ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i thank the speaker. mr. speaker, i rise in support of this resolution of which i'm proud to be an original co-sponsor, and i want to thank my good friend from new york, congresswoman nita lowey, for her timely work in authoring this resolution and, of course, to my chairman, mr. berman of california, as well. the sudden and unexpected passing of ambassador richard holbrooke earlier this week was a shock to all of us. the depth of sadness that we felt at the news was a testament to his exemplary life of service to our country in so many different compass its. ambassador holbrooke was one of the most consequential world diplomats of the last half century and his tireless work in pursuit of united states national interests and international peace have put us all in his debt. his advocacy for peace was, of course, most clearly shown during the conflict in bosnia. his tenacity and force of will brought the waring par

ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i thank the speaker. mr. speaker, i rise in support of this resolution of which i'm proud to be an original co-sponsor, and i want to thk my good friend from new york, congresswoman nita lowey, for her timely work in authoring this resolution and, of course, to my chairman, mr. berman of california, as well. the sudden and unexpected passing of ambassador richard holbrooke earlier this week was a shock to all of us. the depth of sadness that we felt athe news was a testament to his exemplary life service to our country in so many different compass its. ambaador holbrooke was one of the most consequential world diplomats of the last half century and his tireless work in pursuit of united states national interests and international peace have put us all in his debt. his advocacy for peace was, of course, most clearlyhown during the conflict in bosnia. his tenacity and force of will ought the waring parties to the n

ms. ros-lehtinen from florida requests five minutes and will be recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i thank the speaker. i would like to honor a great public servant and a dear friend, congressman lincoln diaz-balart, who after 17 years of distinguished service to our south florida community here in congress is retiring. the house of representatives is indeed losing a great man and a dedicated leader. lincoln diaz-balart has left a legacy that is extensive and worthy of praise. he has led a life guided by his principles and he has not wavered in his conviction. convictions based on his love for this great country and the freedom that it embodies. lincoln's story is truly an american story. having fled the castro regime with his family, he became a fierce and staunch defender for human rights and the rule of law throughout the world. he became a voice for those whose own voices are sigh lentsed -- silenced by repressive government. his commitment to public service is a testament to not only his character but to the valuable lessons that he learned from his father. the co

ms. ros-lehtinen. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my good friend the gentlelady for the time and i stand here, mr. speaker, in support of the dream act. the time has come for this legislative body to do what is right and to not punish students for the mistakes that their parents have made. this legislation will give many broith, talented, patriotic young men and women the opportunity to stay in this country of, a country that they love and to continue their college education or service in a proud -- our proud military. these young people are motivated and only want the chance to give back to this country, their country. the dream act is not amnesty. it will allow eligible students to get on a pathway for permanent legal status later on. those who receive conditional legal status will not be eligible for medicaid, food stamps or any other government services. this bill is a sensible and pragmatic compromise that reflects the generosity and the good will of this country and its citizens, a c

ms. ros-lehtinen. mr. franks of arizona. under think speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. gohmert: thank you, madam speaker. it's been an interesting day here on the floor. as always, it's an honor to have a chance to speak here. what we have just witnessed was not a pleasant event. it's terribly sad. tragic when anybody in congress, especially a leader, a chairman, is found to have engaged in conduct inappropriate to such a degree as a member of congress, particularly as the chairman of the tax code writing committee. we've heard some things that were a little bit surprising. i heard chairman rangel say there was no self-enrichment. i heard people talk about the lack of precedent for something like this to have such a horrible sentence as to have to stand before the speaker and be told to pay the taxes that were actually due and owing. that should have been paid previously when they were due and owing. a

ms. ros-lehtinen from florida. >> mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? mr. diaz-balart: i ask unanimous consent to speak for five minutes out of order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. diaz-balart: thank you very much. mr. speaker in recent weeks we have seen the issue of the western sahara receive a great deal of coverage in the world press. unfortunately the press coverage has often been biased. in fact, i've seen cynical attempts at purposeful disinformation. i think it's important that we remember history. let's not forget that while the sahara was under spanish colonial rule, only morocco laid claim to that territory as its own. the kingdom of morocco repeatedly claimed the western sahara and demanded the end of spanish colonial rule. it was whonal morocco's efforts at recovering the sahara began to be seen as making serious progress in the early 197s to that the so-called front came into being. then as now, the group is financed by algeria and is propped

ms. ros-lehtinen of florida. mr. defazio of oregon. mr. garrett of new jersey. ms. woolsey of california. mr. lincoln diaz-balart of florida. mr. paul of texas. mr. burton of indiana. mr. graves of georgia. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, the gentleman from missouri, mr. akin, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority. mr. akin: it's a pleasure to join you. we have had a busy day and dealt with a lot of questions and issues and yet on the minds of americans i believe all across our country, people are thinking about the economy, they are thinking particularly about jobs and they are thinking about what appears to be imminently approaching, the largest tax increase in the history of our country. that's an odd thinking thing to be approaching when there is uncertainty in terms of the economy and that is a matter of some considerable debate and discussion and different political maneuvering. we won't talk so much about political maneuvering but talk about some understanding of economics and the things we need to be doing to p

ms. ros-lehtinen of florida. mr. defazio of oregon. mr. flake of arizona. ms. woolsey of california. mr. lincoln diaz-balart of florida. mr. mcclintock of california. and mr. gingrey of georgia. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6 of 2009, the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. ms. jackson lee: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i am saddened by the occasion of which i come to the floor of the house. but it is a privilege to be able to speak about a great american. for if we do not capture the life and the legacy of great americans, we find out -- find ourselves forgetting and some would say if we don't remember the past, we are doomed to repeat some of those hills and valleys in the future. tonight, i want to remember ambassador richard holbrooke, of whom this nation lost on monday evening. it is important that his story be told, for i would like to know him and for this nation to know him as america's peacemaker. but many will say that peacemaker had a tough edge. before i start, i want to menti

ms. ros-lehtinen of florida. mrs. miller of michigan. mr. franks of arizona. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. five minute special order ordered in favor of the the gentleman from arizona, mr. franks is vacated. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, the gentleman from arizona, mr. franks is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. franks: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i know that it comes as no surprise of this house that i have been one very critical of this administration's policies on a number of different fronts and i suppose that will be no different tonight. but mr. speaker, i guess i wanted to start out tonight by addressing the wikileaks issue. i know that a lot of people across america have looked upon this with interest and i guess it's significant in my mind that what we have seen on the wikileaks issue is really more conformatory. and wait has demonstrated is that this administration has practiced for a long time a foreign policy of apeasement and has been a disaster. the most pressin

ms. ros-lehtinen, florida. mr. grayson, florida. mr. franks, arizona. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> to address the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, it wasn't many years ago that coal miners relied on a small bird, a can narry that signaled that things were toxic.6 c1 bird would become sick before the miners and would have a chance to escape or put on protective respirators. toxic gases, chemicals and natural ion of our resources have jeopardized our air, water and land and wildlife that inhabit the ecosystem. the bird in the coal mine is sick. today, nearly 33% of the species are threatend and extinction is in the hundreds. losses of these species is from land use change, exploittation and disease. why the emphasis on frogs? they regulate their local ecosystem and control population of insects that spread disease, they are important to our human health as well. they tind the way towards new drugs. scientists have found chem

ms. ros-lehtinen of floor. -- of florida. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to take my five minutes at this time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. speaker. wikileaks released a classified information has generated a lot of attention worldwide in the past few weeks. the hysterical reaction makes one wonder if this is not one example of killing the messenger for the bad news. despite what is claimed, information so far released, though classified, has caused no known harm to any individual, but it has caused plenty of embarrassment to our government. losing a grip on our empire is not welcomed by the neoconservatives in charge. there is now more information confirming that saudi arabia is a principle supporter and financeeer of al qaeda and this should send off alarm bells shins we guarantee its government. this emphasizes more that no al qaeda existed in iraq before 9/11, yet, we went to war against iraq based on the lie that it did. . it has been charged by e

ms. ros-lehtinen for their support as well. for far too long, the chinese government has evaded virtually all serious scrutiny of its horrific human rights record, usually by employing bullying tactics, including threats to nations and to individuals today the chinese government brutalizes women and children through forced abortion and coerced sterilization as part of its barbaric one child per couple policy. it tortures and harms falan gong and uighurs and has trons formed the internet into a fool for surveillance and censorship. i know that immediately prior to the olympics, mr. wolf and i visited beijing, one of many human rights chips -- trips to china. while we were there, we sought to meet with house church leaders who wanted to meet with us and pray with us. all but one were arrested and detained and after we left that particular pastor was arrested and detained and interrogated as well. madam speaker, the naming of mr. liu as the 2011 nobel peace prize laureate and the chinese government's outrageous response to that na