i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time . 
mr. chairman , i would like to speak to reality , too , as the gentleman from california just did . 
i think it is important we not deceive ourselves . 
while the united nations clearly needs our leadership , we also need the united nations , particularly in the area of peacekeeping . 
there are some 16 peacekeeping missions deployed around the world today . 
they number at least 70 , 000 troops . 
ten of them , 10 , are american . 
these so-called `` blue helmets '' have saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent people and some of them have been killed while doing so . 
are there problems ? 
clearly there are problems . 
is progress being made ? 
yes , progress is being made . 
the gentleman from new jersey ( mr. smith ) xz4003801 and myself recently met with prince zeid . 
there is progress being made , but this amendment does not help the cause . 
just imagine , if you will , the cost to the united states in terms of dollars and blood if americans were required to fill those roles . 
this bill could very well force the u.s. military , which is as we know already stretched dangerously thin , to deploy to more and more inhospitable venues . 
one example that we are all familiar with , haiti . 
there are 6 , 700 united nations troops in haiti today along with 1 , 400 u.n . 
police working to keep order , and more are scheduled . 
without that united nations presence , the united states would be left with the responsibility of restoring order , providing security , and rebuilding a functioning government . 
this is nation-building for real that hopefully will transpire in haiti . 
otherwise , we will be looking at a failed state close to our southern borders with all the consequences that that will implicate . 
it is the united nations that is keeping haiti from total collapse into anarchy . 
i have no doubt that the expenses associated with that scenario , if there is a total collapse , will vastly exceed our annual commitment to the united nations , both voluntary and assessed , for years to come . 
not only would we have to commit u.s. troops to restore order ; we might have to deal with a humanitarian crisis that could very well compel us to use guantanamo for something significantly different from its current use , much like we did in the early 1990s when it was a refugee center for haitians who were fleeing from their country in makeshift crafts and dying by the thousands . 
as the world 's richest nation and the sole superpower , this unpleasant task would fall to us alone . 
do we really want to assume that burden ? 
that is just one example . 
multiply the potential by 16 , by a factor of 16 , if this particular provision should eventually become law . 
we put ourselves , our troops , our taxpayers at great risk . 
