[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 113 (Monday, July 29, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S9009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, over the weekend, much has been said about 
the two terrorist acts this country has faced. I assume that the crash 
of the TWA flight was caused by an act of terrorism. Obviously, the 
bomb in Atlanta was an act of terrorism. I assume the two are not 
connected and the motivation for either may be entirely different. But 
I hope that the American people will not allow themselves to be held 
hostage by these terrorists, because if we do, the terrorists win.
  This is a great country. We sent armies to fight nazism and fascism 
around the world. This is a great nation that mobilized in World War II 
and did not allow the armies of Hitler to defeat us or the cowardly 
attack on Pearl Harbor to destroy us. If we did not allow those forces, 
that eventually numbered in the millions, to defeat us, we should not 
allow a few crazed people, no matter what their motivation, to do the 
same.
  I also hope that we will have a careful and studied response of what 
is the best way to go after them. I feel strongly that better 
intelligence--and we have probably the best in world--that better and 
more intelligence is very important. Our law enforcement, State, local, 
and Federal, have worked with the greatest cooperation I have ever 
seen. We should admire Jim Kallstrom, the FBI agent in charge of the 
investigation into the TWA crash. And certainly, when we watch the 
Georgia authorities and the Federal authorities come together in 
Atlanta, for those of us who once served in law enforcement, we can 
only marvel at this level of cooperation.
  But we should realize we are going to face more, not less but more, 
terrorist attempts in our country. We are the most powerful nation on 
Earth. Nobody can send an army marching against us or an air force 
flying against us or navy sailing against us. We are far too powerful.
  But like any great democracy, we have one vulnerability. That is not 
a million-person army marching against us, but a half dozen well-
dedicated, well-trained, strongly motivated terrorists. Their 
motivation may be to go to Heaven, their motivation may be some twisted 
psychotic sense that they are doing right. But they are the ones in a 
democracy who can strike the most, especially against a technologically 
advanced democracy like ours.
  I heard some over the weekend say, ``Boy, we'll get them. We'll just 
increase the penalties.'' I remind everybody that in Georgia, what 
happened carries a potential death penalty under Georgia law, to say 
nothing of the potential death penalty under Federal law. I remind my 
colleagues, in most criminal matters, penalties are rarely a deterrence 
because the person does not expect to get caught.
  The example I use are two warehouses side by side. One has virtually 
no lock on it, another has a state-of-the-art security system. The 
penalty for breaking into these warehouses is the same. But a burglar, 
of course, would take the unguarded one because he assumes he will not 
be caught.

  We have to realize that you stop terrorism not by the easy feel-good 
things like simply passing legislation, saying we will be tough because 
we will increase all the penalties or whatever, because these acts 
carry the death penalty. But, rather, we take the very hard and 
difficult steps of making sure that our law enforcement is properly 
funded, equipped, and trained, that they have the tools necessary, 
within a democratic society, the investigative tools necessary to do 
this, and that we realize as a nation that while we watch terrorist 
activity in Great Britain, Germany, in France, in the Middle East, 
Israel, several of the Arab nations, the terrorism can strike at us. It 
can be from outside our borders, as the World Trade Tower bombs were, 
or home-grown, as Oklahoma City now appears to be. Either way, we are 
not immune. That is the bad side.
  The plus side is that we are a resilient nation of 260 million people 
of diverse backgrounds, diverse philosophies and faiths, nationalities 
coming together to make one very great, vibrant nation, the most 
powerful democracy that history has ever known. And it is. We are so 
powerful, we are so vibrant because we have opened ourselves to all 
kinds of ideas, have encouraged all kinds of ideas.
  We should not allow the terrorists to stop us from having this 
exchange of ideas and this openness of views. Virtually all Americans 
will join together in wanting these people caught. But virtually all 
Americans want to make sure we retain the constitutional freedoms that 
made us so great.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. KASSEBAUM. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. KASSEBAUM. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in 
morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The 
Senator may proceed.

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