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“WE NEED A STATE DEPARTMENT THAT FIGHTS FOR OUR CITIZENS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H4500-H4501 on July 11, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
WE NEED A STATE DEPARTMENT THAT FIGHTS FOR OUR CITIZENS
(Mr. LAMPSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, my mother used to tell me where there is a will, there is a way. Last month, the Committee on Government Reform held a hearing on U.S. women and children who are being held in Saudi Arabia, and that continues to play out in the news. While the situation in Saudi Arabia obviously deserves attention, the issue of international child abduction exists in countries all over the world. Right now, and my colleagues have heard the story that I am telling about Ludwig Koons who is being held in Italy, one of our closest friends. Ludwig Koons is a young boy who has been there in Italy for 8 years being held by his mother in a pornographic compound, and the Italian authorities and our State Department did nothing essentially to help.
For years I have been working with left-behind parents who are trying to get their children back where they belong, and for years I have witnessed a State Department that does nothing tangible to help. We need a State Department that fights for United States citizens, not an idle information agency.
This issue is one that none of us can afford to ignore. Be aware, put pressure on those other countries that are not sending their children home. American parents are asking for someone to help and help them bring their children home. If the State Department had the will, they would find a way to bring our children home.
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