Ted Poe

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, on Wednesday, April 9, 2008, the Congressional Victim's Rights Caucus will holds its annual awards ceremony to recognize individuals for their significant contributions to the victim's rights field. The Congressional Victim's Rights Caucus will award Jamie Leigh Jones with the Suzanne McDaniel Public Awareness Award to recognize her efforts in raising national awareness of the plight of American contractors victimized abroad. Jamie Leigh Jones was only 20 years old when she went to work for KBR in Baghdad. She was only at the ironically-named Camp Hope a few days before her coworkers allegedly drugged and gang-raped her. An Army doctor administered a rape kit, which was then turned over to KBR, not the appropriate law enforcement authorities as is standard in rape cases. It's not a surprise then that KBR lost the very evidence that could be used against it. Jamie was then kept in a shipping container, under armed guard. She was told that this was to protect her. It was really a way to keep her from telling others what she endured. Jamie convinced a sympathetic guard to let her use his cell phone. Jamie called her dad and asked for help. Her dad then called my office. My staff and I contacted the Department of State. Within 48 hours, agents were dispatched from the embassy in Baghdad and sent to rescue Jamie. It's been nearly 3 years since Jamie was assaulted. No one has been held accountable for what happened to Jamie. For 2\1/2\ years, the Department of Justice was silent as to what it was doing, if anything, to prosecute the criminals. Its silence was broken once Jamie went public with her case. In December 2007, Jamie went to the national media with her story. Since Jamie went to the press, my office has heard from several other former contractors alleging sexual assaults in Iraq. Jamie has heard from as many as 40 women through the nonprofit organization she created, the Jamie Leigh Foundation, to help other Americans victimized while working abroad as government contractors. By telling her story, Jamie showed other victims that it is okay to come forward and talk about their assaults. She opened this country's eyes to the ``boys will be boys'' atmosphere among the contractors in Iraq. And perhaps most importantly, she showed other victims that they are not alone in their struggle to piece their lives back together. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, in the early morning hours of March 2, 1998, 10 years ago, Patrick Kennedy of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, called 911 to report that his 8-year-old stepdaughter had been dragged from her garage to the side yard and raped by two neighborhood boys. Kennedy told the 911 operator that he saw one of the boys riding away from the house on a bicycle, so a sheriff's deputy that was immediately in the area responded to the complaint and started looking for the culprit, but he did not find the individual. The deputy noticed that the crime scene in the backyard was somehow inconsistent with rape, and he noticed that the dog was still sleeping undisturbed in the grass. Be that as it may, Kennedy led the deputy to the victim, his stepdaughter's bedroom, where she was lying on the bed wearing a T-shirt and wrapped in a filthy, bloody cargo blanket. Kennedy informed the deputy that he had carried his stepdaughter like an infant from the yard and placed her in a bathtub to clean her. But the deputy noticed there was no blood on Kennedy's clothes. When the deputy tried to question the victim, Kennedy constantly interrupted and answered the questions for his stepdaughter. The victim said that she was trying to sell Girl Scout cookies when the two neighborhood boys dragged her from the garage and raped her on the grass nearby. The victim was taken to Children's Hospital for emergency surgery to repair serious injuries to her body. At the hospital, the victim told hospital personnel and a psychologist that the two neighborhood boys had raped her, but she finally told a family member that Patrick Kennedy, her stepfather, had assaulted her. The investigation began to focus on Kennedy because his story did not make any sense to the investigators. And then the police learned more about Patrick Kennedy and who he was. Before he called 911, Kennedy called his boss at a local moving company to say he wasn't going to work that morning and he asked a co-worker how to get blood out of a carpet. The co-worker later indicated at trial that Kennedy sounded nervous, and he said his stepdaughter had ``just become a young lady.'' Kennedy also called B&B Carpet Cleaning at 7:30, 2 hours before the 911 call, and he asked how to clean and remove blood stains from a carpet. Police then found a 1-gallon jug of carpet cleaner and the bloody towels Kennedy used to clean up his crime and hide the evidence. A forensic lab confirmed that the victim had no grass or soil stains on her clothes so she could not have been assaulted in the grass. The victim later told her mother that Kennedy had raped her. At the trial, she testified that when she woke up that morning, he was on top of her, covering her eyes with his hands, and that he raped her in her own bed. The victim said she fainted and later threw up. A jury convicted Patrick Kennedy of aggravated rape of his own 8- year-old stepdaughter and sentenced him to death in Louisiana. Under Louisiana law, a person who commits sexual assault of a child under the age of 12 is subject to the death penalty. Kennedy has appealed to the Supreme Court, and next week in Kennedy v. Louisiana, the Supreme Court will hear the case and decide if rape of a child is constitutional under the eighth amendment and whether it violates the cruel and unusual punishment provision of the eighth amendment. No one has been executed in the United States for a crime other than murder since 1964. Of 3,000 inmates on death row, only two face the death penalty for nonhomicide, and one is Patrick Kennedy. In addition to Louisiana, Georgia, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas have laws allowing death penalty for rape of a child. In 1977, the Supreme Court decided that the death sentence for rape of an adult woman was unconstitutional, but they never ruled on the issue of sexual assault and rape of a child. Thus, this case appears before the Supreme Court. Louisiana has interpreted the Supreme Court's previous rulings not to apply in Louisiana because the sexual assault was of a child and that is why this case appears before the Supreme Court to make this decision. Madam Speaker, this crime is senseless. We can sometimes understand why people commit the crime of theft, we can understand why sometimes people commit the crime of burglary, and even sometimes commit the crime of murder, but there can never be a time in our culture when we understand why a person rapes an 8-year-old girl. It is the ultimate crime of degradation. It is the ultimate type of torture, and it is the ultimate crime against little girls and their identity. It is worse than murder. And in this instance, the victim has a daily reminder of the crime that has ruined her life. It is an attempt to destroy not the life but the soul of this victim. So justice must be pronounced in this case. Society will be judged and the Supreme Court will be judged by the way it treats the innocent among us. Hopefully this case will be upheld by the Supreme Court. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, gasoline prices are soaring. The problem rests on the well-known principle of supply and demand. Our domestic energy supply cannot meet our demand. The solution is to increase our supply by exploring domestic energy sources and allowing drilling in ANWAR. The problem is even worse when you consider that as more countries industrialize, especially India and China, there will be more demand for the same amount of oil. The result? Even higher gas prices. While it is easy to point fingers and blame American oil companies, the real culprit is Congress. Congress is responsible because it decided to subsidize special interest groups, energy companies which may produce expensive and unreliable energy someday. Congress placed our future in the hands of unproven energy sources. Instead of supporting those companies that provide our energy today, Congress punished them with high taxes. But Congress was sure to exempt Venezuelan oil company, CITGO, from these high taxes. Gas companies have reported record profits in recent years, but these profits resulted in record high tax collection. Two months ago, Exxon- Mobil announced record profits of $40.7 billion, but they paid nearly $30 billion in taxes. Their high profits are due to the increasing demand for oil by American and global consumers. And this demand isn't going to change. Also these profits go to shareholders--the thousands of Americans that own stock in oil companies. By punishing oil companies, Congress is hurting the average American who owns a little stock in oil companies. The United States is the only industrial power in the world that does not take advantage of its own energy resources. We must drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Outer Continental Shelf. Our gas prices will fall if we are able to increase our domestic supply of oil. Federal government restrictions are burdening the American consumer and private business. These restrictions have put a halt on building new oil refineries. In fact, it's been 32 years since the last US oil refinery was built in Garyville, Louisiana. These unnecessary restrictions and taxes are driving companies to move off shore where restrictions and taxes are less. Congress must lift the unnecessary regulations on off-shore drilling. If Congress doesn't lift these restrictions, the American consumer will continue paying high prices for gas and the United States will remain dependent on 3rd world nations and Dictator Chavez. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, homeschooling has been a major part of this Nation's history since its founding. In fact, when the Constitution was written nearly everyone was homeschooled. Many of our country's greatest leaders received quality education at home including: George Washington, Thomas ``Stonewall'' Jackson, General George S. Patton, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, John Quincy Adams, Patrick Henry, James Madison, Davy Crockett, and General Douglas MacArthur. From 1620 until the mid-1800s, most parents in America taught their children to read at home. Students would then attend university systems that were operated by religious leaders. Education was voluntary and yet literacy rates in colonial America were significantly higher than they are today. Across the United States today more than 2.1 million children are homeschooled. Studies have confirmed that children who are educated at home consistently score higher on achievement tests and college entrance exams than non-homeschooled children. These graduates then go on to act as responsible parents and citizens in the workplace and the home. Now judges on the California appellate court, want to overturn not only hundreds of years of tradition, but the United States Constitution by denying parents their constitutionally protected right to homeschool their children. According to the California court, parents who homeschool their children ought to be fined or sent to jail. Who do these judges think they are? Apparently, they don't believe they have a responsibility to uphold the Constitution of the United States. If they did they would have known that the Supreme Court has already addressed the fundamental and constitutional rights of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children and they have found in favor of parents. In Wisconsin v. Yoder, decided in 1972, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in favor of Amish parents who wanted to remove their children from public school after the 8th grade because it violated their religious beliefs. The Court held that the compulsory attendance law unduly burdened the free exercise clause in the First Amendment of the Constitution. In Pierce v. Society of Sisters, decided in 1925, the Supreme Court invalidated legislation that required parents to send their children to public schools. The Court found that the law unreasonably interfered with the liberty of parents and guardians to direct the upbringing and education of their children. Again in Meyer v. State of Nebraska, decided in 1923, the Supreme Court struck down a law that prohibited parents from letting their children learn a foreign language before the 8th grade. The Court held that the liberty guaranteed in the 14th Amendment protected the rights of parents to control the education of their own children. In accordance with the Constitution, Supreme Court case law clearly supports the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children. It's about time for the judges out in California to pick up the U.S. Constitution, look at Supreme Court case precedent, and issue a new ruling that is consistent with the freedoms this country was founded on. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, as we talk about the war on the first front in Iraq and Afghanistan, we must remember that there is another war going on on the second front, and that is the border war between the United States and Mexico. All of the politicians that are running for President this year are talking about everything. Some things are just not important. But one thing they're not talking about is the border war in the south part of the United States, between Mexico and the United States. Two years ago, two border agents by the name of Ramos and Compean were tried and convicted for doing their job on the Texas/Mexico border. What happened was, that in February of 2005, Ramos and Compean came in contact with a drug dealer. He came into the United States at Fabens, Texas. Most of America's never heard of this little small Texas town. He's driving a van. He sees the border agents and he turns around and he tries to run back to Mexico. He abandons the van. The border agents give chase. An altercation occurred down in the Rio Grande riverbed. Shots were fired. The drug dealer disappears into Mexico. It turns out that the drug dealer had been shot by one of the border agents, and it turns out that the van that he was driving had, get this, $750,000 worth of drugs in the van. So what does our Government do? Instead of trying to find the drug dealer to prosecute him, our Government goes to Mexico, finds the drug dealer and promises him a back room deal, a deal to testify against the border agents, claim that the border agents unlawfully used their firearms, even though they said they fired in self-defense. And they make a deal with him not to prosecute him for his drug smuggling if he testified. And he did testify against the border agents, and 2 years ago they were convicted. But unbeknownst to the jury, and what the U.S. Attorney's Office would not let the jury know, is that before the trial took place, this star witness, backroom-deal witness, brought in another load of drugs into the United States for money. The U.S. Attorney's Office knew about it. They didn't want the jury to know about it, and they kept it out of the trial. Now the whole world knows the U.S. Attorney's Office was deceitful in that trial. Those border agents are serving 11 to 12 years in the Federal penitentiary. The President pardoned 157 people in his administration. Fifteen of them last week. Some of them were drug dealers. But why doesn't the President pardon these border patrol agents for doing their job? The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has heard this case. I suspect they will reverse it because the U.S. Attorney's Office was deceitful in the trial and prosecution of these two border agents because they were relentless in prosecuting them. Our government is on the wrong side of the border war. We're trying to hire more border agents, and people don't want to join the Border Patrol. One reason is because our government doesn't support them. When an altercation takes place, they side with the other guys instead of siding with our border agents. And this is not the first time the U.S. Attorney's Office has been caught cheating in a trial. A border agent by the name of David Sipe was arrested by our government because he was in a fight and assault with a drug dealer down in Texas. And he was prosecuted for a civil rights violation, but it turns out in his trial the U.S. Attorney's Office hid evidence in that case as well, but they got caught; and that case was retried and the jury found David Sipe not guilty because the U.S. Attorney's Office, once again, didn't want the jury to know the truth about the person that came in contact with our border agent. So it's time our government gets on the right side of the border war. Defend our boarder patrol agents. Secure the border. Make sure that the war on the second front is won, that people not be allowed to come into the United States illegally for any purpose, especially drug smugglers; and our government needs to quit taking the side of drug dealers from foreign countries and start siding with the American Border Patrol because they're doing their job to protect the rest of us. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, the Constitution gives the President absolute authority to grant a pardon. He has exercised that power 157 times. Last week, he pardoned 15 more people convicted of everything from importation of drugs to bank fraud and other crimes. But two people not on his pardon list are Border Agents Ramos and Compean, who are serving 11 and 12 years for enforcing the law on the Texas-Mexico border. They were convicted of civil rights violations when they shot a drug smuggler bringing in $750,000 worth of drugs to the United States. The United States Government gave the drug dealer complete immunity for his crimes to testify against the agents. Then the Justice Department hid from the jury the fact that the drug dealers smuggled in another load of drugs shortly before the trial. The U.S. Attorney made a backroom deal with the smuggler for his testimony and got the tainted testimony they bartered for. Last session, this House passed legislation to prevent taxpayer money from being used to incarcerate Ramos and Compean, but they are still in prison. Because of the U.S. Attorney's actions of deception in this trial, and the fact that the agents were just doing their job, are grounds for the President to pardon both of the border agents immediately. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, homeschooling is an ever growing choice for parents in America. Parents teach their children at home for various reasons: They are concerned about the quality of education, or the lack of it, in government schools; they don't approve of the public school curriculum; they want their kids to have a religious-based education, which is of course strictly forbidden in public schools; parents are concerned about school safety, especially in big urban schools; or, parents have special needs children that are not adequately served in public schools. Whatever the reason, many parents choose to homeschool. Homeschooling is successful. Recent statistics show that homeschooled kids get higher test scores on ACT tests than non-homeschoolers. In the last 10 years, homeschooled children have scored higher every year on the ACT test than non-homeschoolers. I just recently appointed a homeschooler to the United States Air Force Academy, and his homeschooled education was superb. But now, an appellate State court in California has ruled that, ``Parents not only don't have a constitutional right to homeschool; parents that homeschool their children can face fines and go to jail,'' sayeth the all-powerful Judge Walter Croskey. Where does the California court get such nonsense? Education has been the responsibility of parents since the beginning of time. Public education really is a relatively new concept. And now we have judges saying that parents are criminals unless their children are taught in government schools. This reminds me of my visit to the school system in the Soviet Union, which mandated all students should be indoctrinated with propaganda in the communist school system. This is Big Brother and government control at its worst. Can you imagine? A crime to teach your own children. I have nothing against public schools or teachers. My mother was a public school teacher. All my daughters are teachers. I even taught in the State university. But no government has the right to tell parents how to educate their children, not even the government in California. Parents and students need all education options. They need private school options, public school, religious school, or even home school. The real issue is not quality of education, but education freedom of choice by parents. The judge says it is unconstitutional to homeschool your children. Well, Justice Croskey must not have ever read the U.S. Constitution. There is nothing written in the United States Constitution about giving government or judges the authority to control education. In fact, the word ``education'' is not even mentioned in the Constitution as a responsibility of government. The California court's ruling, in my opinion, is unconstitutional. Education has generally been deemed a matter for local communities and parents. We have always believed that in this country. In fact, the Constitution in the Tenth Amendment states, ``The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited by it to the states are reserved to the states respectfully or to the people.'' And, I submit, ``the people'' in that phrase are parents that have the power, under our Constitution, to decide how to educate their children. It is their responsibility, their right, and their authority. After all, our children do not belong to the government and are not government possessions to be molded as the government or government judges deem fit. The U.S. Constitution gives liberty to Americans, not enslavement to government. It is a parent's responsibility and right, not the government's, to raise our children. That includes how best to educate our children. Living in a Nation that was founded on the inalienable right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, means that parents have the right to raise and teach their children in a manner that is consistent with their beliefs and their principles, whether the California appellate judges like it or not. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, as gasoline prices rise higher at the pump, the American driver is mad and the Congress blames the oil companies. But the real culprit is Congress. Gasoline prices are rising because Congress fails to have an energy policy that encourages the development of our own resources. Instead of making it easier to obtain crude oil, Congress has decided to subsidize the special interest groups to produce unproven, unreliable, and expensive alternative fuels, like corn-based ethanol, which now may pollute the environment more than first realized. Not to mention this idea is bad for land management and increases the cost of agricultural products. So now we have high gasoline prices and higher prices for corn products worldwide, thanks to Congress. We are the only industrial power in the world that refuses to take advantage of its own energy resources. Congress should lift the absurd restrictions on offshore drilling, allow drilling in ANWR and stop the expensive, unnecessary regulations. This will increase production, supply, and lower costs. Otherwise, we will continue to be held hostage by third world dictators, like Chavez, and the cost of crude oil will continue to grow. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, the year was 1993, 15 years ago, when two teenage girls, Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena, 14 years of age and 16 years of age, were walking home one evening. Unfortunately for them, when they took a shortcut, they came across a gang by the name of the Black and Whites. Their gang leader was Jose Ernesto Medellin. He and his fellow gangsters kidnapped these two teenage girls, brutally assaulted them, taunted them, raped them for over an hour, and then with the shoelaces from the tennis shoes of these two girls, they made a noose and strangled both of these girls. The brutal killing that took place, Madam Speaker, as you are aware being from Houston, incensed the people of the Houston area, especially the way in which these two girls met their death. But 5 days later, Jose Medellin was arrested, and in his possession, he had on his wrist a Mickey Mouse watch that he had stolen from Jennifer Ertman, his token of the murder of a little girl. He was proud of what he had done. He was so proud of it he even bragged about it and confessed to the Houston Police Department of raping and killing these two girls after he was properly warned. He was tried for capital murder. The State was seeking the death penalty, and 12 jurors in a court in Houston, Texas, convicted him and gave him the death penalty, which he earned and deserved for what he did to these two teenage girls. He appealed his case all the way to Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court of the United States upheld his conviction saying it was lawful. But that was not the end of the story. Because, you see, 15 years later Jose Ernesto Medellin is still alive. And back when this trial occurred 15 years ago, I met the families of these two teenage girls, and they to this day continue to suffer and wonder if justice will ever be served. And the reason that he has not met his just reward is because he appealed his case again to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court right down the street last week upheld the conviction for a second time. His second appeal was somewhat unique because, you see, it turns out Jose Ernesto Medellin, who was fluent in English, apparently is illegally from the nation of Mexico, and he was an illegal immigrant when he committed this homicide. Back in the days of 1993, the Houston Police Department didn't even ask people what nationality they were when they arrested them, but be that as it may, the Mexican Government then decided to sue the United States of America in the World Court, claiming that the State of Texas should have told Jose Ernesto Medellin that he had the right to consult with the Mexican consulate before he confessed. Of course, the Houston Police Department never told him he couldn't consult with the Mexican consulate. He was warned properly under Federal law and under State law. But the Mexican Government was not satisfied with that after the conviction was upheld, and 10 years later, they filed this lawsuit in the World Court. And the World Court ruled that the State of Texas had to retry Jose Ernesto Medellin for capital murder because he was not told he should have been allowed to talk to his Mexican consulate. Of course, this gets more complicated because, you see, the President of the United States intervened on behalf of the nation of Mexico. After this decision was made in the World Court, the President of the United States told the courts in Texas to follow the World Court order, retry Jose Ernesto Medellin for capital murder, and the Texas courts, in all due respect to the administration, ignored the President's request because, as they said, the judicial branch is independent of the executive branch, and the President has no jurisdiction over telling any court, much less Texas courts, what to do. It turns out that Jose Ernesto Medellin is not the only Mexican national on death row in the United States. There are 54 others who have been tried throughout the country, most of them in Texas, and have been given the death penalty for heinous crimes committed against people in the United States. So, after that second case came before the Supreme Court, the issue was, after being sued in the World Court by Mexico, whether or not the State of Texas must abide by a World Court decision telling them to retry a case. And the second issue was, does the President, any President, have the authority, as the executive branch of government, to order a State court to do anything, including retry somebody for a case where they have been found convicted. Well, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the World Court opinion has no bearing in Texas courts and that the President of the United States, the executive branch, has no jurisdiction over Texas courts to tell them what to do. The International Court of Justice, as the World Court is called, lacks jurisdiction in this case to order the courts of Texas to do anything because, you see, part of the problem was Jose Ernesto Medellin never complained for over 10 years that he didn't have the chance to talk to his Mexican consulate, and as most lawyers know in the legal profession, and as a former trial judge, if you don't object at the trial, you've waived that right indefinitely. So, Madam Speaker, maybe justice will be served in this case if Jose Ernesto Medellin will meet the fate he deserves, and maybe our Federal Government will stop taking the wrong side of this issue of supporting illegal immigrants over people in the United States, like little girls who are murdered. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, after returning from Iraq over the Easter weekend, I want to report my observations. The military situation is progressing positively with the Iraqi Security Forces, the National Police, and the new-found group of citizen soldiers called the Sons of Iraq doing ever improving job of securing their own nation. The Iraqis and the U.S. troops are working better together as both nations use their troops in combined patrols. U.S. Commander and Four Star General Petraeus understands not only the military situation, but the complex political situation as well. The Iraqi government is showing signs of more stability than it has in previous months. My observations of the U.S. troops: they have very high morale, a strong sense of purpose, and are well trained and ready to meet U.S. objectives in Iraq. The most notable concern I saw was the ever increasing interference and influence of Iran. The Iranians are funding insurgents and supplying weapons from small arms to rockets to any group that will cause chaos. It appears Iran wants instability in Iraq to further its own political and military objectives. The U.S. presence in Iraq is necessary to prevent the circling Iranian vulture from preying on the peoples of Iraq. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Taiwan for having successfully completed its 4th direct presidential election on March 22, 2008. Dr. Ma Ying-jeou, a Harvard-educated attorney and former mayor of Taipei, won with a convincing margin. I wish President- elect Ma and the people of Taiwan good luck in the next 4 years, along with continuing economic success and meaningful political reforms. Since President-elect Ma's victory on March 22, he has made many gestures of good will, which include encouraging Beijing to start meaningful dialogue between Taiwan and Chinese mainland on the issues separating them. It is my sincere hope that both Taipei and Beijing will soon resume dialogue on the issues of mutual interest, leading to the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Also, President- elect Ma has indicated his willingness to strengthen Taiwan's good relations with the United States. I hope that he will be able to visit Washington before his inauguration on May 20. Even though our two countries do not have official ties, our ties are strong and growing. The issues between us and Taiwan include our defense commitments to Taiwan, trade with Taiwan, our support of Taiwan's participation in international affairs, and lifting of outdated restrictions imposed on high-ranking officials from Taiwan to visit the United States. As our friend, Taiwan wants to see us fully committed to the letter and spirit of the Taiwan Relations Act, enacted on April 10, 1979. Again, my best wishes to President-elect Ma and the people of Taiwan. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding, and I also want to thank the chairman for moving this piece of legislation. I introduced this legislation to declare March as National Criminal Justice Month, and the purpose is to educate Americans on how important our justice system is and encourage discussion on how to prevent and respond to criminal conduct. Our criminal justice system employs over 3 million Americans at the local, State and Federal levels of the government. And the word and the emphasis should be on the phrase ``justice system'' because it involves the cooperation of law enforcement and prosecutors, courts, correctional officers, and many other persons. In my former life, I spent 8 years as a prosecutor in the Houston area, and then I spent 22 years on the criminal court bench in Houston, hearing over 25,000 felony cases. When I came to Washington, D.C., I established the bipartisan Victims Rights Caucus to advocate on behalf of crime victims and law enforcement. It is apparent to me that victims need a voice in Congress. They don't have high paid and high-dollar lobbyists; they expect Members of Congress to be their advocates. Each year, millions of Americans become victims of criminal conduct, everything from stealing to homicide, and these individuals do not choose to become victims. They are thrown into the criminal justice system without ever having a say. The devastating consequences of crime remain with the victims long after the crime is over with; and the purpose of the criminal justice system is to provide closure for victims and punish people who commit crimes against the rule of law, which is society's rules of law. I hope this resolution encourages communities to discuss the causes and the consequences and long-term effects of criminal conduct. When a crime occurs, a community must respond by apprehending the individual and ensuring appropriate punishment if that person is found guilty, and, of course, helping the victim that is in need. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 35 percent of Americans have little or no confidence in our criminal justice system. It is unfortunate that one-third of the people in this country feel that way. If you turn on your local news each night, the first thing that most local newscasts have is the latest crime that has been committed in a neighborhood. It is mostly bad news, and much of that bad news is about criminal conduct. Americans should have more confidence in our criminal justice system. I am convinced that our criminal justice system is the best system in the world. I had the opportunity to visit the former Soviet Union. They don't have a criminal justice system. They just have a system. The same is true with China, when I visited their system on how they administer their laws. There is no justice in that system. It is just a system. And here in the United States, we do have the best criminal justice system in the world on determining the guilt of an individual and giving defendants and victims of crime certain rights in the court, and maintaining the worth of the individual. Every year individuals, communities, businesses, and all levels of government spend millions and billions of dollars administering our justice system. The cost of crime is not cheap, and the aftermath of crime is not cheap either. Yet the price is worth it because of the price we pay to ensure our order, safety and appropriate punishment for those who fail to follow our laws. As my fellow Texan and former judge, Judge Gohmert, has mentioned time and time again, there are numerous cases where we both have seen individuals who have come to the criminal justice system that have been victims of criminal conduct. And long after that trial is over with, even if the offender is convicted and sent to the Texas penitentiary for the maximum period of time, they suffer the repercussions of criminal conduct. Many of them are never able to cope with that conduct, and spend the rest of their lives in desperate hope, and wishing that crime had not occurred against them. We as Americans need to be sensitive to those individuals. We need to be sensitive to the people who live among us who have crime committed against them. So I hope this resolution gets more communities talking about the best way to prevent and respond to crime, and I want to urge its adoption.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, the youth of our Nation have always been willing to volunteer and take care of the rest of us in times of war. Sometimes those young men and women give their lives for the rest of us. United States Army Corporal Scott A. McIntosh, of Humble, Texas, was one of those noble few. He was killed in Iraq on March 10, 2008 by a suicide bomber, and he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. Not only was he a loyal and courageous soldier, but he was a beloved son, a caring brother and a friend to many. His life was special not just because of how he died, but also because of how he lived. He was both the kid next door and a proud soldier defending this Nation. He was born on February 4, 1982 in Humble, Texas, and he graduated from Cypress High School in 2001. After trying college for a little while he decided it wasn't ready for him, and he joined the United States Army. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, in Fort Stewart, Georgia. He re-enlisted for three more years when his first tour of duty was over. His parents, Alex and Gwenn McIntosh, did an excellent job raising such a fine son. His family described Scott as someone who loved people. His mission in life was to meet and make friends with every person he came in contact with. He shared his hearty laugh and always had a smile to give. Scott always had a positive outlook on life. He loved to hunt and fish in his spare time, but most of all he loved his family, the Army, the country he lived in and his life. His smile matched his fun-loving personality, which carried over into everyday tasks, like work, with humorous results. Eric McIntosh described his brother's comical attempt at being a golf caddy. When Scott went to work, he said, ``it was like a scene right out of the movie Caddy Shack. Scott barely showed up on time, still tucking his shirt in his pants and tying his shoes, and he would grab the golf bag and march down the fairway with all the clubs and balls falling out all over the place.'' Scott would have fun with everything that he did and his joyful, worry-free personality was contagious to those that knew him and everybody around him. Not only did he love to laugh, but he truly cared about others, especially his family in Texas. Scott was always looking out for other people, and that's why he joined the United States Army. He wanted to protect and serve those he loved. And as the Good Book says in John 15:13, ``Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.'' Scott's life was a shining example of this greater love which he demonstrated for family, friends and country. Scott went off to war because he was a faithful son of America. Over Easter weekend this past weekend I had the opportunity to be in Iraq with our troops. And Mr. Speaker, there is no finer military in the long history of warfare than our troops that are in Iraq that proudly wear the uniform of the American fighting man. Scott McIntosh was among those elite fighting forces. Scott's wonderful life is a huge loss to those that were close to him. His father said, ``My family is devastated by this loss, and it is something that we will have to carry with us for the rest of our lives. At the same time, however, we are bursting with pride for our son's service to this country. We understand the sacrifices required to keep this country free. And Scott was the best son anyone could ever have asked for. I will love and cherish him for the rest of my days.'' Mr. Speaker, this is a photograph of Scott McIntosh. He was a real person and he was proud to wear the uniform of the United States soldier. In a moving speech at his brother's funeral, Eric told hundreds of friends and family that he loved his big brother. He thanked Scott for being such a good friend, a good son, a great person and the best brother anybody could ever have. In a final act of sacrifice for others, his family has established the Scott McIntosh Memorial Fund. In the attack that took Scott's life, four other soldiers were also killed. Three of them were married and had small children. And the purpose of the fund will be to raise money for those kids who lost their fathers that were soldiers in Iraq. Even in death, the eternal spirit of Scott's love and care for others will continue. We do not forget, as a Nation, Corporal Scott A. McIntosh and all those who sacrificed their lives on the altar of freedom. Scott's memory will live on in the hearts and minds of friends and family, while his life will always be an inspiration to Americans. We can honor his sacrifice by following his example, to live life to the fullest and to take care of those people around us. In 1940, a reporter, right before the great World War II, made this comment, he said, ``This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.'' Our country, Mr. Speaker, will long survive and live free because of the likes of Scott McIntosh and his band of brothers. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, the Bill of Rights confers liberties on individuals to protect us from government power. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the second amendment. It states, ``A well-regulated militia, being necessary to a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.'' The second amendment confers two rights; it allows individuals to bear arms, and it allows for a state militia, or the National Guard. There are several reasons for the second amendment. But notice the phrase, ``the right to bear arms.'' This is a military term. The colonists, who all owned firearms, were somewhat fearful of a strong Federal Government that would be oppressive and totalitarian. So it seems they wanted the right to protect themselves, individually and also collectively, through militias from not only outlaws but an outlaw Federal Government. As the Supreme Court decides if the government can ban gun ownership, it would do well to adopt a lower court opinion which said, ``The right to bear arms was premised on the private use of arms for activities such as hunting and self-defense; the latter being understood as a resistance to either private lawlessness or the depredation of a tyrannical government.'' And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, Army specialist and medic Monica Brown was on patrol in the rugged terrain of Afghanistan when a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees. As Humvees burned and shrapnel filled the air, Monica ran through insurgent gunfire and mortars to protect wounded comrades. With total disregard for her safety, she used her body to shield five injured soldiers as she administered aid and then dragged each of them 100 meters away to safety. Monica Brown is from Lake Jackson, Texas, and she's 19 years of age. A teenager, and yet she has already shown more courage, selflessness, and honor than many show in their entire lifetime. Amelia Earhart said, ``Courage is the price that life requires for granting peace.'' This month Monica Brown will be awarded the Silver Star, the Nation's third highest medal for valor for that courage she showed. She is only the second woman since World War II to receive this medal. She said that she didn't think of anything except taking care of her fellow soldiers and protecting them from the attack. It was instinctive for her. We thank her for her service. She is a great Texan and a true American teenage idol. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, today I am proud to pay tribute to Kathleen Jackson, Public Affairs Manager of ExxonMobil Corporation, who is in the elite club of women in the male dominated petrochemical industry. A graduate of North Carolina State University, Ms. Jackson holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering and Pulp and Paper Science & Technology. She attended college on a Pulp and Paper Foundation scholarship, and became their first woman graduate in 1975. She was a North Carolina Leadership Institute Fellow and recipient of the W.E. Cauldwell Fellowship for Chemical Engineering studies. For more than 30 years, Ms. Jackson has held various positions at the ExxonMobil Beaumont, Texas Refinery in engineering, operations, and environmental departments--including Operations Supervisor of the refinery's natural gas liquids processing facility. Kathleen has been responsible for the refinery's Capital Budget Planning Program, Environmental Audit Program, and Water Quality issues. She is currently responsible for managing Public Affairs and Community Relations for Exxon Mobil Corporation's Refining & Supply, Chemical, and Lubricants & Petroleum Specialties business in Beaumont, Texas. She is a Texas Registered Professional Engineer and past Chairman of the Southeast Texas Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Kathleen serves on the Lower Neches Basin Water Quality Assessment Program; the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce's Education Committee; the Southeast Texas Workforce Development Board; and is the past Chairwoman of the Southeast Texas Industry Public Relations Association, chartered by the Southeast Texas Plant Managers Forum. In 1994, Ms. Jackson received Mobil Oil Corporation's prestigious Chairman's Award and Team Venture Award. She is also a recipient of ExxonMobil Chemical's Responsible Care Award, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineer's Outstanding Presentation Award. Kathleen is active in numerous community activities including Lamar Institute of Technology's Foundation Board of Directors; Beaumont Independent School District's Educational Improvement Committee; Young Audiences of Southeast Texas Board of Directors; Junior League of Beaumont; Rotary Club of Beaumont; JASON Alliance of Southeast Texas' Board of Directors; and is past President of the American Cancer Society. Kathleen was appointed to the Governor's Focus on Reading Task Force by former Texas Governor George W. Bush in 1997. She currently serves as an appointee of Texas Governor Rick Perry as President of the Board of Directors for the Lower Neches Valley Authority. Madam Speaker, Kathleen Jackson is a pioneer in the male dominated petrochemical industry, and I am proud to celebrate her accomplishments.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, today I am proud to pay tribute to a personal friend, Ms. Pat Avery, Administrative Manager of Total Petrochemicals. Patricia Avery came into this world a double minority--black and female, but that didn't stop her from pursuing her dream of making it in an industry dominated by white males. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, she was surrounded by people who looked like her. When she graduated from high school, and stepped off of the plane in Iowa, to attend college at Drake University, that all changed. She was among the first women to live on the fourth floor of the university's Goodwin-Kirk Hall, previously an all male dorm. Ms. Avery graduated from Drake University, with an undergraduate degree in biology and a graduate degree in public administration. After graduating from college, Ms. Avery joined Church's Fried Chicken, Inc., as a Personnel Assistant and later Regional Personnel Manager. She noted, ``You may not start out where you want to be in your career, but take advantage of every opportunity and make the best of it.'' Five years later, she took the helm of corporate personnel management at Bleyle of America, Inc., a German company that manufactures international women's better sportswear. Pat then joined Mobil as an employee relations representative in Houston and quickly began her march up the corporate ladder. She served as employee relations advisor at Mobil's plastic packaging division in New York. She became the first woman and first minority manager of employee relations at Mobil's chemical specialty division in Beaumont, the first woman and minority manager of employee relations at Mobil's Mining and Minerals Co. in Houston, and manager of Human Resources at Mobil's Polyethylene Plant in Beaumont. Ms. Avery joined Total's Port Arthur Refinery in March of 1998, again as the first woman and minority on their management team. As the Administrative Manager, she manages the refinery's human resources department, as well as the accounting, security, training, labor relations, purchasing, warehouse, contracts, and public affairs activities. She admits, ``I have been the first female and the first African-American throughout my entire career in my industry and really in all of the industries I have worked in. Having been the first and the only in many jobs that I have had has been bittersweet. It was lonely, awkward, challenging, very scary, and extremely hard at times, but it was also invigorating, exciting, rewarding, and historic. I don't want to give the impression that it all happened in perfect order. That is far from the truth. Many times, I wanted to run back into the comfort of my own community where I felt safe, but I didn't. It's one of the most significant lessons I've learned: Nothing ventured, nothing gained.'' As busy as she is, Ms. Avery still finds time to serve the community. She is involved in numerous projects and serves as a Board Member with Communities in Schools; United Way of South County; Art Museum of Southeast Texas; the Texas Association of Business; Lamar Institute of Technology Foundation Board; Julie Rogers Gift of Life Board; and Inspire, Encourage, and Achieve Board. She is the Vice Chair of the Golden Triangle Business Roundtable, and also served as their Safety Committee Chairperson for 5 years. Ms. Avery was appointed by Mayor Evelyn Lord to the Beaumont Board of Adjustments, and reappointed by Mayor Becky Ames. She currently co- chairs Golden Triangle Days in Austin for the Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce and will again be co-chair in 2009. She chaired the Texas Museum Blowout in 2007; is a member of the Port Arthur Rotary Club; and will be President of the 2009/2010 Season of the Symphony of Southeast Texas. In addition, Ms. Avery serves on my Service Academy Board. From 1999-2002, she served on the Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce Board. She was recognized as Business Advocate of the Year in 2002 by Lamar State College's Small Business Development Center, and is a graduate of the 2000 class of Leadership of Southeast Texas. Madam Speaker, Pat Avery, a former high school track star and cheerleader, found her niche by helping people through employee relations and management. She is a pioneer in the male dominated petrochemical industry, and I am proud to celebrate her accomplishments.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, the next Air Force plane that you will see in the air will be branded with ``Made in France'' on the side of it. Not only France but Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom will be making 170 or more of the new Air Force supertankers built by that European subsidized company, Airbus. This $40 billion contract will rob thousands of workers of Boeing Company of their jobs. Why is our Air Force outsourcing national defense to the Europeans, of all people? Aren't they the ones that take every opportunity to bash our U.S. military? The Air Force is trying to do damage control by saying the Airbus is better than the Boeing plane. Madam Speaker, that dog just won't hunt. U.S.-built planes have been successfully defending our skies and our homeland since before World War II. We are not talking about outsourcing some cheap Wal-Mart product that's made in China. We are talking about outsourcing sensitive military equipment. Some things should always be made in America, by Americans, for Americans. What's next? Is the Air Force going to outsource those airplane crews with the French as well? And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize a young constituent of the Second Congressional District, Mr. Connor Konz, for his participation in the Discovery Kids Channel competition Endurance Fiji. Connor is a 15-year-old sophomore at Atascocita High School in Humble, Texas. He was selected in June of this year as a participant after submitting a five-minute video describing himself and how he spends his free time. The game consists of teams collecting 13 pyramid pieces which are essential inner qualities to complete the Pyramid of Endurance. They are Strength, Heart, Courage, Perseverance, Luck, Trust, Leadership, Discipline, Knowledge, Commitment, Teamwork, Ingenuity and Friendship. The first team to collect all 13 pieces wins the game. The teams earn pieces by winning physical and mental competitions. Connor and his mother, Debbie Konz, were flown to Fiji on Aug. 12. After arriving, he was taken by boat from the airport to an island hotel and from there to another island for the competition. By no means was this tropical island competition a Sunday picnic or vacation for Connor. He was without all of the daily teenage essentials such as no cell phone, MP3 player or digital camera the entire time he was on the island. He slept in a sleeping bag, in a bamboo hut with a thatched roof and no air conditioning. Connor said that the worst part of the experience was no electricity or indoor plumbing. The teens also faced isolation by sleeping on a separate island away from their parents and didn't get to see them again until they were kicked off the show for losing a competition. Connor had to use his physical and mental abilities to overcome the obstacles and challenges in the competition. It was an experience that pushed him farther than he thought he could go and resulted in lifelong friendships with the contestants. Connor not only represented his family in the competition but Humble, Texas as well. I salute Connor Konz for enduring Fiji. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, our own backyard is in jeopardy. Recently Colombia, our ally in the war on drugs and in combating Marxist rebels bent on undermining democracy in the Americas, was threatened with military action by its neighbors Venezuela and Ecuador. Colombia had taken the military initiative to eliminate a FARC commander across the border in Ecuador in order to maintain its own security. Yet the leftist and anti-U.S. leaders from Venezuela and Ecuador took grave offense to the killing of one of their comrades in arms, and rolled up tank battalions to the border to try to intimidate Colombia. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed in this round, yet the United States should be concerned from some emerging big dogs in our own backyard. With our attention turned elsewhere around, other nations and interests have been undermining US influence in the Americas. As seen already, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been trying to gather support of other Latin American leaders to oppose the U.S. This latest incident in threatening our ally is a prime example. Yet there is an even bigger dog, and it is hungry. China is growing in influence in Latin America. Seeking trading, political, and military ties with Latin America nations, China's hunger for expansion is part of its goal to be a chief player in world politics. As China seeks greater ties and influence in South America, it will naturally rely on its Communist ties with Marxist and leftist leaning groups. What is the result of these two big dogs in our backyard? US influence is lessening in Latin America. For decades we stood by and militarily backed our Monroe Doctrine. In essence, we claim that the Western Hemisphere and the Americas is our sphere of influence. While we were able to keep Europe out, we are failing to keep the Far East and Communism out. Theodore Roosevelt added his corollary to the Doctrine, stating that the US reserves the right to intervene in Latin America. American foreign policy should take notice of this situation. While we have our chickens outside grazing, the coop is empty and under threat. We should hold fast to our Monroe Doctrine, and include all emerging threats, whether from Europe, the Far East, or ideas such as Communism and radical Islam. Strangers in one's backyard do not make for a secure household. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, today I have the privilege to recognize Dr. Vida Davoudi of Kingwood, TX. Her life as an Iranian immigrant turned proud American citizen is an inspirational tale of not only living the American Dream but of someone who diligently works daily to improve it for others. Her journey to success in America began early. With encouragement from her parents, they told her to dream big and that the key to great achievement was to obtain an education. While in high school, Davoudi became a foreign exchange student to the United States through the American Field Service Program as well as a sponsorship from a Rotary Club. For one year, she lived with an American family and fell in love with the democratic political system of the United States. After returning to Iran to graduate from high school, Dr. Davoudi participated in a competitive exam conducted by American International Development and was awarded a four-year, full scholarship to attend American University of Beirut. Continuing her journey of academic excellence, she returned to the United States to attend graduate school at Southern Illinois University. After Dr. Davoudi earned her masters and doctorate degrees in political science, she returned to her country and ran for a seat in the Iranian Parliament. Davoudi won and become the youngest member ever elected. She served for three years in the national assembly representing the city of Tehran and championed issues such as the abolition of polygamy and divorce law reform. She left Iran for the United States shortly before the Shah of Iran was overthrown in 1979. When Dr. Davoudi arrived in the United States, the only things she brought with her were a suitcase, her nine-year-old son and her education. Davoudi credits her education as the key ingredient to her success. ``Education was the only thing that enabled us to survive,'' she said. ``I have no doubt that education is the key to opening doors and improving lives financially and intellectually.'' She was hired as a government professor at Kingwood College in 1989 and has used the opportunity to impact the lives of numerous young people. For example, a recently divorced student approached Davoudi one day in tears. The young woman told her that she was having great difficulty coping with her divorce and wanted to drop her class. Davoudi told the woman that she would not let her withdraw, but instead would provide her with flexibility and whatever she needed in order to complete the course. The young lady successfully finished Davoudi's class and eventually became a practicing nurse. Years later, she was very thankful to Davoudi for not letting her quit during a difficult time in her life. Davoudi is also the faculty sponsor for the college's Student Government Association. She fosters leadership development in her students by actively encouraging them every year to seek state-level positions in the organization. Through her diligent efforts and advice, one of her former students was even elected to the highest level of State leadership as president of the Texas Junior College Student Government Association. She teaches her students not to simply attend college but to become leaders. In addition to pursuing state office positions within the organization, Davoudi has led the students of SGA at Kingwood College in multiple community service projects such as food, clothing and toy drives for non-profit organizations and local area shelters for abused women and children. In the words of one of her colleagues, Dr. Davoudi is ``changing the world one student at a time.'' I salute Dr. Vida Davoudi for being a shining example of a distinguished scholar and advocate for lifelong learning. Her life and eternal gratitude for living in a country so richly blessed with opportunity and freedom is an inspiration to us all.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, Homeland Security shouldn't be left strictly to the Federal Government but requires the vigilant assistance of State, county and city police departments. When local law enforcement agencies choose not to detain criminal aliens for immigration enforcement officials, it is like a city police officer ignoring a bank robbery because it is a Federal crime. That kind of head in the sand mentality is ridiculous and will not make our Nation safer. In Houston, Texas, Harris County Sheriff Tommy Thomas is blazing a path with a common sense approach to dealing with illegal aliens arrested for committing crimes. Sheriff Thomas recently announced that employees at the Harris County's Inmate Processing Center will receive Section 287(g) training from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement officials. This program will train deputies to identify, process and detain illegal aliens arrested for criminal activity in Harris County. Instead of catch and release, this new training will allow deputies to catch and begin the deportation process for criminal aliens. This program will help take more illegals off the streets and make the county safer for Texas families. For example, illegal aliens will no longer have the opportunity to continuously endanger lives by getting arrested multiple times for DWI. The deportation process will start in the county jail the first time they are arrested. Besides trespassing into our Nation, illegal aliens commit many other crimes such as driving without car insurance, drug trafficking, human smuggling, theft, burglary and murder. As a result, American citizens and legal immigrants end up carrying the financial burden created by illegal aliens such as increased medical and prison expenses. Empowering local law enforcement officials to start the deportation process immediately after an illegal alien is arrested, sends a clear message that international trespassing will not be tolerated. Protecting citizens and legal immigrants from criminal acts by illegal aliens is the essence of Homeland Security. By not passing off responsibility for dealing with criminal aliens to the Federal Government, like in some cities, Sheriff Tommy Thomas is finding solutions to reducing crime in Harris County instead of making excuses. He is setting an example that other agencies should follow. He is a great sheriff who's recent actions demonstrate that he is committing to protect our communities from both foreign and domestic criminals. It will take the leadership of other sheriffs like Thomas and police chiefs with the backbone to enforce all of our Nation's laws, instead of just the ones they prefer, for effective Homeland Security. Today, I salute Sheriff Tommy Thomas for his local efforts and leadership in moving Harris County, and the rest of our Nation, in the right direction to protect citizens and legal immigrants from criminal aliens. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, police officers dedicate their lives to keeping our streets and communities secure. They selflessly venture into dangerous situations every day and put their lives on the line so that the rest of us can sleep safely. Houston Senior Police Officer Alphonso ``Al'' Amato, Jr., is one of those elite individuals, who dedicated his entire career to protecting the innocent from evil-doers. Officer Amato enrolled in the Houston Police Academy in 1981. His first assignment upon graduation was with the Patrol Division of the Houston Police Department. One of his more notable experiences occurred when he was testifying against an aggravated robbery defendant in the 177th District Court. While he was testifying, the defendant jumped up and threw his chair at the prosecutor. Officer Amato responded, like any top-notch officer would, and without giving it a second thought, jumped up and immediately took the defendant into custody. He was later prosecuted as the trial continued. Officer Amato has been responsible for removing dangerous outlaws from the streets of Houston. In 1983, he began working on cases involving juveniles and spent the majority of his career working in the Juvenile Division of the police force. While working in the Juvenile Sex Crimes Unit, he investigated more than 1,000 child exploitation cases. Time and again, he has successfully arrested the worst kind of criminal, the one who preys on innocent children. He has a knack for difficult cases and has taken on the most challenging, where little or no information has been available. Each time, he managed to track down the criminals and bring them to justice. Not only does Officer Amato have fine-tuned investigative skills, he is also known for his ability to manage a crime scene. He always kept order, even in the most difficult situations, while questioning the involved parties. During his many years of dedicated service, he has received countless commendations, expressions of appreciation, Unit Citations, an FBI recognition for Task Force and Sting Operations, a U.S. Marshal recognition for Gang Task Force involvement and a Houston Fire Department recognition. He is also well respected throughout the community and among his peers. Officer Amato's family has a history of service. His father served in the military. Before becoming a law enforcement officer, Officer Amato served in the United States Air Force in Vietnam for 4 years. After his time in the military, he joined the Federal Protective Services and was there until 1977, when he left to join the Chicago Police Department. He stayed in Chicago until 1981 and then began his career with the Houston Police Department. This year, he is retiring from a distinguished career after more than 26 years of service. According to his fellow officers, Officer Amato served the citizens of Houston with pride, honor and commitment. He is known as an upstanding citizen, a patriotic American and a devoted law enforcement officer. I would also like to recognize the contributions of Al's wife, Sandy, and daughter, Raven. I commend them for persevering over the difficult job of their loved one serving as a law enforcement officer. Many of the most successful officers have a significant family support system behind the scenes. On the date of his retirement, March 21, 2008, I congratulate and thank Senior Police Officer Al Amato for wearing the badge of a Texas lawman with distinction while serving the people of Houston. Future law enforcement officers can learn by the example of Officer Amato and realize that one person truly can make a difference. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, due to other congressional business, I unfortunately missed recorded votes on the House floor on Wednesday, March 5 and Thursday, March 6, 2008. I ask that the Record reflect that had I been able to vote that day, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall votes Nos. 94, 95, 96, 99, 101, 103, 104, 106, and 107 and ``yea'' on rollcall votes Nos. 97, 98, 100, 102, and 105.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, judges should keep politics out of their judicial decisions, but not so with California Judge Marilyn Mackel. She is a loud opponent of U.S. liberation of Iraq. So when Shawn Sage, a foster child of 17, appeared before her to obtain permission to early enlist in the United States Marine Corps, she summarily denounced his request and told him she was opposed to the war in Iraq. Shawn appeared in court with his supporting foster parents just to be insulted by a judge who makes decisions based on politics. Judge Mackel is a repeat offender, however. Judge ``Gone Wild'' Mackel has shown prejudice against the military before when she prevented a foster child from joining the United States Navy, all because of a political bias. As a former judge, it appears to me the abuse of power by this anti- American military, peacenik judge is the perfect example of her having a terminal case of black robe disease, a disease some judges get when their personal politics cloud their judgment. Keep politics and wacky judges out of the courthouse. Judge Mackel is the newest member of the Judges' Hall of Shame. And that's just the way it is.