Ted Poe

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court has opened the gate of chaos by allowing local governments to forcibly seize private homes so they can sell to private developers for the greater tax revenues. The result of this land-grabbing decision, in violation of the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, the protection of private property, is occurring now even in the remote New England town of Weare, New Hampshire. A developer has filed necessary papers with the city to condemn a local home, have it seized and destroyed so he can build a brand new hotel and museum. That will give the city greater tax revenue. The Supreme Court should realize there are consequences for decisions that they make. They affect all Americans. The homeowner has no recourse, no place to turn. So I say, to the homeowner, Supreme Court Justice David Souter who voted for the land-grabbing decision, your decision shows the Supreme Court has lost its way, and you may lose your home.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Chairman, the FAA, in a report mandated by Congress in the Vision of 100 Act, reported that over the next 10 years, 73 percent of the agency's nearly 15,000 air traffic controllers will become eligible to retire. Total losses over this time are expected to be 11,000. More than 649 million passengers flew our Nation's skies last year. As America's aviation system continues to expand, we must ensure we have the proper number of trained air traffic controllers to make travel move efficiently and safely. FAA's current staffing plan calls for the hiring and training of 12,000 controllers over the next 10 years. While the underlying bill provides just under $25 million, up from $9.5 million in the fiscal year 2005 to do this, I believe it falls short and fails to account for the immediate specific staffing needs as well as additional controllers for expected increases in traffic volume, an expected 5 percent training failure rate, and the higher- than-normal retirement rates beyond 2014. This amendment simply would add $24.875 million to the FAA's Air Traffic Services account which would double the funding called for in the bill to better address short-term and long-term air traffic controller staffing and training needs. It reduces overall spending in the bill by 4.5 percent for Amtrak. Amtrak continues to operate at a deficit and requires substantial taxpayer subsidies to operate. At a time of flat budgets and large deficits, taxpayers cannot continue to subsidize the poor management and unprofitable services of Amtrak. According to the House Committee on Appropriations, Amtrak alone is to blame for the bulk of their problems, most notably taking on nearly $4 billion in debt. A rider taking a train from Orlando to Los Angeles receives a $466 taxpayer subsidy on top of a $165 ticket for a trip that takes more than 71 hours. For $211, less than half the Federal subsidy alone, the same traveler could fly from Orlando to Los Angeles in less than 6 hours. The Amtrak CEO has reported six times in the past that if it is not provided more funding, it is threatening to shut down. So I ask my colleagues, why are we consistently throwing money at Amtrak when it consistently operates at a deficit, especially when we need this money for the FAA and air traffic controllers? People are going to continue to fly, Mr. Chairman; and it is important that we make the skies safe for them. Point of Order

Mr. POE. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, yesterday in the Supreme Court it was the Ten Commandments versus the Ten Commandments. The score: one for the Ten Commandments and one against the Ten Commandments. The Supreme Court ruled in a Kentucky courthouse they have to take down those Ten Commandments. The Supreme Court ruled the same day, yesterday, that the Ten Commandments on the Texas capitol grounds, they can leave them up. This was a 5-4 decision, and the Supreme Court has created confusion to legal minds throughout the country and to citizens of this Republic. Stephen Breyer voted one way in one case, and the other way in the other. He is the swing vote. So what do we do in the future when we want to address the Ten Commandments and where they should be placed? Do we call him on the phone and ask permission and wait for him to deny it or grant it? Madam Speaker, the first amendment of the Constitution is very simple. It says Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. But there is a second phrase: or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. We have a Nation with a long religious history. Contrary to France whose Constitution states that it is a secular republic, in France religion and government never meet. We are not that way. Congress starts with a prayer. We have In God We Trust above the flag. We have Moses in the back. The Supreme Court has the Ten Commandments above it in its Chambers. The Supreme Court's ruling is confusing and defies predictability. The Supreme Court has created a hostility towards religion. The Supreme Court has become a court of confusion.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I spent part of the weekend down in the Tropics. I went to an island down in the Caribbean. And the place where I went had an ocean view, and the facility is relatively new. Some of the rooms are air-conditioned and some are not. Some of the rooms actually would meet ADA standards for the physically challenged. The guests that were there, they were not working. They are standing around talking. There is a lot of talking and I noticed that there are soccer courts. There are volleyball courts. There is table tennis, and they are building a new basketball court. I ate lunch, the same meals that the guests had. The lunch that I had was marinated chicken with orange sauce, rice pilaf, steamed vegetables, plenty of rolls and butter. Some of the guests that are there have even gained up to 5 to 10 pounds while being there. New medical facilities are there, new dental facilities. The people that are there average four medical visits a week or, rather, a month. That is more than most Americans do in a year. The medical personnel there performed 128 surgeries, and no one that has been there, of the 700 guests that have been there, not one has died from any cause. In fact, the medical personnel saved the lives of numerous ones. They come from all over the world, 24 different countries; 520 of them are there; 2,200 of them have gone back home. The rooms are very clean. I notice that there are no Gideon Bibles in any of the rooms, but every room has a Koran. You know, American troops do not get U.S.-funded taxpayer Bibles overseas. But all these guests get taxpayer-funded Korans. And of course the staff that is there cannot touch these Korans. Of course I am talking about Gitmo, the Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention center. These people are prisoners of war and the guards that are there are doing an outstanding job. Speaking of the Koran, the guards are not permitted to touch the Koran except under rare circumstances. And if they do, they have to wear linen gloves before they can move this Koran to a different cell. The people that are there are there for two purposes. They are suspected terrorists that are going to be tried for war crimes, like killing people all over the world, many of whom are Americans. The others that are there are being interrogated, those suspected terrorists. Now I observed those interrogations, Mr. Speaker. There are no abuses. There are no dogs. There is no abuse. The interrogations that took place, neither the interrogator nor the prisoner knew that we were observing. And numerous Members of Congress went this past week and observed these facilities. One hundred fifty of these individuals have attorneys. Any prisoner that is there that wants an attorney is entitled to have one. Two hundred of them have been released; in fact, maybe releasing some we should not release, because 12 of the ones that have been released have been either recaptured or killed on the battlefield. One is of particular note. When he was first arrested and captured as a terrorist he had a leg that was infected, so part of it was amputated. And he was fitted with a new prosthesis by American medical personnel. Later released and he was captured, recaptured on the battlefield, and of course he was still wearing that American prosthesis that taxpayers paid for. These people do not work. You know, even in Texas we work our inmates. Today they are out picking cotton. But they are just there to be observed and to be housed. You know, one of these facilities meets American Corrections Association standards. And these people, Mr. Speaker, are not nice. They spit on our guards. They throw urine and feces at our guards. And some of these people want to kill Americans. The guards, Mr. Speaker, are first class. They are from all branches of the service. They have tremendous cooperation with each other, and they make us proud. The accusations of abuse in a dungeon-like facility do a disservice to these troops and the troops in combat. I had lunch with two of these guards, George Telles and Enrique Lopez, Jr., both Navy sailors that guard cell blocks. And they do us a great honor and a service there. These inmates are not protected by the Geneva Convention, although we treat them like they are. The Geneva Convention says that POWs, to be a real prisoner of war, they must be in a uniform, they must not have concealed weapons, they must not kill innocents, and they must have a chain of command. And these terrorists violate all four of these rules, but yet we treat them with greater respect than in the Geneva Convention. The International Red Cross observes the entire facility and has access to all of the prisoners to talk to them on a one-on-one basis. There have been no deaths in Guantanamo. And you know, in prisoner-of- war camps in the past, Americans have died. Back in the war between the States, thousands of prisoners, Confederate and Union soldiers died. In Vietnam, about 9 percent of the Americans in custody there died. In Korea, about 30 percent. In World War II, we know that about 40 percent of Americans in custody in Japan died, all in prisoner-of-war camps, and not one person has died in these. Amnesty International calls this place a ``gulag.'' Well, these are words from the uninformed elite. They must want ``Club GITMO'' or ``Disney World of the Caribbean.'' Some said to close it down. That is just not appropriate, Mr. Speaker. We probably ought to make it bigger. It would be a crime to close this place down and let these criminals loose on the world. There is a war on terror going on and these people want to kill Americans. They are dangerous. The 20th highjacker of 9/11 is there, and these people need to be tried for war crimes. Mr. Speaker, I went to Iraq. I have seen what these people have done, these terrorists have done to civilians and to our military. Even one 8-year-old kid was killed while I was there. Mr. Speaker, I am more concerned about Americans being killed by terrorists by beheading and suicide bombers and the welfare of our troops than I am about some terrorist outlaw that is upset because his blueberry muffin gets cold.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I thought I would read part of the United States Constitution. Maybe the folks down the street at the Supreme Court will hear part of it. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation. This is the fifth amendment of the Constitution, Mr. Speaker. This simple amendment does not permit government to take our homes and give it to some private entity, some private developer to build a parking lot. But yet the Supreme Court yesterday misinterpreted this simple provision in our Constitution; and now a private corporation, with the aid of government, can take our homes without our consent and build some shopping mall. This amendment was to protect our homes from others who want to take our land. The purpose of this amendment was for public use, like a school. The Supreme Court once again has got it wrong and allows this modern-day land grabbing by government for big developers without our consent. The Supreme Court, once again, has lost its way.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I would like to engage in a colloquy, and I appreciate the tough spending decisions the gentleman has had to make on this bill. I intended to offer two amendments in the Labor-HHS-Education appropriation bill because I am concerned about the money that is being spent the wrong way by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control. At the NIH, the Institute of Child Health and Human Development has been commissioned by Congress to promote research to improve and save kids lives in the areas of Down syndrome, autism, vaccination, birth defects and infectious disease; but they are spending money in other nonresearch ways. Since 1997, the NIH has been spending up to $175,000 a year to operate the Milk Matters Campaign, which was first created in the 1990s. The campaign features Bo Vine, the spokescow. This is a drawing of Bo Vine the spokescow. Also, money is spent not on research for disease but on coloring books. Here is one that the taxpayers fund called ``Milk Matters'' with Buddy the Brush. Taxpayers fund these programs, but the money authorized by Congress was to go for research in these two areas. Some say it is not much money, but we need to keep Bo Vine the spokescow from becoming a herd and stampeding through the trough of taxpayer money. Every year Congress is lobbied to increase funding for live-saving programs at the National Institutes of Health, and every year we are presented with a plea that more money is needed for research. So the money Congress takes from the taxpayers of America should be spent on saving lives and not on Web games and Bo Vine the cow. Also in this bill is funding for a program at the Center For Disease Research. It is called the VERB youth activity program to Federal fund things like basketball games. This program's authorization has expired and the President has asked for the program to be terminated; yet today we are funding this program with $11.2 million of taxpayer money. The Centers for Disease Control is asking for more money for life-saving research, yet they are spending money on programs that are not authorized anymore. Mr. Chairman, would the gentleman be willing to work with me and other fiscally responsible colleagues to protect taxpayer money from wasteful spending at the NIH and the CDC, and work with us to ensure that NIH and the CDC spend the money in the way it is appropriated in fiscal year 2006?

Mr. POE. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce to all Americans that the Spanish-American War of 1898 has ended. It has been 107 years since the war was over and Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders went up San Juan Hill and we won that war. Yet 95 percent of all Americans are still paying for it and do not even know it. Introduced in 1898 was a phone tax, which established the concept of a temporary luxury tax to defray costs on the Spanish-American War. It started on 1,300 phones, a tax on telephones. Today more than 100 million American households across the Nation still are paying for this excise tax to the tune of $5.6 billion a year on their phone services such as land lines, cell phones, and dial-up Internet connection. This tax strikes at every use of the telephone and burdens everyone, especially those in lower incomes. Initially, this tax was used to finance this 3-month Spanish-American War, but it has been made permanent and was even raised in World War II. So I would like to commend the gentleman from California for sponsoring legislation to get rid of this ``temporary tax.'' This tax has proved there is no such thing as a temporary tax, and let us disconnect the Spanish-American tax on telephones.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Shaw) on this bill, and also comment about the long history of human rights protection of the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos). I rise in strong support of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act and urge my colleagues to join me in voting for this bill. There has been a brutal campaign of village burnings, destruction of rice supplies, killings by Burmese military, this outlaw regime, and it has resulted in displacement of between 500,000 and 1 million innocent citizens living in eastern Burma. Hundreds of thousands of these internal refugees we call internally displaced persons, IDPs, are persecuted for their commitment to democracy and their belief in human rights. These IDP victims are being systematically hunted down by the evil tyrants of this military regime in Burma. Secretary Rice has rightly called Burma one of the six outposts of tyranny in our world. These tactics used by the junta in Burma add up to ethnic cleansing. Many Americans are not aware of what is occurring in Burma, but this act is a step in the direction that will show all peoples in the world that Americans care about freedom and democracy, no matter where it is and where it hopes to be in the world. It is my desire and hope for my colleagues cosponsoring this bill that these sanctions called for in this joint resolution will continue to grab the attention of the Burmese junta and pressure them to release Aung San Suu Kyi and allow their country to enjoy the freedoms and rights of a true democracy so that all people may have the right, as President Jefferson said, to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, I was a former judge. I saw jails, I saw prisons. I saw numerous prisons and jails. Now we hear about this torture chamber down in Guantanamo Bay. Some people call it Gitmo. Well, I think we ought to ``Gitmo'' information, information about Guantanamo. The statements made by our colleagues down the hallway are uninformed, irrational, and totally irresponsible. I ask this person who says this torture chamber down in Gitmo is uninhabitable, well, I will ask you, what did you have for breakfast this morning? Was it pancakes with syrup, fresh fruit, and coffee? Oatmeal, scrambled eggs, orange juice or cranberry juice; your choice? Well, that is what those Guantanamo Bay prisoners had for breakfast today. Meanwhile, American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, what are they eating? They are eating C-rations out of cans. We know that the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay have actually gained weight. It sounds like the characterizations to this and Nazi prisoner of war camps are irresponsible. So I invite the good Senator to go with me to Guantanamo Bay, and let us GITMO information about his place and let us go down and check it out firsthand before more comments are made. Meanwhile, apologies need to be made to American troops overseas.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, it is about supper time here in the United States. I wonder what is on the plates across our dinner tables. Perhaps lemon baked fish, broccoli, steamed carrots, fresh fruit. Sounds healthy to me, maybe delicious to some. This menu could be on any menu of any home or restaurant in the United States tonight. But, Mr. Speaker, this menu is also what is being served in Guantanamo Bay prison on any given night. Mr. Speaker, we have a purpose in Guantanamo Bay. It is to house outlaws, criminals, radical terrorists; they are locked up there. These detainees are people that have killed Americans and want to keep killing Americans. These are people picked up off the battlefield. They were not wearing uniforms. They were not state sponsored, but there were there for a reason, and that was to execute innocent people on the battlefield. The Geneva Convention, Mr. Speaker, protects those people who are at war, who have a chain of command. They wear a uniform. They do not have concealed weapons and they do not kill the innocents. Mr. Speaker, terrorists do just the opposite. They kill innocents. They have concealed weapons. They certainly do not wear uniforms, and there is no chain of command. They are not protected, Mr. Speaker, by the Geneva Convention. International law allows any nation the right to detain any combatants for a conflict's duration to prevent them from killing and to gather further useful information. The detainees at Guantanamo are enemy combatants. They are there because they shot our troops. They were involved in terrorism. Any many of them have information that could prevent further attacks. Some of them have been released. And at least 12 of them have been recaptured on the battlefield trying to kill Americans. Ann Coulter describes the tactics at Guantanamo Bay in her latest article. She said, Interrogators there cannot yell at detainees. They cannot serve the detainees cold meals except in certain circumstances. Cannot poke the detainees in the chest or engage in any type of pushing without some type of monitor. And we cannot subject the detainees to temperatures changes, of all things. Once a suspected terrorist gets to Guantanamo, they are not treated like the Nazis treated the Poles and the Jews in World War II. Those that compare the Nazi concentration camps to Guantanamo owe an apology to those people and those families that died in those concentration camps, and they owe an apology to the American troops. My dad served in World War II. He helped liberate those concentration camps, and 50 years later I went to Dachau and saw what it was like. And Guantanamo Bay, to be compared to a Nazi concentration camp, it is a sham and it is shameful conduct. We even know that some of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have actually gained weight while they have been there. Mr. Speaker, before I became a Member of Congress, I dealt with criminals all my life. First, as a prosecutor, as you did, and then as a criminal court judge for 22 years. I saw murderers, thieves and street terrorists. And they came through my court. And we sent them to jail. We sent them to Texas jails and Texas prisons. And, Mr. Speaker, those are jails, those are prisons where no one wants to go. That is what prison and jail is about. So I invite those that criticize the activities in Guantanamo Bay to go there, go with me and see firsthand, before other outrageous statements are made about the conduct there. So tomorrow night at Guantanamo Bay, orange glazed chicken, fresh fruit crepes, steamed peas, and mushrooms and rice pilaf. It does not sound like bread and water to me. And do you think our troops and in Afghanistan and Iraq are getting crepes tonight? Probably not. They are eating C-rations out of cans as they stand there in the desert and the heat, protecting the world for democracy. Those that say there is inhumane torture there in Guantanamo, let me say this: That dog just will not hunt. We need to be more concerned about Americans being killed by terrorists in Iraq than we are about some terrorist that is locked up in Guantanamo Bay that gets a cold blueberry muffin.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 160, recognizing the historical significance of Juneteenth. Juneteenth is the oldest known African American celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. This holiday actually started because of events back in my home State of Texas. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger led Northern soldiers into Galveston, Texas, first to announce the ending of the War Between the States and to order the release of the last remaining slaves. President Lincoln had actually issued the Emancipation Proclamation 2 years earlier freeing the slaves. He did so on January 1, 1863, in the midst of the War between the States. This was called the peculiar institution of slavery in the South, and it continued until this historic day, June 19, 1865, in Texas. So on that day, June 19, 1865, Major General Granger dramatically declared when he landed in Galveston, Texas, ``The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with the proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves.'' Thus the phrase ``Juneteenth'' originated. It is interesting to note that the Emancipation Proclamation only freed the slaves in the South, not the border States. It took the 13th amendment to the Constitution to free all remaining slaves in the United States. In any event, Juneteenth has not only become a Texas holiday but a national event. This past Sunday, thousands of Americans across the Nation celebrated Juneteenth through cultural displays and various educational activities. There have been numerous African American freedom fighters throughout countless generations, and they paid a precious price to deliver equality and freedom. We have made significant strides in assuring that this country fulfills the words of our national anthem: ``The land of free and the home of the brave.'' But we must remain ever vigilant, and these events such as Juneteenth will help us to remember that the Declaration of Independence must be a true reality for all peoples. As that Declaration of Independence says, written by Thomas Jefferson: ``We'' do ``hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the'' absolute ``pursuit of Happiness.''

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to talk about two issues, Iraq and Guantanamo, to talking about war and prisons. We have heard a lot about both in the last few months. And I think it is incumbent upon us to understand the situation. We hear about Iraq and the situation in Iraq. And I was fortunate on January 30 to be in Iraq, along with the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays), two Members of Congress on Election Day to see a nation born, a new nation with a democracy. The cynics said it would never happen. They said the Iraqi people were not smart enough to have a democracy, they did not know what it was like. Yet 60 percent of those people went out and voted, defiant of the tyranny, of the terrorists. Almost 60 of them were murdered either going to or from the polls, but yet they went and voted. Almost 300 others were injured going to and from the polls, but yet they voted. The timetable for that country to have a democracy is a short one, almost 2 years. But we forget that our own country took 13 years, from the beginning of the war for independence and the setting of the Constitution of the United States. It took us a long time. Yet we expect more of the Iraqi people. And they are performing that. And I was honored to be there to see those people, to tell me personally that they appreciated American and America's youth sacrificing so this nation could be a free nation. I saw that they are concerned for American troops, the morale of the American troops. The concern that the Iraqi people had was that we would cut and run and leave before the job was done, before the Iraqi people were able to control their own country. But we will not cut and run, we will finish the job. It is not the way we do things in America, to run from a fight, liberating a country that wishes to be free. And now we hear talk about Guantanamo Bay, the situation. Let me tell you something. Mr. Speaker, I have been to jails, I have been to prisons. I was a judge for 22 years, I was a prosecutor for 8. I have seen numerous jails, numerous prisons in the State of Texas and our Federal prisons. I know what jails are like. I know what prisons are like. And to compare Guantanamo Bay to a Nazi concentration camp, to the Soviet gulags is outrageous, it is an affront to those millions of people who died in those concentration camps. My dad served in World War II. And as a teenager, he saw those concentration camps. He helped liberate them with other Americans. Recently I had the chance to see some of those concentration camps some 50 years later. And to say that Guantanamo Bay is like a concentration camp minimizes the death that occurred in those concentration camps in Germany. And it is an insult to these people that died there. I think it is important, Mr. Speaker, that those people who talk and criticize our situation in Iraq, that they go to Iraq. I went there for that very purpose, to see our troops. And I think it is important that those people who criticize Guantanamo Bay, that they go to Guantanamo Bay and see that jail there. That is why I am recommending and offering that we go there as Members of Congress, we go as soon as we can to see the situation firsthand. We need to understand that the people in Guantanamo Bay are terrorists. We talk about them being prisoners of war, but to be protected under the Geneva Convention, Mr. Speaker, a person must have a commander, they must wear a uniform, they must not take and have concealed weapons. They must kill civilians or the innocent. And the terrorists that are in that jail down in Guantanamo Bay are not protected by the Geneva Convention because they violate these rules, these rules. And yet we hear of all of the bad things that are occurring. I think it is incumbent to see the situation firsthand and make our own determination because it is important that we not cut and run from this situation in Guantanamo Bay any more than we cut and run from Iraq.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, in this week where we as a House voted to reform the United Nations, hold them accountable for their actions, I rise to talk about a place in the world where the United Nations is not, but where it ought to be, and a brave woman who is doing the work of the entire United Nations. Mr. Speaker, I rise to salute a woman born on June 19, 1945. I would like to read a poem that she wrote: ``Emerald cool we may be, as water in cupped hands. But of that we might be, as splinters of glass, in cupped hands.'' This poem was written by a lady who may be small in stature, but is a giant and noble in character. She carries no weapons, commands no Army; yet this lady actually brings fear into the hearts of at least 400,000 sinister armed soldiers in her native country of Burma. The lady I am referring to is Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the pro-democracy movement in Burma whom the Burmese people affectionally refer to as ``The Lady.'' She is unassuming, but her vision for her country brings fright in the whole army of despots and tyrants that occupy her nation. In her poem she says even though she and the rest of the pro- democracy movement are emerald cool and as harmless as water in cupped hands, their stand for liberty and democracy is like glass splinters in the hands of the military tyrants that have a stranglehold on her own nation of Burma. Most Americans do not know where Burma is, much less hear about what occurs in this nightmare of a country. Burma's military regime has created a human rights nightmare for its people. It even arms children, 12, 13 and 14 year olds, and makes them become soldiers. Over 70,000 kids, more than any other country in the world, are armed and fighting for this nation's tyrants. There are over 1,400 political prisoners who are locked up for supporting this basic concept of human rights and democracy. For something that is as trivial as owning an unauthorized fax machine, listening to radio signals, people are imprisoned in Burma for up to 7 years by the military. Up to 2 million Burmese have fled the country as refugees and migrants. For those who remain in this country, a brutal campaign by the tyrants in control includes burning the villages and destruction of rice supplies. Killings by the Burmese military regime have resulted in the forcible displacement of 500,000 to a million people, civilians, people in Burma hiding from the military, hiding in their own nation. These people cannot flee into neighboring Thailand, nor can they return to their homes. They are refugees within their country, unable to grow food and living in extreme poverty, all because of the military tyrants that control this nation. Aung San Suu Kyi remains steadfast in her calls against the Burmese junta's reign of terror. Though under house arrest for 10 of the past 15 years by these evildoers, Aung San Suu Kyi has led her political party to an 82 percent victory in Burma's last election. While she should be the democratic leader of this country, the outlaw military regime annulled the results of the election. Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago just before her most recent arrest, this regional hero was almost assassinated. In May 2003 when she was briefly arrested from house arrest, she took a trip to the Burmese countryside. The military regime forced hundreds of criminals out of jail and shaved their heads so they would look like Buddhist monks. They were drugged up on methamphetamine and ordered to attack this lady. Her car was in the middle of a motorcade, and in the middle of the night these criminals used clubs and iron rods to beat to death 100 of her supporters who were watching her. Aung San Suu Kyi has never committed a crime. She is the mother of two children. Her husband passed away outside of Burma, and the regime refused to grant him a visa to spend his dying days with his wife. Despite overwhelming oppression, the Burmese people, following the example of Aung San Suu Kyi, The Lady, continued to courageously express their desire for human rights and freedom. During The Lady's last pro-democracy speaking tour in 2003, she spoke to dozens of cities around her country. Hundreds of thousands of Burmese people showed up to hear her speak, or see her as she went by. In several towns, the regime cut the electricity off at night so she could not speak and so people could not see her. But the Burmese people simply held up their matches and lighters to create a light for her. Even in the midst of overwhelming darkness and oppression, the people of Burma stand with courage. No, freedom's flame may not burn within the seats of power, but it burns within the hearts of the Burmese people. Light always defeats darkness, as it will here in Burma. Over the last 8 months, the Burmese people have collected 300,000 signatures calling for change in Burma. In the United States, of course, petitions are really common; but in Burma, this is groundbreaking. Every single person who signs a petition risks his life. They plan to present these pleas to the United Nations Secretary- General. The rallying cry for the Burmese people is ``do-yay, do-yay,'' which means ``our cause, our cause.'' It is a powerful symbol, revealing that the Burmese people realize their struggle for human rights is not their own and not to be imposed upon them by the outside world. Nevertheless, they have called on international support for their hope. Aung San Suu Kyi has called on people around the world to take action, stating, Please, please use your liberty to promote our liberty. She specifically has called upon people around the world to encourage their governments to impose political and economic pressure on the Burmese military regime until they agree to change, knowing that unless they are pressured, the renegades will never sit down and discuss this concept of democracy. ``The Lady'' has encouraged broad public awareness of Burma with the message that a free world stands with the Burmese people. Aung San Suu Kyi also requests that the people of the free world send as much encouragement and free information into Burma as possible, including music, poems, news broadcasts and images of people living in open, free, democratic societies. She has also called on the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution demanding change in Burma. The U.N. Secretary-General's office has miserably failed in this matter. It needs to undertake a full-court diplomatic press in order to create a transformation. I just want to mention briefly and expand on this point. We have, as I said, yesterday and today in this House been debating the Henry Hyde United Nations Reform Act. No matter how Members of the House voted for Chairman Hyde's bill or Ranking Member Lantos' substitute amendment, most colleagues here in this House are in agreement on one thing. The United Nations is ineffective, it is corrupt, it is not fulfilling its mission, and it has lost credibility as an international organization. It is the hot air in the balloon of a world organization. When it comes to Burma, the United Nations has failed miserably. Kofi Annan has said a lot of words about the tragedy of Burma and the injustice against the little lady and these people. Yet he has actually done nothing. He says over and over again that, quote, he is concerned, he is interested, he is hopeful, yet to date Kofi Annan has not demanded any consequences for what is occurring in this nation of Burma. What good are words if there is no action to back them up? November 21, 2002, Kofi Annan said that he was hopeful that there would be national reconciliation in Burma. February 2, 2003, he said, the Secretary-General is concerned about the arrests by the Burmese authorities of 12 members of opposition parties. May 13, 2003, he again said that he was hopeful, that famous word he continues to say, that national reconciliation and negotiations would begin in Burma. May 31, 2003, he said he was concerned and called for negotiations and that he would be following closely with concern the situation in Burma. On June 6, 2003, he called for the release of this lady, Aung San Suu Kyi. On March 31, 2004, he called for negotiations, said he was concerned about this lady that is imprisoned in her own home and that she should be released from captivity. It goes on and on and on, just asking, asking this military regime to do something about the people of their own nation. My grandfather used to say, ``When all is said and done, more is said than done.'' Here again we find the United Nations making a lot of talk and not doing anything about this nation that is imprisoned by its own government. My question to Kofi Annan is, why are there no consequences? Does Kofi Annan really expect to be taken seriously by the tyrants controlling Burma if he has no action to back up his words? What about demanding a transition to democracy as the Burmese people have asked for? What about saying, Enough is enough. If Burma's regime does not heed 10 consecutive U.N. resolutions calling for Burma to simply participate in a dialogue with the democracy movement, then refer this issue to the U.N. Security Council and call for international economic sanctions. Unfortunately, with Kofi Annan's track record as seen with the 14 plus resolutions alone on Iraq and his lack of action on the genocide in Sudan and other examples of ineffectiveness, Kofi Annan seems to be not willing to demand consequences, and there is no action. For the sake of the millions of people around the world and especially in Burma that are subject to slaughter and rape, displacement, starvation and victimization at the hands of their government, specifically the evil tyrants of Burma, we should stop talking in the United Nations and start doing something about it. Why do we have the United Nations? Is this not its mission? Is this not why the United Nations started, to help these tortured people? But enough about the broken and ineffective United Nations. There is a voice for freedom in Burma, the lady, Aung San Suu Kyi. Mr. Speaker, I ask this question. Why are those 400,000 Burmese soldiers consistently afraid of the lady? The answer is, because she wants a democracy in her nation. Simple. She wants her people to be free, a free country like our country. The forces of evil in this world always fear the forces of good. Forces that promote life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are the forces that make all of us desire to be free. Every human being is created down in our soul with these God- given desires and rights. So, Mr. Speaker, on this birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi, I am here to assure her that the United States has not forgotten her and her people. Even though the United Nations has dreadfully forsaken her cause, this country stands firm for all freedom-loving people, people who just want to control their own lives and their own country. Even though Burma's neighbors look the other way while making money in shady business deals, the United States is watching and I hope the United States does not abandon this nation of Burma. The United Nations and Burma's neighbors might be able to sleep at night while the people of Burma are beaten and pillaged, some slaughtered, but we hope that the United States will take note. Liberty's blaze burns bright and burns strong in this nation of Burma and her people. So in closing, I am sending a special birthday greeting to this lady who is under house arrest, this lady, Aung San Suu Kyi, on her 60th birthday, wishing her a respite of peace in the darkness that surrounds her. The United Nations may do nothing but hopefully the United States is standing with her and the United States remembers her on her 60th birthday. May God bless you, Aung San Suu Kyi, and God bless Burma and the people who desire freedom, freedom that all of us desire no matter who we are, what we look like, male or female, anyplace in this world.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. POE. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. POE. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POE. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. POE. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. POE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As a former judge, I believe in consequences for bad conduct; and of course when improper behavior takes place, I do not believe in saying to the perpetrator, no matter who it is, try to do a little better. The United Nations has a history of abuse, misconduct, criminal negligence, money laundering, some corruption, and sexual violence against the very people the United Nations swears to protect. Mr. Chairman, there should be consequences, and my question is who is holding the United Nations accountable for that conduct. Thanks to the leadership of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), and others in Congress, the United States has begun the tough task of investigating the scandals which the United Nations is ridden with. But in my opinion, the United States will never be able to hold the United Nations accountable if we do not know where our aid, our money is going once we hand it over to the United Nations. My amendment simply would require the OMB to give a yearly report to Congress on all the contributions, whether they be assessed, voluntary, or in-kind, that the United States gives to the United Nations. The American taxpayers have the right to know how the United Nations is spending American money. So by keeping track of our contributions, the United States will be more capable of holding the United Nations accountable for the way it spends members' monies and makes use of members' contributions.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 140th anniversary of Juneteenth. This is the oldest known African American celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. This holiday actually started because of an event in Texas history. Back on June 19, 1856, Major General Gordon Granger led Northern soldiers into Galveston, Texas, to announce the ending of the War Between the States and to order the release of the last remaining slaves. While President Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation occurred over 2 years earlier, on January 1, 1863, in the midst of the War Between the States, the peculiar institution of slavery, as Southerners referred to it, continued until this historic day. No one in Texas had ever heard that the slaves had been freed until June 19, 1865. Before Texas was a State, it was a free republic, independent Nation, for 9 years. The Constitution of the Republic of Texas of 1836 expressly forbid the importation of slaves from Africa, but slaves continued to come to Texas from the United States. As a result, slavery spread. Texas was admitted to the Union in 1845, by just one vote. I might add that some say they wish the vote had gone the other way. Nonetheless, the Lone Star State had some 30,000 slaves. In the census of 1850, 27 percent of the Texas population was slaves. In 1860, right before the war started, it was almost 30 percent. So on that day in 1865, June 19, thus the phrase, ``Juneteenth,'' Major General Granger dramatically declared when he landed in Galveston, Texas: ``The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves.'' It is interesting to note, Mr. Speaker, that Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation only applied to the Southern States. It took the 13th Amendment to free the slaves in the border States and the rest of the United States. Now Juneteenth has become not just a Texas holiday but a national event. This Sunday, as thousands of Americans across the Nation celebrate Juneteenth through cultural displays and various educational activities, let us reflect back on this milestone in this ongoing struggle for equality and freedom. Let us remember the committed, courageous and critical men and women who made tremendous sacrifices to secure the end of slavery. Our Nation's history is littered with struggles for freedom starting with our revolution for independence from the British empire. World history, too, is filled with great labors for liberty, based on gender, race, religion and ethnicity. Just this January, I traveled to Iraq to observe its historic election, in which young and old, men and women, achieved the opportunity to make a free choice. So amidst intimidation, threats and actual violence, the people of Iraq spoke out against the past oppression and broke off the chains of slavery from Saddam Hussein. There is something down in the soul of each of us that we have the yearning and the God-given desire to be free. African American freedom fighters throughout countless generations paid a precious price to deliver equality and freedom for their brothers and sisters and their posterity. Overcoming many dangers, toils, and snares, civil rights activists like Texan Barbara Jordan, the first black woman to serve in the United States Congress from the South and Craig Washington, a masterful criminal defense attorney and the first black State senator in the State of Texas. He was an attorney and former Member of the United States House of Representatives. James Farmer, another Texas and principal organizer of the ``Freedom Rides.'' Dred Scott, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King and some colleagues in this House, as well as many more, helped in the fight for equality in America. Although we have made significant strides in ensuring that this country fulfills the words of our national anthem, ``land of the free and home of the brave,'' we must always remain ever vigilant and also make the Declaration of Independence a true reality for all peoples. As that Declaration of Independence says, ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.''

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Wolf) for the time. I want to, at this time, personally thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) and the gentleman from California (Chairman Lewis) of the House Committee on Appropriations for saving VOCA, the Victims of Crime Act funding, by not removing these funds and giving them to other projects. This was a novel brainchild of the Reagan administration. VOCA constitutes the United States Government's vision to make criminals literally pay for the crimes they have committed. Since the beginning of VOCA in 1984, fees and fines and forfeitures that are collected from criminals in any given year go to VOCA's Crime Victims Fund. The following year, these grants are then issued to States for services that go directly to victims of crime. The money does not come from taxpayers, but criminals pay for the system they have created. So I want to praise the effort of the gentleman from California (Chairman Lewis) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) because they are not only saving VOCA, they have also affirmed that victims of crime should have a high priority, more of a priority than building another bridge someplace or expanding the bloated bureaucracy. Saving these funds is a statement that we as a Congress will not forget the plight of American crime victims. I also want to thank the effort of fellow members of the Victims Rights Caucus that we have cofounded, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Harris) and my good friend across the aisle, the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa). More importantly, there are numerous victims of crimes organizations in the United States that fought to save these funds. They include Justice Solutions, the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards, the National Children's Alliance, the National Center for Victims of Crime, and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and many others. So I want to commend these organizations for coming on board to make the statement basically: Do not mess with crime victims.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to highlight the prospect of using rice as an alternative energy source in the production of ethanol. We all understand the importance of securing affordable and reliable means of energy for future generations. On the heels of the comprehensive energy bill that this body passed in April, which encourages ethanol production, I submit that rice and rice farmers specifically could contribute to this endeavor. Rice producers like those in my southeast Texas district face great difficulties in finding markets for their goods. Just a few years ago, there were over 600,000 acres in Texas that was farmed for rice, about the size of Rhode Island. Now, less than 200,000 acres are rice farmlands. One untapped potential market is ethanol. While many folks think about ethanol developed from corn, not much attention has been directed to ethanol developed from rice. The process of cellulosic conversion can derive ethanol from various sources including rice. It is essential that the Department of Agriculture continue their work with the universities in Texas to fund research into this type of conversion to ethanol. I understand the problems facing rice farmers in Texas. It is critical to support scientific research that develops new markets for our farmers. Cellulosic conversion holds the promise of deriving ethanol from rice along with other biomass materials. Mr. Speaker, the President's budget was tough on farm programs and it is important that we support agricultural research that benefits American farmers and helps supply Americans with more energy.