Post by bot on Sept 11, 2016 16:40:21 GMT -5
Hoyer Statement on the 15th Anniversary of the September 11 Terrorist Attacks
WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement on the 15th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks:
“It is difficult to believe that fifteen years have passed since our nation was attacked on September 11, 2001, whose somber anniversary we will mark this Sunday. Since the tragic events of that morning and the painful days and months that followed, we have mourned and rebuilt, we have remembered those lost and celebrated the courage of those who responded so heroically. On that day, our nation and the world was forever changed.
“In so many ways, the past fifteen years have challenged us all as Americans, war and terror having tested us and our commitment to our founding principles. Today we are being challenged again, asked to choose between a future of fear and mistrust or one where we embrace the values that those who attacked us on 9/11 so virulently opposed. Those values are not only freedom and democracy but tolerance and compassion. The challenges we have faced over the past fifteen years ought not to call into question our responsibility as a global leader but reinforce it. They must not deter America from engaging with the world but encourage us further in that noble pursuit.
“Those who truly know America understand that its greatness isn’t measured by the might of our arms or the height of our skyscrapers. Rather, it is by the depth of our courage and the steadfastness of our commitment to justice that the beacon we shine upon the world draws its light. Let us continue to cast that light brightly outward and find strength in the memory of those who perished on 9/11 and in the war against terror, including those from Maryland’s Fifth District, as we work together with our allies to forge a future of justice and peace.”