(Washington, DC)  -  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) issued the following statement on the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001:

“As we commemorate the fifth anniversary of the terrible terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, it is a time to come together as a nation to grieve and to remember the men, women and children who lost their lives that day.  It is also a time to honor the courage and the heroism of our first responders and those who put themselves in harms way to help others.

“We mourn the loss of those innocent lives not just because of who they were, but because of who we are.  This anniversary is a time to reflect on the values like liberty, democracy, tolerance, freedom of expression and respect for human life and the rule of law that define us and separate us from terrorists. 

“Amidst the efforts of the Bush administration to politicize this anniversary, it is important to step back and remember that it is those values against which our government’s actions should be measured, and it is an apt time to remember the admonition of Rev. Nathan D. Baxter who, at the memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral immediately after the attacks, offered the prayer that ‘despite our grief, may we not become the evil we deplore.’”