HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
44 |
TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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CONDEMNING THE RECENT TERRORIST ATTACKS IN SPAIN AND AFFIRMING OUR RESOLVE TO FIGHT ACTS OF TERRORISM.
WHEREAS, the purpose of terrorism is to paralyze citizens with fear, to threaten the safety and well-being of the community and families, to keep people in a state of unrest; and
WHEREAS, in 1993, the attack on the World Trade Center in New York by Islamic extremists killed 6 people and injured more than 1,000 people; and
WHEREAS, on August 17th, 1998, American embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam were bombed by Al Qaeda operatives, killing over 300 Kenyans and Tanzanians, 12 Americans, and wounding over 5,000 others; and
WHEREAS, in October 2000, the USS Cole was bombed in the Persian Gulf by members of Al Qaeda, and other militant groups, such as the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army and the Yemeni Islamic Jihad, killing 17 American sailors; and
WHEREAS, on September 11th, 2001, Islamic extremists attacked the World Trade Center again by crashing passenger jet liners into the two towers, killing over 2,700 people in the towers alone, with hundreds more airline passengers perishing; and
WHEREAS, in October 2002, 129 hostages were killed when radical Islamic Chechens stormed a Moscow theater, taking the occupants hostage; and
WHEREAS, during an otherwise normal rush hour commute in Madrid, Spain, ten bombs exploded in several trains and stations along the commuter line running from Santa Eugenia to the Madrid hub of Atocha; and
WHEREAS, reports out of Spain place the death toll at approximately 199, with over 1,400 more wounded; and
WHEREAS, a fundamental Islamic terrorist organization has already claimed responsibility for the attack and justified it because Spain was an ally of America; and
WHEREAS, the Spanish government is also investigating the involvement, if any, of the ETA, a Basque separatist group that has a history of terrorist attacks within the country; and
WHEREAS, it is clear that the bombings were yet another terrorist act perpetrated by what has been coined "Islamo-facist" organizations and that it represents the worst terrorist attack on European soil since the 1988 bombing of Pan American Flight No. 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland that killed 270 passengers; and
WHEREAS, irrespective of the location, the massive loss of innocent life is always tragic, and even more so when the cause is intentional planning and taking of those lives; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, that the House of Representatives condemns the recent terrorist attacks that claimed approximately 199 lives; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives conveys its deepest sympathies to the families of the victims of this terrorist attack; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives affirms its resolve to support allies of the United States and to fight and prevent such senseless acts of terrorism; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Congressional Delegation of the State of Hawaii, the United States Ambassador to Spain, and the President of the United States.
OFFERED BY: |
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Report Title:
Terrorism; Spain