Congressional Record—House H2356
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H2356 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE April 22, 2004 our foreign policy of interventionism, Continuing to deny that the setbacks fragile than it was back then. These practiced by both major parties for against us are related to our overall facts will dictate our inability to con- over 100 years, to being seriously foreign policy of foreign meddling tinue this policy both internationally flawed and the most important reason throughout many years and many ad- and domestically. 9/11 occurred. Instead, the claims will ministrations makes a victory over our It is true, an unshakable resolve to stand that the motivation behind 9/11 enemies nearly impossible. Not under- stay the course in Iraq or any other hot was our freedoms, prosperity and our standing the true nature and motiva- spot can be pursued for many years; way of life. If this error persists, all the tion of those who have and will commit but when a country is adding to its fu- tinkering and money to improve the deadly attacks against us prevents a ture indebtedness by over $700 billion intelligence gathering will bear little sensible policy from being pursued. per year, it can only be done with great economic sacrifice to all our citizens. fruit. b 1845 Over the years the entire psychology Huge deficits financed by borrowing of national defense has been com- Guerrilla warriors who are willing to and Federal Reserve monetization are pletely twisted. Very little attention risk and sacrifice their all as part of a an unsustainable policy and always has been directed towards protecting war that they see as defensive are a far lead to higher price inflation, higher our national borders and providing cry philosophically from a band of interest rates, a continued erosion of homeland security. renegades who, out of unprovoked hate, the dollar’s value, and a faltering econ- Our attention all too often was and seek to destroy us and kill themselves omy. Economic law dictates that the still is directed outward toward distant in the process. How we fight back de- standard of living then must go down lands. Now a significant number of our pends on understanding these dif- for all Americans, except for the privi- troops are engaged in Afghanistan and ferences. leged few who have an inside track on Iraq. We have kept troops in Korea for Of course, changing our foreign pol- government largess if this policy of over 50 years, and thousands of troops icy to one of no preemptive war, no na- profligate spending continues. remain in Europe and in over 130 other tion-building, no entangling alliances, Unfortunately, the American people, countries. This twisted philosophy of no interference in the internal affairs especially the younger generation, will ignoring our national borders while of other nations, and trade and friend- have to decide whether to languish pursuing an empire created a situation ship with all those who seek it, is no with the current policy or reject the where Seoul, Korea, was better pro- easy task. The real obstacle, though, is notion that perpetual warfare and con- tected than Washington, D.C., on 9/11. to understand the motives behind our tinued growth in entitlements should These priorities must change, but I am current foreign policy of perpetual be pursued indefinitely. I am sure the certain the 9/11 Commission will not meddling in the affairs of others for commission will not deal with the flaw address this issue. This misdirected more than 100 years. Understanding in the foreign policy endorsed by both policy has prompted the current pro- why both political parties agree on the parties for these many, many years. tracted war in Iraq, which has gone on principles of continuous foreign inter- I hope the commission tells us, now for 13 years with no end in sight. vention is crucial. Those reasons are though, why members of the bin Laden The al Qaeda attacks should not be multiple and varied. family were permitted immediately used to justify more intervention. In- They range from the persistent Wil- after 9/11 to leave the United States stead they should be seen as a guerilla sonian idealism of making the world without interrogation when no other attacks against us for what the Arabs safe for democracy to the belief that commercial or private flights were al- and the Muslim world see as our inva- we must protect our oil. Also contrib- lowed. That event should have been sion and interference in their home- uting to this bipartisan foreign policy thoroughly studied and explained to land. This cycle of escalation is rapidly view is the notion that promoting the American people. We actually had spreading the confrontation worldwide world government is worthwhile. This a lot more reason to invade Saudi Ara- between the Christian West and the involves support for the United Na- bia than we did Iraq in connection with Muslim East. With each escalation the tions, NATO, control of the world’s re- 9/11; but that country, obviously no world becomes more dangerous. It is sources through the IMF, the World friend of democracy, remains an un- especially made worse when we retali- Bank, the WTO, NAFTA, FTAA and the challenged ally of the United States ate against Muslims and Arabs who Law of the Sea Treaty, all of which with few questions asked. had nothing to do with 9/11, as we have gained the support of those sympa- I am afraid the commission will an- in Iraq, further confirming the sus- thetic to the poor and socialism, while swer only a few questions while raising picions of the Muslim masses that our too often the benefits accrue to the many new ones. Overall, though, the goals are more about oil and occupa- well-connected international corpora- commission has been beneficial and tion than they are about punishing tions and bankers sympathetic to eco- provides some reassurance to those those responsible for 9/11. nomic fascism. who believe we operate in a much too Those who claim that Iraq is another Sadly, in the process, the people are closed-off society. Fortunately, any ad- Vietnam are wrong. They cannot be forgotten, especially those who pay the ministration under the current system the same. There are too many dif- taxes; those who lives are lost and sac- still must respond to reasonable inquir- ferences in time, place and cir- rificed in no-win, undeclared wars; and ies. cumstance. But that does not mean the the unemployed and the poor who lose f Iraqi conflict cannot last longer, out as the economic consequences of fi- spread throughout the region and pos- nancing our foreign entanglements HAITI sibly throughout the world, making it evolve. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. potentially much worse than what we Regardless of one’s enthusiasm or BURNS). Under the Speaker’s an- suffered in Vietnam. lack thereof for the war and the gen- nounced policy of January 7, 2003, the In the first 6 years we were in Viet- eral policy of maintaining American gentleman from Florida (Mr. MEEK) is nam, we lost less than 500 troops. Over troops in more than 130 countries, one recognized for 60 minutes. 700 of our troops have been killed in cold fact must be soon recognized by Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, Iraq in just over a year. Our neglect at all of us here in the Congress. The once again, it is a great honor to ad- pursuing the al Qaeda and bin Laden in American people cannot afford it; and dress the House of Representatives and Pakistan and Afghanistan and divert- when the market finally recognizes the the American people on a recent armed ing resources to Iraq have seriously overcommitment we have made, the re- services trip that I took to Haiti and compromised our ability to maintain a sults will not be pleasing to anyone. also talk about Haiti and the U.S. rela- favorable world opinion of support and A guns-and-butter policy was flawed tions as we move forth from this point cooperation in this effort. Instead, we in the 1960s and gave us interest rates on. have chaos in Iraq while the Islamists of 21 percent in the 1970s with high in- Many Americans understand the are being financed by a booming drug flation rates. The current guns-and- changes that Haiti has gone through business from U.S-occupied Afghani- butter policy is even more massive, and and the Haitian people, but tonight I stan. our economic infrastructure is more wanted to share a few things because VerDate mar 24 2004 03:49 Apr 23, 2004 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00088 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K22AP7.155 H22PT1 April 22, 2004 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H2357 many times we hear on the news and here that has also been very helpful to is humanitarian aid that actually read in the newspaper about what is the United States in making sure that comes in from that particular area. going on in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; what we fight the war against drugs and also They have the World Food Programme happened today in Port-au-Prince, illegal immigration. that is there in that area that is pro- Haiti; what happened as it relates to I think it is very important for us to viding meals every day. The population government, a lack of a parliament and understand, 600 miles away, Cuba is ac- there is approximately 100,000 Haitians. the legislature in Haiti; an interim tually 90 miles away, and we have I met with representatives from the government in Haiti; what is hap- many Haitians that are looking for Catholic Relief Services and also the pening as relates to AIDS and HIV in safe harbor in the United States due to archdiocese of Cap Haitian and from Haiti; also, as it pertains to hunger in political persecution.