[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 39 (Thursday, March 5, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H3030-H3031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           THREE CUPS OF TEA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) is recognized for 5 minutes.

[[Page H3031]]

  MR. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I just returned from a codel to Iraq and 
Afghanistan. There's a lot to reflect on after a trip, especially the 
wisdom in a book entitled ``Three Cups of Tea.'' It relates to our 
military involvement and misjudgments--first in Iraq and, potentially 
now, in Afghanistan.
  Before I go further, let me say that we cannot do enough to recognize 
and honor our soldiers and their bravery and dedication and love for 
our country.
  For a few brief moments, we got a taste of what they endure every 
day. Every member of the codel was equipped with body armor and 
helmets, and you quickly realize the dangers and stresses our soldiers 
endure every day. We owe them our gratitude, our support when they 
return, and the confidence in knowing that our government will only 
place them in harm's way as a last resort. We failed that 
responsibility in Iraq, and many are asking whether we may fail again 
in Afghanistan. We are the most powerful Nation on Earth, but our 
bullets and bombs cannot penetrate the corridors of history. And the 
book ``Three Cups of Tea'' provides a powerful reminder that we must 
silence the guns if we are to hear the voices of truth coming from 
history.
  Greg Mortenson, who wrote the book, was in Afghanistan and Pakistan 
on the border. And he there met an Elder who said, ``These mountains 
have been here a long time and so have we. You can't tell the mountains 
what to do. You must listen to them. So now I'm asking you to listen to 
me. By the mercy of Almighty Allah, you have done much for our people, 
and we appreciate it. But now you must do one more thing for me.''
  Mortenson said, ``Anything.''
  He said, ``Sit down. And shut your mouth. You're making everyone 
crazy.''
  Then he began to make tea. When the porcelain bowls of hot butter tea 
were in our hands, Mortenson said the Elder spoke and said, ``If you 
want to thrive in Baltistan, you must respect our ways. The first time 
you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you 
take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of 
tea, you become family, and for our family, we are prepared to do 
anything, even die.
  ``Doctor Greg, you must make time to share three cups of tea. We may 
be uneducated. But we are not stupid. We have lived and survived here 
for a long time.''
  ``That day, the Elder taught me,'' says Mortenson, ``the most 
important lesson I've ever learned in my life. We Americans think you 
have to accomplish everything quickly. We're the country of the thirty-
minute power lunch and the two-minute football drills. Our leaders 
thought their `shock and awe' campaign would end the war in Iraq before 
it even started. The elder taught me to share three cups of tea to slow 
down and make building relationships as important as building projects.
  ``He taught me that I had more to learn from the people I work with 
than I could ever hope to teach them.''
  There are many nations and languages and religions in the world 
today, but there is one thing true in all this diversity. Those who do 
not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.
  After Vietnam, many Americans said it will never happen again. But it 
has. We were misled into waging a false war in Iraq, and now we are 
beginning to transfer soldiers from Iraq to Afghanistan. When will we 
learn?
  Russia once and Britain twice believed that the tread of their tanks 
and the velocity of their shells could flatten the mountains of history 
in Afghanistan and pave the way for outside control. But the mountains 
are still standing and history has recorded new chapters which recount 
and reflect on the folly of nations that believe military power is all 
powerful. History tells us otherwise. The Iraq war was a mistake, and I 
fear we may be heading for another quagmire in Afghanistan.
  ``Three Cups of Tea'' is now required reading for everyone in the 
CIA. It should be required reading for every Member of Congress.
  We need to listen to the mountains.

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