[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 113 (Wednesday, September 13, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1713]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       9/11 FIVE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                    HON. JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 13, 2006

  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, this week we mark the fifth 
anniversary of the tragic and unprecedented events of September 11, 
2001. On this fateful day, we lost not only thousands of our fellow 
citizens, but a piece of our innocence as well.
  On behalf of my constituents of the 37th District of California, I 
affirm that we will not forget those who lost their lives on that 
dreadful day. We offer our heartfelt prayers to the families of the 
victims, and assure them that time has not dulled our deepest 
sympathies. We shall never fully recover from the loss of so many of 
our best and bravest and brightest.
  This attack on our homeland showed us that great vigilance and effort 
are required to prevent terrorists from realizing their murderous aims. 
This important lesson was paid for dearly, and we owe it to all those 
who lost their lives to continue to work to protect our country from 
another attack.
  In particular, I am acutely aware of the need to secure our Nation's 
ports, as my District is adjacent to the Port of Long Beach and the 
Port of Los Angeles, which are among our Nation's busiest. Some 95 
percent of American trade enters the U.S. through 1 of 361 seaports on 
board over 8,500 foreign vessels and makes more than 55,000 port calls 
per year, which total worth is nearly $1 trillion. It is our duty to 
protect America's ports which remain highly vulnerable targets. In 
fact, over 52 percent of all waterborne cargo moves through the Ports 
of Long Beach and Los Angeles alone. Securing these and the rest of 
America's ports as well as the economic contributions they make must 
remain a top priority for each of us.
  As such, I am pleased that Congress is finally working on a 
bipartisan basis to address this gaping hole in our security. I am a 
proud supporter of the SAFE Port Act, which would appropriate a 
dedicated stream of port security funding. I look forward to continuing 
to work on this important issue with my colleagues from both sides of 
the aisle.
  I appeal to all Members of Congress to work toward these goals in the 
spirit of unity that we felt so poignantly 5 years ago in the wake of 
the terrorist attacks. This is really the greatest honor we could offer 
the victims of that day.

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