Marsha Blackburn: “I so enjoy listening to my colleagues as they talk about the issues that are important to them and to the States they…”

“I so enjoy listening to my colleagues as they talk about the issues that are important to them and to the States they represent. It is, indeed, one of those privileges that we in this body enjoy, and many times we take it for granted. Yet today is a day of remembrance. It is a day that we look back and say we ought not take it for granted because there are many in this world who would threaten our freedoms and our liberties. Earlier this week, I was talking with some of the members of our team, and we were trading stories about where we were on the morning of September 11 and how it affected the way we viewed their place in the world, and their memories, and what their recollections were. Those of us who vividly remember that day still recall an unsettling cascade of emotions. There was shock, confusion, and, finally, dread as we realized we were not, as initially thought, seeing a senseless accident, but that, indeed, we were under attack. As the morning wore on, dread really gave way to fear and panic and, finally, to absolute terror that our loved ones who were in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania and who were in the air, maybe flying home, were among those who were experiencing firsthand what was happening. It was the perfect storm of conflicting media reports and jammed cell service that made it almost impossible to reach out to people and to ask that question, ``Are you OK?'' and to hear their voices.…”