|
 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.
[to top of second column] |
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!
[LDN
- Top Stories (lincolndailynews.com)] |
