[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 21, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1234]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO ESSAY WINNER, MISS KATIE HORTON

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                           HON. HENRY J. HYDE

                              of illinios

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 21, 2006

  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, every year in my district, I ask students in 
grades 8th and 12th to participate in an essay contest. This year's 
contest focused on the issue of protecting our Nation from terrorism.
  I am pleased that so many students chose to enter this essay contest. 
Unfortunately, however, there can only be one winner in each group: 8th 
grade and 12th grade. This year's 8th grade winner was Sean Doherty 
from Elmhurst, Illinois. He attends St. Charles Borromeo School in 
Bensenville, Illinois. The 12th grade winner was Katie Horton from 
Addison Trail High School. She lives in Addison, Illinois.
  This is Miss Katie Horton's essay, entitled: ``How does the Homeland 
Security Agency protect us from Terrorism?'' is as follows:

       Terrorism is an epidemic that continues to spread 
     throughout the world. In the United States, terrorism is a 
     danger that the government and its people must face everyday. 
     The government works hard to expand its knowledge of 
     terrorist activities and to protect America from terrorist 
     attacks. It is crucial for the government, and the people of 
     the United States to identify ways to reduce the threat of 
     terrorism.
       This can occur in many ways, including more background 
     checks of people who enter this country, more security at our 
     borders, increasing intelligence gathering in countries that 
     support terrorists, make it easy, or offer rewards, for 
     citizen's to report suspected terrorist activities, educating 
     people on what to look for, and working with other countries 
     governments to eliminate the threat of terrorism.
       A group that has been on everyone's mind lately is the 
     terrorist group called al-Qaeda. The National Commission on 
     Terrorist Attacks has stated that al-Qaeda is responsible for 
     many terrorist attacks against the citizens, the government, 
     and military forces of the United States and many other 
     locations around the world (Wikipedia). Osama bin Laden is 
     one of the founders of the al-Qaeda organization and has been 
     held responsible for the September 11th attacks and many 
     other attacks world wide.
       The Department of Homeland Security is trying hard everyday 
     to make terrorist movements a thing of the past. The 
     department follows a six-point agenda. The first point is to 
     increase overall preparedness. Since the terrorist attack on 
     9-11, the United States has increased security in all 
     government and government related buildings and has better 
     prepared and trained employees to know what to do in case of 
     a terrorist attack. The second point is to create better 
     transportation security systems. Since 9-11, the government 
     has increased security at all airports, train stations, and 
     subways. The third point is to strengthen border security to 
     enforce immigration laws. The American government does not 
     want anyone entering the United States who could be a threat 
     to the American public. Currently, the government is trying 
     to enact laws to make sure that illegal immigrants are either 
     departed or are on a path to become legal U.S. citizens. The 
     fourth point is to enhance information sharing among 
     partners. This point helps establish better communication 
     because that is a key to stay safe. When all anti-terrorist 
     groups combine and share information it becomes possible for 
     the groups to protect one another. The fifth point is to 
     improve financial management, human resources and to improve 
     technology. This point helps the government continue to fight 
     terrorist to the best of its ability. The sixth, and last 
     point, is to realign the Department of Homeland Security 
     organization to maximize mission performance. There needs to 
     be more communication between the different divisions of 
     Homeland Security so good decisions are made and we have the 
     greatest chance of stopping terrorists before they strike 
     (Department of Homeland Security).
       As a way to help stop terrorism, the government passed the 
     Patriot Act. The Patriot Act is an act to help protect people 
     against terrorism. There are many parts to this act. The act 
     allows law enforcement to gather information on the criminals 
     and their supporters, destroy immediate dangers, and to plan 
     arrests, before letting the terrorist know. This allows the 
     government to convict the terrorists before they have time to 
     leave the scene of the crime. The act also allows 
     investigators to receive business records in order to convict 
     terrorists. For example, they can receive records from banks 
     to see who the people are that are aiding the terrorists. The 
     Patriot Act allows investigators to receive search warrants 
     to search not only where the terrorist act was carried out, 
     but also where the terrorist act was planned. Also, the 
     government now punishes people who house terrorists, punishes 
     terrorists who attack transit systems, and also punishes 
     bioterrorists (Department of Justice).
       Even though the United States has many precautions against 
     terrorists, many more can be put into place. Traveling by 
     airplane is a very common way of transportation. America has 
     done a lot to secure the safety of the airplane passengers, 
     yet more can be done. Airlines must train their attendants to 
     be aware of terrorists and be prepared with knowledge of what 
     to do once a terrorist is encountered. Individual pilots must 
     think of ways to have flight attendants alert them when they 
     sense signs of danger and airlines must also provide a way to 
     alert the airport of possible dangers without the attacker 
     knowing. Also, Requirements for passports should be changed. 
     A thorough background check should be done before one can 
     receive a passport. Thousands of people come to the United 
     States each year. The border patrol needs to be stricter 
     on who they let into the United States. By controlling who 
     is allowed to enter the U.S. many job opportunities would 
     be created. It would cost a lot of money, but would save 
     lives. Many people come to the United States on a one-
     month visa for education or work. The government needs to 
     pay attention to these people to make sure they are not 
     staying longer then they are supposed to. People should be 
     forced to check in periodically and provide contact 
     information so the government can ensure that they are 
     still legally in this country. If people cannot provide 
     this information, they should not be allowed into the 
     country or should be deported immediately. Another option 
     would be to issue a national identity card, much like a 
     state drivers license so that any policeman, citizen, 
     could verify if the person is in the country legally.
       The government handles many pressures every day and should 
     be rewarded for that. Yet, government officials must always 
     stay on top of things and communicate with all levels of 
     government while keeping up with current technology. America 
     is a truly an amazing country with a lot more potential.

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