[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 71 (Tuesday, June 4, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4966-S4967]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and 
were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-246. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Legislature of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico relative to 
     the Island Municipality of Vieques; to the Committee on Armed 
     Services.

                               S.R. 1508


                          statement of motives

       The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, in its 
     Section 4 of Article II, establishes that ``no law shall be 
     made abridging the freedom of speech . . . or the right of 
     the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the 
     government for a redress of grievances.'' It further provides 
     that ``persons may join with each other and organize freely 
     for any lawful purpose''. Article II, Section 6 of the 
     Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
       It has been recently reported that Navy personnel used tear 
     gas and fired rubber bullets against persons assembled in 
     front at the gates of Camp Garcia on the Island Municipality 
     of Vieques. According to the information reported, the Navy 
     of the United States of America used unreasonable and 
     disproportionate force and violence against the protestors 
     who--in the full exercise of the above stated rights--were 
     expressing their opposition to the occupation of the land and 
     to the military practices conducted by the Navy in Vieques.
       All the members of this Body, the Senate of the 
     Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, took an oath to defend the 
     constitutional postulates cited above and the laws of Puerto 
     Rico when sworn into office. This entails the use of the 
     available mechanisms to watch over and protect the rights 
     recognized for all our citizens in our code of laws. 
     Therefore, this Senate emphatically censures the use of 
     unreasonable and disproportionate force and violence in order 
     to limit or restrict the right of all U.S. citizens to freely 
     express themselves and to assemble peacefully.
       This Senate rejects the use of force and violence without 
     reasonable justification for the purpose or effect of 
     limiting or restricting the rights recognized by the 
     constitution or by our laws. The violence displayed by navy 
     officers should have the effect of reaffirming in the people 
     of Puerto Rico their desire to achieve the ceasing of 
     military practices and the prompt return of the occupied 
     lands on the Island Municipality of Vieques. The cause of 
     Vieques is for peace; not for violence: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate of Puerto Rico:
       Section 1.--The Senate of the commonwealth of Puerto Rico 
     emphatically rejects the use of force and violence by the 
     United States Navy without reasonable justification for the 
     purpose or effect of limiting or restricting the right of all 
     U.S. citizens to freely express themselves and to assemble 
     peacefully against the occupation and the military practices 
     of said branch of the Armed Forces of the United States of 
     America. The cause of Vieques is for peace; not for violence.
       Section 2.--This Resolution shall be translated into the 
     English language and remitted to the President of the United 
     States of

[[Page S4967]]

     America, the Secretary of Defense of the United States of 
     America, the Secretary of the United States Navy, the 
     President and Floor Leaders of the Senate of the United 
     States of America, the Speaker and the Floor Leaders of the 
     House of Representatives of the United States of America, the 
     Secretary General of the United Nations, Amnesty 
     International, the International Civil Rights Commission, and 
     the Civil Rights Commission of Puerto Rico, and to the Human 
     Rights Commission in Geneva, as well as to the media.
       Section 3.--This Resolution shall take effect immediately 
     after its approval.
                                  ____

       POM-247. A resolution adopted by the House of the 
     Legislature of the State of Michigan relative to the Federal 
     Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act; to the 
     Committee on the Judiciary.

                        House Resolution No. 409

       Whereas, In 1934, Federal Prison Industries (FPI) was 
     created as a wholly owned government corporation. Today, FPI 
     operates 103 factories, with over 21,000 inmate workers and 
     annual sales of more than $500 million per year. The 
     operation offers over 150 products. FPI enjoys significant 
     advantages over private manufacturers making similar products 
     because of government procurement policies, including a 
     ``mandatory source'' requirement for government agencies; and
       Whereas, With obvious personnel and benefits advantages 
     over private sector firms, there is a clear penalty to 
     employers and workers under the current situation. Some of 
     the most respected companies in many fields suffer 
     significantly from the unfair competition from FPI; and
       Whereas, In Michigan, the impact of current FPI policies 
     has been strongly felt by many working families. Last year, 
     Michigan lost thousands of manufacturing jobs; and
       Whereas, Congress is presently considering a measure that 
     would bring comprehensive reforms to the operations of FPI. 
     The Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act 
     would address directly the present unfair government 
     purchasing policies. This legislation, H.R. 1577, includes 
     specific requirements that FPI would have to follow to 
     achieve fairness and promote the training of inmates. Under 
     the Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act, 
     FPI would compete for contracts in a manner that minimizes 
     unfair advantages and ensures that government agencies get 
     the best value for taxpayer dollars. The legislation also 
     includes numerous accountability measures, increased emphasis 
     on preparing inmates for a return to society, and enhanced 
     restitution for victims of crime; and
       Whereas, A more appropriate approach to prisoner-based 
     manufacturing will not only bring fairness to the marketplace 
     and thousands of America's working families, but it also will 
     enhance the federal corrections system; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we 
     memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact the 
     Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act; and 
     be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, and the numbers of 
     the Michigan congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-248. A substitute joint memorial adopted by the 
     Legislature of the State of Washington relative to designate 
     the former Eagledale ferry landing on Bainbridge Island as a 
     national memorial to remember the unconstitutional internment 
     of Japanese-Americans during World War II; to the Committee 
     on Energy and Natural Resources.

                  Substitute House Joint Memorial 4026

       Whereas, during World War II on February 19, 1942, 
     President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 
     9066, setting in motion the forced exile of more than one 
     hundred ten thousand Japanese-Americans from Washington, 
     Oregon, and California; and
       Whereas, in Washington state, twelve thousand eight hundred 
     ninety-two men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry--
     most of them United States citizens--experienced three years 
     of unconstitutional internment, deprived of their rights 
     granted under Amendment XIV of the United States Constitution 
     to protect their life, liberty, and property through due 
     process of law; and
       Whereas, on March 30, 1942, two hundred twenty-seven 
     Bainbridge Island men, women, and children of Japanese 
     ancestry--most of them United States citizens--where escorted 
     by United States Army soldiers to the former Eagledale ferry 
     landing where they solemnly boarded the ferry Kehloken and 
     departed on a lonely journey with an unknown destination and 
     fate; and
       Whereas, with only six days' notice they would be taken 
     away and only allowed to bring whatever they could carry or 
     wear, they were forced to hastily sell, store, or make 
     arrangements for all of their possessions, businesses, and 
     property; and
       Whereas, the two hundred twenty-seven people from 
     Bainbridge Island were the first Japanese-Americans in United 
     States history to be forcibly removed from their homes by the 
     United States Army and sent to the Manzanar internment camp 
     located in a remote California desert; and
       Whereas, not every Japanese-American from Bainbridge Island 
     boarded that fateful ferry; some were drafted into the 
     military, some were unjustly imprisoned, and some moved away, 
     but all were forced to leave; and
       Whereas, their only crime was being Nikkei--persons of 
     Japanese ancestry; and
       Whereas, to commemorate this momentous and tragic event in 
     United States history, the Bainbridge Island WWII Nikkei 
     Exclusion Memorial Committee, a joint endeavor of the 
     Bainbridge Island/North Kitsap Interfaith Council and the 
     Bainbridge Island Japanese-American Community, is working 
     with members of Washington state's federal delegation and 
     appropriate federal authorities to designate the former 
     Eagledale ferry landing as a national memorial; and
       Whereas, it is the vision and hope that the proposed 
     national memorial will honor those who suffered, cherish the 
     friends and community who stood beside them, and inspire all 
     Americans to not repeat the mistakes of the past by 
     safeguarding constitutional rights for all; and
       Whereas, the proposed national memorial could become an 
     international treasure, attracting, informing, and inspiring 
     people from around the world by telling an important and 
     timeless story for future generations; and
       Whereas, it is vital that all Washington citizens remember 
     and learn from this period of our nation's history;
       Now, therefore, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that 
     Congress continue its worthy endeavor to designate the former 
     Eagledale ferry landing on Bainbridge Island as a national 
     memorial to remember the unconstitutional internment of 
     Japanese-Americans during World War II;
       Be it resolved, That copies of this Memorial be immediately 
     transmitted to the Honorable Goerge W. Bush, President of the 
     United States, the President of the United States Senate, the 
     Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of 
     Congress from the State of Washington.
                                  ____

       POM-249. A resolution adopted by the Common Council of the 
     City of Buffalo, New York relative to the Clean Air Act; to 
     the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

                          ____________________