[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 57 (Thursday, April 14, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THE RISE OF ISIS ESSAY BY KYLE CURTIS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 14, 2016

  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to interact with some of the 
brightest students in the 22nd Congressional District who serve on my 
Congressional Youth Advisory Council. I have gained much by listening 
to the high school students who are the future of this great nation. 
They provide important insight from across the political spectrum that 
sheds a light on the concerns of our younger constituents. Giving voice 
to their priorities will hopefully instill a better sense of the 
importance of being an active participant in the political process. 
Many of the students have written short essays on a variety of topics 
and I am pleased to share them with my House colleagues.
  Kyle Curtis attends George Ranch High School in Richmond, Texas. The 
essay topic is: The rise of ISIS.

       The rise of ISIS in the Iraq/Syria region has changed a lot 
     of aspects of America as a whole. First off, it has re-
     entered the US into a war-torn region it has worked so hard 
     to remove its military from in recent years. Also, ISIS poses 
     a terrorist threat, not only in the Middle East, but also 
     internationally, as is evident with the recent attack in 
     Paris. And the US must find a new way of dealing with ISIS, 
     as they have a larger network of terrorists residing in 
     Western civilization, and possibly the US, than did other 
     organizations such as Al Qaeda, which was made up of more 
     tribal Islamic extremists. Also, ISIS uses the social network 
     and Internet to plan attacks and recruit followers and people 
     to carry out their plans, which is difficult for the US 
     Government to put an end to, as deleting or arresting those 
     taking part in these ordeals would go against the freedom of 
     speech all American citizens are entitled to. Furthermore, 
     ISIS is located in a prime economic region, as there are vast 
     oil fields in the areas under ISIS' control, which they can 
     pump out of the ground and sell it for money to fund their 
     organization.
       So the US faces a dilemma; how can you combat a terrorist 
     organization that is spread out across the world and may even 
     reside in your own backyard. This has allowed some 
     presidential candidates for the 2016 election to take center-
     stage, with Donald Trump going as far as saying he will ban 
     all Muslims from entering the US and build a wall on the 
     American border. Another problem caused by ISIS' rise is the 
     displacement of millions of people in the region from their 
     home. The Syrian refugees who are being taken in by Jordan by 
     the millions may also be taken in by the US, but any person 
     can be disguised as a refugee, then the US may end up taking 
     in terrorists who could commit some very terrible acts on 
     American soil.
       Nobody knows what will come of the recent rise of ISIS, 
     whether it'll become a major enemy the US will have to fight 
     in a war, or if it will subside and die off. Only time will 
     tell, and hopefully Congress and the US military will be 
     prepared to do whatever they need to if ISIS rises to 
     endanger us or our country.

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