Zell Miller

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, I am honored and humbled to serve as the Senate Co-chairman of the 2003 National Bible Week. During the week of November 23 to 30, communities and churches across this Nation will participate in this fine tradition by reading and reflecting on the teachings of the Bible. I am very proud to be a part of this celebration and I salute the National Bible Association for its sponsorship of this annual event. The very first National Bible Week was organized in 1941, during World War II. Organizers created National Bible Week as a way to extend comfort and hope to our Nation during a troubled time. Today, in 2003, we are facing another troubled time when our country could use a dose of comfort and hope. The Holy Bible is our richest source of great inspiration, spiritual guidance and strength. That is why so many refer to it as their solid rock, their foundation. During National Bible Week, I encourage everyone to read the Bible every day and to pledge to continue to turn to this Good Book throughout the year. Reflecting on Scripture, using the Bible's stories to teach our children right from wrong, and seeking to appreciate the literature on which our great United States of America was established is always time well spent. I congratulate the National Bible Association for its dedication to the celebration of God's word, the Holy Bible.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. I hope we can have an up-or-down vote--just an up-or-down vote, Mr. President.

Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about a good and brave man from the State of Mississippi, Judge Charles Pickering. I also rise today to talk about a judicial nominating process that is badly broken and out of control. Judge Charles Pickering has been victimized by inaccurate race baiting and political trash talk of the news media, Members of Congress, and Washington's liberal elite. Judge Pickering's critics continue to unfairly label him a racist and segregationist. Nothing could be further from the truth. Judge Pickering has worked courageously in difficult times--difficult times many in this body could not hope to understand--to eliminate racial disparities in Mississippi and the South. My good friend, former Governor William Winter of Mississippi, a Democrat and one of the South's most respected progressives, came to Washington to support Judge Pickering's nomination. Sadly, Governor Winter's praise and firsthand account of Pickering's true record fell on deaf ears by most Capitol Hill Democrats. Charles Pickering deserves an up-or-down vote on his nomination, as does another fine nominee who has been treated in the same shameful manner, Justice Janice Rogers Brown of California. On both of these nominees, I fear we are about to cave in once again to the left-leaning special interest groups. These special interest groups, like termites, have come out of the woodwork to denounce Justice Brown simply because she is an African American who also happens to be conservative. Never mind that Justice Brown is intelligent, articulate, chock-full of common sense, and highly qualified to serve on the Federal appeals court bench. Never mind that in 1998, 76 percent of Californians voted to retain Justice Brown. That is a job approval rating most of us could only dream of. The special interest groups don't care about any of that. They don't want to hear how qualified Justice Brown and Judge Pickering are, or how much the voters like the job they have done. No, their only mission is to assassinate these good people's character and to take them down one way or another because they fear they won't cater to their liberal agenda. They are right; they won't. These fine nominees are much too independent and much too intelligent to be held hostage to anyone's extreme agenda. Or as Thomas Sowell wrote of Justice Brown in a column headlined ``A Lynch Mob Takes Aim at Judicial Pick'': What really scares the left about Brown is that she has guts as well as brains. She won't weaken or waver. So they can publish all the racist cartoons they want and they can demonize Judge Pickering and brutally and callously reduce Justice Brown to tears at her committee meeting. They can sneeringly accuse them both of being outside the mainstream. But President Bush knows and the voters of California and Mississippi know, and the majority of this Senate knows, Charles Pickering and Janice Rogers Brown are not the ones who are outside the mainstream. The ones who are completely out of touch are the special interest groups that have taken this nominating process hostage and those in this body who have aided and abetted their doing so. Speaking of lynch mobs, my all-time favorite movie is ``To Kill a Mockingbird.'' In the movie's key scene, you may remember, Atticus Finch, a lawyer who is raising two small children, is defending a black man unjustly accused of rape. That lynch mob also tries to take justice into its own hands. Atticus confronts them at the jailhouse door. His daughter Scout joins him and sees that the leader of the mob is someone she knows. She calls to him by name: Hey, Mr. Cunningham. Remember me? You are Walter's daddy. Walter is a good boy. Tell him I said hello. After a dramatic pause, Mr. Cunningham turns away and says to the mob: Let's go home, boys. This group, bent on injustice, was turned aside by a small girl who appealed to them as individuals. My friends in this Chamber, I know you, and I appeal to each of you as individuals, as fathers, mothers, colleagues and friends. Most of you were taught in Sunday school to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This is not treating someone as you would want to be treated yourself. This extreme partisanship and deliberately planned obstructionism has gone on long enough in this body. I wish we could do away with the 60-vote rule that lets a small minority rule this Chamber and defeat the majority, reversing the rule of free government everywhere; everywhere, that is, except in the Senate.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, I rise today to note with deep regret the passing of a true American hero, entrepreneur, and fellow serviceman, Lewis ``Red'' Pursley. Red Pursley's journey through life came to a quiet and peaceful end on September 30, 2003, at a hospice facility near his home in Douglasville, GA. A veteran of World War II and of the battlefields of corporate commerce, as well as a loving father and pillar of his local community, Mr. Pursley embodied the virtues that define the term American citizen. As a young man in Clover, SC, Red Pursley heeded his country's call when he was needed most, like so many others of what history would later call the ``greatest generation.'' Entering into active service in late 1942, Mr. Pursley and his comrades knew the dangerous nature of their duty, but attacked it with the confidence that their services were necessary to the allied effort and conducted in the name of a righteous cause. A flight engineer and top turret gunner on a B-17 bomber crew based in England with the 8th Army Air Corps, Sergeant Pursley and the other 9 members of his crew flew 14 successful missions over Northern Europe before being shot down while on a mission over Frankfurt on January 29, 1944. Of the 10 crewmembers onboard, four died in the air and two escaped capture, but Sergeant Pursley and three others were taken prisoner by the Germans. For the next 16 months, Sergeant Pursley, along with thousands of his fellow servicemembers, endured long marches, malnutrition, and despair in a number of Nazi prison camps, before he was liberated on May 6, 1945, just four days shy of the end of the European Campaign. Though his health suffered throughout the heroing ordeal, Sergeant Pursley's sense of pride in his service and faith in his cause never wavered. For his service, Mr. Pursley earned numerous decorations including the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. Upon his return from Europe and separation from the Army Air Corps, Mr. Pursley moved to Georgia and, in 1957, started Redrock Carpet, a commercial carpet company that he has run ever since with his son. Mr. Pursley excelled as a businessman and the products that he manufactured have been used to carpet such notable locales as Air Force One and the private residence quarters in the White House. Red Pursley was a man we all should admire, as it was efforts of men like him that helped forge our present greatness. He took an active part in the last half century as a solider and a citizen, as a community leader and a businessman, and as a living link to our past. His distinguished career, both in the service of his country and in the private sector, is a demonstration of the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and patriotism. Red died on the morning of September 30, 2003, at the age of 82 after succumbing to a long bout with cancer. He leaves behind his loving wife and partner of nearly 61 years, Catherine Robinson Pursley, two children, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Red also leaves behind an indelible mark on his Douglasville, GA community and on the lives of all of those that he touched. He will be missed, but as long as the legacy of the greatest generation lives on, so too will he.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. Madam President, I rise today to reflect on the life of a great American, a legendary marine, and a native Georgian. I refer to GEN Raymond G. Davis, who passed away yesterday in Georgia at the age of 88. General Davis was one of this country's greatest military heroes. He courageously served his country as a marine in World War II, in Korea, and in Vietnam during his 33 years of military service. General Davis was a noble veteran, tireless advocate, and distinguished recipient of the Medal of Honor. I know we have a lot of very important things going on in this Chamber today, but I don't think it is too much to take 3 or 4 minutes to remember one of the great battles in military history and the role this man played in it. I refer to the Chosin Reservoir in Korea, known as the Frozen Chosin. In the biggest shock of the war, 300,000 Chinese Communist soldiers crossed the Yalu River from China into North Korea and trapped 8,000 members of the first marine division at the Chosin Reservoir. There was only one way out, an icy road that twisted around steep mountains. If the Chinese gained control of it, all of the marines would be annihilated. Then LTC Raymond Davis was a 35-year-old Georgia Tech graduate with already two Silver Stars for heroism in Korea, and the Navy Cross, our second highest award, for gallantry at Peleiu. He commanded a battalion of marines faced with an impossible task: to get the marines on Fox Hill linked up with them or the thousands would be trapped at the reservoir and would be doomed. That afternoon, at 24-below-zero weather, the battalion began struggling up the side of a steep ridge. Davis's men climbed 1,000 yards before the Chinese opened up. The marines kept clawing their way, inch by inch, up the icy slopes. They battled enemy soldiers who seemed tucked into every crevice. Atop the first ridge, the men's sweat froze on their eyebrows and beards. They put their wounded on stretchers and pushed on. The men rose and trudged toward still another ridge. All along, snipers picked at the slow exposed line, but there was no time for the marines to stop and fire back. They went downhill by sliding on the ice. Davis was so numb that three times he forgot a compass reading taken only moments before. At 4 a.m. this great Georgian halted his unit. The battalion was close to Fox Company, but it lost radio contact. Trying to reach that unit in the darkness without communication might get them caught in a crossfire. They would rest until daybreak. As Davis started to nap, a sniper's bullet pierced his sleeping bag and grazed his head. He tried again to sleep. By first light there was still no radio contact with Fox Company and Davis feared the unit had been overrun. Then came word from his radio operator: Colonel, he announced, we have Captain Barber on the radio. As the two officers talked, still hundreds of yards apart, both fought back tears. Late in the morning, Davis's battalion arrived atop Fox Hill. The Chinese had lost the battle for Toktong Pass. Within hours, two marine battalions were moving through the pass away from the Frozen Chosin. Many icy miles and more bitter fighting lay ahead before the marines reached the port, but the stand at Toktong Pass had opened the way. In 5 days, Fox Company had killed 1,000 of the enemy. Only 82 of the 220 marines were able to walk off that hill. In 2 weeks, the first marine division moved over icy roads and ridges through eight Chinese divisions. The Americans brought out all their wounded, their dead, and the equipment. On the way, they killed 25,000 of the enemy. The marines lost 730 of their numbers. Such is the legacy of GEN Raymond Davis and those brave marines. General Davis received the Medal of Honor, a symbol of unusual human courage above and beyond the call of duty for his valiant efforts during the war. Over 1 million Americans served in Korea, and 131 of those were named recipients of the Medal of Honor. After the general's passing, only 36 of them live to wear it today. That medal is a tribute to perhaps the only thing truly noble in the horror of war. Although General Davis earned this Nation's highest military honor for valor while on active duty, his service to the country was far from over. Over the last 30 years, in a civilian capacity, General Davis has continued to lead in ways that few other Americans could match. Since his retirement, General Davis became a pillar of the community, working diligently on behalf of all of our Nation's veterans. Beginning in 1987, first as vice chairman and then later as chairman, General Davis was the one who directed the efforts of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Advisory Board, and it was his determination and personal initiative that led to the approval of the Korean War Veterans Memorial design and its construction and finally its dedication in July of 1995. The Nation's citizens, and in particular all Korean war veterans and marines and their families, are indebted to Raymond G. Davis for his inspired leadership and service. In war and in peace, as an active duty marine and as a private citizen, GEN Raymond Davis' outstanding courage, unswerving devotion to duty, inspiring leadership, and sound judgment have represented the highest traditions of military service and citizenship. This man was a true American hero.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. I was unaware that Indianapolis did not receive funds under this vitally important program. As both Senators realize, it is essential that all our large cities obtain adequate funding for homeland security. It seems remarkable that two cities with such a large quantity of critical infrastructure did not receive any funds under the program.

Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, if my colleague from Georgia would yield for a moment, Atlanta is the largest city in the south, with one of the busiest airports in the country, as well as being home to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Therefore, I find it shocking that Atlanta was not considered a high-threat urban area.

Mr. MILLER. If the Senator from Georgia would yield for another question, it is my understanding that implementing a training mission at Fort Gordon would greatly contribute to the national security of this country. For the benefit of our colleagues, would you expand on that point?

Mr. MILLER. If my colleague from Georgia would yield for a question, would you expand on any ongoing training missions in disaster preparedness at Fort Gordon at this time and how these missions incorporate other agencies?

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, I rise this evening to pay tribute to one of Georgia's finest, one of this Nation's finest. I pay tribute to the life and legacy of former mayor of Atlanta, Maynard Jackson. In a city known for its great civil rights leaders, Maynard Jackson was truly one of the greatest. The people of Atlanta and Georgia have lost one of our strongest and most articulate fighters. Indeed, the State of Georgia tonight is mourning the passing of one of our greatest citizens. Maynard Jackson was such a positive presence in all that has happened in Atlanta and in Georgia over the past 30 years that I simply cannot imagine what our city and our State would be like if he had not come our way. His impact stretched far beyond the red clay hills of Georgia. He touched the lives of many people all around this world. For me, Maynard Jackson was a good friend, a friend whose counsel I always sought because I knew he would give it to me straight. In Atlanta the City Hall and the State Capitol are right across the street from each other. He and I crossed that street to talk on many occasions. Maynard's rise to prominence began at an early age. As a child prodigy he entered Morehouse College at age 14. He graduated in 1956 with a bachelor's degree of political science and history. In 1964 he graduated from North Carolina Central University Law School. Maynard then returned to Atlanta as an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board followed by a time at the Emory Community Legal Services Center where he provided legal counsel for low-income Atlantans. He ran for the Senate in 1968 and lost. But we all knew at that time the world would come to know the voice of this very remarkable, articulate, and passionate young man. In 1973, at the age of 35, he became mayor of Atlanta after winning nearly 60 percent of the vote in a runoff against incumbent mayor Sam Massell. This great-grandson of slaves served 12 years as mayor of the South's largest city. His tenure saw the construction of what would become the world's busiest airport, Hartsfield International. He was a fierce advocate for those who thought they were forgotten. He became their voice. In him, they found a great fighter. The New York Times wrote of Maynard's tenure as mayor it created ``a political revolution in the heart of the South. Seemingly overnight, it transformed Atlanta into a mecca for talented, aspiring blacks from all across the country.'' The Washington Post described Maynard's impact this way: African Americans around the country looked at Jackson's win . . . and saw even greater possibilities. If they did it in Atlanta in the heart of the Confederacy, they could do it at home, too . . . Vernon Jordan, himself a native of Atlanta, said his most dramatic awareness the South had changed and the city of Atlanta had changed was the day Maynard took the oath of office as mayor of Atlanta. Vernon said it was an unforgettable moment. As the angels now sing the praises of Maynard Jackson on the other side of that river, I join the chorus of those who yet remain in glorious song to this glorious individual, his life and legacy truly an example for all of us. And he will not be forgotten anytime soon.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. I thank the Senator and look forward to having this measure brought back to the Senate floor before the end of this year. Child Care Funding Within State Aid

Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, as you know I have had a longstanding interest in an issue that requires chief executive officers to sign their company's tax returns. My amendment has been made part of the corporate inversion provisions as well as the CARE Act. I am hopeful to have this provision enacted into law because I believe that if Joe Sixpack is required to sign his tax return for his family and sign the oath that says ``Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this return and accompanying schedules and statements and to the best of my knowledge and belief they are true, correct and complete'', why shouldn't Josepheus Chardonnay be required to sign that same oath for his big corporation? I understand my CEO provision came into the current tax bill when the underlying corporate shelter language was included and that it has been taken out at the same time that the corporate inversion language was taken out of the tax bill. I would just like to reiterate that I am still interested in getting this CEO signature provision enacted into law. I think it is an important tool for improving corporate accountability. I would like to ask my colleague Senator Grassley if we may continue to work with the Committee on Finance to get this amendment enacted in either the CARE Act or the next best legislative opportunity.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute to Lorraine Johnson, Georgia's 2003 Teacher of the Year and a finalist for National Teacher of the Year. This Coweta County seventh grade teacher was selected as one of four finalists for the National Teacher of the Year award by a panel made up of members from 15 national education organizations. She attended a ceremony yesterday at the White House where the President recognized this great achievement, and I was honored to be part of the audience. Ms. Johnson has been an outstanding educator for over 18 years and has taught seventh-grade English and language arts at Arnall Middle School in Newnan, GA, for the past 8 years. This past year, Ms. Johnson has been on a sabbatical to travel across the State of Georgia giving speeches and conducting workshops for her peers at other Georgia schools. Ms. Johnson told a reporter recently that she hopes she can inspire other teachers to have pride in their profession, and I think she is achieving that goal. Though her commitment and dedication to teaching she has influenced hundreds of students and made Georgia and our entire country a better place.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, I rise today to express my thanks for the Senate's passage of S. 476, the CARE Act, which included my amendment requiring chief executive officers to sign their company's tax returns. And I especially thank Senator Grassley and Senator Baucus and their staffs for working with me on this issue. I offered this amendment last summer when we were debating the corporate governance bill amid the corporate scandals involving Enron, World Com, and others. In these corporate scandals, the corporate big shots got the gold mine while the poor employees and innocent stockholders got the shaft. Now, I am as probusiness as anyone in this body. As Governor and Senator I have worked to give tax cuts and tax incentives and pay for the training of their employees, all to provide a probusiness environment in which the entrepreneurial spirit can thrive and prosper and create jobs. But folks, there comes a time when so much greed and so many lies become so bad--even if it is by only a few--that something has to be done. The corporate governance bill we passed last summer will go a long way to protect the investor, provide some security for the worker and restore confidence in the market place. My amendment today will help even more. It is only two short paragraphs, but it goes to the very essence of fairness. It simply says that when the tax man cometh, we all--workers and high-dollar bosses alike--must face him just alike without any go-betweens, liability firewalls or corporate veils. The standard 1040 tax form that individuals must fill out each year says: Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this return and accompanying schedules and statements, and to the best of my knowledge and belief they are true, correct and complete. If Joe Sixpack is required to sign this oath for his family, why shouldn't Josepheus Chardonnay be required to sign that same oath for his big corporation? So, my amendment simply requires that henceforth the chief executive officer of all publicly owned and publicly traded corporations must sign the corporation's annual Federal tax return. Currently, there is an IRS rule that corporations can designate any corporate officer to sign their tax return. But that won't get it, Mr. president. Let's be specific. The CEO is the one who must sign the tax return and must be accountable for it. Where I come from it is expected that those being paid to mind the store should at least know whether the store is losing or making money. If any CEO is not willing to sign the company tax return if they are not willing to take steps to satisfy themselves that their corporation is accurately reporting financial information--then those CEOs have no right to the prestige and respect that goes with the position they hold. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. So, I thank my colleagues for holding our CEOs to the same standard that we now impose upon our average wage earners.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, in recognition of being named one of TIME magazine's 2001 Schools of the Year and for being selected as the first Georgia Lighthouse School to watch this year, Senator Zell Miller invited the student council representing Towns County Middle School to visit, tour, and study the Nation's Capital, Washington, DC. The students were accompanied by Mrs. Margaret Dendy, Partners in Education Coordinator for the school, and Mr. Stephen H. Smith, principal and 2003 Georgia Principal of the Year. Senator Miller provided a tour of the Senate to Amber Allen, Bart Arencibia, Sam Clay, Nathan Dye, Katie Dyer, Ali Jones, Josh Lickey, Bryan Miller, Kayla Moody, Jentry Moss, Katie Scott, Anderson Sutton, and Carolyn Sutton.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, I rise this morning to share with my colleagues the story of one of my Georgia constituents. It beings with a brave young 3rd Infantry soldier named Diego Rincon. Diego was a native of Colombia and he came to the United States in 1989 with his family when he was 5 years old. He enjoyed a life of freedom and safety that might never have been possible in Colombia. Diego was extremely loyal to the country that welcomed him. And after the September 11 attacks, he decided it was time to repay his adopted Nation. Upon graduation from Salem High School in Conyers, GA, Diego enlisted in the Army. He became a member of the ``Rock of the Marne,'' Fort Stewart's 3rd Infantry Division. Sadly, PFC Rincon was killed March 29 in Iraq by a suicide bomber at a military checkpoint. Diego was 19 years old. Three other members of his 1st Brigade were also killed. In late February, Diego wrote his final letter home to his mother just as his brigade was getting ready to move out. I would like to read just a couple of paragraphs from that letter: So I guess the time has finally come for us to see what we are made of, who will crack when the stress level rises and who will be calm all the way through it. Only time will tell. I try not to think of what may happen in the future, but I can't stand seeing it in my eyes. There's going to be murders, funerals and tears rolling down everybody's eyes. But the only thing I can say is, keep my head up and try to keep the faith and pray for better days. All this will pass. I believe God has a path for me. Whether I make it or not, it's all part of the plan. It can't be changed, only completed. This 19-year-old young man, was wise beyond his years. Diego joined the Army for the noblest of reasons. He fought and died in Iraq while defending our Nation's freedom. And after his death, when I talked with his family, they asked one last request of the Government in return for their son's life--to be able to bury him this Thursday as a U.S. citizen. I am very pleased and proud to announce today that, with the help of the INS, PFC Diego Rincon has been awarded U.S. citizenship. Tomorrow, this brave soldier will be buried in Georgia as a citizen of this great country. But there are thousands of noncitizens fighting in our military right now. So I, along with my fellow Senator from Georgia, Mr. Chambliss, have introduced legislation calling for citizenship to be granted immediately to any soldier who fights in our armed services and dies in combat. For those among our troops who are not citizens and who die on the battlefield, I believe the least we can do is to honor them with posthumous citizenship. I believe it should be done automatically by the Government, with no delay and no burden on the families. Under our bill, the families of these brave soldiers would not have to fill out any forms or make any phone calls. This citizenship would apply only to the deceased soldier, and it would not make the soldier's family eligible for any extra benefit or any special treatment. It is simply a final gesture of thanks and gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice these immigrant soldiers have made for their adopted country. I yield the floor.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, I rise today to share with my colleagues the story of one of my Georgia constituents. It begins with a brave young 3rd Infantry soldier named Diego Rincon. Diego was a native of Colombia and he came to the United States in 1989 with his family when he was 5 years old. He enjoyed a life of freedom and safety that might not have been possible in Colombia. Diego was extremely loyal to the country that welcomed him. And after the September 11 attacks, he decided it was time to repay his adopted Nation. Upon graduation from Salem High School in Conyers, GA, Diego enlisted in the Army. He became a member of the ``Rock of the Marne,'' Fort Stewart's 3rd Infantry Division. Sadly, Private First Class Rincon was killed March 29 in Iraq by a suicide bomber at a military checkpoint. Diego was 19 years old. Three other members of his 1st Brigade were also killed. In late February, Diego wrote his final letter home to his mother just as his Brigade was getting ready to move out. Let me read just a little of that letter: So I guess the time has finally come for us to see what we are made of, who will crack when the stress level rises and who will be calm all the way through it. Only time will tell. I try not to think of what may happen in the future, but I can't stand seeing it in my eyes. There's going to be murders, funerals and tears rolling down everybody's eyes. But the only thing I can say is, keep my head up and try to keep the faith and pray for better days. All this will pass. I believe God has a path for me. Whether I make it or not, it's all part of the plan. It can't be changed, only completed. This 19-year-old was wise beyond his years. Diego joined the Army for the noblest of reasons. He fought and died in Iraq while defending our Nation's freedom. And after his death, his family asked one last request of the Government in return for their son's life--to be able to bury him this Thursday as a U.S. citizen. I am very pleased and proud to announce today that--with the help of the INS--Private First Class Diego Rincon has been awarded U.S. citizenship. This brave soldier will be buried Thursday as a citizen of our great country. But there are thousands of noncitizens fighting in our military right now. So, I, along with my fellow senator from Georgia, Senator Chambliss, have introduced legislation calling for citizenship to be granted immediately to any soldier who fights in our armed services and dies in combat. For those among our troops who are not citizens and who die on the battlefield, I believe the least we can do is to honor them with posthumous citizenship. And I believe it should be done automatically by the Government, with no delay and no burden on the families. Under our bill, the families of these brave soldiers would not have to fill out any forms or make any phone calls. This citizenship would apply only to the deceased soldier and it would not make the soldier's family eligible for any extra benefits or special treatment. It is simply a final gesture of thanks and gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice these immigrant soldiers have made for their adopted country.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, today I share with my colleagues the story of a 3rd Infantry soldier, and a fellow Georgian, who risked his own life to save a civilian caught in the crossfire in Iraq. The following article was printed in the April 1 edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Michael Carter wanted to talk about his son, CPT Chris Carter, 31, whose heroic rescue of an Iraqi woman flashed across the newswires Monday, but the batteries on his cordless phone were running down. ``I didn't know about it until the phone rang this morning,'' he said Monday afternoon, adding that it hadn't stopped ringing since. Constant phone calls kept him from logging on to the Internet and reading about Chris, commander of A Company, part of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized). ``I've been so busy with phone calls, I have not had time to download it,'' said Carter, 63. He and his wife Shirley, 60, live in Watkinsville, where Chris grew up and attended Oconee County High School. On Monday pretty much everyone in Watkinsville wanted to call and congratulate the family. Chris was an ROTC student at the University of Georgia and a member of the Georgia Army National Guard. He was commissioned as an officer, trained with the 82nd Airborne Division and took the mountain section of his wilderness training with the 5th Ranger Training Battalion's Camp Merrill, near Dahlonega. Of medium height and a stocky build, Carter loves to hunt, fish, and sing Hank Williams, Jr. songs, said his girlfriend, Amanda Cofer, 24, an assistant to State Senators Mitch Seabaugh and Dan Moody. Carter distinguished himself Monday when he left his Bradley fighting vehicle and dashed out on a bridge during a firefight outside of Hindiyah, to try to bring an Iraqi woman to safety. An Associated Press account of the rescue began with Carter saying, ``We've got to get her off that bridge'' and then determining to save her. The woman had apparently tried to race across the bridge when the Americans arrived, but was caught in the crossfire. Soldiers who had spotted her through the smoke at first thought she was dead, as was a man sprawled in the dust nearby. But the woman sat up and waved for help during breaks in the gunfire. According to AP reporter Chris Tomlinson's account, Carter ``ordered his Bradley armored vehicle to pull forward while he and two men ran behind it. They took cover behind the bridge's iron beams. ``Carter tossed a smoke grenade for more cover and approached the woman, who was crying and pointing toward a wound on her hip. She wore the black chador, common among older women in the countryside. The blood soaked through the fabric, streaking the pavement around her. ``Medics placed the woman on a stretcher and into an ambulance; Carter stood by, providing cover with his M16A4 rifle. Then she was gone, and Monday's battle for this town of 80,000, 50 miles south of Baghdad, raged on.'' When Carter's girlfriend, Cofer, heard about the rescue, her first thought was, ``Get back in the vehicle!'' she said. Cofer and Carter met last October during a victory celebration in Buckhead after the Georgia Bulldogs beat the University of Kentucky in football. ``I knew immediately he was a special person,'' she said. Carter was deployed to Kuwait the next month. ``He is the kind of man every parent in America would be glad to have as a son,'' said Carter's father, who is retired from the Environmental Protection Agency. Though the Carters haven't heard from their son for 3 weeks, they keep up with him through the news. ``We have more current information on him than any other parent in the United States,'' said the father, adding that Carter's vehicle has been host to an embedded reporter during much of the campaign. ``Every day since he's been over there he's been in some newspaper. The next best thing to being able to talk to him personally has been to read the papers.'' Carter then excused himself to answer the door. Television cameramen were ringing the bell.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, I note with deep regret the recent passing of a dedicated public official, defense leader, and a fellow Marine, Russell A. Rourke. From his humble beginnings in the Bronx, Russ Rourke put himself through the University of Maryland and Georgetown Law School. Through hard work and perseverance, he went on to great success here on Capitol Hill, at the White House, the Pentagon, and later in the private sector. He served as a top legislative aide in the Congress for 20 years, was a Special Assistant to President Ford, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, and Secretary of the Air Force under President Ronald Reagan. Despite these many high honors, Russ made it clear that the highest honor he ever hoped to attain was when he earned the right to wear the eagle, globe and anchor. Throughout his life, nothing else transcended the honor and title of United States Marine. He revered the Marine Corps, its way of life, its traditions and values. Russ was on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1953 to 1956, including service in Korea. He remained in an active capacity with the Marine Corps Reserve, and retired after 32 years of service with the rank of colonel in July 1985. Throughout his career, Russ was recognized as a proponent for a strong national defense. When he served in the Reagan administration as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, he was once described by the New York Times as Defense Secretary Cap Weinberger's ``chief scout and musket loader in defending the military budget against a siege of skeptics in Congress.'' As in my life, Russ Rourke's life experience were embodied in the Marine Corps culture and ethos. In all that he did, he conducted himself at all times as foremost a Marine, with honesty and conviction, with a high sense of duty and great pride. His devotion to family, country, and Corps was legendary and an inspiration. His distinguished career demonstrated the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and devotion to public service. Russ died at the age of 71 on January 19 after a lengthy battle with malignant melanoma. He leaves his lovely wife and partner of 41 years, Judith Muller Rourke, of Annapolis, MD, their three married daughters, and four grandchildren. Russ also leaves a Marine Corps legacy. His nephew, Col. Arthur White, is the current State liaison for the Marine Corps. I am extremely proud of my fellow Marine, the Honorable Russell A. Rourke. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends, many in the House and the Senate, and the men and women in the uniformed services. Our Nation's military might is stronger today because of his sterling leadership and his numerous contributions in service to his country.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. Madam President, I have signed on as an original cosponsor of the Iraq resolution that our President has proposed, and I would like to tell you a story that I believe explains why I think that is the right path to take. A few weeks ago, we were doing some work on my back porch back home, tearing out a section of old stacked rocks, when all of a sudden I uncovered a nest of copperhead snakes. I am not one to get alarmed at snakes. I know they perform some valuable functions, like eating rats. When I was a young lad, I kept snakes as pets. I had an indigo snake. I had a bull snake. I had a beautiful colored corn snake, and many others. I must have had a dozen king snakes at one time or another. They make great pets, and you only have to give them a little mouse every 30 days. I read all the books by Raymond C. Ditmars, who was before most herpetologists of the day--that is a person who is an expert on snakes--and for a while I wanted to be a herpetologist, but the pull of being a big league shortstop out ran that childhood dream. I reminisce this way to explain that snakes do not scare me like they do most people, and I guess the reason is that I know the difference between those snakes that are harmless and those that can kill you. In fact, I bet I may be the only Senator in this body who can look at the last 3 inches of a snake's tail and tell you whether it is poisonous. I can also tell the sex of a snake, but that is another story. A copperhead snake will kill you. It could kill one of my dogs. It could kill one of my grandchildren. It could kill any one of my four great-grandchildren. They play all the time where I found those killers. You know, when I discovered those copperheads, I did not call my wife Shirley for advice, as I usually do on most things. I did not go before the city council. I did not yell for help from my neighbors. I just took a hoe and knocked them in the head and killed them, dead as a doorknob. I guess you could call it unilateral action, a preemptive strike. Perhaps if you had been watching me, you could have even said it was bellicose and reactive. I took their poisonous heads off because they were a threat to me, they were a threat to my home, they were a threat to my family, and all I hold dear. And isn't that what this is all about? I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum, Madam President.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, it is a pleasure for me to recognize Ralph Paige, executive director of the Southern Federation of Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund, or LAF, as the recipient for the National Cooperative Month Economic Freedom Award. For the past 14 years, under Mr. Paige's direction, the Federation/ LAF has aided the underserved communities in the great State of Georgia, and the rural South, by creating credit unions, farmer-owned cooperatives, and new sources of affordable housing for low-income people. He has also been a leading advocate for fair treatment and land retention for African-Americans and other minority farmers. The Federation/LAF has created more than 70 cooperative member groups with a membership of more than 20,000 families across 10 Southern States, 200 units of affordable housing, and 19 credit unions with more than 10,000 members. Under Mr. Paige's leadership, the Federation/LAF has been a frontrunner in not just developing new rural businesses and cooperatives but also provides the training and resources necessary so that they may continue to thrive. The Federation/LAF continues to also advance forestry cooperatives, providing special landowner training programs to advance their development. Mr. Paige has given selflessly of his time to promote and enhance cooperative business. He serves on the boards of the National Cooperative Business Association, Nationwide Insurance, and the Cooperative Development Foundation. He has served as an appointee to several USDA advisory committees, including the 21st Century Production Agriculture Commission, the Agriculture Policy Advisory Committee for Trade, and the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board. Mr. Paige is a past member of the boards for the Georgia Advisory Board on Small and Minority Business, Cooperative Business International, and Cooperative Works, which is a national network of cooperative development centers. His achievements have been noted by national and international organizations. The Congressional Black Caucus recognized Mr. Paige's contributions to rural communities with the 2001 George Collins Rural Agriculture Advocacy Award. He is also an entrant into the George Washington Carver Public Service Hall of Fame, and has received the Georgia Distinguished Cooperator Award from the Georgia Cooperative Council. Under Mr. Paige's direction, the Federation/LAF received the Humanitarian Award from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non- violent Social Change and an award from the United Nations for ``significant contributions of adequate shelter to the poorer segments of the community.'' Ralph Paige epitomizes cooperation. Since 1967, the Federation/LAF has worked on behalf of some of the most disadvantaged citizens of our Nation to enable them to do two of the things most basic to economic freedom: own land and operate businesses. For these reasons, it is my honor to recognize Ralph for his work to advance cooperatives and serve disadvantaged communities. I congratulate you on receiving the 2002 Cooperative Month Economic Freedom Award.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. The Senator has used her 10 minutes.

Mr. MILLER

Mr. MILLER. I thank the Chair. Madam President, I rise to speak not on the subject of the war against Iraq--that is for another day--but I rise to speak on the homeland security substitute that Senators Gramm, Thompson, and I, and about 40 other Senators, have sponsored that the President says he supports and will sign. We do not teach our children the lessons of Aesop's Fables as much anymore. The wisdom of Sesame Street and the Cat in the Hat have taken their place. There is one fable I learned at my mother's knee, sitting around an open fireplace, that I believe is pertinent to this debate on homeland security that has so divided this Senate along party lines. It goes like this: A certain man had several sons who were always quarreling with one another, and try as he might, he could not get them to live together in harmony. So he was determined to convince them of their folly. Bidding them fetch a bundle of sticks, he invited each in turn to break it across his knee. All tried and all failed. Then he undid the bundle and handed them the sticks one at a time, which they had no difficulty at all in breaking. There, my boys, said he. United you will be more than a match for your enemies, but if you quarrel and separate, your weakness will put you at the mercy of all those who attack you. That is a lesson for today. That is a lesson for the ages. That is a lesson for this Senate and the House, for Democrats and Republicans, for the executive and legislative branches of Government. I am one of the most junior Members of this body. I do not have the experience and I have not seen the number of bills most other Members have, so my historical perspective, admittedly, is limited. But in the short time I have been here, I have never seen such a clear choice as there is on this issue. For me, there are no shades of gray. It is clear cut. Why, in the name of homeland security, do we want to take the power away from the President that he possessed on 9/11? It is power Jimmy Carter had, power Ronald Reagan had, power the first President Bush had, and power Bill Clinton had. Do we really want to face the voters with that position, that vote written large on our foreheads like a scarlet letter, and even larger on a 36-inch television ad two weeks before the election? We must give the President the flexibility to respond to terrorism on a moment's notice. He has to be able to shift resources, including personnel, at the blink of an eye. When the Civil Service was created well over a century ago, it had a worthy goal, to create a professional workforce free of cronyism. Back then, it was valid. But all too often in Government, we pass laws to fix the problems of the moment and then we keep those laws on the books for years without ever following up to see if they are still needed. The truth of the matter is a solution for the 19th century is posing a problem for the 21st century, especially when this country is threatened in such a different and sinister way. I do not want to belabor the point about how long it takes to hire a person or how long it takes to fire a person. I just know it is too long. I also know that a Federal worker can be caught knee-walking drunk and he cannot be fired for 30 days, and then he has endless appeals. Productivity should be the name of the game, and we lose productivity when we have such a law. That is no way to wage a war. Do we not realize there is another disaster looming just around the corner, where American lives are going to be lost? And another one after that? And that those attacks against Americans and against our country will occur for the rest of our lives? Would anyone dare suggest that is not going to happen? Would anyone suggest 9/11 was some kind of isolated phenomenon never to happen on American soil again? Surely no one, even the most naive optimist, believes that. Surely no one in this body believes that. Over 60,000 terrorists worldwide have already been identified. Terrorist cells in some unlikely places, such as Lackawanna, NY, have been discovered. They are all around us, they are everywhere, and when these other attacks come, as certainly they will, do you not think Americans throughout this great land are going to look back at what went on at this time in the Senate? And when they do, do you not think some hard questions and some terrible second-guessing will take place? I can hear them now. The talk show lines will be clogged, and the blame will be heaped on this body. Why was the Senate so fixated on protecting jobs instead of protecting lives? The Senate's refusal to grant this President and future Presidents the same power four previous Presidents have had will haunt those who do so, like Marley's ghost haunted Ebenezer Scrooge. They will ask: Why did they put workers' rights above Americans' lives? Why did that 2002 Senate, on the 1-year anniversary of 9/11, with malice and forethought, deliberately weaken the powers of the President in time of war? And then, why did this Senate, in all its vainglory, rear back and deliver the ultimate slap in the face of the President by not even giving him the decency to have an up-or-down vote on his own proposal? This is unworthy of this great body. It is demeaning, ugly, and over the top. What were they thinking of, they will ask? What could have possessed them? Do not ask then for whom the bell tolls. It will toll for us. Few leaders have understood the lessons of history as well as Winston Churchill because he was not only a soldier and a politician, but he was also a Nobel Prize-winning historian. Perhaps then at this time we should remember the question Churchill framed to the world when he made that famous Iron Curtain speech at Fulton, MO, at Westminster College in 1946. He first reminded the audience: War and tyranny remain the great enemies of mankind. Then he asked this question: Do we not understand what war means to the ordinary person? Can you not grasp its horror? Some of the remarks earlier this morning on this floor reminded me of something else about that speech and its aftermath. Churchill, being so blunt, did not go over very well. The American media and others did not want to hear that kind of talk. They called Winston Churchill a warmonger, and even the usually gutsy Harry Truman denied knowing in advance what was in the speech and even suggested that Churchill should not give it. The old soldier went on and said some other very sensible and thought-provoking things in that speech, like war used to be squalid and glorious, but now war is only squalid. I want to repeat that line that is at the heart of what I want to say today: Do we not understand what war means to the ordinary person? Can we not grasp its horror? Has scoring points with some labor boss become more important than the safety of our citizens? Can you not grasp its horror? I wonder if you would feel the same way if the Golden Gate Bridge was brought down and 95 cars plunged into the San Francisco Bay. Could we then not grasp its horror? Would we then in the name of homeland security still want to take powers away from the President? Or would you feel the same way if that beautiful little city of New Roads, LA, on the False River, with the Spanish moss dangling on those live oaks, were to go up in a mushroom cloud? Could you then not grasp its horror? We rev up our emotions so easily to fight superhighways from leveling ethnic neighborhoods. So it would seem to me we should be able to get up the same kind of rage when terrorists want to level entire cities such as Baltimore or Atlanta or the manicured mansions of Newport, RI. If those beautiful cities were the target of a terrorist attack, could you then not grasp its horror? Or the Space Needle in Seattle, filled with tourists, crashing to the ground. Or a smallpox epidemic, in days, wiping out completely the Twin Cities of Minnesota or spreading across the forest plains of South Dakota. From the great Atlantic Ocean to the wide Pacific shore, from the Blue Ridge of Tennessee to Beacon Hill in Massachusetts, I guarantee then the country would grasp that war is horror. And as sure as night follows the day, when catastrophes occur, the Senate, us, we will be held accountable if we fail to give the President the tools to do his job. Why are people back home always ahead of the politicians? Because most politicians, most at our level, do not get out among them anymore. We think we do. And some of us do. A town hall meeting here, a senior center there, a focus group or two, but we don't really. We do not talk to real people anymore. We are too busy in that room dialing up dollars. The only horror we can grasp from that experience is some fat cat telling us that he is already maxed out. Why are we even in this debate? How will it be recorded in years to come when the historians write their accounts of the days of a Senate in September of 2002? How will our actions be judged by the people who go to the polls this year on November 5? Frankly, I think it will be one of our sorriest chapters, certainly the worst time in my short time here, a chapter where special interests so brazenly triumphed national interests. Herodotus, who lived in Athens in the 4th century B.C., is usually called the father of history. He wrote about the Persian wars, and about the Battle of Marathon, which later historians called the seminal event in the history of freedom. Herodotus wrote that the Persians lost that battle, even though their army was bigger and better equipped, because the Persians committed the sin of hubris; hubris, best defined as outrageous arrogance. If you study the lessons of history, especially the lessons of the history of freedom, you will find that hubris would time and time again bring down many other powerful civilizations. Hubris, outrageous arrogance, is so prevalent in this debate. The hubris of some labor bosses and their purchased partridges in a pear tree. Outrageous arrogance. What else can you call it when the interests of the few are put above the welfare of the whole country? For the rest of our lives, we will have to live with what we do on this issue. Will we choose to protect the special interests or will we choose to protect the lives of Americans? Will we hog-tie the hands of our President or give him the same unfettered flexibility other Presidents have had before him? Do not let this be one of those votes you will look back on and ask yourselves for the rest of your lives, what was I thinking? For as we are reminded in the ``Rubaiyat'' of Omar Khayyam: The moving finger writes, and having writ, moves on. All your piety nor wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all your tears wash out a word of it. I ask one last time, do we not understand what war means to the ordinary person? Can we not grasp its horror? I yield the floor.

Mr. MILLER. Madam President, how much time is remaining for our side of the argument?

Mr. MILLER. I yield.