Tom Tancredo

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Matt Ziska. Mr. Ziska recently received national recognition from the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) for his hard work and dedication in his field. The Departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Defense, Veterans Affairs, and FEMA, all partnered with the NDMS, to grant this award. Mr. Ziska has been employed as a hazardous materials technician at the Tri-County Health Department based in Aurora. His advice to the Disaster Medical Assistance Team has helped them enhance and improve protective measures designed to safeguard against the dangers of hazardous materials. Mr. Ziska was selected from a field of 130 team members. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Matt Ziska, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to announce that this year's Kiwanis Club of Littleton Valor Award was given to Stan Scheer, the superintendent of Littleton Public Schools. He has done an excellent job in his position, working to meet the needs of the community. Superintendent Scheer began working for Littleton Public Schools 6 years ago, and has been well received in the community for his dedication to improving the quality of education in Littleton. The Kiwanis Club honors individuals with the Valor Award every 2 years. The proceeds from the Valor Award reception go to provide assistance to nonprofit organizations chosen by the recipient. This year, Superintendent Scheer has asked that the proceeds be donated to the Littleton Public Schools Foundation and the Kids in Need of Dentistry. I would like to join the Kiwanis Club in applauding Mr. Scheer's continued success and dedication as the superintendent for Littleton Public Schools, and wish him the best of luck in all his future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, the 2004 Summer Olympic Games are returning to the birthplace, Athens, Greece. The Games are an opportunity for the world's athletes to showcase their talents, and have the possibility to earn the distinction of the World's best of their sport. Matt Hemingway, a relative of Ernest Hemingway, has trained rigorously to earn a spot on the 2004 American Olympic team; to be classified as one of America's best high jumpers. Hemingway cleared 7 feet, 7.25 inches, winning the silver medal. The gold medal winner, Sweden's Stefan Holm, jumped 7-9. At the 2004 Olympic trials, Matt placed second with a jump of 7-6.5, a foot more than his 6' 7" frame. In 2000, Hemingway reached his personal best height of 7-9.5, the best jump in the world that year; earning him the 2000 United States Indoor title. Matt occupied a two year hiatus by acting as a whitewater river guide in Colorado. However, his passion for the sport and the thrill of competition called him back to competing. Matt now trains by playing basketball and running in the Colorado hills. Colorado's high altitude and temperate climate provides an excellent environment for Olympic caliber athletes to train and live. Mr. Speaker, the accomplishments of the 2004 Olympic athletes are awe-inspiring. Matt and the other Olympians have made us all proud.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Republic of China on Taiwan's return to the United Nations. The island nation has been barred from participation in U.N. activities since 1971, when the U.N. adopted resolution 2758, which gave Taiwan's seat at the U.N. to the authorities in Communist China. Thirty-three years later, many people now realize that this decision was a mistake, and an injustice to the 23 million people who live in Taiwan. Taiwan is an independent, peace loving, and democratic nation that elects its own leaders, manages its own economy, and conducts its own foreign affairs. Clearly, the communist government in Mainland China does not--as it asserts--represent democratic Taiwan. It is time that the U.N. to start treating those 23 million people with the same dignity and respect accorded to other nations. The Republic of China deserves a place in the United Nations. By excluding the Republic of China on Taiwan from the United Nations to placate the communist authorities in Beijing, the U.N. is violating its own principles and charter. Its failure to treat Taiwan evenhandedly does a disservice to the people of Taiwan, and to the rest of the world. Beyond political and philosophical notions, the decision to exclude Taiwan from international organizations has very real consequences. In the spring of 2003, for example, Taiwan was affected by the SARS epidemic. Because Taiwan is barred from membership in the United Nations, the World Health Organization's response to Taiwan's SARS outbreak was substandard and late. As a result, 37 people lost their lives. In 1998 an enterovirus epidemic struck Taiwan, infecting more than a million people, hospitalizing hundreds, causing 80 deaths and resulting in over $1 billion in economic losses. In all of these cases, because the WHO was forced to spend its time and resources finding ``indirect ways'' to provide assistance to Taiwan, the response suffered. And these shortcomings cut both ways. Because of the ROC's exclusion from the international community, Taiwan cannot share its health-related experiences, manpower and other resources with the rest of the world. Support for Taiwan's membership in the U.N. ought to be a no brainer. As a friend and ally, the United States should stand up for Taiwan. We must make it clear to others that we believe it is unfair to exclude Taiwan from the world community, and we must also tell the authorities in Beijing that Taiwan's membership in the United Nations poses no threat to them, or the achievement of a peaceful and equitable solution to the cross-straits situation. Mr. Speaker, the ROC's membership in the U.N. will be beneficial to the people of Taiwan, to the United States, and to the world. I urge support for Taiwan's campaign to rejoin the United Nations.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece have concluded but will not be forgotten. The Games have yielded some of the most incredible competition in the history of sports. The athletes have rigorously trained and endured formidable obstacles in their quest for the distinction of the world's elite. Susan Bartholomew-Williams, one of my constituents, made us all proud. At the recent Olympics, she achieved legendary status by placing third in the Olympic Triathlon at Athens and bringing home a bronze medal. Since beginning her career a decade ago Susan has had numerous top- ten finishes and has risen to the uppermost echelons of her sport. Susan did not compete in the 2000 Sydney Games due to the birth of her daughter and was out of competition in 1999 as a result of a deabilitating side effect of her treatment for a pulmonary embolism. But she came back stronger than ever and brought home the bronze medal for the United States in the triathlon. Mr. Speaker, I am in awe of the rigor and perseverance displayed by Ms. Bartholomew-Williams in the 2004 Olympic Triathlon, and all of the athletes who represented the U.S. in Athens. I wish her further success in all her future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I come before you today with the greatest sadness. When unexpected tragedies occur to exemplary individuals, it is a blow to the community as a whole. One such tragedy cost the life of an individual from my home district, Marie Machell Milliken. She was killed on Highway 84 near Telluride in a car accident. Her husband of 52 years was with her at the time and survived the accident. Mrs. Milliken was born November 21, 1926, in Barre, Vermont. She met her husband while attending college at Yale University. Mrs. Milliken was a professor of nursing, vice president of academic affairs at Loretto Heights College and the director of nursing at Regis University. She received the Distinguished Alumna Award for the class of 1951. She also attended and matriculated from Colby College and the University of Denver. She is survived by her husband Gordon, their children Doug, Karen, David, Anne and one grandchild. Mr. Speaker, my thoughts and prayers are with the Milliken family, Marie will be deeply missed.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that one of my constituents has been given the inaugural Outstanding Caseworker of the Year award. Bernadette Gray's service was crucial in creating collaboration between Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the Arapahoe County Human Services. Through a unanimous decision by the staff members of both organizations, the Outstanding Caseworker of the Year award was created specifically for Ms. Gray. The award is the first of its kind in the 20-year history of CASA. Collaboration between the two organizations helps both to meet the needs of the families and children that they serve. Bernadette has worked tirelessly on child advocacy cases; building coalitions between volunteers, parents and children to ensure the children are best served and protected. Mr. Speaker, I applaud Bernadette Gray for her valuable work. She has set a new standard in the field of casework and has proved her self to be a valued asset to the county government. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I raise a point of order on page 33, line 20, through page 37, line 20, because it provides an appropriation for an unauthorized program and therefore violates section 2(a) of rule XXI.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I raise a point of order.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I raise a point of order on page 33, line 6, to page 33, line 10, because it provides an appropriation for an unauthorized program and therefore violates section 2(a) of rule XXI.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I raise a point of order.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I raise a point of order on page 32, line 2, through page 32, line 6, because it provides an appropriation for an unauthorized program and therefore violates section 2(a) of rule XXI.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I raise a point of order.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I raise a point of order on page 32, line 7, to page 32, line 10, because it provides an appropriation for unauthorized programs and therefore violates section 2(a) of rule XXI.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I raise a point of order.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize Sean Lindstone, whose outstanding academic achievement has given him the opportunity to continue his education abroad. Sean has earned the prestigious Fulbright award to teach English as a foreign language in South Korea during the 2004-2005 academic year. The Fulbright Program is the oldest of its kind in the United States and is designed to increase mutual understanding amongst international academia. Since its inception in 1946, the program has seen some 285,000 grantees. Recipients are selected on the basis of their academic, professional, and leadership potential within their respective fields. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to honor Mr. Lindstone and his achievements, and wish him all the best to come in his travel and studies.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, on August 23, 2004, one of my constituents, Mrs. Kathy Griswold-McKean 53, tragically and unexpectedly lost her life in a single-car accident. Kathy was a true patriot, devoted to both this country and the lives of people in general. Kathy had a positive outlook that was simply infectious. It emanated from her and welled up in others bringing out the best in them. She and her husband, Andy McKean, were together for 16 years and rarely did I ever see one without the other. Together they created the Complete Cycle Center through an Environmental Protection Agency grant where they showcased recycled products. In addition to educating others about recycling, they worked on the Earning by Learning program to promote children to read. They also worked on various political campaigns, including my own, with the same unending energy and enthusiasm that they put into every endeavor. Kathy could be counted on to bring out the best in everyone around her. Kathy and her husband were the driving force behind legislation in the 106th Congress which I sponsored, and more than a dozen other members cosponsored. The resolution, H. Con. Res. 376, Recognized Liberty Day. Andy and Kathy sponsored an education project, which began March 16, 1998, of the same name. That initiative encouraged school children to learn more about the founding documents of our great nation, and with the passage of that resolution, their efforts were officially recognized by the United States Congress. Together, Kathy and Andy promoted Liberty Day in order to preserve and pass on the great tradition of America's history, freedom and way of life. Kathy's passing, while on an errand to deliver mail to supporters of this project was a tragedy, but her commitment to the cause will be remembered and honored by many. Kathy is survived by her Husband, her parents and her brother.

Mr. TANCREDO

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

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, there are, of course, a wide variety of views and opinions on the situation that we now face in Iraq and around the world. I am compelled to come to the floor tonight to talk about one aspect of this, I suppose, not necessarily to take sides in this debate that has been going on for the last hour but to look into the nature of the foe that both we face and much of the civilized world faces. When you look into the face of the foe, of the enemy, what you see is pure, unadulterated evil. That evil manifested itself just a short time ago in a faraway place, in Russia, more specifically in a small community and even more specifically in a school in that community, where people devoted to a cause, to a set of ideas, decided that one way to advance that cause would be to enter this small town in Russia and to take hostage the children and the parents and the teachers in this small school. Because it was the first day of school and as is the custom in this area, parents and even grandparents will accompany their children to school for the first day of opening festivities. So they knew they would have a large congregation of people, all there to enjoy the day, parents there to encourage their children, children looking back at their parents and grandparents for that encouragement. Something that goes on, of course, an event, an activity that goes on throughout the world in many different countries and in many different ways but essentially that same expression of support and hope and love that we see throughout the world. These people, acting under the guise of ideology, decided to go in and take these folks hostage, because it would be an act of terror almost unparalleled. In fact, I will say unparalleled in the annals of human history. They did so and hundreds of people died, most of them children. The most innocent among us died horrible deaths because terrorists decided to take an action that they believed would advance their cause. It has not advanced their cause. We know that. The civilized world has reacted in horror and disdain and has in every way imaginable sent the message to those who perpetrated this crime that your cause is not advanced. We see you for what you are. You are, in fact, evil incarnate. Evil does exist on this planet. It prowls. It looks. It strikes. It struck in Russia and hundreds of people today, thousands of people there, millions of people around the world, are in mourning and in grief for what happened. There will be people who will try to suggest that even though this was a horrible event, the people who perpetrated this had just cause, that they had been ill treated in the past by the government of Russia going back to the czars. Certainly it may be true that there were injustices and that in fact horrible things have happened in the past. But nothing, Mr. Speaker, nothing, nothing that I can conceive of or I think for the most part anyone in the civilized world can conceive of could justify the acts that were taken in Beslan by these terrorists. Nothing can justify that. No amount of rationalization, no amount of historical injustice, nothing can justify the taking of the most innocent lives, not just the taking of their lives but the torture of these innocent human beings for days before the lives were taken. Nothing can justify the horror that was inflicted upon the community in Beslan. Nothing. My community, the place in which I live, is Littleton, Colorado. Several years ago, we experienced an event of unimaginable horror in our little community. I know what that did when two individuals went into a school, Columbine High School, and killed their fellow students and teachers. I know what happened. I know the kind of trauma that existed and that everyone had to deal with, not just even the parents of the children involved but the entire community. I know how long it lasted. I know that to this day we have not found a salve that could, in fact, heal those wounds, even to this day. We still gather in April to pay our respects and to remember the dead and to express our condolences to the parents and families of those who survived. So I know a little bit about the pain that I know exists in this community of Beslan and, of course, in surrounding areas. I know that there are no words, that no one, not Presidents or Premiers or no one can ever, ever, ever state what would be necessary in order to salve all the wounds that now exist. But we try, because we have nothing else. We have no other way. Today in my district, in Littleton, Colorado, in the Columbine school area, children are signing posters, preparing notes of sympathy that I will collect from them on Thursday and then I will take with me to Russia the next day. We hope to be visiting Beslan and we hope to be able to express the sympathy of the people in my district and they, of course, represent the bulk of the world who are heartsick at the events in Beslan. We need to talk about it more, although it is very difficult to do. It is extremely painful to even discuss these things, I know. But it is important for us to do so. It is important for us to try to think about what motivates people to do what they did, what the terrorists did there and what the rest of the world must do in response to it in order to not fall victim to the same kind of barbarism. It is an incredibly difficult challenge we all face, the world faces. How it is that we can respond? What do we do in the face of such evil? What defenses do we prepare? What armies do we send into the field and where? What are the things that we tell the people in our own country that can make them feel more at ease and safer as they tuck their children into bed at night? Because these things we face, this evil that we face, really, is powerful. It feeds upon a number of emotions that are difficult to deal with. Yet we must do so. We must think about what kind of defenses we can erect, how we can defend ourselves, what do we do around the world, and what do we do even in our own country. What are the principles and ideas that we live by that we can extol? How can we convince the rest of the world that there are ways to live in peace with each other regardless of the faith that one ascribes to? How can we exist on a planet if there are hundreds of millions of people who believe that if one does not believe in their God, if one does not accept their principles of religious ideology, that they do not deserve to exist and that they are, in fact, some sort of threat to them? These ideas have to be fought with ideas. We have to talk about who we are in the United States and in Western Civilization. We have to talk about what principles we believe in and espouse. We cannot just be against others. We have to talk about who we are and what is at stake. Everyone in the world, certainly Americans, when this happened, they felt some degree of angst and certainly horror, but also some fear, some basic kind of internalized fear about the possibility that it could happen there, here, in our community, in our school, with our children. And it develops a sort of paranoia about the world, and people do not know what they can do about this. And I suggest that there are answers to this question, and I do not believe for a moment that I am the person that can give all of the answers to all of the questions, but I do feel it is incumbent upon us to talk about some of the things that are important and some of the things that could and should be done in order to both defend ourselves and advance the cause of liberty and freedom throughout the world. We must talk about the value of Western Civilization and the principles embodied therein. We must begin to explore them in a way that perhaps has not happened in a century or more in this country or certainly even around the world, in the Western world anyway. Because, after all, if we are just simply people who exist in a particular place on the planet, that is all, we are just residents of an area with no particular philosophy, set of ideas or ideals that are worth our allegiance, then the opponents of Western Civilization, the terrorists who seek to kill us because we do not see the world in the same way they do, they will have an advantage because they know exactly who they are, Mr. Speaker. They know the world in which they exist and the world that they represent. They have been thoroughly indoctrinated and are convinced of the righteousness of their ways. It is not just enough to simply juxtapose our civilization against theirs. We have to, again, as I say, talk about in America and the rest of the Western world, what it is that makes us different and why we deserve to defend ourselves, what is it about our society that is worth defending. Are there principles? Are there ideas and ideals that we should hold on to and defend at all costs? I certainly think so. I certainly think the ideas of individual liberty, the rule of law, the concepts embodied in both the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and even going back to the Magna Carta, I think these things are worthy of our allegiance. I wonder how many children in our schools learn them, know about them. I certainly do not want our schools to turn into madrasas where children are indoctrinated day in and day out with the propaganda of their civilization. I want our schools to be true places of learning where children are confronted with a series of ideas and facts and then asked to incorporate them into what they believe and think, to analyze them, become objective observers, and to come to a conclusion, which I think would be inescapable that what we have and what we have put forward on this Earth in terms of a method of living, a system of living together, regardless if we are Muslims or Christians or Jews or Buddhists or nothing at all in terms of a religious persuasion; but the fact that we can create a society in which all these people can live is, I think, a good thing. It is worthy of our talking about. It is worthy of our allegiance. That is talking about who we are and what we believe in and why it is worthy, and it is a good thing and we need to do that. We need to do other things that encourage Islam to look internally and to reform itself. There are many people, I read comments by leaders in the Islamic faith, Muslim leaders, that suggested that they too had come to the conclusion that something was very, very wrong inside their religion. Some even called it a corrupted religion. They lamented the fact that in recent history, although terrorists had different kinds of nationalities and ethnicities, they had one thing in common: they were Muslims. And they lamented that fact, and they said there is something wrong with this religion. There is something wrong with a religion that, in fact, promotes a cult of death. So there is hope that reform can come to Islam. The third thing we must do and to hope for is to construct a defense of our own civilization and of our own country against terrorist activities. And, believe me, this is a tough one. This gets us into, I guess, a little bit of the battle that went on there or at least the discussion that went on here the hour preceding this one about why are we in Iraq, was it the right thing to do, was the President motivated by all the right reasons or all the wrong reasons? Was Iraq the proper thing for us to do, the logical extension of our war against terror? Specifically, was it the right thing to do in our war against fundamentalist Islam? Because that is really what we are at war with. I agree with some of the comments made earlier by some of the folks over here that said that terror is not the thing with which we are at war. It is simply a tactic. I have said this on this floor many times and now for several years, and I am glad to hear it being repeated by others because, of course, it is important for us to understand who the enemy really is. I think our friends on the other side did not go as far as they needed to go to actually describe them. It is fundamentalist Islam with which we are at war, make no mistake about it. And whether that fervor, that Islamic fervor leads you to do things like press for a separation from Russia because you want to create an Islamic republic, it is still fundamentalist Islam with which the world is at war. Or whether it manifests itself as it did here by planes crashing into buildings and into the Pentagon and into fields in Pennsylvania, it is fundamentalist Islam with which we are at war. Around the world, incidents occur. There are motivating factors that combine to create them, but when you sort of get to the bottom line, what is the common element? It is fundamentalist Islam. We are not used to saying things like that here in this body; we are certainly not used to saying things like that on the political stump, because this is America, and we do not talk about people's religion, certainly not in disparaging ways. Among other things, it will probably cost us votes. But seriously, it is uncomfortable and it is just not done. But we have to do it. It is uncomfortable. I certainly do not like having to say these things, but I see absolutely no alternative to saying them, because I believe these things are true, and I believe most of the world knows them to be true. So we have to talk about who we are. We have to hope for reform of Islam, and we have to defend ourselves. I do not know of another set of alternatives. I do not know of another strategy that we can employ. I do not know whether or not the President of the United States was thinking about one or all of these things when he led us into the war in Iraq. I hope that, in fact, it was part of his strategy. I hope with all of my heart that what we are doing in Iraq will advance our cause, will weaken our enemy, will somehow force that reformation, or at least a movement toward that reformation, and certainly I hope that it helps defend us against further attacks. I hope the President is right when he says we are fighting them there because we do not want to be fighting them here. I hope he is right when he suggests that planting the seeds of a democracy in an area of the world in which it has never existed will bear fruit. I hope he is right. We have set a course. We have taken a vote in this House. We have sent men and women off to war. So I hope we were right. There was an interesting thing today, my chief of staff called me and said, we have this questionnaire from one of the local papers in our community and it has to go in today and we want you to answer these things. I had not seen it before, so we had to go through them. One question I think toward the end was, would I have voted differently knowing what I know now. Would I have voted differently about going to war in Iraq. This was a very interesting question, one that has certainly been in my mind many times since embarking upon the course of action that we have taken. And I finally, after a lot of discussion, and we had the staff come in and we talked about this, and we had sort of, it was really kind of an interesting and neat discussion about this, everybody sort of venting their feelings and attitudes and ideas. Finally I said, the reality is it is too early to tell, because we just do not know yet. I mean, I want to believe that what we are doing is the right thing to do. I think it is too early to determine whether or not the course of action upon which we have set ourselves will lead to all of the things that we hope. I believe that it is certainly a noble endeavor. I believe that if the goals are accomplished; if, in fact, we can change the world because we changed the political environment in the Middle East, and there is some hope that that is exactly what has happened. I mean, after all, Libya did a complete about-face after we went into Iraq. It admitted to a nuclear program leading to nuclear weaponry being developed and said, we are not going to do that anymore. Although there may have been other reasons for them to do that, the fact is that Qadhafi did it and I think, to a large extent, it was as a result of what we did in Iraq and what he saw happening in his neighbor's land. It does not mean that all the dominoes will fall. It certainly does not mean that in a month or 2 or a year or 2, we will be able to say the troops can come home, but there is that hope out there. It is a challenge to us all. I wish I could say with an absolute and unequivocal sort of mindset that yes, it was the right vote to cast. I cast the vote because I believed what I was told: that we faced clear and present danger in the existence of Saddam Hussein and his regime. There is certainly a great deal of evidence to suggest that it is true; there is also evidence to suggest that perhaps it is not, it was not as great a threat to our immediate survival as we had anticipated or had been told or thought. So, Mr. Speaker, it is not clear-cut. There is no easy way out of this. There is no absolute way in which we can, or at least I can make a decision here, except to say it is too early to tell. We hope and we pray that we have made the right decision. We make these decisions, certainly I know I and I am sure almost all of my colleagues here made the decision in how to vote after thought, a great deal of thought and, for most of us, a great deal of prayer, asking for guidance, looking at all of the information available, and then doing what we are asked to do here and what we are elected to do: cast a vote. Now, I hope and I pray that this country will begin to do what I suggested earlier needs to be done in terms of extolling the virtues of the American creed, of western civilization, and why we all should be proud to be part of it. I hope and I pray that Islam will begin to reform itself, look internally, and see that the path it is on, if it is allowed to be dragged into this quagmire of extremist violence, terrorist activities, murdering women and children; if the religion is allowed to be dragged into that quagmire, it can never, ever survive in the long run. It can create a great deal of damage, but it could never survive in the long run, and I hope it will begin to look internally. Finally, I hope that we will defend ourselves in every way necessary, including the defense of our own borders. This is something that, of course, I have taken issue with in terms of our own administration and, of course, with the position of the other party. Because up to this point in time, neither of these two parties and neither of the two candidates for the presidency of the United States have indicated a willingness to defend the borders. Today's Time magazine comes out with a story that is absolutely incredible. I really commend it to anyone and everyone who has an interest, and everyone should have an interest. It is called, Who Left the Door Open? It starts off talking about the fact that we all go through, and today I went through the process, of course, as millions of other Americans did, of getting on an airplane, going through the security screening system, putting all the luggage through, taking off my shoes, going through the system, having my belt checked to make sure I was not carrying anything, all the people behind me doing the same thing, in front of me doing the same thing, everybody being significantly inconvenienced because we want to be safe. We want to try to make sure that no one's going to get on a plane and do something really horrible, and so we all put up with this frustrating sort of experience and annoying, time-consuming process because we believe that it is making us more safe. In fact, of course, while we are doing all of these things here and while at ports of entry throughout the United States people are lined up in cars, while we are doing a little better at trying to determine who they really are that are coming into this country, we are trying to figure out whether the documents are any better. We are providing technology to the ports of entry to allow them to do a better job at making sure of the people who are coming into the country, as to who they are, who they say they are. Time magazine, Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues know, is certainly no conservative icon. Even Time magazine has now come to the conclusion that we have got a big problem with porous borders and with an immigration policy that is dangerous, to say the least, in a variety of different ways. It is a lengthy article. I am astounded, as a matter of fact, at some of the things they say, again because it is Time magazine, because one just does not expect this kind of a thing from Time magazine. U.S. borders, rather than becoming more secure since 9/11, have grown even more porous, they say, and the trend has accelerated in the past year. It is fair to estimate, based on a Time investigation, not Tom Tancredo's point of view here, based on a Time magazine investigation, that the number of illegal aliens flooding into the United States this year will total 3 million. That is enough to fill 22,000 Boeing 737-700 airliners or 60 flights every day for a year. Washington's failure to control the Nation's borders has a painful impact on workers at the bottom of the ladder and increasingly those farther up the income scale. The system holds down the pay of American workers and rewards the illegals and the businesses that hire them. It breeds anger and resentment among citizens who cannot understand why illegal aliens often receive government-funded health care, education benefits and subsidized housing. In border communities, the masses of incoming illegals lay waste to the landscape, create a costly burden for agencies trying to keep public order. Moreover, the system makes a mockery of the U.S. tradition of encouraging legal immigration. It is so true. Today, Mr. Speaker, I had a call from a member of the press in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Gazette Telegraph, and she said she was working with an individual who was trying to get to stay in the United States but was having a very difficult time and had spent a lot of money. I said, well, do you mean this person is here illegally? Well, it turns out, of course, she is. Of course, yes, that her daughter now needs medical treatment and she is afraid if she is returned home and this kid is sent to Mexico, she would not be able to get the medical treatment, but that the task of getting the papers she needs is now very time-consuming and expensive. I suggested to her that, of course, the mistake that was made originally was coming into the country illegally and that that can only be rectified by going home to the country of origin and starting the process of coming into this country through the normal channels. The reporter for the Gazette Telegraph said to me, well, it is really too cumbersome, it is time-consuming, it costs a lot of money. I said, yes, of course, it does, that is absolutely true. It is hard to get in. It is hard to do it the right way. Every Wednesday there is a service for the folks who are being sworn in as new citizens, and I tell them every time I go, I say, look, I have come to tell you two things: Welcome to the United States, number 1; number 2, thank you for doing it the right way because, in fact, millions of people choose not to do it this way. Every time we give them all the benefits that you now are going to get because you have done it the right way. It is a mockery of this process. It is an insult to everyone who has spent the time and the energy to actually become a citizen of this country. So when we tell people, whether it is the President of the United States, or John Kerry, who tell people that do not worry if you are here illegally, we will, in fact, allow you to stay and give you amnesty, you are, in fact, spitting in the eye of every single person who has done it the right way and of the millions of the people around this world who are attempting to do it the right way. So I want us to defend our borders, which is part of the defense of the Nation, a significant part of that defense. Of the 3 million people a year that even Time magazine says come in here illegally, we know that a significant percentage, perhaps 300,000 of the 3 million, come here from countries other than Mexico. Of the 300,000 who get in illegally from other countries, perhaps 100,000 are from countries that are identified, by the way, as countries of interest. Thousands and thousands more are coming across those borders every single year from countries that we identify as being supporters of terrorism. They are coming in illegally. Some of them are paying huge, huge fees to come into this country illegally. Upwards of $50,000 is being paid by people who desire to come into this country under the radar, without our knowledge. People from the Middle East and from Asia are paying that much money, and you have to ask yourself, why would anybody do that? And where would they get the money if they do not have it themselves, who would be paying to get them in here? Some pretty frightening thoughts come to mind, because I do not think anybody is going to pay $50,000 to come into this country to work at the 7-Eleven down the street or to pick grapes. I think they have other reasons for coming in, and if somebody else pays for them to come in, what are the reasons anyone would have to put up such large sums of money to sneak people into this country? Our borders are porous, and they are porous because we do not have the political will to close them. Neither party, neither candidate for President, will suggest this for fear of the political retribution that would come from interest groups inside their own party. But I suggest that either candidate for President would be doing not just his country a favor and the right thing but would be doing his own candidacy and his own party a favor by talking about the need to secure our borders and by actually doing it, which we can do by the way. We absolutely can do. We have the technology to do it tomorrow. We do not have the political will. It is amazing. So one part of that three-legged stool they put out there is dependent upon our willingness to make hard, hard choices. Well, actually, I am sure in every way, to the extent that we have any ability to make decisions about any one of those three things, they are all tough choices. But in the area of our own national defense, this is not a hard choice. This is not a difficult sort of academic question to answer. What would be the ramifications of closing the border to those people coming through without our permission? The ramifications would be we would shut down the flow of cheap labor. Hence, we would be confronted by a lot of interest groups that would raise hell about it. We would be confronted by the Democratic party infrastructure that would say, look, these people coming in would eventually become our voters. We cannot close down those borders. But both of the reasons that are given by individual parties and individual candidates, even if they do not express them openly, those are the reasons why we do not do it, and those reasons pale in significance to the fact that we are ever more vulnerable to an attack because of our borders being porous. Again, great article. I cannot believe that I am up here talking about a truly honest and definitive look at the issue of immigration coming out of TIME Magazine, but here it is. ``Who Left the Door Open?'' Great, great article. I suggest that everyone get a copy of it. And I suggest certainly that our colleagues in this Congress get a copy, read it, and take it to heart. Because although there are pressure groups that will attack us if we actually do something about immigration, the fact is that the citizens of this country, John Q. Citizen, and our own children and grandchildren will thank us, because it is the right thing to do.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. I would just conclude by saying that I certainly agree with the last gentleman and his reference to the fact that this does not solve any illegal immigration problem. It is not designed to do that. That is not the purpose. It is designed to correct what I believe to be a terrible flaw in the law. We should never, ever put in law that we are, in fact, taking taxpayer money and providing services for people who have broken the law. That is a bad precedent. If you want to add the money, put it into the already $61 billion that we give hospitals for the purpose of treating folks who are in need. That is all I am saying. It has got nothing to do with immigration.

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I agree with the gentleman when he says that this will not prevent anyone from obtaining services, and it is not my intent to prevent anyone from obtaining services. That is really not the purpose of this. Hospitals, yes, they will provide the services. They must under EMTALA. It is absolutely accurate to say that the burden falls somewhere, taxpayers, somewhere along the line, he is right. To me it is just peculiar, to say the least, that we actually take part of the law and identify a program for $1 billion for services for people who have broken the law. That is the peculiar aspect of this. If we had to add $1 billion to the $34.6 billion that we give hospitals in order to care for the poor, if that is the place to do it, that is the place to do it. It is this odd identifying in law a provision for services for people who have broken the law, other than incarceration services. It is also odd, I would say, that there are really only two groups of people in this country that can obtain free medical health care, health services, at any time they want, and that is people who are incarcerated and people who are here illegally. What a strange situation. I just believe that the $1 billion should be reallocated. There are better uses, or at least better placement of it, than in this bill. That is my only purpose. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My amendment is very simple and straightforward. It would essentially prevent the implementation of section 1011 of the prescription drug bill passed by Congress earlier this year. That section, as the Members may recall, is a controversial provision of the law that provides $1 billion to cover the health care costs of illegal aliens in the country. Let me quickly add that what this amendment does not do, because oftentimes we submit an amendment of this nature and there are all kinds of claims made about what dire things would happen if it were to pass. This amendment restricts health care to no one. It has nothing to do with provision of health care. Health care will still, of course, be provided to people because of EMTALA, because of the requirement of the Federal Government. Right now we spend upwards of $61 billion a year, Federal dollars, going to hospitals for Medicaid reimbursement. That, by the way, does not cover Medicare payments, but just in Medicaid alone, $61.2 billion. The provisions of EMTALA said that if you accept Federal dollars, you must provide service to people on any basis if they need it. They cannot be refused medical attention for emergency care. This does not change that in any way, shape or form. The services will still be provided. But recently promulgated rules designed to implement the section fall short of establishing any meaningful accountability measures for the money, and, more importantly, they do not require information-sharing with homeland security officials to ensure that illegal aliens are deported after their condition stabilizes. As a result, the same illegal aliens could conceivably receive medical care at taxpayers' expense over and over and over again. It is also important to note that many of the States incurring the heaviest costs for treating illegal aliens have helped create their own problems. In many cases they have taken steps to make themselves magnets for illegal immigrants, whose health care costs they are now burdened with, by permitting them to obtain driver's licenses, enroll in higher education at instate rates, obtain public services through the use of consular ID cards. All of these things, of course, attract more people to come who are, in fact, in the country illegally, and then their health care costs become a burden to the taxpayer. The sad irony is that many of the Americans who are being asked to cough up the $1 billion to fund health care for these illegal aliens do not have health insurance themselves. This giveaway is bad for taxpayers, sends the wrong message to illegal aliens and Americans alike, and comes at far too high a price. It was wrong when we passed it. It is wrong today. Mr. Chairman, we have more pressing needs in this country than providing a patients' bill of rights for illegal aliens. I hope Members will support my amendment and save American taxpayers $1 billion. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, one of my greatest joys is to see businesses in my district flourish. Today, I am honored to recognize Adam Aircraft based out of Centennial Airport in Englewood, Colorado. Adam Aircraft designs and manufactures advanced aircraft for civil and government markets. On August 17, 2004, the company marked the first anniversary of the A700's debut, which is undergoing initial flight testing. The A700 being the first personal aircraft with an installed interior featuring seven seats and an aft lavatory. In addition to the A700, Adam Aircraft has also made a big showing at the EAA AirVenture 2004 with the A500. The A500 has accumulated three national and two world records for speed over a recognized course and is currently approaching FAA certification by the end of 2004. Adam Aircraft is building a strong customer base and took a record nine orders for its two aircraft models at the EAA AirVenture 2004 show. Currently they have also taken over 60 orders for the A500 and they promise to be a strong employer for Colorado for the years to come. Mr. Speaker, the back bone of any community is the businesses that operate there. It is my distinct pleasure to honor one of those businesses Adam Aircraft here today, and wish them all the best in her future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep regret and heartfelt admiration that I rise today to honor a fallen Marine from my district, Lance Corporal Mark E. Engel. Lance Corporal Engel sadly succumbed to injuries he suffered during combat in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. He was on his second deployment. During a routine patrol on July 6th, Lance Corporal Engel's light armored vehicle struck a roadside bomb. After a valiant fight that lasted the better part of a month, Lance Corporal Engel passed away with his family at his side, just one day before his 22nd birthday. Mark was an active young man. He attended West Middle School, and later attended Cherry Creek High School, where he played varsity football as a fullback. By all accounts, Mark was an avid athlete, an outdoorsman, a neighbor and a friend. Mark was a bright star that will be dearly missed by his family, his friends, his fellow Marines, and our community. Mr. Speaker, my deepest sympathy goes out to the family of Lance Corporal Mark Engel. Mark served his country with distinction, making the ultimate sacrifice for freedom and liberty in defense of a grateful nation. All of us owe him a great debt of gratitude. His dedication and bravery will not be forgotten.