Expressing the Sense of the House of Representatives Regarding the Terrorist Attacks Launched Against the United States on September 11, 2001

Floor Speech

EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES REGARDING THE TERRORIST ATTACKS LAUNCHED AGAINST THE UNITED STATES ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 -- (House of Representatives - September 11, 2008)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. PELOSI. Thank you, Madam Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for his leadership in giving us this opportunity today, on September 11, to express our gratitude to our first responders, our sympathy to the families of 9/11, and our concern for the safety of the American people. I acknowledge his leadership role in this from his committee standpoint, but as a New Yorker who knows firsthand the horror of 9/11. So, thank you, Mr. Ackerman, for your leadership and for your commitment on this issue. I also thank Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen for her leadership in bringing this to the floor as well.

When Abraham Lincoln was a very young man, not 30 years old, he made a speech in 1838, and in it he was talking about the history of our country and important events and how sometimes they are lost in the public memory. He referred to the ``silent artillery of time,'' sometimes referenced as ``harsh artillery of time,'' but nonetheless, the artillery of time to dull the memory of important events.

Certainly, that is a gift if the artillery of time dulls the pain of a terrible loss. But there's no artillery powerful enough to dull the memory of 9/11, what it did to our country, what it attempted to do to our country.

The courage of the families of 9/11, who turned their grief into strength, and arguing for better policy in terms of the 9/11 Commission and the enactment of its recommendations to make America safer, their grief through strength to action, has made America safer. We have more to do.

The silent artillery of time will never diminish the appreciation or the memory of the courage of our first responders, our police, our firemen, our emergency services people, the construction workers, who went in right away, risking their lives, so that they could save other lives. Some of them lost their lives.

The silent artillery of time will never, never dull the act of cowardice on the part of these terrorists. They don't care about life or buildings. They do care about instilling fear. That is their goal, the terrorists, to instill terror.

But they did not succeed in that regard, because New York rallied. This morning, we were at the Pentagon to see the families there, and their spirit, as the Pentagon Memorial was dedicated, and referencing what happened in Pennsylvania. The indomitable spirit of the American people is too strong a force for the terrorists to succeed with.

[Page: H8034]

So, again, the silent artillery of time will never, ever have us forget what happened to our country on that day, and the hatred and cowardice that inspired it.

So, here we are today, 7 years later, saying once again to the families how sorry we are, thanking them for their courage, hoping for the best for them for their children and the future. Here we are today, 7 years later, saying to the first responders, Thank you very much.

But, as some others have said here, words are not enough. There are ways that we can put into action our appreciation, and that is to recognize the health needs of those who responded on that day and whose health problems linger to this day, and some that we won't even know about into the future.

We will never forget, no matter what, what they did to minimize the toll, the death toll that might have been. We always remember because we have constant reminders of it, as well the courage of these people on a day-to-day basis still across America keeping us safe.

On this day, it drives home what we always know, that our first responsibility as elected officials is to protect the American people, make them safe in their homes, neighborhoods, towns, and communities, and ensure their national security. That is something that we must do, working together, so that we can meet any threat to our security, wherever it may occur.

In that spirit, I want to acknowledge also the courage, patriotism, and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform and their sacrifices that they are making, and that their families are making, to keep America safe.

So with all the respect in the world for President Lincoln when he was a young man, talking about the silent artillery of time, his message reminds us that, again, time may lessen pain, but it will never diminish our memory of what happened on 9/11, the courage that followed, and the responsibility we have to keep the American people safe.

God bless those families. They have done so much for our country, fresh off their tragedy. God bless those families. With their courage, God truly blessed America.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source