January 7, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E29 

Richard is quite the everyday comedian, telling 

friends and neighbors that breathing gives him 

the most pleasure. If he had his life to do over 

again, Richard said he would get more education, and his advice to young people today 

is to always do things in moderation and be 

conservative. 

Madam Speaker, I ask that you join me in 

honoring Richard Riedel for reaching his 100th 

birthday. I hope we all have the good fortune 

to live as long as him. 

f 

‘‘THE PATERSON GREAT FALLS 

NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK 

ACT’’ 

HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR. OF NEW JERSEY

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 

Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, it is my 

pleasure today to introduce the ‘‘Paterson 

Great Falls National Historical Park Act’’ as 

my first act in the 111th Congress. This bipartisan legislation was approved by the House in 

October 2007, and would designate a National 

Park at the majestic Great Falls in Paterson, 

NJ. I urge my colleagues to pass this legislation as soon as possible. 

Fifteen miles west of New York City, the 

Great Falls was the second largest waterfall in 

colonial America. No other natural wonder in 

America has played such an important role in 

our nation’s historic quest for freedom and 

prosperity. At the Great Falls, Alexander Hamilton conceived and implemented a plan to 

harness the force of water to power the new 

industries that would secure our economic 

independence. 

Hamilton told Congress and the American 

people that at the Great Falls he would begin 

implementation of his ambitious strategy to 

transform a rural agrarian society dependent 

upon slavery into a modern economy based 

on freedom. True to Hamilton’s vision, 

Paterson became a great manufacturing city, 

producing the Colt revolver, the first submarine, the aircraft engine for the first transAtlantic flight, more locomotives than any city 

in the Nation, and more silk than any city in 

the world. 

New Jersey’s Great Falls is the only National Historic District that includes both a National Natural Resource and a National Historic Landmark. In a special Bicentennial 

speech in Paterson with the spectacular natural beauty of the Great Falls in the background, the late President Gerald R. Ford 

said, ‘‘We can see the Great Falls as a symbol of the industrial might which helps to make 

America the most powerful Nation in the 

world.’’ 

Preeminent Hamilton biographers, an esteemed former Smithsonian Institution curator, 

the former chief of the National Park Service 

Historic American Engineering Record, and 

distinguished professors at Yale, Princeton, 

Harvard, NYU, Brown and other universities 

have filed letters with the National Park Service strongly recommending a National Historical Park for the Great Falls Historic District. 

Editorial boards, Federal, State, and local officials and community groups have also endorsed the campaign to award a National Park 

Service designation to the Falls. 

Scholars have concluded that Pierre 

L’Enfant’s innovative water power system in 

Paterson, and many factories built later, constitute the finest remaining collection of engineering and architectural structures representing each stage of America’s progress 

from a weak agrarian society to a leader in the 

global economy. It is a little known fact that 

L’Enfant was hired by Hamilton to create 

Paterson as the sister city to Washington, DC, 

having completed his plan of Washington only 

months before arriving in Paterson. 

Madam Speaker, Congress must act now to 

pass this vital piece of legislation, so that we 

may fully recognize these cultural and historic 

landmarks that have played such a seminal 

role in America’s history. 

f 

PERSONAL EXPLANATION 

HON. LUIS V. GUTIERREZ 

OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Madam Speaker, I was 

unavoidably absent from this Chamber today. 

I would like the record to show that, had I 

been present, I would have voted ‘‘yea’’ on 

rollcall votes 1 and 4; ‘‘nay’’ on rollcall vote 3; 

and for Rep. NANCY PELOSI (CA–08) on rollcall 

vote 2 for the election of the Speaker of the 

U.S. House of Representatives. 

f 

ISRAEL’S MILITARY ACTION IN 

GAZA 

HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO 

OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 

Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Speaker, for the 

past several years, Israelis living near Gaza 

have endured a continual state of fear due to 

the thousands of rocket attacks launched from 

there by Hamas. When the six-month cease 

fire between Hamas and Israel recently ended, 

Hamas responded almost immediately by firing more than 70 missiles at civilian targets 

within Israel. On December 27th, Israel, in an 

act of self defense, struck at Hamas targets in 

Gaza in response to these continued attacks, 

and I want to express my strong support for 

Israel’s right of self-defense. 

Israel has taken meaningful steps in recent 

years to push the peace process forward, including unilaterally withdrawing from Gaza in 

2005. Unfortunately, Hamas has not met 

Israel’s efforts towards a peaceful coexistence, 

and has instead increased military operations 

against its neighbor and continues to deny 

Israel’s right to exist. 

These unfortunate developments are tragic, 

but have been precipitated by Hamas’ aggression. Hamas must stop the rocket attacks and 

all parties in the region need to commit to renewing efforts at peace. The U.S. should remain involved in the peace process and I will 

continue to work with my colleagues in Congress towards this goal. 

THE INTRODUCTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOUSE 

VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 2009 

HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today I am 

introducing, I believe for the last time, the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act, simultaneously with our Senate partners, Senators JOE LIEBERMAN and ORIN HATCH. The bill 

we introduce today also will add two permanent House seats, the first increase in 96 

years. It therefore carries a triple bonus: the 

first vote for the District of Columbia after 212 

years, an additional seat for Utah, and two 

new permanent seats for the House of Representatives itself. The citizens of the District 

of Columbia are deeply grateful for the persistent partnership and a bipartisan dedication 

that Senator LIEBERMAN and Senator HATCH

continue to bring to this bill, and for the continued support of Utah Governor Jon Huntsman. 

Because of the importance to the city of 

achieving the vote after more than two centuries, the D.C. Voting Rights Act is my first 

bill of the 111th Congress. This year we introduce the bill as members of the armed services from the District of Columbia are again 

engaged in war abroad. In gratitude for the 

service of our residents serving today, and of 

those who have served since our country was 

founded, I dedicate the bill this year to the first 

soldier from the District to die for his country 

in the Iraq War, 21-year-old D.C. National 

Guard Specialist, Daryl Dent, and to the District’s first unknown soldier to die after he 

picked up arms to fight for liberation on the 

promise of taxation without representation. Although two centuries apart, the first to die in 

these wars had in common fighting for the 

vote. Our first residents here fought in the War 

for Independence. Specialist Dent gave his life 

ensuring the vote for Iraqi citizens, a right he 

did not live to get for himself 

Today’s bill is the first in the Free and Equal 

series of bills that I will introduce this session 

to complete the full roster of citizenship rights 

the residents of the Nation’s capital, that the 

first soldiers were promised and for which today’s soldiers continue to give their lives. 

There can be no doubt that the revolutionaries 

who invented America’s most quoted national 

slogan did not create a new nation in order to 

get the vote, only to turn around and deny the 

vote to the citizens of their capital. 

This bill was passed by the House in the 

110th Congress, thanks to Speaker NANCY

PELOSI who has long fought for the rights of 

D.C. residents and personally insisted that this 

legislation go forward as a bill of historic importance, Majority Leader STENY HOYER, my 

long-time regional friend, who has been an especially outspoken champion of this bill; Judiciary Chairman JOHN CONYERS, who gave the 

bill his priority attention, emblematic of the 

strong support he always has brought to our 

rights throughout his long service in Congress; 

and Chairman HENRY WAXMAN, who as ranking member and then as chair of the Oversight 

and Government Reform committee, also was 

a central figure in ensuring passage; and 

many others among my colleagues in both 

chambers and both parties, who have made 

special efforts for passage of the D.C. House 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with REMARKS