Michael McNulty

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to support the bipartisan resolution on Iraq which we will vote on later this week. Mr. Speaker, I have been a member of this body for the past 14 years, and I have heard Members throughout those years describe various votes as the most important votes that they will cast during their careers in Congress. I would submit to my colleagues that those votes--all of them--pale in comparison to any vote to send young American soldiers into harm's way. My family knows the pain of war. On August 9, 1970, my brother Bill was killed in Vietnam. He was a medical corpsman, out in the field patching up his buddies, when he stepped on a land mine and lost his life. I do not want any other American family to go through what the McNulty family went through back in 1970. That is why I only favor a military option as the last option. As a great New York Governor used to say when involved in debates, ``let's look at the record.'' Let us look at the record with regard to Saddam Hussein. He has chemical and biological weapons. He has used them. He has killed tens of thousands of Kurds. He gassed to death 5,000 Kurds in a single day--2,000 more than all of the people we lost on September 11, 2001. And, as the President pointed out last night, there have been 750 attacks on American pilots just in the past year. There are 135,000 American service personnel within the range of Saddam's missiles right now. And what is most disturbing of all, Mr. Speaker, is Saddam's efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. Most of the experts up until recently have been saying that he is 2 to 5 years away from a nuclear capability. Now several are saying it is less than a year. Mr. Speaker, how can we possibly contain a modern nuclear war? I remember the statement by then-President Lyndon Johnson when asked about the impact of a modern nuclear war. He responded to the question by saying simply, ``The survivors will envy the dead.'' Mr. Speaker, this is the bottom line. Saddam Hussein can never be allowed to possess a nuclear capability. This bipartisan resolution emphasizes international cooperation, working with the United Nations, and exhausting all other options before we go to a military option. It ensures that military force will be used only as a last resort. This is a substantial reordering of priorities from the first draft, and for that I thank the bipartisan leadership. I support the resolution.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, September 6 of this year, a special Joint Session of the United States Congress convened in New York City to reflect on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This most rare and somber session served as a necessary reminder of the human loss and heroism that the City and State of New York, our nation, and our world experienced on that fateful day. I am proud and blessed-- as an American, and as a New Yorker--to have been able to take part. We met at Federal Hall, the very same site where the first Congress met over two centuries ago. We met just blocks from where the World Trade Center towers once pierced the city's majestic skyline. Mr. Speaker, most importantly, we remembered the almost 3,000 innocent civilians who died and their families. We prayed then--and we should pray now--for all of the victims of this most heinous terrorist act. Though a year has passed, the loss of every single person who perished that day is still felt by all those who loved them. The sons and daughters, the brothers and sisters, the mothers and fathers lost that day will never be replaced. We simply hope that the pain will subside, and that the memories will remain strong and vibrant. Mr. Speaker, we also expressed our deepest gratitude to the firefighters, police officers and emergency personnel who served on that fateful day and in the weeks and months that followed. These brave men and women, and their peers across the country, put their lives on the line--day in and day out--to ensure the safety and well being of the citizens of our communities. Recognition of the heroism and service of our ``First Responders'' is overdue and well deserved. We must continue to acknowledge their bravery and sacrifice. And we in Congress must resolve to provide them with the support they need to continue to excel in their chosen duty--to save lives. Finally, Mr. Speaker, we reaffirmed our commitment, as a Congress and as a nation, to eradicate the ability of terrorists to ever again carry out such a horrific and offensive act--against us or against other innocent people around the world. We reaffirmed our promise to bring these cowards to justice. A terrorist is, by definition, a coward. It is a person who cannot get what he wants by the power of persuasion, and therefore resorts to the killing of innocent men, women and children. Mr. Speaker, the American men and women in our Armed Forces are now dispersed throughout the world, seeking out these cowards and introducing them to the might of a nation that finds its heart bruised but its strength renewed. Freedom is not free. We have paid a tremendous price for it. We must not forget those before us who gave their lives, or those who put their lives on the line today, to allow us the privilege of living in the freest and most open democracy on the face of the earth. Our patriots fight for the cause of freedom, and we shall support them every step of the way. The events of September 11, 2001, were basic violations of the fundamental principle that life is to give--not to take. I am proud that this Congress gathered on September 6, in the shadow of Ground Zero, to remember and honor both the victims and the heroes--and to remind the world that the forces of evil shall never prevail.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, whenever I think of the enormity of what happened on September 11, 2001, words fail; and so I try to recall the words of our commander in chief on that fateful day. He basically made three suggestions. He said we should pray for all of the innocent victims and their families, and I try to remember to do that every day. He then said we should be grateful. And I will be perfectly honest, gratitude was not what was in my heart at that moment. But he went on to explain that we should be grateful to all the police officers, firefighters, and emergency personnel who, when others were running away from the buildings in terror, running for their lives, continued to run toward the buildings, into the buildings, up the stairs, many to their deaths. That was their job. And they did it well that day because they saved thousands of lives. Finally, he suggested that we unite as a Nation in our resolve to track down the terrorist cowards who committed those acts, bring them to justice, and take away their capabilities to ever do anything like that again either in the United States or anywhere else in the world. On this solemn anniversary may we continue to remember those three suggestions by our commander in chief.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday of this week, at the Town Hall in Babylon, Long Island, located in New York's Second Congressional District and represented by my colleague, Mr. Israel, without much fanfare, we saw into the future. A device was switched on, Mr. Speaker, that--by converting natural gas to hydrogen--produces both useable electricity and useable heat. The heat is captured and reused to warm the building, and the electricity is harnessed and channeled to supplement the structure's power supply. And no contaminants or particulates of any kind are, or will be, released into the atmosphere or water supply at any point in the process. This device is the first of its kind in use in the State of New York to provide the combined supplemental heat and electricity for a building. This device is called the ``GenSys5C'' and is produced by Plug Power in Latham, New York--which, I am proud to say, is located in my Congressional District. This device, Mr. Speaker, is called a fuel cell. Last year, I joined a number of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to introduce H.R. 1275, a bill to provide tax incentives for the development and production of fuel cells and related technologies. Wisely, this tax credit was included in both the House-passed and Senate passed versions of the energy bill. As our colleagues on the conference committee meet to resolve the differences, I encourage them to support the preservation of this provision in the final report. Fuel cells, Mr. Speaker, represent the future of energy efficiency, the future of clean and renewable heat and electricity energy sources for our Nation. There are solutions to our energy crisis that avoid the continued depletion of our natural resources and destruction of the environment, and fuel cell technology is one of them. I am proud to call attention to the milestone reached on Long Island by Plug Power. I call upon my colleagues to continue to support research and development in this field, in order to ensure that success stories will continue to be told. As those present at the Babylon Town Hall already know, the future is now, and it is exemplified in the production of clean, efficient energy using fuel cell technology.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, Tony Hall has been a friend of mine for 14 years. When you have seen firsthand the enormity of the hunger problem on the face of this earth, you can understand the commitment of Tony Hall. My first appointment by a Speaker of this body was to the Select Committee on Hunger. And 3 months after that appointment, I was in Sudan with Mickey Leland, with Gary Ackerman, with my late friend Bill Emerson. And in that country the year before, 1988, 280,000 people starved to death, in that one country. I often use these numbers to illustrate sometimes that we do not have our priorities straight. If a few thousand people die in Europe, we get involved in the conflict, as well we should. In the homeland of my ancestors, in Ireland, over the past 30 years in what we call ``The Troubles,'' between 3,000 and 4,000 people have died, and I think that is a lot of people; and I am glad we are getting involved in trying to bring peace in that conflict. But in that one year, in one country on the continent of Africa, 280,000 people starved to death, and somehow we do not as a Nation have the same commitment to doing something about that. In that one nation over the period of the last 20 years, more than 2 million people have starved to death on what I call the forgotten continent. I can tell you, if any one person in this body has worked consistently to make sure that is not the forgotten continent, and that men, women, and children do not starve to death on this Earth of such great bounty, it is Tony Hall. I can remember when I was in one of those camps down in southern Sudan, it was either Mugud or Wau, and I looked out and I could see huge numbers of people, as far as the eye could see, without really knowing where their next meal was coming from. It was very moving to me. I remember turning to Tony's friend, Mickey, who was chairman of the select committee at the time, and saying to him, ``Mickey, how are we going to solve all of this?'' And he quoted the Talmud. He was giving me a lesson. He said, ``Mike, if you save one life, you save the world.'' That was his message to me, that each one of us has to do our own small part in trying to correct horrendous situations like that. No, none of us can solve all of the problems of the world, but if each of us helped in our own small way with whatever talents or resources we have, we could solve these problems. That is something that that teacher has demonstrated to me, and I thank him for it. I know there are many others who want to speak, Mr. Speaker; so I will abbreviate my remarks. I will just conclude by saying that Tony Hall is one of the people who lives the prayer of St. Francis and especially understands and demonstrates that it is in giving that we receive. He understands the fundamental principle, that life is to give, not to take. I salute you, my friend; and thank you for your commitment to the men, women, and children of this world.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that half my time be yielded to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher) and that he be permitted to allocate that time as he sees fit and that, further, I be permitted to yield the time that I have remaining.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I claim the time in support of the joint resolution.

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we discuss this resolution every year and my position has not changed. I do not oppose eventual normalization of trade relations with Vietnam. We have done that with all of our former enemies. I oppose doing it at this time, Mr. Speaker, for very practical reasons. The latest report from the Department of Defense MIA office is that we have found the wreckage of two more United Nations military planes; a C-130 with nine on board and an A-6 with two aboard. And pending examination of those remains, we have the prospect of the return of 11 more American soldiers who have been missing in action in Vietnam for literally decades. And when did we get that news about those findings? July 2 in the year 2002. Three weeks ago! I ask the question again: Can we not wait until we get as full an accounting as possible of our missing in action in Vietnam before we proceed further with this trade relationship? Where are our priorities? And I do get emotional about this. There is an anniversary coming up on August 9. August 9, 1970, my brother, H.M.3 William F. McNulty, a medic in the Navy, transferred to the Marine Corps, was out in the field in Quang Nam province patching up his buddies. He stepped on a land mine and he lost his life. But his body was recovered. And he was brought back home, and we had a wake and a funeral and a burial. Our family suffered a tremendous loss, but we had some closure. I have always wondered how terrible it must be for an MIA family, never exactly knowing what happened to their loved one--not for a day, a week, a month or a year, but for decades. And so, Mr. Speaker, until we get as complete an accounting as possible of all of those who are missing in action from the Vietnam War, I will continue to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.