PRINTER'S NO. 2985
No. 373 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY HARHART, HUTCHINSON, RAYMOND, STEIL, TIGUE,
YOUNGBLOOD, MACKERETH, ROSS AND RUBLEY, DECEMBER 4, 2001
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
DECEMBER 4, 2001
A RESOLUTION
1 Supporting the United States' war against terrorism; encouraging
2 the efforts to establish a stable government in Afghanistan;
3 and encouraging humanitarian aid and relief for the people of
4 Afghanistan.
5 WHEREAS, Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial
6 airplanes on September 11, 2001, crashing two planes into the
7 twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, one into
8 the Pentagon, in Washington, D.C., and one in Pennsylvania,
9 resulting in the loss of life of thousands of innocent people;
10 and
11 WHEREAS, The events of September 11 led President George W.
12 Bush to initiate a war against terrorism that is being fought at
13 home and abroad through multiple operations including
14 diplomatic, military, financial, investigative, homeland
15 security and humanitarian actions; and
16 WHEREAS, The United States is enforcing a doctrine which
17 makes plain that terrorists will be held responsible for their
18 actions and governments which harbor, feed, house and hide
1 terrorists will be held accountable for these acts; and
2 WHEREAS, The United States has moved to block the assets of
3 62 organizations and individuals associated with two investment
4 and money-moving networks of terror; and
5 WHEREAS, The coalition of countries supporting the financial
6 war against terrorism now stands at 195 countries; and
7 WHEREAS, The United States has issued orders blocking the
8 access of 150 known terrorists, terrorist organizations and
9 terrorist financial centers to United States financial systems;
10 and
11 WHEREAS, The United States Department of Defense has
12 airdropped 1,725,840 Humanitarian Daily Rations totaling
13 approximately $120 million into Afghanistan; and
14 WHEREAS, The United Nations reports that since November 1,
15 2001, nearly 12,000 refugees have spontaneously returned to
16 Afghanistan from refugee camps in Iran, representing only a
17 small portion of the estimated number of Afghan refugees in
18 Pakistan and Iran, and it is apparent that humanitarian efforts
19 must continue and be encouraged; and
20 WHEREAS, The people of Afghanistan have suffered extensively
21 under the rule of the repressive Taliban regime, with girls
22 denied access to schooling; women prohibited from working,
23 accessing medical care and leaving their home unescorted; women
24 required to wear the enveloping burqa; and other restrictive
25 measures imposed on all Afghan people, including restrictions on
26 smiling, laughing, listening to music and other normal
27 activities of daily living; and
28 WHEREAS, Talks are under way in Bonn, Germany, among various
29 parties in Afghanistan to establish an agreement leading to a
30 stable, cohesive and broad-based government which is loyal to
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1 the people of Afghanistan and respects its international
2 obligations; therefore be it
3 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
4 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania support and encourage the continued
5 efforts of the President and Congress of the United States to
6 bring those responsible for the September 11, 2001, attack on
7 America to justice; and be it further
8 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
9 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania support and encourage efforts
10 currently under way to establish a stable government in
11 Afghanistan and enable Afghanistan to become a peaceful
12 participant in world nations; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
14 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania encourage national and
15 international efforts to bring humanitarian aid and relief to
16 the people of Afghanistan; and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
18 the President of the United States, to the presiding officers of
19 each house of Congress and to each member of Congress from
20 Pennsylvania.
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