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Congressional Record—Senate S781

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Congressional Record—Senate S781 January 22, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S781 into our legal system from what Vice 36TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROE V. instead of promoting them. If the pol- President Cheney called ‘‘the dark WADE icy were to be reversed, it would blur side’’ will be an enormous challenge Mr. BURR. Mr. President, today, the line that has been drawn between and a thicket of thorny legal and pol- January 22, 2009, marks the 36th anni- funding organizations that aim to re- icy issues. versary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s duce abortions, and those that promote However, we are already seeing the Roe v. Wade decision. abortion as a means of contraception. international system reorganize itself Today, concerned Americans, includ- President Obama should make the around an America that is willing to be ing many North Carolinians, are gath- right choice in keeping the Mexico a moral leader. Countries such as Por- ering on the National Mall to March City Agreement in place. tugal and Ireland have made welcome for Life, and I would like to take this In conclusion, on this 36th year since offers to join Albania in resettling de- opportunity to welcome them to Wash- the Supreme Court handed down its de- tainees who cannot be returned to ington, DC. cision, I commend the leaders of their home countries. Already we are On January 17, 2009, in anticipation ‘‘March for Life.’’ Supporters are in seeing the fruits of a good-faith effort of today’s events, North Carolinians Washington today, marching down with our allies. gathered for their annual Rally and Pennsylvania Avenue, reminding law- makers of the importance of preserving Still, it will take time and effort to March for Life in Raleigh. and protecting life. Their voices are overcome numerous hurdles. The new I congratulate them on their success- heard. They are heard year after year. administration faces tough challenges ful event, and I would like to thank I hope there is a day when their voices handed over from the previous adminis- them for their efforts to promote a cul- are heard in celebration that life is pre- tration. Looming questions must be ad- ture of life in America. served and protected by the rule of law. dressed about the inadmissibility of In recent years we have made great evidence improperly coerced. It is dif- strides in protecting the unborn f ficult or impossible in some cases to through various measures, such as pas- U.S. AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549 HEROES sage of the partial birth abortion ban, return detainees—including many Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I rise Lacey and Connor’s Law, and tax in- cleared for departure—who would face today to recognize the heroic efforts of centives to enable more families to torture or worse in their home coun- the pilots, crew, passengers, emergency tries; and we already know that some adopt. responders, and volunteer organiza- These achievements are a testament released from Guantanamo have re- tions that led to the extraordinary out- to the advocates who work tirelessly turned to the battlefield. In some cases come of U.S. Airways flight 1549, which every day to remind us of the value of we simply lack evidence to charge men was bound for Charlotte, NC, on Janu- life. we know to be extremely dangerous ary 15, 2009. and threatening to the American peo- With these achievements and others, U.S. Airways flight 1549 departed ple. And we owe it to those we believe it is my sincere hope that my col- New York’s LaGuardia Airport on the made grave mistakes to acknowledge leagues in the Senate will continue to afternoon of January 15 with 150 pas- the urgency of the moment they inher- work together to protect our children. sengers and 5 crew, including 2 pilots Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. President, ited, the sacred responsibility to pro- and 3 flight attendants, aboard. Char- today marks the 36th year since the tect American lives, which they strove lotte was the final destination of 104 of to honor, and the humbling reality Supreme Court issued its decision in the passengers, many of whom are my that there are no easy answers when it the case of Roe v. Wade, a court deci- constituents. comes to such life-and-death matters. sion that evokes strong emotions all Within minutes of take-off, the air- across America. Today, thousands of But the American story is one of per- craft experienced engine trouble forc- Americans who support life have taken fectibility and striving for ever-greater ing the pilot, Captain Chesley B. time out of their busy schedules to fidelity to our ideals—it is a journey ‘‘Sully’’ Sullenberger, to perform an travel to Washington to take part in from Colony to Republic, from slavery emergency landing on the Hudson the ‘‘March for Life,’’ an annual event to freedom, from sexism to suffrage, River. on the National Mall. I share their from stark poverty to shared pros- I understand that a water landing of hope for seeing the day where the sanc- perity. The President himself famously this sort is rare and technically chal- tity of life is cherished, valued, and af- said, ‘‘the union may never be perfect, lenging, making it extremely dan- firmed under the law. but generation after generation has gerous for all aboard. But Captain This morning, I had the opportunity Sullenberger executed the difficult shown that it can always be perfected.’’ to meet with some of these individuals, It is true that today we face unprece- landing expertly. His skill and deci- students from Cardinal Newman High siveness has been heralded with saving dented, unorthodox, and vastly de- School in West Palm Beach, and I ex- the lives of all on board. structive enemies that respect neither pressed my gratitude for their stead- As passengers emerged from the borders nor rules of war. But it is fast commitment to protecting inno- plane onto emergency life rafts and the equally true that we have done so be- cent human life. wings of the still buoyant aircraft, fore. This is not the first new challenge As a Nation, we have made signifi- boats were on the scene to assist with America has evolved to meet. Some- cant progress in creating a culture that the rescue in minutes. Vessels were dis- times that evolution requires us to respects life in recent years. As some- patched from the New York police and admit mistakes, learn from them and one who believes that every life is sa- fire departments, the Port Authority of grow as a nation. Our progress in re- cred, I encourage President Obama to New York and New Jersey, the U.S. sponse to new threats and new fears follow the lead of his predecessor, and Coast Guard, and the New York Water- has been halting but real, and our set- continue to restrict the use of taxpayer way, which reportedly sent all 14 of its backs have always been followed by a funding for organizations that perform boats to the scene. strong corrective impulse. The desire abortion services or refer patients to Without the immediate assistance of to do better has always been a core abortion providers. these boats, I am certain the pas- part of America’s greatness. This policy, known as the Mexico sengers and crew on board would not Today Barack Obama and his admin- City Agreement, was first signed into have fared as well as they did, given istration wrote a new chapter in that order by President Ronald Reagan in the extreme temperatures in New York old story. I commend them and look 1984. Over the years, the policy has City on the day of the incident. All forward to helping them make good on been wrongly attacked and falsely participating rescue parties are to be their goals, keep Americans safe, and characterized as a restriction on for- commended for their swift and profes- usher in a new era of America’s moral eign aid for family planning. The truth sional response. leadership. is that the policy has not reduced aid In fact, the tales of heroism emerging Today’s Executive orders were a at all. from this event are numerous. For ex- promising sign of things to come— Instead, it has ensured that family ample, I was moved by the story of America will again honor the values planning funds are given to organiza- Josh Peltz, a Charlotte resident, hus- that make us strong. tions dedicated to reducing abortions band, and father of two. Flying home VerDate Nov 24 2008 02:13 Jan 23, 2009 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JA6.069 S22JAPT1 wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with SENATE S782 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 22, 2009 to Charlotte from a business meeting, BYRD, who was then in the midst of his Melvin led the committee’s budget Josh was seated in the emergency distinguished leadership of the Senate monitors for each of the individual in- row’s window seat. Not only was Josh Appropriations Committee, on foreign telligence community elements in integral in opening the emergency policy and defense issues. This included scouring the President’s budget num- hatch after impact, but he was also serving as Senator BYRD’s staff rep- bers and evaluating the broad span of helpful in reassuring passengers and as- resentative to the Armed Services human and technical collection, ana- sisting others, including a mother and Committee, during which Melvin com- lytical, acquisition, and management her 9-month-old baby, up the ladder plemented his growing knowledge of issues they involve.
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