Kendrick Meek

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today in honor of Gwendolyn E. Boyd, the National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for her service and dedication as a community leader and volunteer. The members of the Miami Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. will gather with Ms. Boyd on January 31, 2004 for the 91st anniversary of the founding of this honored sisterhood. Ms. Boyd, a hardworking and motivated woman, is an inspiration and role model to all. She received her B.S. degree in Mathematics with a double minor in Physics and Music from Alabama State University. She thereafter pursued her Masters of Science degree at Yale University. Today, she is an engineer and the Assistant for Development Programs at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Committed to her work, Ms. Boyd nonetheless remains compassionate to the numerous community service organizations with which she is actively involved. She is a member of Leadership Washington, an organization committed to improving the quality of life in the Greater Washington Region and is actively involved with the Children's Research Institute of Children's National Medical Center. She is the founding chair of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Non-Profit Strategic Planning and Community Leadership and also served as President of the Board of Directors of United Way of the National Capital Area. A dynamo of a public servant, she also actively participates with The Links, Inc., the NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women and many other organizations. Unselfish in her endeavors, Ms. Boyd can be found motivating others through inspirational speeches and workshops around the country. She routinely gives lectures on positive growth and the development of youth; conducts career development seminars; and often provides words of wisdom at commencement speeches to our future leaders. It is no surprise to me that Ms. Boyd has been acknowledged and honored for her service and commitment on many occasions and by various organizations. I know that all my colleagues join with me in honoring her today and wishing her every success in the future.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of my colleagues, and to condemn in the strongest possible terms, a Rockstar Inc. video game entitled ``Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.'' This game has no place as an amusement in this country because it purports to make ``fun'' using racist and stereotyped images of Haitians and Cubans. This despicable video game portrays Haitians as ugly criminals and lower forms of human life who must be obliterated once and for all. In order to win the game, the player--an ex-convict--is hired to recover stolen drug money on the streets of Miami. In his pursuit, he faces police officers and gangsters from Cuba and Haiti. Armed with a machete, knife, gun and baseball bat, the game urges players to ``kill the Haitians'' and ``kill the Cubans.'' What makes this matter even more offensive is that, by its immigration policies and pronouncements, the Bush Administration fosters a view of Haitian asylum seekers as potential terrorists rather than bona-fide refugees. It is hard to see how such contemptible acts could be seen as ``fun,'' for this video game is scandalous and hateful and deeply offensive to Haitian and Cuban Americans and every decent American concerned about racism and violence in this country. I ask this Congress and all people of goodwill to join me in condemning this hateful video game and to do everything possible to increase public knowledge of it and thereby to limit its acceptance in both domestic and foreign markets. Mr. Speaker, I represent the largest Haitian constituency in the United States, and this video game is demeaning, demoralizing and deeply hurtful to hundreds of thousands of hard-working, law-abiding Haitian Americans and their families in South Florida and in this country. It does not take much to imagine the destructive impact that the repulsive images of this game would have on youngsters, whether they are Haitian-American, Cuban-American, or not. This video game symbolizes the very lowest of our nation's values. It is deeply disturbing, not only that the manufacturer would seek to profit by the sales of this game, but that people would buy it. I urge all my colleagues, and every American, to take a firm stand against such commercial trash and to rededicate ourselves to the principles of freedom and liberty that such hatred cannot destroy.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues from Florida, Mr. Putnam and Mr. Shaw, for arranging this special order this evening. Trade is a crucially important issue in Florida. With our great seaports and airports and our global position as the crossroads between North America and Central and South America and the Caribbean, Florida is well positioned to benefit from trade with our neighbors. However, in order for that trade to benefit Floridians, to create new jobs and new businesses and to promote the growth of existing enterprises, it must be conducted fairly. One of Florida's signature industries is citrus. Citrus is Florida's second largest industry, responsible for generating over $9 billion for the economy and providing nearly 90,000 people with jobs. The industry also accounts for roughly $1 billion in revenue for the State and local governments. Not only is this industry responsible for giving jobs to tens of thousands of Floridians, it also helps to fund our public hospitals and schools, and our fire and police services. But all is not well with Florida's citrus industry--primarily because of the impact of imports--and I urge the Bush administration to remember this fact when it considers requests to reduce or eliminate the current tariff on imported citrus juices during the Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations this weekend or any other negotiations. There are only two regions in the world that produce a substantial quantity of orange juice: Brazil and the United States. There are also only two regions of the world that consume substantial amounts of orange juice: the United States and the European Union. Brazil already has a virtual monopoly on the EU orange juice market, while Florida's growers sell their product almost entirely in the United States. There is considerable evidence that the current tariff on imported juices encourages competition among producers and allows Florida's growers to compete on a level playing field. Florida's 12,000 growers, most of whom operate small family-owned operations, are the most efficient and environmentally responsible in the world. Without the tariff, however, Florida's growers cannot compete against the four dominant processors in Brazil, who take advantage of cheap labor and weak environmental laws at the expense of Florida's growers. The industry also provides many environmental benefits to the State of Florida and its citizens. A collapse of the industry would lead, perhaps inevitably, to more development and more congestion--and also to more air and water pollution and toxins in the environment. I understand that a collapse of the citrus industry would also threaten over 150 different species with extinction. Today, Florida's citrus industry is already suffering tremendously because of uncertainty over the future of the tariff. The price of citrus is declining. Growers are selling land because they know they will have no future if the tariff is reduced or eliminated. In addition, the huge processors in Brazil are taking steps to exploit any reduction in the tariff by acquiring more groves in Brazil to enable them to dramatically increase production and overwhelm the U.S. market. It would be hard for any industry to survive, and impossible to prosper, in this environment. The industry cannot afford to wait 6 more months or a year for the Bush administration to make a decision. This is why I urge the Bush administration to state clearly this week its final decision on this matter--to put an end to this uncertainty that is so seriously harming Florida's citrus industry. Mr. Speaker, Florida's citrus industry--unlike almost all other agricultural commodities--receives no U.S. subsidies. American taxpayer money does not subsidize this industry. The tariff is the industry's only lifeline. Again, I urge the administration to consider the ramifications of reducing or eliminating the tariff, which would discourage greater competition and would enable Brazil to secure a global monopoly over the orange juice market.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. Gloria Bromell-Tinubu on becoming the 5th president of Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Florida. An educator and a community leader, Dr. Bromell-Tinubu is an economics professor at Spelman College in Atlanta, and was a former member of the Georgia State Board of Education. She is currently the chief executive officer of the Atlanta Cooperative Development Board, a nonprofit agency that serves as a catalyst in developing cooperative- owned business enterprises. Within 9 months as CEO, she obtained a $1 million grant to assist the economically disadvantaged move toward self-sufficiency, and continues research that explores the use of cooperatives as a means of establishing economic security in asset-poor communities. Dr. Bromell-Tinubu is a former member of the Atlanta City Council who has considerable community development experience, as shown by legislation she authored creating the Atlanta Neighborhood Deputies Program, a citywide citizen driven code enforcement effort. She has served on numerous community development boards, including the Metropolitan Neighborhood Development Corporation (MNDC), which she founded. In taking the helm of Bethune-Cookman College, Dr. Bromell-Tinubu becomes the fifth president of this private coeducational liberal arts college with a diverse student population of more than 2,700. Established in 1904 by Mary McLeod Bethune, the college is ranked among the top historically black colleges in the country. Most recently Bethune-Cookman College was selected as one of 10 colleges in the country to participate in Project Pericles, a program funded by the Eugene Lang Foundation to establish educational programs for social responsibility and participatory citizenship as an essential part of higher education learning, in the classroom, on the campus, and in the community. The Bethune Cookman College could not have found a more perfect fit to fulfill their goals and mission. I know that all of my colleagues join me in congratulating Dr. Gloria Bromell-Tinubu today, and we wish her every success in her future.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is my great privilege and pleasure to rise today to congratulate The Honorable Yvonne Scarlett- Golden, a dear personal and family friend, a mentor, and the newly elected Mayor of the City of Daytona Beach. Yesterday, November 4, 2003, Commissioner Scarlett-Golden became Daytona Beach's first black mayor and only the second woman in history to hold that position. Her elevation to the office of Mayor is a natural next step for a native of Daytona Beach who has devoted her entire life to public service. Commissioner Scarlett-Golden wants to build on Daytona Beach's existing assets: sun and fun and families. She is just the person to do it, for her energy and hard work are legendary. Yvonne Scarlett-Golden is an educator and a community servant. She received her bachelor's degree and an Honorary Doctor of Law from Bethune-Cookman College, and earned her master's degree from Boston University. Before running for Mayor, she was a school administrator for twenty-five years and served as a city commissioner from the west side of Daytona Beach for seven years. Experienced, fair, knowledgeable and firmly committed to public service, Yvonne Scarlett-Golden's priority is to unite the City and improve the quality of life for every citizen, return fiscal responsibility to government, focus on economic development and establish strong public and private partnerships for City programs. Commissioner Scarlett-Golden has been honored as a role model to African Americans and women all over the nation. I know that all my colleagues join with me in congratulating her today and wishing her every success in the future.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for his very kind remarks as it relates to not only good sportsmanship but recognizing an outstanding team in the Florida Marlins. We have had many conversations during the series of the Cubs and the Marlins, and he was quite honorable. He was a man of faith in his own team, but not only perseverance but a little magic moved the Marlins along. I want to thank my colleagues, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros- Lehtinen), also the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart), who are very fine friends of mine, who are all Marlin fans in Miami- Dade County, including my colleague the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart.) Mr. Speaker, I rise today to not only congratulate the Marlins, but congratulate those individuals that live in south Florida and throughout the world that are fans of the Marlins, some old and some new. I think the Marlins' victory in the World Series was very good for the country, taking the lead from my good friend, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis), when he was sharing with me that it would be good for the country if the Cubs in Boston would be able to make it to the World Series. But watching those games, which I had the opportunity to witness some personally in south Florida, I cannot forget the experience not only that the Marlins experienced when we went to Yankee Stadium during the Series, not on Saturday night but the night before that, and we were there, and I ran into my good friend Armando Cadina and his wife Margerete and also his daughter Ann Marie, it was quite an experience because we seemed to be the only Marlins fans in the whole stadium. Yankees fans, my hats are off to you. You are my future constituents in Florida, so I have to be nice to you. But I just want to say that it was quite an experience for the Marlins to actually win a victory, a 0- 2 victory, an outstanding series, an outstanding game in New York on Saturday that I witnessed on television in low temperatures. We are used to 80-plus in south Florida. It was just outstanding. Mr. Speaker, I brought the Miami Herald that was thrown on my lawn on Sunday morning that just simply said ``Amazing.'' And I must say that the Marlins' season was amazing. Both of my colleagues referenced the manager of the Marlins. I must say that it is a story that I believe that Americans can buy into, that older Americans and wiser Americans still have a lot of contribute to this country. And I think it was his leadership that led this very young team to their second world championship. And I must say being a young person myself and having great respect for wiser and older individuals, I think that we need to understand in this country, even through the love of baseball, that we need to put that love in our own life practices, making sure that we give those that have contributed in the past an opportunity to contribute again. And I want to commend not only the Marlins leadership, the president, but also the vice president and managers that they hired Jack McKeon to be the manager of the Marlins once again. Mr. Speaker, I also would like to add that it is important that we continue to not only honor those individuals that won the World Series but also that they put it on behalf of Americans, at a time of war and a time of conflict overseas. It is always good for us to come together as Americans. It is always good for colleagues to come together in such a resolution as this. This Resolution 415 is a resolution sponsored by every member of the Florida delegation, all 25 members. I would like to commend them for doing so. Once again, to the Florida Marlins, we appreciate you, we commend you. We like our New York fans, we like our Cubs fans, we like our Giants fans, but we love our Marlins fans. And the people of Miami had three celebrations, Mr. Speaker, for the Marlins yesterday, one down Flagler Street where they had an outstanding ceremony at the end of that, one in Little Havana, and another one in Ft. Lauderdale with a boat parade. Marlins, you deserved what you received. I want to thank Mr. Beckett for being the MVP of the World Series. I wish him many, many more seasons.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone). I want to commend the gentleman and all of the other Members who have taken time from their schedule, their late evening schedule, to be here to share with the American people about what is going on in this government. We are not being here tonight to be accusatory and say, well, since we are Monday morning quarterbacks, the administration likes to call any Member of Congress that questions their activities critics. I think it is important that the administration understands that this is a democracy. This is not kingdom politics. We want to come together as a people's government to be able to bring about the questions that need to be answered; and, hopefully, some outcome measures will happen. I will state that what is very disturbing is national publications that are out saying, ``$87 Billion Mess.'' Other publications, newspapers are talking about the waste in Iraq. Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, we have individuals that are trying to find other ways to be deficit hawks but not really paying attention to what the President and others are doing as it relates to this administration's mishandling of these dollars. We talk about troop protection. We cannot even do that correctly. And I am not talking about individuals in uniform. I am talking about individuals in shirts and ties that are making bad decisions here today. Halliburton. We can go into tomorrow morning if the rules would allow us to be able to do so talking about the mismanagement and the no-bid contracts that have been given. I watch some of the Sunday shows, and I cannot believe the Secretary of State. I cannot believe the Vice President of the United States. I cannot believe Condoleezza Rice. I cannot believe what the President is saying at the press conference as though he says, well, we are going to bid. Well, they are not bidding now. They have not bid in the past, and in my opinion we are not going to have good bidding and good competition in the future. I do not care what the administration may say. I believe that this will continue. I know the gentleman's kids are asleep right now. My kids are asleep. They have to go to school tomorrow, but we need to go in their bedroom and take a real good look at them like we usually do before we go to bed. I think any parent or grandparent can really appreciate what I am talking about. I think we need to understand this $87 billion and then seeing the waste and seeing the loose contracting requirement that this administration has allowed to go on in Iraq. This $87 billion on top of the billions of dollars that we gave earlier this year comes out to about $166 billion, which feeds not only into the deficit beyond $400 trillion, but I think also it is important that we remember that it is $28 million dollars a week in interest. Now, I have said that before on the floor and I think it is important while you are looking at your children and grandchildren, looking at this deficit. I do not know, maybe the gentleman can share, I believe the Democrats have come to the floor to just get a child tax credit for individuals that work every day that make under $26,000 a year, and we cannot get the other side to allow those individuals to receive their child tax credit.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, just really when we think about it, we are making millionaires basically. We are making millionaires out of Iraq, not only out of the supplemental but out of the Iraq appropriations as it relates to private contracting. That is what is happening. So we hear speeches from the administration how we want to empower Iraqis and how we want them to take control of their own government and their own economy, and the reality is it is not happening. I do not care if an individual is an Independent, a Republican, a Democrat. I am talking about an American voter. That is very simple. Individuals who have set up shop, not only here in the Beltway with higher connections in the administration, to be able to say I will give you the edge, I do not think there is a lobbying firm set up to help Iraqis get the edge. So I cannot help but question that, and I think that as we continue to talk about this and as the media continues to reveal what we are talking about here tonight, once again, I just want to clarify. These are not just proud, card-carrying Democrats who say, hey, let us take a shot at the Republicans. We are not talking about that. We are talking about facts, not fiction. We are talking about kids and our grandchildren having to pay for what we are doing here today. This Congress did not even have the gumption to say, okay, if we believe that we have to send an additional $87 billion in a supplemental of borrowed money, that we will find a way to be able to pay for today, that it will not be on the backs of our grandchildren and our children. That did not happen, and right now, the House and the other body will come together in some sort of conference committee, and I am not a betting person, but I can pretty much guess that we are going to end up giving Iraq the money, and we are going to have shortfalls. Every Member of this body will end up having fewer dollars to be able to take back to their Districts to be able to build our economy, to build an economy that will create jobs, not an economy that individuals will just say, okay, I need to tuck this away and put it away, but individuals will actually be hired, that jobs will be looking for people and people will not have to look for jobs.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. That is quite disturbing. We see some of the cost overruns that have been pointed out here tonight and this is factual. This is not fiction. This is not something that one may say, well, they are just Democrats that are upset. There are Republicans that are upset, but they are not going to say anything about it because they fear the administration and that is going to happen. And I think it is important that we raise these questions. I think it is important on behalf of the children of this country, on behalf of veterans, on behalf of those individuals that stood in the line of fire for us to be able to have the freedom to speak here tonight on this floor and this free country. We cannot allow this to continue to happen, and I believe that the American people are going to understand this sooner rather than later. I want to also say that I think it is important, Mr. Speaker, it is important that we continue to share these facts with the American people. And I want the American people to ask their Members of Congress, Democrat and Republican, Members of the other body also, ask them about the accountability of the $87 billion, ask them about the fact that we are not loaning dollars, but we are granting dollars. I am from south Florida, and I have a city in my district, North Miami Beach, a well-run, well-operated city; but they are having budget problems. They are having to cut programs on behalf of homeland security, doing what this government asked them to do, protect the power plant, protect the water plant; but meanwhile, they are looking for some help from this Federal Government. And they are not receiving it. And we are giving, not loaning, giving dollars. There are students right now that are studying at many of our institutions of higher learning right now, not only studying to try to pass the exam at the end of the week or at the beginning of next week; they are also trying to figure out how they are going to pay back their student loans with interest. And they are giving these dollars away to companies that are watching the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ for their numbers for their investors. I will not call it criminal, but it is close to it to even look at this. I think it is important that we continue to take time out, and I want to commend the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the other Members that have joined us here tonight in bringing this to the attention of the American people. Think about it, $128 million a week in interest, and then on top of that, mismanagement and no bid contracts. I join with my other colleagues saying, if this is progress, I do not even know if we can take any more of it, financially, fiscally, and also on behalf of protecting our troops.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Can I also say that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) has said that it is not going to happen, the majority leader of this House.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with my colleagues a disturbing editorial that appeared in the Saturday, October 18 edition of the New York Times. It details statements of anti-semitism voiced by the Prime Minister of Malayasia, Mahathir Mohamad, in a speech to the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, and approving comments by the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Maher, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. There is little doubt that we in the United States have much to learn from the leaders of Moslem countries, and I think it is important that we pursue closer political, economic and cultural ties with these nations. Americans are sympathetic to the plight of the Muslim world. At the same time, I believe we cannot tolerate international anti- semitism or allow anti-semitic statements that are expressed at international forums to go unchallenged. While Americans are sympathetic to the plight of the Muslim world, we will never accept leaders who preach hate and prejudice. The Times editorial reports that the European Union refused to condemn the Malaysian Prime Minister's comments. I therefore call upon the Bush Administration to do so. By failing to respond to this anti- semitism, we become party to it by virtue of our silence. [From the New York Times, Oct. 18, 2003] Islamic Anti-Semitism It is hard to know what is more alarming--a toxic statement of hatred of Jews by the Malaysian prime minister at an Islamic summit meeting this week or the unanimous applause it engendered from the kings, presidents and emirs in the audience. The words uttered by the prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, in a speech to the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference on Thursday were sadly familiar: Jews, he asserted, may be few in number, but they seek to run the world. ``The Europeans killed six million Jews out of 12 million, but today the Jews rule the world by proxy,'' he said. ``They get others to fight and die for them.'' Muslims are ``up against a people who think,'' he said, adding that the Jews ``invented socialism, communism, human rights and democracy so that persecuting them would appear to be wrong, so that they can enjoy equal rights with others.'' When Israeli officials noted that such talk brought Hitler to mind, the assembled leaders were mystified. Yemen's foreign minister said he agreed entirely with his Malaysian colleague, adding, ``Israelis and Jews control most of the economy and the media in the world.'' The Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmed Maher, called the speech ``a very, very wise assessment.'' Even the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, said the speech was ``very correct.'' Perhaps the saddest element is just how impotent the representatives of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims feel. When Syed Hamid Albar, Malaysia's foreign minister, sought to contain the controversy, he explained that because of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Muslims feel ``sidelined or marginalized,'' so please understand why they complain about the power of a tiny competing group like the Jews. Sympathy for the Muslims' plight must not be confused with the acceptance of racism. Most Muslims have indeed been shoddily treated--by their own leaders, who gather at feckless summit meetings instead of offering their people what they most need: human rights, education and democracy. The European Union was asked to include a condemnation of Mr. Mahathir's speech in its statement yesterday ending its own summit. It chose not to, adding a worry that displays of anti-Semitism are being met with inexcusable nonchalance.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deepest sympathy to the families of the three Americans who were killed yesterday, and a fourth who was seriously injured by a massive terrorist explosion, while they were traveling along the main road toward Gaza City. They were employees of a government contractor that provides security services to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. I also want to express my outrage at the continued terrorist attacks that take the lives of children and innocent people in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. Only twisted minds could ever conceive of such murders as ``warfare.'' What made this particular terrorist attack unusual was that it involved American citizens, part of a diplomatic and security convoy traveling to Gaza to interview Palestinian candidates for a Fulbright scholarship. Ironically, this scholarship was established to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills. What was tragically not unusual, however, was that this was just the latest in a string of hundreds of violent killings spanning several years. Mr. Speaker, when I visited Israel a few months ago, I met with Palestinian leaders who expressed their opposition to terrorist attacks. However, their actions have not backed up their rhetoric. Yesterday's terrorist bombing further demonstrates the Palestinian authority's continued reluctance--perhaps even aversion--to aggressively dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in areas under its control. Although Palestinian officials condemned this attack, their inability to act against such acts of terrorism has led to continued terrorist attacks against both Americans and Israelis. In order to have real progress toward peace, Palestinians must have a leader who is willing to stop terrorism--leadership the world has not seen from Yasser Arafat. The Palestinian authority, while denouncing terrorism, has never fought terrorists or terror organizations in a serious or effective way either under Arafat's direct leadership, or in the shadow of his leadership. It is clear that despite the best efforts of people of good will on both sides, real progress toward peace can never happen as long as the Palestinians have a President who is unwilling to stop terrorists from blowing up innocent Israelis and Americans.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise this evening to pay tribute to the late Judith James Rolle, the wife of Miami-Dade County Commissioner Dorrin Rolle. Mrs. Rolle passed away September 29, 2003 of breast cancer. It has been my experience that people who become nurses are very special people--people who are somehow able to combine competence with caring, who have the gift of healing people and making them feel better not only with science and medicine, but with their very presence. That was certainly the case with Judith Rolle. She had a nursing career that spanned 33 years at both Mt. Sinai Hospital and the Miami Heart Institute. As a nurse she had a knack for caring for patients, for managing other nurses, for problem solving and for acting as a diplomatic go-between for nurses and doctors and administrators--all essential skills in caring for patients in a hospital setting. Her multiple roles and abilities, her efficiency and success endeared her to many and earned her the affectionate knickname ``Judge Judy.'' But Judith Rolle was no TV character; she was the real thing. She held positions as Floor Nurse and Head Nurse in the Medical and Surgical Departments, Public Health Nurse in-charge of home visits to patients, and Supervisory Nurse of the Intensive Care Unit. While at the Miami Heart Institute, she was also a Nurse in the Anesthesiology Department, a Coordinator in the hospital's Education Department, and a Case Manager in the Case Management Department. This remarkable lady was my friend and a confidante of countless people throughout our community. When ``Judge Judy'' retired from nursing in 1998, she simply moved to another form of public service-- assisting her husband in his successful campaigns for the Miami Dade County Commission and expanding her participation as an active member of her church community and service organizations. It is for these reasons that our community was so deeply saddened by her passing. Everyone who met ``Judge Judy'' was struck by her strong spirit and sunny disposition. You knew you were in the presence of a caring and compassionate person. Last Saturday at 11:00 a.m., October 4, 2003, at her Homegoing Services celebrated at New Jerusalem Primitive Baptist Church in Miami, her family and many friends and supporters gathered together to celebrate her life and the impact she had on the lives of all who knew her. My heart goes out to her family. I know I speak for our entire community in saying how fortunate we were to have known her.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the members that are here on the floor tonight of the Congressional Black Caucus. And I must say that we speak fact, and really it is not emotions, it is fact. And I am glad that many of the American people have responded in the way that they have thus far. Sixty percent of Americans do not stand with this administration and many of the Members on the other side of the aisle, as it relates to this $87 billion appropriations. I can tell you that every day I wake up and I walk into this great Capitol of ours, this democracy that we worked on for some 200-plus years, and I am just appreciative of being a Member of this body. Also, I am very glad that not only that the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) but others have allowed me to serve on the Committee on Armed Services and the Select Committee on Homeland Security. I have two young children. I could be home with them, a lovely wife, things of that nature, but I think it is important that we take the time out, even though we worked all day to be here to share with the American people the truth. And I think what is important, if the record has been set in any other area, the education, transportation, environment, that this administration and Members of the other side of the aisle have set as it relates to misinformation, not good information, failure, when we were told that we would be successful, I think we need to take that to a very strong point. I have to go back to Desert Storm some 10 years ago and our investment in that particular effort. The cost of it was $61 billion, $61 billion. We are looking at a supplemental now that is $87 billion. And that is not $61 billion that we paid because our only share of that was 12 percent which was $7.4 billion by the President's father, President Bush, that had a coalition, a real coalition. And many of the Arab states or the Arab league was there because Saddam Hussein needed to be dealt with and those individuals in Iraq needed to be dealt with. We just gave $79 billion, you heard my colleague on the Committee on Appropriations, that has yet to be accounted for. Also, now we are talking about $87 billion, which has now moved us Americans up to $166 billion. Now, these are not small numbers. They are going to have an effect on our economy. We talk about shock and awe in Iraq and that was pretty good for about 4 or 5 months. And I must say that I commend our troops and our men and women. I am not talking about the individuals in uniforms. I am talking about the individuals that are wearing shirts and ties, that are running around here on cellular phones, that are holding press conferences, the Defense Secretary, the President of the United States and even Members of this Congress that stand up and talk about how they support the troops and how dare you question me, I, Secretary, President, Vice President, on our efforts against the war on terrorism. I must say that I would be ashamed to hold a press conference knowing that seven American soldiers, not coalition forces, seven American men and women are injured daily in Iraq. I am not talking about the numbers, over 177 troops have died since the President landed on the aircraft carrier. Let us talk dollars and cents for a moment. Let us talk about appropriations. I am not on the committee but I am privy to the information. The education budget for this year, just for 2003, $59.7 billion; transportation, $1.5 billion; homeland security, $35.8 billion, and we are here with no questions asked. Do not ask me any questions or you are unpatriotic for an $87 billion appropriations to continue the effort in Iraq. I intend to vote against this appropriation. It is not the fact that I disagree with the President or I disagree with the majority here in this House. I am voting against it because I care about Leave No Child Behind. I care about having roads and bridges. I care about our environment. I care about that teacher that is probably home right now checking papers of a classroom that he or she may have of 50 kids in the classroom. We are talking about when the terrorists win, the terrorists, as far as I am concerned, they are sitting there saying, this is a wonderful thing. I have America bent over borrowing money to prove me wrong. For those who say we need to fight the war on terrorism in Iraq, so we do not have to fight the war here, I do not think there are terrorists sitting around saying, well, as long as they are in Iraq, we will focus on Iraq. We are not going to focus on the United States of America. I have mayors right now in Florida that are trying to figure out how they are going to balance their budget because they do not have the money to do it because they had to get new security for the water plant, they had to put a police officer, not on the street preventing crime or fighting crime, but protecting something. In this country, we move the yellow, green, yellow, what have you, but we are not willing to give them the necessary funds to function. I want to share this, and then I will take my seat. How are we going to pay for this amount that we have now? That question has not been answered. We are going to borrow the money. It is going to cost us $28 million a week in interest. I think that is very, very important. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say in closing that American people need to pay very close attention, continue to ask your Members of Congress what they are doing and the questions that they are asking.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). And I appreciate the fact that she studies and that she pays very close attention to what people say and also what they do and what they do not do. And I think that her constituents and the American people will be very forever grateful. I yield the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), one of my leaders and an inspiration here in the Congress for many years, ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to say that just last week we were on the floor, and I think this is kind of working, we talked about why the Department of Defense is in charge. In this after- fighting or during the time we are trying to build a democracy, why is the Department of Defense in charge? The President announced yesterday or today that National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice will be placed over this working group. The State Department is supposed to be over it. I am just getting here, but I kind of understand that. I think it is important that the American people understand if major fighting is over and our troops are continuing to die, and I just want to add to this point, from what I understand from speaking with the appropriators, and we were in a meeting earlier, the administration hopes to have our troop number down because there was some question why Mr. Rumsfeld was not clear on the number of American troops there. There are men and women that have left their families that signed up for the Reserves that are now 12 months-plus still in Iraq. They expect to get them down by 110 troops by next September. That means we have somewhere between 130,000 troops and 135,000 troops that are in Iraq now. I want to let the American people know that the way things are going here in the Capitol and in the White House, that American troops will be there for some time. We are talking about dollars and cents. The Turkish parliament voted yesterday that they would send coalition troops to Iraq. I want to add to that that I voted to send appropriations to Turkey, for $8 billion in loan forgiveness, all of these things; and some Members were split on that vote. If we have to vote for money for countries to go into Iraq, what is the difference? It reminds me on the other side of the aisle when they talk about making government smaller, and government has actually gotten bigger. But making government smaller, that means privatizing government jobs, having individuals in the private sector, so I guess that strategy has been implemented in this Iraq situation. I want to add one other thing, because the gentlewoman hit on so many different things. The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) came to the floor tonight and dropped a bomb on us with this letter that has been written as the chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary. And one of the shock points I have reports that the whistle was actually blown, the American people ought to know that some in the administration would blow the whistle on a CIA operative; and we are talking about someone that is willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice on behalf this country, on behalf of seeking out weapons of mass destruction, going under an assumed name, that name was made public. It was a coordinated campaign from the White House to put this lady's life in danger, and those that are working with her, on behalf of making sure that we, us Americans, are safe and our children are safe. Because they are upset, and when I say they, I am talking about the Bush White House, they are upset about the fact that the ambassador, or he used to be ambassador, has a different opinion than the administration on Iraq and the weapons of mass destruction issue. Reports have said they would put this man's wife at danger, and other CIA agents. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) has to say something further about the letter because I think seeing the White House not willing to advocate on behalf of a special counsel is mind boggling to me, and I am just not a man with conspiracy theory. Other reporters, not just one individual reporter, has said they received calls about the very same information, but they did not print it. Even after the CIA said it would put this operative report in danger, the report was still pushed on certain members of the media to report it.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I welcome any of the Members that are here from the Iraq Watch group. I think not only are they watching Iraq, I think the American people are watching what is happening in Iraq and not happening here in the U.S., and I was in my office and I heard such an outstanding discussion on some of the things that we know here in the Congress, that we need to continue to share with the American people, which are truly dollars and cents; and many times when we are talking about dollars and cents, we are talking about American lives. I had some comments here that definitely I wanted to share, but I could not help but seeing at the top of the hour the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) here, our ranking member in the Committee on the Judiciary, and his letter to the White House and asking for Mr. Rove's resignation; and I think when we look at the politics of the matter, at any time I will be willing to yield for additional comments from my colleague as it relates to his letter that he sent today, I think goes to the very root of the reason why we are in this Chamber tonight. I am a newcomer to the Congress. I see so many Members here that are professional experts, not only in the Committee on the Judiciary, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), but other Members that are here, members of the Committee on Armed Services that were on that committee when I was in junior high school, but we will leave that for another time. I just want to say very quickly, just some very open and preliminary comments, that we talk about the cost of this war, and I cannot help but refer to a letter that our colleague, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), sent out recently to Members of the Congress and mentioning that Desert Storm and the first Persian Gulf War only cost $6.1 billion. The United States' share of that was $7.4 million. That was our share, which was 12 percent; and I believe that that war was definitely one that was shared by many, that we actually had a true coalition. We had a coalition economically. We had a coalition troop- wise. This time we went to war with the willing and we footed the whole bill, I must add. This current supplement, and before we get into that, we gave $79 billion that was added to this effort from the beginning which we still cannot account for. This Thursday when the Committee on Appropriations will meet, hopefully some of those things will come to light of what happened with the $79 billion. Now the Bush administration's asking for $87 billion, which is mind boggling in and of itself, which gets us to $166 billion. This continues to go up and up and up, 12 percent of the costs of almost the cost of $20 billion. However, the administration's decision of the go-alone strategy, we may say go-with-the-willing strategy, has gotten us where we are now and got us to the $166 billion issue now, which is going to be $6.6 billion in the end of just interest alone, at some $128 million a week in interest. That is not even talking about the $4 billion that we are spending right now. Let me just say that again for someone that might have gone to the refrigerator to get a soda, $128 million in interest. That is just interest alone, and I think that is something that the American people should really take heed to and understand.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for his comments and his commitment to sharing what we need to share with the American people as Members of Congress. I think it is also important for us to remember that when we combine all these budgets together, that we had a deficit before we went into Iraq. And I just have to continue to say that to the Members of this Congress and to the American people, because some would lead us to believe that Iraq got us into the situation where we are now. But we will talk about a trillion dollar tax cut for the top 1 percent of Americans. And I must add that everyone in America has given and contributed to this war, whether it be a child or a husband or a son or a daughter going to Iraq to fight in this effort. The President said there has been an end to major fighting. I think there is major fighting going on as we speak. We just lost three soldiers, just today in Iraq. But I just want to get back to the dollars and cents. I care about it because not only am I concerned about what is happening to this country domestically, and I am concerned about homeland security, but I am also concerned about the money that local governments are spending on behalf of homeland security, the front-land security there in their cities that is not going into the things that work towards the very fiber of our country and work towards the very reason why we are Americans. We care about one another. We care about what happens to our elderly. We care about what happens to our children. We care about having an honest and fair education and good public education for our children. But while we are carrying out this effort that we are carrying out now, with no questions answered, and you better not ask a question or we will test your patriotism, this is dangerous to the country. But back once again to the dollars and cents. The Bush administration has not explained how we are going to pay for this in the long run, outside of borrowing the money and making the deficit even larger and deeper. The Department of Education in this year's budget, $59.7 billion; Transportation, $51.5 billion; Homeland Security, my colleagues, homeland security, American people, $35.8 billion. The supplemental cost for the war just blows all these numbers off the table. We are asking for $87 billion. Or the administration is asking for $87 billion. Now, we are not asking for $87 billion to help local governments foot the bill for homeland security, we are not asking for $87 billion for States to be able to protect the ports, our deep-water ports that we have now. We are not asking for $87 billion to bring about safe air travel here in the United States. I believe someone needs to be marching to the Hill to ask for $87 billion for Leave No Child Behind, for public education in this country. Anyone that hits the floor to say that we have to fight the war on terror in Iraq so we do not have to fight the war on terror here in the United States, I kind of question that thinking because I do not believe the terrorists are saying, well, as long as U.S. troops are in Iraq, we do not have to try to penetrate the United States; or we do not have to try to carry out terrorist attacks here in the United States. I must say that you can pick up any newspaper now or watch any news show that says that terrorism has increased in Iraq since our presence there. But the real question is, where is the exit plan? No one has an exit plan. No one wants to talk about the exit plan. And I think it is important that the American people understand that we are going beyond ``we break it and we fix it,'' because now with this $87 billion, we are going into a new era. Mr. Speaker, I see my colleague, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), who I am going to be yielding to in about 4 minutes, because I know she has quite a bit to say about what is going on in the White House with some of the questions that have been brought about agents' lives being at stake because of political terms, or whatever the case may be; and so we can get into that discussion. But I must say that in the spring of this year we gave this administration, with no questions asked, a $79 billion blank check. No strings attached. We do not really know what the administration has spent that $79 billion on. When you ask a question, it is almost like, how can you question me? You talk to the Defense Department, and it is, we will get back to you. You talk to individuals at the State Department, and you may or may not get a return phone call. And if you do get a return phone call, they are not answering the questions. Now the administration comes again and asks for $87 billion. This Congress still has not been told of what we spent the first $79 billion on. Our Committee on Appropriations will meet on this Thursday. I would hope that the Bush administration will come forward to the Congress and share with the American people and the people that they elected to serve in this Congress, number one, what happened to the $79 billion; number two, with the anticipated $87 billion, what is really going to happen with that, and will they be back in the future to ask for more. Early in the spring, the President and others were running around here talking about shock and awe, but in the 6 months since the preemptive strike against Iraq, only the American people have been shocked and awed. We have been shocked and awed by $79 billion, and I have to keep saying it. We were shocked by the fact that over 45,000 troops did not have body armor when they went on this effort in Iraq, that we could not armor our Bradley fighting vehicles, that many of the injuries at Walter Reed Hospital and at Bethesda Hospital right now, troops that are probably watching us on the floor right now, should have had and which could have avoided their injuries. The American people have been awed by decreasing jobs that are at record rates, at tax cuts for the top 1 percent Americans, or the richest Americans in this country, at record rates. The American people have been in shock at how easy the administration has underfunded its own program, the Leave No Child Behind, that they have left millions without health insurance and watched crime increase at a rate that even makes the most patriotic American dizzy. The American people are in awe at how the Vice President and many others in this administration, as it relates to Halliburton, so easily gained $3 billion in Iraq contracts in just 4 months. The American people are awed by the fact that 180 troops have lost their lives and another 1,400 have been seriously injured since the President made his inspirational landing on the U.S.S. Lincoln to announce the end of major fighting. The American people have been shocked that State and local governments are strapped to the tune of over $70 billion, but the President is willing to spend over $8 billion in a foreign land. The American people are also awed by the request of over $80 billion in additional spending. Once again, the middle class are left behind. We are also shocked that soldiers are ducking bullets in Iraq for $26,000 or less a year but they cannot take part in the child tax credit to help their families here in the U.S. That is a major shock and awe to the American people, that this Congress and this administration would leave those families behind. The American people are also awed by the cost of just this single supplemental that dwarfs the money the President and this administration have asked for as it relates to homeland security for the entire year. We are also shocked by the lack of diplomacy expressed by the Bush administration as it jets around the globe telling countries how they should be in good grace with us versus other countries. The President went to the U.N., and I must add this, where in The New York Times it reveals that he went to the U.N. And one would assume that after all this major effort against terrorism in Iraq, after going after this person that possessed chemical weapons of mass destruction, which at the time in this very Chamber we were led to believe in the State of the Union address that these chemical weapons were going to be used, and we prayed along with the American people that our troops would be safe because chemical warfare was a major concern because of what the President, as he stood in the well where the Speaker is now and expressed this to us; and we also thought that there was some link between 9/11 and Iraq, and now all of that has evolved to be misleading statements. Well, the President went to the U.N. and we were thinking the President would go back after we told the U.N. to kind of step aside and allow us to take care of things and we went with the willing, which was very few willing, he went back and, really, no one reacted to the President because of our unwillingness to use diplomacy. I said here on the floor the last time I was here that cowboy politics is not going to get us where we need to be. It is not just politics, it is America's future. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would say to my colleagues that I have seen this Congress, when I was in the State legislature, go to great extents for far less in questioning what is happening right now. This is not speculation; these are the lives of CIA operatives, the very lives that are in countries where Americans and those who help Americans are not applauded. On behalf of not only the safety, but the sovereignty of this country, I think the gentleman's letter is well within order. I brought about questions in my own heart and mind when I did not hear the President and others who were in the White House saying listen, independent counsel? That is fine. Because we want the individual who leaked the information to be found, prosecuted, what have you. Fired is not good enough for me personally. I think the individuals who have leaked this information knowingly and willingly, revenge, political revenge, need to be punished and prosecuted. And the only way we are going to get to that, I believe, is through an independent counsel. So I think the gentleman's letter is well within order. And Mr. Rove, as far as I am concerned, politics has nothing to do, or should not have anything to do with it. Thus, as red-blooded Americans voicing our opinion and informing the American people.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) for all of his contributions here tonight and to be here this time of night sharing with the American people, and the gentleman is to be commended. I just wanted to say that the gentlewoman did hit on the donors conference that is happening on October 23. I think this Congress should hold back on the $87 billion. If we give $87 billion, then why are we having a donors conference? We went from $12 billion, saying that the donors from other places are down to $6 billion. Now there is some question about $3 billion. I am here tonight definitely on behalf of the American people of being able to share with them what they need to know. But $87 billion as it relates to Florida means $4.5 billion that we will not receive, which could equate to $672.7 billion in school construction. The governor down there is hollering about we need more money for schools. Mr. Speaker, 6,062 in new affordable housing units that could create 4,839 jobs and also 769.7 million in local and State roads and bridges that could create 27,099 jobs; 8,8,970 new firefighters and health care coverage for 434,452 people. Mr. Speaker, I am glad that both of my colleagues are here tonight.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I am just so pleased how the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), as chairman of the Black Caucus and also just as a Member of Congress, is asking the kitchen table questions. These are common questions that we took under assumption, we assumed, when the Commander in Chief, the President of the United States, and the Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, came to us and said, this is the situation, this is the case at hand, this is what we need to do. Some of us agreed, some of us did not agree, but genuinely as Americans, we said that we want to support our troops and their families; and we went right to work, thinking they were going to do the right thing. We talk about the money. Mr. Speaker, $87 billion is an awful lot of money. That will buy quite a few new schools in our country. That will put forth quite a few opportunities as it relates to our youth in our communities. But as I look through this, finally, I just want to say to the gentleman that, finally, we got a plan, or what they call a plan, from the administration on Iraq and the reconstruction of Iraq; and that is supposed to explain the $87 billion. I will tell my colleagues this, that what makes this plan flawed from the outset is the fact that this administration has said, the President, Donald Rumsfeld, and other leaders in the administration have said that we are going to the U.N. and we are going to get $12 billion from the U.N. We are talking to our friends at the U.N. Well, the President had an opportunity to go to the U.N. and make his case, but he did not make his case. He went saying the same thing that he said before to the U.N. And now, just today, just recently, the U.N. has agreed to $234 million. Mr. Speaker, $234 million is a far cry from $12 billion. We of the Committee on Armed Services talk about the future need, which this administration is very reluctant to talk about. Yesterday, I think on Tuesday, Secretary Rumsfeld went before the Committee on Appropriations as it relates to armed services or military services, defense, and was very accurate as it relates to 14,000 recruits for the Iraqi police force, and some 50-something thousand Iraqi soldiers already out there. But when we asked the question, how many troops do we have? Well, that is kind of hard to gauge right now. Well, how many coalition troops do we have, of the willing? I must add. Well, that is kind of hard to gauge also. Well, what is going to be our future for us, leave alone 12 months from now, but 6 months from now? Well, that is all so hard to predict. We are at the U.N. now trying to put together, and they talk about this coalition of countries, but the coalition of countries of the willing, they are few. There are very few countries that have come forth that have put real people and real troops on the ground. Why would they want to put troops on the ground when this administration is not willing to give up some of the decision-making in Iraq? The gentleman from Maryland hit it right on the head when he spoke so eloquently just moments ago by saying that if there is terrorism throughout the world, we cannot solve the terrorism problem throughout the world by ourselves. We do not have the money. Can I say that again? We do not have the money to be able to spend the millions, no, billions, and we are about to get to trillions, on borrowed money. Some of the things that have taken place are just ironic. I am so glad the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) and her staff and others have gone forth to really look at the kitchen table questions, like the gentleman from Maryland mentioned. We are looking at the cost of them wanting to build two prisons over in Iraq, 4,000-bed prisons, $50,000 per prison bed, when we build prison beds right here in the U.S. for $26,000. What is the difference? Once again, we look at just the issue of communications. $6,000 per radio phone. The Bush administration has requested $1.3 million for 400 hand-held radios, when here we can go down to the local Radio Shack and buy the same thing for $54.99. So when we start looking at, as we finally get outside of them saying this is what we want, do not ask any questions, because if they do not answer our questions, I say to the gentleman, then when will the questions be answered? Should we just write the check and say, okay, we are patriotic, God bless America, and Mr. President, we love you, and Mr. Rumsfeld, we trust you? At no other time in recent history has the Department of Defense taken on the rebuilding of a society which we have gone into and have conquered in a battle, which the President brought us into several months ago, that the State Department does not have a say in this. The Department of Defense is still there, so we are still at war. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to continuing this conversation.