[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 41 (Friday, March 22, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E421-E422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     LANDMINES--AN IMMEDIATE THREAT

                                 ______


                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 21, 1996

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, the carnage wreaked on innocent civilians by 
antipersonnel landmines has become well-known. It is estimate that over 
2,000 innocent men, women, and children are killed or maimed each year 
by these hideous and barbaric devices. Yet, nothing has brought the 
landmine crisis home to the American public until we contemplated 
sending our own young soldiers to the minefields of Bosnia.
  According to the United Nations, there are over 8 million landmines 
in Bosnia alone. One of them recently killed a young sergeant. He was 
the first American killed in the former Yugoslavia. According to the 
experts, he might not be the last.
  Landmines potentially pose the largest threat to our troops in 
Bosnia. However, the Department of Defense has been at odds with 
international efforts to eliminate them. For too long, we have only 
heard from the Pentagon of the benefits of these weapons to our forces. 
The cost of antipersonnel (AP) landmines to our fighting men and women 
has too often been ignored until we have to fight and face them. In 
Vietnam, a third of our casualties came from landmines. They will 
continue to take their awful toll in future conflicts on our soldiers 
and innocent men, women, and children, until the international 
community decides to do something about the problem.
  Our Nation could be leading the charge to eliminate these weapons. 
Unfortunately, there has not been a serious effort to seek a ban on the 
use of these weapons. This has led to marginal results that forced the 
participants, out of embarrassment, to postpone the conclusion of the 
review conference until later this spring. Without our leadership, a 
ban on AP landmines will not happen.
  This fall, Congress took a big step in asserting this leadership by 
passing a one-year moratorium on the use of AP landmines. And now the 
military is finally taking a hard look at the landmine crisis. 
According to an article in Sunday's New York Times, Chairman of the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Shalikashvili has ordered a review of 
the Pentagon's longstanding opposition to a ban on the use of 
landmines.
  I applaud General Shalikashvili for his review of this issue. He is 
obviously listening to the many American combat vets, both officer and 
enlisted, who know how much these weapons have cost us in American 
lives and limbs compared to their limited military value.
  In a speech before the United Nations just over a year ago, President 
Clinton stated our Nation's goal of a ban on antipersonnel landmines. I 
hope that General Shalikashvili's review, along with the progress being 
made internationally, will bring this goal closer to realization. 
Twenty-two nations now support a ban on these weapons. U.S. leadership, 
in the form of a call for an immediate ban, could make this a reality.
  The prestige of the President, along with the support of our 
Department of Defense, can move nations. This goal is achievable. 
Considering the terrible toll antipersonnel landmines are taking on 
civilians and soldiers, we must act now.

[[Page E422]]



                           CUTS IN EDUCATION

                                 ______


                             HON. VIC FAZIO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 21, 1996

  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the 
effects of the Republican cuts in education funding on my district in 
California.
  We're all aware of the draconian reductions in funding for education 
programs across the country.
  Children all over America will pay a heavy price for the majority 
party's insistence on slashing the Federal commitment to education.
  School districts, too, will suffer as they try to budget and plan for 
the 1996-97 school year without knowing what to expect from the Federal 
Government.
  For example, funding for title I was reduced by 17.1 percent in one 
of the continuing resolutions passed earlier this year.
  This means a $122.8 million reduction for California. In Sacramento, 
the school district estimates that $2 million will have to be cut from 
the district budget, eliminating as much as $65,000 for some of the 
neediest schools.
  Seven to eight schools and approximately 100 teachers and teacher's 
aides would be cut from the title I program effecting almost 3,300 
students. Reading tutorial sites would be closed and educational 
technology programs would also be eliminated.
  My colleagues, the cuts to title I alone are cause for outrage--but 
when they are added to the cuts to students loans, school lunch 
programs, job training programs, and Goals 2000--it is hard to fully 
grasp the impact of these cuts on our children.
  Let's not lose sight of the commitment that brings us here today--let 
us put our children first and reject these mean--spirited cuts.

                          ____________________