David Price: “the horrific images of yesterday will forever be etched in our memories: people leaping from the World Trade Center as…”

“the horrific images of yesterday will forever be etched in our memories: people leaping from the World Trade Center as the flames advanced; the terror of passengers aboard those hijacked planes as they attempted to warn us of what was to come; a gaping hole in the Pentagon, with workers killed at their desks. It is difficult to shake these images and these thoughts, and our first, human response must be to express our profound sympathy to the victims and their families; to pursue a vigorous rescue operation; to reach out, to give blood, to do whatever we can to alleviate the suffering of those directly targeted in yesterday's attack. I am confident that we will reach out and work together as a united community. We have proven before that we can and will pull together at times of danger and disaster, as we in North Carolina know from our experiences after Hurricanes Fran and Floyd. There were moving stories of heroism and sacrifice yesterday from police and firefighters and ordinary citizens. We have a tremendous capacity to sustain and support one another, and we must demonstrate that resolve and mutual commitment as never before in the days ahead. We must also move vigorously and swiftly to gain full and accurate information about how this disaster occurred and who was responsible. We must track down and punish the perpetrators and anyone who harbored them or gave them aid.”