[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 12, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H2885-H2886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            DOUBLE STANDARD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Garrett) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise now to speak on a 
double standard. Yesterday, the world learned of a young brave man from 
Philadelphia named Nick Berg. Nick Berg was a 26-year-old man who was 
in Iraq looking for work with the reconstruction and helping to lend a 
hand to the people in that country.
  But a gruesome video, posted on a radical fundamentalist site, shows 
this young man, Nick Berg, bound in an orange jumpsuit with five hooded 
al Qaeda operatives standing behind him. One of those operatives read a 
prepared statement, pulled a large knife from his pocket, proceeded to 
push his head to the ground, and then with five strokes of the knife, 
decapitated Nick Berg and then held the head up to the camera.
  I tell you, Mr. Speaker, my thoughts and my prayers go to Nick Berg's 
family and friends.

                              {time}  1945

  I honestly cannot imagine what the family is going through right now 
and how they must feel, but this act by al Qaeda is a reminder of the 
evil we face in this world, and it should reinforce this country's 
determination to win this war against terror.
  Yet another concern in the tragic death of Nick Berg is the lack of 
any forceful response and condemnation from the European nations or the 
Arab community over this incident.
  The worldwide broadcast of the photos of Iraqi prisoners has brought 
forth outrage by Americans and Iraqis alike, but not surprisingly, the 
anti-Americans who are already on the radio exploiting that incident as 
an opportunity to condemn America and Americans, further promoting this 
double standard of which I speak. Yes, a small number of American 
soldiers committed crimes against Iraqi prisoners. Those soldiers 
should be and will be tried and punished accordingly.
  However, while explaining our anger over these crimes and our will to 
punish these people rightfully when found appropriately guilty, calling 
for the resignation of a Secretary or even appearing over-apologetic 
for actions at the prison, I think it is a mistake and plays into the 
hands of the double standard.
  The anti-American left, in this country and elsewhere, forever 
remembers every single American misdeed while forgetting every anti-
American and every anti-human atrocity that the terrorists have taken 
against those who oppose any one of their causes.
  Mr. Speaker, what of the media outlets? They detail the outrage of 
Iraqis based on the images of a few soldiers' crimes against prisoners. 
They are the same media outlets that showed no remorse, no outrage 
whatsoever a few years ago, for the thousands of lives that Saddam 
Hussein killed using his mass graves, nor when the Iraqi crowds in 
Fallujah burned and mutilated four American contractors and then hung 
their corpses from a bridge, there was no outrage or remorse.
  A while back in an article, Eason Jordan from CNN, he admitted that 
his network had deliberately covered up and ignored Saddam Hussein's 
atrocities and they did that just so they

[[Page H2886]]

could stay on TV. This policy of caution by CNN is not reflected in 
their current coverage of the charges against American soldiers.
  Although the actions against the Iraqi prisoners are unacceptable, 
they are not part of the standard procedure here in the United States 
or in the military treatment of our prisoners. Although al Qaeda states 
that their actions against Nick Berg are in retaliation for the crimes 
taken against these prisoners, their actions by al Qaeda in reality are 
typical of al Qaeda and all their affiliates. Their previous acts of 
violence against Americans serve as a testament to that fact, such as 
the attacks of September 11 and the slaying of a Wall Street Journal 
reporter, Daniel Pearl.
  Mr. Speaker, make no mistake, the slaying of Nick Berg was about a 
war against the West in general, and America in particular, and we 
should firmly stand on our commitment to our American morals and values 
and denounce anti-American acts. However, while we publicly uncover 
crimes committed by some members of our military against Iraqi 
prisoners, we should not play into this double standard set by various 
media outlets, the European community and the Arab community, and the 
American left where America is condemned and the brutality, terror, and 
the cold-blooded acts of murder of innocent people by terrorists is 
left unreported and without condemnation.
  As these recent actions show, the terrorists are not bound by any 
moral conscience. America must maintain its strength and its resolve to 
win this war on terror.

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