CONGRESSMAN JACKSON: AN ATTEMPT ON ALL FAITHS

Jackson Responds to Attempted Terrorist Attack on Chicago Synagogues

"Americans rightly saw the 9/11 attacks as assaults against our entire country's value system, economy and open society. All Americans knew that they were among the intended targets, along with those who happened to be inside those buildings or on those planes.

"The same must be true for last week's attempted mail-bombing of Jewish synagogues in Chicago. This was not just an attempt on one particular faith - it was also an attempt on all faiths. It was a strike on our system of government and society that allows those faiths to be freely practiced. It was not only an attempt on locations in Chicago - it was an attempt on the entire country, since the ultimate goal is to spread fear and terror among all of us.

"So I say to my friends in Chicago's Jewish community that all Americans stand with you. You are part of us, and we are part of you. No threat against you will be seen as your problem alone. We will not sit by and allow our neighbors to be threatened.

"We should all rejoice that the system we've designed to protect our homeland appears to have worked last week, and that nobody was harmed. Our men and women in the intelligence community, the military, government, the aviation sector and elsewhere who collaborated to neutralize this threat deserve great credit. As always, though, we must remain vigilant in our individual lives to be aware of potential threats in our communities, and policy makers must continually examine our intelligence capabilities in order to stay one step ahead of those who seek to harm us."

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