Gregory Meeks: “this weekend we pause to remember the third anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade…”

“this weekend we pause to remember the third anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. We pause to recollect the full meaning of the lives lost--nearly 3,000 Americans and foreign nationals. Our compatriots were not just casualty figures. They were mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters. They were best friends and good neighborhoods. They were lovers and loved ones. They were employers and employees. Their best contributions were still ahead of them. We pause to recall the first responders who rescued thousands from the twin towers. We recall with amazement their bravery as they went into the towering infernos. And we recall that had it not been for heroic action of passengers abroad Flight 93, al Qaeda's terrorists might have crashed that airliner into the White House or the Capitol Building instead of a field in rural Pennsylvania. On this third anniversary of 9/11, we also pause to reaffirm our determination to triumph over fear. We reaffirm our determination to foster tolerance in our land and in the world, to build respect for all faiths, and to promote the collaborative action of people and governments across the globe, to mobilize for mutual development rather the civilizational destruction advocated by Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, and other adherents of radical Islamist fundamentalism.”