SPEECH OF
HON. RON PAUL
OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
2010 Ron Paul 57:1
Mr. PAUL.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition
to this saber-rattling resolution that unnecessarily
escalates tensions between North and
South Korea and may in fact put U.S. troops
stationed in the area at risk. This resolution
portrays the recent hostilities between the two
Koreas as “an unprovoked military attack” by
North Korea, which is untrue. We know that
South Korea was conducting live fire military
exercises in the vicinity of disputed territory
and that this action, taken with U.S. military
support and participation, likely led to the exchange
of gunfire between the two sides.
2010 Ron Paul 57:2
As the resolution states, the
“USS George
Washington Carrier Strike Group is conducting
exercises with Republic of Korea naval forces
in the waters west of the Korean Peninsula.”
Let us for a moment imagine the Chinese military
holding joint exercises with Venezuela off
the Texas coast. Might that be viewed as provocative
by the United States? This is not to
excuse or endorse the actions of the North
Korean military, which are certainly regrettable,
but it is important to accurately portray
the events.
2010 Ron Paul 57:3
This resolution is long on inaccuracies and
hyperbole but it avoids the real issue, which is
why, more than fifty years after the end of the
Korean war, the American taxpayer is still
forced to pay for the U.S. military to defend a
modern and wealthy South Korea. The continued
presence of the U.S. military as a “tripwire”
to deter North Korea is ineffective and
dangerous. It is designed to deter renewed
hostilities by placing American lives between
the two factions. As we have seen recently,
South Korean leaders, emboldened by the
U.S. protection, seek to provoke North Korean
reaction rather than to work for a way to finally
end the conflict. The U.S. presence only
serves to prolong the conflict, further drain our
empty treasury, and place our military at risk.
I encourage my colleagues to reject this jingoistic
resolution and instead use our Constitutionally-
granted authority to finally end the
U.S. military presence in and defense of South
Korea.
