Joe Crowley: “yesterday, September 11, 2001, the most horrific terrorist attack in the history of the world was perpetrated against…”

“yesterday, September 11, 2001, the most horrific terrorist attack in the history of the world was perpetrated against the people of the United States of America. Some have compared this attack to Pearl Harbor, but I do not. While Pearl Harbor was awful, it was a surprise attack against a military installation. Yesterday's cowardly attack was targeted solely against civilians. This was no Pearl Harbor, but something far worse. Our nation, especially the people of New York City, are not in a position to begin to understand the catastrophic amount of death and grief which this one day has wrought upon us. It will take time before many of us can fully evaluate the true atrocities that have taken place and begin the process of absorbing and then accepting the events of September 11, 2001. But no one was untouched by these events. All of our lives have been altered forever. I was in New York at the time of the attack on the World Trade Center and saw with my own eyes the complete destruction that befell a once great structure. Worse than that, I saw the trauma on the faces of the people who may never see or speak to their loved ones again.”