H 4444 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE May 2, 1995

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. Speaker, it is a

very common thing after a congressional break for Members to come back

to the Congress and reflect on, what

they have heard at home. I have to say

that, although there were many opportunities for me to meet and discuss

local issues with my constituents, our

attention was focused on a city several

hundred miles away, as was the attention, not only of the entire Nation, but

the world. Of course, I am speaking of

the tragedy which occurred in Oklahoma City.

In the rubble of that Federal building

in Oklahoma City we find both tragedy

and hope. And, as we look at the events

of the last several days, I think we can

see literally the very best and the very

worst in our Nation. In terms of the

best, the courage of these rescue workers, to think that they would literally

risk their lives on a day-to-day basis to

plow through this rubble in the hopes

of finding someone alive or, at the very

least, to bring out the remains of those

who have passed away, men and women

who frankly could never be paid

enough for the sacrifice and courage

which they are showing. The strength

of families praying for the missing; we

have seen it so often on television and

accounts in the media, the mourning of

those families who lost a loved one as

a result of this tragedy.

As my colleagues know, on the floor

of this House of Representatives Federal employees are often vilified as just

faceless bureaucrats, numbers on a

page, people to be moved around here

and there in the budget debate, and yet

we find out they are real human

beings, going to work every day, doing

something for their country, and in

this instance literally giving their

lives because of what they have shown

in terms of sacrifice and commitment

to this country.

And what a story of Oklahoma City.

I have only visited there once, had a

nice impression of the town, but little

did I know the inner strength of that

American community that would rally

and come together, black and white,

rich and poor, to help those who were

touched by this tragedy. And across

the country so many people were inspired by this tragedy to do a little bit

more, to become a community, to become a Nation. In my own district a

local individual, Don Eastep, Jr., of

Virden, IL, went down to Oklahoma

City, volunteered, went into the rubble, risked his life in order to try and

help in that situation. I think we all

watched in awe at the prayer service

that was held in Oklahoma City. Gov.

Frank Keating, a fellow who went to

Georgetown University a year ahead of

me, did an exemplary job as the leader

of that State. He welcomed President

Clinton, who made very eloquent remarks at that prayer service, and then,

of course, the Reverend Billy Graham,

who called on the United States to

begin the healing process.

These were the very, very best of

America coming forward at a time of

great trial and tragedy. But unfortunately we have also seen the worst. It

is still hard for me to believe that this

heinous crime was the work of an

American citizen, and of course that is

the allegation. What kind of demented

mind filled with hatred would bring a

person to the point where they would

destroy innocent lives, as apparently

occurred here at the hands of another

American citizen?

And we have heard since this event

on television and radio the venomous

rhetoric of those who would find some

rationale or support this idea that the

only way to express oneself politically

is through violence. We have heard

talk show hosts, the lunatic fringe

among them, and most of them are not;

most them are in the middle, speaking

to the American people, as they should,

under the Constitution, but there are a

handful, and we all know it, who just

go entirely too far. We have heard

them and their divisive language testing the limits of free speech in this

country.

President Clinton was right when he

said they have the right to speak. We

must fight to protect that. But those of

us who disagree also have an obligation

to speak out, too. As my colleagues

know, I think, if one needs a gun or a

bomb to express their political point of

view in America, they really have no

place in this Nation. They have really

crossed the line.

I hope in the weeks ahead, as we contemplate this tragedy and what it

means for America and its future, that

both Democrats and Republicans can

come together and draw a very clear

line, and say we will not accept violence on the right or on the left as political expression. We will make it very

clear that we want to protect our Bill

of Rights, but we will not allow those

who will turn to violence to be in any

way honored. I think, Mr. Speaker, if

we do that on a bipartisan basis, the

American people will have new confidence that we, too, understand in

Congress the need to come together as

a Nation. It is time for both parties to

draw that clear line and do everything

in our power to make certain that another Oklahoma City tragedy never occurs.

HAITIAN POLICY—ANOTHER

WASTE OF UNITED STATES TAXfPAYERS DOLLARS

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under

the Speaker’s announced policy of January 4, 1995, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. GOSS] is recognized during

morning business for 5 minutes.

Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, on April 11,

the Associated Press ran a story that I

believe bears noting: ‘‘Postponed Elections, Unrest, Could Prolong U.N. Mission.’’ That one small headline speaks

volumes. Keep in mind that there are

more than 2,400 American troops on the

ground in Haiti still and that we have

already spent in excess of $1.4 billion

on that small Caribbean island. Although the May update from the administration on the situation in Haiti

is not available yet, I think we all understand that the possibility of a

longer mission—even under the auspices of the United Nations—equals

more American tax dollars and more

exposure for our troops. With that possibility clearly on the table, perhaps

the President will refocus his attention

on Haiti for a moment to give us a candid answer to this candid question: Despite all of the money, time, and manpower the United States has already

poured into Haiti, are we really headed

for a longer term commitment than

February 1996? It seems to me that we

are. April voter registration was supposed to bring May elections to Haiti

and Haitians. But those elections,

originally planned for last December,

have once again been pushed back—

this time to the end of June. The

longer that deadline slips, the longer

Haiti goes without its 700 local elected

officials and without a parliament—

and that does not bode well for the

growth of Haitian democracy.

General crime and lawlessness aside

for the moment, politics in Haiti are

becoming an increasingly dangerous

pursuit. From the murder of former

Deputy Eric Lamonthe on March 7, to

the gunman’s assault on Philip Stevenson as he departed a Panpra Party

meeting on March 14, to the brutal assassination of Madame Bertin on

March 28, to violent clash on April 17

between the supporters and opponents

of one political candidate in the city of

Cap-Hatien—it is clear that, in Haiti, it

pays to keep your head down and your

hat out of the political ring. In addition to these personal attacks, machete and rock-wielding mobs have

launched a series of attacks on electoral offices in La Chapelle, PetiteRiviere, Saint-Michel and Grande Saline, to name just the Artibonite Valley hotspots. Clearly, this is not what

an elections process is supposed to be

about.

Of course, violence is not the only

thing threatening to disrupt elections.

Voter registration is behind schedule

and reports from politicians, law enforcement and electoral officials alike

indicate that voter cards are being sold

to the highest bidder. But we should return to the issue of general lawlessness

as well. Jobless Haitians who once

lined up peacefully outside of outside

of United Nations and United States

military headquarters have begun staging aggressive, impassioned jobs protests. Just last week in the market at

Tete-Boeuf, 20 gunmen fired randomly

into crowds and robbed bystanders in

an effort to gain control of that small

commerce center. United States businesses in Haiti report that smuggling

and general lack of authority mean

that legitimate businesses cannot prosper. Additionally, although I do not

want to overstate the significance of

the numbers, there are Haitians who

are still feeling desperate enough to

get into boats and take to the seas.
May 2, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE H 4445

The Coast Guard has intercepted several boatloads this month with more

than 240 Haitians on board and bound

for Florida. Reports from Turks Caicos

indicate that they have enlisted the

help of the United States Coast Guard

to stem the increased flow of Haitians

to their shores. These are Haitians who

have been mislead and told that they

were being taken to either the Bahamas or the United States or that the

they could get into the United States

via centers in Turks Caicos. With the

Artistide government’s recent announcement of their adamant opposition to negotiating another repatriation agreement with the United

States, there are clearly some important issues to be dealt with in the coming months. Congress returns now to

begin the budget cycle. As we are looking for ways to maximize the benefit of

every tax dollar we spend, I believe

that the President owes this Congress

and Americans across the Nation some

answers about where we stand in Haiti,

where we are going and how much it is

all going to cost before this episode is

over and done. Most Americans agree

our present Haitian policy is another

waste of United States taxpayer’s dollars.

THE OKLAHOMA CITY TRAGEDY

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under

fthe Speaker’s announced policy of January 4, 1995, the gentlewoman from

North Carolina [Mrs. CLAYTON] is recognized during morning business for 5

minutes.

Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, I think

that, before we begin our legislative

business, we must pause, remember,

and offer our prayers to those who

faced the senseless and brutal bombing

in Oklahoma. I believe we can agree

that a safe, secure, and open nation is

important to all of us.

As Americans, we must recognize

how interdependent we are—young and

old—black, white, yellow, and brown—

rich and poor—we all mourn with our

fellow citizens in Oklahoma.

And, we pray for those who were injured or died because of this tragedy,

as well as for those—friends, families,

and loved ones—who must live with

it—and, for us, as a nation.

Tragedies such as this remind us of

how vulnerable we are—how fleeting

and precious life can be.

We are also reminded of the need,

many of our citizens have, for direction—for strong, moral leadership.

If the Oklahoma bombing does nothing else, it should compel us to assume

those roles for which we were elected—

to legislate in the best interests of

America—to lead in the best tradition

of the Congress of the United States.

Now, more than ever, we need forceful

leadership—leadership that can put

aside party and politics and put the

people in front—leadership that can

overlook minor differences and concentrate on major results.

It is easy to stand in the way. Many

can do that. It is difficult to make a

way. Few can do that.

But, I offer this challenge to my

Democrat and Republican colleagues

alike—each a leader in his or her own

right—let the bickering end—let breakthroughs begin.

There are so many perils in this

world—injury, disease, famine, nature’s

occasional vengeance, the unknowns

and uncertainties of life, and the assurance of death.

One wonders why, given these natural hazards, any person would create

further hazards of the kind that caused

the harm, the death, the destruction

and the pain of the Oklahoma bombing.

Consider this, however—to those who

watch us on C–SPAN, when we are in

session—we display attitudes that far

too often fuel division and fight consensus.

To those who watch us on C–SPAN,

our philosophy, our point of view, more

often than not, seems to become paramount to concordance or compromise.

And, while no Member has the intent

of promoting malice—to those who

watch us on C–SPAN, at the very least,

we seem to wink and nod at the very

worst in relationships. We live in a

time of much hope—and a time of great

despair.

Hope—engendered by what we can be.

Despair—engendered by what we are.

Let us lead by example.

When Nelson Mandela was freed from

the jail that confined him by the jailer

that kept him, he did not use the power

he later secured to hurt him, instead

he used the conditions that caused his

incarceration as an example of what

humankind could be.

Nelson Mandela invited his jailer to

his inauguration—as a special guest.

As we begin our legislative business—

let us lower the volume—let us eliminate the venom—let us stand for consensus—let us not forget those principles that made this a great nation,

all are created equal, with certain inalienable rights and that among those

rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit

of happiness—let us not forget Oklahoma.

A DARK CHAPTER IN AMERICAN

fHISTORY

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under

the Speaker’s announced policy of January 4, 1995, the gentleman from Arizona [Mr. HAYWORTH] is recognized during morning business for 5 minutes.

Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I am

grateful for the time this morning, and

I in many ways endorse what the preceding speaker, the gentlewoman from

North Carolina [Mrs. CLAYTON] had to

say. I was listening with great interest

this morning to my fellow newcomer,

the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms.

JACKSON-LEE], and indeed at the outset

of her remarks I would endorse fully

that no one, no one in this Chamber,

would ever endorse the acts of violence,

the unspeakable acts against those in

Oklahoma City.

History points a way for us, it compels us, it offers lessons, and at this

juncture in human history, at this

juncture in the history of this proud

Republic, I believe it is important for

all of us to remember the admonition

of that great and good man, Dwight

David Eisenhower, who led the most

powerful army ever assembled in the

free world against the most onerous

and evil regime in human history. Eisenhower, when he stepped onto the

beach at Normandy following the

waves of invasion, noted that it was

impossible to walk a step without stepping on dead or decaying human flesh,

such was the magnitude of destruction

there, and yet following the war’s completion and the restoration of peace,

when Dwight Eisenhower answered a

clarion call to serve this Republic as

its Chief Executive, he made some very

valid points regarding political battles.

To paraphrase Ike, he said, ‘‘Always

believe the best of your political adversaries. Always assume that they, too,

want what is best for the American

people and yet move in a different direction under a different philosophy to

bring about their desired results.’’

I think those words are incredibly

important for us to remember as we

again come into this Chamber, the site

of so much of our history. Let us note

once again that good people may agree

to disagree. Let us not impugn the motives of those duly elected by their respective districts to offer a point of

view as we move to achieve a consensus. But by the same token, and perhaps it is somewhat ironic because,

after all, the political process is the vehicle which brings us here. Let us

never confuse dissent with hatred. Let

us never politicize such a tragic event

as the one that occurred in Oklahoma

City in hopes of increasing our number

for either side of the aisle. Let us truly

join together in debate that is, yes, oft

times contentious, but always with the

knowledge of the inherent wisdom of

what Dwight Eisenhower said, that

good people may disagree.

And I noted with some concern this

morning the seeming implication that

there was silence from this side, that

there was an endorsement of violence,

and, if I mistook the remarks, then I

would stand corrected. But let us all

avoid the temptation to politicize this

dark chapter in American history, and

let those who are working amidst the

rubble in Oklahoma City to rebuild

lives, to revitalize their community,

let them stand as an example to the

overwhelming goodness that is ours in

this constitutional republic.

To the people of Oklahoma City and

to the people of the United States of

America, Mr. Speaker, I say, Let us rejoice in this process of representative

democracy that allows us to peacefully

state our differences.