NATIONAL SECURITY IN WAKE OF EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11 -- (House of Representatives - October 02, 2001) [Page: H6121] GPO's PDF ---
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. TIBERI). Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2001, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. MCINNIS) is recognized for 60 minutes.
Mr. MCINNIS.
[snip]
My analogy of the situation, of the challenge that we face, that our President is so ably leading us through at this time, is a battle that you can figure like it is against a cancer. You know that that cancer is there. We know the viciousness of cancer. I can tell you that some people, as time goes on, some people in our country are saying that, well, this is a perfect example, a perfect time for us to turn the other cheek, for us to kiss and make up, and to pretend that that cancer, that you do not have to eradicate it off your arm or eradicate it from your body, that you can love it off your body, that you can pray it off your body.
I have no doubt, I am a Christian, I strongly believe in a supreme being, but I believe that our supreme being expects us to have some self-help, that our supreme being does not think that we think that we can discover a horrible cancer on our body and pray it off, or wish that it was not there and somehow it is going to disappear on its own. Or pat it with your hand and think that that cancer is going to turn friendly. Do not be mistaken. I do not think anybody on this floor is. I hope you are not. But do not be mistaken.
This bin Laden is the most vicious cancer that you have ever encountered. It is not a cancer that you can negotiate. The President of this country has made it very clear we will not negotiate with this cancer. It is a cancer that you have no choice but to eradicate, because if you do not, it will be a battle you wish you would not have lost. We cannot, as an American Nation, we cannot as a free world, any country in this free world, afford to lose this battle.
Do not be taken in by some of the peace protesters across the country who interestingly enough in this country have the right to protest and they are protesting against the action that we should take against bin Laden because of the viciousness that it may involve.
[Time: 21:30]
This is against bin Laden, whose very strike at the center of America was not to take American lives. That is not the intent of this cancer that is trying striking us. The intent of that cancer that is striking us, the intent of bin Laden and his followers out there, is to destroy a nation, to see the United States and all countries of democracy buckle at the knees, to take them down, as communism was taken down in Russia. That is what their goal is.
These protestors, who are so strong in their thought, ought to take just a moment to see how bin Laden and his followers treat women, for example, what they think about human rights, what they think about homosexuality, what they think about the ethnic issues and the all-men-are-created-equal type of philosophy. Take a look at the prevalence of class structure, of which bin Laden came from, and which bin Laden rules. It defies everything that these peace protestors believe in.
What he is seeking to do is to destroy the constitutional right that our country allows for people to have the freedom of speech, for people to go out and protest. But yet their vision seems to be shortsighted.
Then there are those who I have seen in the last few days who say, well, somehow we can love this thing off, or we can pray this thing away. Look, we need all the prayers we can get and it will be a strong element of our success, and we need all the love we can gather throughout the world. There is no question about that. In fact, our country has given more foreign aid to Afghanistan than any country in the history of Afghanistan. Our country, of any country in the world, believes in the warmth and the prayer and the need to help other people not so privileged.
But that is not what this is about. This is about a horrible cancer that has attacked everybody in the free world; and, if we are not successful, then logically it will be successful.
Think about the last time you ever saw anybody say that they wanted cancer to be successful.