Date: 2006-06-15
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. the question of the day is this. do you support the war against terrorism or dont you? You know. our enemy brutally attacked the World Trade Center in 1993. and we did nothing. In 1998. they attacked two American embassies in East Africa killing 80 people. We did nothing. We were attacked again on USS Cole. We did nothing. Well. now we have a strong President with courage and conviction who is bold enough to say enough i.s enough. If you are going to attack the United States. then we are going to fight back. and we will not tolerate terror. You know. I devoted 29 years of my life to the Air Force. flew 62 missions in the Korean War. 25 in Vietnam. and spent 7 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. more than half of that in solitary confinement. When I say I revere freedom. I mean that with my whole heart. I know what it is like not to have it. Every single day. since I left -that God forsaken place. I thank God for my freedom. Sometimes people here in America take the countless blessings of this Nation for granted. However. freedom is the touchstone of democracy. and America means business when we say we want to help people in Iraq experience the rich taste of freedom. When we say we are with you. our word is golden. It is through the lens of a lifelong fighter pilot that I step back today and marvel at some of the tremendous accomplishments of the last several years in the promising democracy of Iraq. It gives me hope and provides just a glimpse of how the best is yet to come. Mr. Speaker. we are making great progress in Iraq. I have been there. and I have seen it. What a difference a few years makes. For generations. the people of Iraq only knew hate. fear and death. The former leader of Iraq gassed his own people by the thousands and hanged people in his very own death chambers. Remember just days ago looking at the image on the television of Zarqawi. the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq? He was cornered and killed. Better yet. from that raid. came a slew of information. We are hunting down terrorists. and they are going to pay. According to the Associated Press. American and Iraqi forces have carried out 452 raids just since last weeks killing of al Zarqawi and 104 insurgents were killed during those raids They also resulted in the capture of 759 antiIraqi elements. As a result. we discovered a treasure trove of al Zarqawis information. almost ensuring a defeat against the evil forces of al Qaeda. Americans are training and working with Iraqi forces nationwide.. There is over 260-.000 Iraqi security forces serving their country. Another exciting facet of the development in Iraq is the budding democracy. Remember last January we saw the pictures from the first election? The news media predicted gloom and doom. What did we see? We saw bold images of people patiently waiting in lines for hours. defying death threats just to cast a vote. Today. people are working tirelessly to guarantee their freedoms. Participation in many Sunni areas of Iraq went from as little as 25 percent in January 2005 election to 75 percent in December. That is tremendous. Wouldnt we like that here in the United States? The people of Iraq have created a framework for their own future. their very own constitution. They have announced a new unity government. and the people of Iraq refused to allow those who rule by hate and fear to stop them from forging ahead for the future. They are already tasting the fruits of. our freedom. Their strong resolve will pay. off in the long run. They know what a difference several years of budding democracy makes. This is what. democracy looks like in Iraq today. Schools and hospitals have been renovated. over 3.700 schools. In May. oil production was over 2.1 million barrels a day. In 2003. barely anyone had a cell phone. In Iraq today there are 6.4 million telephone users. and 1 million landline connections. There are over 100 privately owned newspapers and magazines and more than two dozen radio and television stations. That is just the beginning. Our men and women in uniform are doing a tremendous job bolstering this new democracy and planting the tree of freedom in tyrannys backyard. Our men and women are making a difference. and making progress. They are lifting up the people of Iraq. so ultimately the people of Iraq can help themselves. We must stay the course and see this through. We must be patient and persevere. I think President Bush said it best. quote. this is going to be freedoms century. God bless you. God bless America. I salute you one and all and praise the people of Iraq.