Jim Marshall

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I intended to vote against the U.S.- Bahrain Free Trade Agreement and attempted to do so. Upon inquiring with the clerk why my vote was recorded as a ``yes'' instead of a ``no'', the clerk checked the electronic record and discovered that I had pressed the ``no'' button several times on the preceding vote. At no time did I intend to cast a ``yes'' vote on the agreement. To date, I have voted against every trade agreement that has come up while I have been in Congress, including the agreement with Bahrain.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Philip McGoldrick, of Macon, Georgia, for his efforts on behalf of Middle Georgia's children and for his long record of community service and activism. In September, for its successful efforts to bring the joy of Christmas to underprivileged children in Middle Georgia, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation recognized Macon's Toys for Tots campaign as the 2004 Local Community Organization of the year. With 481 local community campaigns nationwide, this is a tremendous achievement and a great honor for Middle Georgia. As the coordinator for Macon's Toys for Tots campaign, Philip also received a commendation from the United States Marine Corps for his exemplary administration, his tireless dedication, and his commitment to helping children in need. When I learned of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and seeing first hand the nationwide outpouring of support and assistance, it really struck home for me exactly how much a small number of caring people--or even one dedicated volunteer--can do to reduce hardship and suffering. In Middle Georgia, we are extremely lucky to have many kind souls willing to help and support those less fortunate than themselves. Mr. Speaker, one of Middle Georgia's kindest, most caring souls is Philip McGoldrick, and I am proud to call him my friend. Philip's recent success with Toys for Tots is not an isolated event. He is active in all manner of civic organizations which do tremendous good for the Middle Georgia Community. Philip is a charter member of CrimeStoppers and the chairman of the Macon Sports Hall of Fame, and he founded Macon Youth Day, just to name a few of the many hats he wears. In response to his recent commendation, Philip's modest reaction was typical. ``I do this because I love it, not to win an award,'' Philip told the Macon Telegraph's Ed Grisamore. ``This is really Macon's award.'' Mr. Speaker, community leaders like Philip McGoldrick are a real treasure for a city like Macon. Already, Philip is working on ways to help this year's Toys for Tots annual drive bring Santa to every child in Macon, but he hasn't forgotten the critical need to bring Santa to the children left devastated by Hurricane Katrina. I can only wish that other cities each have at least one Philip McGoldrick to lead, organize and motivate civic organizations. Truly, the ``gold'' in the Philip's surname must reference his heart, for it is made of pure gold.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I voted for H. Res. 352 because I agree that there are barriers to keeping and creating jobs within the United States and that Federal agencies ought to review their rules and policies to improve the competitiveness of our economy. But I do not associate myself with the sense of the ``Whereas'' clauses that America must adopt foreign values and standards in order to compete economically. I also note that the ``Whereas'' clauses include partisan distortions and falsehoods that are an ill-considered disservice to the cause of American competitiveness.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, most Americans do not know that this country taxes disabled veterans. We take from military retirees, who are also disabled, 100 percent of their disability benefits. We started doing this in the 1800s. It is indefensible, in my opinion, and I think most Americans, if they realized we were doing it, would recognize that this is an indefensible policy of our country. Mr. Speaker, for the last 20-some-odd years a supermajority of the Members of this House have signed on to legislation to end the disabled veterans tax. Once again, there is legislation that would end the disabled veterans tax with many cosponsors. Most of the Members of this House will ultimately cosponsor that legislation. My amendment, Mr. Speaker, would have brought to the floor as part of the Armed Services authorization bill a complete elimination of the disabled veterans tax. That amendment was ruled out of order by the Committee on Rules. I think that rule is wrong. I think Members of this House want to vote on that particular subject. Two years ago in the House Committee on Armed Services authorization bill we took a small step toward eliminating this tax. Mr. Speaker, we should take the final step of eliminating this tax by permitting the amendment to be made. It would receive an overwhelming vote. We would end the disabled veterans tax and we would end an injustice to our veterans.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, on April 5, 2005, we short-circuited debate and used a suspension motion to honor Yogi Bhajan. It has since come to my attention that Mr. Bhajan is a controversial figure. Had I known of the controversy surrounding him, I would not have voted in favor of this suspension of the House's normal legislative process.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man who for half a century has served the people of my State and District in the noble calling of the law. On October 11, 2004, my good friend Charles R. Adams, Jr. will mark his golden anniversary as an active member of the Georgia Bar. Charlie Adams was born in Fitzgerald, GA, in 1932, the descendent of several prominent families in Middle Georgia. In 1946, Charlie, 13 at the time, served as a page in the Eighty-Seventh Congress. Valedictorian of the Fitzgerald High School Class of '49, Charlie continued his distinguished academic and leadership record at the University of Georgia, achieving membership in the Phi Beta Kappa honorary fraternity, in the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and served as President of UGA's Interfraternity Council. While at UGA, Charlie met and married the lovely Margaret Leah Twitty of Camilla, Ga. She and Charlie had two children, Charles R. Adams III and Mary Elisabeth Adams (Mrs. Howard) Johnson. Charles lost Leah to cancer in 1983. His son is following in his father's footsteps; it was my privilege to teach Charles Adams III at Mercer Law School. Mr. Speaker, Charlie Adams was admitted to the UGA School of Law in 1953 and successfully took the bar exam in the summer of 1954. He was formally admitted as a member of the Georgia bar on Oct. 11, 1954, in the Superior Court of Ben Hill County, Georgia, Hon. O. Wendell Horne, Jr., presiding. In 1955, Charlie was awarded the LL.B. degree from Georgia Law School. He was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served as an attorney in the Judge Advocate General's Office, including a brief tour of duty in the Pentagon. After his military service, Charlie served for two years as a staff attorney to the Hon. Jule W. Felton, Sr., Chief Judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals. He entered private practice with the Atlanta firm of Crenshaw, Hansell, Ware, Brandon & Dorsey. In 1962, Charlie heeded the call to return to his roots in middle Georgia and relocated his family to Fort Valley. When his district's Congressional seat came open in 1964, Charlie made a laudable bid to win the Democratic primary. He has been a life long member of the Democratic Party and has served as a member and officer of the Peach County Democratic Executive Committee since 1966. Mr. Speaker, in this day when so many view the legal profession with cynical suspicion, Charlie Adams manifests the most noble ideals of his, and my, profession. He has always been available for public service. For many years, he took more than his share of indigent criminal defense and other pro bono publico cases. He represented the City of Fort Valley for 29 years, the Fort Valley Utility Commission for 35 years, as well as Peach County, the Peach County Board of Education, and many other local government entities. In the 1970's, he was also attorney on a statewide basis for the Georgia Electric Cities Association. Charlie has been active in his community in other ways, including the Boy Scouts, the Kiwanis Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the United Way, and the Methodist Church. For 50 years, he has lived out the finest aspects of a true professional. I am proud to claim Charles R. Adams, Jr., as a constituent and friend, and I hope that everyone will join me in wishing him many more happy and productive years to come.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man who has selflessly served his community for many years. Since the very beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic--more than 20 years ago--Dr. Harold Katner has been a leader in Middle Georgia's fight against AIDS. Through education, research, and treatment, Dr. Katner has spent the bulk of his career working to help the victims of this disease. When HIV/AIDS was first discovered, public fear of the disease was intense and its victims were often loathed and shunned. Recognizing the need to quell the public's fears, Dr. Katner realized that educating a skeptical public would be crucial in the fight against AIDS. He resolved to educate Middle Georgians whenever and wherever he could. Still today, Dr. Katner educates students of all levels--middle school, medical school, high school, college, as well as medical professionals. And his teaching efforts have not been limited to Mercer University or even to Georgia. Dr. Katner has given international presentations and has been recognized by various national organizations and international entities. One of his colleagues put it best: ``He gives AIDS presentations everywhere and anywhere, speaking to any group that invites him to talk'' about this devastating medical and social issue. Mr. Speaker, in addition to his efforts to educate the public, Dr. Katner has also treated AIDS patients from the beginning. As a pioneer in the early 1980's, he was the only physician in the City of Macon who would treat AIDS patients. Treating a disease that disproportionately affects those in poverty is a special challenge because many of its victims cannot afford treatment, and understanding the financial difficulties facing many patients, Dr. Katner offered medical care without concern for remuneration. To this day, much of the treatment and education he offers is to those in poverty, particularly to the younger, more vulnerable members of society. For his work with patients, Dr. Katner has been recognized by the American Medical Association and Mercer University named him Attendant of the Year five times in 10 years. Dr. Katner's research efforts have been prolific, as well. He has published his research extensively and has presented his work to help educate his peers, as well as the general public. His credentials are considerable, and yet he is remains a caring, humble physician, dedicated to his patients in true homage to the Hippocratic Oath. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Katner's efforts in fighting against the AIDS epidemic--through research, treatment, education--have truly been those of a hero. Today, I hope that Middle Georgia and the country will join me in thanking this public servant, in the truest sense, for his tremendous efforts to help both the victims of AIDS and stop the spread of this epidemic.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Chairman, I spent a lot of my career as a lawyer representing small banks and small businesses and individuals that felt that they had been defrauded as a result of false financial statements that had been provided them in order to induce investment or induce credit. Most folks who are watching this understand that they cannot file a false financial statement in order to get a credit card, that they cannot file a false financial statement in order to get a loan. They have got to comply to the letter with the information that is requested and provide that information, failing which they could end up in jail. That, I think, is largely what is going on here. The question is whether or not we are going to defer to the Financial Accounting Standards Board, which historically has set the standard for providing the financial statements of a corporation, whether we are going to defer to that body so that that body can figure out what kind of information must be provided so that the financial statements of a corporation fairly reflect the condition of the corporation, or are we going to interfere and essentially enable start-up venture capital corporations to mislead those who are investing in those businesses. Now, most investors are sophisticated enough they are going to read the footnotes and understand that there are stock options that have been granted, and that consequently the value of the corporation and its earnings have been affected as a result of that. But some are not. We should leave it to the experts, independent experts that do not have a dog in this fight as far as money is concerned, to try to come up with the standards that are appropriate in order to assure that the best kind of financial reporting is available to those who are investors, to those who are shareholders. It is no different really than seeking a credit card, wanting to get money from an investment company, wanting to get money from a bank, wanting to get money from somebody else, and having to fill out a financial statement. It is as simple as that. We ought not to be interfering.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 5, I would have voted ``yes'' on each (H.R. 492, H.R. 491, H.R. 490, H.R. 489) but I was unavoidably detained in a meeting concerning our effort in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to recommit.

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) for their leadership in pulling together a good bill. Not all of the provisions of this bill are satisfactory to everyone in this Chamber and ultimately I think this bill will pass, but I want to give us an opportunity to improve the bill by increasing the tax cut that this bill contemplates for disabled American veterans. I have heard a reference to this being cynical. I have heard a reference to the history of the House in which there were other opportunities to end the disabled veterans tax, but I am a new guy here and I think today we have an opportunity to do what is right. If it was right 20 years ago or 50 years ago or 10 years ago, it is right now. I am going to offer a motion to recommit. I want everybody to understand what that motion to recommit does. It leaves the entire bill intact. It changes nothing in the bill with the exception of one thing: it instructs that the House conferees go as far as they can toward the Senate position with regard to the disabled veterans tax, also known as concurrent receipt. If we do that, we effectively eliminate the disabled veterans tax. We are not doing that in this bill. We do give a tax cut to disabled veterans in this bill. It is the compromise, frankly, that has been forced as a result of all of the attention brought to this issue during this session by many veterans groups, by many on the Democratic side, by the discharge petition that I filed earlier, and because so many people have supported the Bilirakis bill in the past. Right now we have got about 370 cosponsors of the Bilirakis bill. House Resolution 303 is designed to end the disabled veterans tax. There are many on the other side of the aisle who have signed on as cosponsors of H. Res. 303 to end the disabled veterans tax. We have got an opportunity to do that right now with this motion to recommit. It is a rifle shot. It does only one thing, and that is do right by our veterans. Some have said that we cannot afford more than this. I like tax cuts. While I was the mayor of Macon, I led the fight to lower our property taxes for the first time in 20 years. I think I am one of the few Democrats, fewer than 10, I suspect, that voted for the compromise administration tax cut that we passed earlier this year. I will vote for other tax cuts as well. We have got to prioritize our tax cuts. We will have an opportunity right now to give tax cuts to disabled veterans that they well deserve and that we can afford if we are willing to put that tax cut toward the top of the priority list. Others here have voted for tax cuts beside this one. Now is an opportunity to vote for this. That is why I am doing this motion to recommit.

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, because the conference report does far too little to end the disabled veterans tax, I oppose the conference report in its present form.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by thanking the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) for organizing this, and I want to thank all of my Democrat colleagues who have spoken here today about a subject that is very important for our country, and actually is a national disgrace. I visited a soldier who was wounded in Walter Reed not too long ago. He had come back from Iraq. He had an injury that is very similar to the injury that General Shinseki suffered earlier in his career. He had lost part of his foot. General Shinseki chose to stay in the military. He had a full career. He had a wonderful career and just retired as chief of staff of the Army. This young man and I talked a little bit. I had been wounded in Vietnam, and I felt like maybe I could give him some solace by saying, look, they are going to be able to repair your foot; you are going to be able to stay in the military and have a career like General Shinseki had; somebody that everybody in the Army is very proud of. And he replied, sir, they tell me it is a better deal to get out. Now, a lot of Americans do not know what I am talking about. For years, it has been referred to as concurrent receipt. It is a prohibition on receiving retirement benefits and disability benefits. Because that young man was injured in Iraq, lost part of his foot, he is going to be entitled to receive disability benefits. I was injured in Vietnam. I have shrapnel in my left leg. I get disability benefits. I have been getting disability benefits for 30-some-odd years. I get those benefits despite the fact that I only served my country 2 years. Had I stayed in the service and served my country for 20 years or more and been entitled to military retirement benefits, I would not get any disability benefits. Serve more, get less. It makes no sense. And that is what that young man was referring to as he lay in his bed in Walter Reed. It is a better deal for me to get out of the Army because I will get my disability benefits. If I stay in the Army, serve my country more, I will not get my disability benefits; they will be taken away from me. Well, we are calling this problem the disabled veterans tax, and many Members of Congress want to end the disabled veterans tax. Unfortunately, we have not been able to do that. The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), our leader, gave me an opportunity to file a discharge petition, which I did. The discharge petition is designed to force a vote on this issue. I know if we get a vote we will pass it and we will end this tax on disabled veterans. The question is whether or not we will get a vote. Now, I have had the honor and the pleasure over the last month or two to speak to many veterans groups. I spoke to the National Convention of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans of America, and many, many others. The key to whether or not we are going to be successful in ending what is a national disgrace is those of you who are watching this program today and others. Veterans need to continue to put the pressure on. Those of you who do not know much about this issue and want to learn more about it can go to the Web site of any of the veterans organizations. You will find it either under the name of concurrent receipt or disabled veterans tax. You can go to my Web site, and you will get an awful lot of information about it. It is the congressional Web site for Jim Marshall. We will not get this done by ourselves. Democrats can push as hard as they want to. They will not be successful. It is going to require the involvement of folks who are watching this show and all of the veterans who are interested in ending what is a national disgrace. We have 366 Members of Congress who have signed on to the legislation that would end the disabled veterans tax. We just cannot get a vote on it. We keep the pressure up, we can get the vote. At the very least, if we keep the pressure up, what we will do is get a giant step in the right direction proposed by the administration. I hope one or the other happens. There needs to be some relief given to veterans. There is no excuse in this country for somebody like me, who served for a lesser period of time, to receive more than somebody who served more. With that, Mr. Speaker, I want to once again thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) for having led us today.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. And I guess I would say that had I had a little bit more notice and appreciated the attempt to have a bipartisan effort here, I could have had plenty of Democrats on this side. There is no question about it. What we are going to find is that on the Democratic side, also on the Republican side, and I do not know how publicly on the gentleman's side, but certainly on the Democratic side, there will be questions concerning exactly how the money is planned to be spent. Is this appropriate? Is that appropriate? And there may be some who say this is inappropriate and that is inappropriate. But, in general, I think what we will find, and to a person this is what I have heard, Democrats are certainly in support of this effort to help the Iraqi people create a secular, representative government. I do not want to take too much time because there are a number of people, and that might have caused a problem with my bringing a whole bunch of Democrats; so I do not want to steal the gentleman's thunder here. Let me say this. I appreciate the comments about my op-ed in the Post this morning.

Mr. MARSHALL. And those who are viewing, if they wanted to get a more complete version of how I analyze our current situation, that would be a good place to go, and I would encourage people to do that. I was a recon platoon sergeant in Vietnam. Vietnam is similar to the Iraqi situation and very dissimilar in other respects. In Vietnam, Russia and China were supporting the insurgency. So we had North Vietnam, Russia, and China. It made it very difficult for us to stamp the insurgency out, an insurgency that had been there for decades, was very well-organized. Iraq is very different from that. We do not have an external government with an awful lot of oomph, as China and Russia did at that time, and a great deal of commitment, as China and Russia had at that time, backing this insurgency. The insurgency is not something that is well-developed, but it could become so. Here is the similarity: My job was to go out, find, engage the enemy. It was hard as heck to do. Iraqis, Iraqi troops, have a comparative advantage over any alien force, including Americans, that we simply cannot match. They speak the language. They read the street signs. They understand the culture. They can sort out friend from foe. Having their cooperation is critical to this endeavor. And, in part, I think one can understand why it is critical to the endeavor, because what we are trying to do is establish a representative government for the Iraqi people. One can force a dictatorship on folks, but one cannot force them to have a democracy. One cannot force people to be free. They have got to take it for themselves. I think, as a country, we need to recognize that, that we have tremendous capabilities militarily, but there are some things that we just simply cannot do, and we cannot force freedom on people. They need to be coming forward and take it for themselves. What does that involve? It involves Iraqis taking help from us. At least at this point they cannot do it on their own. They have got to step forward and be willing to cooperate with Americans. That involves taking risk. It is a tremendous benefit to us, and I think everybody here knows that. Right now, we are discovering about 50 percent of what they are calling IEDs now, improvised explosive devices. When I was in Nam, it was booby traps. We are discovering about 50 percent of those things, a little less than 50 percent, because people give us tips. They tell us where they are. Guess how we discover the rest of them? It is when our soldiers get hit by them, pretty much. More cooperation makes it safer for our soldiers. We find out where the ambushes are, where the booby traps are. We identify who the bad guys are. We are able to get them before they get us. But, very importantly, cooperation leads to people stepping forward, Iraqis stepping forward, taking up arms and going after the guerillas enthusiastically themselves. Simply having a police force, simply having an army, I do not care how many thousands of people, is not going to do it. They are going to have to be enthusiastic. If I am an Iraqi, after 1991 when we encouraged the Shiites to rebel, then we withdrew and they were slaughtered, and some of my colleagues have been to the mass graves, as I have been, I am not going to step forward if I do not think the United States is committed. So I encourage all of us to speak words of commitment, speak positively about the future of Iraq. We can differ on how we are going to get there, what is the best plan, when to bring in, how to bring in international folks, whether we can entice international folks, how we made mistakes in the past; but all of us should be talking about that. And, in addition, I think it is a good idea to go ahead and approve the President's request. It is a clear signal to Iraqis that we are committed. That is a big number, $20 billion for reconstruction. The troops in Iraq told me repeatedly money is ammo, and what they meant by that was not that they did not have enough bullets or shells. What they meant by that is money enables them to do these reconstruction projects. These reconstruction projects build relationships and commitments with the Iraqis, lead to intelligence, lead to assistance, and ultimately lead to the commitment that we need from them if we are going to be successful here. I have already spoken too long. The gentleman can tell I am passionate about this. I appreciate the gentleman's giving me an opportunity to speak, and I can tell my colleagues we would have tons of Democrats up here doing the same thing if we had just a little bit more notice.

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would yield, in fact, what would be better is if they just take care of it themselves.

Mr. MARSHALL. They do not come to us and say, ``There it is. Would you take care of it?'' They go take care of it themselves. Ultimately, they have to be responsible for the security of their country. We do not need to be doing that. We will be able to tell in the next 6 months or a year or something like that, I cannot put a time frame on it, whether or not we are actually going to be able to entice them to come forward, and by gosh, we ought not to shrink from that effort right now, not after what we have spent, not given the opportunity that we have got as a country to make an immeasurable improvement in our future security.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I was elected mayor of Macon in 1995. Macon is a small town of a little over 100,000 people located 80 miles or so south of Atlanta. One of the first things I did after being elected was to visit Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. Maynard Jackson was elected mayor of Atlanta in 1973 at the age of 35, the first African American mayor of a major city in Georgia as well as the southeast. He served two 4-year terms and became known for promoting majority-minority partnerships to improve access for African Americans to the world of contracting and supplying governments. Maynard Jackson was elected again as mayor in 1989 and served one term. When I went to see him as a newly elected mayor, it was to get his advice, any advice he would care to offer. I had no particular agenda, just a hope that he would impart some wisdom, given his experience in both government and business. Maynard Jackson spent hours of his time with me that day. Of course, I cannot recall all that we spoke of, but I found his advice very valuable. I will always remember how cordial and engaged he was, someone who really did not need to give me the time of day, but, instead, gave me several hours. Maynard and I became friends who saw one another infrequently but who always responded quickly to one another's calls, e-mails, or letters. The last time I spent any significant amount of time with him was just this February in Macon at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame for the opening of an exhibit honoring black classical musicians in Georgia. Maynard's aunt, Ms. Mattiwilda Dobbs, was the guest of honor for the occasion; but Maynard was the star who could have easily stolen the show. Instead, he remained out of the limelight, allowing his aunt to fully enjoy the attention she deserved as a world-famous artist, the first African American soprano to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. When I heard of Maynard's passing, I recalled that evening I spent with him in February at the Music Hall of Fame, and I remembered one touching incident. As we were all examining the memorabilia gathered for this exhibit honoring classical American artists of Georgia, the walls for this section of the museum were covered with photographs. Maynard grabbed my arm and pulled me toward one. It was a picture of the Morehouse College Glee Club that appeared quite old. And with great pleasure Maynard pointed to one of the young men in the picture. It was his father, a father who had passed away when Maynard was quite young. Now Maynard himself has passed away too young, leaving us in his prime, but leaving a legacy of remarkable accomplishments for Atlanta and all of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is right and just that this body honor Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. with this resolution prepared by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis). Maynard Jackson will be sorely missed by his family and many friends. May he rest in peace knowing that his life was well lived.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker. I was elected mayor of Macon in 1995. Macon is a town of a little over 100,000 people just 80 miles or so south of Atlanta. One of the first things I did after my election was to visit with Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. Maynard Jackson was elected mayor of Atlanta in 1973 at the age of thirty-five, the first African-American mayor of a major city in Georgia as well as the southeast. He served two four-year terms and became known for promoting majority-minority partnerships to improve access for African-Americans to the world of contracting and supplying governments. Maynard Jackson was elected again as mayor of Atlanta in 1989 and served one more term. When I went to see him as a newly elected mayor, it was to get his advice, any advice he would care to offer. I had no particular agenda, just a hope that he would impart some wisdom, given his experience in both government and business. Maynard Jackson spent hours of his time with me that day. Of course I cannot recall all that we spoke of, but I found his advice very valuable. I will always remember how cordial and engaged he was--someone who really didn't need to give me the time of day instead gave me several hours. Maynard and I became friends who saw one another infrequently but who always responded quickly to one another's calls, e-mails or letters. The last time I spent any significant amount of time with him was just this February in Macon at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame for the opening of an exhibit honoring black classical musicians from Georgia. Maynard's aunt, Ms. Mattiwilda Dobbs, was the guest of honor for the occasion but Maynard was the star who could have easily stolen the show. Instead he remained out of the limelight, allowing his aunt to fully enjoy the attention she deserved as a world-famous artist, the first African-American soprano to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. When I heard of Maynard's passing this Monday morning, I recalled that evening I spent with him in February at the Music Hall of Fame and I remembered one touching incident. We all were examining the memorabilia gathered for this exhibit honoring classical African- American artists of Georgia. The walls for this section of the museum were covered with photographs. Maynard grabbed my arm and pulled me toward one. It was a picture of the Morehouse College Glee Club that appeared quite old and, with great pleasure, Maynard pointed to one of the young men in the picture. It was his father, a father who had passed away when Maynard was quite young. Now Maynard himself has passed away too young, leaving us in his prime but leaving a legacy of remarkable accomplishments for Atlanta and all of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is right and just that this body honor Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. with an appropriate resolution now being prepared by Representative Lewis which I will co-sponsor with other members, including I'm sure, all members of the Georgia delegation. Maynard Jackson will be sorely missed by his family and many friends. May he rest in peace knowing that his life has been well lived.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, today I am signing a discharge petition that I brought to the House floor to right a wrong that has been done to disabled American veterans for more than a century. In 1891, the United States of America imposed the Disabled Veterans Tax. We did not call it by this name. We did not even call it a tax. Instead we called it a prohibition upon concurrent receipt. We called it something few Americans would understand. Mr. Speaker, our predecessors in Congress called their law a prohibition upon concurrent receipt because they did not want to call it what it is, a tax on disabled veterans. This bad law prohibits retired veterans from receiving both their retirement pay and any benefit for a service-related disability at the same time. In effect, it is a 100% tax on a retired veteran's disability benefits. As a veteran's disability increases, so does the tax imposed by our government. Mr. Speaker, it is time to call the concurrent receipt prohibition what it really is: the Disabled Veterans Tax. It was wrong then. It is wrong now. It is time to end the Disabled Veterans Tax. Mr. Speaker, I receive a disability benefit for wounds received in Vietnam. But my benefits are not taxed away. The Disabled Veterans Tax does not apply to me because I only served two years. Had I provided more service to my country--enough to be entitled to military retirement benefits--then the Disabled Veterans Tax would tax away my disability benefit completely. Mr. Speaker, I cannot imagine how any member of this body can defend the Disabled Veterans Tax, a tax that not only punishes disabled veterans, but punishes most those who served our country most, those who made the military a career. Congress should be ashamed of itself. Mr. Speaker, for years a large majority of the members of this House have cosponsored House Resolution 303, a bill that would end the Disabled Veterans Tax. And for years, House Resolution 303 has been bottled up in committee, just like campaign finance reform was bottled up. The discharge petition process forced a vote on campaign finance reform. I am using that same process to force a vote on ending the Disabled Veterans Tax. At last count 322 members of this Congress are co-sponsors of House Resolution 303. Only 218 of these co-sponsors must sign the discharge petition for us to force a vote. This bill has broad bipartisan support. Both Democrats and Republicans have co-sponsored House Resolution 303. I am a Georgia Democrat, but by my discharge petition seeks to force a vote on a bill authored by a Florida Republican. Mr. Speaker, some will ask whether we can afford this tax cut, whether we can afford to let these disabled veterans keep their benefit money. I believe many cosponsors of House Resolution 303 have already answered that question twice this year. These cosponsors already have voted for tax cuts 400 billion dollars and 200 billion dollars greater than what we eventually enacted. So Mr. Speaker, on the question whether we should finally eliminate the Disabled Veterans Tax, I trust we will not hear questions about affordability coming from those already on record in support of far, far larger tax cuts. Mr. Speaker, the Disabled Veterans Tax is wrong. As of this morning, 322 cosponsors of House Resolution 303 agree with me. Let's bring it to a vote. No more half measures. No more evasions. No more hypocrisy. It's time for members who continually co-sponsor this bill to put up or shut up, once and for all.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, today I will sign a discharge petition that I bring to right a wrong that has been done to disabled American veterans for more than a century. In 1891, the United States of America imposed a tax on disabled veterans. We did not call it a tax. We called it a prohibition on concurrent receipts, something average Americans would not understand. Mr. Speaker, it is time to call the concurrent receipt prohibition what it is, the disabled veterans tax. It was wrong then; it is wrong now. It is time to end the disabled veterans tax. Mr. Speaker, for years the majority and the Members of this House have cosponsored House Resolution 303, which would end the disabled veterans tax; and for years, House Resolution 303 has been bottled up in committee just like campaign reform was bottled up in committee. The discharge petition process forced a vote on campaign finance reform. I am using that same process to force a vote on ending the disabled veterans tax. Mr. Speaker, at last count, 322 Members of this Congress have cosponsored House Resolution 303. Only 218 of these cosponsors must sign the discharge petition for it to be successful.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a law professor who fiercely believes in the first amendment, but I am also the son and grandson of Army generals and a veteran of ground combat in Vietnam. I accept the argument that I, my father, my grandfather, other relatives, many of whom were wounded, some of whom died, did not fight for a piece of cloth, but rather for what it symbolizes. Yet our memories and emotions are inextricably intertwined with that cloth itself. And the cloth symbolizes a country whose Constitution is not writ in stone, immutable for all time. Instead, our Constitution establishes a process for its amendment. Mr. Speaker, no harm or violence is done here to our constitutional system by an amendment designed to respect the memories and emotions that are inextricably interwoven with the cloth of our flag. In fact, I believe that respecting those memories and emotions nourishes a vital spirit in this country, the spirit of individual sacrifice in combat for the good of the country. Our country's great freedoms were won and enjoyed today because of the selfless sacrifices of countless, often nameless, sometimes unknown heroes. Amending the Constitution to prohibit flag desecration is a small way to thank these individuals who cannot be thanked enough. And this amendment is a small price to pay if it strengthens our Republic and helps ensure its future.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the City of Milledgeville, Georgia, on the occasion of this historic city's year- long bicentennial celebration. Situated just west of the Oconee River on what was then the edge of Georgia's frontier, Milledgeville was founded in 1803 after a long search by a Georgia legislature-commissioned expedition to find a new capital city. The city was named for John Milledge, who at the time was a popular Georgia governor. Within a year of its founding, the city was declared the official seat of Georgia's state government, becoming the only city outside Washington, D.C. designed specifically to be a capital city. As the capital, Milledgeville was a key location for many historic events in Georgia's history, including the 1861 signing of the Ordinance of Secession at the Old Capitol and a stopping place in 1864 for General Sherman, who slept in the Governor's Mansion as he passed through on his infamous March to the Sea. In 1868, Georgia moved its state capitol to Atlanta, but Milledgeville continued to prosper and grow, becoming home to a thriving university and new businesses while still keeping an eye on its antebellum past. Last year, the city welcomed more than 60,000 visitors to see such attractions as the Old State Capitol, the Governor's Mansion and a number of other old homes that showcase the city's true Southern style. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent this fine community of individuals who, over the years, have worked hard to build their city into what it is today. This year, the city is welcoming visitors from across the nation to join in celebrating their first 200 years of history. Part of this celebration will include the dedication of Georgia's Antebellum Capitol Museum, an old-fashioned independence day celebration, a black-tie bicentennial ball and monthly lectures highlighting the people and places that have helped make Milledgeville truly unique. Mr. Speaker, I am confident that my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives will join me in congratulating the City of Milledgeville for its 200 years.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I appreciate his introduction. I rise today as a veteran myself to thank the men and women who are serving us today overseas. But more so, I rise today for their families. This is a very difficult time for those serving in our Armed Forces, the men and women who are in harm's way, and it is, in another sense, an even more difficult time for their families. Not only is there separation, not only is there an additional workload for the family, but there is also the worry that a loved one in harm's way will be harmed, might not come home, or, if they come home, might be injured in some way. Mr. Speaker, all of us here in the House would ask that Americans reach out, as we did after 9-11, to the families of those who lost loved ones in that horrible tragedy. Reach out to these families whose loved ones are serving us overseas. They need just a phone call, maybe an invitation to dinner. The employers could provide maybe some flex- time, some time off for a woman to shoulder the additional load that is being placed on her by the absence of her husband. This is the way America should be responding during this time. It is a way all of us can respond, those of us here in the United States who are here today. We can support the loved ones. While I was in Vietnam, my mother was unable to write me a single letter. She always wrote me. But she could not write me because she was so worried and did not want to think about it. Support for mothers like mine, for wives, for husbands, for daughters, brothers and sisters is something all Americans can give during this time. Mr. Speaker, I thank those men and women in uniform for their service. I know they are doing their duty. And I also thank all of those who are loved ones here in the United States that are under extraordinary pressure at this time. All Americans should reach out to them.