ATROCIOUS CHEMICAL WEAPONS ATTACK

On 2017-04-06, Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) delivered a floor speech titled "ATROCIOUS CHEMICAL WEAPONS ATTACK" in the House.

ATROCIOUS CHEMICAL WEAPONS ATTACK

Congressional Record, Volume 163 Issue 60 (Thursday, April 6, 2017) [Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 60 (Thursday, April 6, 2017)] [House] [Page H2768] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] ATROCIOUS CHEMICAL WEAPONS ATTACK (Mr. PANETTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.) Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Speaker, in the early morning hours on a day earlier this week, a small town in northwest Syria was atrociously attacked with chemical bombs. As a result, over 75 civilians died and over 20 children gasped for air, writhed in pain, and foamed at the mouth. They suffered dilated pupils, muscle spasms, and involuntary defecation. Based on the state of this evidence, it appears that it was the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, who committed this heinous act against his people once again. The last time Assad committed such an act, in 2013, he agreed to eliminate his chemical weapons. However, it appears he lied, and he continues his sick aggression against his own people and our humanity. From the first use of chemical weapons in World War I to the Iran- Iraq war in the 1980s and now in Syria, chemical weapons epitomize the absolute horror of modern-day warfare. That is, of course, why they are outlawed and why their use is a war crime. That is also why anybody who uses them must be treated and penalized like a war criminal. ____________________