James Hill: “Mr. Speaker, we often see ourselves as Democrats and Republicans, Methodists or Presbyterians, black or white, Gentiles…”

“Mr. Speaker, we often see ourselves as Democrats and Republicans, Methodists or Presbyterians, black or white, Gentiles, Jews or Muslims, before we see ourselves as Americans. But today we are Americans first. We need to look no further than yesterday for evidence of this. Men and women, young and old, risking their lives, giving their lives, to come to the aid of those in need. As a Nation, we pray for those whose lives have been forever changed by these acts, and we give thanks for the blessings which remain: family, liberty, friendship, and home. Now we turn to the task ahead: finding the cowards who did this and making them pay. Then we shall repair our injured cities and restore our sense of security. The enemy has attacked our way of life. They want to make us less trusting, less safe, less free. Less American. They underestimate the resolve of the American people. So let us remain uniquely, proudly, and defiantly American.”