[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 166 (Tuesday, October 30, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2281-E2282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         IN MEMORY OF JOE CRAPA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 30, 2007

  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, we were saddened with the news last week 
that an outstanding public servant had lost his battle with cancer. 
Joseph R. Crapa was serving as the executive director of the bipartisan 
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) at the time 
of his passing on October 25. It was my privilege to know Joe and to 
work with him and his fellow commissioners and the staff at USCIRF in 
their dedicated efforts to protecting religious freedom throughout the 
world.
  I would like to share the touching remarks our colleague Rep. David 
Obey gave at Joe's funeral on October 29 at St. Peters Catholic Church 
on Capitol Hill. Joe had served as Congressman Obey's chief of staff 
from 1987 to 1997, the last three years as Democratic counsel to the 
House Appropriations Committee. I also insert for the Record a news 
release from the USCIRF mourning the passing of its executive director.
  We express our deepest condolences to Joe's wife of 40 years, Barbara 
Vaskis Crapa of Alexandria, Virginia; his son Judd, daughter-in-law 
Gretchen, and grandsons Sebastian and Baird.

     Remarks by Congressman David Obey--Funeral for Joseph R. Crapa

       Joe Crapa could do just about everything!
       He taught high school.
       He represented 1,000 teachers in budget negotiations.
       He taught college courses in literature, writing, and 
     government.
       He was a fundraiser, and outreach director for the 
     congressional Democratic leadership.
       He was a key figure in a government relations firm.
       He represented three separate government departments in 
     dealing with Congress--Commerce, USAID, and EPA.
       Building on his experience growing up in ``rural'' 
     Brooklyn, he served as staff director for a House Agriculture 
     Subcommittee.
       He was staff director for two of the ``easiest'' people in 
     Congress to work for--Chuck Schumer and me.
       He worked at my side for 10 years.
       Finally, he served as Executive Director of the U.S. 
     Commission on International Religious Freedom.
       He did all of those jobs well.
       He had a superb professional career! But WHAT he 
     accomplished professionally in his life is not nearly as 
     impressive as HOW he did it.
       This is a tough and often indifferent town. If you are not 
     alert, it can wear you down. Temptations always abound to cut 
     corners and settle for boilerplate mediocrity. But not Joe!!
       Joe was a tough, street smart pol in the best sense of that 
     term, but what epitomized him most of all was his deep 
     understanding of human nature and his unflagging honesty. I 
     cannot tell you how many times he said to me, ``Dave, that's 
     the dumbest idea I've ever heard of.'' And sometimes his 
     language wasn't that sweet. Joe was determined to strip away 
     the irrelevant, the secondary, the trivial, in order to reach 
     the fundamental.
       Where did that come from? I think it came from a character 
     and intellect that was expanded and burnished by his exposure 
     to the questions that count by the Jesuits and then as a PhD 
     student in literature, being exposed to the core realities of 
     human experience.
       As a practical, operational public man, he--with no guilt--
     accepted the compromises that are the stock in trade in 
     politics. He understood what Will Rogers meant when he said, 
     ``When two people agree on everything, one of them is 
     unnecessary.'' He understood, as my great Irish friend John 
     Hume once told me, that ``in a democracy politics is a 
     substitute for violence.''
       But Joe also had rock hard convictions on a few essentials:
       He fiercely believed that the widening gap between the most 
     privileged and the poor is obscene.
       He believed, as Bill Moyers has said, that politics ``must 
     be more than who gets what; that it should rise above the 
     merely transactional and become transformational; that it 
     must even the starting gate so that people equal in humanity 
     but not in resources have a reasonable opportunity to pursue 
     a full and decent life.''
       He passionately believed that every world citizen had a 
     right to pursue their religious beliefs free from persecution 
     or dictation and he was immensely proud of his relationship 
     at the Commission with those of every philosophical bent, 
     including Frank Wolf, who was similarly passionate.
       He believed in a religion of tolerance and respect.
       He worried that politicians could trivialize and cheapen 
     religion. He did not believe it was legitimate for 
     politicians to claim God as their own celestial party 
     chairman, as a fellow New Yorker once warned against.
       As Barbara pointed out Saturday, he believed that a 
     respectful but separate relationship between church and state 
     was essential to preserve and protect both religion and 
     democracy.
       Joe loved his last job, but I will always see him as a 
     superb example of so many on Capitol Hill who never serve in 
     public office, whose name is never on the door, who day in 
     and day out love their country and try to make this a better 
     world.
       Because I believe so many of you see Joe the way I see him, 
     I would like to share with you part of a letter I wrote to 
     Joe when he went into the hospital for the last time:
       ``Joe--Judd was in my office yesterday and told me the 
     latest on your health situation. I wish to God you had 
     received better news. I'm about to leave to catch a plane for 
     Wisconsin, but before I did I wanted to put a few thoughts 
     down on paper so that you know how I feel about you.
       When I was first interviewing you to run my office, my 
     first impression in the first 10 minutes we talked was that 
     there was no way in God's green earth that I could ever 
     develop chemistry with this fast talking refugee from 
     Brooklyn. I have been forever grateful that you proved me 
     wrong.
       I hope you know how grateful I am for everything you did 
     with and for me. . . . I was blessed to have your energy, 
     know how, insight, judgment, and wisdom. I hate to think how 
     little I would have accomplished without having you beside me 
     during these years.
       But even more than that, I appreciate the personal support 
     and friendship you gave me in those years, even down to 
     today. Politics is a tough life and those of us who live it 
     know how exposed and vulnerable we all are.
       During these years, you were able to give me sound advice 
     on every front, but the most valuable aspect of your counsel 
     was the fact that underneath it all was a moral core that was 
     true to both you and me. That is a special link between 
     ``brothers'' that I hope we both treasure.
       You are a great public servant, a great friend, and a great 
     human being. Thank you for understanding and accepting my 
     weakness and shortcomings and for enhancing my strengths. 
     Please know that there are many, many, many people in this 
     town who feel the same way about you. . .''

  And as we say in the House of Representatives, I ask unanimous 
consent that these sentiments be considered the views of all of you 
here who knew, respected, and loved him.

        USCIRF Mourns Passing of Executive Director Joseph Crapa

       Washington.--Joseph R. Crapa, the Executive Director of the 
     United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, 
     died Thursday after a struggle with cancer. Mr. Crapa, 63, 
     had led the Commission since 2002.
       ``Joe had sharp political instincts but a soft personal 
     touch,'' said Michael Cromartie, current Chair of the 
     Commission. ``He had an unwavering, principled commitment to 
     advancing the work of this bipartisan Commission in 
     protecting religious

[[Page E2282]]

     freedom worldwide. Everyone who knew and worked with Joe 
     found him to be a remarkably committed public servant.''
       ``We have lost a uniquely talented leader, trusted 
     counselor and beloved friend to each of the Commissioners,'' 
     said Commission Vice Chair Preeta D. Bansal, who served as 
     Commission Chair in 2004-2005. ``I respected tremendously his 
     commitment to the substance of our work and his appreciation 
     for the critical issues at the juncture of religion and 
     foreign policy at this unique period in our history. His 
     sharp political and human instincts and his deep love for 
     humanity were crucial to our work in this sensitive arena. We 
     loved him and will miss him dearly.''
       ``It was an honor to serve on the Search Committee that 
     recommended Joe Crapa to be the Executive Director of the 
     Commission,'' said Vice Chair Richard D. Land. ``As a 
     Republican appointee, I was most happy to enthusiastically 
     endorse and commend this faithful Democrat who loved America 
     and loved the freedom for which it stands. He was a tireless 
     proponent of religious freedom around the world and was 
     instrumental in making the Commission an extremely effective 
     voice for religious freedom. It was an honor and a privilege 
     to have known him and served with him. All of us who knew him 
     will miss him.''
       ``Joe Crapa took a newly established Commission, at a 
     crucial time in U.S. history, and, during his tenure, turned 
     it into a respected voice on post-9/11 foreign policy and a 
     source of new research and insights into the influence of 
     religious freedom and related human rights on world 
     affairs,'' said Felice D. Gaer, Chair of the Commission in 
     2002-2003, when Mr. Crapa joined USCIRF, and in 2006-2007.
       ``Joe's great love of people and respect for religion 
     transcended all differences. With ebullience and panache, he 
     effectively directed the Commission through a transformative 
     period when the salience of the universal and inalienable 
     right of religious freedom has been demonstrated daily by 
     world events,'' said Nina Shea, who has served as a 
     Commissioner since USCIRF's founding in 1999. ``He will 
     always be an inspiration for me and those who had the 
     privilege of working with him.''
       Prior to coming to the Commission, Mr. Crapa served as 
     Chief of Staff to Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY). Mr. 
     Crapa spent the four prior years as Assistant Administrator 
     at the U.S. Agency for International Development. He also 
     served as Assistant Secretary at the Department of 
     Agriculture and Associate Administrator at the Environmental 
     Protection Agency, where his portfolio included Congressional 
     Relations and Public Affairs.
       For 10 years, Mr. Crapa served as Chief of Staff to Rep. 
     David Obey (D-WI), currently the Chairman of the House 
     Appropriations Committee, and also as counsel to the House 
     Appropriations Committee. He was an Adjunct Professor of 
     Government at Georgetown University (1990-1995) and was a 
     Stennis Fellow of Congress (1995-1997). He also was a 
     Lecturer for the Washington Campus, a consortium of 
     universities where he lectured on Congress and the policy 
     process.
       A native of Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Crapa graduated from 
     Cathedral College Preparatory Seminary. He received a B.A. 
     from St. John's University, an M.A. from Duke University, and 
     a Ph.D. at the University of Arizona, where he was a National 
     Defense Teaching Fellow.
       The Commission extends its most sincere condolences to Mr. 
     Crapa's wife Barbara, son Judd, daughter-in-law Gretchen, 
     grandsons Sebastian and Baird, and his extended family.

                          ____________________