Recognizing September 11 as a day of Remembrance

Floor Speech

RECOGNIZING SEPTEMBER 11 AS A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE -- (House of Representatives - September 10, 2007)

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Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This resolution appropriately summons us to reaffirm the sense of urgency forged in the crumbling inferno of the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and that field in Pennsylvania. Today we fulfill our duty to remember, to honor the memory of the 2,996 martyrs who gave their lives in the earliest day of protracted struggle against godless extremism.

This resolution reminds us that we are at war and no political difference or debate can detract from the heroic work done every day by the men and women of America's military. The 184 people who gave their lives at the Pentagon 5 years ago fought on an unexpected battlefield, but toiled until the end in loyal service to the national ideals of liberty and justice. A vote for this resolution confirms our eternal debt of honor to all those who fight to defend America and advance freedom.

On 9/11, America's first responders got a bitter taste of the unwelcome battle brought to our shores. But their valor and grit carried us all through that day and those that followed. In this resolution, we also honor and support the work of the public safety and public health professionals who work every day to protect us from terrorist attacks. Between 9/11 observances, however, distance from the tragedy of 9/11 seems to have allowed some politics to seep in to what should be wholly nonpartisan discussions of profound national security issues.

With each passing year, what looked hugely urgent after 9/11 tends to get smaller in the viewfinder as more current problems loom larger. While we lose sight of the threat, an enemy who relentlessly worked to transform airplanes into guided missiles is maniacally focused on other ways to harm us. Rather than using the lengthening historical horizon to elevate our perspective, we have also allowed the debate over the next step in Iraq to draw us deep into the political weeds.

As a Nation with global responsibilities, we need to climb out of the domestic political trenches and reclaim the high ground so dearly purchased 6 years ago. We do the victims of 9/11 a great disservice if we do not take bipartisan steps toward regaining a fair, far more strategic perspective.

While Iraq is undeniably an element of our post-9/11 security equation, we cannot let that effort obscure our view of the emerging threats to peace: an emboldened, nuclear Iran, a resurgent Taliban, a divided Palestinian Government, and our continued dependence on foreign oil as our economic lifeblood.

It is more than luck there hasn't been another major attack since 2001. Given the proven strength of our ideals and the moral bankruptcy of these who exalt death over life, defeat in this war can only be self-inflicted. Only if we lose patience, only if we lose faith in the universality of the yearning for freedom, only if we fail to honor the sacrifices of our countrymen, from Bunker Hill to the Twin Towers, can the purveyors of death prevail over the forces of life.

As in the almost 50-year cold war against Soviet Communism, our post 9/11 reality has to be defined by a vigilance and a willingness to use all of the instruments of national power, not just the military, to advance the cause of human freedom. That is one lesson of Ð9/11. Written in innocent blood, it is a lesson we can never forget.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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