[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 190 (Tuesday, December 15, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H14886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                MR. PRESIDENT, RECONSIDER GUANTANAMO BAY

  (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, I was here at the Capitol on September 11. I 
watched the smoke rise from the Pentagon. I walked in the ashes of 
Ground Zero 1 week later. Terrorism is not theoretical to me. That's 
why, like most Americans, I was astonished to read this morning press 
reports that the Obama administration is about to transfer over 70 
known dangerous terrorists from the military detention facility at 
Guantanamo Bay outside the United States to a prison inside the United 
States, in the heartland of America, in the State of Illinois.
  By moving known terrorists to American soil, the Obama administration 
is putting international public relations ahead of public safety. How 
does closing Guantanamo Bay make us safer? How does moving over 70 
known terrorists to a facility in my beloved heartland of this country 
make our families safer? And how does it even make sense?
  Mr. President, rescind this order. Reconsider your decision. Put the 
safety and security of the American people ahead of international 
public opinion.

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