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IN
REMEMBRANCE
Ohio State commemorates 9/11
A statement from Senator George V. Voinovich:
Dear Ohioans,
Like every other American, I will never forget exactly where I was and
what I was doing nor will I forget the anger I felt on September 11.
My wife and I have felt the pain of losing a daughter and we understand
that the lives of the victims’ families have changed forever. One
of the reasons Janet and I traveled to New York City to attend the Commemorative
Joint Session of Congress at Federal Hall on September 6, 2002 was to
let the families of the victims know that Congress has not forgotten.
After the attacks, our country reached out to those in need and pulled
together in unity. The patriotism displayed following the attacks was
testament to the good will of Americans as we donated money, supplies
or your time to help the clean-up and rescue efforts in New York City
and Washington, DC.
As we recovered from the initial shock of the attacks, our outrage has
fueled our resolve to never let America be vulnerable to another attack.
In Congress, we’ve made a number of improvements to airport security,
border patrol and immigration services and we’ve improved our intelligence.
Right now we are working to create a new Office of Homeland Security
to better coordinate homeland defense.
As President Bush stated in his address to the nation following September
11, "We will rally the world to this cause by our efforts, by our
courage. We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail."
America is still working to bring to justice the terrorists who organized
the attacks on our nation, and as the President warned the country,
this is going to be a long war against an elusive enemy. We must remain
vigilant.
Just as Americans need to guard against complacency, so does Congress.
I have been disappointed with many members of Congress who have used
September 11 to increase spending and ladle bills with unnecessary pork-barrel
projects. These spending increases have nothing to do with patriotism
and we must hold true to fiscal responsibility and spending limits as
we tried to do prior to September 11.
In only one year, America has had to adapt to a number of changes and
challenges. Americans have had to bury thousands of our brothers and
sisters while families and friends wept, we’ve watched government
offices evacuated and cleaned for anthrax and we’ve seen a surge
in patriotism as millions of flags have flown in every town in every
state. We’ve prepared for war and sent our troops to a far-away
land in pursuit of justice and renewal, we’ve tightened our pocketbooks
as our economy sputtered and we’ve experienced new security initiatives.
Yes, September 11 continues to be with us in so many ways.
Our country has entered an era like that at our nation’s founding
when life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are not just recognized
as words but respected as rights that can be threatened and assaulted
and therefore must be protected. Hatred fueled the attacks on September
11. As we rebuild and heal, we must also continue to shine the light
of freedom in the dark corners of the world that currently breed the
hatred and intolerance that fueled the September 11. We must do everything
we can to change the hearts and minds of those who are plagued by hate
to understand the second great commandment: love thy neighbor as thy
self. If we can succeed in doing that then we can truly make the world
a better place for our children and grandchildren.
God Bless you, God Bless Ohio and God Bless America,
George V. Voinovich
United States Senate
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