Ted Poe

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. When the First Lady of the Gulf, Katrina, unloaded her wrath on Louisiana and Mississippi, thousands of people fled to my home State of Texas. This evacuation brought in not only good folks but it brought in registered sex offenders to the communities and neighborhoods of southeast Texas. Now, 2\1/2\ months later, many child molesters remain unaccounted for, lurking in the shadows, some waiting to attack again innocent children. The Houston Chronicle reported yesterday that almost 300 known sex offenders from Louisiana have moved to the Houston area alone since Hurricane Katrina. None of them have been accounted for. Some of these sex offenders registered with FEMA and received Federal disaster assistance. So FEMA has an address and a location of these registered sex offenders, but they will not release the names to local law enforcement. They are citing privacy reasons. This defies common sense. Sex offenders gave up their privacy rights when they decided to rape and molest children. It is for this reason today I am filing legislation giving FEMA the authority and the duty to release this information about registered sex offenders to local law enforcement officials. The public has a right to know who these people are. Our children are in danger, and there should be no red tape when it comes to their safety. That's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, southeast Texas has over 40,000 acres of rice fields. Until recently, the combined acreage of rice farms in the State of Texas was about 600,000 acres. That is bigger than the State of Rhode Island. Hometown rice farmers, like my friend Ray Stoesser, are seriously struggling, however. Ray, like most rice farmers, simply wants more markets to sell American rice. The House and Senate versions of the Treasury, Transportation appropriations bill enhanced markets and included language that would allow agricultural trade to Cuba. The conference report, however, stripped that language out and maintains the current trade embargo. The conferees' refusal to allow rice trade to Cuba defies common sense. It places politics above American farmers like Ray Stoesser, not to mention it is bad for the American economy. The Cuban people will continue to eat rice. If we do not sell it to them, they will get it from that communist nation Vietnam. We hear talk of free trade. NAFTA, CAFTA, we trade with the Communists in China, but not selling rice to Cuba does not punish Castro and his Communists. It punishes American rice farmers. Mr. Speaker, this ought not to be.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to U.S. immigration policy, who is really in charge? Is it Mexico City or Washington, D.C.? On almost a daily basis, Mexican officials seem to interfere with the immigration matters and U.S. laws. Mexican officials on both sides of the border are righteously indignant about American policies pertaining to the security of our border. Many American officials are oblivious to the problem as well. There is a continuous moaning and groaning rhetoric complaining we should not prevent illegals from entering the sovereign United States. I want to make it clear again that I fully support immigration, legal immigration. It is not fair to America, nor is it fair to those who are trying to enter our country lawfully that every year thousands of people enter our country illegally. We must stop sending the wrong message to the world that we will wink at illegal immigration. It appears to me that the leaders of Mexico give lip service to our immigration and border security laws. Mexico must stop encouraging illegal entry to the United States and the disrespect for the dignity and sovereignty of this country. So I ask, When it comes to U.S. immigration policy, who is in charge? Is it Mexico City or is it Washington, D.C.? Let me give you some examples. I will start with our open borders. You know, our government does not acknowledge the term open borders or porous borders, but that is exactly what we have. I have recently visited the United States-Mexico border and witnessed firsthand the lax security in place there. It takes very little effort for illegals to cross or hire someone to cross them into the United States and enter this country illegally. Some estimate that 5,000 people a day cross illegally into our country. Some of them even do it with the help of the Mexican Government. The Foreign Ministry of Mexico distributes a pamphlet called ``Guide to Crossing the Border.'' I have shown this on the floor before. It is produced in English and Spanish, and it is essentially a book of sneaking into the United States. The Mexican consulates encourage this illegal conduct as well. Their purpose is not to help their citizens break American law, but that is what occurs. Passing out these guides is a disgrace to our laws and encourages illegal behavior. This lone act of a document showing people illegally how to come into the United States is a disrespect for America's borders and encourages the daily invasion of illegals into the United States. So once again I will ask the question, When it comes to United States immigration policy, who is in charge? Mexico City or Washington, D.C.? Consulates also hand out matricula consular cards which illegals use for identification purposes. This card resembles a driver's license and has become widely accepted as a form of identification to get services at U.S. banks, car dealerships, and American insurance companies. Even in some States they are allowing individuals to purchase or get a driver's license based on this document. The consulate issues these cards to people who are illegally in the United States. This is an absurd policy because these people are in our country illegally, yet we are helping them set up a residence in our country. The Mexican Government has heavily lobbied the Federal Government of the United States to use these cards as identification cards, but so far the Federal Government does not do so. So Mexican consulates are going to local communities and local governments and trying to get them to accept this document. And some do, unfortunately. This is just one more example of blatant disrespect for American law, yet we do nothing about it. We give illegals and the Mexican Government another pass. When it comes to the United States immigration policy, who is in charge? Is it Mexico City or Washington, D.C.? The answer is becoming more and more blurred. Let me give you another serious example. In Los Angeles during the past year, the Mexican Government has provided over 100,000 Mexican text books to 1,500 schools. In fact, according to a recent Houston Chronicle editorial written by Heather McDonald, the sixth-grade Mexican history book celebrates the Mexican troops who fought against Americans during the Mexican-American War. The book refers to the enemy flag as the flag of the United States and says that the war's consequences were disastrous for Mexico. So is this what we are going to teach American school children? Has political correctness gone so far that we now refer to Old Glory as the enemy flag? And why do we allow the Mexican Government to inundate our kids with Mexican text books anyway? This is very disturbing. The Mexican Government should spend more time enforcing their own rule of law and fighting corruption in Mexico and less time undermining our rule of law. Mexico has many advantages and natural resources. Perhaps they should take advantage of these to improve their own country so residents will quit leaving. They need to address their problems at home instead of sending them north to us. Mr. Speaker, the lawlessness of the border will promote more lawlessness. We welcome people who want to make a better life for themselves and come to America for the American Dream, but they must do so legally. Our government cannot afford to continue to ignore the invasion from the south of our borders. The Mexican-American War started because Mexicans did not recognize the Texas-Mexico border at the time. They ignored the treaty that their dictator, Santa Anna signed, and they invaded the United States in 1846. Sound familiar? It seems to me that a second attempt at invasion and colonization has already begun. Is Mexico trying to retake the Southwest? It is said that Caesar fiddled while Rome burned. I ask, Is Washington fiddling while the border burns with the lawlessness of an illegal invasion? Who is in charge of the U.S. immigration policy? Washington, D.C. or Mexico City? Only history will reveal the answers to that. That is just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, when Kenneth Meyers was born in 1889, Teddy Roosevelt was charging up San Juan Hill, the airplane had not been invented, and electricity was a novelty. Kenneth Meyers, at 107, is the oldest surviving World War I veteran in Texas. There are less than 50 World War I veterans in all of the United States. Meyers joined the Navy as a teenager in 1917 and served aboard the Battleship Oklahoma in World War I until 1919. Meyers, who lives in Houston, says he was proud to serve in the ``War to End All Wars.'' After the Navy, Meyers earned his masters degree, became an agricultural expert for Uncle Sam, and even helped farmers as far away as Greece. He herded cattle in Wyoming, and he still owns land there. As we honor American veterans, we appreciate the generations of sailors and doughboys in World War I who adopted the song ``Over There'' that states, in part, ``Send the word to beware, that the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming and we won't come back 'til its over, over there.'' Mr. Speaker, like warriors since then, those Yanks got the job done for freedom and only came back when it was over, over there. That's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, each and every Member of Congress has crime victim advocates in his or her District. It's likely you hear from them now and again, particularly when critical funding for crime victim services is at stake--like the Administration's proposal to drain the Crime Victim Fund to balance the budget--or you may hear from them when they plead that victims' rights are enforced in accordance with the law. It's also likely that you have an inkling of what these folks do for a living. But I'm pretty sure that you don't know just how much victim advocates are the ``unsung heroes'' of America today. Back when I was a prosecutor in the great state of Texas, we didn't have ``victim advocates.'' There was nobody to provide the victim with support and guidance. The criminal and juvenile justice systems were like a maze to them and, let me tell you, the laboratory mice did a lot better in finding the cheese! Crime victims were lost. Crime victims were forgotten. Crime victims were merely ``evidence'' used to successfully prosecute criminal cases. Crime victims were ``re- victimized'' on a daily basis by a system that should be designed to protect them. At the end of my days as a prosecutor and the beginning of my days as a judge, I started to see these folks called ``victim advocates'' in court. Back then, their job was to notify victims of the status of their cases and offenders, and explain to them what is often an overwhelming criminal justice process. But if you listened to victims back then, they would tell you that their advocates were so much more. They were a ``Rock of Gibraltar'' in a rocking sea of confusion. They were there to hold their hands and provide comfort. They were, as one prosecutor from Texas last month noted, ``the centerpiece of the courtroom'' when it came to helping crime victims and witnesses. I was privileged earlier this month to deliver a keynote speech at the National Conference of State VOCA Assistance and Crime Victim Compensation Administrators in New Mexico. These are folks that, every single minute of every single day, are on ``the front line for victims of crime.'' There were over 300 ``victim advocates'' in the house, and I think it is well worth the time of the U.S. Congress to recognize them. You should know about the remarkable victim advocates who spent the last year planning this conference, and spent some really quality time learning from each other about how to better help crime victims. For 4 days, state-level victim advocates who oversee funding for vital victim services, and manage state victim compensation programs that help victims recover from the financial losses resulting from crime, came together to teach each other, and learn from each other, and figure out ways to improve assistance to crime victims in ALL our Districts. Let me begin by saluting John Gillis, the Director of the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime. John knows too well the impact of crime on victims. When he was an LAPD detective almost 30 years ago, his beautiful daughter Louarna was murdered by gang members in a vicious ``kill a cop's kid'' murder that would move them up the gang hierarchy. John and his wife Patsy reacted to Louarna's death as so many crime victims and survivors do. They became activists to change how our criminal justice system treats victims, and change how our society views victims. John has spent the last three decades fighting for crime victims' rights, and does so now at the helm of the Office for Victims of Crime, considered the ``mother ship'' of victim assistance in America. John has become a friend and someone whom I admire and deeply respect. He is our nation's leading ``victim advocate'' and crime victims everywhere in America are fortunate to have him at the Office for Victims of Crime. Next, I would like to recognize the Directors of the two national associations that help states manage funding for victim services and victim compensation. Steve Derene is the Director of the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators. Back in 1984, he helped craft the Victims of Crime Act, which uses fines and fees assessed against convicted Federal offenders to support crime victim services. He has been a true advocate for victims in Wisconsin and, in the past five years, for victims across our nation. He is known as ``Stevie Wonder'' because he, more than most, has embraced technology as a means to facilitate more effective justice processes and victim assistance; and because it seems he is on call 24/7 to help victims and those who serve them. Dan Eddy is the Director of the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards. Dan is a quiet, unassuming victim advocate, but the impact of his work is far-reaching. Under his direction, victims of crime in all of our Districts have received millions of dollars--again, not from taxpayers but from convicted offenders--to help them cope with the financial impact of crime. Dan Eddy is truly an ``unsung hero'' whose efforts are felt in states, communities, neighborhoods and homes across America each and every day. The Presidents of both Associations--Joe Hood from Georgia and Larry Tackman from New Mexico--also deserve mention. These are two men with a true vision for the field of crime victim services. When they are not managing their state VOCA and compensation programs, they are working hard to promote strength and unity in victim services across our land. With their respective Boards of Directors, they put on a fine conference, and deserve our thanks. I am guessing ya'll have attended events where everything ran very smoothly. I can assure you this doesn't happen by ``accident.'' So let me tip my hat to Ms. Gillian Nevers, who had an illustrious career as a Wisconsin victim advocate, and who earlier this month facilitated one of the best victim assistance training conferences ever. And now I'd like to introduce you to some wonderful victim advocates from New Mexico, and know that my colleagues from New Mexico join me in thanking them. These are the folks who not only put on the conference I attended, but also help victims of their state every day, in ways large and small. These are people for whom compassion is part of their DNA. Let me introduce you to the staff of the New Mexico Crime Victims Reparation Commission: Kristy Ring, Deputy Director; Robin Brassie, VOCA Administrator; Sheila Allen, VAWA Administrator; Julie Duren, Reparation Officer Supervisor; Terri Ruegger, Financial & HR Officer; Dorothy Padilla; Randy Vallejos; Debra Yepa; Jacqueline Chavez; Denise Jaramillo; Mary Anne Garcia; Michele Threlkel; Moises Valdez; Paula Smith; Debra Simpson; Suzanne Gallegos; Wendy Archibeque, and Robert Norfor. You are simply hearing their names. But I had the chance to meet them, and want you to know that our Nation is a better place because of their ongoing commitment to helping victims of crime. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, the American veteran has fought in these conflicts: French and Indian war, War for Independence, the First Barbary War, the War of 1812, the Second Barbary War, War for Texas Independence, the War Between the States, the Indian Wars, the Spanish- American War, the Philippine-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, First World War, Russian Revolution, Spanish Civil War, the Great World War II, the Cold War, Korean War, Vietnam War, Tehran hostage rescue, Grenada, Beirut, Panama, the Gulf War, Somalia, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and the Iraq War. These are wars that were fought in, fought by and fought for Americans. This land of the free is consecrated by the blood of the fallen. In many of these wars the liberty of the Nation's people was at stake. Across the massive seas of time the American veteran shall be remembered and praised, for they fought in lands they had never seen, and they fought for peoples they did not know. These, like my dad, represent the finest the Nation has ever produced. We honor them and we thank them on Veterans Day.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, it has been said that ``never in the history of the world has any soldier sacrificed more for the freedom and liberty of total strangers than the American soldier,'' said by Zell Miller about the American fighting men. I rise today to honor a young American marine from my southeast Texas district, Marine Staff Sergeant Russell Slay, who valiantly served the Nation in Iraq and who died doing so. He was a member of the 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion of the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Russell Slay grew up in my hometown of Humble, Texas. As a student at Humble High School, he played football and was in the band. After he graduated from Humble High School, he started working, but quickly realized that he needed something more in his life. His high school friend Jason Tucker had joined the Marine Corps, and he had made the decision to join him and fight for his country. His father, Roy, a retired Houston police officer and a long-time friend of mine, said of his son, ``Russell wanted to be somewhere that would teach and inspire him.'' During his 10-year military career, he was trained to drive armored vehicles that carried combat troops from ships to beachheads during amphibious attacks. During his first tour of Iraq in 2002, Slay took part in overtaking Baghdad. He had been in charge of a section of four armored all-terrain vehicles. He left for his second mission on September 11, 2004. Upon receiving his orders to report for a second tour in Iraq, Staff Sergeant Slay told his family and friends that he did not think he would make it back. A year ago today, Russell Slay's perceptive premonition became a reality. He was the 100th Texas member of the Armed Forces to be killed in Iraq. And, by the way, Mr. Speaker, one out of every 10 Americans wearing the uniform today is from the State Texas. Russell Slay was 28 years old. He died in combat with seven others in Fallujah when his armored vehicle was attacked by terrorists. His funeral was a moving memorial to him as a devoted father, son, and friend. More than 450 people paid their respects to a man that was remembered for his engaging spirit and his love of life. Family and friends expressed that Slay was nothing short of spectacular. His sense of humor was contagious. He was a loving, loyal, and dedicated father. He left behind a 9-year-old daughter, Kinlee, and a 5-year-old son, Walker. At the funeral, Marine Captain Mike Evans read letters that Slay had prepared for his children in anticipation of his death. He told his daughter, Kinlee: ``I love you and never knew what life was before you were born. You will always be Daddy's little girl.'' He encouraged her to have the best life possible and to be sure that she went to college. He said: ``Daddy will always be with you and watching out for you. Hugs and kisses. I'll miss you.'' He also wrote to his son, Walker, and told him that watching him grow up was ``like reliving his own youth. He said: ``You're the best little man there ever was. Be a studious son and stay in school. Always be a man. If you make mistakes, stand up and say so.'' Russell Slay encouraged his son to have children of his own so he too could feel the joy and happiness that had been brought to him. He insisted in his letter that his family know how much he loved them, and he wrote: ``I promise you my family was my last thought. Don't mourn for me, but celebrate my life.'' Nine-year-old daughter Kinlee spoke at her father's funeral, and through tears she talked about playing cars with her dad and brother and shopping at Wal-Mart. She spoke fondly about the weekend family ritual of washing the car. Charlie Flannigan, who officiated the funeral service, told of Slay's skills in the band that he and his buddies had created in Iraq. They called it the Texas Trio. He said Russell was not the best athlete, but he sure knew how to play a guitar. Staff Sergeant Russell Slay in 28 short years had already exhibited a lifetime of bravery and boldness. Mr. Speaker, Thomas Jefferson once said: ``From time to time the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots.'' Russell Slay was a true American patriot. Russell Slay died for Americans. He died for Iraqis. He died for freedom. Staff Sergeant Russell Slay, we will never forget the price you paid for America, and we thank you for devoting your life to your country. You are a true American hero. You make us proud. So Semper Fi, Staff Sergeant Slay, Semper Fi.

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of the gentleman from Indiana.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, the out-of-touch notorious Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has struck again. They have created their own version of restrictions on parenting. These wayward judges rule that parents do not have a constitutional right to prevent a public school from teaching students whatever it wishes, including sexual information. Instead, they say that the State has ultimate power over the education of our children. This ruling stems from a case filed by parents whose children, ages 7 through 10, were given a survey that asks questions pertaining to sex that are even too expressive to repeat on this House floor. According to the education police judges, when parents decide to send their child to a public school, the parents lose authority and control over what the child is taught. The State decides. This ruling violates the Constitution. The Supreme Court long ago ruled that parents do have the fundamental right to make decisions about the care, custody, education, and control of their children. This is just another example of elite judges trying to replace parents with bureaucrats. Out-of-control judges are taking away property rights, our pledge rights, and now they are after our parenting rights. This ought not to be.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, when the howling winds and incessant rains of Hurricane Katrina came barreling ashore on the southeast Texas coast, the small coastal town of Sabine Pass was almost completely destroyed by destruction and devastation. School Superintendent Walt Fenn immediately worried about the 300 students who attended K-12 school, Sabine Pass School. Thousands of miles away, however, elementary school kids at Sam Bundy School in Farmville, North Carolina, heard about the devastation in Texas. They too experienced a similar destruction in Hurricane Floyd in 1999. These kids wanted the students in Sabine Pass to know everything will be okay. The children at Sam Bundy School raised over $2,500 for the school kids in Texas, school kids they had never met in a place they had never seen. There was no red tape, no Federal bureaucracy, just a bunch of kids in a small town in North Carolina that wanted to help some other kids in Texas. The students at Sam Bundy School are wonderful examples of Americanism and volunteerism. Now they have a whole crew of new pen- pals in southeast Texas that will forever be grateful. These Sam Bundy students remind me of the song ``Thank God for Kids,'' another example of children being our greatest natural resource. That's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 573, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' Stated against:

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in many respects, the past 40 years have been immensely troubling and difficult ones. Indeed, they have been filled with intolerance, hatred, and genocide. Think of Rwanda. Think of Cambodia. We spend entirely too much time on the floor decrying unspeakable crimes and preparing our concrete responses. Our own shores have witnessed terrorism on a massive scale. And while we have avoided massive destruction on the scale of the Second World War, or another Holocaust, just last month we saw a new Holocaust called for, in essence, by the head of state of a member of the United Nations. There are certainly countervailing forces of good in the world, forces that are prepared to deal one way or another with hate and the consequences. One way to deal with the forces of hate is to prepare to meet them on the battlefield or defeat them in shadowy wars carried out in the back alleys of far-off lands. There is another path, the one we commemorate today: to foster understanding, indeed love, among diverse peoples and remove the roots of war from their hearts. Forty years ago, Pope Pius VI issued a declaration entitled Nostra Aetate, ``In Our Times.'' This constituted the Roman Catholic Church's statement expressing its respect for adherents of non-Christian religions and denouncing every form of bigotry directed against them. The groundbreaking statement contained extended discussions of Catholicism's relations with some of the major religions, especially Islam and Judaism, and most specifically concerning the charge of deicide leveled against Jews even in contemporary times. Further, it jump-started many rounds of respectful discussion among religious leaders and laypersons. A few moments ago, I alluded to some of the horrors the world has witnessed in the past 40 years. In order to judge the impact of Nostra Aetate, we must ask ourselves how much worse a world without the gracious spirit of Nostra Aetate would have been. It would clearly have been a more dismal place. I ask that all my colleagues join in this very important concurrent resolution originated by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt). Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 260) recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, Nostra Aetate, and the continuing need for mutual interreligious respect and dialogue, as amended.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, failure to integrate immigrants into a country's society is evident in the 11 days of rioting, looting, destruction, and lawlessness in France. With the 5 million Muslims in France, many of the youth feel disenfranchised and discriminated against by the French government. Some of these third-generation immigrants have turned to violence to get the attention of French authorities. Government buildings, private businesses, homes and over 1,300 cars have been burned. It has been reported that some Muslim extremists are taking advantage of the riots and calling for jihad, or holy war. A French police official reportedly said that civil war is unfolding in France. France must find a better way to assimilate the Muslim population into its culture. USA Today states that French President Jacques Chirac must restore order to prevent a clash of civilizations that is one of the greatest threats of the 21st century. The lesson for us to learn is that we must encourage immigrants to assimilate into America, or we too could face difficulties in the future. Immigrants have the responsibility to become Americans, and America has the responsibility to provide immigrants access to America and teach them to be Americans. That's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1973) to make access to safe water and sanitation for developing countries a specific policy objective of the United States foreign assistance programs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1973.

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for sponsoring this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, water-related illnesses claim the life of one child approximately every 8 to 15 seconds, killing an average of 3,000 to 5,000 children a day, and up to 5 million people annually. Mr. Speaker, the statistics are staggering. Approximately 1.1 billion people do not have access to safe water and 2.6 billion people lack access to basic sanitation. According to the United Nations Task Force on Water and Sanitation, more than half the people in the developing world are suffering from one or more of the main diseases associated with inadequate provision of water supply and sanitation. These numbers, Mr. Speaker, indicate a humanitarian catastrophe that places global development and human security in peril. Acknowledging the linkages between access to safe water and sanitation and other development sectors, the administration has taken some noteworthy actions in response to these challenges. The Water for the Poor and Clean Water for People are initiatives totaling almost $1.5 billion combined. However, more needs to be done. Currently, improving access to safe water and sanitation is not a stated priority of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. In addition, the geographical distribution of funding for water programs does not correspond to the level of need for safe water and sanitation in particular countries. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to thank the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for his leadership in confronting global water challenges by introducing H.R. 1973. Specifically, this measure makes access to safe water and sanitation for developing countries a specific policy objective of the United States foreign assistance programs. I am proud of the strong bipartisan cooperation reflected in the amended version of H.R. 1973 that we are discussing here today. I am confident that the changes made to the original text will greatly improve the coordination, quality, and effectiveness of U.S. foreign programs for water and sanitation. I am also pleased that we have the chance to give recognition to the selfless work of a great public servant through the passage of this act. The late Senator Paul Simon of Illinois played a significant role in drawing the attention of the chairman and that of members of the House International Relations Committee to this issue. The United States Congress recognizes the valuable contributions made by Senator Simon in his book entitled, ``Tapped Out: The Coming World Crisis in Water Scarcity and What We Can Do About It.'' Senator Simon spent much of his life working to garner political support toward finding solutions to global water challenges. We hope that today his memory will be respectfully and appropriately honored and served through the passage of this act. The Senator Paul Simon Water For the Poor Act of 2005 authorizes assistance to promote increased access to safe water and sanitation for vulnerable populations in developing countries in an affordable and equitable way. H.R. 1973 amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 by broadening the areas of development assistance objectives to include improved access to safe water and sanitation. This act requires the Secretary of State to develop a strategy in consultation with the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development to carry out this objective. The strategy called for in this important legislation requires the Secretary of State to assess the adequacy of current activities, define measurable objectives as stipulated by this legislation and assess the level of funding needed to meet them, and improve the coordination and integration of water and sanitation programs provided by the United States with the water and sanitation assistance programs of other donor countries and institutions. Also, this act requires the designation of high-priority countries in which the need for increased access to safe water and sanitation is greatest. This is critical to making sure that assistance is being targeted to reach those who are most in need. H.R. 1973 recognizes the impact that lack of access to safe water and sanitation can have on peace and security. Over 260 river basins are shared by two or more countries. Water scarcity can sometimes further complicate longstanding conflicts. This is especially true in the Middle East where nations vie for control over water resources. This legislation will contribute to United States national security by supporting programs that foster cooperation over shared water resources, including river basins and aquifers. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1973 is an important step in defining a clear and coherent United States international water policy. This legislation will save lives and improve the quality of living for billions of people throughout the world. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the passage of H.R. 1973, the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005, and look forward to its immediate passage in the Senate where Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has introduced similar legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, this October, for the first time in Major League Baseball history, the city of Houston, Texas was represented in the World Series. The Houston Astros, a team that I have followed since their days as the Colt .45s, completed an extraordinary season by facing the Chicago White Sox in the Fall Classic. Although Houston fell short of a World Championship, they achieved a level of success that had never before been seen by the organization or their fans. I join all of Texas in recognizing the players, Owner and CEO Drayton McLane, Jr., General Manager Tim Purpura, Manager Phil Garner, also known as ``Scrap Iron,'' and the entire Houston Astros organization for their outstanding performance in 2005. The city of Houston was awarded a Major League franchise on October 17, 1960. The team, then known as the Colt .45s, began play in the 1962 season. With the opening of the Houston Astrodome in 1965, the Colt .45s became the Astros, and they have been recognized by that name for the past 40 years. Led by players such as Cesar Cedeno, Joe Niekro, Larry Dierker, Nolan Ryan--baseball's all-time strikeout king, Mike Scott--Houston's first Cy Young Award winner, Jose Cruz, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and the other ``Killer B's,'' Houston has been a first- class franchise over the course of four decades. While reaching the playoffs in six of the past nine years, the Astros have proven their skill on the diamond and in the front office. With the addition of hometown heroes Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte to their already impressive roster, the Astros reached the National League Championship Series in 2004. Expectations were high going into 2005, but the team faced several roadblocks to begin the season. By the end of May, the Astros were 15 games below .500 and had been written off by many baseball fans and members of the media. Those doubters could not have been more wrong. Houston emerged as the most dangerous team in baseball over the last four months of the season, making a historic run to the World Series. Whether it was timely hitting by veteran Craig Biggio, a towering home run by breakout star Morgan Ensberg, or nearly flawless pitching performances by Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte and the incomparable Roger Clemens, the Houston Astros solidified their status as one of the league's elite teams. I join the city of Houston and the great state of Texas in congratulating the Houston Astros for their remarkable 2005 season, the greatest in franchise history.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. As a former judge, I want to thank the chairman for leading the fight to protect private property rights. One reason we started this country was because back in the days of England, the king and the nobles owned all the land, and regular folks like us had to work the land, but we could never own the land. That is one reason this country got started, because of the desire to own private property. John Locke, the great philosopher who was influential in much of the law that came into our Constitution, said that we are all born with the right of life, liberty, and property. And Thomas Jefferson incorporated that concept in the Declaration of Independence when he said that we are given by our creator life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And then we put in our Constitution in the fifth amendment that basic right, that we all have life, liberty, and property and it will not be taken without due process of law. That simple phrase that is in that fifth amendment, that private property shall not be taken for public use without due compensation, it is the American dream to own a part of America, own a part of the land. More Americans own land and houses than ever before in our history. Then the Supreme Court came around and misinterpreted this very simple rule in our Constitution, allowing private property to be taken by local governments so they can give it to somebody else all in the name of money. It is all about the money. It ought to be all about what is right. This law will prevent government land-grabbing authorized by the Supreme Court. Their ruling was an error in judgment of constitutional proportions and hopefully the Supreme Court will find its way and reverse this absurd ruling.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, on this day 212 years ago, the Father of Texas, Stephen F. Austin, was born. Austin, only 27 years of age, organized, financed, and led the first legal colony of Americans to settle a portion of Mexico called Tejas, or Texas as we call it. In 1822, 300 families entered Texas, this fantastic frontier on the plains of civilization. Although the settlers were loyal to Mexico, a new Mexican Government soon began abolishing the civil rights of the colonists, so Austin went to Mexico to voice concerns over the abuses, but he was imprisoned for over 2 years. After finally being released, Austin and other Texans decided to go their own way. Texas declared independence from Mexico. Thousands of well-trained Mexican troops poured into Texas to stop the rebellion. The outnumbered Texas volunteers and settlers fought and died at the brutal battles of Goliad and the Alamo, but ultimate victory occurred at the battle of San Jacinto in 1836. Austin and others, like Crockett, Travis, Bowie, and Houston, finally won the day for freedom. Texas was free, a new nation, a new republic. The rest, they say, is Texas history.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, in 1599 Shakespeare said this about the men who go to war: ``From this day to the ending of the world, but 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.'' Some of those brothers from southeast Texas who shed their blood in Iraq were: Specialist Adolf C. Carballo, Houston, Army; Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Todd Arnold from Spring, Texas, Marines; Specialist Scott Q. Larson, Jr., Houston, Army; Captain Andrew R. Houghton, Houston, United States Army; Lance Corporal Michael B. Wafford, Spring, United States Marine Corps; Lance Corporal Thomas J. Zapp, Houston, Marine Corps; PFC Jesus A. Leon-Perez, Houston, Army; Lance Corporal Fred Maciel, Spring, Texas, United States Marine Corps; Staff Sergeant Dexter S. Kimble, United States Marine Corps from Houston; Sergeant Michael T. Robertson, Houston, Army; Staff Sergeant Timothy J. Roark, Houston, United States Army; Master Sergeant Ivica Jerak, Houston, United States Army. These brothers died representing the United States of America, this band of brothers that we will remember. That's just the way it is.