November 28, 2001 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E2159 grew alarmed at how much a full-blown de- For nearly a decade, we had shared a rope, rollcall 451. In addition I would have voted contamination of the site would cost—esti- a tent, and many peaks and valleys. The ‘‘yes’’ on rollcall No. 448, but was also un- mates ranged up to a mind-boggling $20 bil- years and the memories had molded a rela- avoidably detained. lion. Congress would never approve such a tionship as close as two people can share massive amount. without physical intimacy. f So by 1995, then-Lt. Gov. Gail Schoettler, ‘‘Yeah, well, partner, I never say we have it PERSONAL EXPLANATION another Democrat, tried to bust loose the until we really have it. I think it’s bad logjam. She got a deal inked by the state, karma,’’ I said. the Army, Shell, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ‘‘I don’t believe in karma,’’ he replied. As HON. BOB CLEMENT Service and U.S. Environmental Protection we trudged up the next 500 vertical feet, we OF TENNESSEE Agency. debated the relative merits of karmic Bud- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The planned cleanup will cost about $2 bil- dhism vs. rational empiricism. Wednesday, November 28, 2001 lion, of which more than $700 million already He had saved my hide more times than I has been spent. could count: grabbing me when I slipped on Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote Now the job of holding the feds’ feet to the a slick log bridge so I didn’t pitch head-first No. 450, I was unavoidably detained on official fire has fallen to Gov. Bill Owens, a Repub- into a roaring stream with a full pack; car- business. Had I been present, I would have lican who shows the same high level of con- rying me to safety when I had broken a bone voted ‘‘yea,’’ and I ask unanimous consent cern. in a wilderness fall . . . that this statement be placed in the appro- And rightly so, for the 1996 deal gave Colo- I remembered how on Kit Carson Peak, he rado half-a-loaf. For example, Adams County priate portion of the RECORD. and I were with another friend who was an Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote No. 449, I was communities whose drinking water was ru- inexperienced climber, and who had grown ined by the arsenal’s runoff had been prom- nervous at a certain tough spot. John had unavoidably detained on official business. Had ised clean water. But they’ll get only 4,000 said, ‘‘Steve, if you don’t think you can cut I been present, I would have voted ‘‘yea.’’ acre-feet annually instead of the 10,000 acre- the mustard, I have some right here’’—and f feet they need. John whipped out of his coat pocket a deli- Yet, without the 1996 pact, toxins might sized packet of Grey Poupon. Steve’s nerv- IN HONOR OF DEPUTY POLICE still be oozing into the environment; lawyers ousness evaporated into laughter. CHIEF THOMAS P. KANE certainly would still be arguing; and Con- Now, on Crestone, partner John was jesting gress could still be refusing to fund any real again, venting his Walter Mitty day dreams, HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ cleanup work. pretending we were grappling with some As it is, some progress has been made. The OF NEW JERSEY huge Himalayan summit alongside the great IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES feds built systems to stop pollution from names of mountaineering: Messner, reaching drinking water supplies. Some Bonnington, Scott. Perhaps they were souls Wednesday, November 28, 2001 chemicals have been incinerated. A vast vat only other climbers revere, but they were Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today of toxic sludge called Basin F has been dug real people, real legends, real inspirations to up, and its materials moved to a more stable to honor and pay tribute to Deputy Police all weekend warriors in all the world’s great Chief Thomas Kane of the Jersey City Police containment site. And arsenal workers are ranges. investigating suspected problem areas— As we clambered up the rubble-strewn Department. On Thursday, November 29, which is how they found the sarin bomblets. gully, John began to move faster and so at 2001, Thomas Kane will celebrate his retire- Much more work lies ahead. In fact, the one point he pulled ahead. ment with family, friends, and colleagues at 1996 plan envisioned the cleanup taking at Looking at his boot soles reminded me of Puccini’s Restaurant in Jersey City, NJ. least 10 years. an episode on Mount of the Holy Cross. He As a 28-year veteran of the Jersey City Po- Even when the plan is fulfilled, though, the and I had finished a splendid early summer lice Department, Thomas Kane has enjoyed place will still be polluted by substances ascent of the snow-filled east gully, but dur- an extensive and successful career as one of that require decades, sometimes centuries, ing the descent found ourselves traveling to break down into less toxic forms. Jersey City’s finest. In 1973, Thomas Kane over snow so soft it wouldn’t support our joined the Jersey City Police Department. So despite the eagles and tour groups, weight. Underneath this rotten layer hid a here’s the harsh reality about the arsenal: It hard ice sheet. John slipped, slid, and Quickly earning the respect and admiration of will harbor deadly wastes for longer than our couldn’t stop himself with his ice ax. My his peers and supervisors, he was promoted great-grandchildren will be alive. choices: step out of the way and let my part- to the rank of Sergeant in 1979. In 1985, ner smash into the rocks below, or thrust Thomas Kane was again rewarded for his [From the Denver Post, Sept. 18, 1994] myself into his path to check his fall. Our hard work and commitment, when he was ap- TRIUMPH ON THE SEVENTH TRY chests slammed into each other, and I stag- pointed to the rank of Lieutenant. Between (By Penelope Purdy) gered back, grateful his sharp-pointed 1992 and 1994, Officer Kane served as a crampons had missed my ribs. Friendship is A rainbow had decorated the previous Commander in the Records Bureau and North the instinct that overwhelms selfishness. District Divisions. Following his assignment in evening. At dawn, the air’s chill reminded us Crestone Peak is split like a gun sight, so that autumn was peeking around the corner when we topped the gully we peered down the Records Bureau and North District, he was of the calendar. Now, in mid-morning, the the steep other side. Then it was a short promoted to Inspector and headed up the cobalt September sky turned hot. Dark scramble to the top, with its grand views of Inspectional Services Unit in the Office of the glasses replaced head lamps. other high summits and the Great Sand Chief of Police. In 1997, Mr. Kane assumed At about 13,000 feet above sea level, I Dunes. The raptor who had been feuding with the rank of Deputy Chief. paused and wondered when tenacity mutates ravens had flown off, but we still could see A graduate of St. John’s Grammar School into obsession. the big horn sheep far below. No other hu- During journeys to this valley near and St. Michael’s High School, Thomas Kane mans were in view. Westcliffe in south-central Colorado, my received his Bachelors of Arts in Economics With the help of a great soul mate, I’d fi- from New Jersey City University. He later con- boots had trod many summits—Kit Carson, nally triumphed on the seventh try. Now it Challenger Point, Humboldt Peak, Crestone was clear which was the most important, the tinued his studies at New Jersey City Univer- Needle, all of them over 14,000 feet in ele- peak or the friendship. sity by acquiring his Master’s Degree in Crimi- vation. Crestone Peak, however, had eluded As we descended, I remembered an old nal Justice. me. Six times I had been turned back from climber’s saying: you never really conquer a An active community leader and role model its top by lightning, fatigue and route-find- mountain. You stand on its summit for a few for Jersey City youths, Thomas Kane serves ing errors. moments, then the wind blows your foot- This commonly climbed mountain should as a member of the Jersey City Police Emer- prints away. not have stirred such strong emotions. I ald Society and the Police Department’s We really had nothing to prove, with a Hima- f Care Basketball Team. In addition, he serves layan ascent, two summits in the Andes, and as Executive Vice President of the Deputy 52 of Colorado’s 54 ‘‘14-ers’’ to my credit. Yet PERSONAL EXPLANATION Chiefs of Police Association of the State of I returned repeatedly to battle this heap of New Jersey. loose rock. HON. RUBE´N HINOJOSA Thomas Kane and his wife Pamela are the ‘‘We’ve got it now,’’ said the fellow with OF TEXAS proud parents of two daughters, Tara and twinkling eyes who stood by my side. John Erin. was his name, and he had already been up IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in this mountain, as he had all Colorado’s ‘‘14- Wednesday, November 28, 2001 ers’’ and most of the state’s summits over honoring Thomas Kane for his commitment to 13,000 feet. He was here this day because he Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I regret that I helping others and for his years of distin- likes the mountains, and because he knew was unavoidably detained this morning. Had I guished service in the Jersey City Police De- how important this peak was to me. been present, I would have voted ‘‘yes’’ on partment.
VerDate 11