ON THE ISSUES: NATIONAL SECURITY

Just as the promise of peace was shattered just a few decades after the Treaty of Versailles, so too it was again not even a decade and a half after the fall of the Berlin Wall. New threats face us in the new century: terrorism, nuclear proliferation, unconventional warfare, and local conflicts that threaten to spill over into regional conflicts. New threats call for new policies in defense of our nation, among which are reform of our intelligence agencies and armed services. Since being elected to the House of Representatives, Congressman Burgess has been fighting to maintain the U.S. armed forces as the strongest and most capable military in the world.

The turn of a century is a symbolic thing. The turn of the 21st century brought terrorism to the forefront of the American consciousness as over 3,000 lives winked out on live television. The American people have since taken the lead in combating terrorism worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of American men and women sacrificing time at home with their families to serve overseas and thousands sacrificing their very lives to make sure another September 11 does not happen again on American soil. Soldiers from the 26th District, alongside other units from Texas, have been continuing a long tradition of meritorious service to our state and nation.

Congressman Burgess believes that we must not lose our will to fight global terrorism, whether it is perpetrated by capable enemies foreign or domestic. Our enemies in this war do not respect the legal, cultural or moral structures that serve as the foundation for American society. They seek only to kill as many Americans and other citizens of modern, free nations in a misguided attempt to realize a world ruled by religious monomania. Congressman Burgess believes we will prevail in this fight because hope is stronger than terror and rage.