[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 24, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H775-H776]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        IN MEMORIAM: MIKE SYNAR

  (Mr. SKAGGS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SKAGGS. Mr. Speaker, many of us have just returned this morning 
from a memorial service for our departed colleague, the gentleman from 
Oklahoma, Michael Synar. It was a moving tribute to an extraordinary 
man and a courageous public servant.
  Mike set the highest possible standards for himself and for this 
place, a 

[[Page H776]]
place which he dearly loved. He did his best to act on principle while 
being fully engaged in the arena. In this place where the line between 
legitimate compromise and expediency is so often fuzzed, Mike Synar 
knew the difference. He had a clear head and a moral compass that 
guided him, not always with perfect outcomes but always with a perfect 
sense of integrity. He knew that a seat in this House was simply not 
worth having if there were not some things that you were willing to 
risk losing it over.
  What tribute can we give to this man? Perhaps to give back come of 
the love he showed for this wonderful institution of our democracy by 
treating each other better and respecting the principles that we all 
hold, principles that Mike was so true to in his own service here. 
Perhaps we can draw some inspiration from his life and service and do 
so in his name and memory.

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