[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 61 (Wednesday, May 5, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H2554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TREATMENT OF IRAQI PRISONERS

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, as a military veteran, I was saddened and 
outraged to hear the stories this past week of physical and 
psychological abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of U.S. soldiers.
  This outrageous behavior goes against everything America stands for. 
It is a serious breach of military discipline. It is a disgusting and a 
shameful violation of human rights. It is un-American, and it 
jeopardizes the future freedom in Iraq and the Middle East, and it is 
sad that the 99.9 percent of the U.S. military which has conducted 
themselves honorably will now be defamed because of the actions of a 
few.
  In a war for hearts and minds, these actions do not help, and those 
responsible should be held accountable; but let us remember the 
terrorists we are fighting.
  In Saudi Arabia this weekend, terrorist extremists murdered five 
Western oil workers, tied one body to a car and drove around with it 
like a hood ornament. One terrorist murdered a pregnant woman and her 
four daughters, and then put a bullet in her stomach to make sure the 
job was complete. We remember the scenes from Iraq of the bodies of aid 
workers drug through the streets recently.
  I have no doubt the U.S. will exact justice on our soldiers. If we 
could only get the terrorist extremists and their leaders to do the 
same.

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