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[Page S3619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING SOUTH 40 SMOKEHOUSE
Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, it is said that the quickest route to a
man's heart is through his stomach. I tried to prove that today at
lunch when I supplied barbecue for all the Members of the Senate,
Republican and Democratic.
For the 11th year in a row, I have done that, and I have done it for
a very specific reason. Tonight, when you listen to the news on ABC or
NBC or you read the newspaper, they will talk about a do-nothing
Congress, and they will talk about how we never do anything and we
don't get along and how we don't work, when, in fact, I know, because I
have been here a long time, we work pretty hard. Now, we have a
difficult time getting results sometimes, but that is because the
issues are tough.
When you feed a man barbecue, and you have a tough issue to handle,
you have a chance of getting it done, and tonight we did that.
All but three Members of the Senate were there, stayed the whole
time, and the barbecue was outstanding. I want to pay tribute to the
people from Marietta, GA, my hometown, who drove here for 2 nights and
then cooked all night last night so the barbecue was absolutely fresh
today when the Senate had it.
Dale Thornton is here, and Dale and his wife Tracey have a catering
business called the South 40 Smokehouse in Marietta, GA. If you have
ever eaten good barbecue that has the best rub, the best smoke, best
tenderness, best temperature, South 40 has it. They are fantastic.
Dale has been a good friend of mine for a time and was here last
year, here this year, and has been here many years before, and all I
have had all day long is people coming by and saying: Is there anything
I can do for you? So I want my constituents to know I wasn't wasting my
time eating barbecue. I was gaining good points from my Members so if I
need a vote I can get it. That is not any way of using influence, but
it is a way of using barbecue.
I want to thank Dale and his group, and I want to recognize all of
them by name because I think they are listening at this time: Dale
Thornton, who is the chief pitmaster; Tracey Thornton, who is his
chief, I might add, but she is the chief and brains of the
organization; Charles Wells, retired Fulton County Fire Department;
Chief Todd Houghton, pitmaster and Air Force flight mechanic; Margaret
Houghton; Brian Rule, pitmaster; Jay Tinney, pressmaster; Chuck Taylor,
a 35-year chef; Jeff Carson, 20-year veteran chef; Kell Phelps,
pitmaster; Janet Phelps; and Raylyn Phelps, the daughter.
They drove up here from Marietta, GA, about 700 miles away, to
prepare the best food you ever had to eat. Republicans and Democrats
shared eating it all. We didn't have to do the dishes. So we ate all
the food. We did it so we can take the last half of this year and work
hard for the American people, and I hope a byproduct is our working
together to find solutions for the American people's problems. After
all, our job is not about who has the best food but who has the best
ideas and what is right for the American people, and you can always
find that when you are working together.
I appreciate the time to recognize everybody from South 40. I thank
South 40 for what they did. I thank you all for the barbecue. God bless
all of you, and God bless the United States of America.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I thank my good friend and colleague
from Georgia, not just for the great lunch that he put on today but for
his leadership and statesmanship.
I serve with him on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Talk about a
committee that is actually getting things done--bipartisan things done
for American veterans. He is chairman of that committee. He does a
phenomenal job. He is a great leader in the Senate, and I thank him not
just for the barbecue today but for his wonderful work for America and
Georgia.
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