Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 108 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 108 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 150 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2004 No. 34 Senate The Senate was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Monday, March 22, 2004, at 12 noon. House of Representatives WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2004 The House met at 10 a.m. and was THE JOURNAL dren are going to newly renovated called to order by the Speaker pro tem- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The schools. Decades of neglect by Saddam pore (Mr. BASS). Chair has examined the Journal of the are being reversed in record time as health clinics, water sources, elec- f last day’s proceedings and announces to the House his approval thereof. tricity and sanitation are being re- DESIGNATION OF THE SPEAKER Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- stored throughout the country. PRO TEMPORE nal stands approved. Most importantly, the world no longer lives under the constant threat f The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- of a madman who harbored and sup- fore the House the following commu- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ported terrorists. nication from the Speaker: The SPEAKER pro tempore. Will the After World War II, we helped rebuild WASHINGTON, DC, gentleman from Texas (Mr. Germany to assist it from becoming a March 17, 2004. NEUGEBAUER) come forward and lead breeding ground for communists, and I hereby appoint the Honorable CHARLES F. we were successful. Today we are re- BASS to act as Speaker pro tempore on this the House in the Pledge of Allegiance. day. Mr. NEUGEBAUER led the Pledge of building Iraq to assist it from being a J. DENNIS HASTERT, Allegiance as follows: breeding ground for terrorists, and we Speaker of the House of Representatives. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the will be successful in protecting Amer- United States of America, and to the Repub- ican families. f lic for which it stands, one nation under God, In conclusion, God bless our troops. PRAYER indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And we will never forget September 11. f f The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, offered the following prayer: IRAQ LIBERATION HAS BROUGHT U.S. POLICY IN IRAQ DEFINED Lord, be with the American people as THE HOPE OF FREEDOM TO MIL- (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was they pray today for all who witness for LIONS given permission to address the House You in this world. (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina for 1 minute and to revise and extend We ask You to be with all those who asked and was given permission to ad- his remarks.) serve the public in roles of government, dress the House for 1 minute and to re- Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, military service, homeland security, vise and extend his remarks.) the House is about to consider H. Res. and neighborhood protection. Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. 561, which represents another missed May all leaders of religious faiths, Speaker, 1 year ago this Friday the his- opportunity for this body. The war in businesses, communities, and families toric liberation of the Iraqi people Iraq defined and drove United States’ be blessed with courage, perseverance, from Saddam Hussein’s vicious tyr- policy for the last 2 years. While there and hope. anny began. Thanks to the leadership are legitimate questions about whether May teachers, preachers, scientists, of President George W. Bush and the we are as a world safer today than we and artists bring the light of wisdom courage of our military with coalition were a year ago, this resolution ignores into the darkness of this age. partners, Iraqis no longer fear the real question of how safe the world Remove evil from the sight of chil- Saddam’s torture chambers and execu- would be, if we had done it right. dren. Calm every fear. tions. Instead, millions enjoy the hope While there was never a doubt about Fill everyone with the knowledge of of freedom and democracy. the U.S. winning the war, this adminis- Your presence here, now, and forever. Today, Iraqi women have the freedom tration ignored the cost of winning the Amen. to participate in government and chil- peace. Our young men and women in b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H1119 . VerDate jul 14 2003 02:29 Mar 18, 2004 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4636 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A17MR7.000 H17PT1 H1120 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE March 17, 2004 uniform pay the price every day in Iraq This is not worthy of a victory lap. I work for paying special tribute to them for that failure. will not sing the praises of the Bush on this day. Yes, we need to support; yes, we need doctrine. f to unify; yes, we need to indicate our f appreciation for our troops; but more IRAQ’S INTERIM CONSTITUTION important, we need to learn from this SHALLOWATER HIGH SCHOOL STATE CHAMPIONS (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given experience. How do we improve our in- permission to address the House for 1 telligence and our military execution (Mr. NEUGEBAUER asked and was minute and to revise and extend his re- so that our soldiers are not unneces- given permission to address the House marks.) sarily put in harm’s way in the future? for 1 minute and to revise and extend Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, on the Our families at home and our troops his remarks.) 1-year anniversary of the war in Iraq, I Mr. NEUGEBAUER. Mr. Speaker, I overseas deserve for us to do it right. rise to applaud the Iraqi civil leaders rise today to recognize the Shallowater f who last Monday on March 8 signed the High School State champion boys and interim constitution, the Transitional THE TOTALITARIAN GULAG IN girls basketball teams. Within the span Administrative Law. With the adoption CUBA of 1 week, the Shallowater boys teams (Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of followed the girls in an elite list of of this law, the governing council has Florida asked and was given permis- State basketball championships. This taken a historic step forward towards a sion to address the House for 1 minute is an unprecedented victory for the democratic Iraq. It took only 12 and to revise and extend his remarks.) school which can only be attributed to months, Mr. Speaker, to defeat Saddam Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of pure hard work and dedication. Hussein and transition to an interim Florida. Mr. Speaker, exactly 1 year In a rare moment in Texas State constitution. ago, taking advantage of the attention championships, both the girls and boys Now, my colleagues, it took 6 years of the world on the liberation of Iraq basketball teams won a State title. for the first State in the Union, Dela- where U.S. Armed Forces and coalition The Mustangs from Shallowater exe- ware, to ratify our Constitution, and forces eliminated a dangerous madman cuted a 47–45 overtime victory over Ar- several more years before the original from power, that formerly oppressed gyle, thus winning the class 2A boys 13 finally ratified. country, the Cuban dictator 90 miles championship game. Just a week ear- Iraq is moving at a much faster pace. from the United States utilizing that lier, the Fillies, the girls team from One year ago, the naysayers said we cover of attention on Iraq, commenced Shallowater, triumphed over Aubrey did not have enough forces in place to a campaign to throw dozens of peaceful with a dramatic 44–37 win and captured defeat Iraq’s military. Naysayers said pro-democracy activists, librarians and the girls 2A State championship game. we could never find Saddam Hussein; economists and journalists and stu- This is no small feat for a rural com- and naysayers doubted that we could dents and workers and others into the munity high school like Shallowater to get Kurds, Shia, and Sunni Muslims to totalitarian gulag where they joined achieve what it has in this past week. agree on anything. the thousands of others who languish These students have shown exemplary Mr. Speaker, 1 year later the as political prisoners in that enslaved performance and proven what a com- naysayers are wrong. island. mitment can do. f Mr. Speaker, each day we must re- Shallowater is the home of cham- mind the world of the existence of the pions. The players, Coach Chuck Dar- IRAQ REPLACES NEW HAMPSHIRE totalitarian gulag 90 miles from the den, and Coach Ray Morris will go IN PRIMARY United States. We must demand the re- down in history as the folks who put (Mr. OBEY asked and was given per- lease of each and every political pris- their town in the spotlight through de- mission to address the House for 1 oner on that island. We must not rest termination and hard work. minute.) until they are all free. f Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I am so ex- f SALUTE TO THE GREY BERETS cited by what I just heard that I expect REGARDING IRAQ RESOLUTION that we will fully see Iraq replace New (Mr. ISAKSON asked and was given Hampshire on the Presidential primary (Mr. MCDERMOTT asked and was permission to address the House for 1 circuit before long. given permission to address the House minute and to revise and extend his re- for 1 minute and to revise and extend marks.) f his remarks.) Mr.