Once again, our nation, our people, our way of life
has come under attack. Another cowardly act of anger and hatred has killed and
injured our citizens. My heart goes out to the people of Boston, to the
athletes who worked so hard to make it to the starting line of one of our
nation’s premiere running events, to the friends and family members who
supported their loved ones through months of training and were there on the
sidelines to cheer them on and celebrate their accomplishment, to the race
organizers and to the aid workers who acted quickly and courageously to tend to
our fallen.
What must go through the addled mind of someone who
perpetuates such an unspeakable act of devastation? What does that person hope
to accomplish through such a senseless act of violence and destruction? Perhaps
these lost and misled souls are confused by who we are, angered by the way we
live, and filled with hatred over what we possess—freedom.
Have they forgotten that this is the land of the
free and the home of the brave? We are a nation of people who are resilient and
strong and, despite our shortcomings and our complaints about the government
and the economy, we are, at our core, grateful for all we have and proud of who
we are. We are free to vote, travel, work, worship, celebrate, live and love as
we choose. And though we are free to go, we stay, for we know there is no
better place on earth to be, and we fight for what is right and just in hopes
of making the world a better place for all.
And among the brave, strong and courageous people of
our nation are our athletes—some of who had trained and sacrificed for months
to earn the right to run in Boston on Monday—men and women who are disciplined
and determined, who are not afraid of pain or failure, and who welcome
challenge and adversity with open arms.
So if the cowards of the world think that by crashing
our airplanes and detonating explosives they can make us live in fear and prevent
us from pursuing our dreams, then they simply do not understand that our power
and strength comes from within, and though what happened at Boston surely
breaks our hearts, it will not break our spirit.
In the aftermath of Boston, Americans will unite as
we always do in times of crisis. We will lift each other up and stand together
against hatred and terrorism, protecting the freedom and liberties we cherish
and seeking justice for those who mistakenly think they can take it away. And
those who earn the privilege of running in Boston next year will not only run
in pursuit of their own dreams, but in honor of all those who ran before them
and on behalf of those who no longer can, and they will cross the finish line victorious
and triumphant over evil.
No comments:
Post a Comment