H40 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE January 7, 2009 

new Congress and a new administration 

if all we see is the same old destruction 

in the Middle East with U.S. weapons 

being illegally used to kill children. 

I oppose Hamas’ rocket attacks on 

Israel. The rocket attacks, even to try 

to end the blockade, have no moral justification, are illegal, and must stop. 

But how can Israel claim self-defense 

when it bombs Gaza, which has no 

army, no air force, no navy, and has 

been under a constant blockade? How 

can Israel claim self-defense when its 

bombs destroy U.N. schools, killing 

children? 

The children of Palestinians and the 

children of Israel both deserve life. But 

the lives of the children of Gaza are 

cynically discounted as human shields. 

Massacres are being rationalized. 

Israel’s ‘‘moral high ground’’ in Gaza, a 

growing pile of small bones in a graveyard. 

The administration knows Israel is 

using U.S. weapons, paid for by U.S. 

taxpayers, with disproportionate force, 

creating a collective punishment of 

Gazans, assuring an escalation of conflict, clear violations of the Arms Export Control Act. 

Israel was given U.S. weapons on condition they would not be used for aggression or escalation. This outgoing 

administration must finally stand for 

the rule of law, not the rule of force. 

f 

IN MEMORY OF SERGEANT JOHN 

PENICH, U.S. ARMY 

(Mr. BOOZMAN asked and was given 

permission to address the House for 1 

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) 

Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam Speaker, I 

rise today to honor a brave American 

soldier who sacrificed his life for freedom, Sergeant John Penich. 

Sergeant Penich, by all accounts, 

was an extraordinary solider whose 

hard work and determination earned 

him the title of Soldier of the Year in 

2007 for his brigade. His bravery was 

evident in combat on several occasions. 

Brigadier General Perry Wiggins has 

said he knows of three separate instances when Sergeant Penich saved 

the lives of his comrades. 

According to newspaper reports, one 

of his final acts of bravery came on 

September 6, 2008, when his patrol was 

attacked by rocket-propelled grenades 

and small-arms fire. He showed his 

courage under fire, taking charge and 

reestablishing security and saving the 

lives of his platoon members. His 

heroics on that day earned him a Silver 

Star, the third highest honor given to 

members of the armed services for 

valor. 

Five and a half weeks after he earned 

the Silver Star, he gave the ultimate 

sacrifice. Sergeant Penich put himself 

in harm’s way to make the world a better place. 

His commitment to this country is 

second to none. He wanted to be an officer, and there’s no doubt we would 

have benefited from this young man’s 

tremendous leadership abilities. 

Sergeant John Penich is a true 

American hero. I ask that my colleagues keep his family and friends in 

their thoughts and prayers during this 

very difficult time. 

f 

CONGRESS MUST WORK TO SAVE 

AND CREATE JOBS DURING 

THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES 

(Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California asked and was given permission 

to address the House for 1 minute and 

to revise and extend her remarks.) 

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, last year, 

nearly 2 million Americans lost their 

jobs. Almost half of those job losses 

came in October and November, after 

the financial collapse of Wall Street. 

The December jobs numbers will be 

out in a couple of days, but it is not 

likely to be good news. All month long 

retailers were saying that they had to 

lay off seasonal help because Americans simply were not spending their 

money. And that’s not surprising, considering that many of our constituents 

are justifiably concerned about their 

job security. Even those that are confident that they will hold on to their 

jobs are feeling financially squeezed because they are being paid less than 

they were 10 years ago. 

As the 111th Congress begins this 

week, we are committed to getting 

Americans back to work and preventing further job cuts from happening later this year. We also want to 

provide middle class Americans with 

tax relief so they can better afford 

their monthly bills. 

Madam Speaker, as change comes to 

Washington, we should work in a bipartisan manner to pass an economic recovery package quickly. We cannot afford to wait. 

f 

A NEW YEAR 

(Mr. WILSON of South Carolina 

asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) 

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. 

Madam Speaker, this year we should 

work immediately to address the challenges facing our Nation. Recent job 

losses and a decline in the housing 

market have led many Americans to 

lose confidence in our economy. I am 

optimistic, however, that sound bipartisan solutions that support small businesses and provide tax relief to American families will mean a quicker recovery and less of a burden on future 

generations of taxpayers. 

As we expand opportunities for job 

creation, Congress should promote an 

all-of-the-above energy strategy. We 

cannot sustain our expensive and strategically dangerous dependence on foreign oil. 

While there remain enemies who 

threaten our freedoms, I am grateful 

that our fighting men and women remain committed to their duty. We 

must defeat terrorists overseas to protect American families at home. We 

must always honor our military and 

veterans. 

I am confident that we will lead our 

Nation toward greater prosperity and 

security if we trust and invest in the 

ingenuity and spirit of the American 

people with limited government. 

In conclusion, God bless our troops, 

and we will never forget September the 

11th. 

f 

ECONOMIC RECOVERY PLAN 

INVESTS IN AMERICA’S FUTURE 

(Mr. PALLONE asked and was given 

permission to address the House for 1 

minute.) 

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, at a 

time of great economic anxiety, this 

new Congress faces enormous challenges. In the next 6 weeks we’re going 

to craft and hopefully pass an economic recovery package that will create and save millions of jobs and will 

help jump start our economy with investments in some of our Nation’s top 

priorities. 

At a time when millions of Americans are losing their health insurance, 

Washington needs to provide critical 

assistance to States so that they can 

continue to provide health care services through Medicaid. If Congress does 

not act, States will have no other 

choice than to begin dropping coverage. That is an immediate health 

care concern that we should deal with 

as part of any economic stimulus package. 

But we also have an opportunity to 

modernize our health care system with 

new computer technology that will 

greatly reduce health care costs and 

will improve care for every American. 

Madam Speaker, I look forward to 

working with all of my colleagues in 

crafting a bipartisan plan that will 

help rebuild our economy so that we 

can get people back to work. 

f 

SELF DEFENSE AGAINST 

RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM 

(Mr. POE of Texas asked and was 

given permission to address the House 

for 1 minute.) 

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, 

the radical hate group Hamas in Gaza 

has refused to renew a truce with 

Israel. It has begun once more firing 

thousands of Iranian-made rockets into 

Israel. Numerous Israelis have died in 

the last 11 days. 

Hamas wants to annihilate Israel because, well, they’re Jews. Hamas kills 

people that aren’t radical Muslims like 

themselves. That’s why they’re called 

terrorists. 

Hamas cowardly hides among civilians for cover, fires rockets, then is indignant if Israel defends itself. But 

Israel has moved into Gaza to find 

these bad guys. 

Some world leaders, rather than 

mounting pressure on Hamas to stop 

the rocket attacks, are calling for a 

ceasefire, even a unilateral withdrawal 


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