[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 76 (Wednesday, June 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN SUPPORT OF THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR AND THE WORK THAT GOES ON AT 
                             GUANTANAMO BAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 14, 2006

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, the suicide of three suspected 
dedicated terrorists imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has once again 
provided fodder for the enemies of the U.S.-led Global War on Terror. 
They are using the suicides to attack one of the most important 
components of this war: our ability to detain dangerous men and women 
and extract important information from them that will help protect 
American lives.
  The critics, who come from the media, Congress, the blame-America 
first crowd and even the terrorists themselves, have long sought the 
psychological victory that would come with the closing of the military 
prison at Gitmo, and now even President Bush has been swayed by their 
criticism, saying that the prison is damaging the image of the U.S. at 
home and abroad.
  After the fire at the Pentagon was extinguished, the rubble was 
cleared at Ground Zero, and the remains of the last victim were buried, 
it seems that the memory of the September 11th attacks has slowly faded 
away from the minds of many people. I would urge those people to 
consider that the memory of that day would be a daily reality were it 
not for the brave men and women who serve in our military and have 
apprehended the heinous thugs and criminals housed at Guantanamo Bay.
  To make matters worse, the blame-America first crowd is not only 
demanding that we close Guantanamo Bay, but they are also suggesting 
that those imprisoned there be released, so they can return to their 
homelands and plot more attacks against America; a move which the Bush 
administration has said it absolutely would not make. As the President 
said, ``there are some, if put on the streets, who would create grave 
harm to American citizens and other citizens of the world.''
  Moving prisoners to another facility would simply move the 
controversy from Gitmo to a new prison. Creating a Guantanamo Bay 
military prison somewhere else would do nothing to satisfy its critics, 
and in fact, would embolden the terrorists by providing them with a 
marvelous psychological victory by allowing them to praise that Gitmo 
is no more.
  I wish the prison at Gitmo was not necessary and its cells were 
empty, but that's not the reality we live with today. There are fanatic 
and committed terrorists and Islamofascists throughout the world who 
are set on hurting Americans and the West, and they need to be captured 
and detained. The face of Gitmo may be ugly to some, Mr. Speaker, but 
so was the sight of human beings jumping from the top of the World 
Trade Center. The terrorists brought this war to us, and I believe we 
need to stand firm, and keep Gitmo in business until the Global War on 
Terror is finally won.

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