In Support of the Global War on Terror and the Work That Goes on at Guantanamo Bay

by Danny Lee Burton

  IN SUPPORT OF THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR AND THE WORK THAT GOES ON AT
                             GUANTANAMO BAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 14, 2006

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, the suicide of three suspected
dedicated terrorists imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has once again
provided fodder for the enemies of the U.S.-led Global War on Terror.
They are using the suicides to attack one of the most important
components of this war: our ability to detain dangerous men and women
and extract important information from them that will help protect
American lives.
  The critics, who come from the media, Congress, the blame-America
first crowd and even the terrorists themselves, have long sought the
psychological victory that would come with the closing of the military
prison at Gitmo, and now even President Bush has been swayed by their
criticism, saying that the prison is damaging the image of the U.S. at
home and abroad.
  After the fire at the Pentagon was extinguished, the rubble was
cleared at Ground Zero, and the remains of the last victim were buried,
it seems that the memory of the September 11th attacks has slowly faded
away from the minds of many people. I would urge those people to
consider that the memory of that day would be a daily reality were it
not for the brave men and women who serve in our military and have
apprehended the heinous thugs and criminals housed at Guantanamo Bay.
  To make matters worse, the blame-America first crowd is not only
demanding that we close Guantanamo Bay, but they are also suggesting
that those imprisoned there be released, so they can return to their
homelands and plot more attacks against America; a move which the Bush
administration has said it absolutely would not make. As the President
said,"there are some, if put on the streets, who would create grave
harm to American citizens and other citizens of the world."
  Moving prisoners to another facility would simply move the
controversy from Gitmo to a new prison. Creating a Guantanamo Bay
military prison somewhere else would do nothing to satisfy its critics,
and in fact, would embolden the terrorists by providing them with a
marvelous psychological victory by allowing them to praise that Gitmo
is no more.
  I wish the prison at Gitmo was not necessary and its cells were
empty, but that's not the reality we live with today. There are fanatic
and committed terrorists and Islamofascists throughout the world who
are set on hurting Americans and the West, and they need to be captured
and detained. The face of Gitmo may be ugly to some, Mr. Speaker, but
so was the sight of human beings jumping from the top of the World
Trade Center. The terrorists brought this war to us, and I believe we
need to stand firm, and keep Gitmo in business until the Global War on
Terror is finally won.