Mike Thompson: “it took only a matter of minutes to forever change our nation. The worst fears of a free society have come true, and we…”

“it took only a matter of minutes to forever change our nation. The worst fears of a free society have come true, and we will live with both the physical as well as the emotional scars from this tragedy for years to come. Today is a day for rescue, grieving and investigation. We must do everything within our power to help the rescue efforts in New York City and at the Pentagon and to extend a compassionate hand to the victims' families. The victims include not only the thousands who responded to save lives only to become victims themselves. As a nation, we took immediate steps yesterday to limit the scope of devastation: we sealed off airspace, closed federal buildings and heightened security across the country. Today we continue to safeguard against the residual threats posed by these horrific events. Yet, a nation whose people are truly free to travel and communicate will always be vulnerable to terrorist attacks. We need to investigate all the facts of yesterday's events so we can determine who is responsible for this insidious action and respond appropriately. As federal agencies and other government offices work together, we can begin to match questions with answers. We must make every effort to prevent this type of tragedy from occurring again. I have every faith that in this time of crisis and mourning, the world will see that the American spirit of resilience remains undeterred. Yesterday our nation came together as a united family.”