[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 126 (Monday, September 12, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 12, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                                 HAITI

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Goodling] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GOODLING. Madam Speaker, I very seldom ever take or participate 
in Special Orders. I realize they are expensive to the taxpayer, and I 
sometimes question the effectiveness. But the topic this evening is so 
important and so time sensitive, we have very little time left to try 
to prevent the President from doing what would be the most incredible 
thing and the worst thing any commander in chief could do, and that 
would be to send young men and young women into Haiti to lose their 
lives.
  I pleaded in three letters to the President not to make this mistake 
of sending troops into Haiti. The response I have received is that the 
administration is committed to restoring democracy. My response to that 
letter has been, how can you restore something that has never been in 
the first place? There has never been a democracy in Haiti.
  From 1843 to 1915, there were 22 different despots in Haiti.

                              {time}  2030

  Only one, only one, ever served their entire time. From the middle of 
1880 to 1910, we had eight United States interventions, troops going 
into Haiti on eight different occasions, from 1880 to 1910.
  Did we do anything good for Haiti by doing that? The answer is no. 
Did democracy take roots while we were there? The answer is no. We went 
back in again in 1915. This time we stayed for 19 years, 19 years, and 
again, no roots for democracy took place. Nothing happened good as far 
as Haiti is concerned.
  How long do we stay this time, Madam Speaker? Who knows. We stayed 19 
years the last time, and nothing good happened, but this time we could 
have troops being picked off constantly while we are there trying to 
keep peace or developing a democracy.
  There is no bilateral or unilateral group that can move into Haiti 
and develop a democracy. It has not happened before; it will not happen 
now. No security interests for the United States are there, unlike 
those that were either perceived or were real in the Cuban Soviet 
concern in the sixties, or the Soviet Grenada concerns in the 1980's, 
no security interests for the United States.
  There are no Americans at risk in Haiti. All those Americans in Haiti 
at the present time said the only risk they will ever have is if we 
move into Haiti. Then their lives will be at risk. They are not at risk 
now. They want us to stay out. That is what we should do.
  Madam Speaker, we rightfully helped prevent starvation and death due 
to illness in Rwanda, and we do that rightfully. At the same time, we 
have a policy to cause starvation and death due to sickness in Haiti.
  Tonight is the night, I would say to the Members, when all of the 
Members who feel as strongly as I do about this issue have to make it 
clear to the administration how we feel. Tonight is the night for all 
of those constituents in everybody's district who feel strongly about 
the fact that we have no business sending young men and women into 
Haiti, get the phones ringing at the White House. You may be too late 
by tomorrow or the end of the week. Do it tonight. No troops, no 
American young men and women, die in Haiti.

                          ____________________