Newsroom
Floor Statements
|
|
|
Print this page |
Statement of Representative John Linder on H.Res. 994
September 13, 2006
I thank the Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Mr. King, and I hope my colleagues will join me in support of H.Res. 994.
Five years ago, I stood on the floor of the House and proclaimed that I was not without hope for America’s ability to eliminate the scourge of terrorism. I, like my colleagues, was convinced that the people of this great nation would, much like they did on December 8, 1941, come together to defeat a common enemy rooted in intolerance and fear.
To be sure, much is left to be accomplished. We cannot – we must not – ever forget the prayers we said that day, the tears we shed, and the memories of those who now belong to the ages. Yes, Osama bin Laden has yet to personally receive justice, but over the course of the last five years the international communications, financing, state sponsorship, and success that al-Qaeda enjoyed on September 11, 2001, has been significantly degraded. The world now knows that America will not bow to the forces of evil, but will instead fight until evil has been eradicated.
Congress has, as this resolution indicates, provided many of the necessary tools, but the people, themselves, deserve most of the credit for this nation’s progress. While the threat of terrorism continues to loom in the distance, I believe we are safer as a nation because the people of this country will not allow others to bring harm to them. They are the soldiers; they are the intelligence gatherers; and they are the firefighters and first responders. They are the personnel who were given a responsibility on September 11, 2001, to finally take the fight to terrorism. And they are succeeding.
Five years later, I see an America that has exceeded our expectations. Rather than cowering to those who blackened the beautiful New York skyline on that day, the American people are emboldened in their resolve to live free and prosperous lives. They have renewed our faith in the hope of democracy. Freedom, as I stated then, continues to work!
I yield back the balance of my time.
|
||||