Daniel Inouye: “I find it, firstly, very difficult to speak in opposition to this amendment. But I do so after consulting with the…”

“I find it, firstly, very difficult to speak in opposition to this amendment. But I do so after consulting with the senior members, the chairman and the vice chairman, of the Armed Services Committee, the Senator from Michigan, and the Senator from Arizona. I have been assured that after due consideration and investigation, they have been convinced that the process of waivers does work. In fact, the investigation has suggested that those who have served after receiving such waivers have done much better in serving our Nation than those who came without any crime. We should keep in mind that when we speak of certain crimes, there is no standard rule throughout the United States. In different States, certain activities are considered criminal, in other States it is not even mentioned. I was an assistant prosecutor a long time ago. I find that in certain States certain activities are considered conservatively and other areas very liberally. For example, in recent days, we have been hearing much about the demonstration in Louisiana on the Jenna 6. Would that be a crime in other States? In other communities? I do not think we have the answer because we know that, depending on jurisdictions, certain activities may be criminal and in others of no concern. Whatever it is, on behalf of the Defense Appropriations Committee, I am calling on the leadership of the Armed Services Committee to conduct a thorough further investigation on this matter.”