WASHINGTON, D.C. – Delivering the weekly Republican address, Rep. Pete King (R-NY) addresses the Obama Administration’s response to the terrorist plot to bring down Northwest Airlines Flight 253 and the need for a real, comprehensive strategy to fight and win the war on terror. Rep. King is the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee; he also serves on the House Intelligence Committee.
Rep King: “We are a nation at war, and we should act like it. We need to pull together, remain vigilant, and send a clear signal – both to our friends and our enemies – that this government will stop at nothing to protect our homeland. That’s how America sets an example for the world.”
Following is the text of Rep. King’s address:
“Hi, I’m Republican Congressman Pete King, I serve as the Ranking Member on the House Homeland Security Committee and I’m also a member of the House Intelligence Committee. I have the privilege to represent New York’s Third Congressional District, on Long Island in the suburbs of New York City.
“Two weeks ago, the terrorist plot to bring down Northwest Airlines Flight 253 in the skies over Detroit was thwarted by a combination of luck and vigilance. But as President Obama has rightly said, it should never have even gotten to that point. Last year, this terrorist’s father, a widely respected member of his community, went to our embassy in Nigeria and shared his concerns that his son was becoming a radical jihadist. That should have been more than enough to trigger a red flag that would prevent this terrorist from ever setting foot on a plane bound for the U.S. with explosives.
“Both parties recognize the need for answers, so bureaucratic reviews will take place and congressional hearings will be held. And while that’s all well and good, this is about much more than whether the no-fly list gets longer or it takes more time to get through the security line at the airport.
“This is about whether we’ve learned our lesson. Terrorists still have innocent people in their sights and the will to murder them. They are always working on the next attack, refining their methods, searching the globe for new recruits. In other words, September 11th is not ancient history – it’s all too real.
“So, the people in my community certainly get it. American families get it. And now it’s time for the Administration in Washington to stop sending mixed messages and get it too.
“One of the first things we need to do is pass the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act, a common-sense bill Republicans have proposed to prevent terrorists from being brought on to our soil. This bill would help stop the misguided plan to put Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other 9/11 terrorists on trial in downtown Manhattan. It’s an enormous, unnecessary risk, as is housing terrorists at the proposed ‘Gitmo North’ facility near Chicago.
“There’s a good reason why the government has had such a hard time transferring these terrorist detainees to other countries. They are the worst of the worst. No one should want them. That’s why we put in place a process by which these terrorists should be held and tried – as enemy combatants, by military commissions.
“The Keep Terrorists Out of America Act will also help to ensure that we’re treating terrorism as what it is – a war crime, not a law enforcement issue. We can’t gather the intelligence we need to foil future attacks if we are blindly granting terrorists the right to remain silent. But for some reason, we’ve already done that with the terrorist who tried to bring down Flight 253.
“We are a nation at war, and we should act like it. We need to pull together, remain vigilant, and send a clear signal – both to our friends and our enemies – that this government will stop at nothing to protect our homeland. That’s how America sets an example for the world.
“Thank you for listening.”
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