[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 66 (Monday, April 24, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5561-S5562]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRAGEDY IN OKLAHOMA CITY
  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, on behalf of all the Senate, I extend my 
sympathies to Senator Nickles, Senator Inhofe, Members of the House 
Oklahoma delegation, Gov. Frank Keating, and, through them, to all the 
citizens of Oklahoma for the loss they suffered last Wednesday.
  Kansas and Oklahoma share a common border. And our citizens also 
share common values. Values like love of God. Love of family. 
Perseverance through tough times. And a commitment to help those in 
need. The citizens of Oklahoma displayed these values time and time 
again this past week, and in doing so, they inspired America and the 
world.
  While all the people of Oklahoma deserve our admiration, the citizens 
of Oklahoma City are worthy of special praise. It is their friends and 
family members who were lost as a result of this brutal crime. But 
while many of Oklahoma City's buildings were shattered, its spirit has 
stood strong.
  I am reminded of the words of the great World
   War II journalist Ernie Pyle, who once wrote, ``Oklahoma City is an 
especially friendly town. People there have a pride about their town 
*** They just wouldn't live anywhere else.'' That pride has never left 
the people of Oklahoma City, and it will guide them during the 
difficult days ahead.

  I salute the firemen, the paramedics, the rescue workers, and all 
those who have generously volunteered their time and their labor to the 
relief effort; the members of the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
  I commend President Clinton for the way he and his administration 
have responded to this tragedy. The criminal investigation has been 
thorough and swift, and the tone set by the President right on the 
mark: Those who have perpetrated this unspeakable evil are cowards. 
There is absolutely no justification, no excuse, for what took place 
last Wednesday in Oklahoma City. Killing innocent children and other 
defenseless citizens is the depraved act of depraved minds.
  I also want to commend Attorney General Reno for publicly stating 
that 
[[Page S5562]] she will seek the death penalty. If ever there was a 
crime deserving of the ultimate sanction, this is it.
  As the rebuilding process continues in Oklahoma City, we must also 
begin looking to the future. Although there is no such thing as 
absolute security in a free society, we have an obligation to do 
everything within our power to minimize the chances that other, similar 
tragedies will occur elsewhere in the United States.
  Last week, I wrote to President Clinton to tell him that Senate 
Republicans stand ready to work with the administration to develop a 
comprehensive antiterrorism plan for America. Senate Republicans have 
sponsored a variety of antiterrorism proposals, ranging from the Alien 
Terrorist Removal Act, to increased penalties for certain terrorist-
related activities, to proposals designed to give our law enforcement 
officials the tools they need, such as expanded wiretap authority.
  I am also familiar with the administration's own antiterrorism 
package, as well as the ideas mentioned by the President last night on 
television. These ideas will be fully considered.
  Republican staff have also been working closely with the FBI on a 
comprehensive antiterrorism initiative, and we are prepared to give 
this initiative the fast-track consideration it deserves.
  Mr. President, during World War II, the great Senator Arthur 
Vandenberg often repeated his belief that ``partisanship stops at the 
water's edge.''
  Terrorists--both foreign and domestic--should have no doubt that 
partisanship also stops at evil's edge--an edge those responsible for 
the Oklahoma City bombing have clearly stepped over. I know I speak for 
all Members of the Senate when I say that we stand with the people of 
Oklahoma, committed to doing all that is needed to protect America from 
the terrorist threat.


                          ____________________