[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 152 (Friday, November 22, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2132]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              H. RES. 598

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HILDA L. SOLIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 22, 2002

  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and great sadness 
that I rise to honor my friend Senator Paul Wellstone, who died October 
25 in a plane crash in Minnesota along with his wife and daughter, 
three of his staff members and two pilots. The mark that Paul Wellstone 
left on the world was far, far greater than his small stature and down-
to-earth nature would suggest. And so, the emptiness we feel at his 
passing is vast and deep. It stretches far beyond the personal pain of 
losing a friend, or the tragedy of his shattered family.
  Senator Wellstone was a public servant in the most ideal sense of the 
term. Politics never became more important to him than the people he 
represented and the people he loved. Victory never became more 
important to him than voicing his true convictions. Power never became 
more important to him than his desire to serve the powerless.
  On the campaign trail, Paul Wellstone drove an old green school bus 
across the state of Minnesota. From that bus Senator Wellstone 
tirelessly assured people that he would struggle for peace and fight 
for veterans, that he would work to stop the tide of domestic violence 
and mental illness, and that he would defend our fragile environment. 
Most of all, that old bus brought hope and excitement to people whom 
for too long, and for too many reasons, felt that their government had 
forgotten about them. Now that he is gone, that bus must not sit and 
rust away. We must have the courage, the commitment, and the strength 
to keep that bus rolling.
  I will miss Paul Wellstone greatly. I know that we all will.

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