Donald Payne

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana, the sponsor of the resolution, Mr. Jefferson.

Mr. PAYNE. Let me once again thank Chairman Berman for moving this legislation and all of those who cosponsored it. I thank Mr. Royce for his continued interest in the continent of Africa and justice in general. And with that, I yield as much time as he may consume to the chairman of the committee.

Mr. PAYNE. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Thank you very much for yielding. Let me commend the sponsor of this great resolution and also let me just commend Representative Skelton for the outstanding work that he has done for so many years in the Armed Services Committee. I stand in support of this resolution, H. Con. Res. 297, because as we all know, there were many, many African Americans who have fought valiantly through many of the wars. I'm very proud to have an uncle who just passed away 2 years ago, 3 years ago, who was in the invasion of Normandy. I used to recall as a young boy receiving the letters that he would send that were photocopied and made about the size of your hand where anything they felt was strategic was blacked out. And my Uncle John was a staff sergeant. As I mentioned, he was in the invasion of Normandy. And his wife, Ruth Garrett, who is still alive, worked in Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey for the war effort making weapons for our armed services. He was very proud when the World War II monument was opened, and he proudly sat with his uniform and his cap and his medals and made us very, very proud of his service. Even today, one of my employees, Richard Turner, is serving in Iraq. But there have been African Americans who have served for so many years. It took Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt to fly with the Tuskegee Airmen for them to finally allow the Tuskegee Airmen to fly in combat because there was resistance to that. And as we know, the first person, as a matter of fact, to die in the Revolutionary War was Crispus Attucks back in 1770 on March 5 when he and four other patriots were taken down by the British to start the Revolutionary War in the Battle of Bunker Hill where we had Crispus, and where we had Salem Poor who fought at the battle of Bunker Hill. And we can go on and on. A neighbor of mine, Needham Roberts and Sergeant Henry Johnson, captured 30 German soldiers in World War I and kept them captive for over a month. And people wondered how two soldiers could have kept so many enemy soldiers at bay. And so I am so proud to have this recognition and certainly pay tribute to Harry S. Truman. He was a person who had said ``the buck stops here.'' He was from Missouri. He said that he'll take the heat, and he did. And so I would just like to once again commend so many of the men and women who continue even today to show their appreciation and strength for our Nation as they serve valiantly in the United States Armed Services.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Let me begin by thanking my fellow colleagues, Mr. Sherman included, who joined me in the cosponsorship of this commemorative resolution, which honors Justice Thurgood Marshall's legacy and his dedication to civil rights and public service. Thurgood Marshall was born the grandson of a slave back in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 2, 1908. Marshall's mother, Norma Marshall, was one of the first black persons to graduate from Columbia Teacher's College in New York City. His father, William Canfield Marshall, worked as a railroad porter and as head steward at an exclusive white club. Mr. Marshall was the first black person to serve on a grand jury in Baltimore in the 20th century. Thurgood Marshall grew up in Baltimore and graduated from an all- black high school at the age of 16. During his childhood, his parents taught him to argue by making him prove every statement he made and by challenging every point he made. At school, as it was mentioned earlier, when Thurgood Marshall got into trouble, the principal would make him sit in the basement and read the U.S. Constitution. Students couldn't return to class until a section of the Constitution was memorized. Evidently Thurgood Marshall had an opportunity, because he memorized a great deal of the Constitution, but that moved him into the interest of being a lawyer rather than a dentist, which his mother wanted him to be. After graduating from high school, Justice Marshall attended Lincoln University, a historically black university in Chester, Pennsylvania, a school that many outstanding blacks from the United States and abroad went to, including the first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. However, education was such a priority for the Marshall family that Mrs. Marshall sold her engagement ring in order to send Thurgood Marshall to school. After his graduation with honors at Lincoln University, Justice Marshall applied to the University of Maryland Law School. He was not accepted because he was black, and that set in motion the events of his future. That same year, Marshall was accepted at Howard Law School, and he went on to graduate in the class of 1933. Upon graduating, Justice Marshall started his own practice in Baltimore. The next year he discovered the NAACP and became an active member. As a matter of fact, Justice Marshall then sued the University of Maryland's law school, where he was not admitted, and won the case about discrimination. So he did get justice in the end. From 1940 to 1961, Thurgood Marshall served as legal director of the NAACP, which allowed him to travel throughout the United States representing numerous court cases. Most of the clients had disputes involving questions of racial justice, which ranged from common crimes to appellate advocacy, raising the most intricate matters of constitutional law. I had the privilege to follow his work very closely, because I was then president in the middle 1950s of the NAACP youth councils in college chapters and attended the NAACP convention in Detroit in 1957 when Dr. Martin Luther King received the Spingarn Award. Of course, Thurgood Marshall was still a person that we all admired. As we heard, out of the 32 cases, he won 29 of them, earning more Supreme Court victories than any other individual before the Supreme Court and as chief counsel of the NAACP, the landmark Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which overturned Plessy v. Ferguson of 1897, saying that ``separate but equal'' was constitutional. In 1961, John F. Kennedy appointed Thurgood Marshall to the United States Court of Appeals in the Second Circuit, despite heavy opposition from many southern Senators. Thurgood Marshall served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1961 to 1965. As we heard, he wrote 112 opinions, none of which was overturned on appeal. In 1965, President Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall to the position of solicitor general, which he held from 1965 to 1967. Then in 1967, President Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall as the first African American Justice to serve on the Supreme Court. During his 24 years of service in the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall promoted affirmative action and sought protection for the rights of all Americans. In 1992, he was honored with the Liberty Medal recognizing his long history of protecting individual rights of women, children, prisoners, and homeless.

Mr. PAYNE. Justice Marshall once said, ``Sometimes history takes things into its own hands.'' His commitment to civil rights and public service resonate still today. I ask you to listen to the words of Justice Marshall and strongly support this resolution by recognizing his contributions to humanity, acknowledged July 2, 2008, the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, every month this year the Bush economy has lost more jobs than it has created. In June, 62,000 jobs were lost bringing the total number this year to 428,000 jobs lost. Yet President Bush and some Washington Republicans continue to contend that our economy is not in a recession. These job numbers were particularly devastating to the 3.8 million workers who have lost their jobs and continue to struggle to find new work. It's difficult to find a job when the economy is simply not producing them. That's why the Democrats fought hard to pass legislation to extend unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks to more than 1.6 million Americans who have been hurt by President Bush's economic policies. This money will allow workers in my home State of New Jersey and throughout the Nation to pay their bills and put food on the table while they continue to look for a job. Extending unemployment insurance is just another example of how Democrats are changing the way business is done in Washington. No longer are the needs of working families forgotten in this Congress.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, with the Bush economy losing 325 jobs so far this year, it is important for the House to extend a financial lifeline to millions of unemployed workers, many in my home State of New Jersey and across the Nation, who are having trouble finding jobs. Today, 1.6 million Americans have exhausted all of their unemployment benefits. The numbers are expected to grow to more than 3 million Americans by the end of this year. Last week, with strong support from both Democrats and Republicans, this House passed legislation giving workers and their families an extended 13 weeks of benefits so that they don't have to worry about losing their homes and their cars while they're looking for work. For weeks, despite continued bad economic news and huge job losses in the airline and auto industries, the White House actually threatened to veto the legislation. Fortunately, they have reconsidered, and they are now supporting that the unemployment insurance will continue.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, let me join in with my colleagues in expressing support for the designation of September 2008 for Gospel Music Heritage Month. And let me commend the sponsor, Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee, for her initiative to make the gospel music national art form as we've seen with jazz in the past. And let me thank the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) for his support of this legislation. Let me say that this resolution certainly recognizes gospel music's contribution in American culture by celebrating its rich heritage and artists for the entire month of September. It is very important that we recognize and celebrate the vital role gospel music has played in music history and also in contemporary times. Gospel music has been woven into the fabric of American history spanning generations from rock and roll, country, to blues, R&B, and even hip hop. Gospel music roots can be many musical genres, and we love that today. Not only has gospel music entertained the masses, but its spiritual roots have spread the hope to many souls around the world. As you know, the history of gospel can be traced back to the African American spirituals that blended diverse elements from traditional music, folk songs, and hymns and ultimately borrowed from other American musical styles including ragtime, jazz, and the blues. The first Negro spirituals were inspired by the hardship of slavery yet enlightened by the hope and faith of God. They were used to send messages to express personal feelings and uplift broken spirits. They told a story of a generation, and each era's sense of belief, hence the word ``gospel.'' As traditional Negro spirituals continued to be sung, new spiritual songs were created. The lyrics of these songs were sung and they dealt with the praise of the Lord with personal improvement and with brotherly community life. Many of them were inspired by social problems, segregation, lack of love, and the list goes on and on. Words from traditional spirituals were slightly changed and adapted to special events. For example, the words of ``Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho (and the walls came tumbling down)'' was changed into ``marching around Selma.''

Mr. PAYNE. Instruments would later be infused in the culture influencing some of the most memorable voices, and we heard them, in particular Mahalia Jackson and Roberta Martin, and many, many others. Later we heard Marvin Gaye and Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin. But in our local town of Norton, we had people at New Hope Baptist Church where Sissy Houston is still the head of music there, and Sissy Houston came out of our New Hope Baptist Church and Dionne Warwick preceded them, all in the same choir at New Hope Baptist Church. So therefore without doubt, gospel music deserves national recognition, and that is why I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 370, designating September as National Gospel Music Heritage Month.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues here in the House of Representatives to join me as I rise to recognize and honor a great institution of higher learning, Rutgers University-Newark as it celebrates its 100th anniversary. A gala being held on June 19, 2008 at the Paul Robeson Campus Center in honor of this important milestone will feature a variety of distinguished alumni, supporters, faculty, staff and students. The theme of the centennial, ``A Century of Reaching Higher,'' celebrates the transformation of two law schools, a business college and two colleges of arts and science into one of the Nation's leading urban research universities. Rutgers University-Newark has a rich and illustrious history. Founded in 1908 as a law school by New York attorney Richard Currier, the university has a rich tradition of diversity. The law school, the Seth Boyden School of Business and the Dana College merged in 1936 and became the University of Newark. In the 1940s, the University of Newark and Rutgers University joined together to form a geographically diverse public State university with programs in a broad variety of undergraduate and graduate disciplines. In the 1960s the university acquired a large parcel of land in what is now known as the University Heights District and construction began on the modern campus. Today, Rutgers University-Newark is a modern urban research university of 38 acres where 10,500 students pursue degrees in business, law, the arts and sciences, nursing, criminal justice, public administration, and global affairs. During its 100 years of existence, Rutgers University- Newark has been inclusive in its recruitment which has in turn created a mosaic of student diversity. The gala will celebrate the university's legacy in the State's largest city, particularly in the areas of educational opportunity, urban engagement, diversity and research. Proceeds from the gala will support scholarship funds, including scholarships for students in the State's first undergraduate major in public service, to be offered by the Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration beginning in the fall of 2008. Madam Speaker, I am sure my colleagues agree that Rutgers University- Newark deserves to be feted at the gala in honor of its 100th anniversary. I am proud to have this fine university in my Congressional district and wish everyone associated with Rutgers University-Newark continued success in the future.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1270) commending the efforts of those who sought to block an international arms transfer destined for Zimbabwe, where the government has unleashed a campaign of violence and intimidation against members of the political opposition, and for other purposes.

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, let me begin by thanking the ranking member of the full committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for introducing this very important resolution. Since the March 29, 2008 presidential and parliamentarian elections in Zimbabwe and the 5-week delay in announcing the presidential victory, President Robert Mugabe of ZANU-PF has carried out a reign of terror on opposition supporters, opposition leaders, and civil society. Mr. Mugabe's effort to coerce and intimidate the people of Zimbabwe before the June 27 runoff have included the torture and beating of over 900 people and the loss of dozens of lives. I strongly support H. Res. 1270, commending the efforts of the southern African governments who sought to block an international arms transfer destined for Zimbabwe. The resolution specifically, one, recognizes and commends the efforts of southern African trade unions, religious leaders and advocacy groups to raise awareness about the possibility of weapons transfers to Zimbabwe as part of the campaign to address the worsening political, economic and humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe; recognizes and commends the effort of those southern African governments which denied access through their national territories for a weapons shipment destined to be received by a regime that continues to perpetuate gross human rights violations against its own citizens; urges the United States to continue to work with African governments and multilateral institutions to compel Mr. Robert Mugabe's regime to respect the will of its citizens and find a peaceful and timely solution to the current political standoff; and urges the Permanent Representative to the United States at the United Nations to advocate for an international moratorium on all shipments of arms, weapons, and related goods and services to Zimbabwe until the current political crisis has been resolved and democracy, human rights and the rule of law are respected by the Government of Zimbabwe. The successful transportation of arms into Zimbabwe may have increased the political violence that already exists. It is critically important that the international community work together with regional leaders at the Africa Union and sub-regional organizations to foster a peaceful resolution towards the human rights violations facing the Zimbabwean people. Madam Speaker, with that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, the American people are rightfully concerned about the high cost of gas, and they are looking for solutions that will provide some immediate relief. We don't need more of the stale rhetoric of the past 7 years that we have heard from the Bush administration and their so-called energy policy. President Bush and congressional Republicans continue to argue that opening one of America's treasures, the Arctic refuge, to oil drilling will lower gas prices. That's simply not true. Ask the experts. That is the conclusion of the Bush administration's own Energy Information Administration, which estimates that opening the Arctic refuge to drilling today will save only a few pennies a gallon 20 years from now. Sadly, this is the Republican solution to addressing the high prices that they created. The American people are looking for action. That's exactly what this Democratic House has been doing over the past couple of months. Unfortunately, we need help from our friends across the aisle because President Bush remains committed to failed policies.

Mr. PAYNE

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

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, let me express my appreciation to the ranking member of the Africa Subcommittee, Mr. Smith from New Jersey, for all the good work that he continues to do in the human rights area, and to the former Chair of the Africa subcommittee, Mr. Royce, who continues to maintain a very strong interest in the continent. We owe it to the people of Zimbabwe. The inflation rate is over 165,000 percent, worst in the world, almost impossible to calculate. Several weeks ago, Mr. Mugabe expelled the remaining international humanitarian aid groups from his country, therefore making it even worse for his people. And so we must see a change. With that, Madam Speaker, I urge passage of H. Res. 1230 and urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1230) condemning postelection violence in Zimbabwe and calling for a peaceful resolution to the current political crisis, as amended.

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself as much time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, let me begin by expressing my appreciation to the unanimous support of the Congressional Black Caucus, all 21 other Members, who have joined as original cosponsors to this resolution condemning post-election violence in Zimbabwe and calling for a peaceful resolution to the current political crisis. Madam Speaker, assertive U.S. diplomatic engagement has contributed to conflict resolution in many African countries, especially over the past decade. Zimbabwe is one of the few exceptions, unfortunately. While many African countries moved to embrace democracy and rule of law, the dictatorship in Zimbabwe has taken the once promising country to a state of anarchy and haplessness. President Robert Mugabe has been in power in the country since it got its independence in 1980, along with Joshua Nkomo, one of the great freedom fighters. The two joined in building Zimbabwe in its early days. Great strides were made, especially in education, and Zimbabwe became a leader in that area throughout Africa. The country began to progress during those early days; however, when multiparty elections were introduced, the Mugabe regime began to lose its prominence. The Movement for Democratic Change, MDC, became an alternative to ZANU-PF. In reaction to the winds of democracy, the Mugabe regime cracked down on the opposition party and thwarted democracy. The people of Zimbabwe have suffered since that time under the brutal dictatorship of the Mugabe regime. The recent elections in Zimbabwe in March were a clear signal by the people of Zimbabwe that they wanted real change. Yet, Mr. Mugabe once again is in the process of crushing the democratic aspiration of the people of that country. Instead of stepping aside, his regime has been engaged in a brutal crackdown against opposition elements. Dozens of people have been killed, and leaders of the opposition have been imprisoned. The international community has done very little to help bring about change in Zimbabwe. We should not allow one dictator to ruin the way of life for millions of innocent civilians. Enough is enough. The 1990s saw the spread of democracy across the continent of Africa, once dominated by military dictators and authoritarian leaders. The ghastly civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia have finally come to an end. Cote d'Ivoire now is moving in the right direction. The DRC crisis, which erupted in 1998 and threatened to disintegrate the entire subcontinent, actually ended after a long and dedicated effort by African leaders that came up with a solution to that war of many countries in the DRC. In 2006, the Democratic Republic of Congo held its first democratic elections in years. Yet Zimbabwe still suffers from a brutal dictatorship. The African Union, despite limited resources and capacity to deploy peacekeepers to a number of countries, have done so in several instances without delay. The African Union deployed an African mission to Burundi back in May of 2003 after an agreement was signed in order to support a cease-fire accord and to ensure implementation of the agreement. Troops have been deployed to Sudan in the north-south dispute and even to the Darfur region. Actually, in Somalia, Ugandan peacekeepers are there under the auspices of the A.U., even though there is a controversial intrusion of Ethiopian troops. Yet the A.U. has not been as vocal as many believe it should have been in the support of the suffering people of Zimbabwe. African leaders must speak out. Prime Minister Odinga of Kenya, a long-time democracy advocate, said it right. He recently stated, ``It is sad that many African heads of state have remained quiet when disaster is looming in Zimbabwe.'' We must act now to end the suffering. We must do what we can to protect and support the people of Zimbabwe. My resolution, H. Res. 1230, calls for an immediate end to the violence, harassment and destruction that is ongoing in Zimbabwe at the expense of a once vibrant population. It calls on the government of Zimbabwe to create an environment conducive to a peaceful transition. It encourages the political parties to commit to forming a government that reflects the will of the Zimbabwean people and promotes national unity, the restoration of the rule of law, and genuine democracy. It advocates a mechanism such as a Truth and Reconciliation Commission through which to ensure accountability of all groups and individuals who are found to have orchestrated or committed a human rights violation in the context of the election. It urges the United Nations, A.U. and SADC to dispatch special envoys to Zimbabwe without delay, with a mandate to monitor the run-off elections and to come up with a peaceful resolution to the problem. It urges the international community, under the leadership of the U.N., A.U., SADC and the SADC Parliamentary Forum to deploy teams of credible persons to serve as monitors to ensure that the outcome of the presidential run-off elections reflects the will of the Zimbabwean people. We conclude by commending the people of Zimbabwe for their continued courage in the face of systematic prosecution and intimidation and abuse, and commit to providing continued humanitarian assistance until the economic crisis is resolved. It commends the actions being taken by activists, civil society, churches, people who are in support of human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe, and we stand in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution and support this peaceful reconciliation, national healing, and let's restore democracy to Zimbabwe and lead this country back to the greatness that it once had. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I reserve my time.