[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20843]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY UNTOUCHABLES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MAJOR R. OWENS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 25, 2001

  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, recent admissions by the CIA and the FBI that 
they are in need of personnel fluent in Arabic and other Middle Eastern 
languages constitute a shocking revelation. On a matter so very basic 
as the capacity to translate and analyze enemy communications every 
citizen has a right to expect these vital agencies to be prepared. 
Arabs have been clearly identified as the perpetrators from the bombing 
of the barracks in Beirut during Reagan's presidency; through the 
barrack bombing in Saudi Arabia; the bombing of the embassies in Kenya 
and Tanzania; the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center; the bombing 
of the warship, Coles in Yemen.
  It is inconceivable that over this long period of tragedies, the CIA 
with a more then thirty billion dollar budget has not developed an 
efficient and effective operation for the translation and analysis of 
communications in Arabic. When this basic shortcoming is viewed against 
the blockbuster blunders exposed via the CIA's Aldridge Ames case and 
the FBI's Robert Hansen case, there is good reason to believe that 
incompetence is out of control in a sector where American lives are 
directly dependent on a high level of performance. Despite its shabby 
history, the CIA reauthorization was passed last week by voice vote in 
the House of Representatives amid the loud praises of a Member of 
Congress who is an ex-employee of the CIA. While exonerating the CIA, 
the same advocate said that blame for intelligence blunders and lapses 
must rest on the shoulders of the entire Government. This is a profound 
partial truth. Every government official must bear the burden of guilt 
for not being more critical of operations we could see were spinning 
out of control. We have treated members of the ``Intelligence 
Community;'' as if they were untouchables. For the new era after 
September 11th, every Member of Congress and every American citizen 
must insist that national security is everybody's business and the 
public scrutiny of intelligence and law enforcement agencies is our 
sacred duty. Smugness and slovenliness must not be allowed to 
jeopardize our economy and welfare. The present peril must not be 
allowed to continue.

                       Blame Games Are Forbidden

     Smug American men
     Ignoring CIA sin
     Yawning when
     The FBI blunders again.

     Onward the peril goes,
     Incompetence that everybody
     And the enemy knows,
     Huge security holes.

     Haughty airline CEO's
     Crushing reform foes,
     Misplaced profit and safety roles.

     Smug American men,
     Incest is your secret sin;
     Where have all
     Your translators been?

     No blame games
     With Aldrich Ames;
     Intelligence fraternal cronies
     Well dressed patriotic phonies:

     Robert Hansen still
     In a suite alive,
     Death penalties only
     For bums with no information
     To trade and survive.

     Incompetence that everybody
     And the enemy knows,
     Misplaced safety roles,
     Huge security holes,
     Onward the peril goes.

     Smug American men
     Where have all
     Your translators been?

     Smug American men
     Intelligence family incest
     Is your deadly secret sin.
     Onward the peril goes.