Byron Dorgan: “I used a picture of Fat Albert, the aerostat balloon. I will show that once again. Fat Albert was fearlessly…”

“I used a picture of Fat Albert, the aerostat balloon. I will show that once again. Fat Albert was fearlessly broadcasting television signals that no one could receive, doing it for 16 years or so. And now, in order to continue broadcasting signals no one can receive, we have expropriated the use of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard's airplane called Commando Solo, one of only a half a dozen ever made, used in Bosnia, used in Iraq, used in Afghanistan, for very sophisticated electronic psychological warfare purposes. That has been flying now for 4 hours a week, broadcasting signals, without any evidence at all that the Cuban people can see those signals. So we have gone from Fat Albert to Commando Solo and now the next step, to purchase a new airplane, to purchase a new airplane so TV Marti has its own airplane to broadcast signals no one can see. Does it sound a little goofy? It would in my hometown, if you told this story. Sometimes there are people who serve here who think they know more than anybody else, they can see over the horizon things others cannot see. There is a broad common sense in this country that takes a look at things like this. And wouldn't it be the case that in a small town cafe in Oregon or a small town cafe in North Dakota or Alaska, people would take a look at this and say: What on Earth are you thinking about, spending money on something we don't need and doubling the funding for something that doesn't work? Where have you been?…”