CONGRESSIONAL RECORD— Extensions of Remarks E55 HON
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January 9, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E55 Enterprise Institute military escalation plan for and any offensive security actions to the Iraqis Americans, people like Allison have proven Iraq, which is the basis for the President’s pro- themselves. they will be there with a helping hand to offer. posals, has a timeline of 18–24 months, con- The training and equipping of Iraqi security Thank you for your kind service to our Na- veniently enough leaving the mess in Iraq for forces should be accelerated and the sec- tion, Allison. Congratulations on earning the the next President, meaning President Bush tarian balance must be improved. 2006 Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Award. would never have to admit his policies in Iraq The U.S. must renounce any U.S. interest in Best of luck to you as you continue your noble have been a failure but at a very steep cost constructing permanent U.S. military bases in work. to our troops taxpayers. Iraq. f The administration already increased the It is also important to accelerate reconstruc- number of U.S. troops in Baghdad this sum- tion spending and grant the bulk of reconstruc- HONORING UNIVERSITY OF FLOR- mer and has occasionally increased the num- tion contracts to local companies employing IDA GATORS FOOTBALL TEAM ber of troops throughout Iraq, yet the violence Iraqis rather than multinational corporations, against our troops and Iraqi security forces whom have proven inefficient, inflexible, some- HON. GUS M. BILIRAKIS and civilians continues to increase. Following times fraudulent and have even imported OF FLORIDA the influx of troops this summer in Operation workers rather than employing Iraqis. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Forward Together, the violence in Iraq actually The U.S. embassy in Baghdad should also Tuesday, January 9, 2007 increased. Weekly attacks increased by 15 be reduced to normal size and authority rather percent while the number of Iraqi civilian cas- than establishing one of the largest embassies Mr. BILIRAKIS. Madam Speaker, I rise ualties increased by 51 percent. in the world. today to congratulate the University of Florida Based on historical analysis, And, the U.S. must engage in robust diplo- football team on winning the 2006 NCAA na- counterinsurgency experts estimate it takes macy with all factions in Iraq, except the for- tional championship. around 20 U.S. troops per 1,000 inhabitants to eign terrorists and domestic al-Qaeda ele- Madam Speaker, as a University of Florida successfully fight a counterinsurgency. To ments, and work with Iraq’s neighbors in an graduate, born in ‘‘Gator Country,’’ I could not achieve that ratio in Baghdad alone would re- effort to bring about political reconciliation be happier with the outcome of last night’s quire 120,000 troops. Even with the escalation among Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds. game. This team showed true grit and grace proposed by the President, we’d only have Our troops have done all that has been by overcoming public opinion, which said they around 40,000 troops in Baghdad. For all of asked of them in Iraq. Saddam Hussein is did not belong in the national title game, to de- Iraq, it would require 500,000 troops. We only dead. His allies are on the run or in prison. feat a daunting opponent. have around 140,000 there today. The threat from WMDs in Iraq is nonexistent. Madam Speaker, I would also like to con- General Shinseki and others based their Arguably, the war that Congress authorized gratulate the University of Florida as a whole original recommendation for several hundred has been won. Our troops should come home. for becoming the first institution in Division 1 thousand troops on this historical analysis. Congress did not authorize U.S. troops to ref- history to hold both the NCAA Men’s Basket- But, the time in which a large number of eree a civil war in Iraq. ball and NCAA Football Championships at the forces could stabilize Iraq has long since f same time. Last night’s achievement was truly passed. historic. The bottom line is that a proposal to in- TRIBUTE TO ALLISON STANGEBY Madam Speaker, it took the University of crease U.S. troop levels in Baghdad or Iraq Florida 90 years to win its first NCAA Football more generally by 30,000 troops in not a seri- HON. JO ANN EMERSON Championship and only 10 to win its second. ous effort to restore stability to Iraq. Essen- OF MISSOURI Hopefully this trend will continue. tially, the President is proposing to put more IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Madam Speaker, I hope everyone will join lives at risk with little or no chance of success. me in congratulating these fine young men on Tuesday, January 9, 2007 The President and his allies justify the con- their historic victory. tinuing U.S. presence in Iraq by claiming that Mrs. EMERSON. Madam Speaker, I rise f if we don’t fight there, we’ll have to fight here today to congratulate Allison Stangeby—the at home. However, the Iraqi Sunni recipient of the 2006 Bill Emerson Good Sa- HONORING BEN ANDERSON OF rejectionists, Saddamists, and nationalist maritan Award. Because of Allison’s efforts, AMERICAN CANYON, CALIFORNIA Shias, who combined make up the vast bulk thousands of our nation’s less fortunate have of the insurgents and militias committing vio- been provided with food aid. HON. MIKE THOMPSON lence in Iraq, have no interest in attacking the Allison used her workplace as a tool to OF CALIFORNIA U.S. homeland. They just want U.S. military reach out to the hungry. She works for the IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES forces out of their own country. They have no New York Giants as the Director of Commu- Tuesday, January 9, 2007 designs on our country. So it is misleading, at nity Relations. Under Allison’s leadership, the best, to argue that if we don’t fight there, we New York Giants became the first sports fran- Mr. Thompson of California. Madam Speak- will fight them in the streets of the United chise to arrange to have its stadium-generated er, I rise today to honor Ben Anderson of States. leftover concession food made available to American Canyon, California, and thank him It is also misleading to pretend that if the feed the hungry through Sports Wrap. Sports for his many years of service devoted to the U.S. leaves that somehow Osama bin Laden Wrap is a new venture that evolved from Rock city and people of American Canyon. As a will take control of Iraq. There is no chance and Wrap It Up!, a volunteer hunger relief member of the first city council elected in that the Shias and Kurds, who represent charity started in 1990. 1992, Ben Anderson has generously lent his around 80 percent of the population in Iraq, Additionally, Allison has helped launch simi- wisdom and guidance to the process of consti- will allow foreign terrorist elements to take lar programs with the New York Yankees, tuting a city government. over the country. Even the majority of the New York Mets, New York Jets and New Jer- Mr. Anderson moved to the area in the early Sunnis have grown tired of foreign terrorists sey Nets. By setting an example, Allison has 1980s as an officer in the US Navy at the operating in Iraq. empowered others to reach out to those in Mare Island Naval Shipyard. In the early A better strategy is to announce a timeline need. This is the mark of a great volunteer. 1990s he was instrumental in beginning the for bringing our troops home over the next 6 This is the vision my late husband Bill petition process and collecting signatures for months to a year. The administration has al- Emerson had for domestic food aid programs the incorporation of American Canyon. Having ways set timelines for political developments when he worked to pass the Good Samaritan received encouragement from other citizens in Iraq—for elections, for the drafting of the Food Act protecting these donations from li- involved in the campaign, he ran for a seat on constitution etc. The administration argued ability. Bill’s hopes for hunger relief in America the city council and won. He retired from serv- such timelines were necessary to focus the were very high when he worked to make such ice in the Navy around the same time he took energy of Iraq’s leaders and to force com- programs possible in 1990. He would be very his seat on the council, citing his desire to de- promises. We need to do the same on the proud of Allison for her contributions to hunger vote his efforts to full time service to the com- military side. relief. munity. In the interim, I have also proposed that Allison is a major reason why this hunger During his 14 years as a council member U.S. troops be removed from front line combat relief charity continues to gain notoriety and Mr. Anderson has helped guide the develop- positions in Iraqi cities and towns, turning over grow. As long as there are men, women and ment of American Canyon from its infancy into daily security patrols, interactions with citizens, children who need the helping hand of other the rapidly growing and successful town we VerDate Aug 31 2005 07:15 Jan 10, 2007 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A09JA8.050 E09JAPT1 ccoleman on PRODPC75 with REMARKS E56 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks January 9, 2007 know today. Faced with a variety of chal- Booker appeared on more than 275 albums lanta, where he played alto saxophone in the lenges in managing the growth of the city, the before making his first and only recording concert band.