Vito Fossella: “Mr. Speaker, let us remind everybody why we are here. We are here again to send a signal to anybody contemplating…”

“Mr. Speaker, let us remind everybody why we are here. We are here again to send a signal to anybody contemplating terrorism on American soil that we will not tolerate it because we regard the value of innocent human life. When our society begins to devalue innocent human life, we begin to head in the wrong direction. We just heard the distinguished gentleman from Puerto Rico who admits that these people are terrorists. I hope that puts to rest those who still believe that these people are not terrorists. The FBI, the Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Attorneys office who found these people making bombs oppose clemency. Anybody with an ounce of common sense will tell us that it takes a network of individuals to perpetrate these crimes against humanity, that kill innocent people, that maim innocent people. Let us put a face on it. Diana Berger is at home right now. She was 6 months pregnant when her husband was killed. Joseph and Thomas Conner grew up without a father. These are the people we want to release, Carmen Valentine who accepted the President's offer of clemency, threatened the judge who sentenced her, 'You are lucky that we cannot take you right now.' She then proceeded to call the judge a terrorist and then said only the chains around her waist and wrists prevented her from doing what she would like to do, to kill him. Is that the people we want back in society?”