Expressing Sense of the House on Anniversary of Terrorist Attacks Launched Against United States on September 11, 2001
EXPRESSING SENSE OF THE HOUSE ON ANNIVERSARY OF TERRORIST ATTACKS LAUNCHED AGAINST UNITED STATES ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 -- (House of Representatives - September 09, 2004)
Mr. HYDE. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the previous order of the House, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 757) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks launched against the United States on September 11, 2001, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
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Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Speaker, this weekend we pause to remember the third anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. We pause to recollect the full meaning of the lives lost-nearly 3,000 Americans and foreign nationals. Our compatriots were not just casualty figures. They were mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters. They were best friends and good neighborhoods. They were lovers and loved ones. They were employers and employees. Their best contributions were still ahead of them.
We pause to recall the first responders who rescued thousands from the twin towers. We recall with amazement their bravery as they went into the towering infernos. And we recall that had it not been for heroic action of passengers abroad Flight 93, al Qaeda's terrorists might have crashed that airliner into the White House or the Capitol Building instead of a field in rural Pennsylvania.
On this third anniversary of 9/11, we also pause to reaffirm our determination to triumph over fear. We reaffirm our determination to foster tolerance in our land and in the world, to build respect for all faiths, and to promote the collaborative action of people and governments across the globe, to mobilize for mutual development rather the civilizational destruction advocated by Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, and other adherents of radical Islamist fundamentalism.
On this day and this occasion, our thoughts turn to the survivors of 9/11 and the families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. It is impossible to calculate their enduring pain. Yet, we are inspired by how these families have turned their tragedy into effective action. Their dedication to the memory of loves ones lost led to the creation of the 9/11 commission, which in turn led to a set of recommendations for intelligence and homeland security reform that if implemented could better protect our nation, make us for secure, and positioned to share peace and prosperity with the world.
As a country, we must be as determined as the 9/11 families. We must be as determined now as we were on 9/11 to bring to justice the perpetrators of this colossal assault on human decency. But, mindful of all that has transpired since then-on the one hand a just but unfinished war in Afghanistan, on the other hand a disastrous diversion and unparalleled miscalculation in Iraq-we must proceed in meeting the al Qaeda challenge with wise leadership, with patience and persistence, with global allies, with sound plans, with focused effort.
Most of all, we must proceed together as Americans. We must reclaim the unity of purpose that gripped all of us on 9/11. I remember well utter destruction that took place on that beautiful September morning. But, I remember even better how every New Yorker, every American-Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Asians, and Arabs, Jews, gentiles, and Muslims, rich and poor-came together as one.
We must reclaim that spirit and that purpose. We must overcome those among us who have distracted us by using our suffering as a nation for narrow and selfish political gain or have diverted resources, personnel, time, and energy from the struggle against Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. We must regain the momentum and solidarity befitting a great people and a great nation focused on accomplishing great deeds of remembrance for the victims of 9/11.
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