A Weekly e-Newsletter from
Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)

September 15, 2006

Dear Friends,

This week, Americans honored and recognized the fifth anniversary of the September 11^th terror attacks on the United States.  On Monday, I spoke at the ‘Field of Flags’ ceremony that the Marietta Kiwanis Club held at Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield National Park, and on Wednesday, I spoke on the Senate floor about how important it is, now more than ever, that we continue our efforts against terrorism to protect our homeland and fight for freedom around the world.  There is no question that September 11^th changed our nation. It was the first time in our history that an army without uniforms, capitals or diplomats attacked innocent men, women and children and killed wantonly. On 9/11, the terrorists attacked the heart and soul of America and gave us a wake-up call. They attacked our families, our children and our parents. We must always remember the innocent victims who lost their lives on that terrible day.  We must also take the time to thank our first responders like our police, firefighters and emergency medical professionals who risk their lives every day to keep our communities safe, and are America’s first line of defense. I’m so proud of our president, our country and especially our men and women in the armed forces. It is time for us to resolve ourselves to support this country, our men and women in harm’s way, our intelligence agencies with the resolve to see it through to its conclusion, understanding that the continued war on terror is going to be a long and difficult battle.

To aid in our homeland security efforts, the Senate passed H.R. 4954, the Security and Accountability For Every Port Act or the SAFE Port Act.  On Tuesday, Senator Chambliss and I introduced an amendment to the bill that authorizes the creation of a Rural Policing Institute to be administered by the Office of State and Local Training of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Ga. which passed unanimously.  The final SAFE Port Act legislation requires radiation detectors be used on all cargo entering the United States at all U.S. ports and imposes a deadline for the issuance of identification cards for all workers at U.S. ports. The bill also authorizes an expansion of programs to screen inbound cargo and requires an expansion of incident planning already required under previous legislation.  Securing our nation’s ports is a vital part of protecting our nation from those who would seek to harm us.  This bill is a critical tool in the fight against terror. 

The Senate Judiciary committee held a hearing this week on the nomination of United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, Lisa Godbey Wood, to serve as the next United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of Georgia.  Senator Chambliss and I recommended her nomination to President Bush and urged swift approval of her nomination. Lisa Godbey Wood has served the people of Georgia honorably as U.S. Attorney, and I know she will continue to serve us well on the U.S. District Court.  President Bush tapped Wood to fill the judicial vacancy created by the Honorable Dudley H. Bowen, Jr., who elected to take senior status effective June 26, 2006.  No date has been set for a vote on her nomination by either the committee or the full Senate.

Also this week, Senator Chambliss and I introduced a Senate Resolution honoring the members of the Columbus Northern Little League team from Columbus, Ga., who won the 2006 Little League World Series last month.  These fine young men played wonderful baseball all the way through the tournament, but in those final two games against New Hampshire and Japan, they soared and played like true professionals.  These young men brought great pride to their state, great pride to their parents and great pride to the great city of Columbus, and I was thrilled to be able to honor them on the Senate floor and meet them last week to congratulate them in person with President Bush.  Players for Northern include: Matthew Hollis; Ryan Lang; Mason Meyers; Matthew Kuhlenberg; Patrick Stallings; Josh Lester; Brady Hamilton; Cody Walker; Kyle Carter; J.T. Phillips; and Kyle Rovig. The team is managed by Randy Morris and coached by Richard Carter.

A week ago today, Coach Erskine “Erk” Russell former assistant head coach at the University of Georgia and later head coach at Georgia Southern University, died of a stroke on his way to his beloved Snooky’s Restaurant in Statesboro, Ga.  On Tuesday, I spoke on the Senate floor about this man who was a football coach, but far more than a football coach.  Erk Russell changed the lives of countless young men in Georgia and changed the attitude of the people of our State about higher education. All through his life, Russell did what only he could do: he led by example, not by lecture, what was right about America, what was right about living by the rules, what was right about playing by the rules, and what was right about moral character. Two thousand people appeared at Paulson Stadium last Sunday to pay their last respects to Erk Russell – a man who will be missed not just for a short period of time but for the lifetime of all those whose lives he touched.                                                         

What’s on Tap for Next Week?

Next week, the Senate will debate the Oman free trade agreement.                                     

Sincerely,
Johnny Isakson