John Murtha

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks about the retirement of the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, there is no more important part of this year's final budget negotiations than the provisions we debate today on Medicare reimbursement levels. This debate is not about dollars or statistics. It's about the toll that past cutbacks have taken on our health care system. I've visited with hospital CEO's and workers throughout Western Pennsylvania and seen their frustration at not being able to provide the full care their patients need. I've gone on home health care visits where citizens simply can't understand the cutbacks that make it harder for them to stay in their homes. I've exchanged emails with families of organ transplant recipients who can't understand why immunosuppressive drugs are only covered for a limited time period. And in our largely rural area, I've spoken with citizens who are concerned about the loss of their neighborhood hospital, who fear a longer trip to an emergency center that can literally mean the difference between life and death, and who can't understand why the health care professionals at area hospitals are so stretched and lacking Medicare support. People understand that we have the finest health care system in the world and the finest-trained professionals. But we must not hinder that system--we must provide the support that allows those professionals to do their jobs fully. The Medicare relief legislation helps to move us toward that goal. In no area more than health care does our debate need to be nonpartisan and goal-oriented. Today's bill is not the end of the fiscal battle for Medicare; we will need further steps. Let us not assign blame, but rather let us aim at streamlining the increasingly complex health care system, at providing the support needed by our medical professionals. Let's build on this step in the coming months to expand health care coverage, preventive care coverage in Medicare and make sure Senior Citizens can afford their prescription drugs, streamline the paperwork bureaucracy, and get health care decision- making back into the hands of the patients and medical professionals. We have more to do--on reimbursements and on health care overall--but this Medicare reimbursement improvement provides a key step in the right direction, a step we can build on, and a step toward the partnership we need to assure that all Americans, of all ages, have access to the full health care they need. Moreover, it's a step toward creating the partnership we need with our hospitals, home health care personnel and other medical care providers to help our citizens receive quality health care and have a better quality of life.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recommend to my colleagues a fascinating article written by Ben Vinson III, entitled, ``Blacks in Mexico,'' published in El Aguila Del Hudson Valley. Ben Vinson, a native of Johnstown, PA, is an Assistant Professor of Latin American History at Barnard College, Columbia University. He has just completed a book on black soldiers in Colonial Mexico, ``His Majesty's Men.'' I am extremely proud of the fact that Ben once was an intern in my congressional office and I submit the following article into the Congressional Record. [From El Aguila del Hudson Valley, Nov. 2000] Blacks in Mexico (By Ben Vinson III) As Hispanic Heritage month and the Dia de la Raza are still present in our memory, it becomes important to reflect upon the full diversity of Latin America. Few other regions in the world are as racially rich, and few have achieved the same level of cultural accomplishment. From music and the arts to politics and science, people of Latin American descent have made significant contributions. Names such as Oscar Arias Sanchez, Jorge Luis Borges, Diego Rivera, Che Guevara, Rigoberta Menchu, and Celia Cruz, are just a few of the famous figures who have had a tremendous impact on our times. But what is often overlooked is the role that Africa has played in the region's heritage and the development of its people. With over 450 million inhabitants, Latin America has one of the world's largest populations. Yet what is not as well known is that up to \1/3\ of all Latin Americans today can claim some African ancestry, according to research conducted by the Organization of Africans in the Americas (OAA). In 1992, there were as many as 82 million Afro-Latinos in the hemisphere, with some living in unlikely places such as Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. Even in the United States today there are between 3.5 to 5 million Afro-Latinos residing in the country. What does this mean? Simply that one cannot celebrate the Hispanic heritage without celebrating the connection with Africa, regardless of one's national origins. Mexico is an excellent example. With so much emphasis on the country's Indian history, it has become easy to overlook links with an African past. But these links exist. When Columbus first sailed to the coast of southern Mexico between 1502-1504, he could not have imagined that within a hundred years, this land would become the largest importer of African slaves to the New World. Between 1521 and 1650, Mexico alone imported nearly half of all the black slaves introduced into the Americas. They worked in a variety of professions, including the farming industry, on tobacco and sugar plantations, as domestic workers, and in silver mining trades. Anywhere that the Spaniards lived, they took African slaves with them. Because of this, Mexico's black population was spread out everywhere, from the northern frontier towns near the current U.S.-Mexican border, to the southern villages near Guatemala and along the coast of the Yucatan. Blacks mixed quickly with the indigenous and mestizo populations. Some of this had to do with the condition of slavery itself. Not many women were brought from Africa, which forced many men to marry non-black women. After 1650, the number of black inter-racial marriages had increased so much that some scholars believe that Mexico's version of mestizaje owes a great debt to Africa. According to Dr. Patrick Carroll, it was essentially blacks that fused the indigenous and white races together, since both Spaniards and Indians frequently had sexual relations with blacks. Sometimes these relations were more frequent than they had with one another. Blacks were not just slaves in Mexico. African slaves were commonly released from bondage through buying their freedom, using small amounts of money that they were able to save on their jobs. Sometimes masters also freed their slaves because of their good services, or because they feared that they would be punished by God if they kept them. By 1800, Mexico possessed one of the largest numbers of free-blacks in the world, just behind countries like Brazil. In fact, the total number of blacks in Mexico numbered over 370,000, representing nearly 10% of the population. What happened to Mexico's blacks? We don't see much of them in the media, nor has there been a strong effort to write about them in history textbooks. The percentage of Afro- Mexicans has grown smaller over time. Although there are almost a half a million blacks in the country today, they represent less than 1% of the national population, and they live mainly in the coastal areas of Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Acapulco. The general Mexican population is often aware of a small black presence in their country, especially in Veracruz. But oftentimes these people are viewed as foreigners, mainly Cuban immigrants, who are not truly a part of the nation. While Cuban immigration at the end of the 19th century was significant towards increasing the number of blacks in Mexico, the descendants of Mexican slaves still remain an important part of the Afro-Mexican population. When one travels to the west coast of Mexico we can see these roots, as I did during a research trip four years ago. In the village of Corralero, Emiliano Colon Torres (age 99) spoke about how he participated in the Mexican Revolution along with other Afro-Mexicans, and even black Cubans. But times were difficult, both before and after the war. As he and several others noted: ``Some [darker] blacks, especially one Cuban musician, found it difficult to marry because of their race. A very popular musician who had migrated from Cuba died without ever marrying.'' Such comments reveal a phenomenon that exists not just in the black areas of Mexico, but in other places in Latin America where blacks live. Skin color has made it difficult to gain full acceptance in society. This can lead to lower self-esteem, as well as a denial of certain aspects of one's African heritage. Despite the fact that the region surrounding Corralero has a long Afro-Mexican history, stretching back into the 1600s, when I asked people how blacks first entered their area, I almost always received the same answer: ``Blacks arrived to our coast in the 1940s when a Russian ship sank off shore. There was a black crew working on the ship, and they came to our area and began to populate it.'' Another version of the story involves a Japanese plane that crashed near the shore, also with a black crew. While there is some evidence of wreckage, these stories deny an entire history involving slavery and the slave trade. Perhaps this is the intention. By not being associated with Africa and slavery, Afro-Mexicans can elevate themselves. Instead of being associated with Africa's negative stereotypes, such as a lack of education, barbaric behavior, and poverty, Afro- Mexicans become associated with the rich Japanese and the powerful Russians. These are better images. It is also possible that the people of Corralero and its neighboring towns knew little of a deep Afro-Mexican past because they have not had access to information about their African history and heritage. Hispanic Heritage month and El Dia de la Raza are times when we can remedy situations like these. Hispanics and Latin Americans do not need to apologize for, or hide their African heritage. It is part of a great cultural strength, which contributes to the richness and diversity of the region. In the same manner that we recall the early events that led to the development of the Americas, let's not forget that in each of our countries, Africa had an important role too. And whether through subtle mestizaje or more overt influences, an African heritage continues to shape who the Latin American people truly are.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to a dedicated and hardworking gentleman on the occasion of his retirement. Harold Nicholson devoted thirty-three years of his life to the Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., in Somerset, PA. He was its manager for the past nineteen years, longer than any other manager in the entity's sixty-one year history. But Mr. Nicholson not only managed the cooperative, he was in many ways its heart, soul and voice. Originally hired to provide member services, he started the SREC's monthly newsletter for which he also wrote and photographed. It became the precursor of the statewide Penn Lines magazine. Mr. Nicholson served on numerous committees within the National Rural Electric Association and was chairman of its Marketing and Energy Management committee. Additionally, he was active with the statewide Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, where he served on the Power Supply and Engineering Committee, Transmission Policy, and Risk Management Committees and co-chaired its Consumer Choice Marketing and Consumer, Employee and Board Education Task Force committees. He has been named Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Man of the Year (1992), the organization's highest honor. In addition to his many career-related credits and initiatives, he has served his community in a variety of other capacities. They include Managing Editor of the Meyersdale Republican; board member and past president of the Meyersdale Lions Club; on the Economic Development Committee of the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission; was a charter member and secretary of the Long Range Planning Committee with the Somerset County Vocational Technical School; served on the board of the Appalachian Intermediate Unit 8 serving the area's school districts; served for sixteen years including as president on the Meyersdale Area School Board; member of the Somerset County Chamber of Commerce; and a member of the Partnership for Rural Industrial Development Enterprises (PRIDE) as Secretary. Harold Nicholson has been and continues to be an outstanding member of his community. I wish him all the best for a fulfilling and happy retirement to enjoy with his wife, four children and nine grandchildren.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sense of personal loss but also enduring respect and admiration that I come before my Colleagues in the House of Representatives to pay tribute to the memory of Joe Donnelly. Joe Donnelly was a journalist. The long-time editor and co-publisher of the Indiana Gazette in Indiana, Pennsylvania, he recently passed away at the age of 76. However these statements of fact do not begin to describe or define the man or the impact his life had on his profession and his community. His departure leaves at once both a gaping hole and an enduring legacy in the region served by the newspaper he and his late wife Lucilla published for years under the hundred-year-old daily header: ``The Gazette wants to be the friend of every man, the promulgator of all that's right, and a welcome guest in the home.'' That phrase could describe Joe Donnelly, the man, as well. In an age when national newspapers increasingly come under influences that are often negative and at odds with the ideals of journalistic ethics and objective reporting, Joe Donnelly remained a positive force not only through his leadership of a venerable publishing operation but through the examples he set every day in his community involvement. He was extremely well respected by his colleagues both for his ethics and his management style. And, acknowledged for his active involvement in civics and his church, he once received the Benemerenti Award from Pope Paul VI in person. It is probably no accident that the same town that produced an American hero like Jimmy Stewart also produced a man like Joe Donnelly, a Marine combat veteran of two wars. His long list of interests, awards and achievements indicate a tireless pillar of American values, which he certainly was. In his church, his town, and his family life, he set an example that will continue to influence the values of the generations who follow him. A colleague at the Gazette recalled him, ``He came up the long way, form the bottom and really worked hard at it.'' The journalistic legacy of Joe Donnelly lives on in his son and daughters, who continue to run the Gazette even as they raise his four grandchildren. The broader lessons of the importance of hard work, of giving of oneself to church and community, and of humility, are what we can all take from the memory of this unique American. Joe, we miss you and we thank you. Goodbye, Marine.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I have a young sailor, a bosun's mate, Richard Ying, that was hurt severely aboard the U.S.S. Cole. My staff has talked to him several times. I tried to call and he was in rehabilitation. He is back home, and they expect him to be back in Windber, Pennsylvania, by Friday. The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) and I had anticipated trying to go to visit the U.S.S. Cole over the weekend just to see how it was going. All of us sympathize with the families who lost loved ones, and all of us feel badly about the ones that were wounded. But there is something else here that shows how good our troops are operating. It was marvelous. I went aboard the U.S.S. Roberts when it hit a mine. It had a hole about the size of a bus in the side. This hole was even bigger, 40 feet. People do not realize how close it came to sinking. We are talking about a ship that was in the harbor in water that was calm, and it almost sank. If it had not been for the heroic effort of this crew, actually using buckets to bail out the water, we would have probably lost that ship. So I want to commend the men and women that served on the Cole for the phenomenal job they did in saving this ship. All of us hate to see our men and women in harm's way. We have responsibilities and we cannot withdraw from those responsibilities. But one thing for sure, that ship was saved by the dedication of the men and women who served aboard the Cole. I add my commiseration and sympathy to the families, but I want to commend the captain and the shipmates aboard the U.S.S. Cole for the phenomenal job they did in saving that magnificent vessel.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, again reclaiming my time, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy).

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I do not mean to say that he was only interested in education, because the park that was in his district was absolutely essential to the district and he handled that, with a lot of divisions, he handled that so well. And the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Gekas) knows that and I now yield to him.

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, this morning I want to make some very complimentary remarks about the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling). He is certainly the type of individual, if I had been in his class or in his school, I would have known exactly where he stood. He defends the system of education. He supported education, and he supported the ideals of education: local control and strong discipline. Bill Goodling is one of the finest experts in education in the entire Nation. No individual has had more of an impact on educational systems in this Nation than Bill Goodling. He sometimes gets in trouble because he says what he thinks. He believes very strongly about local control of education, and there are people who believe differently, and they disagree strongly with his opinion. But on the other hand, we know where he stands. I think in politics that is the thing that is absolutely imperative to our system, that somebody that knows what they are talking about, has had experience in the field, can work hard at those kinds of things. Education obviously is one of the most important issues we take up in the House. Normally, I do not talk very long on issues of defense because we work things out. And I see the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations, here; and he and I do not take a lot of time on the floor. But it is hard not to speak for a long period of time for the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling). He has been in the forefront of many, many battles; and he has won most of those battles. Even when he was in the minority, he worked hard for local control of schools, for adequate funding of schools to make sure that the Members of Congress understood the system from a classroom, from a superintendent, from a principal's standpoint, and from a Member of Congress' standpoint. So we are going to miss Bill Goodling. Bill Goodling has had a phenomenal impact on our system itself. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Holden).

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, it's a distinct pleasure for me to join today with Congressman Pallone in introducing legislation to help achieve full screening of newborns for health disorders. Mothers are familiar with the ``heel and prick'' test, but few know how many diseases the hospital is testing. Many hospitals test for 2 or 3, the March of Dimes recommends 8 disorders as a core group for uniform screening, but the technology exists to screen for more than 30 life-altering conditions. There is no reason not to have full and uniform screening for the four million infants born nationwide every year. Right now, it's a piecemeal approach, with different states testing at different levels. Backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the same drops of blood can provide full screening for disorders at the cost of about $25 a baby. This issue was first brought to my attention a couple months ago by a Mother from Somerset County in the area I represent. She points to specific families such as the New Mexico couple that had two infants die from VLCAD that weren't tested for the disorder; a Texas couple whose son has brain damage from GA1, not on the tested list; or my constituent's grandson who could have been brain damaged or dead because MCAD is not tested uniformly. Against the measure of these illnesses and the impact on infants and families, surely we can devote the $25 to full testing. Our bill would establish a grant system to be administered by the Department of Health and Human Services to help states and localities implement full testing. To me, one of the great overlooked issues in the health care debate is the 11 million children in our Nation with no health care insurance. No child should suffer because of a lack of health care, and no child and family should suffer because we don't commit to doing the full testing we can to head off debilitating diseases. Let's pass this legislation and make sure that newborns get the full screening they need and deserve.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, when the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran) first talked to me about this issue, I thought it sounded reasonable. I have been involved in a lot of disputes between labor and companies with the Defense Department. I had some procurement officers come in to see me today, and they told me they need systematic guidance about how to deal with these contracts. Now, they believe that this kind of guidance that has been set up or proposed in these regulations is the type of regulation that they need in order to be able to consummate the contracts. In other words, if the person is not violating the law or a regulation, they go forward. If by some chance the contracting officer makes a mistake, they have a recourse; and the recourse, of course, is appeal, and damages can be awarded to that particular company. So if they have a legitimate bid, and they are not awarded the contract, and yet they would be otherwise, and it is very clear that the reason that they were not given the contract was because they did not comply with other Federal regulations or the law, then they have the recourse of going to the appeal and getting damages. So I think we make a serious mistake if we were to delay these regulations at this time. I know my colleagues have been working a long time. But my feeling from the procurement officers themselves, the people that deal with this, is that they need guidance which says they are a systematic violation of the law or regulations, and that is the kind of guidance which helps them make a decision on whether to accept a contract or do not accept it. So I would urge the Members to defeat this amendment.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I hope the military will not misconstrue that chart to think that I like charts. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, this is basically the same bill that we passed in the House. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich). (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, as someone who joined the Marine Corps during the Korean War, I've always felt strongly about our allies in Turkey. As we mark the 50-year anniversary of the start of the Korean War on June 25th, the Turkish military's bravery and heroism deserve great praise. The Turkish Brigade demonstrated superior combat capability and courage from the critical moment it entered the battlefield in October 1950, through the cease-fire agreement of July 1953. Turkey provided the fifth-largest military contingent among United Nations forces--5,453 soldiers at the peak of the war. The Turkish Brigade is credited with saving the U.S. Eighth Army and the IX Army Corps from encirclement by communist enemies, and the 2nd Division from total destruction during critical battles in November 1950. United Nations' Forces Commander in Chief General Douglas MacArthur said ``The Turks are the hero of heroes. There is no impossibility for the Turkish Brigade.'' No enemy attack succeeded in penetrating the front of the Turkish Brigade, while British and American forces were forced to withdraw from defensive lines. Even though out of ammunition, the Turks affixed their bayonets and attacked the enemy, eventually in hand-to-hand combat. The Turks succeeded in withdrawing by continuous combat and carrying their injured comrades from the battlefield on their backs. Among the twenty U.N. Members contributing military forces in Korea, Time Magazine praised the Turkish Brigade for its courageous battles and for ``creating a favorable effect on the whole United Nations Forces.'' A U.S. radio commentary in December 1950 thanked the Turkish Brigade's heroism for giving hope to a demoralized American nation. Although the Korean War is often called ``the Forgotten War,'' partly because it ended inconclusively with no real winner, the fierce combat ability of the Turkish Brigade should never be forgotten. The 717 Turkish soldiers killed in action, and the 2,413 wounded in action, represent the highest casualty rate of any U.N. element engaged in the fighting. The simple white grave markers in a green field near Pusan will eternally remind us of the heroic soldiers of a heroic nation.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, if I read the lock box amendment right, I have a great concern about what they are trying to do. Much of the legislation we have passed initially is for negotiation purposes. We normally take projects out. We have taken as many as four destroyers out and over $1 billion normally in the subcommittee. But there are times when amendments have been offered on the floor and we have lost as much as $1 billion on the floor, but we go to the Senate and then we renegotiate the amount of money we have. As I understand the amendment, we would lose that money and we would lose the flexibility to negotiate with the Senate, or the other body; and they would have the same problem over there. So this really, I think, could be detrimental to good government rather than help government. It certainly would not help us because in the end we would be determining on the floor, we would be reducing the amount of money when really all people want to reduce is one particular system which later on may want to be increased again. This really worries me.

Mr. MURTHA. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, let me tell my colleagues the practical problems we have with the legislation which we face. Many, many times we have lost $1 billion in the defense bill, and our defense bill is $288 billion this year. But when we lose it on the House side, if somebody offered an amendment on one, say it was the F-22 and the Senate had a different figure, we would go into the conference and have a very difficult time resolving it. We would lose our flexibility. There is no easy way to reduce the deficit. It can only be done with very difficult decisions. In defense, we figure we are $15 billion to $20 billion short. So if we took out this kind of money, it would actually affect national defense in a very derogatory way. So I would hope the Members would understand the importance of this vote. This is absolutely essential to our flexibility in dealing with the other body, so that if something is cut in the House, we can go back and renegotiate and hopefully be able to either restore something or, in the end, get the Department to pay attention to what we are telling them to do. Last year we cut the F-22. We said we needed more testing. We cut a lot of money out of it. If we had not had this flexibility, this program would have been killed. We would not have had this flexibility. I would urge the Members to reconsider the vote on this particular amendment. There is no easy way to do it except to vote up or down on these issues. I would urge the Members to vote against this amendment.

Mr. MURTHA. I appreciate both gentlemen's comments. I would hope the House would be very careful in not adopting something that could be very detrimental to our flexibility in the long run, hurt our national security and I am sure have the same impact on any other bill that we take before the Congress.

Mr. MURTHA. I yield to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, let me add my welcome to Father Christian. My colleague and I share Father Christian. He is right on the border at one of the finest schools in Pennsylvania, and it is just marvelous to have him here. His prayer was so good. He said the only problem is that they limited him to 125 words, and he can not say much in 125 words.

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with my colleagues the attached newspaper article describing an achievement award recently bestowed upon a long-time member of my staff, Carmen Scialabba, by his high school alma mater. It is a fitting tribute to an extraordinary individual and I hope you will take the time to read it. Many of you recognize or have gotten to know Carmen over the 24 years he has worked with me. He is a patient and tireless attendee of appropriations hearings and markups and has been absolutely indispensable in his role as Associate Staff, handling all manner of appropriations-related issues as well as a wide array of constituent services. He has been an indispensable aide, conceiving numerous economic development projects with me and overseeing them to their fruition, to the benefit of countless workers and families back home in Pennsylvania. Many of you probably do now know, however, the heroic story of how Carmen Scialabba has overcome the harshest adversities, beginning in his early childhood when the untimely death of his mother landed him and his brothers in an orphanage while his father went off to war. You may not know that he had enlisted in the Marine Corps and become a champion boxer before he was tragically stricken with polio and collapsed before a fight at the height of his career. You may not know how he overcame his debilitating illness to raise four daughters as a single parent after their young mother succumbed to leukemia; how he fought against appalling prevailing attitudes toward the disabled to be able to attend college, ultimately earning a masters degree; how he made a difference to hundreds of young students as a high school history teacher; how he then served his community as a local magistrate before he joined me in coming to Washington to help the people of Pennsylvania in yet another capacity. He has been fighting for years to eradicate institutional discrimination against the disabled. Whether it involves helping a single long-suffering Veteran to obtain needed rehabilitation services and regain self-sufficiency or developing partnerships with employers and vocational rehabilitation facilities to help employ people with special needs, he has been a tireless advocate for ``leveling the playing field'' for the economic, as well as the physically, disadvantaged. His passionate advocacy for `doing the right thing' and his blunt, no-nonsense demeanor have earned him a somewhat fearsome reputation befitting a champion prizefighter. They've coined an expression in Washington. It is known as being ``Carmenized,'' and they say you certainly know when it has happened to you. Yet to those who know him best he is a gentle soul with an enormous heart of gold. I realize such achievements and praise are usually only associated with high-profile public servants. Carmen has never been high-profile. A true product of the blue-collar hardscrabble steel and coal regions of Pennsylvania from which he hails, he has set about his extraordinary life with near-Biblical humility. He has never once lost sight of his guiding belief that his purpose in life is to serve others and that, although life is certainly not always fair, everyone deserves fair treatment by their government as well as their fellow man. Again, I am glad to be able to share the attached article with my colleagues and submit it for inclusion in the Congressional Record so that history will remember the life and work of this consummate public servant as staff to the United States Congress. [From the Eagle, June 9, 2000] Polio Can't Keep '53 Grad Down--Carmen Scialabba Wins Prestigious BHS Award (By Shari Kitzmiller) Butler Twp--Base your life on what you can do for other people, not what they can do for you. That's the doctrine that has gotten Butler alumnus Carmen Scialabba where he is today. It's also the attitude that has earned him a prestigious award from his high school alma mater. Scialabba was named the 21st recipient of the Butler School District Distinguished Graduate Award during commencement ceremonies Wednesday night. He is a 1953 graduate of the school. High school Principal Dale Lumley said recipients are not invited to attend commencement because it usually is too hard for those who no longer live in the Butler area to guarantee they can make it. Winners are notified after the announcement is made public. A committee of students picked Scialabba from more than 50 nominees. Scialabba lives in Silver Spring, Md., with his second wife. Scialabba's first wife, Janice Ann Collins, died in 1979. She also was a Butler graduate. Receiving the award is an honor, he said, because a teacher he admired--Margaret Puff--also won the award in 1986. Puff was a geography teacher in the district who sparked Scialabba's interest in the subject, he said. ``Because of her, I got my master's in geography,'' he said. Since that time, Scialabba has led a busy life. A current associate staff member for the U.S. House of Representatives and a top aide to U.S. Rep. John Murtha of Johnstown, Scialabba started his career in the House in 1975. Piror to that time, he served as a district magistrate in Johnstown. He also was a junior high history teacher in the Johnstown public school system. A former Marine, Scialabba once thought he was destined for a professional boxing career. In 1956 he represented the U.S. Marine Corps in the Southwest Olympic Trial. In 1959, he gained the ALL U.S. Marine Corps Lightweight Boxing Champion title and represented the Corps in the Pan American trials. He began his professional boxing career when he left the Marines and was named Ring Magazine's Prospect of the Month in August 1960. His career was cut short just a year later, however, when he was diagnosed with polio. The illness left him paralyzed from the waist down. But he didn't let his paralysis keep him from achieving his goals. Told he would never walk again, he fought against medical odds and learned to walk with leg braces. That was just the start of his fight for the rights of the disabled. Scialabba has taken his personal experience and used it to help others in similar situations. He is working to get rewarding jobs for Americans who currently are receiving disability compensation because they have been unable to get employment. ``I want to form a non-profit group to talk to industry people to convince them it's wise to hire people with disabilities,'' Scialabba said, ``I have a few members already in place. We're getting there, but we're not quite there yet.'' He also has worked with engineers at Penn State University to create what he affectionately calls the ``Lazy Carmen.'' The invention, which he uses in this office at work, allows him to turn 360 degrees in his wheelchair without having to do it manually. ``It takes a lot of effort to turn this thing around,'' Scialabba said of his wheelchair. ``(Lazy Carmen) saves a lot of energy and a lot of time.'' More information on the invention can be found on Penn State's Web site at www.psu.edu. Scialabba said the invention is not yet ready to market, but he is looking for a manufacturer for the product. Aside from his desire to help the disabled, Scialabba has some advice for the graduating class at Butler High School. ``This may sound kind of corny, but work awful hard,'' he said. He also encourages the graduates to help those who can't help themselves because it builds good character. ``I've tried to frame my life around what I can do for other people, not what they can do for me,'' Scialabba said. Also stay close to your family, he said, no matter where you life takes you. Scialabba, who said his brother Nick helped him get into college, is still an important part of his life. Nick and another brother, Anthony, still live in Butler. Carmen Scialabba WHAT: 2000 Butler School District Distinguished Graduate Award recipient. EDUCATION: 1953 Butler High School graduate; 1966 graduate of the University of Pittsburg at Johnstown; 1965 history department scholar; master's degree in the arts from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. ORGANIZATIONS: Formed the Johnstown Boxing Club. EXTRA DUTIES: Serves on the Board of Directors for the Governor's Council for the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation; Operations and Planning Board member; New Partnerships Task Force member for the Hiram G. Andrews Center in Johnstown; Penn State University Review Board of the Institute for Non-Lethal Defense Technology; the City Planning Commission of Johnstown; and the Governor's Council for the Physically Handicapped. AWARDS AND HONORS: 1974 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Handicapped Person of the Year; 1975 inductee to the Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame; National Guard Ben Franklin Award for dedicated service to Pennsylvania; National Guard Patrick Henry Award for distinguished patriotic service.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, I suggest to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks) that we not get into this.

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?