Lynn C. Woolsey: “we have learned in the last few days and weeks about terrible new threats to our national security and the safety of the…”

“we have learned in the last few days and weeks about terrible new threats to our national security and the safety of the American people. On August 29, a B-52 bomber accidentally flew six nuclear warheads across the country with a combined power of 60 Hiroshima A-bombs. Imagine the horror, the destructive power of 60 Hiroshima A-bombs flying over the American heartland on a course that took them near Minneapolis, Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, Tulsa and Little Rock. Then, on September 16, we learned that American military contractors in Iraq were involved in the shooting deaths of 11 innocent Iraqi civilians in a Baghdad square. Was it a case of American military contractors gone wild? We don't know for sure yet. But it is becoming increasingly clear that the vast army of 180,000 military contractors in Iraq are not being held accountable for their actions and often make things more difficult for our troops in Iraq. A senior U.S. military official told the Washington Post that the incident in Baghdad was "a nightmare. This is going to hurt us badly. It may be worse than Abu Ghraib." And then on September 22, the press reported that Federal prosecutors are investigating charges that the military contractors involved in the Baghdad incident, Blackwater U.S.A., smuggled weapons into Iraq that may have been sold on the black market and ended up in the hands of terrorists. Mr. Speaker, we must take immediate action to improve our security.…”