[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12290]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



             THE TWIN DANGERS OF INDIFFERENCE AND PARALYSIS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MAJOR R. OWENS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 8, 1999

  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, we hope and pray that the war in Kosovo will 
end within a few days, sooner rather than later. Slobodan Milosevic has 
been indicted as a war criminal and we look forward to a trial someday 
that will send a clear message to other similar sovereign predators 
throughout the world that genocide under any name will no longer be 
tolerated by the civilized world. Unfortunately there are many 
honorable Americans who do not see the actions of the Yugoslav regime 
as genocidal. They quibble about the numbers and imply that there are 
not enough victims. Certainly ``ethnic cleansing'' is not the same as 
Hitler's massive marches of victims into the gas chambers and the 
ovens. However, it is clear that only the intervention of the 
international community has saved thousands of humans driven from their 
homes from starvation and death by fatigue and cold. What if the 
refugees had all been left to survive on their own? What then would be 
the death count? In this year 1999 we have been presented with a clear 
challenge. Instead of waiting to mourn for the corpses, we have fought 
the savage oppressors. Many mistakes have been made and we have 
demanded a more flexible and inclusive approach to leadership in this 
crisis. Minimizing ``collateral damage'' in this crusade against 
genocide is as important an objective as any other. But no concerns 
should fester into paralysis. Indifference is the greatest crime we 
might commit. Fear of taking risks could lead to a situation where we 
``just let the refugees naturally die.''

                          Let the Refugees Die

     Just let the refugees die
     Don't hear their hungry children cry
     Masked men treat families real mean
     But no gas chambers on the scene
     Bayonets pierce a few unruly eyes
     But only NATO bombs
     Force humans to flee like flies
     Just let the refugees naturally die
     High honors confer on them
     Collect millions for a giant museum
     Great poet muses will be fed
     By memories of these pitiful dead
     Editorials express awesome regret
     We pledge never ever to forget
     Just let the refugees naturally die
     Their camps are not outrageously sad
     Surplus U.S. food tastes not too bad
     War crime standards must be high
     Why make an international nuisance
     Until millions undeservedly die
     Tall tales insist Hitler has returned
     But piles of bodies have not yet burned
     Torched villages are carefully planned
     But Auschwitz ovens are loudly banned
     Sacred sovereignty you can not deny
     Genocide is a bloody NATO lie
     Homeless helpless savage rebels
     Don't hear their hungry children cry
     Just let the refugees naturally die.

     

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