[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 89 (Wednesday, June 29, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H5366-H5367]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   GITMO GETS THE DEMOCRATIC GO-AHEAD

  (Ms. FOXX asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight comments published 
in Tuesday's edition of The Hill from Members of Congress who recently 
visited the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay.
  One Democratic Senator described the tour as ``an eye-opening 
experience.''
  ``We found a well-run and well-organized camp,'' he added. 
``Everything we heard previously was negative, but what we saw was much 
different from

[[Page H5367]]

what we had heard and read about. While there may have been some 
inappropriate interrogation efforts in the past, they are not ongoing, 
and closing the prison is not one of the things we should pursue.''
  A Democratic Representative agreed, saying that ``the Guantanamo we 
saw today is not the Guantanamo we heard about a few years ago.''
  Another Democratic Senator noted the care taken to respect the 
prisoners' religious beliefs, ``they are given Muslim prayer rugs and 
Korans. There are arrows everywhere pointing them to Mecca. We even 
witnessed a prayer call announcing to the terrorists that it was time 
for them to turn to Mecca and pray.''
  Mr. Speaker, these praises for the Guantanamo Bay facility do not 
come from its supporters. They all come from Democrats.
  It is unacceptable for anyone who has not visited this facility to 
condemn it and attempt to defame the military personnel who serve 
there. Comparing the staff with murderers and criminals is worse than 
hyperbole--it is uninformed, hurtful nonsense!
  As one Democratic Senator who visited the camp asked, ``Did the Nazis 
respect the Jewish faith? Did Stalin and Pol Pot practice religious 
tolerance?'' The answer: Absolutely not!

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