 My fellow Americans it was a nice celebration of St. Patrick's Day up on Capitol Hill this week But believe me that wasn't the only reason Congress knew I had my Irish up on two issues vital to our national security I had some stern words for some of our lawmakers The first has to do with the safety of our hemisphere back in the early 1980s There were those who argued that the prospects for democracy in Central America were bleak And we would do little to put prevent Marxist dictatorships there But after the administration built a consensus Congress finally passed our economic and military aid program And today the countries of Costa Rica El Salvador Honduras and Guatemala are democratic Indeed tomorrow El Salvador the nation some in Congress were gloomiest about Will host congressional and municipal elections just one more sign of a successful Democratic reform in that nation and region However in one Central American nation Nicaragua the cause of freedom is in grave peril Up until the end of last month the united states had been aiding the freedom fighters Who have been trying to restore democracy by resisting the regime of the soviet backed sand and easter communists However, just as the heroic efforts of the democratic resistance have forced the communist to cut back on their aggression abroad And to make peace concessions The congress in a close vote decided to cut off aid to the freedom fighters Since the congress rejected our package of assistance for those fighting for freedom in Nicaragua The communists dictators have done exactly as we predicted Instead of giving peace a chance the aid cut off is giving the communists dictators a chance A chance they long hoped for a chance to smash their opponents They have hardened their negotiating position. They have fired the mediator cardinal obando we bravo They have sent mobs of thugs against peaceful opposition groups And now instead of negotiating for a ceasefire They've launched a major military assault on the weakened contras invading democratic Honduras in the process Now from the beginning Our central american policy has been designed to prevent another cuba And to let the people of nicaragua win back their freedom and their independence from the soviet union on their own To do this without having to commit american military personnel But now because of congress aid cut off last month the sand and east has have mounted their major cross border incursion into Honduras In response and at the request of president ascona We have sent american military units to Honduras to conduct an emergency readiness exercise Our purpose is to send a signal to the governments and peoples of central america About the seriousness with which we view the situation The freedom fighters are in desperate need of support If they are to remain a viable and effective force they must have assistance now There's not a moment to spare If urgently needed help does not reach them soon We face the prospect of a collapse of the democratic resistance The attendant consolidation of a marxist leninus regime in nicaragua And an increased threat to nicaragua's democratic neighbors Ultimately, we will face a national security crisis of the first order and an enormous human tragedy Now another vital security matter where the congress has not been doing its job Has involved our work on a strategic defense against ballistic missiles This coming week marks the fifth anniversary of my call for just such a strategic defense initiative or sdi I'm taking this occasion to note that the soviets have been making extensive progress on their own sdi Like program in the last few years Indeed the soviets may be preparing a nationwide defense Which would mean a breakout from the restrictions of the abm treaty which prohibits a massive deployment of such a system However, at the very moment when the soviets are so far along in their efforts Congress has been cutting back ours Every year congress has cut the sdi budget We are now one to two years behind schedule And this despite the fact that the actual sdi program is progressing faster than we expected But our scientists and engineers Must have congress support and They must have it soon So I can't think of two more vital national security issues than these Preventing the establishment of a soviet beachhead in central america And erecting a defense shield That will reduce the nuclear threat that has so overshadowed the post war era That's why we cannot permit some in congress to take dangerous risks with america's national security Until next week. Thanks for listening and god bless you Thank you very much. I want to say hi to myself when I turn the page