macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1988-04-13
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. the beautiful island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands has just hosted its first annual Americun Paradise Triathlon. and it was a lTreat success. Some of the worlds very best athletes came to St. Croix to swim. bicycle. and run amid our magnificent scenery. and the event will be shown on national television on July 3. This first triathlon was a triumph for many peoplethe athletes. the people of St. Croix. the hundreds of volunteers who helped. and. above all. for the prime organizer. a young Virgin Islander by the name of Renny Roker. A year ago. when Renny began discussing his plans for a worldclass triathlon on our shores. he was greeted with doubts and laughs. But Renny was not daunted. He used his great talents and promotional skills to get the cooperation of the community and pull of a major. international sporting event. Now people cant wait to see it again next year. NBC was so impressed with the American Paradise Triathlon that it moved up the broadcast date to July 3. right after the Wimbledon Mens Tennis Finals. I urge everyone who wants to see the Virgin Islands at Its best to tune in on July 3. [From the Daily News. Apr. 12.1988]
Date: 1988-04-15
Speaker: EVGENY LEIN (democrat)
Chamber: S

Of utmost importance here is the fate of Dr. Lein and his family. The emigration practices in the Soviet Union continue to be a bureaucratic nightmare. and are further evidence of the basic lack of freedom and human rights as well as the oppression which continues under glasnost. I dont want to diminish the importance of Dr. Leins situation. but one injustice that goes to the heart of the problem is mail delivery. Frankly. I find the situation extremely disturbing. Surely. it would seem reasonable that mail service should improve rather than deteriorate as the Soviet Union seeks to become more open. If glasnost is a reality then why must mail be regularly and Illegally examined. I and many of my colleagues have taken an active role in trying to improve human rights in the U.S.9 %. Dr. Leins experience in attemptink to emigrate Is a prime example. Further. I imagine it is no coincidence that Dr. Leins mail continues to be conflscated. It is one more indication that glasnost has far to go. If we cannot trust the Soviets to prove their sincerity in improving human rights through something as basic as delivering the mail. then how can we honestly trust them on the more sensitive and vital Issues of compliance on agreements made between our two countries. My message to the Soviet Union is: Prove to the world that human rights are improving In your country. not with your words. but with actions. A good place to start is with the countless letters continually sent to and from your country.*
Date: 1988-04-18
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I am so very happy to join my good and dear friend. PETER RODINothe very distinguished chairman of the Judiciary Committeeto add a few personal thoughts as we praise Ambassador Maxwell Rabb as he reaches a milestone in the history of the Foreign Service. Althought not a career diplomat. he will have served longer in Italy than any other ambassador. but let me add the time served is really not the important thing. The quality of his service is really what counts. I have personally been involved in some oh the areas in which he has worked with great success. He has represented our country wellabove and beyond the call of duty. I personally know he enjoys his job. but we must realize that he has served at great sacrifice to himself and his familyand at times his service has been at great personal risk. It really would be appropriate to recite the story of his many careers. but let it suffice for me to say that he has served his country well as assistant and adviser to Senators. to Cabinet members and to Presidents. He is a great American. We are proud and certainly appreciate all of his contributions. We are a better people. we are a better country because of his service. Now he adds Italy to his many accomplishments. We are better friends and our relations are that much better because of Maxwell Rabb: a great man. a great ambassador. a great American.
Date: 1988-04-18
Speaker: FRITZ HOLLINGS (democrat)
Chamber: S

worldng hard for the people of South Carolina." You see. we learned that you can come in with $1 million of that robust political money. you can blitz the voters with $1 million worth of TV. If you were not prepared with the answers ahead of time. with response ads already in the can. you were a goner. You could work here 6 years and have a very laudable record of service in the U.S. Senate. but there are devices and strategies whereby you can be ambushed with robust political money. This is not political debate. Who can discuss 20second political quotes? Just boomboomboom. one charge after another charge after another charge after another charge. Its a kind of assassination. This is not a partisan thing. Senator THURMOND worried about the same kind of ambush from the Democrats. He collected and spent over $2 million and we have yet to find his opponent. I collected and spent $2 million because I expected am ambush from my opponent. who did spend $1 million In his campaign. I was told throughout the campaign. do not worry. he has never held office. has not done this. has not done that. I said. "Oh. no. you have not heard of Senator MITCn MCCONNELL up in Kentucky. He has educated the entire body politic in how to run campaigns." So the first order of business is not robust political discussion. You better get robust political money. for robust political ads in the can. ready for any and all kinds of assaults. He has changed our way of living. And If that aint enough he has changed the way we strut our stuff. Mr. President. I will be glad to yield now to the Senvtor from Kentucky because I am sure he and I would be delighted to engage in robust political discussion because this is only costing the taxpayers at the moment.
Date: 1988-04-19
Speaker: JUSTICE BRENNAN (democrat)
Chamber: S

concurring In the Judgment. One of tile major difficulties in this case is tile proper characterization of the Commissions Policy Statement. I find it impossible to determine on the present record whet her the Commissions ban on all "promotional" advertising. in contrast to "institutional and Infermational" advertising. see ante. at 559. Is Intended to encompass more than "commercial speech." I am Inclined to think that
Date: 1988-04-19
Speaker: DONALD P. HODEL (democrat)
Chamber: S

Secretary. Department of the Interior. Washington. DC. DEAR SECRETARY HODEL: The Pacific Flyway Council. whose membership is composed of state fish and wildlife directors of the II western states met in Louisville. Kentucky. March 20. 1988. to deliberate recommendations concerning migratory birds and their attendant habitat within the Pacific Flyway. As a result of the deliberations the Pacific Flyway Council again adopted for your consideration a resolution entitled "Wetland Habitat Protection of Nevadas Lahontan Valley" (copy attached). This resolution reiterates that the Department of the Interior. through its Bureau of ReclamationMidPacific Region. continues to ignore its legal responsibilities to wetlands and migratory birds as delineated by the various international migratory bird treaties. congressional and executive mandates and the Federal Public Trust Doctrine. Your thoughtful and serious consideration of this resolution Is requested. Sincerely.
Date: 1988-04-20
Speaker: ST GERMAIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that the report on the Federal Asset Disposition Association known as FADA. and extraneous matters be printed in the RECORD at this point notwithstanding the fact that the cost of printing the FADA report is estimated to be $18.634 as estimated by the Public Printer.
Date: 1988-04-20
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. the Congress has been a living force in the American system of government for over 200 years. a dynamic embodiment of its millions of citizens. The will of our people emerges through the agreements and disagreements that develop as each of us as Congressmen attempt to reflect the views and desires of our own constituencies. Yet. some Members go beyond the mere confines of their own districts. representing and striving to achieve the goals of a far broader constituencya majority of the body politic. One such Individual to whom we pay tribute today is our former colleague John Dent who hailed from southwestern Pennsylvania. who served as a senior member of the Committee on Education and Labor. and who was chairman of the Subcommittee on Labor Standards. As a Member of Congress for 20 years. John Dent served with a strong sense of "noblesse oblige"-the idea that it was his duty to serve. his obligation as a citizen to do his part. He was principal architect in creating the Black Lung Program. He was in the forefront in the establishment of ERISA to protect the pension rights of all workers. He also was one of the original sponsors of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. and the Mine Safety and Health Actall legislative contributions which benefited not only the men and women of his district. but all American workers. The role in the development and enactment of these programs demonstrates the true commitment which John Dent had for mending the ills of our country. I am indeed fortunate to have had the privilege of serving with him. With his passing our whole system loses a significant presence. It is with deep regret that I say farewell to John Dent. I will remember him with fondness.
Date: 1988-04-20
Speaker: OE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. it is indeed an honor to be able to participate in todays special order. I say this since one of my foremost priorities has always been the education of our Nations youthour future. We must provide for their education as well as the resources utilized to advance itnamely our Nations libraries. Within their walls lie the seeds of knowledge which once sewn result in a bountiful harvest. This Is said mindful that the first high school graduating class of the 21st century will enter first grade this September. For them the world is a very different place than that into which I was born. Technology has rapidly advanced making many things never dreamed of or thought possible reality. Equally as exciting are all of the choices that now exist making our country a land of opportunity for every child. Only with knowledge. however. can our youth fulfill their potential and that is what makes our Nations libraries so invaluable. They are our treasure houses. They contain the worlds heritage. and what is found in the past will serve as the basis of the progress to come in the future. As a country we are Indeed fortunate to have access to these services. but we must bear in mind that they too need our support. As we celebrate "National Library Week" I want to take this opportunity to pledge mine.
Date: 1988-04-21
Speaker: ST GERMAIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of the conference committee report on H.R. 3. The conference was a massive undertaking and it represents the work of 13 House conmittees. While the conference itself has taken almost 1 year to complete. the Banking Committee has been studying the issues of our Nations international competitiveness since 1983. So in a very real sense. the conference report we are considering today represents the culmination of almost 5 years of work by the members of the Committee on Banking. Finance and Urban Affairs. Before I summarize the provisions contained in the Banking Committee title. I would like to commend the members of the Banking Committee who served as conferees. particularly our three subcommittee chairs: MARY ROSE OAKAR. for her work on the Council on Industrial Competitiveness. and WALTER FAUNTROY and ROBERT GARCIA for their leadership on our provision concerning international debt. Our subcommittee chairs and I were assisted by the other Banking Committee conferees: JOHN LAFALCE was the primary architect of the exchange rates provision. BRUCE VENTO spearheaded our efforts on countertrade and the Defense Production Act. DOUG BARNARD and CHUCK SCHUMER sought to provide for the fair treatment of U.S. financial institutions overseas. and finally without the efforts of BRUCE MORRISON we could not have reached agreement on the international debt provisions. I wish to thank these Members. as well as our Republican Members. for the time and effort they gave to this conference committee. And I urge my colleagues to support the conference committee report. I would like to briefly summarize the Banking Committees title of the conference report.
Date: 1988-04-21
Speaker: ARMENIAN MARTYRS DAY (democrat)
Chamber: H

APRIL 24. On April 24. 1988. Armenian Martyrs Day. we pause to remember and pay homage to the more than one million Armenian lives systematically destroyed by the Ottoman Empire from the years 19151923. It Is perhaps beyond the scope of normal human capacity to grasp and comprehend the calculated death and destruction of hundreds of thousands of men. women. and children. at the hands of other human beings. On this day. however. it s our solemn responsibility to remember. to understand. and to learn from this repugnant event in world history that was the first of Its kind In the twentieth century. We must remember. in part. because there are some within the world community who seek to obscure historys truths and lessons regarding the Armenian genocide. Let us take this opportunity to reiterate the truth. The Armenian genocide is a historical fact that has been well documented in American newspapers. protested by the United States Congress. and recognized by numerous U.S. presidents. All of us must go beyond mere- recognition. however. and learn from this horrible tragedy. We must understand that genocide is real. that it has occurred at other times both before and after the Armenian massacre. and that it can happen again. I beleve the best way that we can honor those people who were lost from 19151923 Is to remember the magnitude of their tragedy. and to pledge never to remain silent on lie Issue of the Armenian genocide. We must teach future generations about the horror and reality of genocide. so that the awful deeds perpetrated from 19151923 will never be repeated. Mr. Speaker. as we recall and mourn the loss of the Armenian martyrs earlier in this century. so. too. should we now pledge ourselves to continue the fight against the spread ot terrorism and irrational violence and destruction so that our common humanity may survive in a mor9 peaceful wo.1 where such atrocities hopefully cannot recur.
Date: 1988-04-21
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I was deeply saddened recently to learn of the passing of our former colleague and statesman. Vernon W. Thomson. There is no question those of us who were privileged to serve with him have lost a great friend as has our Nation. During his many distinguished years of servIceas speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly. attorney general. Governor. and Member of CongressVernon Thomson provided the people of his great State with outstanding legislative representation. He was an individual who truly possessed all of the qualities essential for outstanding leadershipsound judgment. patience. and perseverance along with a keen sense of propriety and practicality. His Ideas. his feelings. his views In the legislation this body considered during his 14 years in Congress helped to better the lives of all our citizens. While we no longer will have access to his great wisdom and vision his memory will remain for those who follow. and I think it will be many. many generations before the final chapters of Vernon Thomson can be written In history.
Date: 1988-04-26
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I want to commend the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. ASPINI. the chairman of the Committee on Armed Services. and the members of the committee. and certainly the gentlewoman from Maryland . the chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel and Compensation. the subcommittee that deals with personnel and the quality of life for members of the armed services. Let me say that we still need to do more because we have the finest men and women serving our great country and risking their lives around the world. but yet every time that they move. their property gets lost or stolen. There is still inadequate housing. There are horror stories about where the families of personnel live and the conditions under which they live. There are yet many areas where there is gross discourtesy by civilian employees at military bases. at the commissaries. at the exchanges. and at the gate. I myself have been subjected to some discourtesies in trying to enter a military base. so I think that the Pentagon needs to look more into this as a general matter. and not ask for a name or an individual so that they might go and ask that individual if such and such a thing happened. Military personnel are not going to do that. The Subcommittee on Military Personnel and Compensation has done. I think. excellent work but we need to do more to see that the families. that the children of the military personnel when the military person is away. that the family is taken care of to the extent that they can be. I think that the Pentagon and the administration have set the priorities wrong here. We are going to be arguing here about SDI and MX and Cruise missile and B1 bombers. but very little is going to be said about what we do with the ABM. very little is going to be said about what we are doing for the individual that is risking his life for the wife that is left behind and for the children. I know that the Committee on Armed Services has worked very hard. I know that I have been told that they are looking into these matters. It is not enough. however. and it has not been enough. We still have to continue to see that there not be one case that lalls through the cracks where somebody is treated discourteously getting back into his home base.
Date: 1988-04-26
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I have visited with the gentleman from Alabama. and the last time I mentioned it on the floor the gentleman from Alabama got up and told me everything was all right. but now what I am saying is that the gentleman from Alabama has proven my point. He is suggesting to give him a name. and give him a base. I am telling the gentleman from Alabama that goods are being stolen when they are being transported. The Pentagon knows what companies are contracting for transportation of goods. and that can be looked into. People are being abused at bases when they come in or when they go out. The civilian personnel dealing with the military. in my estimation. where I have had experience the civilian personnel are grossly incompetent. and the Navy is now starting in the shipyards where the work Is not up to what we are paying for. This has come from the Pentagon. from the Navy. and they are starting to look at some of the shoddy work that is being done on materiel and equipment. I am speaking in generalities because it has to be treated as a problem in total. I am not going to give the gentleman from Alabama the name of a soldier or a sailor or marine so that he might ask. "Did you say that?" That is not going to work. We have to address the issue. but the gentleman has to realize there is yet inadequacy of housing. There are yet problems with transportation. There are yet problems with the way they are treated here and around the world. That is what I am trying to get the Pentagon to do. and the committee has done. I think. good work. The gentlewoman from Maryland has looked into it. but people are getting promoted. and they do not get the pay until a year later. They frock them or whatever it is they do because the money is not there. There are diminishing services in hospitals. There are diminishing services in bases. Everything for the sake of "we have to save a few more dollars."
Date: 1988-04-26
Speaker: JIM HOWARD (democrat)
Chamber: H

deservedly earned the title of "Mr. Highway Safety." Simply put. he was a caring family man whose instinct of protecting his family from danger spurred him to make our Infrastructure safer for our families and his.
Date: 1988-04-26
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor the memory of a dear and respected colleague. JAMES J. HOWARD a friend with whom I came to Congress in 1965. For over 23 years I had the privileg3 of serving with this distinguished Individuala man who served the people of the Third Congressional District of New Jersey the only way he knew howwith honesty and with great dedication. Together we rose up the ladderJAMES HOWARD eventually becoming chairman of the House Committee on Public Works and Transportation. Many significant pieces of legislation bear his imprint and there is no question that as a major Influence in this body JAMES HO.VAnos shoos will be impossible to fill. Certainly his contributions will be long rememnbored as will his ability and dedication to high performance serve as examples for all us who remain behind to follow. JAMES HOWARD has left a splendid trail to follow. For those who would emulate his mag. rilficent careerthat trail will be a hard one to navigate. Not all those who begin the journey will finish with the brilliance that marked Reprosentative HOWARDS life and times in the U.S. House. And that Is good.-becuase the tasks of life are nobler when the level to which we aspire is set as high as the plateau achieved by JAMES HOWARD. With JAMES HOWARDS passing his district. his State and his country have lost a man of rare caliber. I know I have lost a good friend. It is Inadequate to just say he will be missedbut it Is nonetheless true. A man admired and respected by all. JAMES HOWARD fulfilled the term "great" In all its aspects. It Is not often that one Is privileged to have known such a tremendous man--a giant among his peers. I am fortunate.