes. With any luck, we will even make you smile sometimes. Thanks for joining us. ``Next Generation also has a passion for changing the text that the marketing people give us if it gets in the way of a section that we usually put funny text in. Heck, sometimes it is all that that keeps us going. See above this box for more funny little text.'' So what they are saying here is that they have a passion. They have a passion. You do whatever it takes whatever it takes to market this kind of trash. That is exactly what this magazine does. Now, this magazine, granted, has some other advertisements in it that are not offensive in nature. It would be very easy for this magazine to sell copies off the news stand without putting this on their middle fold-out page. They could do it without this advertisement. This advertisement that you see right here, this is what this duplicates. This is exactly that ad right here, ``You're Going to Die.'' Now, this one right there, look at it, for greed. For greed. I wonder if the people at Imagine Corporation that print this ``Next Generation'' magazine, I wonder if they sit down with their families, the editor in chief. And we have got the names here. Let us ask them. Chris Charla, C-H-A-R-L-A. He is the editor in chief; Sarah Ellerman, managing editor; Tim Russo, senior editor; Jeff Lundgran, review editor; Blake Fischer; Lisa Chido, assistant art director. I want to know something on the Imagine. That is ``Next Generation.'' I want to ask them a question. Have they sat down with their children as the editor here, Chris, or Sarah as the managing editor, Sarah, have you sat down with your children and showed them that ad? Have you sat down and showed them this particular ad? Have you, Sarah? Have you done it, Sarah? What have you said to your children, Sarah? ``This is how I make money''? ``This is how your mother goes out and makes money''? Chris, how about you? Do you sit down with your children and say, hey, ``I am your dad. That is what I do for a living right here. I sell it. I sell murder simulators to young kids not much older than you kids''? ``And by the way, kids, as soon as we get time, maybe we will go down to the video arcade and play the game that daddy advertises or that mommy advertises.'' Come on, colleagues, it is trash. We know doggone right that the people that publish that magazine, that editor and that managing editor whose names I just mentioned, we know darn right their kids do not play these games. We know darn right that they do not talk to their kids in the kind of language that they put in this magazine. You know why? Because when it comes to their own children, I would guess, I do not know them, I would guess they have pretty strong values. And when it comes to their own children, I would guess they have pretty definite dreams for them. And when it comes to their own children, I bet they are very protective of what those children are exposed to. But when it comes to other people's children, there is a little different interruption that comes in, and it is called ``greed.'' They do not protect other children. They are not concerned about other children. And they put this right in the middle of their magazine. And not only that, this corporation, which is a different corporation now, puts it on the Internet and allows you to zoom in and see some very graphic, as they say, blood splatters. Well, how about the corporation that owns this particular magazine? You know what was real interesting that I found out when we went on the web? This is not detective work, by the way. This is information on the web site. I did not have an agency go out and look it up. We pulled it up on the web site very easy. We found out about Imagine Corporation, the executives. And what really surprised me was the executives listed their family. They listed their family members. For example, the president of the Entertainment Division, Jonathan Simpson-Bint, one of the things in his biography is Jonathan lives in San Francisco with his wife Caroline and their infant son Milo. John, have you sat down and showed Caroline what you advertise? Would you ever in your wildest dreams, in your sickest moments, would you ever sit down with Milo, your son, who I am sure is a beautiful, beautiful young son, a son whom you have big dreams for, would you ever sit down and show this to him? Answer it for me. Answer the question, Jonathan. You know what? I hope when you do that tomorrow morning you too go to your corporate offices and say, ``Pull the ad. We do not need to sell this kind of trash through our magazine to make a buck. We can make plenty of money without reverting to doing these kind of video murder simulation machines to the young people of this country.'' And it does not end. We have somebody else, the president of the Business and Computer Division, Mark Gross. Mark Gross says on the web page he is the father of the coolest 8-year-old, the coolest 8-year-old on the planet, and lives with his family in Burlingame. Can my colleagues imagine a father saying, hey, I have got the coolest 8-year-old on the planet? Now, there is a proud father. There is a father that cares about his kid. There is a father that is beaming with pride. That is when he goes home at night when he is with the family. But when he is at work, this is what they do. This is the kind of stuff they market, not to his children, not to Jonathan's child Milo, but to my children, to the children of my colleagues, to everybody's children in this chamber. That is what these people market. Tom Balentino. This surprised me. He is the Chief Financial Officer. He makes sure they make money off this. He is the one that does the accounting on this ad. Remember, I am not complaining about the ad, it is the message in the ad. Let us not be confused in these comments. Do you know how many children he has? Five. He has five of his own children. Why would somebody with five children just endanger a family who has just one child? Just one child. Why would you, if you owned a corporation, feel a necessity to go out there in your magazine and create and allow this kind of advertising, or how could you as a parent go out and produce this kind of game? How can you sit down with your bright mind while your children are playing in another room, and what kind of sick mind does it take to devise this type of video arcade murder simulation game called ``Kingpin, Life of Crime,'' where you get to pick your gang members, where the video game allows you, and I will repeat it up here, to target specific body parts and actually see the damage done, including the exit wounds. What kind of father or mother could do that? Well, our society has produced some of them. And Holy Klingel, Holy is the mother of two preschool children. It is either Holy or Holly, I am not sure which. Let us just say it is Holly. Holly, have you done it with your two preschool children? Have you taken them to play this game? Would you let them be exposed to this game? Why do you participate in this? Driven by greed, I guess? Does anybody want to go out there on the streets today and put in our video arcades this kind of murder simulation game? I think I have gotten my message across pretty clear to you. There are a couple of things that I am going to ask. First of all, the Internet providers, you have a responsibility. I know we have got the freedom of speech. I am not asking for the creation of a new governmental agency to come down and force you to surrender your freedom of speech. But I am asking you to exercise responsibility as an adult. Exercise responsibility as a business executive and pull some of this garbage off your Internet sites. You do not need it. You do not need it to pay your bills. You do not need it to make your company well known throughout the country. And for gosh sakes, the children of this country do not need it. Think about the kids. I will bet a lot of the names I just mentioned to you are soccer parents. I bet a lot of the names of the people that I just mentioned to you talk with pride about the children in the next generation, that we need more schools for them and we need better teachers, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Yet in the background, in the background they are the creators and the advertisers and the marketers and the profiteers of this game. There is one other thing I am going to try and do as a Congressman. I hate to take this down because I want you to see how grotesque it is, but I feel I have a responsibility as well. I was giving some thought to what can I do as a Congressman to help here? How can I help? One, I think it is important to come to the House floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and pass on this message, which is what I have been doing for the last half an hour or so. Second, I think it is important for me to figure out how to devise some type of action that we can take. I do not want to create more laws. I am not sure that is the answer. Obviously we need to spend more time in our families. When you get down to it, the bottom line is family. It is not just your family. So these corporate executives that produce this kind of murder simulator ought to have a family responsibility beyond their own family. But there are other things that we can do, too. Here is what I am going to do on my part. I am going to contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Everybody has thought the Consumer Product Safety Commission is about seat belts or child restraint seats or dangerous toys. I think this video arcade game and games similar to it which are murder simulators, are dangerous toys. I am going to ask them for their thoughts on it. I am going to contact the video game makers, many of whom I have mentioned tonight, and ask them for a voluntary recall. I am also going to contact their board of directors. I am going to contact the video game magazines and ask that they pull all their advertising. They do not need it. I am going to notify Parent-Teacher Associations and other child advocacy groups and make them aware of these video games. I am going to sit down with every PTA I can. I am going to sit down with every parent organization I can. I am going to sit down with every group that has been formed as a result of the shooting in Littleton, Colorado, and I am going to show them your advertising. And I am going to say it is time for us to take some parental marketing strength to the marketplace. We need to talk about this. We need to publish the fact that these kind of games are out there, and we need to urge parents, we need to urge every parent in this country in the next few days, not months from now but in the next few days, every father and mother and every grandmother and grandfather in this country should take enough time to go to your local video arcade amusement center and take a look at what kind of games are in that facility. If you do not agree with that, you ought to file a complaint with the owner. I notice that as I begin to change subjects here, that I have had a colleague of mine join me from the State of Georgia. I am glad the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) is here. If I might, if the gentleman would not mind, I would be happy to yield to the gentleman for a couple of minutes.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize the exceptional life and significant achievements of one of Colorado's oil and gas executives, Collis Paul Chandler. After 72 years of life, Collis Paul Chandler passed away May 6, 1999. While family, friends and colleagues remember the truly exceptional life of Collis Paul Chandler, I, too, would like to pay tribute to this remarkable man. Collis Paul Chandler started his oil company in Colorado in 1954. A third generation independent oil man, Mr. Chandler was also a self made man. In the Navy, he fought bravely in World War II and returned to graduate from Purdue University with a bachelor of science degree in 1948. Mr. Chandler later served on the Purdue University Alumni Association board of directors as president. He also served on the board for the Public Service Company of Colorado and the Colorado National Bank. Additionally, he was also on the board of ``Up With People''. Mr. Chandler also served as chairman of the National Petroleum Council, the Natural Gas Supply Association and the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Association. In 1994 Collis Chandler was awarded the American Petroleum Institutes' highest award, the Gold Medal for distinguished achievement. He was also awarded the Secretary of Energy's distinguished service medal, as well as the Texas Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association's Independent of the Year Award. The rest of Collis Chandler's accomplishments are too numerous to list, but they comprise a long and impressive list. No doubt his accomplishments will be long remembered and admired. It is clear that the multitude of those who have come to know Collis Chandler will mourn his absence. However, Mr. Speaker, I am confident that, in spite of this profound loss, the family and friends of Collis Paul Chandler can take solace in the knowledge that each is a better person for having known him.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize the career of one of Colorado's leading ladies, and recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, Catherine Rodriguez. In doing so, I would like to honor this individual who, for many years, has exhibited dedication and experience to the court system of San Luis Valley. As a District court reporter for the last 15 years, Ms. Rodriguez has been an active participant and leader for the Colorado's court reporters. Before becoming it's president in 1996-97, Catherine Rodriguez served on the Colorado Court Reporter's Assocation board for 7 years. She has proven to be valuable in creating a page-rate increase, as well as voicing Colorado's need for computer-integrated courtrooms. Catherine Rodriguez has more than proven herself as a valuable asset to the court system of San Luis Valley, therefore, earning Colorado's highest honor for court reporters. This is a great achievement considering that she is only the second recipient in recent years. It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I say thank you to Catherine Rodriguez on a truly exceptional career as a Colorado court reporter. Due to Ms. Rodriguez's dedicated service, it is clear that Colorado is a better place.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to honor an individual who, for the last eight years as Mayor of Aspen, has provided a strong voice and dynamic leadership in Colorado. Former Mayor of Aspen, John Bennett, served with great distinction for four terms. It is this service, Mr. Speaker, that I would now like to pay tribute to. Elected as mayor in Aspen, Colorado, John Bennett is completing his fourth term and has chosen to retire. During his time in office, Mayor Bennett focused his concerns on preservation of the culture and values of the small community that is under economic pressure to change and grow to meet it's demands. Through his leadership, Bennett has made the city of Aspen more livable to the local citizens. Mayor Bennett also worked to control growth of the city, as well as protect the environment, build affordable housing and still protect Aspen's historic heritage. He has also put great effort into creating a transportation system that would reduce the number of single person automobiles. An intelligent man and graduate of Yale University, Mayor Bennett ran his office along the principle which he terms the New Governance. This principle involves the solving of community problems by direct citizen involvement in their own governance. 1999 marks the end to Mayor John Bennett's tenure in elected office and the state of Colorado has benefited from his leadership. There are few people who have served as selflessly and distinguishedly as Mayor Bennett. His career epitomized that of the citizen-legislator with such distinction that every official in elected office should seek to emulate. The citizens of Aspen owe Mayor John Bennett a debt of gratitude and I wish him well during the next phase of his life.