SENATE—Tuesday, April 21, 2009
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April 21, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 155, Pt. 8 10097 SENATE—Tuesday, April 21, 2009 The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was SCHEDULE courageous young journalist named Al- called to order by the Honorable MARK Mr. REID. Mr. President, following exandra Berzon. I spoke to her yester- R. WARNER, a Senator from the Com- leader remarks, the Senate will resume day. This was basically this young monwealth of Virginia. executive session and consideration of woman’s first reporting job. She is so the nomination of Christopher Hill to excited, as she should be. PRAYER be Ambassador to Iraq. This is all I am very happy and proud the Pul- The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- postcloture time. Cloture was invoked itzer is coming to Nevada. This is only fered the following prayer: last evening. We have 30 hours, if the the second time in Nevada’s history it Let us pray. Republicans ask we use all that time. has received this most prestigious Almighty God, architect of our des- Whenever that time is completed, Mr. award in journalism and the first time tinies, You have entrusted this world President—30 hours—we will move to in more than three decades. But I am to humanity. Make us responsible the next matter on which another fili- especially proud because the Sun has stewards of its resources. Lord, lead buster is being conducted to prevent us been recognized for public service re- our lawmakers to work and conserve from going to S. 386, the Fraud En- porting that uncovered lax safety not only inanimate things but human forcement and Recovery Act legisla- standards and led to actual policy capital as well. Guide them to invest in tion, which is somewhat astounding changes that are saving lives. the talents and creativity of the Amer- since it is a bipartisan bill. But that is The famous Las Vegas strip recently ican people, remembering how our citi- where we find ourselves. saw a $32 billion building boom. But zens have solved great problems in our It is too bad we cannot move to that something else was going up along with past. Use our governmental leaders to and start offering amendments and the hotels and casinos—the unneces- bring order from chaos and harmony complete that legislation, but that is sary deaths of construction workers. from discord. Lord, give them the wis- the way the minority wishes to pro- Twelve workers died in a little over 17 dom to be forces for unity and good ceed—not to allow us to proceed. months. Berzon’s careful reporting led will. Replenish their physical strength The Senate will remain in session, as to important safety improvements, and so they can have resiliency for each I indicated yesterday, until we vote on not one worker has died since these challenge. the confirmation of the Hill nomina- changes took effect. I applaud Alex- We pray in Your mighty Name. tion, and then cloture on the motion to andra Berzon, her editors, and every- Amen. proceed to S. 386, the Fraud Enforce- one at the Las Vegas Sun, which has a storied history of solid investigative f ment and Recovery Act. If Senators re- quire the full 30 hours of postcloture journalism. This newspaper started on a string PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE debate, we will vote at 1 a.m. this many years ago—in the 1950s—by a morning. The Honorable MARK R. WARNER led man by the name of Hank Greenspun. The Senate will recess from 12:30 to the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: He was a crusading newspaperman. He 2:15 p.m. today to allow for the weekly I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the was the first person in the entire coun- caucus luncheons to meet. United States of America, and to the Repub- try to take on Senator McCarthy and lic for which it stands, one nation under God, f the awful things he was doing to Amer- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. MEASURE PLACED ON THE ica and about America. He took him on f CALENDAR—H.R. 131 personally on one of McCarthy’s visits to Las Vegas. APPOINTMENT OF ACTING Mr. REID. Mr. President, H.R. 131 is He also did something else which was PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE at the desk. It is my understanding it very courageous. Nevada had a very is due for its second reading. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The powerful Senator. His name was Pat The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- McCarran. He was noted for his use of clerk will please read a communication pore. The clerk will report the bill by to the Senate from the President pro power, and Hank Greenspun, of the Las title. Vegas Sun newspaper, took after him tempore (Mr. BYRD). The legislative clerk read as follows: The legislative clerk read the fol- big time. McCarran asked all the strip lowing letter: A bill (H.R. 131) to establish the Ronald hotels to no longer advertise in that Reagan Centennial Commission. U.S. SENATE, newspaper, and they followed the de- Mr. REID. Mr. President, I object to PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, mand of Senator McCarran. A lawsuit Washington, DC, April 21, 2009. any further proceedings on this matter was filed. We only had one Federal To the Senate: at this time. judge, and that one Federal judge— Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- even though he had been appointed by of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby pore. Objection is heard. McCarran in an antitrust action, which appoint the Honorable MARK R. WARNER, a Without objection, the bill will be is not a jury trial—ruled in favor of the Senator from the Commonwealth of Vir- placed on the calendar. ginia, to perform the duties of the Chair. Sun. He won that lawsuit. ROBERT C. BYRD, f He took on McCarthy, he took on President pro tempore. McCarran, and that was only the begin- NEVADA’S PULITZER PRIZE ning of this great newspaper and the Mr. WARNER thereupon assumed the WINNER chair as Acting President pro tempore. things it has done, and now they have Mr. REID. Mr. President, it is not won a Pulitzer. Hank Greenspun must f every day we get to read good news in be smiling from heaven. the newspaper, and it is certainly not Someone who is a modern-day icon of RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY common of late to read good news this newspaper was a man who taught LEADER about newspapers. Today is one of me in high school. Fortuitously, he and The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- those rare days. A newspaper in the I, unexpectedly, were elected, inde- pore. The majority leader is recog- State of Nevada—the Las Vegas Sun— pendently, Governor and Lieutenant nized. has won the Pulitzer Prize because of a Governor at the same time. He served 8 ● This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. VerDate Mar 15 2010 10:59 Aug 09, 2011 Jkt 059102 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR09\S21AP9.000 S21AP9 wreier-aviles on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BOUND RECORD 10098 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 155, Pt. 8 April 21, 2009 years. His name was Mike O’Callaghan, him, he may have succeeded in launch- inet has been asked to find $100 million Governor of the State, and a very pop- ing the same type of attack on the in savings over the next few months ular person. He could have gone on to west coast that he carried out on the and this is clearly a step in the right make huge amounts of money in other east coast. This is a man who brags direction, but it is just a step. Current places. He decided not to do that. I was about decapitating the American jour- levels of Government spending and a lawyer. I drew up this big contract nalist Daniel Pearl, with the following debt are completely and totally out of where he would go to work for Hank quote: ‘‘. with my blessed right control and the threat of a fiscal catas- Greenspun running his newspapers. I hand.’’ How does transferring Khalid trophe is very real. The only way to ad- met with him, handed him the con- Shaikh Mohammed make the country dress this out-of-control spending is to tract, and he said: We don’t sign con- safer? get at the heart of the problem, which tracts; we shake hands. So they shook Another person at Guantanamo that is entitlement spending. A lot of people hands, and that was the beginning of a the administration doesn’t know what do not realize that nearly 70 percent of relationship that is historic in Nevada. it will do with in 9 months is Ali Abd the money the Federal Government My dear friend Mike O’Callaghan died al-Aziz Ali, who served as a key lieu- spends every year is mandatory spend- in church; he went to mass every morn- tenant for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed ing on very popular programs such as ing, and died as a young man in during the 9/11 operation. How does Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, church, where I am sure his good transferring him make the country and on the interest we have to pay on thoughts are still coming forward. safer? the national debt. With Hank and Mike, I am sure, as I Then there is Abd al-Rahim al- Entitlements are the heart of the have indicated about Hank, they are Nashiri.