April 17, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H3445 women are a class act, and I am proud HONORING BROWNIE SCOUT TROOP Cranfill, Caitlyn Minton and Hope to represent them and Rutgers Univer- 114 Brown. sity here in Congress. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a It is my hope that their example is After outrageous comments were previous order of the House, the gentle- reproduced by many others, and that made about the team by Don Imus on woman from North Carolina (Ms. FOXX) the soldiers who receive the fruit of his CBS radio and MSNBC show, the is recognized for 5 minutes. their labors feel honored and respected team showed great courage in choosing Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today by this act of young-hearted kindness. to meet with him so he could see first- to honor the patriotic efforts of Brown- f hand how wrong his sexist and racist ie Scout Troop 114 of Liberty Grove The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a comments were. During this emotion- Baptist Church. This group of 18 young previous order of the House, the gentle- ally and mentally exhausting ordeal, women has demonstrated a tangible woman from the District of Columbia these remarkable young women were commitment to supporting our troops (Ms. NORTON) is recognized for 5 min- graceful and poised as they became stationed in Iraq. Last month they col- utes. media headlines for controversy. lected donations to send nearly 250 (Ms. NORTON addressed the House. And I strongly denounce Don Imus’ boxes of Girl Scout cookies to the Her remarks will appear hereafter in divisive comments. They were dis- brave men and women from their com- the Extensions of Remarks.) gusting, and they have no place in our munity who are serving in Iraq. everyday language, let alone on a na- They pounded the pavement to sell f tionally televised radio and television cookies and find like-minded people CHILDREN: UNCOUNTED IRAQ program. His comments not only af- who were willing to join them in send- CASUALTIES ing cookies to a local North Carolina fected these players, but resonated The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a with women and African Americans National Guard unit stationed near Tikrit, Iraq. I applaud the thoughtful previous order of the House, the gen- across the Nation. tleman from Washington (Mr. These were innocent student athletes and committed patriotism of these girls who invested their time to self- MCDERMOTT) is recognized for 5 min- living out their basketball dreams. utes. They did not deserve to be his target. lessly raise money and then send a token of appreciation to our Nation’s Mr. MCDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I And MSNBC’s decision to pull his tele- had intended to rise this evening to vision broadcast and CBS’ firing of him troops. The troops that are receiving the fa- focus my attention on the suicide displayed great moral character, and I bombing last week in Baghdad that support their choices. mous Girl Scout cookies are members of the headquarters 105th Engineer killed and wounded several members of His comments, Imus’ comments, de- Group from Winston-Salem. For these the Parliament, including Osama al- prived these women of fully enjoying men and women, there is no small act Nujafii. He was a member of the Iraq their accomplishments of being of kindness. No, this is much more Parliament who participated in a his- crowned Big East champions, going to than that. For our troops on the front toric live teleconference I hosted last the Final Four, and making history as line of the war on terror, to receive a month linking several of my House col- the first athletic team from Rutgers to package of cookies from a local Brown- leagues with several Iraq Parliamen- play for a national championship. All- ie Scout troop is like receiving a tarians. I wish him and the others Met Division I Player of the Year Kia breath of fresh air from home. Whether wounded in the attack a speedy recov- Vaughn said it best when she said, or not these young women knew it, ery. ‘‘Our moment was stolen from us.’’ they were communicating to our sol- That attack occurred inside the I want to talk about this team, Mr. diers that there are people who still Green Zone, and it confirms that no Speaker. Rutgers had a Cinderella sea- care for our troops’ welfare. They com- one is safe in Iraq, no matter how son that saw them come back from municated that the youngest genera- many checkpoints or blast walls or some devastating early season losses, tion still values sacrifice and service to press releases out of the White House. including a 40-point loss to Duke. country. It confirms that the President’s mili- Under head coach C. Vivian Stringer, I come to the floor today to celebrate tary escalation has only escalated the the Scarlet Knights finished their this concentrated act of patriotic kind- violence and the casualties. It confirms amazing season with a 27–9 record. The ness and to honor the young ladies who that the President has no control what- team fought improbable odds to reach have taken ownership of our Nation’s soever on the events on the ground. the pinnacle NCAA title game, and great tradition of offering support to And it confirms that the American peo- maintained enormous composure when our troops serving abroad. Their exam- ple are right to demand that the Presi- nasty comments overshadowed their ple highlights what our great Nation is dent work with the Democratic Con- record-breaking season. capable of producing in its youth. gress and establish a firm timetable for I am immensely proud of this ex- We cannot emphasize enough how the withdrawal of U.S. troops. traordinary team. Last week the Na- proud we are that these Scouts made For now, most Americans are grimly tion had an opportunity see a group of this effort to brighten the days of hun- aware of the weekend of bombings and outstanding student athletes who were dreds of soldiers in Iraq. What may killings across Iraq. But the situation striving to reach lifetime goals, both seem like a small token of gratitude is even worse. The Iraq war will live on and off the basketball court. By ex- will live on in the memory of the many long after the U.S. forces leave the celling in academics, music and com- troops who, in the coming weeks, will country. munity service, they are great role enjoy a box of Girl Scout cookies in the As a child psychiatrist, I was shocked models for student athletes across the deserts of Iraq. I have no doubt that to learn of a new study looking at the Nation. these men and women will look back effects this war is having on Iraqi chil- The Scarlet Knights women basket- with great fondness as they remember dren. I submit the story from USA ball players are excellent representa- the day when the mail call brought Today for the RECORD. It is the first tives of Rutgers University and the them an unexpected box of sweets and comprehensive look at the impact the State of New Jersey, and they should a reminder that their community and war is having on innocent Iraqi chil- be honored for their hard work, dedica- their country stands behind them in dren. The Ministry of Health surveyed tion, and heart. this difficult time. 2,500 primary school kids in Baghdad, Mr. Speaker, today I introduced a The members of the Brownie troop and 70 percent of those young kids dis- resolution commending the Scarlet who sent this gift of baked goods are played symptoms of trauma-related Knights women’s basketball team for Alexandra Dillard, Reva Combs, Laken stress. As the USA Today reported, their record-breaking season and their Harrold, Allison Livengood, Allie Bark- many Iraqi children have been phys- outstanding achievement off the bas- er, Lauren Johnson, Daniella Meeza, ically wounded, and many are psycho- ketball court. I am hopeful Congress Kristina Meeza, Acacia Key, Charlotte logically scarred. They are the un- will recognize these fine women by York, Cheyenne Byrd, Alexis Baldwin, counted casualties of the Iraq war. passing this resolution tomorrow. Erin McGee, Angela Nardini, Karlie Thousands of innocent Iraqi children

VerDate Aug 31 2005 03:08 Apr 18, 2007 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K17AP7.091 H17APPT1 ccoleman on PRODPC74 with HOUSE H3446 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE April 17, 2007 are uncounted casualties. But for all country. And for someone to come out by the World Health Organization as signs of these innocent Iraqi children, this war here and accuse her of a violation of trauma. Other symptoms included voluntary will rage on for them for years to the Logan Act. Now this is a 200-year- muteness, declining performance in school or an increase in aggressive behavior. come. They will face a life of anguish, old act that no one has ever been pros- The teachers received training from Iraqi and, in fact, will be the ones who, in ecuted under because there are real psychologists on how to identify and help the future, are the future violent ones questions as to whether it prevents students cope with trauma-related stress, al- we worry about. Members of the Congress from using Aboudi said. For all these innocent Iraqi children, this war their first amendment rights to talk The study ‘‘shows the impact of the vio- will rage on for years to come. In some cases, out on behalf of the people that they lence and insecurity on the children and on these children will face a lifetime of anguish represent. children’s mental health,’’ said Naeema Al- and suffering, and not one of these children is In 1980, the State Department main- Gasseer, the Iraqi representative of the WHO. ‘‘They have fear every day.’’ being counted as a casualty. tained that a visit to Cuba by Senators The Iraqi government is aware of the prob- These children routinely walk through car- John Sparkman and George McGovern lem but largely unequipped to address it, nage on their way to school, when they go at was not inconsistent with the Logan said Ali al-Dabbagh, a government spokes- all. Act. Nothing in the act, they said, man. ‘‘Until we have proper security in These children are routinely exposed to ran- ‘‘would appear to restrict Members of Baghdad, there’s not much we can do to help dom violence and killings that burn images in Congress from engaging in discussions these children,’’ Al-Dabbagh said in Wash- their minds that will scar them for life. in pursuance of their legislative duties ington. As a child psychiatrist, I can only echo the under the Constitution.’’ IRAQIS FEAR WAR’S LONG-TERM COST TO KIDS conclusions of one Iraqi doctor who was inter- In 1976 the State Department was (By James Palmer) viewed by USA Today. asked to weigh in as to whether former ‘‘Some of these children are time bombs,’’ President Nixon violated the Logan BAGHDAD—Ahmed Al-Khaffaji, 6, refused to said Said al-Hashimi, a psychiatrist who teach- leave his house for nearly a year after shrap- Act by visiting China. The Department nel from a mortar shell ripped through his es at an Iraqi Medical School. stated that Mr. Nixon’s trip was taken left arm, rendering it useless. In this excerpt from USA Today, al-Hashimi entirely in his capacity as a private Hussain Haider was only 5 when he stopped said he is concerned Iraqi children could be- citizen and that the Department ‘‘was speaking after watching his father slowly come the next generation of fighters and fuel unaware of any basis for believing Mr. bleed to death on the living room floor of the violence for years to come. Nixon acted with intent prohibited’’ by family’s Sadr City home. Because of what they are living through as the act. The Department has noted Iraqi psychiatrists worry about the long- youngsters, ‘‘they may think it’s better to mar- that no one has ever been prosecuted term consequences of a generation that has tyr themselves for religion or country,’’ al- been constantly exposed to explosions, gun- under this act. fights, kidnappings and sectarian murders. Hashimi said. This kind of attack on the Speaker ‘‘Some of these children are time bombs,’’ The only hope for these uncounted casual- will be answered in full again and said Said al-Hashimi, a psychiatrist who ties is treatment. again. Make no mistake about that. teaches at Mustansiriya Medical School. But, as the USA Today story points out, The article previously referred to fol- Mental health professionals such as al- there is only one government run psychiatric lows: Hashimi say that there is a chronic shortage of trained psychiatrists and that schools are hospital in Baghdad—a city of 6 million peo- [From USA TODAY] the front line for treating traumatized chil- ple, or put more accurately, a city of 6 million 70% OF IRAQI SCHOOLCHILDREN SHOW casualties. dren. SYMPTOMS OF TRAUMA Ahmed’s skin was badly scarred, and he And then there are the uncounted casualties (By James Palmer) suffered burns on both legs when a mortar of Iraqi children in Basra, Rumadi, Najaf, BAGHDAD—About 70% of primary school round slammed into his family’s south Bagh- Karbala, Mosul, Kirkuk, Fallujah, Baqubah, students in a Baghdad neighborhood suffer dad home on Jan. 1, 2006. and all the other places Iraqi children live. symptoms of trauma-related stress such as His mother, Safia Hussain Ali, said that Until the war ends, there is virtually no bed-wetting or stuttering, according to a for nearly a year afterward, her son feared chance that thousands of innocent Iraqi chil- survey by the Iraqi Ministry of Health. leaving the house and often refused to eat. dren will be treated for their war wounds. The survey of about 2,500 youngsters is the Today, Ahmed attends school, but his be- We can only estimate how many thousands most comprehensive look at how the war is havior occasionally regresses, and he re- affecting Iraqi children, said Iraq’s national treats from reality. of Iraqi children need urgent psychological at- ‘‘Sometimes he refuses to eat and just tention. We know they are not going to get it mental health adviser and author of the study, Mohammed Al-Aboudi. wants to watch TV or play video games,’’ Ali until this war ends. ‘‘The fighting is happening in the streets said. There is a timetable for doing just that, and in front of our houses and schools,’’ al- Haider al-Malaki, 40, a psychiatrist at the the President should stop listening to his dis- Aboudi said. ‘‘This is very difficult for the government-run Ibn Rushd Hospital, said he credited Vice President and start listening to children to adapt to.’’ has treated children as young as 6 with post- reason and reality. The study is to be released next month. Al- traumatic stress disorder. He said he has Now, in the face of that, our Speaker Aboudi discussed the findings with USA also seen children with sleeping and eating disorders that can be traced to the violence. has led this Congress to set a time line TODAY. that the President says, I will ignore. Many Iraqi children have to pass dead bod- MORE AGGRESSION The President said, I will ignore the ies on the street as they walk to school in ‘‘They have all experienced some kind of the morning, according to a separate report psychological trauma, whether they wit- people, I will ignore the vote of 2006. No last week by the International Red Cross. nessed a murder or survived a kidnapping at- matter what the Speaker does, I am Others have seen relatives killed or have tempt,’’ al-Malaki said. ‘‘When they witness going to attack her. been injured in mortar or bomb attacks. violence, they’re more likely to display ag- So the Speaker took the Iraq Study ‘‘Some of these children are suffering one gressive and reckless behavior’’ later. Group’s book that said we ought to trauma after another, and it’s severely dam- Al-Hashimi said he is concerned Iraqi chil- talk to the people in Syria. For those aging their development,’’ said Said Al- dren could become the next generation of of you who don’t know, Syria is right Hashimi, a psychiatrist who teaches at fighters and fuel violence for years to come. up next to Iraq. And it is on the border. Mustansiriya Medical School and runs a pri- Because of what they are living through as vate clinic in west Baghdad. ‘‘We’re not cer- youngsters, ‘‘they may think it’s better to And there are Presidential accusations tain what will become of the next genera- martyr themselves for religion or country,’’ that people are coming in from Syria tion, even if there is peace one day,’’ Al- al-Hashimi said. into Iraq, creating trouble and killing Hashimi said. Al-Hashimi set up a workshop this year to our troops. This is on its way to being The study was conducted last October in help teachers and school officials deal with the most deadly month in 5 years. the Sha’ab district of northern Baghdad. The students suffering from war-related trauma. Now, for the Speaker to take her low- to middle-income neighborhood is in- He urges educators to get kids to release time and carefully plan and go over habited by a mix of Shiites and Sunni Arabs. their emotions through activities such as and talk to the leadership of Syria Al-Aboudi said he believes the sample was academic competitions and soccer games. broadly representative of conditions ‘‘Schools in hot areas are still func- about attacks being made on Ameri- throughout the capital. tioning,’’ Al-Hashimi said, referring to vola- cans is, in my view, it is part of her In the study, schoolteachers were asked to tile Baghdad neighborhoods. ‘‘Unfortunately, legislative responsibility to the people, determine whether randomly selected stu- many people don’t know how to handle the not only of her district, but the entire dents showed any of 10 symptoms identified children in this situation.’’

VerDate Aug 31 2005 04:18 Apr 18, 2007 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K17AP7.094 H17APPT1 ccoleman on PRODPC74 with HOUSE April 17, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H3447 Attacks on or near schools have forced Let me also thank the Chair of the don’t hate black people’’ and ignore all Iraqi teachers and other school staff to try Congressional Black Caucus, Congress- of the ways that the status quo in our to protect their students. woman KILPATRICK, and members of society today reinforces racial inequal- ‘‘Children are very perceptive of teachers’ moods and actions,’’ said Hadoon Waleed, a the CBC for their leadership in address- ity as well as sexism. Institutional rac- psychology professor at Baghdad University. ing and denouncing the latest rep- ism and sexism don’t need any personal ‘‘It’s very important that teachers are rehensible comments by Don Imus. ill will in order to continue. They rely trained to handle their students during First, I want to congratulate the on indifference, and people like Imus stressful situations.’’ Rutgers women’s basketball team. We promote that indifference. Fawad Al-Kaisi, 59, headmaster at the Al- are so proud of you. Your record of The grim reality is that women still Hurriyah primary school in south Baghdad, achievement as women, as students, as said his staff has learned through experience. earn 75 cents for every dollar earned by ‘‘When explosions go off in the area, the athletes speaks for itself and no one their male counterparts. The fact is students become very nervous,’’ Al-Kaisi can take away your accomplishments. that in the United States a woman is said. ‘‘We try our best to create a positive As we all know, on April 4, the morn- raped every 6 minutes, and women of environment to make them feel safe.’’ ing talk show host Don Imus, who has, color are especially vulnerable to sex- Like others among Iraq’s professional for years, mind you, for years, made ual violence. The fact is that, in spite elite, psychiatrists are scarce, in part be- disparaging remarks towards people of cause they have been targets of kidnappers of all the progress we have made in and assassins. color and others, referred to the very America, an African American woman Al-Malaki, the psychiatrist at Ibn Rushd, distinguished women of the Rutgers is still less likely to make it to college survived two bullet wounds in his right arm basketball team with such disgusting than a white woman. from an assassination attempt in his clinic words that I don’t even want to repeat What is dangerous about people like last year. He is among the few psychiatrists them. Imus, and he is only one of many, is who have remained in Iraq and continued to Not only did his comments belittle that their racist and their sexist com- work. The Iraqi Society of Psychiatrists esti- the ethnicity of these women of valor, mentary serves to celebrate and uphold mates at least 140 of the country’s 200 psy- but he apparently felt entitled to deni- the status quo, to make it okay to be chiatrists were killed or have fled the coun- grate these women as women. We are indifferent to the racism and sexism try in the past four years. here today to say that there is no place that still surrounds us. That is unac- LITTLE HELP AVAILABLE for that kind of sexism and racism in ceptable. A shortage of psychiatric facilities further our public discourse. Finally, let me just say to Imus’s limits the availability of mental health care. b 2000 sponsors: Let me congratulate you Ibn Rushd is the only government-funded again, you did the right thing. But be- psychiatric hospital in Baghdad, a city of 6 So while we acknowledge MSNBC and fore you get too complacent, let me re- million people. CBS did the right thing by firing Imus, mind you, Procter & Gamble and For Hussain Haider, now 7, and other chil- we need to ask the question, what took dren, the need is urgent. He stopped speaking American Express and all the rest, that for months after his father was killed in a so long? CBS’s initial response, which the makeup of your corporate board crossfire between fighters of the Mahdi was to suspend Imus 2 weeks with pay, rooms reflects the indifference to insti- Army, a Shiite militia group, and U.S. forces suggested that they thought that a tutional racism and sexism in this April 6, 2004. token punishment would appease the country, and we are looking to you to Hussain’s mother, Thuraya Jabbar, said his public outcry and demonstrated a com- grades have fallen, and he is awakened fre- do more than stop sponsoring bigots. plete disregard and insensitivity to We are looking to you to help young quently by nightmares. both the women of the Rutgers basket- ‘‘He starts crying whenever we start speak- women, young black women like the ing about his father,’’ she said. ball team and the millions of Ameri- women on the Rutgers basketball cans who were outraged by the com- f team, to overcome the hurdles that ments. face them and to find the opportunities DENOUNCING THE REPREHEN- The fact is, this incident is just one that are too often denied them. SIBLE COMMENTS OF DON IMUS of many Imus should have been fired So let me thank again Congress- for a long time ago. For example, he The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a woman KILPATRICK for her leadership previous order of the House, the gentle- should have been fired 14 years ago in the Congressional Black Caucus. woman from California (Ms. LEE) is when he referred to Gwen Ifill, who was Also let me say thank you again, Con- then the White House correspondent recognized for 5 minutes. gresswoman WOOLSEY, for your leader- Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, first let me for the New York Times, and he said, ship. take a moment to offer my condolences ‘‘Isn’t the Times wonderful? It lets the to the families of the victims of the cleaning lady cover the White House.’’ f terrible and senseless violence at Vir- The point is this was not an isolated ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER ginia Tech. As they struggle to cope incident. PRO TEMPORE with their tremendous loss, we must If you look back at what he said with give proper respect to their lives and regard to New York Times sports re- The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. the lives of the thousands of innocent porter Bill Rhoden, he said he was a ELLSWORTH). Members are reminded to people that are cut short every year in ‘‘quota hire.’’ When you look at what direct their remarks to the Chair. this country by gun violence. And let he said about the tennis player, Amelie f us honor their memories by commit- Mauresmo, he called her ‘‘a big old ting ourselves to bringing an end to . . .’’ And I don’t even want to say REMARKS ON DON IMUS gun violence. what he said there, but go back and The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a Before I begin, I want to commend check the record. He even admitted previous order of the House, the gen- my colleague, Congresswoman WOOL- that he picked one of his producers to tleman from Illinois (Mr. DAVIS) is rec- SEY, because today is the 200th time do the ‘‘N jokes.’’ ognized for 5 minutes. she has come to this floor to speak out You know, this is unbelievable. The Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I against this unnecessary war in Iraq. I point is, and I want to make this clear, would like to begin by expressing con- commend your tenacity, Congress- this is not an isolated incident. And dolences to all of those who were di- woman WOOLSEY, and I thank you for while I, for one, am glad that his show rectly affected by the gun violence that your leadership and your commitment has been cancelled, I believe that we has just taken the lives of so many to ending the occupation of Iraq and to should be concerned with the fact that young people with so much promise. bringing our troops home. I am proud it took him so long to be taken off the Again, I think it is an indication of a to serve with you in this body as your air. tremendous need to better regulate the colleague and as co-chair of the Pro- It is also important to understand acquisition and ownership of guns in gressive Caucus, and I want to say to that this is just not about Imus. There our country, and I join with all of those you that your voice has become the is a tendency in this country to treat who call for increased regulation. voice of America. Thank you, Con- racism as an issue of personal ill will Mr. Speaker, America’s radios, tele- gresswoman WOOLSEY. so that people can say to themselves ‘‘I visions, newspapers, and Internet sites

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