[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 10998-10999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 RUSSIA

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, anyone who was alive at the time will always 
remember the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
  With the Soviet bloc crumbling, the western world rejoiced as freedom 
spread to populations once thought hopelessly in the grip of Communist 
oppressors. There was reason to believe that the Soviets' brutal form 
of tyranny was over forever.
  Unfortunately, recent actions seem to be giving new life to old 
Communist ghosts. Police squads crushing the Kremlin's dissenters, 
advocates of freedom and transparency silenced, cultural figures 
detained.
  Mr. Speaker, the recent backsliding in Russia should be cause for 
alarm for all freedom loving people. As the

[[Page 10999]]

Kremlin's power expands, freedom for the Russian people shrinks. This 
was wrong during the Cold War and it is wrong now.
  It is time that the free nations of the world take a stand against 
this trend and start demanding more from Mr. Putin and Russia's 
leaders.

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