[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 121 (Monday, September 17, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H5712-H5715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ON TERRORIST ATTACK OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Culberson). Under the Speaker's 
announced policy of January 3, 2001, the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Dreier) is recognized for 60 minutes.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a few minutes to talk 
about a number of very important issues, building in many ways on the 
remarks of my friend from Huntington Beach, who, as he said very 
appropriately, was one of the key leaders in our effort to ensure that 
the Soviet Union was extricated from Afghanistan during the 1980s. It 
was a very troubling time; but, Mr. Speaker, as you recall, there was a 
tremendous victory, a victory because forcing the Soviets from 
Afghanistan was critically important to the demise of the Berlin Wall 
and the Soviet Union. So that is why we should celebrate what it is 
that we were able to do during the 1980s; but at the same time, we need 
to look at where we are today and what we need to do as a Nation.
  It is very true that over the past several years we have seen a 
crumbling of our relationship with some countries that had been 
traditional allies of ours during the war between Afghanistan and the 
Soviet Union, and specifically Pakistan, the country to which my 
friend, the gentleman from (Mr. Rohrabacher), referred. Today, however, 
I

[[Page H5713]]

believe it is very important for us to recognize that General Pervaiz 
Musharraf, who in fact took the leadership of that country in a coup, 
has made a decision. He made a choice. And, obviously, we need to do 
everything that we can to ensure that he made the right choice and that 
he stands by that. He made a choice between the Taliban and those who 
were tolerant of what took place a week ago tomorrow, and not only the 
United States of America but the civilized world. So I am very pleased 
that that choice was made.
  We also have other so-called moderate Arab countries in the region; 
and those countries have, I believe, made a correct and appropriate 
choice. And there are nations with which we have not had any kind of 
friendly relationship over the past several years that I believe can in 
fact align with the civilized world in opposition to the heinous acts 
which took place last week.
  Mr. Speaker, today is a very important day in the history of the 
United States of America. September 17 is always known as Constitution 
Day; 214 years ago today the Constitution was ratified. I have the 
privilege later this afternoon of joining Supreme Court Justice Kennedy 
in a celebration of Constitution Day. He and I are going to be 
reciting, in unison, all across the country by a hookup, the preamble 
of our great Constitution. I thought I would take just a moment, since 
today is Constitution Day, to share that with our colleagues.
  The preamble of this inspired document begins: ``We the people of the 
United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish 
justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, 
promote the general welfare . . . do ordain and establish this 
Constitution for the United States of America.''
  Now, Mr. Speaker, as we look at that brilliant preamble, I truly 
believe that those five words right in the middle of that preamble, and 
I have stood here many times and recited that as we have talked about 
our Nation's defense posture, those five words, which are so important, 
are ``provide for the common defense.'' So as we celebrate Constitution 
Day across the country, I believe it is important for us to underscore 
that the most important issue that the Federal Government here in 
Washington, D.C. deals with is to provide for the common defense and 
the safety and security of the American people and our interests around 
the world.
  On this important day, I think it is great to note that the heinous 
acts that were committed last Tuesday were not in vain. We will be a 
stronger Nation because of this. We will be a stronger Nation having 
gone through this, the worst week in our Nation's modern history, the 
largest attack on civilians in the United States in our 214-year 
history and, as has been pointed out by many, more lives, nearly twice 
the number of lives lost than were lost at Pearl Harbor.
  As we look at the challenges and as we look at where we go from here, 
it is important to note that this Nation had some incredible heroes 
last week.

                              {time}  1300

  This morning I listened to the radio to my friend Hugh Hewitt who has 
a great morning program. It is based in Los Angeles. It is syndicated 
across the country. He shared an account which I would like to share 
with our colleagues, an Associated Press report that was carried 
yesterday. This has to do with the tragic crash of flight number 93 
that took place near Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
  I was moved last week when our colleague, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), when we were in the midst of debating the 
supplemental appropriation bill, let me say before I read this 
Associated Press article, Mr. Speaker, that to me it was very, very 
moving to see the extraordinary level of bipartisanship, not only 
patriotism across our country, but this extraordinary level of 
bipartisan that we saw right here in this institution.
  People who have been some of the most strident and harshest critics 
of the man I consider to be our great President, were as enthusiastic 
in their support of his actions and his demeanor as any of the rest of 
us who have been longtime friends and supporters of his.
  So, Congressman Murtha told about the accounts that he had received 
of what took place on flight 93 that was headed to San Francisco and 
that reportedly the hijackers were going to bring right into this city, 
possibly into this Capitol dome that is right above where I stand 
today. This account is a very moving one about one individual.
  It begins, quote, `` `Are you guys ready? Let's roll.' '' It is an 
expression Todd Beamer used whenever his wife and two young sons were 
leaving their home for a family outing. It was also the expression the 
32-year-old businessman and Sunday school teacher used before he and 
other passengers apparently took action against hijackers aboard United 
Airlines Flight 93, his wife was told by an operator who talked to 
Beamer just before the plane crashed in a western Pennsylvania field on 
Tuesday.
  ``The plane, which government officials suspect was headed for a 
high-profile target in Washington, was the fourth to crash in a 
coordinated terrorist attack that killed thousands, and the only one 
that did not take lives on the ground.
  Quote, `` `He was gentle by nature. He was also very competitive, and 
he would not stand for anyone being hurt,' said Lisa Beamer, whose 
account coincides with other crash victims' relatives who received 
calls from loved ones aboard the plane.'' Quote, `` `Knowing that he 
helped save lives by bringing that plane down, it brings joy to a 
situation where there is not much to be found.' ''
  ``Todd Beamer placed a call on one of the Boeing 757's on-board 
telephones and spoke for 13 minutes with GTE operator, Lisa D. 
Jefferson, Beamer's wife said. He provided detailed information about 
the hijacking, and after the operator told him about the morning's 
World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, said he and the others on the 
plane were planning to act against the terrorists aboard, Lisa Beamer 
said.
  `` `They may have realized that the hijackers were planning to do the 
same thing with their plane,' Beamer said Sunday in a telephone 
interview from her Hightstown, New Jersey home. `` `So they chose to do 
what they could to prevent other people from being hurt.' ''
  ``Before the call ended and with yelling heard in the background, 
Todd Beamer asked the operator to pray with him. Together they recited 
the 23rd Psalm which includes the passage, `The Lord leadeth me in the 
paths of righteousness for his name's sake.' ''
  ``Then he asked Jefferson to promise she would call his wife of 7 
years and their two sons, David and Andrew. She is expecting a third 
child in January. After finally receiving clearance from investigators, 
Jefferson kept her promise Friday.

  Quote, `` `People asked me if I am upset that I did not speak with 
him. But I am glad he called Jefferson instead,' Lisa Beamer said. `I 
would have been helpless and I know what his last words would have been 
to me anyway. I think that is why he chose the method he did.'
  ``Beamer said her husband placed the call at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday and 
told Jefferson that there were three knife-wielding hijackers on board 
and one had what appeared to be a bomb tied to his chest with a red 
belt. Two of the hijackers were in the cockpit with the door locked. 
The pilot and co-pilot were forced out and the man with the apparent 
bomb stayed in the rear of the aircraft. The jet was bobbing and 
changed course several times. The passengers knew that they would never 
land in San Francisco.
  Quote, `` `They realized they were going to die. Todd said he and 
some other passengers were going to jump on the guy with the bomb,' 
Lisa Beamer said.
  ``Several other passengers made phone calls from the jet just before 
it crashed southeast of Pittsburgh. Jeremy Glick, 31; Mark Bingham, 31; 
and Thomas Burnett, 38, all called loved ones. Glick and Burnett said 
they were going to do something. Quote, `Clearly we know the plane that 
crashed outside Pittsburgh was headed for Washington.'
  ``Vice President Dick Cheney said on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday, 
'Without question, the attack would have been much worse if it had not 
been for the courageous acts of those individuals on United 93.'

[[Page H5714]]

  ``After the prayer was finished and the promise was made to call his 
wife, Todd Beamer dropped the phone, leaving the line open. It was then 
that the operator heard Beamer's words, `Let's roll.'
  ``They were the last words she heard. The phone went silent and the 
plane crashed, killing all 44 people aboard. United issued a statement 
Sunday saying one of the 37 passengers had purchased two tickets, so 
the number of people had been incorrectly reported at 45.
  `` `Some people live their whole lives, long lives, without having 
left anything behind,' Lisa Beamer said. `My sons will be told their 
whole lives that their father was a hero, that he saved lives. It is a 
great legacy for a father to leave his children.'.
  ``Bobbi Hennessey, a spokeswoman for GTE parent company Verizon 
Communications, declined to comment Sunday and a telephone number for 
Jefferson could not be determined. However, a Verizon employee, 
speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Jefferson is a 
supervisor for the company.''
  This obviously is an example, Mr. Speaker, of the kind of heroism 
that we saw last Tuesday. When we think of the horrendous loss of life, 
the suffering that we as a Nation and a civilized world have 
encountered, it makes it even more important for us as a Nation to 
unite, which we have clearly done so well.
  I was thinking of the names of our two largest airlines, United and 
American. Clearly America is united, and there are so many things that 
have played a role in bringing us together, the likes of which I have 
never seen in my entire life.
  But the resilience of the American people is something that is so 
great and so wonderful. Last night, Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes said Tom 
Brokaw, who of course authored that wonderful book known as The 
Greatest Generation, may have to rename the book to One of the Greatest 
Generations. We have seen young men and women across this country say 
they are willing to stand up and fight for the United States of America 
and everything that we stand for.
  But it is not only these young people of this new wonderful 
generation who for the first time have realized how great and fortunate 
they are to be Americans, but it is those who have sacrificed before.
  About a year ago, I had an opportunity to present a Purple Heart to a 
very courageous prisoner of war from the Second World War, a man called 
Dominick Trapoti, who lives in Temple City, California. I found that to 
be one of the greatest rewards as a Member of Congress to be able to 
do. Mr. Trapoti shared his story about what he went through as a 
prisoner of war nearly 60 years ago. Dominick Trapoti came to my office 
in California last week, and he wanted to reenlist. He very much wanted 
to step forward and fight again on behalf of the greatest Nation the 
world has ever known.
  When I think of a man like this, Mr. Speaker, I cannot help but think 
about those leaders who 214 years ago today, as they ratified the 
United States Constitution, had so many wonderful, wonderful things 
that they said.
  Again, I truly believe that as our Nation is once again praying, that 
our Constitution was an inspired document. Thomas Jefferson, while it 
has never actually been determined whether he actually said this, I 
know that it has been attributed to him, at least the statement is 
Jeffersonian, when he said the condition upon which God hath given 
liberty to man is eternal vigilance.
  That statement, I believe, Mr. Speaker, underscores once again the 
fact that we cannot take for granted the very precious liberty that we 
enjoy as a Nation; and that is why sacrifice has been made throughout 
this 214-year history, and obviously sacrifice is being made today.
  I mention, Mr. Speaker, that there have been prayers. There have been 
prayers since last Tuesday. Many of us have lost friends. We have 
participated in services all across the country. But as we look at the 
challenge of the weeks and months, and, as the President and Vice 
President have said, possibly years ahead as we seek to rid the 
civilized world of terrorism, I was very proud that early in the 
morning on Saturday just before we adjourned, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Bonior), the minority whip, the gentleman from Virginia 
(Mr. Tom Davis), the majority whip, and others, were able to move 
through an important resolution.
  We know that war is a very difficult time for a country. Virtually 
every emotion is felt during this time: Pain, suffering, anger, a wide 
range of emotions are felt.
  One of the things that has come forward that is troubling has been 
the fact that some in this country would choose to generalize and 
determine that anyone who is Arab American might in some way be tied to 
or responsible for some of these actions. I was very proud that we were 
able to, as one of the last acts before we adjourned early Saturday 
morning, to move unanimously through this institution a resolution 
which condemned any kind of discrimination or acts which are turned 
against those who are Muslim.
  I was privileged yesterday to be able to, although the long distance, 
the hook-up never finally worked, but I had my representative there and 
I got a full report of it, to participate in a service at the Claremont 
Islamic Center at which there were over 700 people who on basically 
very short notice, one day's notice, came to have a multidenominational 
service.
  I was told by the director of my office in California, my field 
representative, Mark Harmsen, just before he got up to talk about the 
resolution that we had passed through the Congress condemning 
discrimination, that a young girl stood and talked about the fact that 
she had had someone tear off her veil.
  I think as we look at these challenges, Mr. Speaker, it is important 
for us to realize that we cannot allow this kind of discrimination and 
these kinds of acts against people to take place. So I am very proud 
that the United States House of Representatives stood unanimously in 
support of our resolution condemning those acts.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of talk about the Muslim faith and 
whether or not there is widespread support for this kind of action. I 
know from, of course, knowing these people and having worked with 
leaders in the Muslim world across this continent, across the world, 
and here in the United States, many people who are of Arab American 
descent and love the United States of America as much as anyone.
  While the backers and supporters and allies of Osama bin Laden and 
other terrorists have tried to exude the image that their believers 
have got to recognize that everyone else is evil, that is just a gross 
mischaracterization of the faith of Islam.

                              {time}  1315

  A friend of mine spoke with Muhammad Ali. He, as we all know, has a 
difficult time communicating; but he was able to write out, and it was 
read, what the belief in Islam is. It is one of love, of tolerance, of 
peace, and of kindness. That is why we have to realize that what we are 
dealing with here are not religious leaders, are not people of 
religion. They are fanatic barbarians who want to do everything they 
can to bring an end to our way of life. That is why I am so gratified, 
as we complete the last day of the worst week in our Nation's modern 
history, that we have a country that is stronger than ever.
  We all saw the stock market open this morning. I somewhat tongue-in-
cheek never thought that I would be euphoric as I witnessed a 550-point 
drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The fact is the wonderful 
people in the New York Stock Exchange, in southern Manhattan, were able 
to come back to work and to get the greatest Nation the world has ever 
known back on track.
  We are going to be, as I said, stronger because of this. I am 
convinced, Mr. Speaker, that as the greatest Nation the world has ever 
known, the United States of America will be able to emerge as an even 
greater leader for the world than we have been before.
  I believe that President Bush was right on target when he, shortly 
after these tragic acts took place said, ``Nothing--nothing--will 
diminish the spirit of our great country.''
  Mr. Speaker, I thank you very much for your forbearance. I appreciate 
the fact that so many of our colleagues have been uniting together for 
this extraordinarily important cause. I express appreciation to the 
heroes like

[[Page H5715]]

the one whom I mentioned, Mr. Beamer, and the firefighters and law 
enforcement people here in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, in 
Pennsylvania and, of course, in New York City. I hope very much that we 
are able in the not too distant future to bring about a successful 
resolution to this horrendous tragedy.

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