News Release

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) made the following statement on the 5th anniversary of 9/11.

“September 11 was a dark day in America.  But it brought forth a fact about our country that our enemies seem apt to forget:  Adversity brings out the best in us.  It did on December 7, 1941, and it did again on September 11, 2001.

“Our enemies listen to us debate and disagree, and mistake it for disunity. They hear all the contentiousness in American politics, and confuse it with chaos.  They see the comforts of American life, and think we’ve grown soft.

“But when they strike our people on our soil, slaughtering innocent Americans by the thousand; when they attack our right to live free from fear, and secure in our own land, Americans do not shrink from the fight.  We close ranks, in the country, and in Congress, and give our President the power to strike back.

“Today, ‘Americans are safer, but we are not yet safe.’  That assessment, by the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, is a call to action.  As we pause to remember 9/11, we should resolve to close ranks once again, and provide the resources needed to keep our people safe and our nation secure.”

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