U.S. Senate nominee Harold Ford Jr. today released the following statement following the arrest in Great Britain yesterday of 24 suspected terrorists who were plotting to blow up as many as 10 planes above the Atlantic Ocean:“I applaud the law enforcement officers in Great Britain who stopped the terrorists before they were able to carry out their plot. This is a reminder that we live in dangerous times with people who are intent on destroying our way of life. The world changed on 9/11, but there is one thing that has not wavered: our nation’s strength and resolve to defeat terrorists before they can do us harm.
“We must remain vigilant. We must hunt down those who seek to use terror to achieve what they cannot accomplish through the democratic process. That means refocusing our efforts in places like Afghanistan to go after Osama bin Laden and the rest of al Qaeda. Twenty-four terrorists were arrested yesterday, but more are waiting in hiding. These people have demonstrated their contempt for America and for freedom. It is time to bring them to justice so they can do no further harm.
“This is not the time for politics. It is time for leadership and action. The 9/11 Commission gave specific recommendations on how to make this country safe, but leadership in Washington has not followed through. Too much of our critical infrastructure – our ports, our chemical plants, our railways – are susceptible to attack. That is unacceptable.
”Yesterday’s events show the terrorists will never give up. Neither must we.”
221 Days
Days of Congressional Inaction on Ethics
Above is the number of days that have passed since Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to bribing Congressman.
It is also the number of days in which Congress has failed to pass an ethics reform bill that would limit private travel, ski and golf junkets, and would call for a full disclosure of expenses by lobbyists on members of Congress.
It is time for Congress to step up and pass an ethics reform bill that would do all of the above. In addition, it is time to end the pork barrel spending system as we know it and establish an independent ethics commission that would review ethics complaints against members of Congress.
I am proud Congressman Harold Ford Jr. is fighting for that reform!
Read Congressman Ford's call for reform of the House rules here!
