[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 9042]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1945
          COMMEMORATING THE RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SCARLET KNIGHTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I came here tonight to talk about the 
Rutgers Women's basketball team, which I am so proud of, and I will. 
But I have to respond to the previous speaker.
  I am very proud of the fact that Speaker Pelosi went to Syria. It is 
very important for us to have a dialogue with Syria. The fact of the 
matter is that the Iraq Study Group recommended that we have a dialogue 
with both Syria and Iran, and certainly we need a new direction with 
regard to the war in Iraq. And an effort to reach out and have dialogue 
is a good thing.
  And there is such hypocrisy on the part of the other side of the 
aisle. I mean, the President and the White House criticized the 
Speaker. But a week before, a couple of days before, there were 
Republican Members of Congress that went to Syria. So this is just 
total hypocrisy.
  It was a good thing that she went to Syria. It is the very type of 
dialogue that we need.
  Now, Mr. Speaker, I came here this evening to honor the Rutgers 
University Scarlet Knights women's basketball team and applaud their 
character and integrity. These remarkable young women are a class act, 
and I am proud to represent them and Rutgers University here in 
Congress.
  After outrageous comments were made about the team by Don Imus on his 
CBS radio and MSNBC show, the team showed great courage in choosing to 
meet with him so he could see firsthand how wrong his sexist and racist 
comments were. During this emotionally and mentally exhausting ordeal, 
these remarkable young women were graceful and poised as they became 
media headlines for controversy.
  And I strongly denounce Don Imus' divisive comments. They were 
disgusting, and they have no place in our everyday language, let alone 
on a nationally televised radio and television program. His comments 
not only affected these players, but resonated with women and African 
Americans across the Nation.
  These were innocent student athletes living out their basketball 
dreams. They did not deserve to be his target. And MSNBC's decision to 
pull his television broadcast and CBS' firing of him displayed great 
moral character, and I support their choices.
  His comments, Imus' comments, deprived these women of fully enjoying 
their accomplishments of being crowned Big East champions, going to the 
Final Four, and making history as the first athletic team from Rutgers 
to play for a national championship. All-Met Division I Player of the 
Year Kia Vaughn said it best when she said, ``Our moment was stolen 
from us.''
  I want to talk about this team, Mr. Speaker. Rutgers had a Cinderella 
season that saw them come back from some devastating early season 
losses, including a 40-point loss to Duke. Under head coach C. Vivian 
Stringer, the Scarlet Knights finished their amazing season with a 27-9 
record. The team fought improbable odds to reach the pinnacle NCAA 
title game, and maintained enormous composure when nasty comments 
overshadowed their record-breaking season.
  I am immensely proud of this extraordinary team. Last week the Nation 
had an opportunity see a group of outstanding student athletes who were 
striving to reach lifetime goals, both on and off the basketball court. 
By excelling in academics, music and community service, they are great 
role models for student athletes across the Nation.
  The Scarlet Knights women basketball players are excellent 
representatives of Rutgers University and the State of New Jersey, and 
they should be honored for their hard work, dedication, and heart.
  Mr. Speaker, today I introduced a resolution commending the Scarlet 
Knights women's basketball team for their record-breaking season and 
their outstanding achievement off the basketball court. I am hopeful 
Congress will recognize these fine women by passing this resolution 
tomorrow.

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