Ted Poe

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. I thank the gentlelady for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the work that the chairman and the ranking member have done on this initiative. However, I rise in opposition to this legislation before the House. As a former prosecutor and longtime judge in Texas, I am concerned about drugs and violence on the border, but I am also concerned about corruption. According to the DEA, 500 people were murdered in Nuevo Laredo in 2005. None of those cases was solved. Many of those murdered were police officers. There have been 400 kidnappings in Nuevo Laredo. Forty-one of them were American citizens. None of them have been solved. I doubt if anyone would be surprised to find out that the drug cartels are to blame for most of the violence on the border. What you might be surprised to learn is that U.S.-trained Mexican forces are behind some of the attacks. The Department of Homeland Security has reported that in the last 10 years, there have been over 250 incursions by suspected Mexican military units into the United States. In order to gain control of access corridors in the United States, drug cartels are hiring hit men from an elite force in Mexico's military. This group is known as the ``Zetas.'' It has been reported that some of the Zetas are military deserters that may have been trained in the United States at the former School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia. Reports claim that these forces were sent by the Mexican Government to the United States-Mexico border to combat drug trafficking. Instead, some of them deserted and became assassins for the Mexican drug cartels. Officials suspect that there are more than 200 Zetas. Between January and September of last year, nearly 5,000 Mexican soldiers deserted. Many of them went to work for the drug cartels because they pay more money. The bill before the House today would authorize $1.5 billion in money, training and equipment over the next 5 years to Mexico. Most of that amount, more than $1 billion, would go, as I said, to Mexico. And Mexico in its arrogance objects to any conditions we want to put on this money. The administration can offer us no assurance that our equipment and training won't be used against us and neither can Mexico. These forces are violent. They kill people and are a danger to the enforcement of our border, especially to our sheriffs. We've tried to work with Mexico in the past to stop drug trafficking. Every new president talks about how they are going to stop the drug trade, but it never has worked. Why should we send $1 billion to Mexico when we have no idea whether the goods we send will end up in the hands of corrupt Mexican officials and be used against us? Rather than sending all this money and equipment to Mexico and the lawless Mexican officials at the border, we ought to be equipping United States border sheriffs who can use this equipment to protect our homeland. We need to keep our money on this side of the border where we need it and where we can keep up with it. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, with all the gloom, doom and despair about the high gasoline prices, there is a remedy to this pessimistic pump panic. Before we start passing out bicycles to the multitudes or start going to Dr. Phil for therapy, we can and should obtain more crude oil here in America. Crude oil will still be the driving energy of this Nation for the foreseeable future until we find some alternative. And we don't need to line the pockets of OPEC and Third World dictators by begging them for more crude. We already give them $425 million a day! The U.S. Geological Survey has released a report that says the ``sweet crude'' oil find in the Williston-Bakken Basin is larger than first believed. It is enormous. According to the report, it is over 500 billion barrels, and it is located in the Dakotas. It is 15 times larger than the oil in the Alaskan North Slope. America needs to take care of America. We need to remove the silly restrictions that prohibit drilling. We need to drill in the Badlands of the Dakotas; remove the offshore drilling ban; drill in Alaska; and we can cure this pump panic disease. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

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

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, I bring you news from the second front. The second front, of course, is the border we have, the southern border, where there is a war going on. It's a border war between the United States and those people who wish to enter the United States illegally. During my travels to the Texas/Mexico border and, really, the southern border with Mexico, I've traveled all the way from San Diego to Brownsville, Texas meeting with the various law enforcement officers. Of course I've met with the Border Patrol, but more recently I've met with the sheriffs along the Texas/Mexico border. Let me make it clear. The Border Patrol does as good a job as we will let them do. They patrol the first 25 miles inland into the United States. But that's all they patrol. And if an illegal individual, no matter who they are, comes into the United States and gets past that 25-mile marker, it's up to somebody else to patrol that area. And much of that time it's left up to the sheriffs throughout the States of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California. The sheriffs patrol the entire county. And let me give you an example. When a crime is committed in a county, a person calls 911, and 911 transfers them to the Sheriff's Department, not to the Border Patrol, because it's not important at the time where that crime or where that criminal came from. And many times those criminals are cross-border criminals. They come into the United States from all over the world to commit crimes and then flee back across the southern border. And it's up to the sheriffs to protect the citizens of those counties. Just to give you an example of a couple of counties, I've visited with Sheriff Arvin West of Hudspeth County. That's way over here in West Texas. That's a county that's the size of Delaware. And Sheriff West, like most of the 16 border sheriffs along the Texas/Mexico border, they look like sheriffs from Texas, they act like sheriffs from Texas. But, to a person, they are relentless in protecting their communities from criminal conduct. And much of that conduct is the result of the failure of the United States of America to protect the border from people coming into the United States without permission. It is the duty, the first duty of government, to protect us from invasion by any source and by any means, and that includes anyone that comes into this country without permission. Most recently, I've gone all the way to the other end of Texas, down to Cameron County, Texas where Brownsville is. It's a unique county because most of that county borders water, either the Rio Grande River or the Gulf of Mexico. And I've watched, and I went down with Sheriff Omar Lucio and some of his deputies who also are a relentless bunch of Texas deputy sheriffs trying to protect the border. He, like Arvin West on the other side don't have a big budget for vehicles. So the way they get vehicles, Madam Speaker, is they have to confiscate the drug dealers' vehicles, those SUVs. And then once those are confiscated, they use those because they don't have enough money to fund their own transportation on the border. As Sheriff Lucio said, the drug dealers, the drug cartels outman them, they outspend them, and they outgun them. That's because they have more money than we have on this side of the border. And to give you an example of how the drug cartels work, and how it is very difficult for the sheriffs and the Border Patrol to stop the invasion of the drugs, down here on the Texas/Mexico border, the Rio Grande River is about as wide as this House of Representatives. And planes fly in from Mexico. They fly out into the Gulf of Mexico, come straight in across the Gulf of Mexico and the border of the United States, and they drop their cocaine, marijuana, and then other drug mules pick that up and move that throughout the United States on these interstates that are depicted on this map. So it's important that we give the border sheriffs the resources that they need. And part of that can come from the Merida Initiative. The administration has offered and is promoting the idea of sending $1.4 billion in equipment and training to the other side of the border, to the Mexican side to fight the drug cartels. Good intentioned, but in all due fairness, the history of Mexico along the border is not good. There is corruption, and many of the military and the police have started working with the drug cartels, some of whom have been trained in the United States have gone over to the other side. Maybe that money would be better spent if we left it on our side of the border and gave that money to the sheriffs to patrol this entire area. We should give the sheriffs surplus military vehicles that have come back from Iraq and let them patrol all this area, because you cannot patrol this part of Texas with a Prius. We have to use some type of SUV or pickup truck. And it's important that we do this. The number one duty of government is public safety. Madam Speaker, June 6, 1944, the anniversary is tomorrow. We sent thousands of Americans over the lands and over the seas to protect the borders of countries that had been invaded. France, Belgium, Czechoslovakia and other nations, and it's the duty of our country to protect us from the invasion coming south of the border. We should send the military to the southern portion of our border and have the moral will to stop the invasion into the United States. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, there are alarming events that keep occurring regarding crude oil spills that seem to go unnoticed by the environmentalists and the media. Off the gulf coast, and even off the sacred west coast of California, crude oil spills have become so noticeable that scientists can see the sources from satellites. Can you believe it? The culprit should be sued and brought to court because that is what the environmentalists do to save us from the nasty crude oil. The offender is Mother Nature. You see, Mr. Speaker, thousands of metric tons a year of crude oil naturally seep to the surface in the Gulf of Mexico and off the west coast. Mother Nature is the cause of most offshore crude oil spills, and this must be stopped. Why don't we just remove all that crude oil that is seeping from beneath the ocean? That will eliminate oil from coming to the surface. The way to do that is to drill offshore, take out all that oil from underneath the ocean, and stop Mother Nature from polluting. Congress needs to remove the silly offshore drilling restrictions to give us more supply. That will help bring down the price of gasoline, stop pollution, and we can teach Mother Nature a lesson or two. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, out on the arid, dusty high plains of west Texas, where the land was once the home of thousands of oil derricks, the landscape is now dotted with windmills--the new turbine clean energy. Texas is the wind energy capital of North America, supplying power to over 1 million homes. But now the environmental fear lobby wants to stop these turbines because they may pose a threat to bats and birds. They are the same radicals who have successfully prevented America from drilling for more crude oil at home, like in west Texas. These are the same batty people who have demanded we go to wind energy in the first place. Now they are worried about the bats and the birds that fly at night may be running into the windmills. Of course, there is no evidence to support this bat mania claim. Anyway, we all learned in third grade bats have a radar-like ability to navigate at night in caves and open terrain. The National Academy of Sciences stated: Birds have more to fear from high buildings, power lines, and cats than they do from the blades of windmills. We cannot allow the rich elites of the environmental fear lobby to destroy America's energy production. Otherwise, we will all end up going back living in the dark caves, with the bats. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, during the last week I had opportunity to go to the Texas Rio Grande Valley and visit with some relentless lawmen that represent the State of Texas down on the Texas-Mexico border. I had the privilege to be the guest of Valley Sheriff Omar Lucio. We call it the Valley. It's really the Rio Grande Valley that separates the United States from Mexico. And he is the Sheriff in the tip of Texas where it meets Brownsville and Metamoras. This map here has a photograph or a drawing of where Sheriff Lucio is Sheriff in Cameron County, the red area. Most of his county borders the water. Some of it borders the Gulf of Mexico. Some of it borders the Rio Grande River. And he's been Sheriff there for 3 years. I went there as his guest to see the way it really is on the Texas- Mexico border and how the violence and the crime is causing a tremendous problem to the locals who live in that area. Sheriff Lucio is from the Valley. He was born in San Benito, Texas, and he started his law enforcement career in Harlingen, Texas, as a peace officer; and he retired as a captain of police from Harlingen. He's an educated individual from Pan American University. He has a degree in criminal justice and a degree in sociology, and he's also a graduate of the FBI academy at Quantico. Prior to being Sheriff, he was also the Chief of Police of the City of Mercedes, and he is on the Texas Sheriff's Association, and more importantly, the Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition. What that is, Mr. Speaker, is the Sheriffs, the 16 county Sheriffs that border Mexico and Texas, all the Sheriffs form a coalition because of the tremendous problems they have as law enforcement officers protecting their communities. Let me try to explain it to you this way: When a crime is committed in a county, even if it is committed by some outlaw that has crossed the border illegally into the United States, the people affected do not call the border patrol, they call the local Sheriff, whether it is a burglary, auto theft, robbery, or a murder. The Sheriffs are the ones who are called because of the crimes that are committed in those counties and not the border patrol. The border patrol patrols, as the law says, 25 to 30 miles inside the Texas-Mexico border. Most of the Texas counties are a lot bigger than 25 miles. In fact, Cameron County, where Sheriff Lucio is Sheriff, is 1,300 square miles. Now, 300 miles of that is water border. And his biggest concern is the drug cartels that infiltrate the United States from Mexico. I want to mention that some of the information I received from Sheriff Lucio was quite remarkable, and I'm very impressed with the intelligence-gathering network that he has. Without going into that--it would not be proper for me to tell you how he gathers his information-- but he gathers information from all sources, and he knows as much as anybody, including Homeland Security, as to what is taking place with the drug cartels that are infiltrating especially his county. And he's concerned about the turf wars in Juarez, Mexico, and Laredo, and concerned that they will spread down further south into Metamoras, which is across the border from his main town of Brownsville, Texas. He says that the illegal criminals that come into his county are the biggest threat to not only national security but the security of the folks who live in that area. And he was very concerned about some of the proposals that the Homeland Security has for trying to protect that area. There are 70 miles of fence proposed in that area, and Homeland Security is even proposing a fence so far inland that it cuts part of Texas' southmost college in half. Half of that college will be on the southern side of this fence. And that is probably not a good idea, and I would invite the Homeland Security chief to go down to that area and see some of the area and why it's impractical in that area to have a fence. Maybe in other parts of Texas, but certainly not in this particular part of the area. His deputy sheriffs, Mr. Speaker, make $24,000 a year, $24,000 a year patrolling this rugged territory between Mexico and the United States. And I met a good number of those deputy sheriffs and some of his lieutenants, and I insert the names of The Posse, as I call them, into the Record at this point. Gus Reyna, Jr., Chief Deputy; Javier Reyna, Captain; Lt. Carlos Garza, Investigations; Mike Leinart, Chief Jail Administrator; Lt. Domingo Diaz; Lt. Tony Lopez; Lt. Rick Perez; Lt. Dionicio Cortez; Sgt. Andy Arreola; Inv. Alvaro Guerra; Inv. Leo Silva. And to a man, they are all determined to protect the citizens of Cameron County, Texas, from criminals from any source. But they talk about the biggest problem they have is the fact that the border is not secure, that criminals come across the border, whether it is drug cartels or just old-fashioned robbers, and then they go back home across the border. And he is asking that he and other border Sheriffs get more manpower down on the border. I told him that fence was going to cost $1 million a mile. He said he would rather take that $70 million that's going in his county for fences and have more personnel, more equipment, because the drug cartels have better equipment, more money, better fire power than he does. In fact, speaking of equipment, I noticed that he didn't really have a lot of patrol vehicles. The way they get their vehicles, because they don't have a budget for vehicles, is they have to confiscate the drug dealers' vehicles, and they turn those over and become part of his operation. So I want to thank him for his work down on the Texas-Mexico border, and the Cameron County folks are safer because of Sheriff Lucio and his relentless deputy sheriffs. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, the little fellow from Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is ranting and saber rattling again against Israel and the United States. The L.A. Times reports the dictator said, ``The Zionist regime of Israel . . . is about to die and will soon be erased from the scene''. And, ``The time for the fall of the satanic power of the United States has come and the countdown to annihilation . . . has started.'' The devil of the desert is preaching hate and murder in the name of radical Islam. Throughout history more people have been murdered, pillaged, tortured, and plundered in the name of religion than any other reason. With Iran's dictator's involvement in supplying aid against the United States in Iraq, his support of Hezbollah, and his desire to have nuclear weapons to use against Israel, the world of nations must not diminish this loose cannon's evil ambition. Freedom-loving people of all nations and religions must see the dictator as a menace. Hopefully, the people of Iran will replace their trigger-happy leader with a regime that wants peace. In the meantime Ahmadinejad should never doubt the United States' resolve for a safe and secure Israel. The U.S. will do whatever necessary to keep the flame of liberty burning at home and in the Middle East, even if the little fellow doesn't like it. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. ``From this day to the ending of the world, we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.'' Mr. Speaker, Shakespeare penned this in Henry V. It represents the unfailing commitment soldiers have for their fellow comrades. Since 2004, 26 men and women from the Second Congressional District area of Texas have served honorably and given their lives for the cause of freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan; 26 times I have come to this House floor to talk about one of them. This Memorial Day I would like to honor them again by name. They aren't just a statistic, Mr. Speaker. They are real people who gave their life for the American cause. They are the sons and daughters of America, and they are our heroes. In America's first war fighting for freedom, it was said by Patrick Henry, ``The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, and to the brave.'' We are fortunate that those words still ring true today and that American troops overseas carry those values into battle. I keep the photos of the fallen in all of my offices here in D.C. and in Texas, and the noble few who have died for the rest of us in the Second Congressional District of Texas are on this chart, Mr. Speaker. They are: Russell Slay, Staff Sergeant in the United States Army, from Humble, Texas. He was killed on November 19, 2004, at the age of 28. Wesley Canning, Lance Corporal, United States Marine Corps, from Friendswood, Texas, killed November 20, 2004, at the age of 21. Fred Maciel, Lance Corporal, United States Marine Corps, from Spring, Texas, killed January 26, 2005, at the age of 20. Wesley Riggs, Private First Class, United States Army, from Beach City, Texas, killed May 14, 2005, at the age of 19. William Meeuwsen, Sergeant, United States Army, from Kingwood, Texas, killed November 23, 2005, at the age of 24. Robert Martinez, Lance Corporal, United States Marine Corps, from Cleveland, Texas. He was killed December 1, 2005, at the age of 20. And a post office in his hometown is named in his honor. Jerry Michael Durbin, Staff Sergeant, United States Army, from Spring, Texas, killed January 26, 2006, at the age of 26. Walter Moss, Tech Sergeant, United States Air Force, from Houston, Texas, killed on March 30, 2006, at the age of 27. Kristian Menchaca, Private First Class in the United States Army, from Houston, Texas, killed June 16, 2006, at the age of 23. Benjamin Williams, Staff Sergeant, United States Army, from Orange, Texas. He was killed at the age of 30 on June 20, 2006. Ryan Miller, Lance Corporal, United States Marine Corps, from Pearland, Texas, killed September 14, 2006, at the age of 19. Edward Reynolds, Staff Sergeant, United States Army, from Groves, Texas. He was killed on September 26, 2006, at the age of 27. West Point graduate Michael Fraser, Captain, United States Army, from Houston, Texas, killed on November 26, 2006, at the age of 25. Luke Yepsen, Lance Corporal, United States Marine Corps, from Kingwood, Texas, killed December 14, 2006. He was 20 years of age. Dustin Donica, Specialist, United States Army, from Spring, Texas, killed on December 28, 2006, at the age of 22. Ryan Berg, Specialist in the United States Army, from Sabine Pass, Texas. He was killed January 9, 2007, at the age of 19. Terrance Dunn, Staff Sergeant, United States Army, from Houston, Texas, killed February 2, 2007, at the age of 38. Anthony Aguirre, Lance Corporal, United States Marine Corps, from Houston, Texas, killed February 26, 2007, at the age of 20. Brandon Bobb, PFC, United States Army, from Port Arthur, Texas, killed July 17, 2007. He was 20 years of age. Zachary Endsley, Private First Class, United States Army, Spring, Texas, killed on July 23, 2007, at the age of 21. Kamisha Block, Specialist, United States Army, from Vidor, Texas, killed August 16, 2007. She was 20 years of age. She is one of our female warriors who was killed in combat. Donald Valentine III, Corporal in the United States Army, from Houston, Texas, killed September 18, 2007. He was 21. Jeremy Burris, Lance Corporal, United States Marine Corps, from Liberty, Texas, killed October 8, 2007, at the age of 22. Eric Duckworth, Staff Sergeant, United States Army, from Plano, Texas, killed October 10, 2007. He was 26. Scott Mackintosh, Corporal, United States Army, from Humble, Texas, killed March 10, 2008, at the age of 26. Shawn Tousha, Sergeant, United States Army, from Hull, Texas, killed April 9, 2008. He was 30. Mr. Speaker, these 26 warriors represent the best of our Nation. They are the sons of liberty, the daughters of democracy. These few, these noble few, on this chart are American warriors who take care of the rest of us. In the words of George Orwell, ``We sleep safe at night in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would try to do us harm.'' The American soldier. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Chairman, I am proud to introduce this Amendment with Congresswoman Louise McIntosh Slaughter. Nearly 3 years ago, a distraught father contacted my office asking for help for his daughter, Jamie Leigh Jones. Jamie was a 20 year old, KBR contractor in Iraq. After only 4 days in the Green Zone, Jamie was drugged and gang-raped by her coworkers. When she woke up in the morning, she was naked, bruised, and bleeding. She saw 1 of her coworkers beside her and he confirmed that they had unprotected sex. She immediately contacted her supervisors and was taken to an Army hospital, where an Army doctor performed a rape kit. Rape kits are essential in future prosecutions because they preserve forensic evidence. The Army doctor took photographs of Jamie and informed Jamie that she was raped by multiple men. She has had reconstructive surgery. What happened next is appalling. Jamie was locked in a guarded shipping container for 24 hours. Her supervisors told her this was for her safety, but she was not provided food or water and she was not allowed to contact anyone. Jamie finally convinced a sympathetic guard to let her use his cell phone and Jamie called her dad for help. After speaking with Jamie's father, my staff and I contacted the State Department and within 2 days, 2 agents from the State Department had rescued Jamie. Since Jamie's return in America, she has not had justice. Although a grand jury was finally convened, 2\1/2\ years later, there is still no indictment. We learned that Jamie's important rape kit was turned over to her employer, KBR, instead of to the proper law enforcement personnel. KBR then lost and recovered the rape kit, but it is incomplete. KBR has stonewalled cooperation with authorities on the investigation regarding what occurred to this and other victims in Iraq. This Amendment is very straight forward. It requires defense contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan to report violent crimes committed against or by their contracted employees to the Department of Defense and that the information must be made public. It also requires defense contractors to provide for victims with medical and psychological assistance. This Amendment is one step in the right direction for bringing justice to victims. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I am alarmed by news in Newsweek magazine. I quote: ``There are ominous signs that the Earth's weather patterns have begun to change dramatically, and these changes may cause a drastic decline in food production. ``The evidence has begun to accumulate so massively that meteorologists are hard pressed to keep up with it. The changes in temperature have taken the planet a sixth of the way toward the Ice Age average.'' That's right, Mr. Speaker, this article from April 1975 predicts the next ice age. It even suggests melting the polar cap and stockpiling food. I believed these scientists and thought we were going to all freeze in the dark. Now meteorologists are claiming we're all doomed because of global warming. These meteorologists can't even predict tomorrow's weather, but claim to know as fact about global warming in the future. The climate is changing, but is it man's fault? Is it getting too cold or too hot? Can we control the weather? Scientists even today disagree. Before Congress continues to practice the religion of global warming and passing expensive legislation that takes away our personal liberty, we'd better come back to Earth and deal with the truth. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, it has been said that a real leader faces the music, even when he doesn't like the tune. Country music superstar Clay Walker has heard sour notes in his life before, but like a real leader he has stood strong and fought for what he believes is right. Because of his tireless dedication to fighting and finding a cure for Multiple Sclerosis he has earned the title of Artist Humanitarian of the Year for 2008 by the Country Radio Broadcasters. Clay was born in Beaumont, TX, where country music is king. He was given his first guitar at the age of 9. Only 7 short years later, he walked up to a local radio station with a tape of a song that he had written himself. The station went against its own policy of not playing self-submitted tapes because, as the DJ announced, it was ``too good to pass up.'' After graduating high school he went on a tour of Texas and took a job as the house singer in a local bar where he was discovered by a record producer from a major label. The rest, as they say, is history. Walker has released 10 albums, with 4 having been certified platinum and two certified gold. He has placed more than 30 singles on the charts, including 6 number 1s. Walker's musical career hit some unexpected turbulence in 1996 when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, the leading cause of non- traumatic disability in young people throughout the world. Despite dealing with occasional side effects like tiredness and tingling in his hands, Clay has been able to live, work, and maintain his quality of life through daily treatments and a healthy lifestyle. He knows that everyone diagnosed with MS can not enjoy those comforts. So in 2003 he formed the Band Against MS Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to provide encouragement and education to those living with MS while also raising money to help find a cure for the disease. They have raised over a million dollars to fund research. He has also worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Ronald McDonald House, and Habitat for Humanity, among other charities. Walker was recently recognized for his selfless commitment to helping others by the Country Radio Broadcasters as he was named their Humanitarian of the Year for 2008. He joins other recipients such as Garth Brooks, Vince Neil, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, and Reba McEntire. On behalf of the Second Congressional District of Texas, I applaud my personal friend Clay Walker on his outstanding achievements. He personifies the spirit of Texas and Texas country music. He has faced the music and has tried to make the world a better to place to live, for those affected by MS and for those without. And that's the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, during the 1970's and 80s the Lamar University Cardinals dominated Southland Conference basketball, at one point putting together 80 straight home wins, which is still the 7th longest home winning streak in NCAA history. Lamar men's basketball continued this winning tradition with an outstanding 2007-2008 season. Led by first team all-conference performers Kenny Dawkins and Lamar Sanders, and All-Conference Honorable mention Darren Hopkins, Lamar Men's Basketball team and their coach Steve Roccaforte posted a 19-11 record. Earning its 12th conference title and first since the 1982-83 season. Coach Roccaforte guided the Cardinals to the title in only his second year at the helm, which ties him with legendary Lamar coach Billy Tubbs as fastest to conference championship in school history. The effort and resilience shown by the Lamar Men's Basketball team and staff has been nothing short of tremendous. In a season that did not start as planned, the Cardinals never gave in. Lamar started the season with a disappointing 1-5 record; however, the self-confident Cardinals turned their season around. Coach Roccaforte said the turning point in their season was a narrow two point loss to Big 12 conference power Texas Tech. With renewed confidence the Cardinals went on a tear winning 13 out of their next 14 games, propelling them to the regular season conference title. On behalf of the entire Second Congressional District of Texas I would like to commend Lamar University Men's Basketball team hard fought season and congratulate them on a well deserved Conference Title. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, standing on the beaches of Normandy, he found himself silent. Like a scene ripped from the movie Saving Private Ryan, this American GI was overwhelmed with memories. Memories so vivid, so real that in an instant he was a soldier again in the 7th Army, surviving the Battle of the Bulge, fighting through the Cities of Aachen, Stuttgart, Cologne, and Bonn. The graves before him transcended time, taking him back in history to a time when freedom was on the line. He was born in the 1920s. He grew up in the Depression of the thirties, and he grew up poor like most rural American children. Fresh vegetables were grown in the family garden behind the small frame house. His mother made sandwiches for school out of homemade bread. Store-bought bread was for the rich. He grew up belonging to the Boy Scouts, playing the trumpet in the high school band and going to church almost every Sunday. In 1944, this 18-year-old country boy that had never been more than 50 miles from home finally found himself going through basic training in the United States Army at Camp Walters in Texas. After that, he rode the train with hundreds of other young teenagers to New York City for the hazardous ocean trip on a cramped liberty ship to fight in the great World War II. No amount of training could have prepared him for what he was about to experience. As a teenager, he and thousands like him put life on the line for freedom. He saw the concentration camps at Dachau and the victims of the Nazis. This horror gave him a clear understanding of why America was at war. He saw incredible numbers of other teenage Americans buried in graves throughout France, but like so many of his generation, he really never discussed the details, only saying that the real heroes were the ones that never came home from Europe. Some 64 years after the war, my hero stood before the monument at Normandy with the thousands of white crosses and Stars of David and paid tribute to his heroes. The price of freedom was enormous, the memories of the sacrifices made were overwhelming. Amidst the whirlwind of imagery flashing before his eyes, my dad began to recall life before the war and what victory in Europe meant for Americans--and what freedom means today. After Germany surrendered, he went back to Fort Hood, Texas, expecting to be re-equipped for the land invasion of Japan. It was there he met Mom at a Wednesday night prayer meeting church service, but before he could be shipped out to Japan, the Japanese surrendered and the war was over. Not too long after that, he opened a DX service station where he pumped gas, sold tires, fixed cars, and began a family. Deciding that he needed to go to college, he moved to West Texas and enrolled in a small Christian college called Abilene Christian College. He and his wife and two small children lived in an old converted Army barracks with other such families. He supported us by working nights at KRBC radio and climbing telephone poles for ``Ma Bell.'' He finished college, became an engineer, and worked 40-plus years for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in Houston, Texas. He turned down a promotion and a transfer to New York City because it wasn't Texas, and as he said it was ``no place to raise a family.'' Mom and Dad still live in Houston not far from where I grew up. After his recent trip to Normandy, he opened up a little more about the war, still humble about his contributions, but looking back on the significance of victory through the eyes of an 82-year-old man. Don't get me wrong, Mr. Speaker, he hasn't mellowed at all in these years. He still rants and raves about the east coast media, and he has a strong opinion on politics and today's fight for freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan. He gives plenty of advice to everybody, including me. He has two computers in his home office and e-mails with his buddies all around the world. He still flies the flag on holidays. He mows his own grass, and he can fix anything. He goes to church on Sunday, and he takes Mom out to eat almost every Friday night. On Memorial Day, we honor those who fought and died in America's wars. We don't have to look far for courage or stories of inspiration. They are all around us from the men and women who proudly wear the uniform of a U.S. warrior. Across the Potomac River in Arlington National Cemetery are the graves of the silent warriors who, in their youth, gave their lives for our future. Down the street from the Capitol are the World War I, the World War II, the Korean, and Vietnam Memorials. Standing in front of the World War II Memorial are the pillars from each of our States and Territories. On the back wall, there appears to be a large bronze plate. Mr. Speaker, it is not a bronze plate at all but it's 4,000 bronze stars. Each star represents 100 Americans, mostly teenagers, killed in the great World War II. Four hundred thousand Americans, many still buried in the fields of Europe where they gave their lives for the rest of us. Without the sacrifices of the Greatest Generation, America would not be the amazing country of liberty it is today. My hero, my dad, is one of the charter members of the Greatest Generation. This Memorial Day, he and his fellow veterans at the local American Legion hall will be marching in a parade somewhere in Texas. He's the best man I ever met. Virgil Poe: good man, good father, good soldier. That's plenty for one life. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, freedom of speech is one of the most basic of all human rights. However, more and more European countries are arresting individuals for insult speech. Speech to be free must allow individuals to criticize religion and government. The first amendment protecting speech and press is first because it's the most important. But in Europe, speech must be politically and religiously correct. Criticize or insult another person's religion and you're likely to be hauled off to prison thanks to the speech police. After all, heaven forbid, offensive or insult speech may hurt somebody's feelings. In Germany, an insult to a religion can be a crime worthy of imprisonment. Recently, a 61-year-old German businessman was convicted and sent to jail for offending Islam. The same thing happened in Britain where Nick Griffin was prosecuted for describing Islam as a ``vicious and wicked faith.'' Free speech must be universal. If controversial issues like religion and politics cannot be debated in countries, the people are not free, even in Europe. Teddy Roosevelt once said, ``Free speech, exercised both individually and through a free press, is a necessity in any country where people are themselves free.'' And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, he was born in Indiana, Pennsylvania, on May 20, 1908. Jimmy became a Boy Scout and remained active in the organization throughout his adulthood. Of course, I'm talking about Jimmy Stewart. He made more than 80 films, including comedies, Westerns and dramas. Jimmy Stewart won an Academy Award for best performance by an actor in 1940 for his performance in ``The Philadelphia Story.'' He also received four other Oscar nominations for his performances in ``Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,'' a movie which by the way all Members of Congress should be required to watch, and my personal favorite, ``It's a Wonderful Life.'' He also appeared in ``Anatomy of a Murder.'' Jimmy Stewart was voted the third greatest movie star of all time by Entertainment Weekly. Jimmy Stewart appeared in a number of television shows and Broadway plays and received a Tony award. Although Jimmy Stewart would have preferred to attend the Naval Academy, Stewart entered his father's alma mater, Princeton University, in the fall of 1928. He initially considered engineering, but he finally settled on architecture as his course of study, at which he excelled. He graduated from Princeton in 1932. While he was building his reputation as an actor, the rest of the world was about to go to war. Germany occupied numerous countries in the early part of 1940, and it led Congress to be concerned. And on September 16, 1940, this Congress passed the Selective Service Bill, which we now refer to as ``The Draft.'' Stewart's draft number was 310, and when his number was called, he appeared at Draft Board No. 245 in Los Angeles in February of 1941. A 6-foot-3 Stewart weighed only 138 pounds. He was 5 pounds under the acceptable weight limit. He was turned down, but Stewart wanted to fly and serve his country, but by May of 1941 he would have been too old to get into flight school. He went home after that day of being rejected by the draft, and he ate everything he could that fattened him up. He went back and he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, and he passed the physical with 2 ounces to spare. While others tried to avoid the draft, Jimmy Stewart actually wanted to serve in the military. Later, he would actually campaign to see combat. He was already a licensed pilot. He was interested in aviation as a child. He had taken his first flight while still in Indiana from one of those barnstorming pilots that used to travel throughout the Midwest. He was a successful actor in 1935, and so he was able to afford flying lessons. He often flew cross-country to visit his parents in Pennsylvania, and he navigated by watching the railroad tracks. In the military, he was to make extensive use of his pilot training. In March 1941, at the age of 32, he reported for duty as Private James Stewart at Fort MacArthur and was assigned to the Army Air Corps. To comply with the regulations of the Army Air Corps Proficiency Board, he was required to take 100 additional flying hours, and he did so and bought them at a nearby field at his own expense. Then, in January 1942, Stewart was commissioned a second lieutenant. He was then sent to California at Mather Field as a twin engine instructor which included both B-17s and B-24s. Much to his dismay, Stewart stayed stateside for almost 2 years, until his commanding officers finally yielded to his constant request to be sent overseas and to see combat. So, in November of 1943, Captain Stewart, now a captain and operations officer for the 703rd Squadron, 445th Bombardment Group, of the Eight Air Force, he arrived in England. Later, he was transferred to the 453rd Bombardment Group. While stateside, Stewart flew B-17s, commonly called the Flying Fortress, and in England and over Europe he flew B-24s, referred to by historians as The Liberator, and he did so for the remaining years of the war. Stewart's war record included 20 dangerous combat missions as command pilot, wing commander or even squadron commander. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters; the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters; the French Croix de Guerre with Palm; and at the end of the war, he had risen to the rank of colonel. After the war, he remained in the United States Air Force Reserves and was promoted to brigadier general in 1959. Mr. Speaker, he remains the highest ranking officer in U.S. military history that was also a Hollywood actor. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan awarded Jimmy Stewart the Nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Jimmy Stewart believed in hard work, love of country, love of family, love of community, and love of God. Jimmy Stewart passed away on July 2, 1997, at the age of 89. Jimmy Stewart would be 100 years old today, and America still needs heroes, and Jimmy Stewart still continues to fit that bill. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, America cannot afford illegals. Last year, according to the Los Angeles County Supervisor, ``Illegals cost the county $220 million in public safety, $400 million in health care, and $440 million in welfare. Total cost to taxpayers for illegals far exceeds $1 billion a year, not counting millions for their (free) education.'' ``This new information,'' he continued, ``shows an alarming increase in the devastating impact illegals continue to have on taxpayers.'' Illegals should not receive welfare or government assistance. Many Americans and legal immigrants don't receive needed social services and health care because money is going to those illegally on the land. Try getting treated in any hospital emergency room in the country. The silent secret in the crowded waiting room is that many there are illegals getting health care that someone else--Americans--pay for. Still doubting? Then wander up to the maternity ward, where the mothers illegally in the United States are having babies at somebody else's expense. Failure to control the borders allows illegal trespassers to reap what they have not sown and take what they have not earned from America and from legal immigrants. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As gasoline prices soar to almost $4 a gallon, the American driving public wants Congress to do something about it, and it is our responsibility. Where I live, I represent a good part of rural southeast Texas, and many of these individuals are rice farmers, and they work the land, and they can't afford the diesel for their pickup trucks and for their trucks to go and work at the refineries in southeast Texas. All people throughout the country have this same common issue: Why are gasoline prices so high? Why isn't Congress doing something about it? Well, part of the reason is Congress, instead of exploring our own natural resources, Congress has decided to make the decision to punish energy consumption in this country and to make it more difficult for America to take care of Americans. Congress' policy is let's rely on OPEC; let's rely on that dictator Chavez and get their crude oil while we figure out something else to do on how to take care of ourselves down the road, but the problem is immediate, and we need to deal with it, and we can deal with it. The first issue: Drilling for crude oil and natural gas. Now, because of Congress, we have made it impossible to drill offshore. This map of the United States shows two areas offshore. This blue area is down by Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. This area in the Gulf of Mexico is where we drill offshore, and we are glad to do that. That crude oil that we take from the Gulf of Mexico and distribute throughout the United States is good for America. But you see, Mr. Speaker, there is also more crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico by Florida. There is also crude oil over off the east coast. Mr. Speaker, there's also crude oil off the sacred coast of California, the west coast, but we don't drill over there. We don't drill in the Gulf of Mexico. We don't drill on the east coast. Why? Because of Congress. So one thing we could do is lift the offshore drilling prohibitions, not the regulations, but the prohibitions. But because of the environmental fear lobby that is so strong in this Congress, we don't drill where there's crude oil or natural gas. Way up here, not even on the map, is a place called ANWR where there is nothing except crude oil, and we don't drill for crude oil in ANWR because of the environmental fear lobby and because of Congress. Let's lift those restrictions and take care of ourselves rather than rely on foreign dictators and OPEC to get our crude oil. Now, there is going to be another offshore drilling rig out in the Gulf of Mexico over here near this red zone, but it is not going to be built by Americans. Those rigs out there off the coast of Florida, about 48 miles, are going to be built by the Cubans, and it's financed by the Chinese. That's right. The Chinese and the Cubans are drilling where America ought to drill. Doesn't that bother anybody? Lift the restrictions. The second thing we need to do is have more refineries. I represent southeast Texas. We have the Nation's largest refinery and the second largest refinery. Down in the Sabine-Neches Waterway that borders Louisiana there are numerous refineries, but they're running at capacity because we haven't built a new refinery in this country in 30 years. Why? The environmental fear lobby is prohibiting us from taking care of ourselves. So it doesn't do any good to produce more crude oil if we don't have the refinery capacity to produce gasoline and diesel fuel. So make it easier to have refineries in this country. We need to take care of ourselves. I was somewhat embarrassed as an American citizen when our President, the most powerful person on Earth, had to go and ask OPEC last week to produce more crude oil so we could have gasoline. Of course, they in their arrogant way said, ``Well, we'll think about it. Maybe we will and maybe we won't.'' See, that is what is happening to our country. We are being held hostage because Congress will not let America take care of Americans. Mr. Speaker, we need to produce the crude oil, the natural gas that we have. We need to even produce and to build more nuclear plants in this country. Right now, China is building nine nuclear plants, and they have 40 on the drawing boards. How many are we making? We're not making any because the environmental fear lobby will not let us build nuclear power plants in this country. So how long is it going to take Congress to get the message that we need to reduce gasoline prices? One way to do that is to increase supply, and we can take care of ourselves. We are the only major power in the world that depends on other nations for our fuel and for our economy. This ought not to be, but it is just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, U.S. technology in the Nation's defense industry is unsurpassed anywhere in the world. Because of this, our enemies want to steal it, use it against us, or copy it. They want to do it for their own military operations. Private American corporations are to be commended for their expertise in national defense technology development. However, fifth column individuals and businesses that sell this sensitive military equipment to our enemies are nothing more than modern-day Benedict Arnolds and should be treated as such. Our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, for example, use night-vision goggles and night-vision rifle scopes to search out and destroy our enemies, but this equipment is being stolen in record numbers by businesses and individuals that are selling out America for that filthy lucre, or money. I think these people need to be treated as the treasonous traitors that they are. According to USA Today, more than 40 businesses or individuals have been charged with stealing or exporting night-vision technology to people who are our enemies. Some charged are alleged to have sent the equipment to Iran, to China and to al Qaeda affiliates. Nations such as China can use reverse technology and copy the highly sensitive equipment and use it for their own benefit. This equipment is also very costly. Each pair of new, high-tech, night-vision goggles cost around $4,500. These goggles help our troops in the desert of the sun and the valley of the gun in Iraq and Afghanistan. USA Today further reports that ITT sent restricted product data to China and other countries with intent to outsource production of this sensitive equipment. It paid a $100 million fine, and I commend the judge for not only ordering the fine but he ordered half of that fine to be spent in developing a new generation of night-vision technology. However, just paying a fine for supplying our enemies with advanced defense technology is just the cost of doing business. Corporate executives should not be allowed to hide behind the corporate veil when it comes to supplying aid and comfort to our enemies. Crooked execs should not be allowed to buy their way out of jail by paying a fine that they don't even pay for. Their corporation pays that fine. If business executives that dealt with our enemies went to jail, maybe in Guantanamo Bay prison where we keep other enemies of the United States, they might be careful about selling out America for 30 pieces of silver. And Congress, rather than investigate steroids in baseball, might need to investigate these businesses and individuals who keep buying and stealing American equipment and selling it to our enemies. We owe our troops this investigation. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, border agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean were the victims of an overzealous and media-hungry Federal prosecutor that seemed to be a political puppet of the Mexican government rather than seeking American justice. While patrolling the border, Ramos and Compean shot an illegal trespasser and drug dealer who was smuggling $1 million worth of dope across our border into Texas. Ironically, the two agents were tried for civil rights violations and sent to prison. Last year, a Federal judge said that the prosecution overreacted in this case. Here is what occurred. The drug dealer was given immunity to testify against the agents, and the bought-and-paid-for witness's testimony, believability, and credibility, was the basis of the entire prosecution. But the prosecutor hid from the jury that the drug smuggler witness continued to bring in drugs into the United States while the trial was pending; and the U.S. attorney has now admitted the back-room-deal witness also lied. Our justice system should free these two border agents because of the lying paid-for witness, and our government needs to get on the right side of the border war. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, today is National Police Officers Memorial Day, May 15. Last year, 181 peace officers in the United States were killed in the line of duty. Over 18,000 have been killed in the line of duty serving this country. At this very hour on the west front of the Capitol, thousands of police officers and families of those who have been killed in the line of duty are assembling to pay tribute to these wonderful men and women who represent the United States. Just 10 years ago, two Capitol Police officers, John Gibson and Jacob Chestnut, were killed in the line of duty defending this Capitol and literally gave their lives for Members of Congress. Moment of Silence I would ask that the House observe a moment of silence in honor of these peace officers and their wonderful families.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, today, the badges of American peace officers are draped with the black cloth of sacrifice in honor of those killed in the line of duty protecting America's people. Even though Congress has not yet passed legislation this year to designate today, May 15, as National Peace Officers Memorial Day, this is the day we remember America's peace officers. Today at 1 o'clock in the afternoon in front of the Capitol, thousands of peace officers and families of the fallen will pay tribute to those who wear the badge and those who gave their life so that others could live. Peace officers are the last strand of wire in the fence between the law and the lawless, between the people and the barbarians, between good and evil. Almost 20,000 peace officers have been killed in the line of duty in the United States. 60,000 a year are assaulted. Nearly 1 million peace officers vigilantly, faithfully patrol our streets, neighborhoods and rural communities and cities. We owe them our heartfelt respect and gratitude. Madam Speaker, peace officers who wear the badge are, as my dad used to say, ``A cut above the rest of us.'' And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, as the sun came up this morning bringing a new spring day in America, a new Texan was born at 8:27 a.m. and took her first breath of life. Hallie Elizabeth Poe, a 7-pound, 19\1/2\-inch girl was born in The Woodlands, Texas. Hallie's parents, Kurt and Suzy, are happy with boastful pride, but they can't be prouder than I am because I'm the grandfather! The miracle of birth is the Good Lord's gift to the people of the world and renews a spirt of hope and freshness. A baby girl is one of the most amazing miracles of life, one of the great joys of life, and one of the reasons why there is a little extra sunshine, laughter, and happiness in life. Little girls are special. They bring a delight and innocence into the world of ours. I know that Hallie will have the forcefulness of Margaret Thatcher and the southern grace of Lady Bird Johnson. Mr. Speaker, we pause for this moment in time for this most happy of all events, the birth of a new baby girl. So there's a new yellow rose in Texas tonight that will obviously bring more warmth and beauty to our world. After all, Mr. Speaker, there is nothing like a little girl. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, as a former prosecutor and long-time judge in Texas, I'm concerned about, of course, drugs and corruption, especially on the international border between the United States and Mexico. I have great sympathy and compassion for the Mexicans living just south of the border, especially those that have had the problem of dealing with the drug cartels. It's an epidemic that occurs on our southern border with Mexico. According to the DEA, 500 people were murdered in Nuevo Laredo recently. Most of those cases were never solved, and many of those individuals were peace officers. There have been 400 kidnappings in Nuevo Laredo; 41 of them were Americans, and none of them, not one of those cases, have ever been solved. And we understand now that behind most of those crimes of violence of murder and kidnappings are the drug cartels. What you might be surprised, Mr. Speaker, to find out is that many of those people involved in the drug cartels are former individuals in the Mexican military that were trained in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security has reported that in the last 10 years also, there have been 250 documented cases of incursions by suspected Mexican military units into the United States. Most of them in Texas, California, and Arizona. Recently, I have been in a place called Neely Pass in Hudspeth County where the Mexican military was photographed coming into the United States. In order to gain control of access corridors into the United States, drug cartels are hiring hit men from the elite Mexican military force, and this group is known as the Zetas. The Zetas are military deserters that are trained in the United States at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia, as an elite force of anti-drug commandos. But unfortunately, after they were trained by Americans, they went over to the dark side. They were sent by the Mexican government to the U.S.- Mexico border to combat drug trafficking, but they switched sides, deserted the Mexican military, and worked for the drug cartels. Officials suspect that there are more than 200 Zetas, including former Mexican police officers. And the problem isn't just at the border, either. The Zetas operate in the United States. Authorities have believed that the drug cartels and the Zetas are responsible for murders in the United States. And there's a second group. The second group is called the Kaibiles. The Kaibiles were a special operations force in the Guatemalan military. Like the Zetas, many of them received training in the United States in counter-insurgency operations. And like the Zetas, many of them deserted the special forces and began to help the drug cartels. Mr. Speaker, I have here a photograph taken by sheriff's deputies on the Texas-Mexico border, and this is a group of the Kaibiles. You notice they are all in uniform; they all have hoods on them. You notice the first person in the front is carrying an AK-47, and they're bringing cocaine into the United States in backpacks, and this is what has happened to these individuals that were trained in the United States and switched sides. Now, the reason I bring all of this up, Mr. Speaker, is there is an initiative called the Meridia Initiative where the United States government is proposing to send $1.5 billion in training and equipment south of the American border into Mexico to help combat drug trafficking. While this may sound well and good, unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that we cannot trust the local officials on the Mexican side of the border because of the high rate of corruption because of these individuals that continue to switch sides. And it would be very unfortunate indeed if we sent equipment to the northern portion of Mexico, south of the American border, turned over this military equipment to the Mexican military to have it used against us as shown in this photograph. It would be better money spent in training to send this $1.5 billion to the southern border to the second front where there is a war going on but keep it on the American side. Let the local officials, the State officials, let the sheriffs along the border use this equipment. Many of them don't even have enough equipment. As one of them has told me, they're outmanned and they're outgunned by the drug cartels. So keep that equipment, keep that training on the American side of the border. Support the American cause before we turn this equipment and turn this training capability to the other side. And it's a sad fact of life that we can't trust sending money, equipment, and training south of the United States border because of the corruption that occurs in northern Mexico. So I would hope that Congress, when this initiative comes up, that we have lively debate about this $1.5 billion; and before we send it all south of the border, that we rethink that and maybe spend part of that money, half of that money or most of that money, on the American side and let the border sheriffs of Brownsville, Texas, to San Diego use that equipment to fight the drug cartels, fight the crime on the American side of the border. I think that would be better money spent, American taxpayer money spent. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, the Eyes of Texas are shining tonight on the life and legacy of Houston news legend Ron Stone. Stone died today at the age of 72. For 30 years, Ron Stone was a fixture on Houston television and the host of one of my favorite shows, the Eyes of Texas, featuring the real-life stories about unique people and places of our great State. Though he had countless awards to mark his contributions in the media industry, it was his down to earth, folksy style that endeared him to audiences all across the Houston area. He was born in Oklahoma, but Stone came to Houston in the 1960s, and his love for Texas took root then. He said he wasn't born in Texas, but he got there as fast as he could. After retiring from KPRC in 1992, he continued to leave his mark on the industry. He was a recognized filmmaker, author of several books on Texas history and continued his dedication to our community. I met Ron many years ago while I was a judge in Houston. It was his personal approach to news that set him apart from others, and captivated audiences for more than 30 years. Ron Stone leaves a unique mark on Houston's history. May the Eyes of Texas forever shine on him and his family. And that's just the way it is.