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Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno addresses a Special Joint Legislative Session in the wake of Tuesday�s tragedy. |
(Click here for Legislative Resolution Condemning Terrorist Attack)
Thursday, September 13, 2001
We the people... United we stand. These words have defined America. They are our foundation. We have always stood together to rise above tragedy and overcome attacks on our freedom and our way of life throughout history and it is why were are joined together today in this historic session.
We are proud of our history and we are proud of our leaders -- President Bush, Governor Pataki and Mayor Giuliani -- who are helping us overcome the attack and rise from the ashes, stronger as a city, stronger as a state, and stronger as a nation.
We are proud of the thousands of unsung heroes who have struggled around the clock to rescue survivors, treat the injured and protect our citizens.
With the resolution we are acting on today, the elected representatives of the people of this state are speaking with one, strong united voice. It expresses our mourning for the victims and their families. It shouts our outrage at the evil brought about by the perpetrators of these cowardly attacks on innocent victims. And it promises justice.
Americans have fought enemies of freedom many times. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are the worst attacks on America since Pearl Harbor 60 years ago.
After Pearl Harbor, Japanese Admiral Yamamoto was reputed to have said "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." That giant was reawakened this week and once again, we have come together as a nation for a new battle against terror.
All Americans - particularly New Yorkers - are facing an enormous challenge unlike any we have ever experienced in our lives. We face the challenge of searching the rubble for victims who may still be alive, the task of finding and identifying the deceased and comforting and supporting their family and friends. We are dealing with a terrible reality and praying for miracles.
That process has already begun. People from all over have contributed by giving blood and donating financial resources. They�ve contributed by praying for emergency workers, hundreds of whom lost their lives just minutes after the attack and for friends who haven�t been heard from. They�ve prayed for victims� families and for children who will grow up in a world that is less safe than it was just a few days ago.
We face the challenge of demonstrating to the world our resolve to recover from this tragedy and move forward. However, rebuilding the World Trade Center will be much easier than rebuilding the thousands of lives that have been changed forever. We will meet these challenges and show that we are a united people, that we will not be intimidated by terrorists.
America is the land of the free and the home of the brave and no terrorist will ever be able to change that. We are marshaling all of our forces to find out who carried out these attacks and take whatever action is necessary to bring them to justice.
Centuries ago, after his ship was attacked by the Portuguese in a famous naval battle, Scotsman Sir Andrew Barton penned a ballad that speaks to the battle we face today:
Fight on men,
We are wounded, but not slain;
We will lay down and bleed a while,
And then we will rise and fight again.
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