[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 11, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H1697]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ALTERNATIVE TO WAR
(Ms. WOOLSEY asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, last week a Defense Department spokesman
announced that the United States is preparing to use landmines in Iraq.
What an insult to the 146 countries brave enough to sign the Landmine
Treaty which forbids the use of landmines. Embarrassingly, the United
States is not a signatory.
Landmines do not know the difference between a soldier and a child.
Instead of killing children, we need to educate them. Instead of
seeding Iraq with explosives, we should plant seeds of peace and well-
being worldwide. Instead of using landmines in Iraq, we should be
cleaning up landmines in Afghanistan.
Madam Speaker, the use of landmines is a step in the wrong direction.
There are alternatives to war. Our problem is we have not prepared for
them.
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