I'm always open to new ideas, and I look forward to having an exchange with you after my brief remarks.
Howard Berman
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American foreign policy has been - and must continue to be - based on unequivocal support for Israel's right to exist and to be free from terror.
As long as Iran is supporting groups that target Israeli civilians and building weapons that threaten Israel's existence, I don't think this is going to change.
As long as the hard-liners remain in control, there is no reason to believe that we're going to see positive change in any of these areas.
As piracy percentages climb in a particular nation, it becomes increasingly difficult for U.S. copyright owners to establish a legitimate market.
At times, our own administrations have subordinated our policy to economic and allied pressures.
Congress has also tried to stem Iranian proliferation with the Iran-Iraq Nonproliferation Act and the Iran Nonproliferation Act.
Congress should continue to examine whether the policies pursued by the Attorney General are the most effective methods to protect our nation from terrorists.
Congress tends to be very supportive of Israel. And Israel is very, very concerned about the threat posed by Iran. I think it's clear they have good reason to be.
Even more astounding are the piracy numbers for individual foreign nations.
For supporters of Israel, the seizure of the Karine A arms ship was also a watershed event that adds an alarming Iranian dimension to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
How much greater would their contributions to the U.S. economy be if U.S. copyright owners could access foreign markets otherwise dominated by pirate product?
I am hopeful that these criminal investigations will draw attention to the perils of steroid use and discourage the use of steroids in the next generation of athletes.
I am not opposed in principle to contacts with reformist officials that share our desire for peace and stability in the region.
I and other proponents of ILSA were never under the illusion that it would deter all foreign investment in Iran's aging oil and gas sector.
I don't want to steal anyones's thunder, but I cannot help remarking on his estimate that in 2008 software piracy will cost the U.S. $1.6 billion in lost tax revenue.
I recognize the complexity of these issues and I can not say with 100% certainty that these are the correct views.
I think we can all agree that the Iranian regime's conduct is reprehensible and fails to serve the interests of the Iranian people.
I wish to note that intellectual property theft by a government represents the very essence of organized crime.
I'm always open to new ideas, and I look forward to having an exchange with you after my brief remarks.
In 2001, 99% of entertainment software sold in Brazil was pirated; while in 2002, 55% of entertainment software sold in Italy was pirated.
In 2002, 93% of business software sold in China, 47% of music sold in Taiwan, and 80% of movies sold in the Russian Federation were pirated.
In contrast to the Europeans, the U.S. has pursued a policy of containment.
In some cases, as with entertainment software in Brazil, U.S. copyright owners have had to abandon the market entirely.
In the case of Iran, I would like to see greater travel and cultural exchanges. Unlike Cuba, the Iranian trade embargo does not prohibit Americans from traveling to Iran.
In theory, constructive engagement sounds appealing. But in practice, I haven't seen any evidence to suggest that it's had any impact on Iranian behavior.
Indeed, Khatami himself has spoken to terrorist groups and repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel.
Iran already has stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and is aggressively developing long-range missiles capable of hitting Europe, and eventually the U.S.
Iran also supports and harbors a host of other terrorist organizations. So where do we go from here?
Iran has a dismal record on human rights.
Iran is actively pursuing the development of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles.
Iran is central to our foreign policy in the Middle East, a major player in global energy markets, and a key country in terms of our interaction with the Muslim world.
Israeli officials at all levels and from all political parties raise Iran at every opportunity with Congress and the Administration.
It is longstanding U.S. policy that we will talk to the Iranians anytime, anywhere, on any subject, with no preconditions. So far, they have not taken us up on our offer.
It is unacceptable for the U.S. to be "evenhanded" on these fundamental issues.
It is wrong to say the U.S. should "not take sides" in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
It isn't clear to me how talking to these people would strengthen their position relative to the hardliners and lead to any positive change.
It will send a clear message to those who would seek to exploit athletes: get out of the sports world now or go to jail.
It's a "man bites dog" story when longtime adversaries come together to lobby Members of Congress to support a bill.
Judging by the spread of these weapons, one can question the effectiveness of these efforts.
Just recently, the Europeans decided to deepen their relationship with Iran by authorizing the negotiation of an EU-Iran trade and cooperation agreement.
Left unchecked, the use of these mining technologies threatens the privacy of every American.
Many of my friends in the Iranian-American community tried to convince me not to come here today, because the Council supports policies they and I disagree with.
More than ten years ago I passed an amendment that exempts informational and cultural materials from economic embargoes.
Now, five years later, and still no change in sight, some question whether Khatami is a real reformer after all, or simply a creature of the hardline regime.
Obviously, I made the decision to come, not because I don't respect those people, but because I think we are all better off with more dialogue, not less.
Once Iranians are liberated from the oppressive regime that prevents them from realizing their full potential, I have no doubt they will be up to the task.
One prominent conservative cleric recently remarked that Iranian "society is on the threshold of an explosion."
One thing is certain: For this vision to become a reality, the Iranian people will have to play a leading role.
Opponents of the legislation point to the recent oil and gas deals signed by foreign firms as a sign that the law isn't working.
Our goal is to isolate the regime, cut it off from the sources of capital and technology that will allow it to devote even more resources to destructive ends.
People not only renounce the use of violence but at last take action to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure inside the Palestinian Authority.
Sadly, the almost irresistible lure of easy stardom and fast money glamorizes and encourages use of these substances in professional sports.
Sadly, the Iranian people are currently trapped in a system that prevents them from realizing their aspirations for freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
Since we enacted the PATRIOT Act almost three years ago, there has been tremendous public debate about its breadth and implications on due process and privacy.
So let me talk a little bit about my perspective on U.S.-Iranian relations and also try to give you a sense of what some of my colleagues in the House are thinking.
Steroids can seem necessary to compete at the highest levels, and the quick rewards can outweigh the long term consequences to the user's health.
The Administration has undertaken the 'mining' of data from public and non-public databases.
The aggregate hard-good piracy losses suffered by U.S. copyright industries in foreign nations are pretty astounding.
The atmosphere is different in Congress after September 11. Terrorism is no longer an abstract issue, but a real, tangible threat.
The Attorney General unilaterally instituted a number of policies dealing with detention of non-citizens that we address.
The Attorney Gerneral ordered blanket closure of immigration court hearings and prolonged detention of individuals without charges.
The CLRA terminates this program and provides a process by which those individuals unjustly detained could proceed with interrupted immigration petitions.
The Europeans' answer is to pursue a policy of "constructive engagement," sometimes referred to as "critical dialogue".
The focus should not be on talking. Talk is cheap. It must be on action.
The legislation introduced today is a product of hard work and cooperation with Reps. Sensenbrenner, Conyers, Sweeney, and Osborne and is a first step in that effort.
The percentage of pirated goods in these five nations provides another disturbing measure of the severity of the problem.
The piracy-related inability of U.S. copyright owners to access a legitimate market in many foreign countries results in real harm to the U.S. economy.
The question is, what should we do about it? What is the best way to change the regime's behavior?
There is a difference between the signing of contracts and the actual investment of funds.
There is evidence that Iran is trying to engineer closer cooperation between Hezbollah and Hamas in terrorist operations against Israel.
There is no reason we should treat Iran differently than the Palestinians or North Koreans.
These and other terrorist activities have led the State Department to designate Iran as the world's most active state sponsor of terrorism.
These are debatable issues, and they should be debated much more than they have been because Iran is an extremely important country.
They believe that by engaging with Iran on many different levels - economic, political, and cultural - they can moderate the regime's behavior.
They have attempted to undermine the Middle East peace process at every turn, even hosting "summits" for radical Palestinian rejectionist groups.
This policy also has limitations. Our allies have pursued a different approach, thus undercutting the effectiveness of our policy.
This program creates a culture of fear and suspicion in immigrant communities that discourages cooperation with antiterrorism efforts.
Unfortunately, despite Khatami's talk of a "dialogue of civilizations," it's my understanding that Iran is issuing very few visas to Americans.
We can use these expanded broadcasts to explain U.S. policies to the Iranian people as well as inform them about their own government's irresponsible behavior.
We have not prevented Iran from supporting terrorists or violating human rights.
We have to start somewhere.
We should try to expand our efforts to promote civil society in Iran through the National Endowment for Democracy or other organizations.
We will never know for sure how successful ILSA could be unless the Administration enforces the law, which they have failed to do.
Whatever the reality of the political situation in Iran, all indications are that tensions in the country are rising and may be nearing the boiling point.
When Khatami and his "reformist" allies were first elected in 1997, many of us hoped that we would see real changes in Iranian behavior.
When the engagement policy began, Iran was a major human rights abuser. This continues to be true today.
When the Europeans launched their engagement policy, Iran was a major state sponsor of terrorism. The same remains true today.
When those changes didn't come, the experts told us that he was really trying, but his reform program was completely stymied by the hardliners.
While I can't speak for my House colleagues, I think it's safe to say that my views are held by many others.
While I don't want to steal Joan's thunder either, I do want to highlight some of the issues that I think her particular situation presents.
While international hard-goods piracy may seem a dull subject to some, it is a critical issue to U.S. copyright holders.
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