Political Quotes

“I come today with deep respect for the hard work that this subcommittee has done. I think it may be the toughest subcommittee in the House given the amazing pressures in terms of the military requirements of our country during a difficult time. This is a difficult budget, and there are crosscurrents that I cannot even imagine, but I get a little hint as I look from a distance. My special interest has been in an area dealing with unexploded ordnance, being able to protect people at home and abroad from the consequences of everything from landmines to training munitions that are unexploded. This has been an area that I have been deeply troubled with. It is an area that around the country there are potentially millions of acres in the United States that are so affected; and when we look at what has happened overseas, whether it is in the war in Southeast Asia and Vietnam, Afghanistan, what is going on right now in Iraq, and we just had a boy back home die this week in my community as a result of efforts trying to clear landmines. Around the world, over 300 million landmines have been built, and 75 million that have been placed remain undetonated.”