Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am
pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. PAUL).
(Mr. PAUL asked and was given permission
to revise and extend his remarks.)
1999 Ron Paul 99:1 Mr. PAUL.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition
to this resolution, not because
I lack concern for the serious problems
that the East Timorese are undergoing,
and not for lack of humanitarian concerns
for this group of people or anybody
in the world. It is just that there
is another side to the argument for us
intervening. And, besides, we helped
create the problem in Indonesia.
1999 Ron Paul 99:2 In the 1970’s, we were very supportive
of the Indonesian Government in their
takeover of East Timor after it became
independent from Portugal. So once
again, here we are intervening.
1999 Ron Paul 99:3 I would like to advise my colleagues
that we are not just endorsing a humanitarian
effort to help people who
are suffering. We are literally giving
the President carte blanche to go and
commit war in this area. We are committing
ourselves to troops, and it is
an open-ended policy.
1999 Ron Paul 99:4 We complained a whole lot about
what was happening in Kosovo. And
that operation has not ended. It is continuing.
This is just another example
of being involved, although with good
intentions, but with unintended consequences
just hanging around the corner.
1999 Ron Paul 99:5 I would like to point out that
some of those unintended consequences
can be rather serious.
I would like to call my colleagues’
attention to number 11 under the resolve
clause, making these points.
Number 11 says it “expresses support
for a rapid and effective deployment
throughout East Timor of the United
Nations Security Council-endorsed
multilateral force.” This means troops.
1999 Ron Paul 99:6 Our Security Council has already decided
to send troops to East Timor.
What we are doing today is rubber
stamping this effort to send troops into
another part of the world in a place
where we have no national security interests.
We do not know what victory
means. We do not know what lies
ahead.
1999 Ron Paul 99:7 In addition, under number 13, it “expresses
approval of United States
logistical and other technical support
for deployment of a multinational
force for East Timor.” Troops, that is
what it means, endangerment and risk
that this could escalate.
1999 Ron Paul 99:8 Under number 13, there is another
part that concerns me a great deal. In
the 1970s, we passed the War Powers
Resolution. Both conservatives and liberals,
Republicans and Democrats endorsed
the notion that Presidents
should be restrained in their effort to
wage war without declaration.
1999 Ron Paul 99:9 Once again, we are endorsing the concept
that, if we just subtly and quietly
endorse a President’s ability and authority
to go into a foreign country
under the auspices of the United Nations,
we do not have to deal with the
real issue of war. But under 13(B), it explicitly
restates the fact that a President
in this situation can at least wage
war for 60 days before we have much to
say about it.
1999 Ron Paul 99:10 I think this is dangerous. We should
be going in the other direction. This is
certainly what was expressed many,
many times on the floor during the
Kosovo debates. But we lost that debate,
although we had a large number
of colleagues that argued for non-involvement.
We are now entrenched in
Kosovo, and we are about to become
entrenched in East Timor, not under
the auspices of the United States, but
under the United Nations.
1999 Ron Paul 99:11 I do not see that the sanctity and the
interests of the United States will be
benefitted by what we are getting
ready to do.
1999 Ron Paul 99:12 Number 16 under the resolved clause,
“recognizes that an effective United
States foreign policy for this region requires
both an effective near-term response
to the ongoing humanitarian violence
in, and progress toward independence
for, East Timor.”
1999 Ron Paul 99:13 If we decide that we have to fight for
and engage troops for everybody who
wants to be independent, we have a lot
of work ahead of us. And, in addition,
in the same clause, “and a long-term
strategy for supporting stability, security
and democracy.”
1999 Ron Paul 99:14 This is a major commitment. This is
not just a resolution that is saying
that we support humanitarian aid. This
is big stuff. The American people ought
to know it, the Members of Congress
ought to know it.
1999 Ron Paul 99:15 This resolution became available to
me just within the last 20 minutes. It
has been difficult to know exactly what
is in it, and yet it is very significant,
very important; and we in the Congress
should not vote casually and carelessly
on this issue. This is a major commitment.
I think it is going in the wrong
direction, and we should consider the
fact that there are so often unintended
consequences from our efforts to do
what is right.
1999 Ron Paul 99:16 I understand the motivation behind
this, but tragically this type of action
tends to always backfire because we do
not follow the rule of law. And the rule
of law says if we commit troops, we
ought to get the direct and explicit authority
from the Congress with a war
resolution. This, in essence, is a baby
war resolution, but it is a war resolution.
