|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, On September 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden, a sworn |
|
enemy of the United States of America, coordinated a series of |
|
monstrous and cowardly terrorist attacks that resulted in the |
|
tragic loss of 2,977 innocent lives, leading to an engagement in a |
|
war on terrorism across many fronts; and |
|
WHEREAS, On May 1, 2011, after nearly 10 years of bin Laden's |
|
evasion of military and intelligence forces seeking his capture, |
|
President Barack Obama declared to the nation and the world that bin |
|
Laden had finally been killed, and that "Justice has been done."; |
|
and |
|
WHEREAS, The president's patience, leadership, wisdom, and |
|
determination have led directly to the demise of the most wanted man |
|
in the world and have hardened this nation's resolve to defeat the |
|
forces of malevolent fanaticism, and by destroying the mastermind |
|
behind the worst terrorist attack on American soil he has struck a |
|
significant and historic blow against Al Qaeda; and |
|
WHEREAS, Following the death of the perpetrator of the |
|
attacks, the family members and friends of those who lost their |
|
lives in the attacks on September 11 are able to achieve a greater |
|
sense of closure; and |
|
WHEREAS, After months of meetings of the National Security |
|
Council, led by President Obama, who directed intelligence |
|
officials to zero in on bin Laden's whereabouts, intelligence |
|
officials devised and carefully carried out a clandestine |
|
operation, which had frequently been rehearsed in an effort to |
|
minimize casualties, both civilian and military; and |
|
WHEREAS, As commander-in-chief of our great nation, he boldly |
|
gave the final authorization to commence the operation to brave and |
|
highly trained members of our nation's armed services; and |
|
WHEREAS, Upon hearing the news of bin Laden's elimination, in |
|
an impressive show of unity and in defiance of the fanatics who |
|
still today seek to destroy our free way of life, jubilant citizens |
|
expressed pride in our nation and our president by spontaneously |
|
celebrating the news in cities across the country, singing "The |
|
Star Spangled Banner" and loudly chanting "U-S-A," and former |
|
presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have offered him their |
|
congratulations; and |
|
WHEREAS, Domestically, he has acted with both initiative and |
|
organizational acumen toward the precautionary defense of our |
|
citizens and has successfully prevented a terrorist attack on |
|
American soil during his service to our nation as president; and |
|
WHEREAS, Internationally, he has wisely exercised the use of |
|
diplomacy to nurture collaborative relationships with other |
|
nations, which has helped improve the freedom and safety of the |
|
world's people; and |
|
WHEREAS, President George W. Bush had the near universal |
|
support of the freedom-loving peoples and countries of the world |
|
after the attacks on September 11, 2001, when he famously pledged to |
|
defend freedom against fear, saying "We will not tire, we will not |
|
falter, and we will not fail," and President Obama had the strength |
|
and wherewithal to see that pledge through to fulfillment; and |
|
WHEREAS, Legislators in Texas reaffirm the solemn creed that |
|
we are one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice |
|
for all, who stand strongly behind the president with respect to |
|
these several issues as he confronts the grave problems of national |
|
and international security; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd |
|
Legislature of the State of Texas hereby congratulate President |
|
Obama on his proven and successful policies in the war on terrorism |
|
and in homeland security; and, be it further |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd |
|
Legislature of the State of Texas hereby commend the intelligence |
|
personnel who diligently and quietly toiled for years to uncover |
|
the whereabouts of bin Laden and whose achievement, while historic, |
|
may never be fully known to the public; and, be it further |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd |
|
Legislature of the State of Texas hereby commend the members of the |
|
armed forces who successfully and heroically carried out an |
|
incredibly sensitive mission with no military losses and with a |
|
minimal loss of civilian lives; and, be it further |
|
RESOLVED, That the chief clerk of the Texas House of |
|
Representatives forward official copies of this resolution to the |
|
president of the United States, to the speaker of the House of |
|
Representatives and the president of the Senate of the United |
|
States Congress, to the governor of Texas, and to all the members of |
|
the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that this |
|
resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a |
|
memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |
|
|
|
|
Anderson of McLennan |
McClendon |
|
|
|
|
Burkett |
J. Davis of Harris |
|
|
|
|
Giddings |
Gonzales of Hidalgo |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sheffield |
Taylor of Galveston |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Straus |
Gutierrez |
Munoz, Jr. |
|
|
Aliseda |
Hamilton |
Naishtat |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anchia |
Harper-Brown |
Parker |
|
|
Anderson of Dallas |
Hernandez Luna |
Patrick |
|
|
Anderson of McLennan |
Hilderbran |
Paxton |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bonnen |
Howard of Fort Bend |
Pitts |
|
|
Brown |
Howard of Travis |
Price |
|
|
Burkett |
Hughes |
Quintanilla |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Christian |
King of Taylor |
Scott |
|
|
Coleman |
King of Zavala |
Sheets |
|
|
Cook |
Kleinschmidt |
Sheffield |
|
|
Craddick |
Kolkhorst |
Shelton |
|
|
Creighton |
Kuempel |
Simpson |
|
|
Crownover |
Landtroop |
Smith of Harris |
|
|
Darby |
Larson |
Smith of Tarrant |
|
|
Davis of Dallas |
Laubenberg |
Smithee |
|
|
J. Davis of Harris |
Legler |
Solomons |
|
|
|
|
Dukes |
Lozano |
Taylor of Galveston |
|
|
Dutton |
Lucio III |
Thompson |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Elkins |
Mallory Caraway |
Veasey |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gallego |
Martinez Fischer |
White |
|
|
|
|
Giddings |
Menendez |
Workman |
|
|
Gonzales of Hidalgo |
Miles |
Zedler |
|
|
Gonzales of Williamson |
Miller of Comal |
Zerwas |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Speaker of the House |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 1694 was adopted by the House on May 2, |
|
2011, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
|