go down and testified about this bill.ork for congratulations, you are paid. you're speaking on behalf of legislation. industry you have to register as a lobbyist. if a client of mine as they did go down to the general assembly, i'm a lawyer but sadly i've got to register as a lobbyist even though i might do it only for one collide once every two or bu we heard the gentleman from maine. they have a different definition. i don't know what the definition requirements are in west virginia are nevada. they are a patchwork but people may get caught in this is so indefensibly they are off the rnc. more important ago, if any, if it ain't broke don't fix it. i wonder if this rule is a solution in search of a problem. nobody has pointed out to me any problem at the rnc has had, t nobo problem that a state has had in electing its members of the rnc and i think as long as the

statesman who they are electing, they are free to send to the rnc whoever they want. so i oppose this amendment on a lot of grounds.o not the least of which is that in a one hour, half-hour debate is being held with no prior warning. i don't think we should be doing something like this because i think he could come back to bite us. thank you. >> thank you. because i think it could come back to bite us. thank you. >> thank you. the chair recognizes mr. ash for purposes of his amendment. >> thank you bruce ash from arizona. sorry about the dust. i'm trying to put this together. page 3 line 17 after the word services to others, we would delete everything after that and add hopefully this is going up on the board -- and is elect today the republican national committee shall disclose to the secretary of the republican national committee his or her status as a lobbyist in a manner

to be established by the secretary. while it might be a great grassroots idea. >> wait a moment. we need a second. you made a motion. >> there's a second. i need to catch up first. let's let them catch up. >> now they are fixing it. let's give them just a moment.

they are almost there. all right, thank you. all mr. ash, you can proceed. >> thank you very much. there have been some wonderful

arguments for both sides on this issue and i admire the delegates who filed this amendment to admt begin with. we may not get to the place that you want to be and perhaps a lo. of people want to be with respect to how this is going to be handled. but one thing i think all of us well know from other volunteerer work we do end of the paid work do is that we have to disclose other organizations that we might work for, other conflict of interest when theyer potentially have. we are used to disclosure. although not a lawyer i know that disclosure is a very important thing when trying tocl avoid difficulties in various matters that we have public discourse with. in var this idea which would come after services to other and is selected to the republican

national committee shall disclose to the secretary of the republican national committeeon his or her status as a lobbyist in a manner to be established by the secretary. i think this is a fairly straightforward matter. we have a great counsel's office to ensure they would work with the secretary of the rnc in order to put this together. we would keep a file at the rnc and would be available for public access to members,va perhaps and this would all be up to discretion of the secretary of course but the idea would be we would begin disclosure process. that doesn't anybody is disqualified. that doesn't mean we're takingen anybody's ability to earn money and it doesn't mean that we don't want them to be advocating for either issues, candidates or any other political means but it is a start with disclosure. i urge consideration andr adoption. >> thank you. is are some who like to speak in opposition?

the gentleman here. >> i mostly want to speak to the one phrase that stands now and one and that is in favor of nonprofits. if the attempt is to stop people from increasing the size of the federal government which has been the dominant commitment ora dominant comment, then i think that understanding the lobbyist who approach our office in congress, many times nonprofits, and they never have asked for un to decrease the budget because many times they are, in fact, the beneficiaries of money that is comes to the budget. so this bias tha that's a nonprs is something i think we would like to close look at. and then again the underlying le comments about all lobbyists are bad. some lobbyists are

extraordinarily good and very knowledgeable. i would not want to approach the idea of nuclear arms proliferation without a paidid lobbyist. by id is, utility both sides of the argument. so give the psyche we got to treat lobbyists separate,l self-governance requires that we understand who is involved in the self-governance and close it out if they are not good. self-governance requires that we have more liberty and more freedom, not tokyo so down with rules. so with all respect to the sponsor of the amendment i would urge not on both the amendment to the minut amendment and the underlying amendment. thank you. >> thank you. is anyone who wishes to speak in support of the amendment to the amendment? in support of the amendment to the amendment. is anyone who would like to speak in opposition? the gentleman from west virginia.en >> i stand in opposition. i guess i say to what point is

this registration or declaration with the rnc? i go back to the point that every state should have the right to determine who gets representatives are to the rnc. if west virginia wants to electt three coal miners or throughhe lobbyist or three insurance salesman i said that's the right of west virginia. and who is the rnc to determine that? i say let's leave this to the states, let the states determine who they represent is our and i post a i oppose the motion.et >> is anyone who'd like to speak in favor of the amendment to the amendment? the lady from minnesota. like t the amendment to the amendment. ? >> i am very supportive of this amendment. in fact i'm very grateful for it i think it definitely enhances transparency i think all of our constituency and americans appreciate transparency, it becomes people's reality and i

do believe it would be right for this body to pass this amendment to the amendment and i'm hopeful for support of the amendment as well but i do believe this would be supportive of the will of the people and i'm very grateful to committeeman ash. >> anyone else who would like to speak in opposition? >> thank you. new jersey. what i don't understand and what's not clear in the new amendment to the amendment is what will be done eventually with this scarlet letter file of people that have had to disclose? and without that clarification here i don't see why people would have to disclose. >> is there anyone else would like to speak in favor of the g amendment to the amendment? in favor. is anyone would like to speak in opposition? mr. evans.s. >> thank you, madam chairman. ww

my niece goes in to see her and one of the questions on the question it is weather was a a fire arm out in the house. anybody the money with this regulation where is now owned collected? the bottom one is it's all about created collection of disclosure to information under the rubric that somehow we have a reason to not. i personally have complete confidence in each of the 50os states, five territories and district of columbia to full effect they are committeemen, committee women and their chair. find out every piece of information whether they are a lobbyist or not and if they make a decision that they want to have a lobbyist, then more power to them because there aree certain states that actually would benefit from having a committeemen or chair or a committee woman who is a lobbyist. but there was no reason why we should be the ones that collect all of this information, put ite in a secret though, able to access it later for whatever purpose. it starts to eliminate thecc distinctions a twin us and them.

and so i oppose the amendment to the amendment because i think there comes a point where we have to trust our fellow ame colleagues in the other states to pick the people that represent them best, not a we would want them to pick. >> thank you.st that she would like to recognize anyone who was still in support of the amendment to the amendment. would anyone like to speak in support? would anyone like to speak in opposition to the amendment to the amendment? the lady at this microphone. >> thank you, madam chair. i'm from michigan. in michigan we elect our rnc person to the grassroots effort. we do, we elect our precinct delegates and then they go back into the elect, and eventually becomes down to our convention. and that person is elected by the people. now, i take great exception to

the fact that as a body we may be saying to mississippi that they representatives that they've asked to have sit on the rnc be eliminated. strickland because of his profession. i would expect that the rnc members would take into consideration if anybody ist t lobbying them. and we know the difference. we know when we are having smoke blown for it is not supposed tow be. so it is up to us as individuals on the rnc to understand the difference and stand up for the rights of the people. but not for this body to eliminate the rights of people to elect their people. thank you. >> thank you. is there anyone else would like to speak on the amendment to the minute? >> people's republic of

california.amendm [laughter] i have interest in a number of states and i'm trying to figurer out under the proposed amendment and the underlying amendment in which of those states am i going to be judged eligible or ineligible. those of you who are in business today, have operated in the past seven or eight years whether purposefully or otherwise as nonprofit corporations. it's one of the things we're here to try to change. but i question the advisability of moving forward asking me to pick between the states that i wish to be ruled eligible under or my representatives. and i certainly don't want to re pseudo-government organization any of my private information that i so zealously guard in the first place.e.

so i would speak, i'm speaking against the enemy that is on the screen as well as the underlying amendment. thank you, madam chair. >> thank you. that you would recognize the gentlelady from new mexico. >> madam chairman, i call for the question on the amendment to the amendment. >> i'd assumed you meant previous question?heard. >> yes. >> all those in favor of closing debate on the amendment to the all those opposed nato. the ayes have it. we will now move to consideration of the amendment to the event. all those in favor of including the information that you currently see in green on your screen, if you're in favor of adding that language please seer aye. in the opposed nay. the nays have it. we will now move to a vote on the main motion.

if we can get it back up on then screen. do we have other people who would like to be heard on the main motion? >> for purposes of the amendmenl to the amendment. >> we can do -- yes the kid i was thinking this was a amendment to the amendment so i apologize. a gentleman is recognized for the purposes of the amendment to the amendment. >> what i propose is the leading the language that says shall be ineligible to serve as a number of the republican national committee, or is a proxy of thel national committee and insert the language that is elected to the republican national committee shall disclose such t the secretary to the republican national committee his or her status as a lobbyist in the matter establish to the

secretary. it basically eliminates that i moved to a dog that. >> there is a motion. is there a second? is there a second? died for lack of a second. to what point does the gentleman rise? >> madam chair, graeme hunt from washington state and i would like to move to amend the document as we see now to further define and clarify the paid lobbyist as that of which is defined by a lobbyist for thy sec. >> all right. have you submitted this amendment? d. of language we can put up? spent i have not. i can run down. >> if you could, we would appreciate it. is there anyone else who wishes to make an amendment to thees amendment? spent request for information, madam chair.

[inaudible] he did not have an actual motion to it is not been moved and seconded so there's not a motion on the floor so previous question would be in order. >> i move the previous question. >> moved an and seconded so we e to previous question.. all in favor of closing debate on amendment 1.1 please say aye. all those opposed? nay, all right. all right. the ayes have it. we will now move directly to a vote on amendment 1.1. all those in favor of adopting1. amendment 1.1 please see aye. a all those opposed please stay nay. the nays have it. >> the republican national convention from cleveland starts

monday. watch live every minute on c-span. listen live on the free c-span radio app. it's easy to download from the apple store or google play. watch live or on-demand anytime at c-span.org come on your desktop, phone or tablet where you'll find all of our convention coverage in the full convention schedule. follow was at c-span on twitter and like us on facebook to see video of newsworthy moments. don't miss amendment of the 2016 republican national convention starting monday at 1 p.m. eastern on c-span, the c-span radio app at c-span.org. >> tomorrow morning in new york city donald trump will announce indiana governor mike pence as his vice presidential running mate. the announcement is at 11 a.m. eastern and you can see it live on c-span. next week donald trump and mike pence will be officially nominated as the republican

presidential ticket. ahead of the convention we got a look at how cleveland is preparing. >> people interested leadership of david been working for this for like 10 years to it's been a real process. the fundamental thing the city needs to be able to give to provide to both if it is like is basically have the capacity to handle it. they came may be come if you are unsuccessful in 2008 and they told at the time to lock the requisite number of photo rooms they needed but basically you need to have 16,000 of the rooms, enough nearby venues that people of places to go before and after the sessions. other than that, a big factor as well is fund-raising and just be able to local communities are expected to pay for these things to some degree. it fell short in 2008 at the big stumbling block to was the number of hotel rooms close to the convention site. what they've done since then is

they built the convention center, to use a sales tax hike to pay for it has like 600 grams, 32 stories tall and this would be the first major event that will be hosting. that was the big one. they found that in july 2014 they got a phone call shortly before was previously the tv. since then it's been accelerating some of the public works projects in figure one of the things you can so see what you get it is to the public for data which is not like a public park that's made into more of a park that used to be. there's been a lot of road repaving, more a kind of run-of-the-mill things would want to make it look nice. there's this convention economy that springs up and follows the conventions as they go from town to town. there have been consoles for the better part of 18 months who've been trying to basically get restaurants on board with them to help broker events and stuff like that i think for a lot of them unless they have something like that helping to i think they are falling behind --

flying blind because the road closures were recently announced so they did not what kind of security restrictions would be in place. but i think that a lot of the places downtown are ready. i think they're expecting very busy with private events and stuff like that but it will be hard to know to what to expect until it gets it a big part of it has been trying to recruit the raw number of police officers they need to get. they been secretive about that so it's been difficult to ascertain exactly how it is perceived. there's been obvious assigned with you having a hard time getting the please. i think some of it could've been getting put up because a lot of the attention that this is attracting a lot of intrigue but clearly they're having trouble meeting some of those early numbers they're trying to reach. it seems it's quieted down and we think they will be all right. it will be one of those things where at the end of the day able may not even noticed it was an issue but it was a challenge for the. they have been recruiting offices, training officers to be ready. they've been spending a federal grant they received about

$50 million on equipment, things like vehicles, things like they, personal protective equipment, basically rioted year and medical supplies and things like that. we had a loss of your that was filed by the aclu on behalf of some of the groups that plan to be here that was basically stalled at this point but we expect there's going to be a number of groups that will be following the official parade route that is going to proceed basically past downtown, past the cleveland indians ballpark but other than that it's hard to know because there's always as with the family protester was shot and you don't know until that arise. there's science to be a lot of interest in this years election. cleveland is a pretty easy spot to get you whereas in tampa in 2012 and was cut in the corner of america so i expect the we a pretty robust presence that will be people set up and a couple of the parks downtown. cleveland has said there is no

barriers to people at the jesuit approach the actual perimeter itself. we could see people throughout the streets but again i guess we'll find out when it comes. we had, the cavs had a victory parade after winning the nba champ issue. that brought around 1 million people downtown and things completely closed up. compared to that it might not be so bad. we do have a real system and were as we are super backed up with all the people for the cavs prayed to issue the running for the rnc. i expect a lot of people to be taking public transit. a lot of people will avoid downtown because there's going to be a citywide street parking then, a lot of parking garages might be getting repurposed. honestly, i expect a lot of people are going to steer clear of data as much as they can. because of cleveland trepidation or maybe a lack of reputation they don't really think they will see much when the gator but what's really cool is it does

offer a walkable urban lifestyle and a vote of a small area. there's a good food scene, a lot of good restaurants and bars that will be near the convention space so i think people will be impressed. they might have a ballpark and in the cleveland is a pretty fun place. >> the republican national convention from cleveland starts monday. watch live every minute on c-span. listen live on the free c-span radio at. it easy to download from the apple store or google plate. watch live or on-demand anytime at c-span.org come on your desktop, for the tablet where you will find all of our convention coverage in the full convention schedule. follow a set see spent on twitter and like us on facebook to see video of newsworthy moments. don't miss a minute of the 2016 republican national convention starting monday at 1 p.m. eastern on c-span, c-span radio app and c-span.org.

>> house speaker paul ryan has ordered u.s. flags over the capital to be lowered to half staff in honor of the victims of the terror attack in france. last week the speaker also ordered the flags lowered because of the fatal shootings of five police officers in dallas. >> president obama spoke earlier this week at a memorial service for the five police officers killed by gunmen in dallas. former president george w. bush also spoke along with texas senator john cornyn, the mayor of dallas, and the city's police chief. this is 90 minutes.

>> ladies and gentlemen, the president of united states, and distinguished guests. [applause] please remain standing for the presentation of colors and our national anthem.

>> right turn, halt. present arms. ♪ oh, say, can you see ♪ by the dawn's early light ♪ what so proudly we hailed ♪ at the twilight's last gleaming? ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪ ♪ thro' the perilous fight ♪ o'er the ramparts we watched ♪ were so gallantly streaming ♪ and the rockets red glare ♪ the bombs bursting in air ♪ gave proof through the night

♪ that our flag was still there ♪ ♪ oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ and the home of the brave? >> to begin with the program please welcome the mayor of dallas, mike rawlings.

[applause] >> please be seated. good afternoon. welcome. at 8:58 p.m., five days ago, the soul of our city was pierced when police officers were ambushed in a cowardly attack. in the days that followed we have searched a massive crime scene, we have sobbed and pay tribute at a growing memorial at the police headquarters. we pray together at thanksgiving square. we lit candles to honor the lives of our five euros. today, we opened our cities and doors to our friends and to our neighbors. we realize that our pain is your

pain. you want to do what we want to do. honor the lives of these five officers. .. >> oklahoma city mayor mick cornett, columbia mayor steven benjamin, louisville mayor greg fisher, thank you.

thank you also to my friend, fort worth mayor betsy price. to our state's first lady, cecilia abbott and daughter, audrey abbott, who are here on behalf of governor greg abbott. the governor, jay nixon, of missouri and governor susana martinez of new mexico, and to our congressmen and women. you represent elected officials and your citizens across the country who have reached out to me in recent days and who weren't able to make it here whose states have also been scarred by violence. these men and women are here with us because they know we have a common disease, this absurd violence on our streets.

those that will help us fight it are our men and women in blue, our peacemakers in blue. they have died for that cause. that is why today we reserve five seats for the men we lost on thursday night. we offer our gratitude to you, our cops, including those who have traveled here to support your brothers and sisters in the dallas police department, the dallas area rapid transit police and the el centro college police force. ladies and gentlemen, thank you. thank you for coming. [applause]

most importantly, it is our purpose today to bring comfort to you, the families who are represented by those empty seats. we love you. we will never forget you. we also honor those who came close to death that night and who were wounded not only in the body, but in the soul. may you never be forgotten as well. we understand that dallas' pain is a national pain. that is why i want to say thank you to president obama and first lady mrs. obama, vice president biden and dr. biden and to two of our most be distinguished citizens of dallas -- most distinguished citizens of dallas, president bush and laura bush, for coming to help us heal these wounds.

to wage this battle against violence and separatism today must be about unity; unity among faiths, unity among police and citizens and, yes, unity among politicians. in recent days i've seen unity, even before that tragedy when police and protesters mingled peace friday. i've seen unity when -- peacefully. i've seen unity when the protesters came out in support of the police after the days of this tragedy. i see unity today when the arlington police and the texas dps officers step up to relieve our exhausted police officers. this interfaith choir behind me symbolizes that unity, coming from six churches across our city. these three religious leaders --

imam sliewlman, rabbi paley and dr. sean patterson will pray in a few minutes in a show of unity. i believe you'll hear words of unity from other speakers. the senior senator from texas, john cornyn, president bush, police chief david brown and president obama. the past few days have been some of the darkest in ourty's history -- in our city's history, there's no question about that. as we bury these men in the coming days, it will not get easier. i know. but there's nothing like a crisis that forces one to take pause of your life and your city's life. and if you're from out of town, i hope you'll forgive me for a moment. i want to speak to my fellow

dallasites. i have searched hard in my soul of late to discover what mistakes we have made. i've asked, why us? and in my moments of self-doubt, i discovered the truth. that we did nothing wrong. in fact, dallas is very, very good. our police are among the best in the country. i am in awe of our dallas police officers. [applause]

>> we set the standard where policing can both be strong and smart, where men die for the rights that this country was built on. this short -- in short, i have never been more proud of my city, our city. while we did nothing wrong, there is a reason this happened here, this place, this time in american history. this is our chance to lead and build a new model for a community, for a city, for our country. to do that, there will be tough times ahead. we will mourn together.

and together is the keyword here. we may be sad, but we will not dwell in self-pity. we may weep, but we will never whine. for we have. too much work to be -- for we have too much work to be done. we have too many bridges to build that we will cross together. this i know, this i know will happen. thank you. [applause] >> let every head be bowed, every eye closed as we go to god in prayer. god of our weary years, god of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far on the way,

lord, our hearts are heavy, our spirits are torn asunder, and tears flow from our eyes. and we come to you, o god, because you are the rock in the weary land. you are the shelter in the time of storm. and, god, you are uniquely qualified to come see about your people. from genesis to revelations, you have helped and healed and mended and molded. right now, o god, we salute the five slain dallas police officers who died protecting and serving this community. we honor their sacrifice and commitment. surround their families and loved ones with your holy ghost power. cover the entire dallas police department with your grace and your mercy. and, lord, keep your hands of everlasting love on our chief, david brown, as he leads with dignity and determination. god, your word says all things

work together for good. we can't see that right now, but we'll trust you when we can't trace you. lord, your word says weeping men do it for a night, but joy comes in the morning. right now it's still dark, but we're going to hold onto your unchanging hand. yes, there will be lingering effects from thursday's ambush. there is terror, anxiety and despair. but in the mighty and matchless name of jesus christ, we will keep on, we will press on, we will love on, we will live on. shadow beneath thy hand, may we forever stand true to our gourd and true to -- true to our god and true to america. let the church say "amen." >> amen. [speaking in native tongue] >> in the name of god, the most

compassionate, the most merciful, may his peace and blessings be upon his prophets and messengers and all those that follow in their blessed path. today our city is heart broken, our country is soul searching, and we as individuals are forever in need of your guidance and protection. we ask you to look upon us today, to guide us to live our lives in ways that are most pleasing to you. we ask you to put peace in our hearts that we may spread it to all of those around us. we ask you to protect us from being people of injustice that we may purify the world of it. and as we ask you, we recognize that it is up to us to say you did not create us for bigotry or vengeance. you did not create us to dominate or oppress one another. you did not create us for war. we are not the ones to judge who should live and who should die. so today we stand before you in

humility and in determination, ready to pursue the peace, stice and equality that you demand of us. ready to stand up against all of the evil that threatens to destroy the goodness in your creation. ready to stand up against any oppression in any name for any cause from any position and against any of your creation. we ask that your love would comfort those who mourn their loved ones today. that their memory would flood their families with joy. that the children of our fallen officers and all of those who have lost their lives to senseless violence are molded in the love that we express today, not in the hatred that claimed the lives of their fathers. we ask that the voices of racism and xenophobia that seek to divide us are drowned out by the chorus of voices that say you will not pit us against one another. we choose today to live by the hope that you've instilled within us, not the fears that

others manufacture amongst us. and with that, we pray to you, the one god of noah, abraham, moses, jesus, muhammad and us all for one dallas, one america and one world. amen. >> amen. [applause] >> dear friends, together we are here opening our hearts and our soles to the god of compassion -- our souls to the god of compassion as the simple human beings that we are. as mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, all children of the heavenly parent, all created in the divine image and all here today to pray for healing, for wisdom, for strength and for peace. in this moment of sadness and pain, we look to the heavens

knowing as a poet once said, there are stars up above so far away we only see their light long after the star itself is gone. and so it is with the people that we love. their memories keep shining ever brightly though the time with us is done. but the stars that light up the darkest night, these are the stars that guide us as we live our days. these are the ways we remember. as we live our days, we remember brent thompson, patrick zamarripa, michael krol, lorne ahrens and michael smith. they will be remembered as shining lights of bravery, dedication to our city, kindness and compassion. as we live our days, we will never forget their sacrifice. as our city is still reeling from the violence of only a few

short days ago, we beseech you, o god, healer of the broken-hearted with the words of moses as he prayed for healing for his sister, miriam -- [speaking in native tongue] please, god, heal her. and so we pray to the families of our fallen dallas police officers and dallas area regional transit police officer, we pray -- [speaking in native tongue] please, god, heal them. as we ask for your healing power or to surround them and their loved ones in this, their time of need, with hope, with strength and with love. to those who survived the violence but who always bear the burden of scars and memory, we pray -- [speaking in native tongue] please, god, heal them and bring to their bodies and souls the wholeness and completeness they seek. to our elected officials and police and first responders into

whose hands we place our lives, we pray -- [speaking in native tongue] please, god, heal them as we know they hurt along with us. and bring to them, o god, the wisdom and the courage necessary to make the permanent peace we seek. and to those of us who are scared and afraid, angry and confused in our city and in our country, we pray -- [speaking in native tongue] please, god, heal us. as we ask for your healing power to heal us once and for all from the illness of violence, of hatred, xenophobia and indifference that plagues us every single day. god, you who must work daily to make peace throughout the heavens, we ask you this day to give us the courage and strength to help us make peace here on earth for everyone, every single

day, and together we say amen. >> amen. [background sounds] ♪ ♪ lord, i -- [inaudible] ♪ ♪ knowing my help is coming from

you. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ lord, i will lift mine eyes to the hills -- ♪ and knowing my -- [inaudible] ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ you are the strength of my life. ♪ i lift up my hands in total praise to you.

♪ you are the source of my strength. ♪ lord, lord, you are the strength of my life. ♪ i lift my hands in total praise to you. ♪ amen, hallelujah, to the king of kings, to the lord of lords we say -- ♪ amen, we bless your name.

♪ amen, amen, hallelujah [applause] [inaudible conversations] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome senator john cornyn. [applause]

>> i know i speak for everyone here and around the country in expressing my profound gratitude to mayor rawlings, chief brown and the entire dallas and dart police departments. [applause] we thank you for your strength and the grace you've shown in these trying hours. chief, i particularly like the way you put it yesterday when you said simply that dallas loves. it's my solemn privilege to join the people of dallas, all across the state of texas and the entire country in honoring these men of uncommon courage.

several years ago in the aftermath of another tragedy, the shocking explosion in west texas, a local official told me something that sticks with me even to this day. he said being a texan doesn't describe where you're from, it describes who your family is. so today our family and this great nation shares the grief of dallas. i want to especially thank president obama, first lady michelle obama, vice president biden and dr. jill biden for honoring us by your presence here today. [applause] in times of darkness when it's

hard to hold onto hope, we must remember that a these men -- that these men along with their fellow officers were not ultimately overcome by evil. no. as scripture directs us, i believe they chose to confront evil and overcome it with good. they overcame evil by running from -- toward the sound of the gunfire. they overcame evil by shielding their fellow citizens from the spray of bullets. they overcame evil by sacrificing their own lives so that others could live. and i believe that because of their example to all of us, the city of dallas shall overcome the evil from that day.

amidst our profound sadness, we honor and remember these officers for putting the people of dallas before themselves. and in their final moments, serving others, protecting this city and loving this community as they did. today we join millions across our state and country who continue to lift up these families, friends and fellow officers in our prayers as well as those recovering from their wounds. in the aftermath of another life-altering event on september 11th, 2001, president george w. bush inspired all of us in speaking of how this nation has always responded to evil with powerful courage and deep concern more one another. for one another. and so once again we gather as

one nation under god. yes, to grieve, but then to rise up and to continue to fight the good fight, to finish the race and to keep the faith. ladies and gentlemen, it's my honor to welcome to the podium the 43rd president of the united states, part of our texas family and a man who along with his bride, laura, proudly called this community their home. president george w. bush. [applause] >> thank you all. thank you, senator. i, too, am really pleased that president obama and mrs. obama have come down to dallas.

i also want to welcome vice president and mrs. biden. mr. mayor, chief brown, elected officials, members of the law enforcement community, today the nation grieves, but those of us who love dallas and call it home have had five deaths in the family. laura and i see members of law enforcement every day. we count them as our friends. and we know, like for every other american, that their courage is our protection and shield. we're proud of the men we mourn and the community that has rallied to honor them and support the wounded. our mayor, police chief and our police department have been mighty inspirations for the rest of the nation. [applause]

these slain officers were the best among us. lorne ahrens, beloved husband to detective katrina ahrens and father of two. michael krol, caring son, brother, uncle, nephew and friend. michael smith, u.s. army veteran, devoted husband and father of two. brent thompson, marine corps vet, recently married. patrick zamarripa, u.s. navy reserve combat veteran. proud father and loyal texas rangers fan. [laughter] [applause] with their deaths we have lost so much. we are grief-stricken, heart broken and forever grateful. every officer has accepted a

calling that sets them apart. most of us imagine if the moment called for, that we would risk our lives to protect a spouse or a child. those wearing the uniform assume that risk for the safety of strangers. they and their families share the unspoken knowledge that each new day bring new dangers. but none of us were prepared or could be prepared for an ambush by hatred and malice. the shock of this evil still has not faded. at times it seems like the force s pulling us apart are stronger than forces binding us together. argument turns too easily into animosity, disagreement escalates too quickly into dehumanization. too often we judge other groups

by their worst examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions. and this is -- [applause] and this has strained our bonds of understanding and common purpose. but americans, i think, have a great advantage. to renew our unity, we only need to remember our values. we have never been held together by blood or background. we are bound by things of the spirit, by shared commitments to common ideals. at our best we practice empathy, imagining ourselves in the lives and circumstances of others. this is the bridge across our nation's deepest divisions. and it's not merely a matter of tolerance, but of learning from the struggles and stories of our

fellow citizens and finding our better selves in the process. >> of our shared humanity. at our best we know we have one country, one future, one destiny. we do not want the unity of grief, nor do we want the unity of fear. we want the unity of hope, affection, and high purpose. we know that the kind of just, humane country we want to build, that we have seen in our best dreams, is made possible when men and women in uniform stand guard. at the best when they are trained and accountable, they free us from fear.

the apostle paul said forgot gave us a spirit not a fear, but of strength, love, and self-control. self-control. those are the best responses to fear in the life of our country. they are are the code of the peace officer. today, all of us feel a sense of loss but not equally. i like to conclude with the word of the families, the spouses, and especially and especially the children of the fallen. your loved ones time with you is too short, they did not get a chance to properly say goodbye. but they went where duty called. they defended us, even to the end, they finished well. we will not forget what they did for us. your loss is unfair, we cannot explain it, we can stand beside you and share your grief. we can pray that god will

comfort you with a hope deeper than sorrow and stronger than death. may god bless you. [applause]. [applause]. [applause]. >> leadership is hard. great leadership is very unique. we have experienced that leadership this week with the chief of our dart and d pd officers.

i want to say thank you for the chief for what you have done. [applause]. i want to also introduce a man who has given his life to the city of dallas, the 28 chief of police. over 30 years in the force, a native of south oak cliff. [applause].

[applause]. [applause]. a man that i call a friend, but more importantly, he is my rock. he represents not only dallas, but police officers, police chiefs, his higher calling across united states of america. ladies. ladies and gentlemen, chief david brown. [applause].

>> thank you [applause]. >> thank you so much. thank you so much. when i was a teenager and started liking girls, i could never find the right words to express myself. after a couple of words they would walk away leaving me

figuring out what i would need to do to get a date. so being a music fan of 1970 music and and blues love song, i put together a strategy to recite the lyrics to get a date. so for girls i liked, i would pull out some al green, or some others and i would recite the lyrics to their love song, but for people i love. if i fell in love with a girl, i had to dig down deep to get some stevie wonder. [applause]. to fully express the love that i had for them.

for the girls. so today i'm going to pull out some stevie wonder for these families. [applause]. so families, close your eyes and imagine me back in 1974 with an afro and some bellbottoms, and a white-collar. we although sometimes life hate and trouble can make you wish you were born and another time and place. you can bet your lifetime that and twice as double, that god knew exactly where he wanted you to be placed. so make sure when you say you

are not in it, but not of it, you are not helping to make this earth a place sometimes called hell. change your words into truth and then change that truth into love, and maybe your children's grandchildren and their great, great ran children will tell them, i will be loving you and until the rainbow burns the stars out of the sky, i will be loving you. until the ocean covers every mountain high, i will be loving you. until the dolphin fly and that parents live at the sea, i will be loving you. until we dream about life and life becomes a dream, i will be loving you. until the day is night and the

night becomes the day, i will be loving you. until the trees and the seas, up seas, up up and fly away, i will be loving you. until the day that eight times, eight times, eight times eight is four i'll be loving you. until the day that is a day no day no more, of 11 you. until the day the earth starts turning right to left, i'll be loving you. until the until the earth, just for the sun denies itself. i'll be loving you. until mother nature says her work is through, i'll be loving you. until the day that you are me, and i am you, knowing that loving you? applause entrée until the rainbow burns the stars out of the sky, ain't that loving you?

until the ocean covers every mountain high, and i have got to say, always, i will be loving you always. and there is no greater love than this. i see five men who gave their lives for all of us. it is my honor to introduce to you the president of the united states of america, president barack obama. thank you. [applause]. [applause]. [applause].

[applause]. >> president and mrs. bush, my friends, vice president and doctor biden, mayor rawlings, chief, clergy, members of congress, i'm so glad i met michelle first because she loves stevie wonder. [laughter]

[laughter] but most of all, the families, friends, colleagues, and fellow officers. scripture tells us that in our sufferings there is glory. because we know that suffering produces perseverance. perseverance produces character. in character, hope. sometimes the truth of these words are hard to see.

right now those words test us. because the people of dallas, the people across the country are suffering. we are here to honor the memory and mourn the loss of five fellow americans. to grieve with their loved ones, to support this community, to pray for the wounded, and to try and find some meaning amidst our sorrow. for the men and women who protect and serve the people of dallas, that thursday began like any other day.

like most americans, each day you get up, probably have two quick a breakfast, kiss your family goodbye, and you head to work. but your work, and the the work of police officers across the country is like no other. >> so did his wife katrina, not only because she was the spouse

of a police officer, but she she is a detective on the force. they have two kids. and lauren took them fishing. he used to probably go to their school and uniform and the night before he died he bought dinner for homeless man. the the next night katrina had to tell their children that their dad was gone. they don't get it yet their grandma says. they don't don't know what to do quite yet. michael crow answered that call, his mother said he knew the dangers of the job but he never shied away from his duty. he came 1000 miles from his home state of michigan to be a cop in

dallas, telling his family, this is something i wanted to do. last year he bought his girlfriend back to detroit for thanksgiving, it was the last time he would see his family. michael smith answer that call. in the army and over almost 30 years working for the dallas police association which gave him the apparently appropriately named, cops cop award. a man of deep faith, when he was off-duty he could be found at church or playing softball with his two girls. today, his girls have lost their dad. god has called michael home. patrick zamarippa, he answer

that call. just 32, a former altar boy who served in the navy and dreamed of being a cop. helike to post videos of himself and his kids on social media. on thursday night while patrick went to work his partner christie posted a photo of her and their daughter at a texas rangers game. so that he could see it while he was on duty. brett brett thompson answered that call. the he served his country as a marine. years later as a contractor he spent time in some of the most dangerous parts of iraq, and afghanistan. and afghanistan. a few years ago he settled down in dallas for a new life of service as a transit cop. just about two weeks ago he

married a fellow officer. their whole life together waiting before then. like police officers across the country, these men and their families shared a commitment to something larger than themselves. they were not looking for the names to be up in lights, they will tell you the pay was decent but it would not make you rich. th could have told you about the stress and long shifts, they would probably agree with chief brown when he said that cops do not expect to hear the words thank you, very often. especially from those who need them the most. the reward comes annoying that

our entire way of life in america depends on the rule of law. that the maintenance of that law is a hard and daily labor. that in this country, we don't have soldiers in the streets or malicious setting the rules. instead we have public servants, police officers, like the men who were taken away from us. that's what these five are doing less thursday, when they were assigned to protect and keep orderly a peaceful protest in response to the killing of alton stirling in baton rougeseven in minnesota. they were upholding the constitutional rights of this country.

for a while the protest went on without incident. despite the fact that police conduct was the subject of the protest, despite the fact that there must've been some signs, slogans, or chance with which they profoundly disagree. these men, and this department did their jobs like the professionals that they were. in fact, the police have been part of the protest plan. dallas. dallas pd even posted photos on their twitter feeds of their officers standing among the protesters. two officers, black and white smile next to a man with with a sign that read no justice, no peace. then around 9:00 p.m., the

gunfire came. another community torn apart. more hearts broken. for questions about what caused and what might prevent another such tragedy. i know that americans are struggling right now with what we have witnessed over the past week. first the shootings in minnesota and baton rouge. the protests. then the targeting of police by the shooter, here. and acted not just of demented violence but of racial hatred. all of it has left us wounded and angry.

through the deepest faultlines of our democracy have suddenly been exposed, perhaps even widen, and although we know that such divisions are not new, though they have surely been worse in even the recent past, that offers us a little comfort. based with this violence, we wonder if the divides of race in america can ever be bridged. we wonder if in an african-american community that feels unfairly targeted by police and police departments that feel unfairly maligned for doing their jobs, could ever understand each other's experience. we turn on the tv or surf the internet and we can watch positions harden online strong, and people retreat to their

respective corners. politicians calculate how to grab attention or avoid the follow. we see all of this and it's hard not to think sometimes that the center will not hold and that things might get worse. i understand. i understand how americans are feeling. telus, i am here to say we must reject such despair. i am here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem. i know that because i know america. i know how far we have come against impossible odds. [applause].

i know we'll make it because of what i have experienced in my own life. what i have seen of this country and its people, their goodness and decency, as president of the united states. i know it because of what we have seen here in dallas. how all of you, out of great suffering have shown us the meaning of perseverance and character. when the bullets start flying, the men and women of the dallas police, they did not flinch and they did not react recklessly. they showed incredible restraint. helped in some cases by protesters, they evacuated the

area and isolated the shooter, saved more lives than we will ever know. [applause]. we mourn fewer people today because of your brave actions. [applause]. everyone was helping each other, it was not about black or white, everyone was picking each other up and moving them away. that is the america i know. the police helps. [inaudible] taylor as she was shot trying to shield her four sons. she said she wanted her boys to

join her to protest the incidence of black men being killed. she also said to the dallas pd, thank you for being heroes, and today her 12 year old son wants to be a cop when he grows up. that is the america i know. [applause]. [applause]. in the aftermath of the shooting we have seen mayor rawlings and chief brown, white man in a

black man with different backgrounds, working not just to restore order and support a shaken city, a a shaken department, but working together to unify with strength, grace, and wisdom. [applause]. in the process we have been reminded that the dallas police department has been at the forefront of improving relations between police and the community. the murder rate here has fallen, complaints of excessive force have been cut by 64%. the dallas police department has been doing it the right way. [applause]. so mayor rawlings and chief brown, on behalf of the american people thank you for your steady leadership, thank you for your powerful example. we cannot be prouder than you.

. . >> in this audience, i see what is possible. i see what is possible when we recognize we are one american family all deserving of equal

treatment. all deserving equal respect. all children of god. that is the america i know. i am not naive. i have spoken at too many m memori memorials during the course of this presidency. i have hugged too many families who lost a loved one to gun violence. i have seen how a spirit of unity born of tragedy can gradually dissipate, over taken by the return of business as usual. by inertia and old habits and expedancy. i see how easily -- expe

expedeancy -- we slip back into the notions we are used to. i vene how inadequate words can be to bring about everlasting change. i have seen how inadequate my own words have been. so i am reminded of the passage in john the gospel; let us love not with words or speech but with actions and in truth. if we are to sustain the unity we need to get through these difficult times, if we are to honor these five outstanding officers who we have lost, then

we will need to act on the truths that we know. and that is not easy. it makes us uncomfortable. but we will have to be honest with each other with ourselves. we know that the overwhelming majority of police officers do an incredibly hard and dangerous job fairly and professionally and are deserving of our respect and not our scorn. [applause] >> and when anyone, no matter how good their intentions may be, thinks all police are bias or bigoted, we undermine those officers we depend on for our

safety. as for those who use rhetoric suggesting harm to police, even if they don't act on it themselves, they not only make the jobs of police officers even more dangerous, but they do a disservice to the very cause of justice that they claim to promote. [applause] >> we also know that centuries of racial discrimination of slavery, and segregation, and jim crow, they didn't simply vanish with the end of lawful segregation. they didn't just stop when dr. king made a speech or the voting rights act and the civil rights

act were signed. race relations have improved dramatically in my lifetime. those who deny it are dishonoring the struggles that helped us achieve that progress. but we know -- [applause] >> but america, we know that bias remains. we know it. we know it. whether you have black, his p panic, we have heard the bigotry at times in your life. if we are honest, perhaps we

have heard prejudice in our own heads and felt it in our own hearts. we know that. and while some suffer far more under racisms burden, some feel to a far greater extent discrimination stifled. most of us do our best to guard against it, and teach our children better, none of us are entirely innocent. no institution is entirely immune. and that includes our police departments. we know this. so when african-americans from all walks of life voice growing despair over what they perceive to be unequal treatment, when

study after study shows whites and people of color experience the criminal justice system differently. if you are blacked you are more likely to be pulled over, searched and arrested, more likely to get longer sentences, more likely to get the death penalty for the same crime. when mothers and fathers raise their kids right and have the talk about how to respond to stop by a police officer, yes, sir, no, sir. there is still fear that something terrible may happen when their child walks out the door. still fear that kids being stupid and not quite doing things right might end in tragedy when all of this takes place more than 50 years after the passage of the civil rights act we cannot turn away and dismiss mose in peaceful

protests as troublemakers or paranoid. [applause] being dismissed again and again hurts. surely we can see that. all of us. we also know what chief brown has said is true. that so much of the tension between and so much tension

between the police department and the communities we serve is because we ask the police to do too much and ask too little of ourselves. [applause] [applause] >> as a society, we chose to under invest in decent schools. we allow poverty to fester so that entire neighborhoods offer no prospect for gainful employment, we refuse to fund drug treatment and mental health programs, we flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a

block than get his hands on a computer or even a book. [applause] >> and then we tell the police, you are a social worker, you are the parent, you are the teacher, you are the drug counselor. we tell them to keep those neighborhoods in check at all costs. and do so without causing any political blow backs or inconvenience. then we seem surprised when the tensions boil over periodically. we know those things to be true. they have been true for a long

time. we know it. police, you know it. p protesters, you know it. you know how dangerous some of the communities where these police officers serve are and you pretend as if there is no conte context. these things we know to be true and if we cannot even talk about these things, talk honestly and openly, not just in the comfort of our own circles, but with those who look different or bring a different perspective, then we will never break this dangerous cycle. in the end, it isn't about finding policies that work. it is about forging consensus

and fighting cynicism and finding the will to make change. can we do this? can we find the character as americans to open our hearts to each other? can we see in each other a common humanity and shared dignity and recognize how our different experiences have shaped us? it doesn't make anybody perfectly good or perfectly bad. it just makes us human. i don't know. i confess sometimes i, too, experience doubt.

i have been to too many of these things. i have seen too many families go through this. but then i am reminded of what the lord tells ezekiel: i will give you a new heart, the lord says, and put a new spirit in you. i will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. that is what we must pray for, each of us; a new heart. not a heart of stone. but a heart open to the fears and hopes and challenges of our fellow citizens. that is what we have seen in dallas these past few days. that is what we must sustain.

with an open heart we can learn to stand in each other's shoes and look at the world through each other's eyes so that maybe the police officers sees his own son in that teenager with a hoody who is goofing off but not dangerous, and maybe the teenager will see in the police officer the same worth and values and authority of his parents. [applause] >> with an open heart we can abandoned the over-heated rhetoric and simplification that reduces whole categories of fellow americans to not just opponents but enemies. with an open heart, those protesting for change will guard against reckless language going forward. look at the model set by the five officers we mourn today.

acknowledge the progress brought about by the sincere efforts of the police departments like this one in dallas. and embark on the hard work of reconcilation and the pursuit of reconcilation. with an open heart, police departments will acknowledge just like the rest of us they are not perfect. insisting we do better to root out racial bias isn't an attack on cops but an effort to live up to our highest ideals. [applause] >> i understand these protests, i see them, they can be messy. sometimes they can be hijacked by an irresponsible few. police can get hurt. [applause] >> protesters can get hurt.

it can be frustrating. but even those who dislike the phrase black lives matter truly we should be able to hear the pain of alton's sterling's family. [applause] >> when we hear a friend describe him saying whatever he cooked, he cooked enough for everybody, that should sound familiar to us. maybe he wasn't so different than us. and yes, we can insist his life matters. we should hear the students and co-workers describe their afection for philando castile as a gentle soul. mr. rodgers with dread locks is what they called him and know his life matter to a lot of people of all ages and races and we have to do what we can

without putting officer's lives at risk but do better to prevent another life like his from being lost. with an open heart, we can worry less about which side has been wrong and worry more about joining sides to do right. [applause] >> the bishop killer of these police officers will not be the last person who tries to make us turn on one another. the killer in orlando wasn't. nor was the killer in charleston. we know there is evil in this world.

that is why we need police departments. [applause] >> but as americans, we can decide that people like this killer will ultimately fail. they will not drive us apart. we can decide to come together and make our country reflect the good inside us, the hopes and simple dreams we share. we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance. perseverance, character, and character hope for us all of us. life presents challenges and suffering.

accidents, illnesses, the loss of loved ones. there are times when why overwhelmed by sudden calamity, natural or manmade. all of us make mistakes and at time we are lost. as we get older we learn we don't always have control of things. not even the president does. but we do have control over how we respond to the world. we do have control over how we treat one another. america does not ask us to be perfect precisely because of our individual imperfections our founders gave us institutions to

guard against tyranny and insure no one is above the law. a democracy that gives us the space to work through differences and debate them peacefully to make things better even if it doesn't always happen as fast as we would like. america gives us the capacity to change. as the men we mourn today, these five heroes knew better than most, we cannot take the blessings of this nation for granted. only by working together can we preserve those institutions of family and community, rights and responsibilities, law and self-government that is the hallmark of this nation.

it turns out we do not persevere alone. our character is not found in isolation. hope does not arise by putting our fellow man down. it is found by lifting others up. [applause] >> and that is what i take away from the lives of these outstanding men. the pain we feel may not soon pass but my faith tells me they did not die in vein. i believe our sorrow can make us a better country, i believe our anger can be transformed into more justice and peace, we may endure a night but i am convinced joy comes in the morning. we cannot match the sacrifices

made by officeofficers in dalla gave their life but we can try to match their sense of service surly. we cannot match their courage but we can strive to match their devotion. may god bless their memory, may god bless this country that we love. [applause] [applause] [applause]

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[applause] [applause] >> please stay in your seats while the family and special guests depart.

[applause] [music] >> tonight on c-span2, today's meeting of the national governors association including remarks by senator charles grassley. later, an oversight hearing on federal grants for local counter terrorism programs. governors from across the country are meeting in des moines, iowa. gary herbert and vice chair terry mcauliffe held a news conference at the start of the conference joined by iowa's governor terry