[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 125 (Monday, September 30, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1692-E1693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    COMMEMORATING SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

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                    HON. F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR.

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 26, 2002

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, since September 11 last year, life 
has taken on new meaning. For some, that day's devastation has caused 
them to become more cynical, changed by the events of a few hours. For 
others, each day since then has taken on more significance as they 
realize what it means when people say that you can't take life for 
granted. But for all of us the memories of that day will live on as we 
not only think about the people trapped in the World Trade Center, the 
Pentagon, and the hijacked planes, but also remember their loved ones 
who were helpless to prevent the tragedies. As the President said in 
his Proclamation earlier this month, ``Those whom we lost last 
September 11 will forever hold a cherished place in our hearts and in 
the history of our Nation. As we mark the first anniversary of that 
tragic day, we remember their sacrifice; and we commit ourselves to 
honoring their memory by pursuing peace and justice in the world and 
security at home.''
  Life after September 11 took on new meaning for Members of Congress 
too. We reacted by changing our priorities, and began work on 
legislation to respond to that day's horrific events. One of the first 
things we did was pass legislation authorizing the use of US Armed 
Forces against those responsible for the attacks. Since then, Congress 
passed numerous bills dealing with the issues that are widely believed 
to have allowed the events of September 11 to occur. They include: 
beefing up airline security, strengthening our nation's borders, 
restructuring the Immigration and Naturalization Service to make it a 
more efficient agency, and passing the USA-PATRIOT Act to improve 
information sharing between law enforcement and intelligence 
communities. More recently, the House passed legislation to create a 
new Department of Homeland Security in response to the President's 
request for a flexible, effective department, with the singular mission 
of protecting our nation. Financially, we have also passed legislation 
to provide the Department of Defense with the resources it will need to 
address the new challenges that now face the nation.
  Many individuals have changed their priorities too. Spurred by our 
war against terrorism and the words of the Administration and various 
law enforcement agencies, Americans have begun to pay more attention to 
their surroundings and take better note of anything that appears out of 
the ordinary, particularly in airports. Gone are the days when one can 
easily dismiss peoples' errant behavior as harmless without making sure 
that that is indeed the case. As we learned, the price to pay for not 
checking can be awfully steep.
  After the events of that Tuesday, life in Washington, DC, returned to 
some semblance

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of normalcy. Yet, a year later, although life appears the same as 
always, there is a difference. Certainly, Congress is in the middle of 
its appropriations debates as it almost always is this time of year and 
Republicans and Democrats are embroiled in many of the same arguments 
that typically take place around now. However, there is now an 
underlying sense of wariness in our nation that didn't exist before--
but this is good, as it shows that we have learned from last year's 
events. It demonstrates that as a nation, we have grown. September 11, 
2001, wasn't that long ago, but America has lived a lifetime in the 
year since that fateful day.

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