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

EXPRESSING SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF TERRORIST ATTACKS LAUNCHED AGAINST THE UNITED STATES ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 -- (House of Representatives - September 13, 2006)

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Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I stand in strong support of this resolution. It is critical that we, as a Nation, remember what took place on September 11, 2001--a day when we ``woke up'' to the fact that we were in a war that had been declared against us years before.

September 11th of every year should be a day to remember those who were lost on that day. But September 11th should also be a day when we reflect and remember why we are engaged in this War on Terror. We must continue to fight--aggressively--to ensure the defeat of Radical Islamic terrorists whose aim is to kill Americans.

As we commemorate the 5-year anniversary of that awful day, our thoughts and prayers are especially with those who lost loved ones; the spouses, children, and parents who are left behind. For their sake, and the sake of all Americans, we must not allow the passage of time to erode our resolve to remain vigilant in the War on Terror so that Americans will not relive similar attacks in the future.

We, at home in the comfort and security of the United States, have become complacent in our security. That is a dangerous place to be. That is where we were for several years leading up to 9-11, when several terrorist attacks on the U.S.--including attempts on our homeland--took place. But our government failed to act with resolve.

We must remember what we felt the days immediately after 9-11 . . . when we all felt, for the first time for many of us, that we were not safe in our own country. The anthrax attacks, stories and rumors that al-Qaida possessed old Soviet suitcase nuclear weapons--those were the stories of the time.

Because of the Homeland Security measures we have implemented and the War on Terror we are conducting--both militarily and non-militarily--we are once again in a period of calm.

There are those who believe that this period of calm is the time to pull back, and this undermines our resolve. No one wants to live in a constant state of fear, but we cannot be lulled into adopting a September 10th mindset.

It would be irresponsible to assume or ``hope'' that no one wants to strike us, once again, and kill even more Americans than were killed on 9-11.

And kill us is what they want to do. They want to kill all the ``infidels''--a category that includes not just Americans, but people of all the world's free nations, and even Muslims who reject their militant vision for Islam. I fear that we have also lost the unity that existed after 9-11.

We must remember--whether in political or personal spheres of life--that we are all in this together. Whether Republican or Democrat, religious or atheist, we are all targets of this radical group.

And we must remember that it matters not whether we are fighting in Iraq--or any other country, for that matter--that makes us a target for the terrorists. Countries that have nothing to do with Iraq and Afghanistan are also experiencing terrorists incidents.

And while we are remembering the 5th Anniversary of 9-11, we must also remember that Iraq is a central part of the War on Terror.

President Bush is correct when he stated earlier this week in his address to the Nation that even if we pull out of Iraq, the terrorists would not leave us alone. They will never leave us alone.

For al-Qaida, Iraq is not a distraction, it is the central battlefield where the outcome of this struggle will be decided. Just read the comments from their leaders, don't take my word for it.

If they win in Iraq, they will establish a safe haven for terrorists and terrorist-training, much like Afghanistan was prior to 9-11. Iraq would become a factory for terrorists and weapons of mass destruction which they would export. This idea comes not from George Bush, but from Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida itself.

There is a clear link--withdrawing our troops before Iraq is fully stabilized would be a disaster for our safety here at home. We must remain vigilant at home, finish the job in Iraq and Afghanistan, and remain decisive in all our efforts in the War on Terror. Doing any less will weaken our security.

September 11th should remind us that we have real enemies in the world and that a September 10th mindset is unrealistic, irresponsible, and will only jeopardize the lives of the American people. We must remember that it was not the intention of the radical Islamic terrorists to kill 2,973 people that day in 2001. It was their intention to kill many, many more.

I will fulfill my oath of office to protect the American people from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Again, we must not allow the passage of time to erode our resolve to win the War on Terror.

On September 11, 2001 we finally woke up to the fact that we were at war ..... let's not be lulled back to sleep and back to disunity.

I urge the adoption of this resolution.

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