E88 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks January 14, 2009 

‘‘I love this class. It keeps me writing and 

thinking,’’ said Nena Van Voorhis, who 

urged her husband to join her. 

Reluctantly Lee Van Voorhis went to the 

class, taught by Gloria Goostray, and in a 

short time found the class to be an exciting 

thing. 

‘‘This class is fantastic. You realize you 

have a mind that’s full of ideas,’’ he explained. Van Voorhis had finally found a way 

of putting into words his thoughts about 

that question posed to him six decades ago. 

‘‘I have always loved the Robert Frost 

poem, ‘‘The Road Not Taken,’’ said Van 

Voorhis. 

‘‘We all pray for peace,’’ explained Van 

Voorhis, ‘‘but the road to peace, like I described here, you have to work at it. I mean 

a very specific effort as much as you have to 

work on your defenses.’’ 

Nena and Lee Van Voorhis are the parents 

of four, three sons and one daughter, and the 

grandparents of 12. 

Following is an essay Van Voorhis wrote 

for the class that is included in a book called 

‘‘Writings from the Heart,’’ a collection of 

short stories published by the 2007–2008 Creative Writing Class. 

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

(By Robert Frost) 

‘‘I shall be telling this with a sigh 

Somewhere ages and ages hence 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— 

I took the one less traveled by. 

And that has made all the difference.’’ 

So it has been through human history the 

most traveled road has been the road to war. 

Every nation carefully records all its wars 

and usually marks them with various memorials, statues, and honors for all the veterans. 

The road less traveled leads to peace. This 

is desired by everyone worldwide. We all 

want to raise our children in peace. Going on 

the road to war is easy. My country is right 

and your country is doing something wrong 

or starting open conflict in some disputed 

area then the threatening words start escalating. Each side putting out aggressive 

words like ‘‘you need to be punished’’ or 

‘‘face sanctions’’ or calling them ‘‘an axis of 

evil.’’ Our people hate you and you hate us. 

Now each country believes the other country 

is evil and we must settle our differences 

with war. 

‘‘The road less traveled by’’ is the road to 

peace. This improves your communication 

with other countries, then we better understand the real root of each other’s concerns 

and will be more compassionate and try to 

find common ground for peaceful solutions. 

Going on the road to war means we immediately start thinking of our military defenses and start cutting communications 

with the country we disagree with. 

Ping-pong games opened China for President Nixon. The N.Y. Philharmonic’s visit to 

N. Korea gave us the opportunity to try to 

negotiate with N. Korea. As Robert Frost 

said about the road taken, ‘‘I, I took the one 

less traveled by and that has made all the 

difference.’’ 

We must think of every possible way to improve our communication with the countries 

we have problems with. How about such 

things as starting a worldwide Art Olympics 

in which there would be various themes either taking or on the road to peace with various categories for children and adults? 

To stimulate these ideas helping peace, 

how about a Secretary of Peace in our President’s cabinet, charged with nothing but encouraging ideas and actions for peace. (The 

Secretary of State’s job is charged with protecting American interests, and official dealings with foreign countries only.) 

As Robert Frost said about having taken 

the road less traveled ‘‘and that has made all 

the difference.’’ 

So let’s go for the road less traveled— 

Peace will make all the difference. 

f 

IN RECOGNITION OF UNITED PARCEL SERVICE LEADING THE NATION IN UNITED WAY DONATIONS 

HON. PETE SESSIONS OF TEXAS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 

Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to congratulate United Parcel Service 

(UPS) and its employees for its generosity. 

For the past nine years, UPS has consecutively led the nation in donations to United 

Way. This year’s annual campaign raised over 

$53 million for United Way and with a matching contribution by the UPS Foundation, the 

total is expected to exceed $60 million—more 

than any other participating company. In total, 

over the past twenty-five years UPS has contributed over $924 million to United Way. Their 

charity extended beyond their financial contributions. Employees gave generously of their 

time with over 900,000 hours of community 

service through the Global Volunteer Month 

and UPS’s Neighbor-to-Neighbor program. 

The emphasis on philanthropy and improving 

local communities through its partnership with 

United Way can be seen at all levels of the organization. 

Madam Speaker, I ask my esteemed colleagues to join me in expressing our heartiest 

congratulations to UPS on this remarkable 

achievement and for their commitment to helping others. 

f 

INTRODUCING WE THE PEOPLE 

HON. RON PAUL OF TEXAS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 

Mr. PAUL. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the We the People Act. The We the People Act forbids federal courts, including the 

Supreme Court, from adjudicating cases concerning State laws and polices relating to religious liberties or ‘‘privacy,’’ including cases involving sexual practices, sexual orientation or 

reproduction. The We the People Act also protects the traditional definition of marriage from 

judicial activism by ensuring the Supreme 

Court cannot abuse the equal protection 

clause to redefine marriage. In order to hold 

Federal judges accountable for abusing their 

powers, the act also provides that a judge who 

violates the act’s limitations on judicial power 

shall either be impeached by Congress or removed by the President, according to rules established by the Congress. 

The United States Constitution gives Congress the authority to establish and limit the 

jurisdiction of the lower Federal courts and 

limit the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. The 

Founders intended Congress to use this authority to correct abuses of power by the Federal judiciary. 

Some may claim that an activist judiciary 

that strikes down State laws at will expands 

individual liberty. Proponents of this claim 

overlook the fact that the best guarantor of 

true liberty is decentralized political institutions, while the greatest threat to liberty is 

concentrated power. This is why the Constitution carefully limits the power of the Federal 

Government over the States. 

In recent years, we have seen numerous 

abuses of power by Federal courts. Federal 

judges regularly strike down State and local 

laws on subjects such as religious liberty, sexual orientation, family relations, education, and 

abortion. This government by Federal judiciary 

causes a virtual nullification of the Tenth 

Amendment’s limitations on Federal power. 

Furthermore, when Federal judges impose 

their preferred polices on State and local governments, instead of respecting the polices 

adopted by those elected by, and thus accountable to, the people, republican government is threatened. Article IV, section 4 of the 

United States Constitution guarantees each 

State a republican form of government. Thus, 

Congress must act when the executive or judicial branch threatens the republican governments of the individual States. Therefore, Congress has a responsibility to stop Federal 

judges from running roughshod over State and 

local laws. The Founders would certainly have 

supported congressional action to reign in 

Federal judges who tell citizens where they 

can and can’t place manger scenes at Christmas. 

Madam Speaker, even some supporters of 

liberalized abortion laws have admitted that 

the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, 

which overturned the abortion laws of all 50 

States, is flawed. The Supreme Court’s establishment clause jurisdiction has also drawn 

criticism from across the political spectrum. 

Perhaps more importantly, attempts to resolve, 

by judicial fiat, important issues like abortion 

and the expression of religious belief in the 

public square increase social strife and conflict. The only way to resolve controversial social issues like abortion and school prayer is 

to restore respect for the right of State and 

local governments to adopt polices that reflect 

the beliefs of the citizens of those jurisdictions. 

I would remind my colleagues and the Federal 

judiciary that, under our constitutional system, 

there is no reason why the people of New 

York and the people of Texas should have the 

same policies regarding issues such as marriage and school prayer. 

Unless Congress acts, a State’s authority to 

define and regulate marriage may be the next 

victim of activist judges. After all, such a decision would simply take the Supreme Court’s 

decision in the Lawrence case, which overturned all State sodomy laws, to its logical 

conclusion. Congress must launch a preemptive strike against any further Federal usurpation of the States’ authority to regulate marriage by removing issues concerning the definition of marriage from the jurisdiction of Federal courts. 

Although marriage is licensed and otherwise 

regulated by the States, government did not 

create the institution of marriage. Government 

regulation of marriage is based on State recognition of the practices and customs formulated by private individuals interacting in civil 

institutions, such as churches and synagogues. Having Federal officials, whether 

judges, bureaucrats, or congressmen, impose 

a new definition of marriage on the people is 

an act of social engineering profoundly hostile 

to liberty. 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with REMARKS
January 14, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E89 

It is long past time that Congress exercises 

its authority to protect the republican government of the States from out-of-control Federal 

judges. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to cosponsor the We the People Act. 

f 

PERSONAL EXPLANATION 

HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 

Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, on rollcall 

No. 11, I was caught in traffic from Dulles, and 

had I been present, I would have voted ‘‘aye.’’ 

f 

HONORING ERNIE GEMPERLE 

HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today with my colleague from California Mr. 

CARDOZA to honor the life of Ernie Gemperle 

for his dedication and service to his community and family. Mr. Gemperle passed away at 

the age of seventy-nine on Saturday, November 15, 2008 at Emanuel Medical Center in his 

home town of Turlock, California. 

Ernie Gemperle was born on June 7, 1929 

in Bischofsell, Switzerland and was one of 

twelve children. He graduated from the International Poultry School in Bern. Mr. Gemperle 

emigrated from Switzerland in 1949 with nothing more than his degree. Upon arriving to the 

United States, he was drafted into the Army, 

where he served at Fort Ord during the Korean War. In October 1955, he went back to 

Switzerland to marry his childhood sweetheart, 

Annemarie Dezlhofer. They returned to the 

U.S., settled in Turlock, California and began 

an egg business, Gemperle Enterprises. Together, Mr. and Mrs. Gemperle raised seven 

children and developed a successful business. 

Gemperle Enterprises has been an industry 

leader as egg production moved from small, 

scattered henhouses to the concentrated, 

automated operations of today. The business 

was one of the first egg farms to use bulk, 

rather than sacked, feeds. Mr. Gemperle upgraded the packing system in other areas of 

the operation with the goal of providing quality 

eggs at a lower price. The eggs were marketed under the Nulaid label. He soon joined 

with other egg producers to create NuWest 

Milling, which built a feed and grain terminal 

near Hughson, California and the NuCal 

Foods distribution cooperative in Ripon, California. Mr. Gemperle was a pioneer for the 

egg industry, including organic and other specialty eggs. He was willing to purchase the 

newest equipment with the latest technology 

to insure the safety of the hens and provide 

the lowest prices for the consumers. Today, 

the family business has grown to include over 

one million hens on several farms. 

Mr. Gemperle and his family have tirelessly 

supported numerous causes, including their 

church, healthcare, higher education and the 

arts. The Greater Yosemite Council of Boy 

Scouts was his number one cause. Mr. 

Gemperle served as Council President for two 

terms from 1990–1991. He received the Silver 

Beaver for his service to Scouting in 1991. He 

also served as the head of the council’s Investment Committee from its inception in 

2006. He has also served on the Executive 

Board of the Council from the early seventies 

until his recent passing. His son, Michael, 

serves as the Scouting Nominating Committee 

Chair and as the Executive Vice President of 

the Council. Michael is slated to become 

President in 2010. Since 1971, the Gemperle 

Family Bar-B-Que has raised money for 

Scouting each year. The event is held at the 

family home and the food is served by family 

members. It is estimated that over $500,000 

has been raised from this BBQ. 

Mr. Gemperle was considered a leader in 

his local community. He served as Rotary 

President and a Rotarian for forty years. He 

has been a driving force behind many of the 

City Council’s initiatives, including the building 

of the Rogers Service Center in 1999–2000. 

He served on the boards for both Emanuel 

Hospital and Doctors Hospital in Modesto. He 

was past chairman of Catholic Charities of the 

Stockton Diocese and was instrumental in the 

construction of Sacred Heart Church and the 

California State University, Stanislaus Newman Center. Recognition of his service is 

great; including Agri-businessman of the Year 

(1980 Turlock Chamber), Paul Harris (1985 

Rotary), Liberty Bell (1990 County Bar), University Medal (1991 CSUS) and Good Samaritan (1999 EMC) just to name a few. 

Mr. Gemperle’s leadership and generosity 

has been passed down to his children who 

now run Gemperle Enterprises. All of his children are active in the community and serve on 

the boards or committees for various organizations and causes that Mr. Gemperle supported. He was a strong supporter and advocate of California State University, Stanislaus, 

United Samaritan’s of Turlock, Emanuel Hospital of Turlock, Sacred Heart Church and the 

Boy Scouts of America. The family was honored at the ‘‘Distinguished Citizen’s Dinner’’ by 

the Council in 2005 for their continuous work 

and dedication to the community. 

Annemarie Gemperle preceded her husband 

in death in 1999. Mr. Gemperle is survived by 

his second wife, Maria Gemperle; sons Peter, 

Richard, Stephen and Michael all of Turlock; 

daughters Heidi Gemperle of Seattle, Anita 

Mahaffey of San Diego and Susan Abdo of 

Boise; two step-daughters Brigit Johnson and 

Barbara Masterson; twenty-one grandchildren; 

three step-grandchildren; brother, Walter 

Gemperle of Turlock and six siblings in Switzerland. 

Madam Speaker, I rise today to posthumously honor Ernie Gemperle for his leadership and dedication to his community. I invite my colleagues to join me in honoring his 

life and wishing the best for his family. 

f 

RECOGNIZING THE EFFORTS OF 

THOSE WHO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES ON MARTIN LUTHER 

KING DAY 

SPEECH OF

HON. BETTY McCOLLUM OF MINNESOTA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 

Ms. MCCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today 

in strong support of H. Res. 43, which recognizes the efforts of those who serve their communities on Martin Luther King Day and promotes the holiday as a day of national service. 

During his life, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

recognized the power of service to strengthen 

communities. In 1994, Congress made Martin 

Luther King Day a national day of community 

volunteerism to further commemorate Dr. 

King’s commitment to others. 

This King Day, as part of inauguration festivities, President-elect Barack Obama has encouraged all Americans to not only use this 

day to volunteer, but to also make a long-term 

commitment to community service. 

At home in Minnesota, and across the nation, many will volunteer to serve their communities by working at food banks, helping the 

homeless, and improving schools. Minnesotans have a proud tradition of civic engagement. In a study conducted by the Corporation 

for National and Community Service, Minneapolis-St. Paul was ranked number one for 

volunteer rates in a large city. 

As we begin this new Congress and new 

White House Administration, I can think of no 

better way to strengthen our country than to 

help create change in our communities. I encourage everyone to get involved this Martin 

Luther King Day and to browse http:// 

www.usaservice.org for volunteer opportunities. I also want to thank every American who 

will volunteer on Monday and those that continue to serve throughout the year. 

f 

PERSONAL EXPLANATION 

HON. STEVE KAGEN OF WISCONSIN

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 

Mr. KAGEN. Madam Speaker, I regret that 

I was unable to participate in four votes on the 

floor of the House of Representatives on January 9, 2009, as I was recovering from knee 

surgery. 

The first vote was rollcall vote No. 7, a motion to recommit H.R. 12, the Paycheck Fairness Act. Had I been present, I would have 

voted ‘‘no.’’ 

The second vote was rollcall vote No. 8, on 

final passage of H.R. 12. Had I been present, 

I would have voted ‘‘yes.’’ 

The third vote was rollcall vote No. 9, on 

final passage of H.R. 11, the Lily Ledbetter 

Fair Pay Act. Had I been present I would have 

voted ‘‘yes.’’ 

f 

IN RECOGNITION OF CHRISTINA 

MELTON CRAIN 

HON. PETE SESSIONS OF TEXAS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 

Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to recognize Christina Melton Crain who 

is being recognized by the Texas Department 

of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) with the dedication 

of a unit after her namesake. 

Christina was first appointed to the Texas 

State Board of Criminal Justice (TBCJ) in April 

2001 and in February 2003 she became the 

first woman in Texas history to lead the ninemember board as its new Chair. Under her 

leadership, she worked closely with the TDCJ, 


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