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Meeting with soldiers in Baghdad last month.

D.C. and District Talk

· My Visit to Iraq
Much has changed in Iraq since I visited in September of 2003, not too long after coalition troops had defeated Saddam Hussein's military and removed the dictator from power. Insurgency has grown as remnants of Saddam's supporters regrouped and realized that the move to democracy would mean the end of their domination of the country. They have been joined by terrorists who have flooded into the nation to kill people whom they consider infidels, and push Iraq into the kind of Islamic fundamentalist direction taken by Iran in the late 1970s and Afghanistan under the Taliban more recently.

The insurgents fear democracy because they know they can never win a democratic vote in a free Iraq.

As a Member of Congress who voted to send troops to Iraq and as a military man, I felt compelled to return to the country to see for myself the situation facing our nation's leadership, and especially, our troops. I did just that by leading a bipartisan Congressional Delegation October 13-14 that included Representatives Bill Shuster and Todd Platts, both Pennsylvania Republicans, Bill Pascrell, a New Jersey Democrat, and Texas Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee. I would like to report what I found on that visit.

Yes, what you hear, read, and see in the media is true: Iraq is a very dangerous place. Ordinarily, Members of Congress are not allowed to stay overnight in Iraq for safety reasons. However, a tremendous sandstorm grounded our group on October 13, and we were forced to spend the night in Baghdad. In a strange way, this proved beneficial to our delegation. We got to experience something no other Members of Congress ever have: what it feels like to try to sleep with the uncertainty our soldiers feel every night. I stayed in the "Green Zone," the highly-secured area that unfortunately was attacked by a terrorist bomb for the first time while our delegation was visiting. My sleeping accommodations were in a trailer surrounded by sandbags on the grounds of the former Republican Guard Palace.

At approximately 2:30 in the morning on October 14, I left my trailer to get some fresh air. I could hear the distant sounds of gunfire. This, I discovered, is not an unusual occurrence. Our brave military men and women have come to expect it. But they do not shrink from their task. They tell me that they believe in their mission. They do not want to cut and run. Of course, they face fear, and they hear the unfortunate campaign hyperbole that questions their very presence in Iraq. But they want the American people to know the good that is being accomplished, the successes that are not being reported.

What are some of those stories the media has missed? Would you be surprised to learn that commercial airline travel to and from Iraq is taking place? I was. Or that I flew over many schools with students in their uniforms playing outside at recess? Have you heard that the interim Iraqi government reports all but three or four provinces have been pacified? Are you aware that our troops are being housed in air-conditioned facilities and have gone against military tradition by rating their food very highly? Would you believe that soldiers were able to watch the final presidential debate on a giant-screen television? My colleague, Congressman Platts, found that out when he joined them at 4 a.m. the night we stayed in Baghdad.

A great deal of hard work, of course, remains. The key, I believe, is to convince the ordinary Iraqi citizens to participate in building a democracy. There already is evidence that can happen - even in an environment of intimidation. Just days before our visit to Iraq, Afghanistan held its first-ever presidential elections. Facing threats of violence, Afghan voters still came out in numbers that put our own election participation to shame. Villagers walked for miles to the nearest polling station. The Taliban were unable to stop the elections and the promise of democracy. Let us pray that Iraq can see the same results during its elections in January.

Constituent Corner

· Two New Fire Grants for the 19th District

I am pleased to announce federal funding through the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to two local fire departments, the Chatham Fire Protection District and the Raymond Community Fire Protection District. The money comes from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program administered by the DHS Office for Domestic Preparedness in cooperation with the United States Fire Administration.

Chatham’s grant is for $60,682, while Raymond is to receive $38,307. The money will be used for Operations and Firefighter Safety. It may be spent on training, wellness and fitness, firefighting equipment, personal protective equipment, and modifications to fire stations and facilities.

As a cosponsor of the FIRE Act legislation that started these firefighters grants, I am pleased that local fire departments have been successful in obtaining federal funds. We have held seminars for fire districts to make sure that they file quality applications in order to improve their success in obtaining a grant.

Tragedies make us realize the importance of having trained personnel respond to accidents and disaster situations. I congratulate the chiefs and the firefighters for their efforts to maintain the safety of area residents. I hope these funds will make their jobs both safer and easier and our lives safer, too.

· New Federal Grant for to SEIC Foundation

I was happy to hear of the announcement from Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman that the Southeastern Illinois College Foundation will share in $1.74 million in grant funds that are being made available to help the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) remedy severe and chronic economic distress in Mississippi Delta region communities.

I am pleased that the Bush Administration has stepped forward with this funding. While much of the nation is enjoying an economic recovery, Southern Illinois and other Delta areas have lagged behind, and these grants can be a boost.

The Southeastern Illinois College Foundation will receive $48,000 from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development. The school plans to use the money to start a new carpentry program for job training and skill development.

With the USDA Rural Development funding, the DRA will be able to support the operation of 20 different projects. Of the $1.74 million, $715,622 will be used to fund Rural Business Enterprise Grant and Rural Business Opportunity Grant programs throughout the region, and $1,024,353 will fund technical-assistance activities.

The DRA is a partnership between the federal government and the states serving a 240-county/parish area in an eight-state region that includes Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.

· Open Office Hours

As part of my ongoing effort to make myself as accessible to my constituents as possible, I will be holding Open Office Hours next week. I encourage you to drop by and share your problems and concerns with me. Appointments are not required, though they are appreciated in order to give me time to adequately address your concerns. If you would like to make one, please call (618) 344-3065.

Here are the locations and time:

November 30, 2004: Carmi

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at the City Council Chambers at 225 East Main in Carmi.

For more information on Open Office Hours, please visit my web page at www.house.gov/shimkus/openoff.htm. Hope you drop by and chat with me!

Legislative Week in Review

· The following bills were voted on in the House of Representatives this week:

o H.R. 1350 - Improving Education Results for Children With Disabilities Act (Passed 397 – 3).

o S. 2302 – A bill to improve access to physicians in medically underserved areas (Passed 407 – 4).

o S. 2986 – A bill to amend title 31 of the United States Code to increase the public debt limit (Passed 208 – 204).

For more information on these bills please visit http://thomas.loc.gov/ and type in the bill number.

Anticipated Action on the House Floor Next Week

· Either this evening or Saturday we will finish the legislative business of the 108th Congress including the Omnibus Appropriations legislation. On January 4th, 2005 the 109th Congress will reconvene to swear in the newly elected and reelected members of the House and Senate. For more information on the freshmen class of the House of Representatives please visit: http://clerk.house.gov/members/electionInfo/2004/new_members_109th.pdf/.

· Want to know more? Keep an eye on the Office of the Clerk’s web site: http://clerk.house.gov/legisAct/index.html. This site provides up-to-date information on House legislative schedules.

Did You Know?

· It is American Education Week!

This is the 82nd annual celebration of American Education Week. The event honors teachers, education support professionals, parents, community members and substitute teachers for their commitment to providing a quality education to children.

This year's theme, "Great Public Schools for Every Child – America's Promise," recognizes the partnership between parents, school staff and the community in providing great public schools. As a former teacher the acknowledgement of contributions that parents and teachers both make to improve our children’s education is especially important to me.

School staff, parents and community members can make AEW 2003 a success by engaging in activities that deepen community involvement in public schools. For a list of possible American Education Week activities, visit the NEA's AEW Web site.

Thank you for the interest in my newsletter! Remember to tell your friends about it as well--they can sign up on my web page at http://www.house.gov/shimkus.

Sincerely,

Congressman John Shimkus

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