1. State Senator Barack Obama, September 19th 2001:
“Even as I hope for some measure of peace and comfort to the bereaved families, I must also hope that we as a nation draw some measure of wisdom from this tragedy. Certain immediate lessons are clear, and we must act upon those lessons decisively. We need to step up security at our airports. We must reexamine the effectiveness of our intelligence networks. And we must be resolute in identifying the perpetrators of these heinous acts and dismantling their organizations of destruction.
“We must also engage, however, in the more difficult task of understanding the sources of such madness. The essence of this tragedy, it seems to me, derives from a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers: an inability to imagine, or connect with, the humanity and suffering of others. Such a failure of empathy, such numbness to the pain of a child or the desperation of a parent, is not innate; nor, history tells us, is it unique to a particular culture, religion, or ethnicity. It may find expression in a particular brand of violence, and may be channeled by particular demagogues or fanatics. Most often, though, it grows out of a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair.
“We will have to make sure, despite our rage, that any U.S. military action takes into account the lives of innocent civilians abroad. We will have to be unwavering in opposing bigotry or discrimination directed against neighbors and friends of Middle Eastern descent. Finally, we will have to devote far more attention to the monumental task of raising the hopes and prospects of embittered children across the globe-children not just in the Middle East, but also in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and within our own shores.” http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyharnden/5213537/Barack_Obama_and_John_McCain_on_911_Statements_then_and_now/
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr: “Healthcare must be our lunch counter moment for the 21st century”
This moment in history is our generation’s lunch-counter moment - Iraq is our Vietnam and New Orleans is our Birmingham.
“Even as I hope for some measure of peace and comfort to the bereaved families, I must also hope that we as a nation draw some measure of wisdom from this tragedy.
This pi$$es me off every time I see or hear it, and it does not surprise me that Obama saw 9-11 as a "tragedy".
He proves that he either doesn't get it, or more likely deliberately refuses to see 9-11 for what it was. 9-11 was a TRAVESTY, an ACT OF TERRORISM, and an DELIBERATE ACT OF WAR.
A tragedy is an accident, or a natural disaster. 9-11 was neither of these things. To see it that way is to let the terrorists off the hook and to say that our War on Terror was an over reaction, which it was not. In some ways, we did not act harsh enough or swift enough. We allowed Iraq months and years to hide equipment and weapons, and to relocate key devices and technology out of the country.