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. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I do not know if there is a more tragic day in the history of our Nation than September 11, 2001. Three thousand lives were snuffed out in the largest mass murder we have ever witnessed.
We are still grieving what was lost that day. The heroics of the fire fighters ascended the Twin Towers and the first responders who came to the Pentagon will never be forgotten. The passengers of United 93, who gave their lives to save ours, are heroes without parallel.
But I am saddened that the Republican leadership, rather than honoring the heroes and the victims of that day decided to offer a resolution that seems to be written by an RNC focus group rather than out of respect for the solemnity of the day.
When I woke up on September 12, 2001 this nation was as united as I had seen it since December 7, 1941. The intense partisan divide vanished overnight and was replaced by a national consensus. Political opportunism was replaced by notions of shared sacrifice for a common good.
Internationally, America had the world's sympathy. From London, to Tel Aviv, to Tehran spontaneous support rallies took place. American tourists spoke of hugs and flowers from complete strangers; in these days we had a chance to bring the world together.
Now we are more divided, more polarized, and more conflicted, at home and abroad, then ever before. The unanimity of purpose that we had on September 12 has been replaced by partisanship, and that partisanship has interfered with the very important work we must engage in to make this nation safe from terrorism.
Making America safe is work that cannot be reduced to simple slogans. Five years after however, Republican leadership has offered rhetoric but little more. We have yet to fully consider all of the bi-partisan recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. Our ports still do not inspect even ten percent of the cargo that comes into them; air cargo is unscreened; and nuclear material across the world remains unguarded.
In Afghanistan, the war with Al Qaeda and the Taliban is at risk of unraveling. Radicals are once again barring girls from schools; the reconstruction has stopped; and terrorists are targeting the elected government.
There have been victories, but much more needs to be done. Symbolic resolutions are a poor substitute for concrete policy. Our struggle to make America safe and to discredit the terrorist ideology will be a long one. It takes more than rhetoric.
It takes actions like fully funding our security needs; making sure our armed forces have the resources they need; supporting our intelligence agencies; and having a foreign policy that changes societies through good will and diplomacy rather than at gun point.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones that day and those Americans who continue to risk their lives for our safety here at home.
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