Bob Schaffer: “What an awesome opportunity it has been, Mr. Speaker, for all of us to be a part of listening and observing the…”

“What an awesome opportunity it has been, Mr. Speaker, for all of us to be a part of listening and observing the eloquence of the country propounded from these microphones by representatives from every State in the Nation, both parties, all races, religious beliefs, political viewpoints. This is the best of America, and it represents why America is the best country in the world, and it also suggests the reasons why perhaps America has been a target in the last 2 days. America's financial institutions are the best in the world because they are free. That is why they have perhaps been a target. Our airlines are the best in the world. They have been a target, too. The sentiments expressed by people from around the country today suggest what it really means to be an American, these notions that God has given us the rights that have been enshrined in our Declaration of Independence 225 years ago by the most visionary leaders in the history of human civilization: this notion that God has given us the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Every American who revels in those joyous rights also knows the last line of that Declaration: that we must be prepared to pledge to ourselves and each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”