[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18972]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  COMMEMORATING SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 AND ON THE OCCASION OF THE SPECIAL 
      JOINT MEETING OF CONGRESSS IN NEW YORK ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2002

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB GOODLATTE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 1, 2002

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, one year ago, Americans looked on in 
horror as the events of September 11 unfolded. At the end of the day 
the skyline of one of our greatest cities was forever changed, the 
Pentagon, a symbol of America's military might was still smoldering, 
and a previously indistinguishable field in western Pennsylvania had 
suddenly and terribly become an unmarked grave for America's newest 
heroes.
  In the aftermath of the Challenger space disaster, when seeking to 
comfort a shocked and hurting country, President Reagan told us that 
the "The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the 
brave." Overwhelmed by grief, and reeling from a devastation, attack, 
some nations would have been crippled to the point of inaction. Our 
enemies perceived us as weak, soft, unwilling or unable to respond. It 
is obviously an understatement to say they miscalculated.
  In a tribute to the excellence of our armed forces and to the 
leadership of President Bush, we succeeded in swiftly toppling the 
Taliban, thereby liberating the people of Afghanistan. In this volatile 
region of the world, America's national security is directly at stake, 
for when regimes that tolerate terror and disrespect human life are 
left to their own devices, they export hatred and murder.
  On the home front we moved swiftly to protect against future attacks. 
Congress gave law enforcement new tools, restructured the beleaguered 
INS, and most recently took steps to establish a Department of Homeland 
Security.
  Recently, I traveled to New York City for a Commemorative Joint 
Meeting of the U.S. Congress, which was held at Federal Hall, just 
blocks from where the twin towers once stood. Federal Hall also served 
as the site of George Washington's swearing in, the location where the 
Bill of Rights was drafted and the setting of the first meeting of the 
United States Congress. In an era when historical significance is often 
missed and sentimentality is at times scoffed at, the symbolism of this 
meeting must not be overlooked.
  Democracy is alive and flourishing and despite the best efforts of 
those who would seek to destroy us, we remain the `shining city on a 
hill'envisioned by our Founders--as can be attested to by the 
resilience, courage and selfless sacrifice, which has characterized our 
national response.
  On the anniversary of this day, which has been eternally seared in to 
our national conscience, our thoughts and prayers go out to those 
Americans whose lives have been forever changed by the loss of a loved 
one.
  Winston Churchill once said, "The price of greatness is 
responsibility." This September as we mourn the loss and commemorate 
the lives of our fallen countrymen, we must not forget the raw emotions 
that marked that day, for they underscore our responsibility and will 
give us the impetus to continue in the unfinished task before us.

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