[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 96 (Thursday, July 1, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1494-E1496]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM DeLAY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 1, 1999

  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, the National Society of the Daughters of the 
American Revolution (DAR) held its 108th Continental Congress this past 
April 19th. The DAR is committed to preserving the memory of our 
Founding Fathers who achieved independence for America and instituted 
our constitutional form of government. The members of the DAR passed 
the following commemorative and resolutions as part of their recent 
Continental Congress and I submit them for the Congressional Record.

                    Commemorative--George Washington

       In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the death of 
     George Washington in 1999, it is appropriate to remember his 
     words and deeds that still define and guide our country. 
     George Washington said, ``To be prepared for war is one of 
     the most effectual means of preserving peace.''
       The Father of our Country surveyed the wilderness; was an 
     officer in the Virginia militia during the French and Indian 
     War; owned a profitable plantation on the Potomac with its 
     trading schooners; was Commander-in-Chief of the Patriot 
     forces in the American Revolution; helped create our nation 
     as President of the Constitutional Convention; then became 
     the first President of the United States of America.
       In an address to Congress in 1793 he said, ``There is a 
     rank due to the United States among Nations, which will be 
     withheld, if not absolutely lost, by the reputation of 
     weakness. If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to 
     repel it: if we desire to secure peace, one of the most 
     powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be 
     known that we are at all times ready for war.''
       George Washington was indeed ``first in war, first in 
     peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.''


                      EMERGENCY RESOLUTION--KOSOVO

       Whereas, The President of the United States of America has 
     authorized the use of air strikes in Yugoslavia due to the 
     crisis in Kosovo without a clear mandate from the Congress of 
     the United States of America, thus violating Article I, 
     Section 8, Clauses 11,12,13 of the Constitution of the United 
     States of America.
       Whereas, This action of the member countries of the North 
     Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is without clearly 
     defined goals, objectives, and disclosures of the cost of 
     maintaining an uncertain peace with no discernible conclusion 
     in an ethnically divided nation; and
       Whereas, The National Society of the Daughters of the 
     American Revolution have always supported the Armed Forces of 
     the United States of America and will continue to do so; 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the National Society of the Daughters of the 
     American Revolution express grave concern over the continuing 
     expansion of United States involvement in the Balkans which 
     places American lives in jeopardy in the absence of the 
     constitutionally required action of Congress.


                       A STRONG NATIONAL DEFENSE

       Whereas, The armed forces have shrunk about 40 percent in 
     force structure and troop levels since 1989, resulting in an 
     over-tasked

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     military decreased to pre-Pearl Harbor levels and, defense 
     spending, when adjusted for inflation, has dropped since its 
     1985 peak from $424.5 billion to the Presidential request of 
     $267.2 billion for FY 2000;
       Whereas, Insufficient funds for defense have led to 
     cannibalization of spare parts from some aircraft to keep 
     others flying, eligibility of military families for food 
     stamps, inadequate housing, unreliable and inadequate health 
     care, diminished training standards, and frequent deployments 
     of questionable value which have weakened family units and 
     the entire military establishment; and
       Whereas, The morale of the military rests upon the support 
     and respect of the people, and the security of the nation 
     rests upon a force that is adequately funded and 
     appropriately engaged; therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the National Society of the Daughters of the 
     American Revolution support increased pay and benefits for 
     the military, defense appropriations sufficient to assure the 
     military has the equipment to perform its duty to this 
     country; and respect on the part of elected and appointed 
     officials to avoid using the military inappropriately as 
     pawns to manipulate foreign policy, and acknowledge their 
     status as sons and daughters serving the nation.


                  MISSILE DEFENSE VS. ABM RESTRICTIONS

       Whereas, The United States is aware that Russia has 
     thousands of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) and 
     that China reportedly has 13 nuclear missiles targeted on our 
     cities, the Congressionally commissioned Rumsfeld Report, 
     named for the Commission's chairman, a former Secretary of 
     Defense, recently revealed the risk of a surprise attack by 
     terrorist or Third World countries, of which 25-30 are 
     seeking or acquiring ballistic missiles that could be 
     launched from land, sea or air, carrying chemical, biological 
     or nuclear warheads;
       Whereas, Since President Reagan called for the Strategic 
     Defense Initiative (SDI) in 1983, the National Society of the 
     Daughters of the American Revolution has given it full 
     support, recognizing that we have no defense against even one 
     missile (which could kill millions), but not realizing that 
     the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM)--signed with the now 
     non-existing Soviet Union--prohibits the development, testing 
     and deployment of space-based,* air-based or mobile ground-
     based ABM systems; and
       Whereas, The public should not be lulled into a false sense 
     of security now that Congress has overwhelmingly passed a 
     missile defense act--twice refused consideration last year by 
     the Senate--because, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, 
     the Administration has assured Russia that none of our 
     ground-based interceptors would be capable of intercepting 
     even an accidentally launched multiple warhead; therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the National Society of the Daughters of the 
     American Revolution, while reminding the public of our ever 
     present vulnerability to Russia and Chinese nuclear missile 
     attacks, alert the public to the Rumsfeld Report that details 
     the imminent dangers of potential surprise attack posed by 25 
     to 30 terrorist or Third World countries, employing chemical, 
     biological or nuclear missiles; consider the ABM Treaty 
     defunct, as is the other signatory, the USSR; and promote 
     immediate development and deployment of space-based and air-
     based missile defense.
       *Space-based missiles are much more accurate and less 
     expensive.


                            BEWARE OF CHINA

       Whereas, The communist Chinese have not only secured 
     important nuclear technology through spying but have also 
     influenced American elections, foreign policies, trade 
     policies and strategic interests of this country through 
     millions of dollars in political contributions; and the 
     Chinese have received satellite technology, nuclear 
     technology, a continuation of their most favored nation 
     status and a weakening of our support for Taiwan which we had 
     pledged in the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979;
       Whereas, Every technology business allowed to operate in 
     China must give China the secrets of its technology, and 
     China has used both sensitive technological material from 
     private and United States governmental sources and its 
     trade status to enhance its military capacity with 
     missiles which can now target the United States and our 
     troops in Japan, Korea, and Okinawa with nuclear warheads; 
     and
       Whereas, Communist China's military is benefiting by its 
     annual trade surplus with the United States of about $40 
     billion, produced by a 35% tariff on United States goods 
     going to China and a low 2% tariff on Chinese products 
     imported to the United States; while Taiwan, a democratic 
     country, which imports almost twice as much from the United 
     States as mainland China, should be given more consideration 
     as its loss would be a severe military and economic blow to 
     our country; therefore, be it
       Resolved, That The National Society of the Daughters of the 
     American Revolution recognize that a foreign power has 
     invaded our electoral process and undermined our national 
     security and support the following:
       1. Enforcement of laws forbidding foreign campaign 
     contributions,
       2. Establishment of a more thorough screening of personnel 
     to prevent Chinese spies from stealing our high technology,
       3. Withdrawal of the most favored nation status in trade 
     for China which has resulted in our large trade deficit with 
     them,
       4. Reaffirmation of our support of Taiwan, a democratic 
     country, which we pledged in the Taiwan Relations Act of 
     1979,
       5. Prohibition of any further export of high technology 
     material to China.


                 PANAMA CANAL--AN IMMINENT CATASTROPHE

       Whereas, The Isthmus of Panama, one of the most strategic 
     parts of the globe and vital to American security, is the 
     location of many valuable United States military 
     installations representing billions of dollars of investments 
     which are due to be vacated by the end of 1999 unless there 
     is a renegotiation of the terms of our treaty with Panama;
       Whereas, The present government of Panama, in violation of 
     the neutrality provisions of the 1978 treaty between the 
     United States and Panama, has already leased the Atlantic and 
     Pacific ports at each end of the Panama Canal to a Chinese 
     shipping company and plans to turn over the United States 
     land installations to them as well, thus enabling China to 
     terrorize all of North and South America with missiles; and
       Whereas, The right of transiting the Canal, crucial to the 
     United States military efforts in World War II, Korea, 
     Vietnam, and the Gulf War, could be denied to the United 
     States in a military emergency, necessitating a two-week, 
     8,000 mile trip around the tip of South America; therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That The National Society of the Daughters of the 
     American Revolution support re-negotiation of the United 
     States Treaty with Panama before its expiration on December 
     31, 1999, in order to retain our military bases there, to 
     preserve our rights of transit through the canal, and to 
     prevent the establishment of Chinese missile bases in Panama 
     from which China could strike all of North and South America 
     with missiles.


                      TERRORISTS TARGET AMERICANS

       Whereas, Although Americans are cognizant of major 
     terrorist attacks such as the World Trade Center, the Marines 
     in Beirut and the American Embassies in Africa, they are 
     complacently unaware that 35 percent of all terrorist attacks 
     worldwide last year were against Americans and that the 
     Secretary of the Army has said, ``It's not `if' but `when' a 
     weapon of mass destruction will be used in this country'';
       Whereas, Also known is the holy jihad proclaimed by radical 
     Arabs from many of the Middle East countries stockpiling 
     chemical and biological germ substances with the professed 
     aim to kill Americans, and that 1,500 to 2,000 known 
     terrorists are living in the United States, yet we have no 
     international anti-terrorist policy that is either 
     consistent, effective, understood by the world or that 
     frightens terrorist nations; and
       Whereas, Terrorists with a cyberspace attack could create 
     an electronic Pearl Harbor, cutting off electricity, shutting 
     down 911 systems and all telephone networks, disabling police 
     and military communication, shutting down the infrastructure 
     of the country, thus creating chaos and paralyzing the 
     country; therefore, be it
       Resolved, That, The National Society of the Daughters of 
     the American Revolution, while cultivating the good will of 
     moderate Arabs, support a pro-active approach to 
     international terrorism using surrogates when possible, 
     moving to affect terrorist training centers of governments 
     that allow such activity, and taking appropriate action about 
     known terrorists in the United States.


                     THE UNITED STATES--A REPUBLIC

       Whereas, America's heritage is grounded in a deep faith in 
     God, rooted in freedom, and protected by a written 
     Constitution in which our Founding Fathers were careful to 
     give us a Republic in which the rights of a minority are 
     protected by law from the will of the majority;
       Whereas, Many Americans have no concept of the meaning of a 
     ``democracy in a republic,'' resulting in a misconception of 
     our constitutional form of government, the heritage from 
     which it is derived, and the dangers inherent in a pure 
     democracy; and
       Whereas, Our Republic is endangered today by the 
     indifference of millions of Americans to their duties and 
     responsibilities, and by the many who place blind faith in 
     the authority of the Federal Government and their growing 
     reliance on the government's ability to provide; our Republic 
     will not long endure as long as people accept and encourage 
     the growth of coercive government, allow the Supreme Court 
     to make law by judicial fiat, Congress to pass 
     unconstitutional laws, and the Executive to issue 
     unrestrained Executive Orders which circumvent the 
     Constitution; therefore, be it
       Resolved, That The National Society of the Daughters of the 
     American Revolution remind all members that a sovereign 
     America lies in the preservation of our great Republic under 
     the rule of law; and the key to that lies with the education 
     and awareness of all of our citizens to the imminent dangers 
     facing this nation unless persons are elected to office who 
     will uphold and preserve the Constitution of the United 
     States of America.


            ABOLISH NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR AMERICAN HISTORY

       Whereas, The Goals 2000 Education America Act became law 
     March 1994, stressing world class standards for teaching 
     eight subjects including ``development of internationally 
     competitive standards in American History''; this act was 
     financed by monies from the National Endowment of the 
     Humanities and the Office of Education, yet these national 
     history standards are in violation of the Tenth Amendment of 
     the United States Constitution;
       Whereas, Existing National Standards minimize teaching 
     state and regional histories,

[[Page E1496]]

     including western expansion, but emphasize national social 
     history while deemphasizing the role of political, military, 
     and economic history and leaders for the periods of 
     colonization, the American Revolution, and the development, 
     and implementation of the United States Constitution; and
       Whereas, While National Standards next mention the military 
     conflicts from the Mexican War through World War II, they do 
     not provide curriculum or resources as patterns for the study 
     of contemporary America, yet they continue to emphasize the 
     social history over politics, economics, and military policy 
     and leaders; therefore, be it
       Resolved, That The National Society of the Daughters of the 
     American Revolution oppose continuation of the use of the 
     National Standards for United States History in America's 
     public, private and parochial schools because of the 
     distorted emphasis on social history.


                     SAFEGUARD THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY

       Whereas, One of the greatest threats to personal liberty 
     today is the growth of the surveillance state, where it is 
     possible to build a file on every United States citizen via 
     immense databases, containing detailed records on health 
     status and treatment, job status, driving records, financial, 
     credit, and banking transactions; and now government is 
     demanding the right to read e-mails and computer files, 
     listen to phone conversations and track the location of cell 
     phone calls:
       Whereas, Increasing citizen database collection with 
     further encroachments into personal privacy have already been 
     launched by the governmental proposal of a personal health ID 
     number to track each person's medical records, collection of 
     DNA data from citizen detainment, expansion of FBI phone 
     surveillance without additional court authorization (roving 
     wiretaps) and the requirement of Social Security numbers on 
     drivers' licenses beginning October 2000; and
       Whereas, In order to counteract the progression of 
     government intrusion, such as the temporarily withdrawn 
     Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) ``Know Your 
     Customer'' regulation, recently proposed legislation would 
     forbid the use of Social Security numbers for unrelated 
     purposes, prohibit government agencies from using the same 
     numeric identifier or assigning ID numbers to investigate or 
     monitor transactions between private parties and prevent the 
     withholding of federal funds to states which choose not to 
     impose federal identifiers; therefore, be it
       Resolved, That The National Society of the Daughters of the 
     American Revolution oppose the establishment of federal and 
     private databases with the creation of numeric identifiers 
     designed to track our activities, view these efforts as an 
     intrusion of privacy which is incompatible with a limited, 
     constitutional Republic, and support efforts to curtail 
     further federal encroachment into the private lives of our 
     citizens.


            EXECUTIVE ORDERS ENFORCE UNRATIFIED UN TREATIES

       Whereas, the President of the United States, who has issued 
     more than 270 Executive Orders, marked the 50th Anniversary 
     of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights by signing 
     Executive Order 13107 establishing a federal agency empowered 
     to ``implement UN human rights treaties to which the United 
     States is now or may become a party in the future'';
       Whereas, The International Covenant on Economic, Social and 
     Cultural Rights, which jeopardizes property rights and binds 
     us to enact legislation to prove ``adequate food, clothing 
     and housing'' for everyone in the world, is among unratified 
     human rights treaties that would be activated although it has 
     been rejected by eight former United States Presidents; and
       Whereas, Among other such unratified human rights treaties 
     are the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, replacing 
     family authority with governmental dictates, and the UN 
     Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination 
     Against Women, requiring implementation of the feminists' 
     agenda in regard to social and cultural patterns of conduct 
     of men and women, ``family education'' and even revision of 
     textbooks, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the National Society of the Daughters of the 
     American Revolution, recognizing that the President of the 
     United States by Executive Order has ignored the 
     constitutional requirement that Senate ratify treaties, and 
     has empowered the implementation of both existing and as 
     yet unwritten human rights treaties, even though present 
     treaties would nullify our Constitutional rights, and 
     impose dictatorial power over almost all aspects of our 
     lives, urge opposition to Executive Orders which 
     circumvent the Constitution or conflict with its balance 
     of power requirements.


                Corporate America and the Global Economy

       Whereas, Multinational corporations view the entire world 
     as a single market; business conducted on the internet is not 
     subject to national regulation; and the growth of global 
     economy requires global governments which, a senior economist 
     at the World Bank describes as ``governance without 
     government,'' a public function wielded by bodies with no 
     public accountability which threatens the economic national 
     sovereignty of all nations;
       Whereas, The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) 
     is an agency of the Federal Government, financially 
     unaccountable to the public, that encourages American 
     investments in developing countries by adding $2 in 
     government guaranteed notes for every invested dollar, thus 
     giving multinational corporations profits if the investment 
     is a success while the United States tax payers cover any 
     loss; and
       Whereas, The United Nations (UN) is starting a new Third 
     World economic development effort in partnership with 
     multinational corporations, some of which have been accused 
     of human rights or environmental abuses, by considering the 
     creation of a logo incorporating the UN name that corporate 
     sponsors could use, providing them with a powerful tool in 
     many underdeveloped countries and an endorsement that would 
     allow sponsoring companies to forge critical government 
     relationships allowing them to undertake future projects not 
     under the watchful eye of the UN; therefore, be it
       Resolved, That The National Society of the Daughters of the 
     American Revolution recognize that ``global governance'' 
     requires constant vigilance to preserve our national 
     sovereignty, realize that multinational corporations 
     negotiate with and form working relationships with foreign 
     governments, and oppose the use of our tax dollars as foreign 
     investment guarantees.


                      Making Social Security Work

       Whereas, The real ``Contract with America'' is Social 
     Security which the United States government has failed to 
     honor in recent years by transferring money from the Social 
     Security Trust Fund to balance the budget thus creating a 
     misleading surplus; Social Security is the single largest 
     item in the federal budget, accounting for 20 percent of all 
     spending and over 70 percent of American families now pay 
     more in Social Security taxes than they do in federal income 
     taxes;
       Whereas, Congress has legislated the Social Security 
     Administration to reduce benefits to 11,000,000 recipients 
     born between 1917 and 1926, to reduce Social Security 
     benefits in half to recipients who have earned another 
     government pension, and to pay benefits to senior citizens 
     who have not contributed to the system; and
       Whereas, When the Baby Boomers begin to reach the age 65 in 
     2010, the Social Security System will pay only 65-75% of the 
     current benefits, due to the increasing numbers of recipients 
     growing from the present 40,000,000 to an estimated 
     80,000,000; therefore, be it
       Resolved, That The National Society of the Daughters of the 
     American Revolution favor fulfilling the obligation to those 
     who have paid into the Social Security system and oppose the 
     practice of factoring Social Security funds into the federal 
     budget.


                             Reaffirmations

       1. Injustice for all--World court--(1998)
       Resolved, That the National Society Daughters of the 
     American Revolution oppose any efforts to surrender our 
     nation's sovereignty to the United Nations by establishing 
     the International Criminal Court, a world tribunal that will 
     override the United States Constitution, the American legal 
     system, and our inherent rights.
       2. The American Heritage Rivers initiative (AHRI)--(1998)
       Resolved, That the National Society Daughters of the 
     American Revolution oppose the American Heritage Rivers 
     Initiative, a maneuver by the Executive Branch to thwart the 
     powers reserved to Congress regarding regulation of navigable 
     waters, to curb jurisdiction of states over land use planning 
     as well as to restrict water rights, local zoning and 
     individual property rights.
       3. Census 2000: Support full enumeration versus sampling--
     (1998)
       Resolved, That the National Society Daughters of the 
     American Revolution support the Constitutional requirement of 
     full enumeration of the Census 2000 including all American 
     citizens residing abroad, which will provide important and 
     necessary information to the United States Government and its 
     people.

     

                          ____________________