June 7, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E 1169

made, and the service given, by our veterans

in defense of our Constitution and the liberties

it guarantees.

All too often, we take our freedoms for

granted. These precious freedoms were defended by those who sacrificed their lives in

times of war. They are preserved by those

who exercise their rights in defense of peace.

When I think of what my freedom means to

me, I recall the memory of when my family

came to the United States after surviving the

horrors of World War II. My parents were not

attracted by the flag or the Statue of Liberty,

for other nations have flags and monuments;

it was and is the American Constitution, and

the freedom which it embodies, which sets the

United States apart from so many other nations.

As a Member of Congress, I am pleased to

be in a position to honor our veterans. The

willingly went to war to defend our freedoms

and the American dream we all strive to

achieve. In this time of restricted budgets and

divisive rhetoric, we must pause to recall the

commitment given to us by those veterans

and we must honor the commitments we have

made to them.

Today, there are more living American veterans than at any point in history. They are

among the reasons that the United States is

the mightiest, wealthiest, most secure nation

on the earth today. They are the reason the

United States has been, and will continue to

be, the bastion of support and solace for those

in a world still searching for freedom and

human rights.

Memorial Day is a time to remember all

those men and women who gave their lives

and livelihoods for their country. Let this 50th

Anniversary of the end of World War II signal

a rededication to our commitment to honor the

service of our Nation’s veterans.

CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA BLASTS

CLINTON AGAIN

fHON. BUD SHUSTER OF PENNSYLVANIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, June 7, 1995

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to call

to your attention the following editorial, which

appeared in the Lewistown Sentinel, located in

my Ninth District of Pennsylvania. This wellwritten piece explores the manner in which

transportation issues, in an unprecedented

manner, have been crassly politicized by the

Clinton administration. He was the candidate,

recall, who won election on his promise to

focus on the infrastructure of America. However, as the editorial states, the President now

thinks that highway construction and improvement is just ‘‘pork-barrel politics.’’

This sad state of affairs is convincingly documented in this superb editorial and I commend it to all my colleagues.

[From the Sentinel, May 30, 1995]

DON’T CALL IT PORK UNTIL YOU TASTE IT

Pork, huh?

After years of waiting, studying lobbying,

waiting some more and studying some more,

those who have wanted improvements made

to the ‘‘Missing Link’’ thought the badly

needed highway was finally on its way to becoming a reality.

But, no, not so fast. Suddenly it’s just another pork-barrel project. In a shameful

game of political football, President Clinton

and his staff have jumped on the ‘‘special interest road projects’’ in Rep. Bud Shuster’s

district. The money targeted for those

projects, the president charged, would be

better spent on teacher training.

Shuster, of course, is the area’s representative in Congress. A long-time member of the

House Transportation Committee, he rose to

chair the panel when Republicans took over

control of the House in the fall election. Now

Shuster’s efforts to bring road-building dollars to his district—something he has always

been skilled at doing—are worthy targets for

the Democratic president’s darts.

We’re sure Clinton didn’t worry about stepping on a few GOP toes. We’re also sure he

didn’t expect the screams to come from his

own party. In a letter dashed off to the president, state Rep. Ruth C. Rudy, D-Centre

Hall, challenged Clinton and his staff to take

a drive through her district and see the Missing Link for themselves. Then let them decide if this is really just political pork-barreling.

We’re just as disturbed by wasteful spending as anyone. To be sure, billions of federal

dollars have been spent on worthless

projects—including some roads—and we want

to see that stopped. We also want to see

money spent where it will do the most good,

and the Missing Link is clearly a good investment. If the president and his talking

heads would take a close look at the dangerous, congested stretch of road, perhaps

they would agree.

Clinton should pay the Missing Link a

visit. That worked on another Democrat,

then Gov. Robert Casey, a few years ago. In

fact, the Missing Link Committee, a citizens

group that has long been pushing for improvements on the road, put up a big billboard with Casey’s likeness on it, along with

a plea for him to support the project.

Maybe Clinton will be the next to visit.

Does anybody have a paint brush? Better get

busy on that billboard.

REINTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION REQUESTING ACQUISITION

OF WAIHEE MARSH (H.R. 429)

f

HON. PATSY T. MINK OF HAWAII

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, June 7, 1995

Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I introduced H.R. 429 at the beginning of the 104th

Congress which requests the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service [FWS] to acquire the Waihee

Marsh wetland and to establish a conservation

easement on both sides of Waihee Stream located at Kahaluu, Island of Oahu, State of Hawaii. I developed the legislation at the request

of a member of the county council of the city

and county of Honolulu.

Thirty acres of the Waihee Marsh are currently on the 2-year priority acquisition list of

FWS. The wetland functions as a flood control

area and filtration system that protects adjacent lands and Kaneohe Bay. The marsh also

serves as primary habitat for endangered

water birds and migratory shorebirds. Community support is widespread for this proposed

acquisition.

The Waihee Stream parcel proposed for acquisition had been recommended for conservation by the Kaneohe Bay Task Force,

which maintained that the creation of a 100-

foot buffer area around the stream would protect water quality and prevent flooding.

However, property owners of lands along

Waihee Stream are concerned and opposed

to the acquisition of the conservation easement. Because of this protest, I am deleting

this particular provision from the bill, and resubmitting it for the marsh area alone.

I urge support of the Waihee Marsh, and

urge its inclusion in the fiscal year 1996 budget for acquisition.

TRIBUTE TO FREDERICK

fDOUGLASS

HON. CHAKA FATTAH OF PENNSYLVANIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, June 7, 1995

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, recognizing

Frederick Douglass in the centennial year of

his death is an opportunity for the Nation to

embrace its traditional American values of

education, self-reliance, and public service

through the life of this American patriot.

As biographer and author, Frederick Douglass wrote about his triumph over chattel slavery 150 years ago, and his story has become

a reminder of the essential role of education in

our democracy. As a journalist, he founded

The North Star in 1847 and became an articulate witness for the indivisibility of freedom and

citizenship for the slave and for the idea and

image of freedom in America. As a public

servant, Frederick Douglass advised Presidents from Lincoln to Harrison, ending his distinguished public career as Minister to the Dominican Republic in 1871 and to Haiti in 1889.

On February 1, 1895, Mr. Douglass gave

his last public lecture at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. The University has honored this champion of freedom with a 2-year

program and has helped to lead the Nation in

commemorating his life. Frederick Douglass

voiced hope and confidence in America during

some of the most anxious moments in the Nation’s history.

Our recognition of the life of Frederick

Douglass is a testimony to his enduring faith

that this Nation and all of its people will remain worthy of and committed to the highest

principles of freedom and justice for all.

BISHOP STUDENT EXCELS IN

NATIONAL HISTORY DAY

fHON. JERRY LEWIS OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, June 7, 1995

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I

would like to bring to your attention today the

fine achievement of Will Baylies and the leadership of his teacher, Mrs. Irene Sorenson,

from Home Street Middle School in Bishop,

CA. Recently, this remarkable student joined

other students from across the country at the

University of Maryland to compete in National

History Day sponsored by the Constitutional

Rights Foundation. The theme for this year’s

competition was ‘‘Conflict and Compromise in

History.’’

Will qualified for the national competition by

first winning at the local, regional, and State

levels. Will placed first in California for his research paper titled, ‘‘A Philosophical Conflict

on Civil Rights, Integration or Separatism?