John Ensign: “As a Nation we mourn the loss of so many Americans whose lives were tragically ended by these vicious attacks, the folks…”

“As a Nation we mourn the loss of so many Americans whose lives were tragically ended by these vicious attacks, the folks on the airplanes, the soldiers and civilians at the Pentagon, the office workers at the World Trade Center and the rescue workers who tried to save them. Each one of them had family, friends, and loved ones, and plans for the future. We cannot begin to fathom the incomparable grief their deaths have produced--of mothers who lost sons, husbands who lost wives, children who lost parents. While we bow our heads in prayer for those whose lives were taken, we remain unbowed in the face of this heinous assault on our Nation. The terrorists who perpetrated this crime may have succeeded in striking the symbols of American power, the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but they cannot touch the spirit of the American people or our commitment to defend our liberty, our democracy and our way of life. I have full confidence that the United States has the will and ability to determine which terrorist group is responsible for this assault on our homeland, as well as those states that are giving them refuge, and those entities that are providing them aid and financial support. We must deliver a punishing blow to these terrorists and those who aid and abet them, because terrorists only understand one language, the language of force. Anything less than a full response to these cowardly attacks within our borders would be appeasement.”