E240 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- Extensions of Remarks February 11, 2009
NATIONAL SILVER ALERT ACT OF 2009 SPEECH OF HON. CANDICE S. MILLER OF MICHIGAN IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Tuesday, January 20, 2009 Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 632, the National Silver Alert Act.
This legislation will provide federal grants to states to assist them in the development or improvement of an alert system for seniors.
I believe that a society can be judged by the compassion it shows to the most vulnerable in that society. And in America those are our children and our seniors.
We all know that our society is aging and many in our community are facing the challenges posed by dealing with aging parents and loved ones.
We worry about the safety of our seniors, particularly those who suffer from either Alzheimers or dementia. And our first concern is to ensure that our loved ones get the care they need.
Many times those seniors when going about everyday tasks like going to the store or walking their dog can wander or drive off and become lost.
Statistics show that as many as 60% of patients with Alzheimers or dementia will wander at some point during their illness. Those same statistics also show that if they are not found within the first 24 hours that as many as 50% will suffer serious injury or death.
That is enough to elicit serious concern from any loved one or care provider.
We have experienced similar issues with young children who wander away or are taken by someone.
To combat that problem we established the Amber Alert system.
Amber Alert ensures that the information concerning that child is shared with law enforcement and with the general public through the media and signs along our roadways.
We have all seen these reports when they are issued and we all keep an extra keen eye to provide any assistance we can to return those children to safety.
The Amber Alert System works and it works well.
Our seniors deserve no less support, particularly those suffering from Alzheimers or dementia.
They too often can become confused and travel far distances or to areas of danger with little ability to find their way home.
That is why I strongly support the National Silver Alert Act. I am hopeful that we can quickly pass this important legislation and urge all of my colleagues to support this measure.
f HONORING ANDREW SHEPARD HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Wednesday, February 11, 2009 Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise with sadness today to honor my friend Andrew Shepard who passed away on January 20, 2009, in Santa Rosa, California. Andy was a
into the philosophy of Gandhi, my skepticism concerning the power of love gradually diminished, and I came to see for the first time its potency in the area of social reform.'' Now, with the passage of five decades, let us commemorate this historic journey of our beloved Dr. King, focusing on the lessons it taught him and the strength it provided him as he met the challenges of his day. Let us not only remember the past, but rather carry its lessons into a brighter future of promise and freedom. I once again express my heartfelt appreciation for Congressman LEWIS, a man whose own journey and career follow closely the principles and vision laid out by these two men, and urge all my colleagues to take this opportunity to honor those who refuse to allow the forces of hate and oppression to provoke them to lose sight of their vision for justice by embracing the nonviolent path.
f DTV DELAY ACT SPEECH OF HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL OF NEW YORK IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Wednesday, February 4, 2009 Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the impending transition our nation will be facing on their television broadcasts from analog to digital. Despite efforts that have been made by the government to advise the public as to what steps would be necessary to prepare for the transition such as continuous advisory commercials and convertor box coupons, there are still those who are not prepared.
Whether it is because of a lack of accessibility to applying for the coupons or a delay in receiving the coupons, no one should be left ``in the dark'' when the transition occurs. The government to this point has been doing what it can to help those upon whom this transition is being forced by offering coupons to offset the cost of the converter boxes needed to continue receiving television broadcasts.
Nonetheless, with the transition date of Feb ruary 17, 2009, only a few days away, there are still more than 2 million households that are on a government waiting list to receive assistance in purchasing the converter boxes.
It is for this reason that I am urging Members to support the DTV Delay Act, S. 352, sponsored by Senator JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, which seeks to delay the transition date from February 17, 2009 to June 13, 2009 and it would also extend the deadline of applying for government converter box coupons to July 31, 2009, provided that funding is available. This bill would also provide extra time for those who have not applied or received converter box coupons to still do so. Although this bill would not prevent stations from transitioning from analog to digital and letting others use the recovered air waves, it does allow for these same analog channels to have an extension in their broadcasting license on analog channels thus allowing people to continue viewing television broadcasts with their regular antennas.
NAACP continues to promote new ideas and leadership in the fields of educational and employment opportunities, ending health care disparities, and economic empowerment.
The NAACP instilled in America a sense of consciousness, and it continues to do so today. I commend the NAACP on this anniversary and the thousands of individuals who continue to fight for equality and justice.
f RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR'S VISIT TO INDIA SPEECH OF HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.
OF GEORGIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Tuesday, February 10, 2009 Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to join my friend and colleague Representative JOHN LEWIS in support of H. Res. 134. This resolution commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s visit to India, and the role played by the revered leader of Indian independence Mahatma Gandhi-and those who followed in his footsteps-in influencing Dr. King's nonviolent approach to achieving social and political justice. I embrace this opportunity to look back at the men and the movement which pressed this nation forward in its journey towards the fulfillment of our founders' creed, and look forward as the march toward opportunity, justice, and freedom for all continues.
When Dr. King left for India in February 1959, he was just beginning to make his mark as a leader of the national movement for civil rights. He had organized the successful boycott of Montgomery, Alabama's public transportation system in 1955, and founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference two years later. His burgeoning success had pro vided his nonviolent movement with the momentum and potential to become a truly pow erful force in the pursuit of equal rights for all Americans. This momentum became en trenched during Dr. King's trip to India, where his immersion in the world of Mahatma Gandhi's own nonviolent success led King to commit himself in his philosophical entirety to the principle of meeting hate and injustice with persistent nonviolence.
Though Gandhi had passed away eleven years prior to Dr. King's journey, King was no less attentive to the followers of the great shanti sena-the ``nonviolent army'' that Gandhi led in his successful effort to free his country from the grasp of colonialism. He encountered those who had stood with Gandhi through the long, arduous struggle for India's sovereignty, and came to deeply understand the necessary commitment and purpose of which believers in nonviolence must never lose sight. Dr. King came to believe that if India can assert its independence from the bonds of the British Empire without violence, then the United States of America can achieve racial equality with the same approach. He took the lessons of a people half a world away and applied them to the struggle of his own nation, illustrating that a righteous cause pursued by means which justify its ends holds universal promise. Perhaps it is best articulated by Dr. King himself: ``As I delved deeper
VerDate Nov 24 2008 03:52 Feb 12, 2009 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR-FM-A11FE8.001 E11FEPT1