Schakowsky Statement on 7th Anniversary of September 11th

SCHAKOWSKY STATEMENT ON 7th ANNIVERSARY OF SEPTEMBER 11th

Washington, D.C.–U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), a Chief Deputy Whip and a member of the House Intelligence Committee, released the following statement today to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.

"As we mark the 7th anniversary of September 11th, we should remember the thousands of lives that were needlessly lost on that tragic day. We should also pay tribute to the fallen heroes who sacrificed their own lives to help save others. My heart continues to go out to all of the families and friends that lost loved ones in the attacks. We must also remember those who rushed into help and are now suffering from chronic, long-term illnesses.

While September 11th will forever be one of the darkest days in our nation's history, it will also be remembered as one of our nation's finest moments-when we joined together to heal our country. Our response to the tragedy showed the world that our spirit could never be broken and that we would always stand together as one nation. The response and outpouring of support from millions of Americans was truly remarkable.

We should also use this solemn occasion to renew our efforts to pursue and capture the terrorists who were responsible for the attacks on September 11th. It has been seven years since the attacks and we still have not caught Osama Bin Laden. Instead, we have spent five out of the last seven years bogged down in an unnecessary war in Iraq.

Instead of continuing to fight the wrong war, we need to rededicate ourselves, with a renewed sense of urgency, to fighting against the real enemies of the U.S. and bring these terrorist criminals to justice. Not only do we owe it to the victims and their families, but we also owe it to the future of our country. We must focus our energy, time and resources to confronting the real terrorist threats to our country's safety and security....