[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 22, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H6073]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SECRETARY COHEN'S PROPOSED CHANGE TO MILITARY RULES

  (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, our armed forces are based on honor and 
discipline. These principles lead to trust and accountability on the 
battlefield, a situation which the majority of civilians will never 
have to face in their lifetimes. Yet Defense Secretary Cohen has 
proposed to change military rules regarding adultery to bring them more 
in line with civilian law.
  Secretary Cohen has said that he would like to clear up the 
ambiguities and inconsistencies so members of the military know what 
standard they are to be held to. Mr. Speaker, there are no ambiguities. 
In the military, adultery is a felony. It could not be much clearer 
than that.
  We expect the most from our men and women in the armed forces. 
Dumbing down the standards of these men and women is insulting to all 
them. As an Airborne Ranger, I salute the United States Marine Corps 
and Colonel Stuart Wagner, who put it so eloquently: Semper fidelis, 
always faithful, is not a slogan.

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