Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, Patrick Henry said ``Gentlemen may cry peace, peace. But there is no peace.'' In quick succession, four blasts have extinguished 54 lives and scarred another 210. Hamas has demonstrated again that it is a murderous group of fanatics who are so poisoned with hate--so obsessed with slaughter--that no innocent life is safe. Terrorism experts have stated that Hamas and its allies will attempt to inflict this sort of horror on Americans. We must work together with the Israelis in stopping these madmen. Arafat must also shoulder his share of the blame for this situation. He has failed to prevent the uses of territory under his administration from being used as a staging area for these plots. He has failed to comply with the conditions of the Oslo peace accords that required that he remove those sections of the Palestine National Covenant which call for the destruction of Israel. Until such time as Arafat lives up to those agreements he has signed and eliminates Hamas from areas for which he bears responsibility, the United States should know that there is little good in negotiating with him.

Ms. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest condolences to the Ferre family, a distinguished and dedicated family within the Miami community and to Metro Dade commissioner and Miami's ex-mayor, Maurice Ferre, who suffered the tragic loss of his son, Francisco Ferre Malaussena, his daughter-in-law, Mariana Gomez de Ferre, and the couple's newly born son, Felipe Antonio Ferre Gomez, on the fatal American Airlines Boeing 757 en route to Cali, Colombia on December 20. It is at moments such as these when one asks God for strength and guidance in order to overcome this tragedy that took the life of this young aspiring attorney, his beautiful and well-educated wife, and their adorable, newly born son who were all on their way to the infant's christening in Cali, Colombia. Francisco, who was a graduate of Boston University Law School and practiced at a prestigious law firm in Madrid, Spain before coming to Miami, was also a young man of noble sentiments who did his best to keep very close ties with his family and befriend all of those he met. Mariana, a native of Cali, was a graduate of Wellesley College where she had pursued a degree in political science and French. Upon graduation from this prestigious institution, Mariana obtained her MBA from the University of Miami. The newlywed couple, who this January would have celebrated their third wedding anniversary, will be sorely missed by both of their respective families and by all of those who had the honor and pleasure of knowing them and the newest addition to their family. Surviving Francisco in addition to his father and mother, the Honorable Maurice A. Ferre and Mrs. Mercedes Malaussena de Ferre, are his five siblings: Jose Luis, Maurice, Carlos, Mimi, and Florence. Immediate family members who survive Mariana are her parents, Mr. Gustavo Gomez Franco and Mrs. Maria Cristina Vallecilla de Gomez, and her six brothers and sisters: Enrique, Luciano, Maria Cristina, Roxana, Gustavo Felipe, and Julian. Once again, I extend my deepest condolences to the Ferre family in these very trying times.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, as the international community now knows, this past Saturday Cuban tyrant Fidel Castro once again demonstrated his brutal nature after his thugs shot down two United States civilian planes belonging to the humanitarian group, Brothers to the Rescue, killing four innocent young men including American citizens. Knowing of the long track record of repression and cruelty that the Castro regime has exhibited against the Cuban people for over three decades, this deplorable act should not surprise anyone. The Clinton administration took some positive steps, but unfortunately they are not strong enough to respond to Castro's cold- blooded act of murder. Instead of seeking an international embargo against Castro similar to the one implemented against Haiti over a year ago, the administration settled for lukewarm sanctions which will not do enough to push Castro out of power. How many more people have to be harassed, persecuted, and killed before the administration and the international community realize that Castro's tyranny deserves the same if not tougher international sanctions as the ones that were taken against undemocratic regimes in Haiti, in South Africa, in Iraq? That is why we have asked the President to impose a naval blockade similar to the blockade that was placed against the illegitimate military regime of General Raoul Cedras in Haiti. That is why we have asked the President to go to the U.N. Security Council to get an international embargo against Castro's dictatorship. For over three decades, a veil of sorrow and despair has covered the island of Cuba. The waters of the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean have been transformed by the blood of the thousands of Cubans who throughout the years have fallen prey to the brutal regime of Castro, a dictator whose appetite for power has victimized not only the people of Cuba but has held the principles of freedom and democracy hostage throughout the Western Hemisphere. That beast, Fidel Castro, angered by displays of strong will and free thinking, by manifestations that the Cuban people are determined to defend their right to liberty, planned and executed the murder of four innocent civilians, members of that humanitarian organization, Brothers to the Rescue. There are no mitigating factors, there are absolutely no excuses that the Cuban regime can manufacture which could justify such a blatant act of aggression against innocent Americans whose only sin was to care about the welfare of those risking their lives to flee the Castro tyranny. However, this most recent action sends a message to the Clinton administration that the United States should not negotiate with terrorists. It reinforces the notion to the Clinton administration and to foreign governments who support this policy of appeasement with Castro that democratic nations built on safeguarding the most basic fundamental rights of its citizens cannot and should not deal with pariah states. It further emphasizes the need for further strengthening the United States embargo on Cuba through passage of the Helms-Burton legislation. The Castro regime must be further isolated. As the Castro regime's circle of friends continues to diminish, the pressure exerted by the Helms-Burton bill will be the devastating blow which could force the Castro regime to succumb to the realities of a free world. Clearly the time to act is now. We hold one of the keys to unlocking the chains that bind the Cuban people, and that key could very well be the Helms-Burton legislation. We must not enter into a new millennium with the people of Cuba in bondage. Let us support the Cuban people in their days of struggle.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, certainly today has been a very important day in the lives of the enslaved Cuban people, people who daily cry out for freedom, for democracy, and for justice, because today we are going to have the privilege of inviting family members of the four pilots who were mercilessly cut down, shot down from the sky by Fidel Castro with his Migs. Together with the chairman of the Committee on International Relations, the gentleman from New York Ben Gilman and the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Indiana, Dan Burton, I have invited the family members of the four deceased pilots murdered by Cuban tyrant Fidel Castro aboard the Brothers to the Rescue aircraft to testify before a congressional hearing of the Committee on International Relations which will take place this Thursday, February 29, at 10 a.m. I think it is important to put a human face on this barbaric act so that the international community and Members of Congress understand that Castro's brutal act will forever leave a mark on the loving memories of these pilots who gave their lives to help bring freedom and democracy to Cuba. Today, as I have throughout the weekend, I spoke to the father of Mario de la Pena, the mother of Carlos Costa, to the sister of Armando Alejandre, Jr. and with the girlfriend of Pablo Morales. And all these individuals have been called time and time again in the international media as Cuban exiles. I think it is important to note that some of these individuals were born right here in the United States. They are U.S. citizens and yet even though they were born here, they feel very fervently in their hearts that dream for freedom and justice to the enslaved people of Cuba. Many individuals do not know what Brothers to the Rescue is. There is a humanitarian group that came about because they felt great pain when they would see their brothers and sisters in the high seas being taken over by either the seas or the storms or the sharks in the straits between Cuba and Florida. And so these volunteer pilots, none of them on any payroll, on their own started flying humanitarian missions helping our U.S. Coast Guard in identifying where these rafters were in the high seas. They would drop supplies to them, such as a bottle of water, perhaps a life preserver so that they could continue hanging onto dear life while the valiant members of the U.S. Coast Guard would fly out there to retrieve them and to be reunited with their loved ones. We congratulate the U.S. Coast Guard for their valiant service, so many years of service to our community and this humanitarian effort, and they would not be able to do as good a job as they had done without Brothers to the Rescue. This was another routine flight for the brothers, yet Castro has incorrectly classified them as interfering in his territory, and he sent out his Migs and they shot down these two small planes, Cessna planes from the sky, causing the deaths of what we think is the deaths, they have not, their bodies have not been recovered in spite of many search and rescue missions of the Coast Guard, resulting in the deaths of these four brave men, some of them, as I point out, U.S. citizens. Were the Brothers to the Rescue planes breaking the law? I think some Castro apologists want to keep bringing that up. I think President Clinton's statement, Secretary of State Warren Christopher's statements, U.S. Ambassador Madeleine Albright's statements have been very clear and to the point. They have said that they were shot down in international territory and this is an illegal act. These were civilian, small unarmed planes where they clearly identified themselves as such. They identified who was in the plane. And they have testified, the pilots who were there, the eyewitnesses as well as U.S. officials, that this was an illegal act and totally contrary to what is normally practiced by free nations. Obviously, Castro likes to prove time and time again that he is indeed a proud member of that list of the pariah states. Along with Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart, who will be speaking in just a few moments, we have known what Brothers to the Rescue was all about. We have known about those missions and the community has greatly supported them. Jose Basulto, the leader of Brothers to the Rescue, will also be with us, Congressman Deutsch, Peter Deutsch spoke today, Congressman McCollum, Porter Goss. This is a terrible crime that has united our community in saying the truth that we have known about Fidel Castro, that he is a merciless tyrant. So although we congratulate President Clinton for his sanctions, we want him to go further with establishing a naval blockade, establishing international sanctions against the tyrant. We hope to move on legislation to help bring those changes about.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I congratulate our colleague from Florida [Mr. Scarborough] for taking the opportunity to discuss what we believe is an international incident of epic proportions that could very well change the nature of relations between our countries, and we hope that they change in the way that will help bring about democracy, freedom, and justice to the enslaved people of Cuba, who have been under the yoke of communism and godless communism for over 35 years. We have been talking, and the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Diaz- Balart], with his many years of experience in this, was talking about the crackdown on incidents, the human rights violations. We know that if you are a person who wants to practice your faith, no matter what faith that is, if you are in Castro's Cuba, you are unable to practice your faith, you are unable to worship your God because the only God that is allowed to be worshiped in Cuba is Fidel Castro, and I think that that positive change is going to come about. The gentleman from Florida [Mr. Diaz-Balart] has been talking about the change that could be possible in Cuba without Castro, but certainly with Castro there, those changes are going to be very difficult to bring about. And that is why we saw this as a very sad opportunity, but an opportunity nonetheless, to bring further sanctions, and on this we have a very strong bipartisan support, especially in our Florida delegation, whether it is the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Hastings], who has always been in favor of freedom and democracy for the enslaved people of Cuba, whether it is our colleague, the gentlewoman from Florida [Mrs. Meek], who is always there with us, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Deutsch], who has been in a leadership position for us, the gentlewoman from Florida [Ms. Brown], in fact, if I say all of the names, we will be here for a long time because we have many wonderful colleagues on both sides of the aisle who know and understand the suffering of the Cuban people. But I wanted to have the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Diaz-Balart] take this opportunity, if I could, to explain to the American public what has been going on with the nuclear powerplant in Cuba and also to talk a little bit about the lords intelligence facility, which has not been discussed at length, which is also a very important element of our United States-Cuba relations and the Soviet Union, the new Soviet Republics are very much tied in. The gentleman from Florida [Mr. Diaz-Balart], what would you say, what is your opinion on those who say that we should have a North Korea type of solution to the unsafe, dangerous unsafe nuclear powerplant in Cienfuegos, Cuba, those who say we should go in there and help Castro build the best darn nuclear powerplant that we can get?

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Another thing, if I could, a naval blockade which would enable no supplies to get to Castro, if you could explain how that would work.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I am optimistic that day is around the corner, and with the help of all the countries joining together, we will make that dream of freedom a reality for the enslaved people of Cuba.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure and a true honor for me to recognize the many achievements of Dr. Gil Beltran who, for over 65 years, has dedicated his life to educating children at his school in Miami. Indeed, Dr. Beltran's unyielding commitment to the education of children is nothing short of remarkable. He founded his school, La Luz, The Light, with the mission to provide students with the foundations of academic excellence while stressing the importance of serving one's community. The school was first inaugurated at the turn of the century in Havana, Cuba and then initiated again in Miami for the exiled Cuban-American community. Dr. Beltran's determination to educate those who yearned to be free in the United States, and to teach students the true meanings of the words ``liberty'' and ``justice,'' has made him a true philanthropist of the south Florida community. One can measure the resounding success of Dr. Beltran's vision by witnessing the smiles and gratitude of the students and parents on graduation day. Many Miami residents first learned how to read and write because Dr. Beltran's undying vision and commitment to the youth of south Florida. It should give all a great sense of pride to honor a man whose prescience continues to set a standard of excellence for all to admire.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to a true American hero, Miami civic leader Alec Courtelis, who died last week after a courageous 2-year struggle against cancer. My sincere condolences go to his wife Louise, son Pan, daughter Kiki, and sister Danae Voyazis. As former President Bush said after this unfortunate loss to our Nation and south Florida, ``Who says there are no heroes any more? Just look at the life and legacy of Alec Courtelis.'' Although 68 years old and in a fight for his life with pancreatic cancer, Alec continued his tireless work for the many causes in which he believed. The story of Alec Courtelis' life is an inspiration for all those who know that the American dream is still a reality for anyone, regardless of their background. An immigrant who came to this country from Alexandria, Egypt, Alec always rejoiced in America's unlimited opportunities. He lived his life by the motto that ``nothing is impossible in America.'' He emigrated to Miami in 1948, a city that has welcomed many immigrants from around the world. After earning his engineering degree at the University of Miami, his company helped build many prominent commercial and residential developments in south Florida, including the Falls shopping center. A successful self-made businessman, he gave much back to the Nation and our community which had given this opportunity. He raised funds for the cause of education in Florida, including the University of Miami and the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. As State University Chancellor Charles Reed said, ``No one in Florida has made a greater contribution to the betterment of this State than Alec Courtelis.'' But the greatest example he set for all of us was in the last years of his life when he showed what real courage is all about. He took the time to give great encouragement to many cancer patients in their fight with this dread disease, showing them that through positive mind- therapy, they could win against this disease. Like the man in Rudyard Kipling's poem ``If,'' which was used in his funeral services, Alec Courtelis truly showed that: If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained in my district and had I been present to vote I would have voted: ``yes'' on the journal vote--rollcall 880, ``yes'' on the rule to House Resolution 299--rollcall 881, ``yes'' on Solomon amendment--rollcall 882, ``yes'' on the adoption of House Resolution 299--rollcall 883, ``yes'' vote to table the appeal of the ruling on the chair--rollcall 884, ``no'' on the motion to recommit--rollcall 885.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, due to the death of my mother-in-law, Mrs. Norah Lehtinen, I was unable to vote ``yes'' on House Joint Resolution 132 expressing the sense of Congress in favor of a 7-year balanced budget.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, due to my mother-in-law's death, I was unable to be present for the vote on House Concurrent Resolution 122 and, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, on December 14 I was unable to vote on rollcall votes 861 and 862 because I had to attend a special Metro-Dade Commission meeting in Miami. I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 861, a motion to recommit with instructions H.R. 2621 and I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 862, final passage on H.R. 2621, a bill to enforce the public debt limit and to protect the Social Security Trust Fund.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in this tribute to the public service of the Honorable Joseph Rainey of South Carolina, who was sworn in as a Member of the House of Representatives 125 years ago. I congratulate Congressman Donald Payne, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, for organizing this special order in honor of Congressman Rainey. Born in slavery in 1832, Congressman Rainey joined the Republican Party at the end of the Civil War, and in 1870 was elected to the South Carolina State senate. That same year, a vacancy in the U.S. House of Representatives presented Joseph Rainey with the opportunity to accept the Republican nomination for the First Congressional District in South Carolina. He defeated Democrat C.W. Dudley, and was sworn in as a Member of this House on December 12, 1870. Congressman Rainey was reelected in 1872, again in 1874, and in 1876. It was only after the tragic political compromise of 1877, in which the rights of black Americans were sacrificed to political expediency, that Congressman Rainey's political career faded. After Federal troops withdrew from the South, the protection of all voter's rights to vote became impossible. The party of Abraham Lincoln was no longer able to protect Congressman Rainey in the increasingly polarized South that emerged after the reconstruction era ended. Mr. Rainey lost the election of 1878, and was never again to serve in public office. I am proud to be a member of Mr. Rainey's party, and proud of our heritage of racial justice and political courage. Since Mr. Rainey's service in the Congress, we have made great strides toward our goal of making the House of Representatives into a house that truly represents the American people. We were able to make those strides only because of the political and personal courage of our predecessors in public office. When one studies the social conditions of the late 19th century in a small southern city like Washington, DC, one knows that Mr. Rainey must have been a man of great personal courage and strength. May we here today always strive to live up to his example.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, due to the illness of my mother-in- law, I was unable to vote on December 6. I would have voted ``yes'' on H.R. 290 waiving points of order against the conference report to accompany the bill H.R. 1058 to reform Federal securities litigation, ``yes'' on final passage of the conference report on H.R. 1058 and ``no'' on the motion to recommit the conference report on H.R. 2067, the Commerce, State, Justice and the Judiciary appropriations bill.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I wish to endorse the naming of the Federal Justice Building in Miami, FL in honor of Chief Judge James Lawrence King. The naming of such a building is not to be done lightly. We reserve that honor for those who have given of themselves, in an extraordinary manner, to the betterment of their community and the Nation. Judge King is such a man. All who have worked with Judge King have been impressed with his leadership and authority. My husband, Dexter Lehtinen, who was the U.S. attorney for south Florida, worked closely with the judge to facilitate the speedy administration of justice at a time when the problem of drug smuggling was taxing the court system to the breaking point. My husband was impressed with Judge King's dedication and commitment to the highest professional standards. For a turbulent quarter of century, Judge King served on the Federal bench, but his public service long predates his appointment as a Federal judge. Judge King was a member of the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Air Force. In addition to being a Federal judge, he has served at every level of the court system of Florida, from circuit judge to associate judge of the State district court of appeals to associate justice of the Florida Supreme Court. Judge King has won respect for his legal scholarship as well as his administrative leadership. He is the author of over 200 published opinions in Federal court and was called on by the late Chief Justice Warren Burger to preside over trials in eight other Federal district courts. Judge King has also lent his considerable energy to reforming both the judiciary and the education system. He served on the board of control of the State university system. He has been elected or appointed to various commission and panels charged with the reform of the Federal bench. Additionally, he was designated chief judge for the Panama Canal Zone. His vision and leadership are responsible, in large part, for this Federal building and, therefore, it is fitting and proper that this structure should carry his name. I wholeheartedly endorse this action.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform the House that on next Tuesday, November 21, a very special event will be held by the organization Facts About Cuban Exiles [FACE]. FACE was established in 1982 to foster accuracy and understanding in the portrayal of the Cuban exile population. There are over a million Cubans who have been forced to flee the Castro dictatorship and FACE conducts research and provides information about the history and contributions of the Cuban exile population to the United States and other countries of exile. The work of FACE is carried on under the leadership of Chairman Jose Cancela and his fellow officers: Secretary Xiomara Cassado, Vice Secretary Marian Prio-Odio and Treasurer Marilyn Borroto. Speaking at the luncheon will be the internationally renowned scholar and author, Dr. Mark Falcoff, the author of many influential works on U.S.-Latin American relations, who will be speaking on the subject of ``The Hispanic Community in the Lens of the American Media.'' Dr. Falcoff will be introduced by the former Secretary of Commerce of Florida, Jeb Bush. FACE also casts light on the nature of the oppression that drove 10 percent of Cuba's population out of their homeland with special emphasis on the plight of Cuban political prisoners as part of the larger tragedy of Castro's oppression. I wish the Facts About Cuban Exiles success its their larger goal of holding up the light of truth and freedom for the enslaved people of Cuba.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Rabin came as a shock to all of us. We almost considered him an irreplaceable leader in the search for a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors. Rabin's death reminds us that sometimes the greatest physical and moral courage is not to be found among those who make war, but among those who seek to make peace. Fortunately, Israel is a democracy whose government's policies are not the whim of only one man. And, although we mourn the loss of a courageous leader, we can be comforted by the fact that the goals he set for himself and his country are goals that are widely shared in Israel and they will continue to be pursued. Perhaps the greatest monument that could be erected to Prime Minister Rabin would be for all of us to renew our own efforts to erect a structure of peace that can bring genuine security and peace to the people of Israel and to all of its neighbors. We simply cannot allow fanatics--be it those who killed Egyptian President Anwar Sadat or the young man who has been arrested for the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin--to determine what the future of Israel and the Middle East shall be. We must move forward toward our goal of a lasting peace and a secure Israel. This process has already produced benefits. And those benefits were there for all to see at Prime Minister Rabin's funeral. We have seen Israel and Jordan successfully negotiate a peace treaty. King Hussein of Jordan attended Rabin's funeral--something that would have seemed impossible just a couple of years ago--and vow publicly, ``we are not ashamed, nor are we afraid, nor are we anything but determined to conclude the legacy for which my friend fell.'' We have seen the ending of some boycotts of Israel by the countries in the gulf, and I think it is important that ministers from two gulf countries had the courage to attend the Rabin funeral. Let us build on this and make Israel our strong ally.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, while his decrepit road show passed through the United States, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro made a cynical statement during a pathetic rally in his support, sponsored by our Democrat colleague from the Bronx and attended by some other congressional groupies. Castro commented that ``life changes,'' referring to his acceptance of foreign capitalist investment, to save his failed, repressive revolution. Life might change for Castro in his desperation to keep power, but not for the Cuban people who continue mired in misery and oppression. In Cuba, human rights violations continue. Political persecution continues. State control over the economy and the press continues. Persecution against those who practice their religion continues. Nothing, nothing has changed over Castro's 37 years of tyranny. Yes, life changes, but not for the oppressed people of Cuba. Life will only change for the Cuban people once the Communist tyrant is eliminated from power and the Cuban nation can reclaim its freedom.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to support Mr. Canady's bill, which is an important step to help eliminate this tragic procedure. There is widespread agreement that this unfortunate and sickening act is not necessary and should not be permitted. [[Page H 11610]] The partial birth abortion is not a legitimate medical procedure and it is not needed for any particular reason. While the American Medical Association has officially taken no position on this bill, the AMA's Council on Legislation has voted unanimously to recommend support of this bill. As one member of the council said, ``The council believes that this is not a recognized medical technique and the procedure is basically repulsive.'' Listen to the words of a registered nurse who has witnessed partial birth abortions. Quote, ``The baby's feet were moving. His little fingers were collapsing together. He was kicking his feet. All the while his little head was still stuck inside. The doctor took a pair of scissors and inserted them in the back of the baby's head. Then he opened the scissors up. Then he stuck the high-powered suction tube into the hole and sucked the baby's brains out.'' As the mother of two children, I do not comprehend how we can allow any baby to be subjected to such inhumane treatment. I wholeheartedly support Mr. Canady's bill and I urge my colleagues to do so as well.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, the award for the most deplorable idolizing of Cuban tyrant Fidel Castro during his recent United States visit goes to my Democrat colleague from the Bronx, who handed the dictator a pair of boxing gloves engraved with ``Fidel is #1.'' Castro is No. 1 in human rights violations. He is No. 1 in persecution of political opposition. He is No. 1 in detainment of political prisoners. He is No. 1 in the persecution of the free press. So those gloves fit Castro to a tee. However, given the hugs and accolades my colleague laid on Castro, I doubt that the ``Fidel is #1'' slogan was intended to refer to those Castro characteristics. It was another pathetic display of the obvious disregard some have for the repression that Castro imposes on the people of Cuba, and for the millions who struggle against his tyranny. Maybe Castro should return the favor by sending our colleague a pair of gloves engraved: ``Castro's #1 pawn.''

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, in his desperate effort to hold on to power at any cost and by any means necessary, Cuban tyrant Fidel Castro has turned the Cuban economy into a slavelike system. In Castro's new economy, where foreign investors call the shots, workers get the short end of the deal. While the regime collects all the hard currency produced by foreign investors, the Cuban worker, already denied his civil and human rights, is paid by the State. Not in hard currency, but in Cuban pesos, at the official rate of one peso per dollar, although, in reality, the real exchange rate is more like 25 pesos to the dollar. As one foreign investor put it, ``you pay $500 for an employee, and he receives the equivalent of $20.'' In Cuba, Mr. Speaker, independent labor unions, worker strikes, and collective bargaining are prohibited. Instead, there is one State-controlled puppet union, the Cuban Workers Central, which reacts to every whim of the Cuban tyrant. For example, in 1992, when Cuban ports worker Rafael Gutierrez attempted to establish an independent labor union, the Cuban Workers Trade Union, he was arrested and detained at State security headquarters, for subversion and distribution of enemy propaganda. Mr. Gutierrez was later released, but was not able to find employment due to the regime's persecution against him. In 1994, Mr. Gutierrez was denied a visa by the Cuban regime to speak at the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions Human Rights Commission, where he would have condemned the regimes' human rights violations. Finally, tired of the repression against him, Mr. Gutierrez was one of the thousands of Cubans who sought their freedom, aboard a rickety raft, and was one of the refugees held at the Guantanamo Naval Base. More deplorable and tragic is how the Cuban regime is now using its repression of workers' rights to attract foreign investment to the island. Last August, Miguel Taladrid, the regime's Deputy Minister of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation, stated that, ``The current system is more convenient. We are free from labor conflcits; nowhere else in the world could you get this tranquilty.'' Unfortunately, the regimes' promotion of its repression of the Cuban worker, is having the desired effect on investors. A businessman from the Dominician Republic had this to say, ``The main reason why I chose to invest in Cuba, rather than in the Dominican Republic, was the assurance by the Cubans that I would not have to negotiate, or be forced to sign, collective agreements with trade unions.'' He added that, ``The Cuban Government is attracting European investors by promising cheap labor and the absence of free trade unions.'' This tragic scenario of workers' rights in Cuba is apparently alien to some of my colleagues from the other side of the aisle, who hosted and expressed their great admiration for Castro during his recent trip to New York City. My Democrat colleagues from that great city all have excellent lifetime voting records supporting workers' rights in the United States, according to the AFL-CIO. One of them has 100 percent lifetime AFL-CIO record, while the other two have a 95 and 94 percent rating. Apparently, my colleagues are all for worker rights, except, of course, when those rights might interfere or harm their relationship with their good buddy, Fidel Castro. For not a peep was heard from them, condemning the repression of workers' rights in Cuba by Castro. Maybe we should not be surprised, Mr. Speaker, that my colleagues would not want to tarnish their sweet relationship with the tyrant. After all, they spend a lot of time and effort to assure that the tyrant received a warm greeting in New York City. One of our colleagues made a heart-warming gift to Castro: a pair of boxing gloves claiming that, ``Fidel is No. 1.'' Yet another one could not contain himself and repeatedly hugged the tyrant and applauded Castro's rhetoric of being for the working people of the world. Apparently, my colleagues do not care much for those like Mr. Gutierrez and others who dared to challenge the regimes' repression, for never did they bring up the subject of workers' rights to Castro. The same congressional colleagues oppose the U.S. embargo against Castro and, instead, promote free and open trade with the tyrant, as an instrument to push him from power. Oddly, some of them did not promote these views in Haiti or South Africa, where some supported economic embargoes against the undemocratic regimes of those two countries to help bring freedom and democracy. My colleagues might be for workers' rights in the United States, and Castro might give the impression that he supports working people of the world, but neither my colleagues nor Castro show much concern for the working people of Cuba. If an award were to be given for hypocrisy, Mr. Speaker, my three New York Democrat colleagues who cheered Castro in New York would win hands down. Today is trick or treat day. But our New York colleagues got an early start on Halloween. They treated Castro well; they tried to trick the people of the United States and Cuba. But freedom-loving people will not be fooled. Democracy must come to my enslaved native homeland.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, one of our colleagues has openly challenged the United States embargo against the Castro regime by announcing that he has accepted an invitation by Cuban tyrant Fidel Castro to visit Cuba in December with a group of Massachusetts businessmen. I have asked the Treasury Department to deny my colleague, and his partners in crime, permission to travel to Cuba, for this trip clearly does not fall under the permissable guidelines. The presence of business leaders on this trip is an attempt at lobbying for the end of the trade embargo against Castro. While some try to forge ties with the tyrant, the repression in Cuba goes unabated. While Castro fooled the United States media once again this week independent journalist Olance Nogueras Roce was jailed in a high security prison in Cuba for trying to ask a question at the Ministry of Foreign Relations. The obvious attempt to violate the embargo on Cuba by these United States businessmen is a clear test of the Clinton administration's resolve to enforce the law against Castro. The President must step up to the challenge by denying them visas.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, this week the Nation was witness to a great traveling road show which arrived from Havana. Its main star was the Cuban tyrant Fidel Castro, in his never ending campaign to reform his image from a ruthless dictator, which he is, to a harmless politician, which he is not. Even though Castro's acting is cruelly trite and cynically predictable, it hypnotized much of American media, business leaders and, I am disappointed to say, some Members of our body. It was quite revolting to see how this dictator, who leads a regime that our State Department characterized as ``sharply restricting basic political and civil rights, including the rights of citizens to change their government, the freedoms of speech, press, association, assembly and movement, as well as the right to privacy and various workers rights,'' well, he was warmly greeted in the Bronx by three of my colleagues from the other side of the aisle who hail from New York City, including the dean of the city's delegation. This group of Congressman ignored the well-known repression of the Castro regime, repression which is condemned by human rights groups like Amnesty International, which said about Castro's regime that ``members of unofficial political human rights and trade union groups continue to face imprisonment, short-term detention and frequent harassment.'' Instead, the congressional groupies accepted Castro with open arms. My Democrat colleague from the Bronx hosted a rally for the dictator on Monday evening telling the Cuban tyrant that he would always be welcomed in that city. My favorite however, was another Member of this body from that city's delegation who, even though she was forced to wait in line to attend the rally, stated that she did not mind waiting in line to see Fidel Castro. You would think that such enthusiasm is reserved only for movie stars, but not in this instance. It is a shame that Members of this body carry such low respect for our democratic system that they would salivate over the leader who has gone to great extremes to destroy democracies around the world, and who stills speaks negatively of political pluralism. Sadly, another one of my colleagues has accepted Castro's invitation to travel to Cuba, along with a delegation of representatives of American corporations. How can our Federal official authorize such a business trip? Let us hop that they do not. Mr. Speaker, similarly outrageous was the reception that the United Nations gave Castro. Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali warmly embraced Castro as he entered the organization. This shameful portrayal made by the United Nations leader is symptomatic of the hypocrisy embodied in that body, as it speaks of freedom and human rights, but then goes ahead and turns its back on the millions of Cubans who suffer under Fidel Castro. This same organization now wants to implement global taxes to fund its inefficient bureaucracy. Reports have emerged recently that the United Nations wants to implement taxes on international currency and stock transactions, as a means to gain greater revenue for its activities. This initiative would gravely affect American citizens and businesses who already are the biggest contributors to the United Nations. This is a dangerous phenomenon which grossly expands the scope and mission of the organization and one which the Congress should raise its voice against. The great missing link in Castro's visit were questions about his regime. None of the American media, congressional Members or business leaders bothered to ask Castro about the repressive nature of his regime. Nobody asked him about the political prisoners. No one asked him about the fate of Rev. Orson Vila Santoyo, who continues imprisoned for practicing his religious faith. No one asked him of the fate of Nilvio Labrada, who was put in a mental institution for demonstration against Fidel Castro. No one asked Castro when he would leave power, conduct elections, allow freedom of expression, allow opposition on the island. Nobody. Instead, those who fraternized with Castro had a mission. Business leaders want to make a quick buck off the Cuban workers sweat in Castro's plantation economy. The media continued its romanticized description of Castro, ignoring his human rights offenses, and my liberal congressional colleagues were just willing political pawns in Castro's propaganda. Mr. Speaker, Castro came and went but his repression against the Cuban people remains today. This should always be the bottom line when dealing with Castro, and it is unfortunate that many sold their soul to the devil for, in the end, their mission will be unsuccessful. The Cuban people will be free someday, and they will remember, together with history, who stood for freedom and who preferred to prostitute themselves to the whims of the tyrant.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, today, Cuban tyrant Fidel Castro will leave the United States after having been the catalyst for the most shameful behavior seen in a long time. It was disgusting to observe how many ignored the documented repression in Cuba. Let me remind world leaders that while they dined with Castro, thousands of political prisoners remain in Castro's gulags. Let me remind the American media, that while they asked Castro about who will win the World Series, 11 million Cubans continue to be denied their human rights. And let me remind United States business leaders, and even some of my congressional colleagues that while they glorified Castro, Cuban workers continue to live in misery, as they are paid almost nothing in Castro's new plantation style economy. Ironically, in the midst of its 50th anniversary celebration, the United Nations was the clear loser, for that same organization which now wants to create global taxes, accepted and idolized as one of its own, the last tyrant of the hemisphere, and turned its back on the millions of Cubans who suffer under his dictatorship. Shame on all.