Dan Burton

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, the Status Quo in the Taiwan Straits is under threat. This has far less to do with unilateral steps being taken by Taiwan and much more to do with People's Republic of China's (PRC) decision to apparently leave its ``Good Neighbor'' policy by the wayside, and embark on a new campaign to promote its economic and military ambitions across the Straits and throughout the region. For several months now, based on speeches by Jiang Zemin, it appears that China is in the process of drafting a so-called Anti-Secession Law which obligates the People's Liberation Army to use military force to annex Taiwan if Beijing believes Taiwanese rhetoric or actions are moving the Island towards independence. The prospect of a lifting of the European Union's arms embargo against China, together with the drafting of this Anti-Secession Law, and the publication of a PRC white paper last year entitled, ``China's National Defense in 2004,'' calling Taiwan's independence advocates the ``biggest immediate threat to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity,'' are alarming items in and of themselves, but taken as a whole they represent a disturbing trend in China's thinking about the situation in the Taiwan Straits. Officials at the State Department and our friends in Taiwan are extremely uneasy to say the least over these signals of a change in China's posture towards Taiwan--and with good reason. Saber rattling by the PRC is nothing new, but this Anti-Secession Law represents a dangerous new dimension. If enacted, this Anti-Secession Law will create the legal grounds for Beijing to punish anyone speaking or acting against reunification of Taiwan and China. Moreover, the law will permit, in fact it will compel, Chinese leaders to use force against Taiwan if China considers Taiwanese leaders are engaging in so-called separatist activities. The Law clearly undermines efforts to enhance the goodwill that has grown-up across the Straits in recent years spawned by deep socio- cultural ties, and the increasing economic interdependence between Taiwan and the Mainland. If this Anti-Secession Law is enacted, the response from the Taiwanese will be predictable; military tension will rise accordingly in the Taiwan Strait and regional peace and stability will be affected. This cannot be in the best interests of any country, especially those in the region. Mr. Speaker, since 9/11 there has been a heightened recognition of the benefits of cooperation with Beijing on security issues in the region; ranging from eliminating the North Korean nuclear threat, to stabilizing the Taiwan Strait, and countering global terrorism. A security crisis over Taiwan is something we all must work to avert. But, China's proposed Anti-Secession Law is a bad law with serious consequences for future relations between China and Taiwan, as well as regional stability. I hope the Chinese Government will reconsider their actions and return to the ``Good Neighbor'' policy that has worked so effectively for so long.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, over the past 4 or 5 years, I have, as chairman of the Committee on Government Reform and chairman of the Subcommittee on Health and Human Rights, held a number of hearings regarding mercury in vaccines and what kind of an impact it had on children. When we first started having the hearings, we were concerned that there was an epidemic of autism and other neurological disorders in children, and we found from scientists who testified before the committee over the years that there was no doubt that one of the major contributing factors to neurological problems, including autism among children, was the mercury in vaccines under the title of Thimerosal, which is a preservative. Thimerosal is a preservative which contains 50 percent ethyl mercury, and as children got more and more vaccinations, as many as 30 now before they start in the first grade, the incidence of neurological disorders, autism and other childhood mental problems, grew dramatically. It used to be 1 in 10,000 children were autistic, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Now it is 1 in 150. We have an absolute epidemic of autism. The pharmaceutical companies for years have said that there is no correlation between the mercury in vaccines and the autism and other neurological childhood disorders, and things like Alzheimer's in adults. But this past week on the front page of the Los Angeles Times there was a very, very long article, and I want to read to you, Mr. Speaker, some of the things that were in that article. The title of the article was ``'91 Memo Warned of Mercury in Vaccines and Shots.'' '91 was the year. The March 1991 memo, obtained by the Times, shows that nearly a decade before our Federal health agency first publicly disclosed the potential dangers of mercury in vaccines, senior executives from Merck & Company, a major pharmaceutical company, were already aware that infants were getting an elevated dose of mercury in vaccinations containing the widely used preservative Thimerosal, a preservative containing nearly 50 percent mercury by weight. In fact, the memo clearly states, ``If eight doses of Thimerosal- containing vaccine were given in the first 6 months of life, the mercury given, say to an average-size infant of 12 pounds, would be 87 times the daily allowance of mercury for a baby of that size.'' Eighty- seven times. The memo further states, ``It is reasonable to conclude that Thimerosal should be removed from single-dose vials when it can be removed, especially where use in infants and young children is anticipated.'' At the time this memo was written, U.S. health authorities were recommending an aggressive expansion of the immunization schedule for children in their first 6 months of life, adding five new shots to the schedule. And many of these shots, as well as shots already included in the vaccine immunization schedule, contained mercury and Thimerosal. What did the pharmaceutical company do after learning this? They did nothing. Absolutely nothing. It took 8 years before they started removing Thimerosal from any of the children's vaccines. It is criminal, it is criminal in my opinion, that this sort of thing takes place. Mercury in any vaccination, whether it is a child's vaccination or an adult vaccination, should be removed. Mercury is one of the most toxic substances on Earth. It is toxic to the neurological system of adults and, especially, infants, and yet children have been getting as many as 30 vaccinations before they start in the first grade of school; and we have an absolute epidemic of neurological problems, including autism. Mr. Speaker, I will submit this article for the Record. I am going to send a ``Dear Colleague'' around to all of my colleagues, and I hope everybody, and my good friend the gentlewoman from California has been working with me on this for a long time, I hope that everybody will pay attention and talk to their pharmaceutical representatives and get mercury out of all vaccinations, but especially every childhood vaccination. The future of America depends on that, because these children are going to grow up, they are going to become dependent upon the taxpayer and it is going to cost all of us trillions of dollars if we do not deal with the problem now. [From the Los Angeles Times, Feb. 8, 2005] '91 Memo Warned of Mercury in Shots (By Myron Levin) A memo from Merck & Co. shows that, nearly a decade before the first public disclosure, senior executives were concerned that infants were getting an elevated dose of mercury in vaccinations containing a widely use sterilizing agent. The March 1991 memo, obtained by The Times, said that 6- month-old children who received their shots on schedule would get a mercury dose up to 87 times higher than guidelines for the maximum daily consumption of mercury from fish. ``When viewed in this way, the mercury load appears rather large,'' said the memo from Dr. Maurice R. Hilleman, an internationally renowned vaccinologist. It was written to the president of Merck's vaccine division. The memo was prepared at a time when U.S. health authorities was aggressively expanding their immunization schedule by adding five new shots for children in their first six months. Many of these shots, as well as some previously included on the vaccine schedule, contained thimerosal, an antibacterial compound that is nearly 50% ethyl mercury, a neurotoxin. Federal health officials disclosed for the first time in 1999 that many infants were being exposed to mercury above health guidelines through routine vaccinations. The announcement followed a review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that was described at the time as a first effort to assess the cumulative mercury dose. But the Merck memo shows that at least one major manufacturer was aware of the concern much earlier. ``The key issue is whether thimerosal, in the amount given with the vaccine, does or does not constitute a safety hazard,'' the memo said. ``However, perception of hazard may be equally important.'' Merck officials would not discuss the contents of the memo, citing pending litigation. Separately, the drug giant is trying to fend off a legal onslaught over Vioxx, the popular painkiller it introduced in 1999. The company, based in Whitehouse Station, N.J., faces hundreds of lawsuits claiming that the drug caused heart problems and that Merck concealed the risks. Merck, which in September pulled Vioxx off the market, has denied the allegations. The legacy of thimerosal, meanwhile, also is causing problems for Merck and other drug companies. More than 4,200 claims have been filed in a special federal tribunal, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, by parents asserting that their children suffered autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders from mercury in vaccines. A handful of similar claims are awaiting trial in civil courts. The plaintiffs cite various scientific studies that they say prove the dangers of thimerosal, including at the levels found in vaccines. Thimerosal has been largely removed from pediatric vaccines in recent years in what health officials have described as a precautionary measure. (This has been accomplished as drug makers have voluntarily switched from multi-dose vials of vaccine, which require a chemical preservative like thimerosal, to single-dose containers.) In September, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation prohibiting vaccines with more than trace amounts of thimerosal from being given to babies and pregnant women. Iowa has a similar ban. For their part, Merck and other vaccine makers, along with many government health officials and scientists, say there is no credible evidence of harm from the amounts of mercury once widely present in kids' shots. They cite a report in May by a committee of the national Institute of Medicine concluding that the evidence ``favors rejection of a causal relationship'' between vaccines and autism. The seven-page Merck memo was provided to The Times by James A. Moody, a Washington lawyer who works with parent groups on vaccine safety issues. He said he obtained it from a whistle-blower whom he would not name. The memo provides the ``first hard evidence that the companies knew--or at least Merck knew--that the children were getting significantly more mercury'' than the generally accepted dose, the lawyer said. He also provided a copy to attorneys for Vera Easter, a Texas woman who blames thimerosal for the condition of her 7- year-old son, Jordan, who is autistic and mentally retarded. The Easter lawsuit is pending in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The defendants include Merck; rival vaccine makers GlaxoSmithKline, Aventis Pasteur Inc. and Wyeth; and thimerosal developer Eli Lilly & Co. Easter's lawyer, Andy Waters, described the memo as ``incredibly damning and incredibly significant.'' After receiving it in the fall, he confronted Merck lawyers about why he hadn't seen it earlier. In a letter to Waters in October, Merck attorneys said they had in fact made available 32 boxes of records, but that the copying service hired by the plaintiffs for some reason had failed to copy several of the boxes--including the one with the Hilleman memo. ``The memo,'' said company spokeswoman Mary Elizabeth Blake, ``was produced voluntarily by Merck in the ordinary course of discovery proceedings.'' Hilleman is a former senior vice president of Merck who developed numerous vaccines for the company. A 1999 profile in the Philadelphia Inquirer said that ``it is no exaggeration to assert, as many scientists do, that Maurice Hilleman has saved more lives than any other living scientist.'' Hilleman, 85, currently director of the Merck Institute for Vaccinology, had officially retired and was a consultant to Merck when he wrote the '91 memo. He declined to be interviewed. The memo was sent to Dr. Gordon Douglas, then head of Merck's vaccine division and now a consultant for the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health. Douglas also declined to comment. The memo stated that regulators in several countries had raised concerns about thimerosal, including in Sweden, where the chemical was being removed from vaccines. ``The public awareness has been raised by the sequential wave of experiences in Sweden including mercury exposure from additives, fish, contaminated air, bird deaths from eating mercury-treated seed grains, dental amalgam leakage, mercury allergy, etc.,'' the memo said. It noted that Sweden had set a daily maximum allowance of mercury from fish of 30 micrograms for a 160-pound adult, roughly the same guideline used by the FDA. Adjusting for the body weight of infants, Hilleman calculated that babies who received their shots on schedule could get 87 times the mercury allowance. The Swedish and FDA guidelines work out to about four- tenths of a microgram of mercury per kilogram of body weight. A stricter standard of one-tenth of a microgram per kilogram has been adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency and endorsed by the National Research Council. These standards are based on methyl mercury, the type found in fish and airborne emissions from power plants. Though toxic, the ethyl mercury in thimerosal may be less hazardous than methyl mercury, some scientists say, because it is more quickly purged from the body. ``It appears essentially impossible, based on current information, to ascertain whether thimerosal in vaccines constitutes or does not constitute a significant addition to the normal daily input of mercury from diverse sources,'' the memo said. ``It is reasonable to conclude'' that it should be eliminated where possible, he said, ``especially where use in infants and young children is anticipated.'' In the U.S., however, thimerosal continued to be added throughout the '90s to a number of widely used pediatric vaccines for hepatitis B, bacterial meningitis, diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus. It was added to multi-dose vials of vaccine to prevent contamination from repeated insertion of needles to extract the medicine. It was not needed in single-dose vials, but most doctors and clinic preferred to order vaccine in multi- dose containers because of the lower cost and easier storage. The Hilleman memo said that unlike regulators in Sweden and some other countries, ``the U.S. Food and Drug Administration . . . does not have this concern for thimerosal.'' A turning point came in 1997 when Congress passed a bill ordering an FDA review of mercury ingredients in food and drugs. Completed in 1999, the review revealed the high level of mercury exposure from pediatric vaccines and raised a furor. In e-mails later released at a congressional hearing, an FDA official said health authorities could be criticized for ``being `asleep at the switch' for decades by allowing a potentially hazardous compound to remain in many childhood vaccines, and not forcing manufacturers to exclude it from new products.'' It would not have taken a rocket science'' to add up the amount of exposure as the prescribed number of shots was increasing, one of the e-mails said. While asserting that there was no proof of harm, the U.S. Public Health Service in July 1999 called on manufacturers to go mercury-free by switching to single-dose vials. Soon after, Merck introduced a mercury-free version of its hepatitis B vaccine, replacing the only thimerosal-containing vaccine it was still marketing at the time, a company spokesman said. By 2002, thimerosal had been eliminated or reduced to trace levels in nearly all childhood vaccines. One exception is the pediatric flu vaccine made by Aventis and still sold mainly in multidose vials.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, you know, when Ronald Reagan was President, he told a story of the difference between an optimist and a pessimist. And he used the example of two little boys who were put into a room full of horse manure. And the one little boy started crying very viciously, very seriously, because there were not any toys in the room. And the other little boy was digging around happy as a lark. And they asked him, why are you so happy? And he said, with all of this horse manure in here, there has got to be a pony here somewhere. The reason Reagan told that story was because he wanted people to realize that optimism is something that everybody should try to acquire in their lives and look at the positive things. And during his administration, he was so optimistic that he changed the whole attitude of the American people and made the 8 years of his administration a real success. I would like to contrast that, if you will, with what we have seen in the last couple of days. Sixty percent of the people of Iraq went to the polls to vote knowing that some of them might be killed. A lot of people wonder if that would happen here in America. In America we have what, 30, 40, 50 percent of the people vote if we are very lucky, and we do not have any guns pointed at anybody. And yet in Iraq these people knew their lives were in jeopardy, and they still put their finger in that ink and held it up for the people to see in the cameras so they could take pictures, because they were proud that they had a chance to show their freedom. They were optimistic, very optimistic like Ronald Reagan talked about, for the future of Iraq. And yet last night when I watched the news, I watched several of the major news networks, and I will not go into their names tonight, but it is the same people that you hear all the time. They were once again pointing out all of the things that went wrong in Iraq during the elections, and all of the problems that lay ahead of us, and how this is just a first step in a long series of steps that have to be taken; and they were not celebrating at all this tremendous step toward democracy and freedom that took place in one of the toughest spots in the whole wide world. And I would just like to say to my friends in the media, that was a great thing that happened. Sixty percent of the people who lived under a tyrannical leader for years and years, who suffered torture and heartache for decades, finally had a chance to vote; and even though they were doing it with guns being pointed in their direction, people being blown up, and people being beheaded, they took the chance and went and voted, 60 percent of them. They are optimists. And I just wish the national media would realize it and become optimistic themselves.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I was regrettably delayed in my return to Washington, DC, and therefore unable to be on the House floor for rollcall votes 10, 11, 12, and 13. Had I been here I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote 10, ``no'' on rollcall vote 11, ``no'' on rollcall vote 12, and ``aye'' on rollcall vote 13.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' for rollcall vote 9, on H. Res. 39--Commending countries and organizations for marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and urging a strengthening of the fight against racism, intolerance, bigotry, prejudice, discrimination, and anti-Semitism. Over 6 million Jews were exterminated in Nazi camps, and millions of others including Poles, Soviet prisoners, Romanies, members of the Resistance, and clergymen were among those killed, imprisoned or used as slave labor within the confines of these brutal camps. It is estimated that between 1.2 and 1.6 million of these victims perished at Auschwitz alone; and--as a result--no single word in modern language has a deeper symbolic meaning for pure evil than the word Auschwitz. Auschwitz symbolizes the dark side of human nature, and serves as a lasting reminder that our civilized world must remain forever vigilant in the defense of human rights and human dignity. For Jewish people throughout the world, Auschwitz is a reminder of an unprecedented tragedy, the extreme expression of Hitler's Nazi regime's hatred of the Jewish people and their determined attempt to annihilate the Jews through genocide. By passing this bill tonight, and through the numerous ways other countries and organizations have marked the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we collectively and emphatically demonstrate the world's awareness of the terrible wounds inflicted by the heinous crimes committed at the hands of Hitler's evil regime, and the need to keep the memory of these tragic events alive so as to protect the victims from suffering a second great tragedy--that of being forgotten.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the observance of America's first annual National Folic Acid Awareness Week which began this past Monday January 24, 2005. The theme of National Folic Acid Awareness Week--``Folic Acid: You Don't Know What You're Missing!'' is especially timely given the increasing popularity of low or no-carbohydrate diets. Since 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has required the addition of folic acid to enriched breads, cereals, flours, pastas, rice and other grain products. Consequently, people, particularly women, on these low-carb diets may in fact not be getting the appropriate daily allowance of the essential vitamins and minerals necessary for health and well being. Folic Acid--a B-vitamin--is in particular critical for proper cell growth, and it has been scientifically proven to prevent certain birth defects of the brain and spine called Neural Tube Defects (NTD), which occurs very early in pregnancy, before most women even know they are pregnant. The most common NTDs are Spina Bifida, lack of closure in the spinal column, and Anencephaly, a condition where only a portion of the brain forms. Seventy thousand people are living with Spina Bifida today; it is the most common permanently disabling condition in America. Children born with Spina Bifida suffer from a myriad of problems, including: paralysis, fluid on the brain, learning difficulties and depression. Those affected with Anencephaly are usually stillborn or die soon after birth. It is sobering to think that as much as seventy percent of the incidence of NTDs could be prevented if women of childbearing age simply took a 400 microgram pill of folic acid every day. I am hopeful that programs like the National Folic Acid Awareness Week which stress the importance of a healthy diet combined with a daily folic acid pill, we can prevent many of the 2,500 to 3,000 babies born every year with NTDs. As an added bonus, emerging research also indicates that folic acid might reduce the risk of other birth defects such as cleft lip, cleft palate and heart defects. It might even reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and colon, cervical, and breast cancer. So taking adequate amounts of folic acid can in fact be beneficial for men and woman of all ages. Mr. Speaker, the most precious of our American treasures is our children. I believe it is incumbent upon us policy makers to encourage not only those we know and love, but all Americans, to eat foods rich in folic acid such as, bananas, fresh spinach, and orange juice. We owe it to future generations to do all we can to give them a head start on a healthy life devoid of pain and suffering. So I ask my colleagues to join me in promoting the message of National Folic Acid Awareness Week, and to make the commitment to work, not only this week but every week, to encourage all Americans to take folic acid, and help eradicate neural tube defects forever.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I was regrettably delayed in my return to Washington, DC, and therefore unable to be on the House Floor for rollcall votes 8 and 9. Had I been here I would have voted ``aye'' for rollcall vote 8, on H. Con. Res. 16--Congratulating the people of the Ukraine for conducting a democratic, transparent, and fair runoff presidential election on December 26, 2004, and congratulating Victor Yushchenko on his election as President of Ukraine and his commitment to democracy and reform. The voice of the Ukrainian people spoke loudly on December 26th as Ukrainians united and re-affirmed their commitment to reform, democracy, and further Trans-Atlantic cooperation with their selection of Mr. Yushchenko as President. The peaceful, orange-clad demonstrators who rallied throughout Ukraine and helped achieve this historic moment should be an inspiration to all of us. And Mr. Yushchenko's peaceful inauguration, and smooth transition to power, displays yet another positive sign for a bright future for the Ukrainians and sets an exceptional example of the power of freedom and democracy for the entire region. As a senior Member of the House International Relations Committee, I extend my personal congratulations to Mr. Yushchenko and wish him all the best as he works to bring Ukraine into the community of democratic nations. As freedom and democracy descends on Ukraine, I hope that their peaceful transition to a modern democratic country will serve as a further catalyst for the growing international movement to bring liberty to all peoples of the world that still suffer in the shadows of tyranny and dictatorship.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, We have all seen the horrific images, and read the news reports about the tsunami that devastated South and Southeast Asia; and they speak volumes about the great burden this natural disaster has placed on the people of at least eleven nations. During this difficult period, I know that all Americans stand in support of the nations and people affected by this unfortunate series of events, and stand united in our determination to assist these people in rebuilding their shattered lives. President Bush has pledged the support of the United States government, and our federal agencies and military personnel are doing everything possible to be of the utmost assistance, and fulfill that pledge. Likewise the American people are responding with overwhelming charity and generosity. Indeed, this horrible catastrophe has created a virtual global army of compassion, and I rise today to recognize and applaud the leadership and generosity of a small portion of that army, namely the country of Equatorial Guinea, for their generous donation of $200,000 toward the Tsunami Relief Efforts. The government of Equatorial Guinea has faced many challenges in restoring order to a country that has been ravaged and neglected for decades. While the country still faces many struggles, such as rebuilding the country's schools, hospitals and infrastructure, Equatorial Guinea is the first African country to make a financial donation to the Tsunami relief effort. I am pleased to see President Teodoro Obiang Nguema's humanitarian spirit which has served the people of Equatorial Guinea so well, has spilled over to aid the many thousands in need in Southeastern Asia. I fervently hope that Equatorial Guinea's neighboring countries will soon follow the example set by President Nguema and offer any assistance possible to those who have been affected so greatly by this tragedy.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and for his kind remarks. Mr. Speaker, this is a very solemn occasion on which we meet here tonight: 150,000 people have perished in an unforeseen disaster that took place a little over a week ago. The world has joined hands to try to help these people who suffered in Indonesia and the entire region. The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Wexler) and I are co-chairmen of the Indonesian Caucus, and we have been working with people in the Indonesian Government because they have moved so rapidly towards democracy and the things that we believe in in this country. It is tragic at this moment in history that they have suffered, along with Sri Lanka, India, and the rest of that region, so heavily because of this horrible tragedy that occurred just a short time ago. President Bush has responded. This country has responded to the tune of $350 million, as the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) have just recently stated. That is great. Our military has responded very rapidly. That is important as well. But the American people, if I were able to talk to them tonight, could respond in an equal fashion. If I were allowed, Mr. Speaker, and I know I am not allowed to speak directly to the American people, but if I were, I would say, if they want to make contributions to help our government help the people of that region, they could contact and make contributions through www.usafreedomcorps.gov. I know I cannot say that because we are not able to make that kind of a plea from the well to the American people. But if I could, I would once again ask them to make contributions through www.usafreedomcorps.gov because that would help augment what the United States Government is trying to do to help the people of this region. As many as 5 million people, as many as the people in the whole State of Indiana, could adversely be affected if they do not get the resources necessary to help with the potential health problems and the infrastructure problems that occur over there. We want to make sure that the world tragedy that has occurred in that region does not get any worse, and the best way to do that is to make sure the resources they need get there as quickly as possible. We are doing our part as a government, but the American people and the rest of the people could help as well if they choose to do so. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), for bringing this resolution forward tonight, along with the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach). We really appreciate what our government and the President is trying to do. The President has appointed former President Bush and President Clinton to head up an effort to raise additional resources. We appreciate that, and we urge the American people to help as well in any way that they can.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, in the early hours of Thanksgiving morning, two Sikh brothers, Sarabjit and Sukhjinder Singh, arrived for work at the gas station they owned, only to find it burned to the ground with racist graffiti scrawled all around the burning rubble. I am glad to say that this sad incident was immediately reported to the local Chesterfield County police, to the FBI, and to the Civil Rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and all are now diligently working to make sure that whoever perpetrated this heinous crime is brought to justice. It seems obvious from the graffiti left at the scene that whoever committed this crime intended to target Muslims--not Sikhs--proving that this unknown arsonist was not just a bigot, but an ignorant bigot. If they had been Muslims, this would still be a senseless and horrific crime, and one to be condemned in the strongest possible terms, because to attack innocent practitioners of any religion for the acts of a handful of misguided fanatics is inexcusable. But these men were Sikhs. Sikhs are not Muslims; they are not Hindus. Sikhism is a noble independent religion that traces its roots back hundreds of years. It is not part of any other religion. Furthermore, Sikhs believe in one God and in equality for all--an ideal that forms one of the very pillars of our own society. Swift prosecution and severe punishment of the perpetrators of this crime is the best way to combat this type of bigotry. I am sure every Member of this House joins me in urging the police, FBI, and Justice Department to promptly and thoroughly investigate this matter and bring the perpetrator or perpetrators of this crime to justice. I am sure all of my colleagues will also join me in extending our best wishes and prayers to Sarabjit Singh, Sukhjinder Singh, and their families during this traumatic time. Mr. Speaker, I hope that one day--a day in the not too distant future--we will live in an America where this type of crime, born out of ignorance and fear, is forever a thing of the past.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, on December 7, 1941, over 2,200 brave servicemen and women sacrificed their lives protecting the freedoms we have come to cherish. Now, sixty-three years after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, America has over 26 million veterans who have selflessly dedicated themselves in service to our great country and sacrificed to guarantee Americans the freedoms we enjoy today. Unfortunately, rather than receiving the full respect they deserve, our nation's veterans are now faced with a recently released Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) directive (VHA Directive 2004-045) that exposes them to tremendous risk. The directive grants optometrists-- non-Medical Doctors (MDs)--in the VA system privileges to perform laser eye procedures under the supervision of an ophthalmologist--a fully trained and certified MD. While I fully understand that the Directive mandates the procedure will be supervised, I am also aware of the fact that supervising a procedure is not the same as actually performing the procedure. As a result, allowing an operation to be performed by a non- surgeon could potentially jeopardize patient safety, and ultimately the quality of care provided to our veterans. As eye health deteriorates with age, more and more older Americans are faced with the need for eye surgery. And just when our aging veterans need this care the most, they are now faced with the prospect of having their surgery performed by someone who hasn't been through intensive surgical education or training. This new policy blatantly imposes a substandard level of health care on our veterans. Currently, only one state--Oklahoma--permits optometrists (non-MDs) to perform laser eye surgery, while 35 other states have outright prohibited this type of procedure. In fact, 14 states, including Indiana, have debated and soundly rejected similar measures--seven states in this calendar year alone. But regardless of individual state restrictions, the DVA directive allows an eye care professional to practice anywhere in the VHA system, ``up to the limits'' of their license. As a result, optometrists with no formal surgical education or training will be able to go to Oklahoma, take a 16 hour course, pass the Oklahoma optometry certification exam, and then go anywhere in the country and practice laser eye surgery on any veteran in any VHA facility. Thus, in states that have prohibited this type of threat or rejected Oklahoma-like legislation, optometrists will be practicing surgery on veterans against the wishes of state lawmakers. As a proud veteran of the U.S. Army, I find it shocking that this practice has been allowed to come this far. And I'm not alone in my belief that medical doctors who are specifically trained to reduce surgery-related risks should be the only ones legally permitted to carry out these delicate laser eye procedures. In fact, in a national poll of U.S. veterans, 95 percent said it was important for a licensed medical doctor, specializing in eye care, to conduct eye surgery. Any medical operation has the potential to cause adverse affects. In older populations--such as those served by VHA facilities--the rate of adverse events tends to increase for any surgical procedure. Therefore, it makes no sense that this very population--those most in need of a medical doctor's training and education to determine the safest surgery for their overall health--be needlessly exposed to the very real threat of having a non-MD operate on them. It should be our highest priority as American citizens to help ensure the safety of those who have so proudly and bravely defended our great country. All U.S. veterans deserve to have quality health care performed by medical doctors with the proper education and training.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell Members a little bit about the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bill Young). Bill has been a friend of mine for over 20 years. When my wife was ill with cancer and she was in Germany and was going through treatment, he assisted me in making sure that I was able to get to her and spend time with her before she passed away, so I have undying gratitude to Bill for his kindness toward me over the years. The last few days I talked to him about a problem in the Marianas, in Guam, Saipan, American Samoa and elsewhere in the South Pacific about people who are dying from diabetes because they do not have enough dialysis machines over there. The gentleman from Florida told me he would do everything that he could to help get dialysis machines to those people. He tried to get the money into the appropriations bill; but, unfortunately, at the last minute it could not be done. So I approached him today on the floor and I said these people are dying, they are American citizens, and he said I am going to do everything I can to make sure that they get the equipment necessary to preserve and protect their lives. He was even going to go to the Pentagon to help find a way to get the equipment over there. I would like to say to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) on behalf of my family and on behalf of people of Guam, Saipan, American Samoa and elsewhere who are not in this bill, I believe they will get the help they need because he said he is going to go that extra mile to get it done. Mr. Speaker, I know that the gentleman from Florida is leaving the chairmanship of the Committee on Appropriations, so I would like to say that I appreciate the work he has done for not only me but for people all around the world.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time, and I rise to ask the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations to engage me in a brief colloquy.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I also have one other comment. I would like to ask the chairman for his assurance that no provisions of this bill pertain to reforming the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. We still need to do work on that, but it should not be done in this bill.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time. As the gentleman may recall, at the close of the 107th Congress, four paragraphs were slipped into the Homeland Security bill which unfairly restricted the ability of families with vaccine-injured children from seeking legal recourse. Thanks to the gentleman's support, those provisions were quickly repealed, without prejudice, in H.J. Res. 2, the fiscal year 2003 Consolidated Appropriations bill. Nevertheless, the inclusion of these special-interest provisions in the dark of night was a black eye for the Congress and left the families of vaccine-injured children highly suspicious of the motivations of many of their elected officials. As the grandfather of a child with autism, an affliction that I personally believe was caused by mercury-containing thimerosal in vaccines, I vowed to remain vigilant against any attempt to insert similar provisions in any other bill that makes its way through the Congress. To that end, I would respectfully ask the chairman to reassure me that the Omnibus Appropriations bill before us contains no such provisions.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) has done a heck of a job. I thank him very much.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. I yield to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of my good friend and colleague Representative Phil Crane of Illinois on the occasion of his retirement from the United States Congress. Phil is one of the most capable, honorable, and well-educated Members to ever grace the hallowed halls of the House of Representatives. He is a man of great integrity and conservative values, serving the great state of Illinois for 35 years. His contributions and accomplishments are legend and will carry on for generations to come. He and his lovely wife, Arlene, are two of the most patriotic Americans I have ever had the opportunity to meet. I wish them the best in their future endeavors and a long, healthy, and happy retirement. Phil will sorely be missed. May God bless him and his family.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to comment on the urgency of passing meaningful postal reform legislation. A vibrant and healthy Postal Service is critical to the entire U.S. economy. The nation's mailing industry is an important primary and secondary employer, and contributes approximately $900 billion dollars, or about 8 percent of the nation's Gross Domestic Product. However, over the past few years, due to declining mail volume, and increased delivery costs, the Postal Service has accrued a tremendous debt. This debt leaves the Postal Service with no alternative but to raise postage rates, which they have done four times in the past five years. I have been a leader on postal reform for several years, and we have come a long way. During my tenure as Chairman of the Government Reform Committee, I pushed for significant postal reform legislation. In 2003, we passed the Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act. This was a positive step in the right direction, however, it was a temporary fix for a complex issue, and only staved off postage increases until 2006. Again, earlier this year, understanding the necessity of comprehensive postal reform legislation, the Government Reform Committee debated postal reform, and unanimously passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, H.R. 4341, through a comprehensive and broad bi-partisan process. If this body fails to act within the next few months, double-digit postage rate increases are likely to be proposed in 2006. An increase of this size will undoubtedly lead to a reduction in First Class mail usage, which again would further threaten the financial stability of the Postal Service. A rate increase of this size will ultimately have many negative impacts, not only for the Postal Service, its employees, and the whole mailing industry, but also on the American public, and our nation's economy. Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is vital that we pass meaningful postal reform legislation immediately, which will ensure the short-term health and long-term vitality of the Postal Service. If we fail to address this issue in a timely manner, we will be guilty of complacency by permitting an unfair, and heavily burdensome $3.5 billion tax hike on the American economy through increased postal rates.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I am no longer the chairman of the Committee on Government Reform, but I am the chairman of a subcommittee and I do appreciate it. The gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis) might take issue with that. Let me just say, I looked around this Chamber and I was listening to the debate. I have a lot of friends on the Democrat side, including my good buddy Charlie Stenholm and Charlie Rangel. We have all been here for a long time. All I can say is that it really kind of tickles me because I hear many of my colleagues on the Democrat side of the aisle talking about spending constraint. For 40 years you guys had control of this place and year after year after year after year the budget deficit went up and up and up and up, and now that we are in the majority and we have got all these problems and granted we do have a lot of problems we have got to get control of spending and I am for all of that. To hear colleagues of mine like Charlie and others come up here and talk about spending constraints tickles me to death, because for 40 years you did not do that. I love you guys. I love working with you. But there is nothing like a reformed lady of the evening, and I love you guys because you are changing. But where were you for those 40 years? I do believe we have to work together. I do believe we have to work together, but please remember your past when you are admonishing us to change things.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the people of Taiwan on the occasion of their National Day, celebrated on October 10th. Despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations between the United States and Taiwan for the last 25 years, Taiwan has been one of our most important and loyal allies in the World. Today, Taiwan and the United States are friends and partners, not merely allies, and our relationship has continued to flourish in terms of economics, politics, security, culture, education, science and technology. Moreover, we share with the people of Taiwan many core values, particularly the values of democracy, freedom and human rights. In recent years, Taiwan has proven to be a consistent champion of human rights, environmental responsibility, and democracy. These democratic and humanitarian values bind our two great Nations together more powerfully than any treaty or international agreement ever could. I have been to Taiwan on several occasions and Taiwan's accomplishments are numerous, and its successes are directly attributed to its people whose goodwill and generosity have always been most apparent. On the anniversary of their National Day, I wish for my friends the good people of Taiwan a long future of continued prosperity, peace, and freedom, a future which they so deeply deserve.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, while I support the goals of the ``Give Kids a Smile'' program, and I commend the American Dental Association for establishing and continuing its sponsorship of the ``Give Kids a Smile'' program, and thank the thousands of dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and others who volunteered their time to this program, I remain deeply concerned about the dental profession's continued reliance on mercury-containing dental amalgams. The amalgam fillings the American Dental Association so wrongly calls ``silver'' are mainly mercury, not silver at all. Mercury is the single largest ingredient in each filling, representing about 45 to 50 percent of the mercury by weight, or about one-half a gram per filling. That is a colossal amount of mercury in scientific terms--as much as is in an old fashioned thermometer. For example, a young child with six amalgam fillings has the equivalent of six mercury thermometers worth of mercury in their mouth. No one has ever identified a positive health benefit to mercury in the human body. Thus, it was sound public health policy to eliminate mercury from thermometers, blood pressure gauges, light switches, cosmetics, teething powder, horse liniment, hat-making materials, smokestack emission, and mining operations. In fact, virtually ever industry has either reduced or banned the use of mercury, with the exception of dentistry. I have repeatedly called upon the dental establishment to ban the use of this highly toxic substance but regrettably, the dental establishment continues to hold to the scientific fiction that a material that is hazardous before it goes into the mouth, and hazardous after it comes back out of the mouth, is somehow perfectly safe while contained in the mouth, and they have repeatedly attempted to block every effort to ban mercury-amalgams. According to the resolution, one of the underlying reasons behind the ``Give Kids a Smile'' program is that access to dental care for children is a vital element of overall health care and development. Yet, the developing neurological systems of fetuses and young children are especially susceptible to damage by even the slightest trace amounts of mercury. And an increasing body of scientific evidence points to mercury toxicity as a source of neurological problems including, but not limited to, modest declines in intelligence quotient (IQ), tremors, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Alzheimer's disease and autism. I hope that one day soon, the American Dental Association will truly live up to the promise and intent of the ``Give Kids a Smile'' program and stop using mercury-based amalgam fillings for good.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I was regrettably delayed in my return to Washington, DC and therefore unable to be on the House Floor for rollcall votes 487, 488, and 489. Had I been here I would have voted ``aye'' for rollcall vote 487, and ``aye'' for rollcall vote 488. In addition, I would have somewhat reluctantly voted ``aye'' for rollcall vote 489.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank you Chairman Hyde, Speaker Hastert, and Majority Leader Tom DeLay for allowing this most important piece of legislation, H. Res. 767, to be considered before the House of Representatives today. In the early morning hours of September 9th, 2004, as Indonesians in Jakarta were settling into their places of work, a devastating explosion rocked the Australian Embassy in the heart of Indonesia's capital, sending at least 180 innocent victims to the hospital and killing at least 10 innocent and defenseless bystanders. It was yet another terrorist attack that the world has unfortunately grown so accustomed to. But, for Indonesia, this act of terrorism was an attack on their modern and moderate Muslim beliefs and against their choice for a free and democratic nation. This resolution condemns the terrorist attack that occurred in Jakarta, Indonesia, outside of the Australian Embassy on September 9th, 2004, and expresses our deepest condolences to the families of the individuals murdered and those injured in the cowardly terrorist attack, as we hope for the speedy and complete recovery of all the surviving victims. We--as Americans--understand the terrible devastation that is felt throughout a nation when this type of senseless tragedy occurs. The horrific event on September 9th, 2004, is a reminder that the United States and Indonesia--along with the rest of the freedom loving nations around the world--must continue to stand firm in our resolve against the evils of international terrorism. It should be noted that this attack was almost three years to the day since the September 11th attacks on New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania; about two years since a bombing ripped through crowded nightclubs in Bali's Kuta Beach; and only 12 months after the J.W. Marriott hotel bombing in Jakarta. Furthermore, this devastating attack came just 12 days before the final round of Indonesia's first-ever direct presidential election, which took place on September 20, 2004, and is being heralded as a major milestone and key step towards stabilizing and continuing the numerous democratic gains made by Indonesia in recent years. The attack also occurred exactly one month before the October 9th, 2004, general election in Australia; and, these radical terrorists must not be allowed to disrupt any free and fair elections, no matter how old or young a Democracy may be. As a result of Indonesia's belief in the Democratic process, they have been the unfortunate target and victim of Jemaah Islamiah (jeh- mah-Ah Isslah-miyah] terrorists, who have been linked with notorious fundamentalists such as Al-Qaeda, and make their home throughout southeast Asia. The extremist group of radical muslims, Jemaah Islamiah [Jeh-ma-Ah Isslah-miyah], who claimed responsibility for the September 9th bombing, is trying to disrupt Indonesia's fair and free democratic elections, and the emerging road towards democracy in Indonesia must not be curtailed by these senseless acts of violence. The United States, Indonesia, Australia, and all of our allies should stand united in the fight against terrorism, working together to bring to justice the perpetrators of the terrorist attack in Jakarta, Indonesia, and all other acts of terror and violence throughout the world. I would respectfully ask that all of my distinguished colleagues vote ``aye'' and let the terrorist thugs who destroyed a peaceful Thursday morning in Jakarta know that we will not stand idly by and watch as they disrupt the freedoms of our friends, partners, and allies in the global war against terrorism. Again, thank you Mr. Speaker for allowing me to speak on this important resolution.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana

Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. State Department announced today that for the first time Saudi Arabia has been placed on a list of countries who have engaged in ``particularly severe violations'' of religious freedom, and faces possible sanctions by the United States as a result. Today's action simply underscores a point that I have made time and time again, namely, that the Saudis have been funding for many, many years madrassas where Wahhabism is taught, and Wahhabism is a radical fundamentalist Muslim religion that teaches children to hate Christians and Jews, and to perpetrate violent acts against them. Wahhabism is also the philosophical and religious underpinning of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network. The simple fact is, wherever you find Wahhabis you will find fertile ground for al-Qaida and its supporters. The Russian people learned this painful lesson when 30 Chechen rebels took control of a schoolhouse on the first day of school, and killed at least 338 people, half of them children who were going to school for their first day. According to the reports, 10 of those people who were terrorists were Arabs, and we believe that they were probably from Saudi Arabia. In addition, the attacks were reportly planned by Shamil Basayev, a Chechen rebel commander, and financed by Abu Omar as-Seyf, a radical Islamic Wahhabite, who is not surprisingly believed to be associated with al-Qaida. Mr. Speaker, I commend to my colleagues an article published in the September 20, 2004, edition of the Weekly Standard and written by Stephen Schwartz, entitled ``The Road from Riyadh to Beslan.'' The article lays out quite clearly how the Chechen separatist movement has been hijacked by the Islamist radical Jihadist movement, and makes a compelling case that we must compel Saudi Arabia to cut off funding for global Wahhabism if we are to avoid more 9/11s and Beslans. I urge my colleagues to read this article and I would like to have the text of this article placed into the Congressional Record following my statement. [From the Weekly Standard, Sept. 20, 2004] The Road from Riyadh to Beslan (By Stephen Schwartz) Three roads led to the horror at Beslan in the Russian republic of North Ossetia in which at least 330 people, most of them children, died: one road beginning in Grozny, the capital of neighboring Chechnya; one road beginning in Moscow, to the north; and one road beginning in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, far to the south. Americans need to know how such frightful events are connected to the global war on terror, and the degree to which they must threaten our own peace of mind. The main culprits in Beslan were Islamic extremists. Since at least 1999, these violent fanatics, with backing from the Wahhabi sect of Saudi Arabia and financial support from radicals throughout the global Muslim community, have assiduously agitated to take over the Chechen national movement (about which more in a moment). The participation of ``Arabs''--meaning Saudis and other Wahhabi influenced Muslim foreigners--is a constant in reportage and comment on Beslan and earlier terrorist incidents in Chechnya, as well as in neighboring Ingushetia, in Georgia, and in Russia itself. The majority of Chechens, most of whom want only to be left alone, are not avid for the Wahhabi offensive, which is one reason most attacks now take place outside Chechnya. Meanwhile, the Islamists hope to exploit old rivalries between the Chechens, Ingushes, and other Muslim peoples of the Caucasus mountains and their Christian neighbors, including the majority of Ossetians. In Russian and Soviet history, Chechens were always the arch opponents of Russian penetration into the mountains, and the Ossetians the most enthusiastic Russian supporters. Al Qaeda-promoting websites accessible almost anywhere are replete with propaganda extolling terrorism against innocents in Russia, exalting suicide bombers, and seeking to intoxicate Muslim youth with the glamour of dying in the Chechen campaign (see, for example, www.islamicawakening.com/ viewarticle.php? artic1eID=1059&). In mosques across the globe, from New York to Nairobi, Wahhabi extremists collect money and recruits for combat in Chechnya, which at times overshadows Iraq as a symbol of so-called martyrdom. To cite an example on American soil, the 25th National Convention of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), a front for the radical Jamaat-i-Islami in Pakistan, was held in 2000 in Baltimore. There, Tayyib Yunus, head of the group's youth section, complained, ``We all want to see our youth to succeed to become doctors, to become engineers; but how many of you can actually say that you want to send your sons to jihad, to Chechnya? How many of you can actually say that you want to send your youth to fight in jihad?'' Chechen advocates claim that money collected in mosques in America and other Western countries never reaches the Caucasus. Wherever al Qaeda and its supporters operate--which means wherever Wahhabis are to be found, including in the United States--atrocities like those in Beslan may occur. Why should a conspiracy capable of the attacks of September 11, 2001, known to have been plotting the use of nuclear dirty bombs, and guilty of bloodshed from the nightclub bombing in Bali to the Madrid metro massacre shrink from taking children hostage anywhere? To defeat the perpetrators of Beslan and its like must be the goal of all who would protect civilization. Yet two questions must be posed: How can we defeat the terrorists? And, is Russia under Putin truly an ally in the struggle? The Wahhabi conspiracy that has taken over a section of the Chechen movement is controlled from Riyadh. To stop another Beslan from occurring, the United States and other leaders in the global war should do everything necessary to terminate al Qaeda, capture bin Laden and his command staff, and quiet the storm in Falluja. That is, they must force the rich Saudis and Saudi state institutions to halt their international promotion of Wahhabism. Notably, the terror financing charities operating in the Chechen refugee camps in Ingushetia must be dismantled. Action by President Bush calling the Saudis to order on this matter would be more effective than waiting while Vladimir Putin further mishandles a problem that the Russians have never been able to deal with. The Russians respond to such challenges by attempting to manipulate them for political purposes, rather than by trying to save lives and catch terrorists. In dealing with al Qaeda and its allies, Russia can be as slippery an ally as the Saudi kingdom. Historically, the conflict between Russian power and the Caucasian Muslims, of whom the Chechens are the largest group, dates back more than a century and a half. For a useful glimpse of how the original Russo-Chechen war played out, one may consult the novella of Tolstoy, Hadji Murad, his last major work of fiction. Tolstoy was a young officer in the tsar's 1851 campaign to suppress a Caucasian insurgency. His book evokes the wild landscape and the experiences that drove him to an open and emotional identification with the Muslim fighters. Back then, the Chechens were idolized by many in Europe as a freedom-loving, indigenous people who had done to the tsarist regime what the oppressed Poles and, later, the persecuted Jews could not do: inflict serious military losses. Among Russian Jews, respect for the Caucasian Muslims was so great that the Lubavitcher rebbe Menachem M. Schneerson praised the Islamic leader Imam Shamyl as a hero of resistance to injustice. The Chechens were not to be spared from vengeance for their success at undermining Russian authority. The most brutal of Russia's rulers in the past 150 years, Joseph Stalin, whose family tree included some Ossetians, ordered a whole range of Caucasian Muslim nations--Chechens, Ingushes, Karachais, Balkars, and Meskhetian Turks--deported to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and other Central Asian republics during and after the Second World War. In most cases, the pretext was alleged collaboration with the Nazis, who seldom even reached the territories these despised peoples inhabited. In the 1950s, Stalin's successors allowed the Caucasian Muslims to return to their homes and absolved them of the charge of assisting the Nazis. But many of them settled in Central Asia, where they followed a moderate form of Islam. In a long interview with me in Almaty in June, the deputy mufti of Kazakhstan, Muhammad-Husein Hadzhi Alsabekov, one of that country's top Muslim clerics and an ethnic Caucasian, expressed his sorrow and outrage at the September 11 attacks on the United States. Nevertheless, the Chechen problem resurfaced in the Caucasus after the Soviet Union fell apart. At first, Chechen leader Dzhokhar Dudayev, who as an infant had been deported from his native land in a railroad cattle car, served, with his supporters, as a protector of nascent democracy. A Soviet Air Force commander in Estonia, Dudayev turned over a nuclear air base to the newly freed Estonians in 1990, making him a hero in the Baltic states. Inside Chechnya, however, order soon disintegrated. For years, many Chechens demanded independence from Russia of the kind their leader had helped the Baltic peoples gain. But unlike Estonia, Chechnya has oil, and Russia was not about to let it go. The result was a series of low-intensity, high-atrocity conflicts, with Chechen militants striking at Russian forces guerrilla-style, and the Russian military responding with mass killings and disappearances of Chechen civilians. Dudayev, a force for moderation and stability, was slain by the Russians in 1996. Russian president Boris Yeltsin then made peace in Chechnya, in cooperation with the moderate Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov, and withdrew the Russian army. But in 1999 the Wahhabis showed up in Chechnya and neighboring Dagestan in force. Among Muslims, it was said that they were Arabs who had been excluded from participating in the Kosovo war by the Albanian leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, who considered the Kosovar struggle nonreligious, and who did not want to alienate their U.S. allies. For whatever reason, the arrival of the Wahhabis, led by a Saudi--Samir Saleh Abdullah Al-Suwailem, who called himself Khattab, and who would be killed in mysterious circumstances in 2002--plunged Chechnya back into a nightmare of kidnappings, murders, suicide terrorism, and similar incidents, which has yet to end. But if the Chechen problem persists, so do its Russian and Saudi counterparts. Many in Russia and elsewhere believe that the Putin regime has a stake in maintaining the Chechen conflict as a means to unite his people behind the president, regardless of the criminal ineptitude displayed by Russian authorities at places like Beslan. According to authoritative Western experts, official Russian complicity in Wahhabi terror in the Caucasus cannot be doubted. The worst of the Wahhabi kidnappers, Arbi Baraev, and his nephew Rovshan, who carried out the hostage-taking in a Moscow theater in 2002, were connected with the Russian security services. The Russian authorities partly face a problem they themselves fostered. Be that as it may, the decisive struggle to prevent atrocities like Beslan from being repeated will happen at the source, which is Saudi. We cannot, at this late date, expect Putin to suddenly come to his senses and find new Chechen allies capable of isolating the terrorists. Rather, we should recall the end of the Cold War. Once the Kremlin stopped financing world communism, the phenomenon nearly disappeared from the planet. If America can compel Saudi Arabia to cut off funding for global Wahhabism, the ghastly spectacle of Beslan will not be repeated again and again.