[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 120 (Friday, September 14, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H5633-H5634]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               STICKING TOGETHER IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, it has been a very painful week for all 
Americans. Turning on the TV set, opening the newspaper renews the pain 
in our hearts and our hearts ache for those who have suffered and are 
still suffering.
  I want to associate my comments today with that of the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), the chairman of the Committee on the 
Judiciary, because I have heard over the last 24 hours concerns from 
Members that they are not being briefed enough and they are not being 
told enough and they are not being in the loop enough; and obviously we 
all need answers and we have to pursue answers. But it seems to me 
right now those very trained individuals need to be looking at who 
caused this and how we find our way out of this, rather than second 
guessing.
  We have heard complaints about the eloquence of our President and his 
stature and whether they were imagining the need to move safely to 
places around this country, and those commentaries may at some time be 
warranted, but not now.
  Our Nation needs to remain solidly together to fight evil forces. 
Watching the ceremony at the National Cathedral with Presidents past 
and present in attendance brought us to a point where we recognize that 
collectively we have such great promise. If we divide ourselves and 
characterize our leaders with less than flattering remarks, we give 
credence to those who seek to undermine our credibility in our Nation's 
strength. The world is watching us and obviously not just on the floor, 
but what they see on the TV broadcasts. Any indication of weakness 
gives them some strength.
  When I watch the heroics of men and women in uniform, I watch the 
heroics of firefighters and paramedics, I watch average citizens step 
out of their common everyday life to extend their unbounded energy to 
the pursuit of rescuing victims, my heart and my soul soar like an 
eagle, knowing that this country's promise is yet ahead; and yet the 
dark days are still engulfing our memories.
  The President did a phenomenal job today in the National Cathedral, 
calling for calm, deliberation and pursuing those who played a role in 
this activity. Jumping to conclusions by politicians based on a whim or 
a notion or an individual moment of frustration is not in the character 
of this deliberative body.
  I wanted to be in Congress since the age of five. I met a man, Paul 
Rogers, who represented Palm Beach County and thought what a wonderful 
man he was, and how skillfully and capably he represented our District; 
and some people may have thought what a foolish notion for a 5-year-old 
to want to serve in Congress, but I grew up knowing the promise of our 
Nation was a gift I would hopefully inherit as a chance to serve and 
represent my community, much like Paul Rogers served us well.
  So I pray with the Nation today; and I ask my colleagues to take a 
moment, a deep breath, and suggest we are safe here in our Nation's 
Capital. We are alive and we are breathing. Every moment you speak ill 
of anyone else or anyone's actions or motives, take a minute to reflect 
on those wounded and those dead under the rubble of the World Trade 
towers. Think of what their lives are like and what their families are 
enduring. They cannot find their loved ones, and we are demanding more 
briefings.

                              {time}  1430

  They cannot find their cherished possessions, and we are interested 
in more acrimony. America rises to the challenge, and God bless us as 
we do. We have heard about indiscriminate actions of people going after 
and pursuing Muslims and those of faith who are here in our Nation and 
who have a right to be here and who are law-abiding citizens, but 
because of their ethnicity or religious origins, they are being held 
accountable for crimes that they had nothing to do with it; and we 
should ask God to bless us that we do not allow ourselves to succumb to 
the same kind of mean-spiritedness that brought us to the point on 
Tuesday at 8:50-something in the morning where evil acts perpetrated 
disastrous deeds against our population.
  I know God will bless us abundantly, not only because we prayed in 
church today, but because our Nation revolves around collective 
goodwill and spirit. I pray today as we move forward that we think 
clearly and mindfully about how we rectify this egregious behavior of 
others without injuring innocent people in our quest for justice. I 
pray we come to the conclusions, today or tomorrow, that we are a 
Nation of free men and we recognize the deed ahead of us is, in fact, 
great and it is complicated. I thank my colleagues for loving our 
country as much as we all do.

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