On this day of remembrance 9th Congressional District candidate Tony Barr visited Shanksville, Pennsylvania (it is IS in our DIstrict) site of the Flight 93 crash and issued the following statement:
“Hi My Name is Tony Barr. I’m a candidate for Congress, right here in the Pennsylvania 9th Congressional district. That’s about all the campaign you’re gonna get outta me, today. I’m not here for that. I came to this place, probably for the same reason you did, to pay tribute and remember.
As to paying tribute, there were a host of dignitaries here today, all with professionally written speeches, designed to inspire you. I like what to paraphrase what Mr. Lincoln had to say about situations like this one, standing not too far from here, a long time ago; Abe Lincoln said, “we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave people, who died here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”
Make no mistake, this is a battlefield, these are our honored dead. “that from these honored dead we must take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion”. It is ultimately that cause to which we pay tribute here today.
It’s funny but when I remember September the 11th 2001 it’s not the horrors I recall, It’s not the scenes of that awful day’s destruction on television, I remember. It’s what came after. The days after September 11th, in those days, we were all Americans again, not Republicans and Democrats, not rich and poor, not black or white but Americans.
Red white and blue was everywhere, stores couldn’t keep American flags on the shelf, and we were all in this together. Why is it, that we need a body count to bring out American spirit like that? I don’t have the answer.
I do know that we can take this day, and put our partisanship aside, just for today, if only for today. We can take this day and remember fondly, those that have passed that day, and since that day. We can devote ourselves to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion” to making them proud of the Americans we are today, One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, Americans. Please remember to vote, Thank you.”
