[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 121 (Thursday, September 30, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1750-E1751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              PIRACY DETERRENCE AND EDUCATION ACT OF 2004

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. BOB GOODLATTE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 28, 2004

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to 
support legislation I introduced to designate the oak as America's 
national tree.
  During a four-month-long online election, with almost a half million 
votes logged, the American people chose the oak tree as America's 
national tree. To make official what the American people have already 
chosen, I introduced H.R. 1775 last April, which will officially 
designate the oak as America's national tree.
  As a member of Congress representing a heavily forested district in 
Virginia, I know first-hand how trees add to our quality of life. As 
Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, I appreciate how trees and 
forests enhance the environment, add recreational opportunities and 
provide for the livelihoods of millions of individuals in the forest 
industry. Whether enjoying a product generated from a forest, or the 
simple satisfaction of lying under a shaded giant, trees contribute to 
all Americans.
  The strong and stately oak tree is of particular importance in 
America's history and culture. Not only is this majestic tree an 
aesthetic beauty that characterizes the landscape of much of our great 
Nation, it also provides us with wood products in our homes, our 
offices

[[Page E1751]]

and our places of gathering. Present in all 50 states, the oak has 
played a huge role in America's history as a valuable resource. It 
helped our founding fathers establish a new Nation, supplying building 
materials for the ever-expanding 13 original colonies. It served as a 
familiar sight to pioneers as they forged across the new republic to 
the west coast. And to this day it has remained an enduring, valuable, 
and highly-prized raw material from which beautifully crafted 
furniture, sturdy door and window framing, ornate flooring and 
paneling, and the like, are made. This enduring and mighty tree, which 
has long been a part of our national heritage and strength, fully 
merits the distinction as America's national tree.
  The oak tree has also played a key role in many specific historic 
moments in our Nation's history. Abraham Lincoln found his way across a 
river near Homer, Illinois, using the Salt River Ford Oak as a marker. 
When King James II attempted to revoke Connecticut's charter, the 
``Charter White Oak'' is said to have been the hiding place for the 
historic document. Andrew Jackson took shelter under Louisiana's 
Sunnybrook Oaks on his way to the Battle of New Orleans. And ``Old 
Ironsides,'' the USS Constitution, earned its nickname from the 
strength of its live oak hull, famous for easily repelling British 
cannonballs.
  Chosen by the people in a broad-based election, the oak tree 
represents the fundamental characteristics of the great nation: 
strength, endurance, and beauty. I urge each of my colleagues to make 
official what we have known for many years . . . that the oak tree is 
America's national tree.

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