it was a common occurrence in the philippines. common that i reprint in the book, an american marching song. there was a waterboarding song put to song that the americans marched to. it was a very common thing for us to do at that time. i had no idea. >> interesting. several questions here deal with what are the lessons to learn from your research on our current situation in the two wars that we are engaged in today? >> well, that is another book. so, i would like to reserve that one. i go back to the idea that we have a system set up by the founding fathers. we have a constitution that says that this is how the system should work. it is a very good idea to have congressional oversight. congress is supposed to be the one that debates and declares wars, not the executive. in this case in "the imperial cruise," roosevelt made a secret treaty with a foreign country that he did not want congress to look at, and nobody knew about it until well after his death. we had disastrous consequences. it is from this agreement where roosevelt gre

the philippines is, after all, no ordinary republic. it is the only asian nation that first incorporated democratic values as a territory of the united states of america. it was to the philippines that general douglas macarthur vowed to return after the courage of the defense of the agony of the baton death march. american blood was shed, american treasure expended, american youth lost to give birth to the philippine democracy in the post world war ii world. that is why the massacre of november 23 must be a concern to all of us as the political airs to the brave veterans of the philippines campaign. anything less, madam speaker, than a thorough, transparent and independent investigation of this massacre is unacceptable. the success of the global war on terror in this volatile southern region in the philippines depends on a full implementation of transparency and the rule of law. the people power revolution of 1986 which the united states both celebrated and assisted requires open, fair and violent-free presidential elections in may of 20

and you have a gang of people broaden from low-wage countries like the philippines, ethiopia, bangladesh, even pakistan. they are hired by contractors, and they do a bunch of that work. and at the top of the pyramid are the military guys. that is blackwater, the guys with guns who do the work military people always did that military people who would be accountable to the chain of command, instead to have these contractors. that is where you have most of the americans being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, tens of times more than the equivalent in the military expects, and they are not a credible at all to the military high command of. they are under a separate set of laws. host: we will talk probably about the size of the presence overseas. before we get to calls, you talked to iraq and afghanistan occurred outside of those, what is the largest presence in the world? >> japan, south korea, and germany. in germany alone, there are over 57,000 troops. there -- actually, almost 200 bases and installations in germany. some are huge, like the giants' medical center. some are tiny

we need to shine a spotlight brightly on the philippines until those who are responsible are brought to justice. the president needs to -- president arroyo needs to sever any ties she has with the clan and needs ro to the request an investigation by the philippine bureau of investigation. for too long, they've suffered from a plague of corruption and violence and it's time to for the international community to demand reform. november 23, 2009, was a sad day in the history of the philippines and a dark day for press freedom. i was proud to support the resolution's passage, which puts the united states house of representatives on record as condemning this atrocious act and sending our condolences to the family and friends of the victims. mr. speaker, yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes mr. defazio of oregon. ms. kaptur from ohio. mr. grayson of florida. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, the gentleman from california, mr. lungren, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority lea

i spoke with one woman going home to the philippines tonight, and she brought six large boxes.he says she just got her two hours earlier than she had planned because she wanted to make sure she got it all through screening. a couple other notes, larry. the international travelers see their luggage and carry-ons go through x-ray machines a couple of times, and also go through more of the personal hand checks. so additional screenings of the luggage, and they tell us through the security checkpoints they'ring seeing more of the pat-downs of passengers. >> larry: thanks, cara. robert is chief executive officer for wayne county, michigan. what did we learn from the events of christmas day, robert? >> at this point there's definitely a heightened awareness. you saw from the flight today, larry, that people are taking and the airlines are taking all sorts of precautions. the individual in the bathroom was not responding to directions or commands from the flight staff. as soon as the plane landed it was segregated and they checked all the passengers and luggage, and the individual was

this is based on nature as well 1981 there was an volcanic explosion in the philippines eagles the biggest explosion and about 100 years in sulfur dioxide in the stratosphere and what happens when sulfur dioxide gets into the stratosphere at that height, volcanoes or exploding all the time and putting their effluvia lower into the trip as beer and when it gets to that height it behaves differently. it mixes with the air assault and forms this deeper around the planet that is a kind of stratospheric shield. in the math they decrease over 1 degree fahrenheit for about two years. was a change in the global temperature as a result of this volcano. there are scientists we write about in drunk that want to mimic nature or recreate the explosion. you could run around dynamiting volcanoes and i would be disastrous and messy and inefficient because it puts hundreds of billions of tons of junk in the air and you don't want. instead they like to do a targeted garden hose to the sky where you've been spurts of sulfur dioxide in a relatively very small amount of there would be enough to mimic what it d

in recognition of wounds he received during the action in the philippines, mr. illhouse was awarded the purple heart in 1984 and also received the bronze star for his sdwrished military service. -- distinguished military service. following his return to white springs, mr. hillhouse continued his commitment to public service as a dedicated employee of the united states postal service. for nearly 30 years. specifically, mr. hillhouse served as postmaster of white springs from july 14, 1947, until his retirement on january 19, 1973. in addition to his service as postmaster, mr. hillhouse was active in the white springs community as a long-time volunteer fire chief and as a member of the veterans of foreign wars organization. mr. hillhouse passed away in his house in white springs at the age of 84. mr. speaker, clyde hillhouse's life stands as a testament to the bravery and dedication exhibited by the men and women of the united states military, and it is my hope that we can honor this exceptional soldier and public servant through passage of this resolution to desig

in 1991 there was a volcanic explosion in the philippines. and it was the biggest volcanic explosion, about 100 years in terms of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. and what happens when sulfur dioxide gets into the stratosphere at the height -- volcanoes exploit all the time and are putting their of living alone were into the troposphere -- when it gets to that height it behaves differently and mixes with the aerosol and kind of reforms this vapor laser around the planet that is a kind of stratospheric shield. in the aftermath of the volcanic explosion the temperatures decreased by 1 degree fahrenheit for two years. it was a change in global temperature as a result of this volcano. there are scientists we write about in "super freakonomics" that want to essentially mimic nature or recreate that kind of explosion. you could run around using dynamite in volcanoes and that would be really disasters and messy and horribly inefficient because it puts hundreds of millions of tons of jump in there you don't want there and instead, they would like

was december 1994 when usef the bomber of the first world trade center boarded a plane in the southern philippines and built a device in the air that was made of tatp, gun cotton, cotton balls, and left it on the plane and got off and it blew up. it was a precursor for the plan to blow up 12 jumbo jets over the pacific. we deal with it for 15 years, anded sad reality is we have not taken any firm members to protect passengers in terms of installing detection systems at paengs screening checkpoints. secretary ridge when he was in place, he did an excellent job of professionalizing tsa and putting screeners there, he did an excellent job of requires explosive detection systems for check bag kaj. they did not arrest the issue of how to screen passengers to prevent them from carrying explosives on board. >> what's the story with yemen? highway do you read this? now deeply rooted. >> it's completely at face value. they try to kill the interior deputy minister with a petn bomb on august 28th. the guy hid it in 4iz underwear and got through metal detectors. he almost killed the prince and himself in that

it was december 1994 when the bomber of the first world trade center boarded a plane in the southern philippines he built a device in the air that was made of tatp, gun cotton, cotton balls, left it on the plane and got off and it blew up. this was a precursor for their plan to blow up 12 jumbo jets over the pacific. we've been dealing with this now for 15 years, and the reality, the sad reality is we still have not taken any firm measures to protect passengers in terms of installing detection systems at passenger screening check pointses. second ridge, when he was in place, he did an excellent job of professionalizing tsa, putting screeners there. he did an excellent job of requiring explosive detection systems for checked baggage. but they did not address the issue of how do you screen passengers and prevent them from carrying explosives on board. >> larry: well said. what's the story with yemen. how do you read this? how deeply rooted? >> i take the samt that they're behind this completely at face value. it accords with previous operations. they try to kill the deputy minister with a petn bom

but purchased illegally from the philippines. apparently the counterfeit drug so closely resembled the legal version that two pharmacologists conducting the analysis after ms. johns' death could not tell the difference. local police have yet to identify the contents of the counterfeit drug. a few of my colleagues have already mentioned the letter sent last week by f.d.a. commissioner margaret hamburg outlining the safety concerns that the f.d.a. has about re-importation. specifically, the f.d.a. stated that importing non-f.d.a.-approved prescription drugs posed four potential risks to patients. let me go over those four risks. the first, the drug may not be safe and effective because it did not undergo the rigorous f.d.a. regulatory review process. number two, the drug may not be consistently made high-quality product because the facility in which it was manufactured was not reviewed by the f.d.a. third, the drug may not be substitutable with the f.d.a.-approved product because of differences in composition or manufacturing. and,

when he sent paul laxalt to the philippines, he brought that nation back from the brink of civil war.s " friend. he was so close to president reagan that some called him the first friend. we know no one was more important to president reagan then his loving and beloved first lady, nancy. it is wonderful to see you. i had a wonderful time visiting with you before we came here, exchanging stories about ronald reagan. you are here today smiling, as always, by president reagan's side. a talented sculptor's said when he carved the statue we're about to unveil, he shaped the president's base in the friendly grin reagan would flash before one of his jokes. he told a lot of jokes. this is a fitting place to honor him. just next door, the new president began his first term by telling the country that americans held for more than one year in iran were on their way home. it was here that temperatures sank into single digits that president reagan began his second term. it was the first and only time a president had taken office in the capitol rotunda of. president reagan's confidence warm been re

and you have a gang of people broaden from low-wage countries like the philippines, ethiopia, bangladesh, even pakistan. they are hired by contractors, and they do a bunch of that work. and at the top of the pyramid are the military guys. that is blackwater, the guys with guns who do the work military people always did that military people who would be accountable to the chain of command, instead to have these contractors. that is where you have most of the americans being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, tens of times more than the equivalent in the military expects, and they are not a credible at all to the military high command of. they are under a separate set of laws. host: we will talk probably about the size of the presence overseas. before we get to calls, you talked to iraq and afghanistan occurred outside of those, what is the largest presence in the world? >> japan, south korea, and germany. in germany alone, there are over 57,000 troops. there -- actually, almost 200 bases and installations in germany. some are huge, like the giants' medical center. some are tiny

then a whole gang of people brought in from low-wage countries like the philippines, like ethiopia, likee pakistan, even, who are brought in, hired by contractors, subcontractors, sub sub contractors, and they do the work. then the top of the pyramid are the military guys. that's the guys with guns who do the work that military people always did, that military people who would be accountable to the military chain of command. instead, you have these military contractors and that is where you have most of the americans been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, 10 times more than the equivalent in the military, and they are not accountable at all to the military high command. separate set of laws. host: we will talk probably about the size of the presence overseas. before we get to calls, you talked to iraq and afghanistan occurred outside of those, what is the largest presence in the world? >> japan, south korea, and germany. in germany alone, there are over 57,000 troops. there -- actually, almost 200 bases and installations in germany. some are huge, like the giants' medical cen

purchased illegally from the philippines. apparently the counterfeit drug so closely resembled the legal version that to pharmacologists conducting the analysis after her death could not tell the difference. local police have yet to identify the content of the counterfeit drug. a few of my colleagues have already mentioned the letter sent last week the fda commissioner margaret hamburg outlining the safety concerns the fda has about three importation. specifically, the fda stated importing mullen fda approved prescription drugs posed for potential risk to patients. let me go over those four risks. the first, the drug may not be safe and effective because it did not undergo the rigorous fda regulatory review process. number two, the drug may not be consistently made a high-quality product because the facility in which it was manufactured was not reviewed by the fda. third, the drug may not be a substitute double with the fda approved product because of differences and composition or manufacturing and forth the drug could be con

so this represents well, let the philippines educate nurses or whoever and then we'll take them over hink we have to really look at the source of the problem. host: did niece on the line? caller: i've been the biggest fan. i loved your book "nickel and dimed." i have two questions for barbra. one is i've never seen a more mean-spiritted time in this country. inflation and saw $800 back in the day. i i've never seen such a mean-spiritted time where it seems there's only have's and have nots. the second question is 12-15 years, the hugest criticism of our public education system starting with no child left behind, i'd like to ask barbara what her take is on this because i also teach at college level. i think that sometimes the the more things stay the same the more they differ. kids are kids. some may differ and some may not. but we're constantly being told that our children cannot learn and teachers aren't doing their jobs. the department of labor is where you go to obtain decent employment and i think it's an insidious campaign. they take on unions and the serious stuff but don't fill

nearly half were killed in the shocking election related massacre in the southern philippines on november 23. according to the committee to protect journalists, there has been 59% increase over the 2008 levels in the imprisonment of journalists worldwide. the one party regime in china continues to imprison the largest number of reporters of any one nation. but the iranian regime runs a close section and its closure of yet another newspaper last week is another sad reminder of the extent to which it has targeted independent and foreign media in the aftermath of the widespread election related protests by the iranian people. and rounding out the shameful top three, cuba suffers perhaps the greatest per capita levels of press repression. even though it has only 1/12 the population of china, the cuban regime imprisons roughly the same number of journalists. just last month state security agents detained and beat cuban bloggers, as they were on their way to peaceful march in havana. what a sad irony that is. to help address these and other outrages, the bill before us today would beef up press

so this represents well, let the philippines educate nurses or whoever and then we'll take them over ere but i think we have to really look at the source of the problem. host: did niece on the line? caller: i've been the biggest fan. i loved your book "nickel and dimed." i have two questions for barbra. one is i've never seen a more mean-spiritted time in this country. inflation and saw $800 back in the day. i i've never seen such a mean-spiritted time where it seems there's only have's and have nots. the second question is 12-15 years, the hugest criticism of our public education system starting with no child left behind, i'd like to ask barbara what her take is on this because i also teach at college level. i think that sometimes the the more things stay the same the more they differ. kids are kids. some may differ and some may not. but we're constantly being told that our children cannot learn and teachers aren't doing their jobs. the department of labor is where you go to obtain decent employment and i think it's an insidious campaign. they take on unions and the serious stuff but

the funding is coming from mostly that goal that was confiscated from the japanese up in the philippinested, and the three places that got hit on 9/11 were the three places that stored the information on this secret blacktops operation. i would ask for a new investigation -- new one -- i would ask for an investigation, a criminal investigation in 9/11, because the whole damn thing is based on a lie. guest: one of the things, on the 9/11 commission, they had a lot of resources and did a lot of hearings. i don't know if you read that report. it has been several years since i read it. but i think it was fairly thorough. i want to get to the broader issue, and that is transparency in government in general. maybe at the end of the day, you and i are going to disagree on some things, but i would like you to have all the information. one of the things that we republicans are pushing for, if we get back into the majority, is that we want to put bills online, seven days in advance, so that people have an opportunity to read what is in the $636 billion defense bill, why is unemployment insurance i

when he sent paul laxalt to the philippines, he brought that nation back from the brink of civil war.as so close to president reagan that some called him the first friend. we know no one was more important to president reagan then his loving and beloved first lady, nancy. it is wonderful to see you. i had a wonderful time visiting with you before we came here, exchanging stories about ronald reagan. you are here today smiling, as always, by president reagan's side. a talented sculptor's said when he carved the statue we're about to unveil, he shaped the president's base in the friendly grin reagan would flash before one of his jokes. he told a lot of jokes. this is a fitting place to honor him. just next door, the new president began his first term by telling the country that americans held for more than one year in iran were on their way home. it was here that temperatures sank into single digits that president reagan began his second term. it was the first and only time a president had taken office in the capitol rotunda of. president reagan's confidence warm been reassured america.

we particularly see that in the philippines. these organizations have a strong faith element to what they're doing. microfinance combines the principles of all the privileges of the world, islam, christianity, judaism. you find that principles of self-help if you look for them. host: go ahead, don. caller: this capitalism that we try to spread through microloans, whatever -- in america, we have a totally screwed up -- if you look at athletes, entertainers, they have no obligations politically. all they do is make their money. there is no age restrictions, the note certain levels -- no certain levels, gatekeepers -- if you are an athlete, basketball, baseball, you can turn professional an early age. but academics -- we are not funding our most gifted students, and they have a rigorous bureaucracy to have to go through to be accepted. guest: i think the caller makes a couple of good points. access to education is a key part of economic empowerment. grameen foundation has put together educational scholarship for the children of the

and we have many families that send portions of their wages to family members living in the philippines or other countries. unfortunately, too often consumers fail to take advantage of the low-cost remittance services found at banks and credit unions. my question to you, what must be done to, one, better inform consumers about costs associated with sending money and, two, encourage mainstream financial institutions to provide low-cost remittances? >> senator, first, let me just agree with you wholeheartedly about financial literacy. the federal reserve has been committed on working on this for a long time, as you know. and, of course, the recent crisis el straights abundantly how important it is that people understand the contracts, the financial instruments that they are taking on. so we will continue to work with that and we will continue to also try to provide consumer protections that provide the information, the disclosures, the protections that help people get into the right product, which is very important. i agree with you about remittances. that's been an interest of mine for s

clerk: house concurrent resolution 218, expressing sympathy for the 57 civilians killed in the southern philippines on november 23, 2009. the presiding officer: without objection, the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. menendez: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the concurrent resolution be agreed to, program, -- the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table and any statements related to the measure be placed in the record in the appropriate place a as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. menendez: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it adjourn until 6:45 a.m. saturday, december 19, following the prayer and pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved until later in the day, and the senate resume consideration of the house message with respect to h.r. 3326, the department of defense appropriations act with the time until 7:20 a.m. equally divided and controlled between the t

and we have many families that send portions of their wages to family members living in the philippines other countries. unfortunately, too often consumers fail to take advantage of the low-cost remittance services found at banks and credit unions. my question to you, what must be done to, one, better inform consumers about costs associated with sending money and, two, encourage mainstream financial institutions to provide low-cost remittances? >> senator, first, let me just agree with you wholeheartedly about financial literacy. the federal reserve has been committed on working on this for a long time, as you know. and, of course, the recent crisis el straights abundantly how important it is that people understand the contracts, the financial instruments that they are taking on. so we will continue to work with that and we will continue to also try to provide consumer protections that provide the information, the disclosures, the protections that help people get into the right product, which is very important. i agree with you about remittances. that's been an interest of mine for some

then a whole gang of people brought in from low-wage countries like the philippines, like ethiopia, likee pakistan, even, who are brought in, hired by contractors, subcontractors, sub sub contractors, and they do the work. then the top of the pyramid are the military guys. that's the guys with guns who do the work that military people always did, that military people who would be accountable to the military chain of command. instead, you have these military contractors and that is where you have most of the americans been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, 10 times more than the equivalent in the military, and they are not accountable at all to the military high command. separate set of laws. host: we will talk probably about the size of the presence overseas. before we get to calls, you talked to iraq and afghanistan occurred outside of those, what is the largest presence in the world? >> japan, south korea, and germany. in germany alone, there are over 57,000 troops. there -- actually, almost 200 bases and installations in germany. some are huge, like the giants' medical cen

but purchased illegally from the philippines. apparently the counterfeit drug so closely resembled the legal version that two pharmacologists conducting the analysis after ms. johns' death could not tell the difference. local police have yet to identify the contents of the counterfeit drug. a few of my colleagues have already mentioned the letter sent last week by f.d.a. commissioner margaret hamburg outlining the safety concerns that the f.d.a. has about re-importation. specifically, the f.d.a. stated that importing non-f.d.a.-approved prescription drugs posed four potential risks to patients. let me go over those four risks. the first, the drug may not be safe and effective because it did not undergo the rigorous f.d.a. regulatory review process. number two, the drug may not be consistently made high-quality product because the facility in which it was manufactured was not reviewed by the f.d.a. third, the drug may not be substitutable with the f.d.a.-approved product because of differences in composition or manufacturing. and,

we can help countries like the philippines and cambodia statement. ink this is a good start -- at the same time. i think this is a good start and the house ought to pass this bill and next year we'll deal with a larger bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. camp: i yield two minutes to the distinguished member of the ways and means committee, the gentleman from washington state. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized for two minutes. mr. reichert: i thank the gentleman for yielding. madam speaker, i rise today also in support of this legislation to extend our trade preference programs. trade is vital to creating jobs, growing our economy, and strengthening ties with key partners around the world. preferences are a bridge for developing countries to enter the global market, to grow, and to achieve permanent trade relationships with america. look no further than south korea and colombiaer for great examples o

that was england airey quitman, and the other in bali where the action had the philippine or someonethere to make a bomb that worked. >> guest: you know, i think there have been 28 plots foiled since 9/11 that at least 20 plots that we know of. i think it might be premature to say that al qaeda hasn't been successful in at least trying to launch attacks against the united states. it demonstrates they are alive and will. a lot of those plots were al qaeda affiliated. i kind of disagree that al qaeda really isn't a good organization as far as being able to try to stop americans that they really are a dangerous, violent organization that i think we have to take very seriously and have to try to stop them from hurting us. >> host: steve is in indianapolis on the independent columbine. high, steep. tranthirty good morning. thank you for taking my call. i was just want to state a fact that we have traded an awful lot of our freedoms in exchange for this security. we see that we've not a college anything. i have a letter from president clinton, and i warned him back when he was in office ab

decision was made as to which agency would probably be best -- in the best position to administer this. are you planing -- philippining other areas where assigning one of the agencies -- the responsibility makes more sense than both agencies trying to coordinate work together on it. some other areas. >> sir, since you -- you, karen and dr. guise and i. not karen dr. guise & have worked closely and commiserated on the two bits of law. one that established the f.r.c.'s and later on the n.d.a. that established the r.c.c.'s is a parallel program. and the question is, as we work through this since they're so parallel, why not bring them both together? i think prorblee the initial intent was to have one program cover all and not just the f.r.c.'s for the ones that are the most seriously injured and destined to department from the department of defense and move into the v.a., but also the category two, the middle level that -- that really sort of up in the air, where they will progress medically and return to duty and then depart. i think there's a hot of questions there, that was the number one priority of the number one re