Congressional Record—Senate S4614
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S4614 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 21, 2008 have long urged closer relations with separate hate crime that has occurred president of the Wyoming Farm Bu- Mexico. We have much in common, yet in our country. reau. I believe he does a terrific job of throughout our history U.S. policy to- On Thursday evening, May 15, 2008, in summing up the feelings of Wyoming ward Mexico has been far more one of Sacramento, CA, a 23-year-old man was people on the need to find practical neglect than of mutual respect and co- sitting in his car at a gas station when ‘‘real’’ solutions to climate change. operation. he was approached by three men. Ac- I recommend it to my colleagues and Whether it is trade and investment, cording to police, one of the men asked ask unanimous consent that it be immigration, the environment, health, him if he was gay and he responded printed in the RECORD. science, cultural and academic ex- that he was. When the man then exited Ther being no objection, the material change, human rights, drug trafficking, the car, he was attacked by the three was ordered to be printed in the weapons smuggling and other cross men as they yelled homophobic slurs. RECORD as follows: border crime and violence—our contig- Micah Jontomo Tasaki, 21, Gregory YOU CAN’T HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO uous countries are linked in numerous Lee Winfield, 20, and Robert Lee Denor, (By Ken Hamilton, WyFB Executive Vice ways. We should work to deepen and 19, were arrested at the gas staion President) expand our relations. where the attack occurred in connec- One of the first little sayings you probably The Merida Initiative is one ap- tion with the assault. Luckily for the heard when you were growing up was that proach, and while I and many others victim, he did not sustain injuries seri- you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Gen- would prefer that it encompassed ous enough to necessitate a hospital erally everyone will agree that this is self evident, but that doesn’t stop Americans broader forms of engagement, it is a visit. A Sacramento police officer in- vestigating the crime has called it a (and probably people in other countries) start. Most of the funds are for law en- from always trying to have it both ways. forcement hardware and software, ‘‘gay bashing’’ and a hate crime. This is never more evident than the ac- which is necessary but insufficient to I believe that the Government’s first tions surrounding global warming. We are support a sustainable strategy. As we duty is to defend its citizens, to defend continually being bombarded by pronounce- have learned from successive costly them against the harms that come out ments about man caused global warming counterdrug strategies in the Andean of hate. Federal laws intended to pro- (it’s hovering around 4 degrees with a 25 mph countries that have failed to effec- tect individuals from heinous and vio- breeze blowing as I write this). When I was lent crimes motivated by hate are woe- discussing this global warming issue with a tively reduce the amount of cocaine friend, he said what people need to do is stop entering the United States, we need to fully inadequate. This legislation would better equip the Government to arguing with the activists over whether know what the Merida Initiative can there is man caused global warming and reasonably expect to achieve, at what fulfill its most important obligation by start asking them what their solutions are cost, over what period of time. protecting new groups of people as well going to be. Senator GREGG as ranking member, as better protecting citizens already The more I thought about it the more I re- and I as chairman of the State and For- covered under deficient laws. I believe alized the whole global warming debate is eign Operations Subcommittee had to that by passing this legislation and absent any discussion of real solutions. We hear vague pronouncements about a green- make difficult choices among many changing current law, we can change hearts and minds as well. house gas tax, but not much else. And none competing demands within a limited have enough details to fully analyze what budget. We had to find additional funds f the impact will be on people. There are nu- to help disaster victims in Burma, Cen- SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE merous shows on television where people are talking about reducing their ‘‘carbon foot- tral Africa, Bangladesh and elsewhere, Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, ear- whom the President’s budget ignored. print’’, but most of these solutions revolve lier this spring, I introduced legislation around still living the lifestyle you want We had to find additional funds for to address the challenge of how to deal Iraqi refugees and for crucial peace- while feeling good about using a material with greenhouse gases. The bill is someone has pronounced as ‘‘green.’’ keeping, security, and nonproliferation called the Greenhouse Gas Emissions For instance, one of the new ‘‘green’’ mate- programs. We could not have funded Atmospheric Removal Act, or the rials for flooring in houses now is bamboo. virtually any program at the level re- GEAR Act. Why someone feels this is greener than oak quested by the President without caus- Members of this body have discussed or pine is beyond me, but nevertheless appar- ing disproportionate harm to others, various proposals to regulate the out- ently it is. The interesting thing is that and we sought to avoid that. while everyone is talking green, they are put of greenhouse gases. Some advo- busy building a house that’s twice the square Considering the amount we had to cate doing it through a cap-and-trade spend, the Merida Initiative received footage of a generation ago. Our grand- approach. Others have advocated a car- parents lived in a house where one or two strong, bipartisan support. Again, this bon tax. Such proposals are aimed at rooms had heat part of the time. In today’s is not simply a 3 year program as the limiting future carbon output into the modern homes there is heat running to every administration suggests. It is the be- atmosphere. Many proposals have been room, plus a television set in half of them, a ginning of a new kind of relationship, introduced and debated using this ap- minimum two-car garage (heated of course) and we need to start off prudently and proach of dealing with carbon output. and appliances that grandma couldn’t even with solid footing. We want to protect our environment dream about. All of these, of course have some ‘‘green’’ marketing gimmick attached That means the direct participation and we want a strong economy. The of the Congress and of civil society and to them, so, you guessed it, people can live way to have both is by thinking anew in even bigger houses while feeling good attention to legitimate concerns about and acting anew. It is time to use our about doing their part. human rights, about monitoring and untapped human potential and the But if meaningful curbs in greenhouse oversight, about rights of privacy, due American spirit to develop the tech- gases must occur as they profess, then there process, and accountability. How these nologies we need. shouldn’t be houses with two-car garages. issues are resolved is critical to future The Senate will soon be debating cli- You don’t find those sorts of things in third funding for this program, and we need mate legislation. I believe we should world countries where the people’s carbon to work together to address them. identify solutions through imagina- footprint is less than here. Dishwashers must go as well as washing machines, dryers, and f tion, innovation, and invention, not central heating. In third world countries through limits. MATTHEW SHEPARD ACT OF 2007 where they don’t have such a big carbon It is my hope and my goal that the footprint, health clubs are not needed, nor Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise GEAR Act will foster the kind of solu- are double ovens. today to speak about the need for hate tions that we need to address the con- Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is in a panic crimes legislation. Each Congress, Sen- cerns about climate change. over global warming, should stop driving ator KENNEDY and I introduce hate Recently, there was a very thought- around in his Humvee. In fact, to adequately crimes legislation that would strength- ful editorial which was printed in ‘‘Wy- address this issue, he should stop driving pe- en and add new categories to current riod. oming Agriculture,’’ which is published But we don’t see any of this happening and hate crimes law, sending a signal that by the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federa- probably won’t in the future. The people violence of any kind is unacceptable in tion. worried about global warming are still driv- our society. Likewise, each Congress I The editorial was written by Ken ing to work every day. They come home to have come to the floor to highlight a Hamilton. Ken is the executive vice heated and air conditioned homes, turn on VerDate Aug 31 2005 02:04 May 22, 2008 Jkt 069060 PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G21MY6.063 S21MYPT1 wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with SENATE May 21, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4615 their 42-inch flat panel television while get- for all he has done for his country.