Elijah Lewis: “Yesterday I attended the reopening of the Olympic Centennial Park in Atlanta. Tens of thousands of people, from all over…”

“Yesterday I attended the reopening of the Olympic Centennial Park in Atlanta. Tens of thousands of people, from all over the country and the world, turned out for a memorial service in honor of those killed and injured in the bomb blast that exploded early Saturday morning, shattering the tranquility of the Olympic games. They also turned out to demonstrate that they will not bow to the fear and intimidation of terrorism. Mr. Speaker, the Olympic games represent the best of the human spirit, and in many ways the response of the people in Atlanta to this vicious act truly represented the Olympic spirit. Yesterday, the people of Atlanta, of Georgia, of our Nation, and the world came together in prayer and solidarity. It was a beautiful and moving experience to be in a crowd representing the true brotherhood of nations. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to commend the many people who acted heroically in the wake of this terrorist attack: the medical personnel, the law enforcement officials and the thousands of volunteers who averted an even greater disaster. Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, the person who carried out this hideous crime will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. In the meantime, we in the Congress should do everything in our power to pass legislation that will protect our citizens from such attacks in the future.”