[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 135 (Friday, September 19, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1471]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN TRIBUTE TO MARILYN BUEL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 2014

  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember a friend, Marilyn 
Buel of Essex, Connecticut.
  When I was a freshman state legislator in Hartford a long time ago, 
Governor Bill O'Neill's Chief of Staff, Chad McCullom, called me in for 
a meeting. McCullom was an Irish politician straight out of central 
casting--a cigar-chomping, hard-bitten veteran. It was a contentious 
meeting, but after we worked out the issue, we shook hands and he said 
to me, ``the thing about this business, unlike other walks of life, is 
that you really get a chance to see inside of people. Sometimes what 
you see is not very pretty, and sometimes it can be quite inspiring.''
  I recount this story because over the last 12 years, I had a chance 
to see inside Marilyn Buel due to our political struggles together. And 
what I saw was beautiful and exquisite.
  Twice, Marilyn stood beside me when I ran as a challenger for the 
United States Congress. Running as a challenger for Congress is 
probably one of the lowest percentage gigs you can imagine. This felt 
especially true when I ran the second time. It was hard to convince 
friends and family that I even had a chance. I remember one couple sent 
me a mass card when I announced, and it included a prayer to St. Jude. 
As the Roman Catholics in this body can attest, St. Jude is the patron 
saint of lost causes--which did not give me a great warm feeling about 
people's confidence in my ability to win this race.
  When I called Marilyn Buel though, her first reaction was, ``what 
took you so long?'' And from that point on, she immediately got to work 
for the next 2 years--working tirelessly on what turned out to be the 
closest race for Congress in the last 20 years. Marilyn was passionate 
about the cause and focused on making her greatest impact. In the Town 
of Essex where I ran and lost in 2002, the losing margin was 716 votes. 
In 2006, the year we won the total district by 83 votes, my losing 
margin in Essex was only nine. In a race that was decided by 83 votes, 
picking up a 707 vote swing from one race to another was a major 
deciding factor in my victory. Marilyn helped open the door for me in 
2006, which I will never forget as long as I live.
  The one time in office Marilyn called me about a vote, she asked me 
to cosponsor a bill which would provide for more visas to Iraqi 
interpreters who, as the US troops were being drawn down at the end of 
the conflict, were being left behind. What was so telling about her 
request is that there was probably no one I knew who was more 
passionately opposed to President Bush's decision to take us into the 
war in Iraq. Nonetheless, her opposition to the war did not blind her 
to the human consequences of people who were selflessly trying to help 
our troops communicate in a foreign environment.
  Elie Wiesel famously said, ``The opposite of love is not hate, it's 
indifference.'' During my time in elected office, I have had the 
privilege of meeting scores of political activists dedicated to 
changing our nation for the better. In my experience, however, no one 
embodies or personifies Wiesel's quote better than Marilyn Buel. She 
was always trying to improve her community, state, and nation, and 
never expected anything in return--except to be a part of the solution 
to our challenges, rather than complaining or being negative. I was 
privileged to have the benefit of her support and will never forget it 
as long as I live.
  We lost Marilyn in August after a long and brave battle with cancer. 
On behalf of this entire House and my colleagues, I want to extend my 
deepest condolences to Dick, Elizabeth and her family for their loss. 
Connecticut will never be the same without Marilyn Buel.

                          ____________________