Norton's Statement on the Death and Capture of Osama bin Laden

Norton Looks to Sacrifices and Maintaining Liberty and Freedom Despite the Changed Nature of War Following Killing of Osama bin Laden

May 2, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) issued the following statement on the killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. Special Forces:

"September 11, 2001, defined this era for our country and especially for our city and region. The death of Osama bin Laden closes ten years of effort at every level of the federal government, by states and localities, by members of the military, and, especially, by our citizens. We have many to remember in our region but they may be best represented by the three schoolchildren from the District of Columbia who had won a National Geographic trip to California and died on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. However, with the death of bin Laden, we also cannot forget the thousands of young men and women who went to war to deter attacks by bin Laden and succeeded. What we owe them and those who died on 911 is beyond repayment.

"Today, there are mixed emotions as terrorists have spread well beyond bin Laden and Afghanistan to other countries and even include attacks from within the U.S. Nevertheless, we feel both gratitude and relief that we are a safer nation than we were almost ten years ago. We deeply appreciate that President Barack Obama was able to maintain his unwavering focus on the nation's commitment to capture or kill bin Laden, despite being handed two simultaneous wars and the worst worldwide recession since the Great Depression.

We are mindful that bin Laden changed the nature of war itself, introducing combat between nations and non-state actors and compelling nations to develop new weapons of war for use both within and outside their country. For those who have been lost, let us also commit to fighting terrorism while maintaining the liberties and freedoms that form our core strengths and our core identity as a nation."