Mike Thompson: “we all appreciate the FBI's fine job in investigating the Oklahoma City bombing and tracking down the perpetrators. But…”

“we all appreciate the FBI's fine job in investigating the Oklahoma City bombing and tracking down the perpetrators. But all the resources that we vote for the FBI, and all the work that the Marshals Services performs to protect people in Federal buildings, are meaningless if the courts will not put terrorists and other criminals in jail for a long time. And those resources also will be wasted if the Justice Department fails to punish those who are guilty. The bill before us will strengthen Federal efforts against terrorism. However, the American people should know that we are acting thoughtfully, and are not overreacting. For instance, the bill before us reflects a conscious decision not to pass the administration's proposals to permit roving telephone wiretaps and to significantly increase the role of the military in domestic law enforcement. Before this administration asks for increased authority that could infringe the civil liberties of innocent citizens, it should exercise its already significant authority to punish terrorists. President Clinton has stated that those who bomb Federal buildings are evil cowards. And he has said that it is wrong for terrorists to try to kill those who lawfully arrest them. Yet, the record of the use of the current authority of the President's Justice Department to fight terrorism fails to match the President's rhetoric. Rodney Hamrick is a terrorist.…”