Judge was tough, tenacious and a skilled labor negotiator who could stand like a rock and not be moved.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a friend, a colleague and a tremendous public interest human being, Judge Charles Watkins, Jr., who recently passed away.

Judge had a strong work ethic and worked two and sometimes three jobs for practically all of his adult life.

He would not be moved, he would not be compromised and he shall not be forgotten.

He enjoyed the simple things of life, church with his family, backyard barbeques, trips back to Arkansas and Louisiana, family re-unions, poker games with the boys, interacting with his peers and students, attending community meetings or…

Notwithstanding all of his professional accomplishments, Judge was most known for his involvement in public activity and his willingness to reach out and help others.

Judge was much too young to die, and yet he did probably because like many other men and especially African American men, did not adequately look after his health.

He lived among and worked with people in low-income communities which at one time was characterized by the Chicago Tribune as home for the permanent underclass.

I don't think that's smart horse-trading, Mr. Chairman.

I returned from my trip resolved to redouble my attempts to conserve these resources for future generations.

These timber roads initiate erosion of soil, deposit sedimentation into streams, damage water quality, degrade fish habitat, fragment wildlife habitat, disrupt wildlife migration routes, and destroy the quiet beauty of our National Forests.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my support for the amendment offered by the gentleman from California.

We don't need any more timber roads. Construction of timber roads uses U.S. taxpayer dollars to pay for the business costs of the timber industry, and results in the degradation of soil, water quality and wildlife habitat.

The taxpayer ends up paying the cost for these damages--and too often the damage cannot be undone.

If you pull out your calculator, Mr. Chairman, you'll find that 440,000 miles is enough to encircle the globe 17 times; that's ten times more road miles than we have in the Interstate Highway System.

I urge my colleagues to support the Miller amendment to protect roadless areas in our National Forest System.

Mr. Chairman, we don't need any more timber roads. Construction of timber roads uses U.S. taxpayer dollars to pay for the business costs of the timber industry, and results in the degradation of soil, water quality and wildlife habitat.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call your attention to the 100th birthday of Mass City, a small community in the western part of the Upper Peninsula in Michigan's 1st Congressional District.