[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 51 (Friday, April 19, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3708-S3709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN MEMORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY

  Mr. DODD. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, first of all, I 
have two sets of remarks I want to make on separate subjects. The first 
has to do with the subject matter that has been discussed already this 
morning over a period, I gather, of some 75 minutes. That is, of 
course, the 1-year anniversary of the tragedy of the bombing in 
Oklahoma City.
  Allow me on behalf of my constituents, if I may, of the State of 
Connecticut, to express condolences to our colleagues here from 
Oklahoma as well as to the people of Oklahoma, particularly the people 
of Oklahoma City, and of course the family, friends, and associates of 
the 168 people who lost their lives a year ago today in one of the 
worst, if not the worst, incidence of terrorism in the history of the 
United States.
  In addition, among that 168 people who lost their lives a year ago, 
Mr. President, 19 were innocent children, mostly in a day care center 
in that building in Oklahoma City. Of the rest, the vast majority, as 
we know, were Federal employees, Government workers. It was not, 
apparently, just any building in Oklahoma City that was the target of 
this deranged individual or individuals, as only time will tell through 
the various proceedings, it was a Government building and it was 
Government employees. They did not belong to any particular cause, 
these employees. They were not opposed because they were a particular 
group of people engaged in some political activity. They were people 
that worked at HUD and the Social Security Administration, the 
Veterans' Administration, people that were going to work that morning, 
doing what they do across this country in a building like it, serving 
our constituents.
  Because they were Government employees in a Government building, and 
because people had decided they needed to send a message about their 
Government, they were targets, including 19 innocent children. This was 
a crime committed, obviously, by a violent, aberrant American or 
persons. We all know that. I think it is important to remember that the 
vast majority of Americans were repulsed by what happened, that they 
wholly reject violence as a method of political change in this country, 
and that all of us share in the grief that the families and friends of 
the people of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City are remembering today.
  Mr. President, on behalf of my constituents and certainly myself and 
our office here, we wish to express our deepest condolences to those 
people and to rededicate ourselves here to take all necessary steps to 
try and stop those who would engage in that kind of activity as a way 
of expressing their political views.
  I point out that I supported the antiterrorism bill yesterday, as 
most of us did in this body. I felt it could have been a stronger bill, 
Mr. President. I must say that. I deeply regret we did not take 
additional actions such as identified by our colleague from Delaware, 
Senator Biden, and others to strengthen the hand of law enforcement in 
areas where, for instance, people on the Internet now, instruct people 
how to make bombs with the intent that they be used--we do not prohibit 
that. We cannot allow our military forces at the direction of the 
Attorney General to step in where terrorism may be used. I think that 
is regrettable. I think we ought to be able to use our

[[Page S3709]]

forces where appropriate. That is not in the bill. It was struck from 
the bill.

  Hopefully, we can come back and make some of these changes and 
strengthen the legislation. Nonetheless, it is a positive step forward. 
I am glad Congress has gone on record in pressing its opposition to 
terrorism, and hope we can do more in the coming weeks and months 
before this Congress is adjourned.
  The major point today is that all of us here, not to use this as a 
forum somehow to express our oppositions to various policies, but at 
least for a moment or two, to express our deep, deep sense of sorrow to 
the people of Oklahoma City, and particularly to the families and 
friends of the 168 individuals who lost their lives.

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