Michael McNulty

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

Mr. McNULTY

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

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act, which will support all of our men and women in uniform and also the Crusader program.

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 demand a recorded vote.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I join today with many of my colleagues in remembering the victims of the Armenian Genocide on this, its 87th anniversary. From 1915 to 1923, the world witnessed the first genocide of the 20th Century. This was clearly one of the world's greatest tragedies--the deliberate and systematic Ottoman annihilation of 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children. Furthermore, another 500,000 refugees fled and escaped to various points around the world--effectively eliminating the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire. From these ashes arose hope and promise in 1991--and I was blessed to see it. I was one of the four international observers from the United States Congress to monitor Armenia's independence referendum. I went to the communities in the northern part of Armenia, and I watched in awe as 95 percent of the people over the age of 18 went out and voted. The Armenian people had been denied freedom for so many years and, clearly, they were very excited about this new opportunity. Almost no one stayed home. They were all out in the streets going to the polling places. I watched in amazement as people stood in line for hours to get into these small polling places and vote. Then, after they voted, the other interesting thing was that they did not go home. They had brought covered dishes with them, and all of these polling places had little banquets afterward to celebrate what had just happened. What a great thrill it was to join them the next day in the streets of Yerevan when they were celebrating their great victory. Ninety-eight percent of the people cast their ballots in favor of independence. It was a wonderful experience to be there with them when they danced and sang and shouted, `Ketse azat ankakh Hayastan'--long live free and independent Armenia! That should be the cry of freedom-loving people everywhere.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Rabbi Israel Miller--a great leader of our Jewish Community and a great American. Rabbi Miller was a man of vision. As president of the Conference of Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, he combined passion with dignity in his negotiations with foreign governments. He was able to achieve a landmark compensation agreement for the criminal theft that was part of the Nazi barbarity against the Jewish people. Rabbi Miller played an outstanding role in American Jewish life. He served as chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations and was its spokesperson on matter relating to Israel and international affairs in the United States and abroad. He had a special interest in helping the Jews behind the Iron Curtain, as evidenced by his national leadership of the American Jewish Conference on Soviet Jewry. He left his imprint on virtually every major facet of American Jewish life as the founding president of the American Zionist Federation, founder of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, vice president of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, and president of the Rabbinical Council of America. Throughout his life, Rabbi Miller sought to build bridges of understanding and respect among people of different religious, racial and ethnic origins. He believed that every human being should be able to live in safety, ``and there shall be none to make him afraid.'' What a legacy Rabbi Israel Miller left us. He will be sorely missed.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, as terrorist attacks and homicide bombings continue to ravage Israel and her citizens, I call on the Administration to express its unqualified support for the only democracy in the Middle East, and our most loyal supporter at the United Nations. Two weeks ago, I stood with members of the United Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York and Rabbis from across the Capital Region of New York State, and recounted the horrible story of a March terrorist attack that ripped through the heart of an Albany family--by stealing the life of Avia Malka, a nine-month old infant visiting Netanya, Israel on the joyous occasion of a family wedding. An armed homicide bomber walked into the lobby of the family's hotel, began shooting, and then detonated his device. The infant Avia was shot in the head, struck by shrapnel, and killed. Her father remains in the hospital and still cannot walk. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply disappointed with the contradictory statements made by our President in recent weeks, and I totally disagree with our vote at the U.N. asking Israel to retreat from its pursuit of Palestinian terrorists. For the President to embrace such a policy is completely contradictory to the principles of our own international war against terrorism. In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly recommended partitioning the British mandate called Palestine into two states, a 5,500 square- mile Jewish state, and a 4,500 square-mile Arab state, and a ``corpus separatum'' international zone around the holy city of Jerusalem. Jews accepted the partition plan but the Arabs did not. Israel unilaterally declared its independence in May 1948, and the Arab states attacked the new state. Therefore, the Palestinians could have had their own state in 1947, but rejected it. In 2000, former Israeli Prime Minister Barak offered a peace agreement, which included not only further land transfers, but also nearly all that Chairman Arafat requested--and Arafat and the Palestinians rejected that offer, too. In addition, the first three wars against Israel (1948, 1956, and 1967) all occurred when the West Bank was in Arab hands. On January 1, 1965, Fatah, the main branch of Arafat's organization, launched the first terrorist attack on Israel--all within the 1967 borders. Last year, Faisal Husseini, a ``moderate'' within Arafat's leadership, offered the following response when asked whether the Palestinian goal is still the elimination of the State of Israel: ``If you are asking me as a Pan-Arab nationalist what are the Palestinian borders . . . I will immediately reply, `From the river Jordan to the Mediterranean sea.'' ' Mr. Speaker, arguing that `returning' these lands would ensure peace is simply ignoring history! Israeli citizens have lived with terrorism since the founding of their country in 1948, and have had to fight five wars just to survive. It is past time for all civilized countries to support the right of Israel to exist, and to denounce in unambiguous terms the terrorists who block the road toward peace in the region.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an exceptional organization, the Girl Scouts of the USA. Since Juliette Gordon Low assembled the first Girl Scout troop in March of 1912, the Girl Scouts have not only grown in number, but also in the scope of their mission. Generations of young women have developed positive values and a greater sense of self-worth by participating in Girl Scout programs. For 90 years, the Girl Scouts have opened doors of opportunity for girls from all walks of life, and they continue to expand their outreach efforts. They have renewed their commitment to reach beyond racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and geographic boundaries. Diversity can be found in all the activities in which these young women engage. From science and technology, to money management and finance, to global awareness, Girl Scouts experience it all. Mr. Speaker, the Girl Scouts of the Hudson Valley Council in New York State are fine examples of the Girl Scout mission. Girl Scouts in my district are committed to developing leadership skills and honing a finer sense of social conscience by engaging in a wide range of activities. When they collect supplies for the Merilac Women's Shelter in Albany, when they plant flowers and trees outside of the Colonie Town Hall in remembrance of the lives lost on September 11th, and when they make cards of thanks to the firefighters of New York City, Girl Scouts are making a difference. Thousands of girls in the Capital District will be forever impacted by the experiences they had and the friendships they made while participating in the Girl Scouts. We must also extend our gratitude to the adults, both women and men, who volunteer their time to ensure that the highest ideals of character, conduct, patriotism and service continue to be imparted on our Nation's girls and young women. I congratulate the Girl Scouts on their 90 years of service. Our communities have benefited from their accomplishments and I wish them many more decades of success.

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 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. Madam Speaker, the American people join with the people of Greece in celebrating the 181st Anniversary of the revolution that freed the Greek people from the Ottoman Empire. The bedrock of our close relationship with Greece is our mutual devotion to freedom and democracy and our unshakable determination to fight, if need be, to protect these rights. Greek philosophers and political leaders--Cleisthenes and Pericles and their successors--had great influence upon America's Founding Fathers in their creation of these United States. We, as a nation, owe a great debt to Greece. Greece is the birthplace of democracy, as we know it. Thomas Jefferson said, ``To the ancient Greeks, we are all indebted for the light which led ourselves (American colonists) out of Gothic darkness.'' The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were an attack on democracy and freedom--not just against our people, but also against all freedom-living people everywhere in the world. The Greek people understand this. I congratulate the people of Greece and wish them a Happy National Birthday.

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, 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 thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. I am delighted to join with my colleagues in congratulating the Military Academy of West Point on the occasion of its bicentennial celebration. The reason I like West Point so much is because West Point produces veterans. If we remember to keep our priorities straight, we will remember that, had it not been for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States military through the years, we would not have the privilege of going around bragging, as I often do, about how we live in the freest and most open democracy on the face of the earth. Freedom is not free. We have paid a tremendous price for it, and I try not to let a day go by without remembering with deep gratitude all of those who, like my brother, Bill, made the supreme sacrifice and all of those who served and were willing to put their lives on the line as servicemen and women are doing right now, for all that we hold dear. That is why, Mr. Speaker, when I get up in the morning, the first two things I do are to thank God for my life and veterans for my way of life. So on this special day I salute and pay tribute to all of the graduates of the Military Academy at West Point through the years, including my own Albany County Executive, Mike Breslin, who went on to serve as a company commander in the Vietnam War, all the way to Colleen O'Malley, who will graduate this year. West Point is a great national treasure. May it endure for many generations to come.

Mr. McNULTY

Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I am terribly stunned and saddened to learn of the loss of my friend, Tom Whalen. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, their children, and the entire Whalen family. Tom served the people of the City of Albany as Mayor for eight years with the utmost devotion and expertise. He led the effort to bring the esteemed designation of ``All-America City'' to Albany in 1991. In 1986, he spearheaded the restoration of the carillon at City Hall as part of Albany's Tercentennial. That same year, he formed the Community Police Relations Board to help foster relations between the Albany Police Department and the community. He also played an instrumental role in the development of the Albany-Tula Alliance. Tom was a highly respected member of the Capital Region community who had a sincere commitment to public service--a sense of hard work and a desire to help others, especially the disadvantaged. Tom Whalen had a love for God, his family, his community and his beloved Ireland. His loss will be felt and endured by many, and the void in our community--and our hearts--will be difficult to fill.

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.