SPECIAL EDITION: On the Hill, Off the Cuff: Remembering 9-11-01

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VOLUME 8, NUMBER 26 September 11, 201 0

SPECIAL EDITION Remembering 9-11-01 Nine years ago today, children were in school, I was in my office in Tallahassee, and you probably were going through the motions of your typical Tuesday morning.  Then, our world was suddenly and violently shaken. Like almost every other American, I spent most of September 11, 2001 calling loved ones and watching the television, looking for answers, for comfort, and for understanding.  Years later, we still struggle to comprehend how people can have that kind of hatred in their hearts.  The hatred that makes you board an airplane and kill yourself and thousands of defenseless, innocent people in the process.  These acts are evil and senseless to you and me; however, Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, extremists, and their dangerous beliefs in the righteousness of jihad continue to threaten the safety of America and our allies. We must pledge to ensure that the lessons that we learned on September 11, 2001 are never forgotten.  Although our World War II Veterans have certainly not forgotten the attack on Pearl Harbor, too many of our nation’s school children could not tell you when we commemorate Pearl Harbor Day.  It is our responsibility to teach our children and our children’s children about 9/11 and to make sure that they, and we, never forget. We must also remember that September 11, 2001 taught us all lessons of heroism, grace, and the human spirit’s capacity for love even in the face of darkness and despair.  Pictures from the streets of Manhattan after the Towers fell don’t show people questioning one another’s political affiliation.  Instead, we see first responders selflessly running towards Ground Zero as everyone else runs away.  We see images of neighbors, coworkers, families, and strangers holding one another.  We went to church and held each other’s hands in prayer, worrying not how the person sharing our pew had voted in the last election.  We were not Republicans or Democrats, we were Americans. The recent attempted attacks by terrorists like the Christmas Day “Underwear Bomber” and the bomb in Times Square remind us that we cannot become complacent.  As a nation, we must resolve to continue to protect our country and our allies.  We must support our men and women serving in uniform overseas in the fight against terror.  We must never forget the lessons we learned from September 11, 2001. Today is a moment for reflection - a time to stop and take stock of where we are as a nation, where we are headed, and where we want to be.  It is also an opportunity to look at our own lives.  It is a time to put aside personal and political differences and remember what it is to be an American, what it is to love and to be loved, and to celebrate the wonderful gifts God has given us.  I hope you will join me in prayer for those who lost their lives on 9/11, for those men and women who are serving our nation overseas, and for all those who work in the field of homeland security, keeping us safe day in and day out. We may not always agree on politics; however, we can all agree that, in good times and in bad, in the brightest of days and the darkest of nights, we are blessed to be Americans. Thank you,

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