Military Commissions Act Of 2006

MILITARY COMMISSIONS ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - September 27, 2006)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I believe it is my belief my colleagues on the other side of the aisle care more about giving the President what he wants rather than what is in the best interests of the American people, the people that we are sent here to represent.

I know that these terrorists are vicious murderers. I have experienced it firsthand. I always thought I was safe in my warm, little comfortable bed in Woodside, Queens, New York. I know it is no longer the case, but it is my values as an American and those values that I hold dear that keeps that hatred in check.

We must lead by example on these issues, not be evasive quasi-participant in the rule of law.

Our soldiers are abroad fighting a battle that I believe our President has not allowed them to win because of his continued mismanagement.

The National Intelligence Estimate says that the war in Iraq has actually invigorated the growth of terrorism and worsened its threat around the globe.

Today, we could have had an opportunity to fix one of those mistakes, but we are ignoring that opportunity and ignoring the respect for due process and denying habeas corpus to detainees.

I cannot and will not support this legislation.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I have lost faith in this Republican controlled Congress. The Congress is no longer about doing what is right for out country.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle care more about giving the President what he wants then what is in the best interests of the people we are here to represent.

And in case my friends don't read, the country does not have a very high opinion of this Congress and the rest of our government.

This Congress granted an excessive amount of executive power to the President to wage his war on terror with no oversight.

That excessive power brought us to our present day problems and this President is unwilling to fix these problems or even admit they exist.

We must reclaim our Constitutional authority and bring America back to the moral high ground.

Regardless of how we feel about detainees, we must treat them humanely and in accordance with our rule of law and the Geneva Conventions.

The example set by the United States is the example given to our own soldiers in the field.

These terrorists are vicious murderers, I know firsthand because they killed my cousin on 9/11, but my values as an American are what keeps those hatreds in check.

I find it amazing that the man who campaigned on bringing values back to the Oval office has lead the perception of our nation to an all time low.

Torture and harsh interrogation techniques are not my values and are not those of the American people.

We must lead by example on these issues, not be an evasive quasi participant.

Our soldiers are abroad fighting a battle our President has not allowed them to win because of his continued mismanagement of all aspects of the war.

The National Intelligence Estimate done by our 16 intelligence agencies flat out says that the war in Iraq has actually invigorated the growth of terrorism and worsened the threat around the globe.

We diverted all our attention from Afghanistan where the terrorists actually are and invaded Iraq on false statements and scare tactics.

This Administration with the help of the Republican controlled Congress has continued to stay on the wrong course.

Today, we could have had an opportunity to fix ones of those mistakes, but we are ignoring the respect for due process and denying Habeas Corpus to detainees.

This bill disregards the Hamdan decision, which stated that it should be a requirement of a ``regularly recognized constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized people.''

As civilized people we must respect our laws, without the rule of law we would have chaos.

The Bush Administration still refuses to explain why we even need a different judicial system for accused terrorists.

We must take the back the moral high ground in Congress just like many of our military leaders on the ground threw out the Department of Defenses recommendations on interrogation and instead decided to strictly follow the Geneva Conventions.

We should be following the advice of our military who truly understand what the Geneva Conventions mean, not the civilian leadership who stay out of harms way.

The President wants this Congress to bend the rules of our laws and the Geneva Conventions, a document that has protected our soldiers abroad since its inception.

I ask my colleagues, are you prepared to bend those laws that have governed us so successfully so the President can have the power to allow the harsh interrogations tactics and detention of detainees who mayor may not be terrorists.

We need to regain our stature as a world leader.

I hate these terrorists and I believe they should be punished, punished for the murder of my cousin on 9/11.

But they should be punished under the rule of law.

I pray this Congress will lead by example and not follow the example of the terrorists.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

http://thomas.loc.gov/