Thursday, September 11, 2014
 
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First posted in LDN 09/17/2001
Speech by our state representative Jonathan Wright

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[September 11, 2014]  Speech made by Jonathan Wright, state representative for the 90th District, on the Logan County Courthouse lawn on Friday, Sept. 14:

On behalf of people I am privileged to represent, not only in this community but in the 90th District, I want to extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to anyone who has lost a family member, or a friend or acquaintance in the tragedy that occurred on Tuesday.

I also want to express condolences and sympathies to the families of the firefighters, the rescue workers and the police officers who paid the highest price they could to save the life of another.

As I look here at the police officers, and firefighters, and rescue workers, we have in our community, I want to say, "Thank you for being ever ready to pay that same price."

In the midst of this tragedy — make no mistake, it has been a tragedy — I have seen the brilliance of this country shine in a way I have never seen in my life. You see, I think the cowards who committed this act made a big mistake. They underestimated the greatness of this country and the greatness of this people. They expected us to respond in selfishness, as they are apt to portray us as a bastion of nothing more than greed and materialism. Yet they have seen selflessness as we watched the police officers, and the firefighters, and the rescue workers, work to the point of exhaustion, risk their lives and tragically give their lives for another. They expected us to respond in fear, and yet they’ve seen our greatness shine through as we respond with the courage forged in the belly of this nation, beginning with the American Revolution all the way to Operation Desert Storm, as we hear of military recruiting officers talk of telephone lines being flooded with volunteers wanting to join the military and defend and fight for their country.

They expected us to respond with regionalism — to say in the Midwest, and the South, and the Great Plains, and the West Coast, "Well, that’s New York City’s problem! That’s Washington D.C.’s problem!" And yet they’ve seen every citizen in this country step forward and say, "How can I help? Where do I go? Where do I give money? Where do I give blood?" They don’t understand that our bonds are not made by proximity of residence but by the bonds of freedom, justice and democracy.

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They expected us to respond in apathy — to say, "Well it doesn’t affect me personally. So I go on with my life." And yet they’ve seen this country, in communities all over this great land, come together for prayer vigils night, after night, after night; and patriotic meetings like this one on courthouse steps all across the country. As I look at this group and as I thought about visiting the Statue of Liberty last year — and I thought about the landscape of New York City’s skyline that I looked at last year that is not there today — I also couldn’t help but think of the statue and what she stands for — liberty, freedom, democracy, justice — and I realize the beacon of freedom never shines so brightly as in the darkest of hours. Just like that beacon on the shore never shines so brightly as it does in the middle of the night, in the midst of this tragedy we’ve seen the greatness of our country shine with a brilliance I’ve not seen in my lifetime.

Let me close with these thoughts because I think they are all our thoughts.

I always flew my flag at home, but now I’ll fly it more often.

I always prayed for this country and its leaders, but now I will pray more fervently and earnestly.

I always loved my country, but now I love it with a deeper passion than I’ve ever had.

I’ve always been proud to be a citizen of this country, but I’ve never been more proud than I am here today — to be a citizen of the greatest country, the greatest land, the greatest nation, the greatest political experiment the world has ever seen, the United States of America.

Thank you all for coming, for showing your patriotism, your love of country; and God bless America!

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