“As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am, obviously, extraordinarily disturbed because it pierced the sanctity of the international airways, and it says that there is no respect, dignity, or protocol as relates to the commercial flights and international airway”, said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee regarding the shoot down of Malaysian airliner over Ukraine.
On July 26, 2014 Rep. Jackson Lee of Texas asked for and was granted permission to address the United States House of Representatives regarding the shoot down of Malaysian airliner over Ukraine:
“Madam Speaker, on Monday, I joined other Houstonians to express our sympathy by greeting citizens from the Netherlands and Malaysia after the enormous tragedy that occurred just 4 days ago, or more than 4 days ago, the shooting-down of the Malaysian flight over Ukraine territory, manned by an illegitimate government that thought it was appropriate to shoot missiles where no knowledge, allegedly, was gained or understood as to what it was, and hundreds of souls lost their lives.
I hope that today, as the remains will be reaching the soil of the Netherlands, we will all take a moment to reflect on that enormous tragedy.
As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am, obviously, extraordinarily disturbed because it pierced the sanctity of the international airways, and it says that there is no respect, dignity, or protocol as relates to the commercial flights and international airway.
That, first of all, for all countries, must be abhorrent and outrageous. And then, we must take knowledge of the atrocious behavior of Russia. And it should not be silenced; their behavior is outrageous.
It is inappropriate because Mr. Putin is a head of State. Bodies of another sovereign nation lay in a field, many sovereign nations. Mr. Putin did absolutely nothing to avoid the desecration and the insult and the indignities given to those lost souls.
I am reminded of crashes over the years when countries or airlines were able to take the family members, within days, to the site for prayer or acknowledgment, giving them added comfort.
So I think it is important to understand, and I refer my colleagues to an article, yes, in The Wall Street Journal, on why Putin is taking major risks in Ukraine. He is still living in the world of the Soviet Union.
But it is imperative to know that we have something that we can offer, besides a request of peace, reconciliation, and international investigation unfettered. We have something that we can acknowledge.
Even the Transportation Secretary indicated that energy resources, natural gas, oil and gas, natural gas, LNG, are resources that we can utilize to substitute for the despotic hold that he has over Europe.
The Secretary of Transportation indicated it is a creator of jobs. But we need to start having Europe turn to the United States to ensure the opportunity for freedom and ceasing this atrocious hold on Europe”, said Rep. Jackson Lee.
Source: Congressional Record http://thomas.loc.gov/