Judd Gregg: “As some of my colleagues here today and so many Americans across our country, I rise to express great sorrow, and send…”

“As some of my colleagues here today and so many Americans across our country, I rise to express great sorrow, and send our prayers to those who lost loved ones and who have been injured. Unfortunately, in my own community right next door, the copilot of the American Airlines Flight 11, Tom McGuinness, came from Portsmouth and leaves behind a 14-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter. One of the fire chiefs who went into the building to save lives, Jack Fanning, testified before our committee on the issue of terrorism just a few weeks ago. This touches all of us in extraordinarily personal ways, and it touches our Nation dramatically. We wish to also congratulate and express great appreciation to those people who are risking their lives to rescue the injured and the harmed--firefighters, policemen, the citizenry who are stepping forward during this time of crisis. There has been significant harm to our Nation. But we are a resilient people and a resilient country, and we shall not allow these doers of evil, these perpetrators of such huge criminal activity to fundamentally harm our society. The fact that we meet today and the fact that our Nation goes forward is a reflection of our strength and our commitment to maintaining the openness and freedom that comes with the greatest democracy in the world. We stand here united and resolute that we shall not allow this democracy to be undermined by such horrific and criminal acts.”