[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 25, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E927]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING SYMPATHY TO FAMILIES OF SOUTH KOREAN SEAMEN KILLED BY NORTH 
                                 KOREA

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 24, 2010

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker I rise in opposition to this legislation not 
because I do not wish to express sympathy to those killed in the recent 
sinking of a South Korean naval vessel near the border with North 
Korea, but rather because I object strongly to the threatening and 
militaristic language in this resolution. I do not believe 
Congressional expressions of sympathy for those who have lost their 
lives should include language that further escalates an already 
volatile situation on the Korean peninsula. At a time when the United 
States maintains nearly 30,000 troops in South Korea, serving as a 
tripwire for an American response should hostilities break out between 
North and South, this resolution should, if anything, counsel caution 
and diplomacy rather than urge the U.S. government ``to take other 
appropriate actions in response to the sinking of the ROKS Cheonan and 
other hostile acts of North Korea.'' Further, in reaffirming the United 
States' ``enduring commitment to the . . . security of the Republic of 
Korea,'' this resolution signals a U.S. willingness to commit military 
force should the current escalation in tensions continue between North 
and South.
  It is difficult to imagine a more dangerous or inappropriate time for 
such statements. I believe this unfortunate incident should instead 
serve as a wake-up call for the United States to re-assess its military 
presence in South Korea in particular and Asia in general. Maintaining 
the U.S. global empire is costing us one trillion dollars per year and 
is undermining rather than contributing to peace and stability. The 
North and South Koreans have all the incentive to reach a peaceful 
solution to their long-standing conflict and have made strides recently 
in that direction. The U.S. military presence in South Korea some 50 
years after the Korean War is an impediment to that progress and should 
be ended immediately.

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