Speech by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Michigan), July 15, 2004

Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

I support the Farr amendment and would like to take this opportunity to raise another equally important and related issue.

Colombia is a nation that has been embroiled in a 40-year civil war. Despite this fact, as Members of Congress we must seriously question Colombia's commitment to winning that fight. I say this because, currently, Colombian law excludes from their military draft individuals who are high school graduates. In other words, if you graduate from high school in Colombia, you do not have to serve in their military.

Colombia is sending its least fortunate citizens off to fight its civil war, but it is unwilling to require the sons and daughters of the elite to fight. If the elite, educated Colombians will not send their sons and daughters to fight in their own civil war, why should American troops be sent to Colombia in their place?

Every year we hear that this issue is being addressed by the Colombian government, but over and over again, fact remains, it has not been corrected, and every year we get an increase for more and more U.S. troops to fight in that civil war.

The Bush administration is willing to involve more U.S. men and women in Colombia's civil war, while the elite of Colombia society is protected from military service. This administration now wants to increase the troops to 800 people, exposing more of our young men and women to harm.

Colombia needs to reform its conscription laws to make military service universal and fair. It needs to change its laws to do away with the existing discriminatory practices and create a universal military service obligation without distinction for economic, social or education conditions.

The Bush administration wants an open policy to send as many military troops and contractors to fight in Colombia's 40 year civil war, while Colombia's elite has exempted itself from military service. We should not be involved in Colombia's civil war at all.

At a time when our military is already stretched thin in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush administration should not be sending yet more American troops overseas to fight in a war that well-off Colombians seem unwilling to fight for. I ask and urge our Members to support the Farr amendment and limit the U.S. involvement in this unjust civil war in Colombia.

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