-- hurt. we are grateful to them. [applause] these men and women remind us that her wisdom -- heroism is not only found on the fields of battle. heroism does not require special training or physical strength. heroism is here. in the hearts of so many of our fellow citizens just waiting to be summoned. as it was on saturday morning.

their actions, their selflessness poses a challenge to each us. it raises the question of what, beyond prayers and expressions of concern, is required of us going forward. how can we honor the fallen? how can we be true to their memory? you see, when a tragedy like this strikes, it is part of our nature to demand explanations. to try to have some order on the chaos to make sense out of that which seems senseless.

already, we have seen the national conversation commenced. not only about the motivations behind these killings, but about everything from the merits of gun safety laws to the adequacy of our mental health system. much of this process of debating what might be done to prevent such tragedies in the future is an essential ingredient in our exercise of self-government. at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized, at a time where we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think

differently than we u-haul -- than we do, it is important to pause for a moment and make sure we are talking with each other in a way that heels. -- heals. not in a way that wounds. [applause] script tells us that there is evil in the world. and that terrible things happen for reasons that defy human understanding. in the words of job, when i looked for life, then came darkness. bad things happen.

we have to guard against simple explanations in the aftermath. but the truth is, none of us can know exactly what triggered this vicious attack. the of us can know with any certainty what might have stopped these shots from being fired. or what ought to work in the inner recesses of a violent man's mind. we have to examine all of the facts behind this tragedy. we cannot and will not be passive in the face of such violence. we should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospect of such violence in the future. [applause] but what we cannot do is use

this tragedy has one more occasion to turn on each other. [applause] that, we cannot do. [applause] that, we cannot do. as we discussed these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, which use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations. to listen to each other more carefully. to sharpen our instincts for at the feet.

and remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together. after all, that is what most of us do when we lose somebody in our family. especially if a loss is unexpected. we are shaken out of our routines. we are forced to look inward. we reflect on the past and we spend enough time with an agent. did we express our gratitude from the sacrifices that they made for us. did we tell a spouse just how desperately we love them? not just once in awhile, but every single day?

so some loss causes us to look backward, but it also forces us to look forward. to reflect on the present and the future. on the manner in which we live our lives. and nurture our relationships with those that are still with us. [applause] we might ask ourselves if we have shown enough kindness and generosity. had compassion. -- and compassion to the people in our lives. we might question if our priorities are in order.

we recognize our own mortality and we are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this earth, what matters is not wealth or status or power or fame, but how well we have loved. and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better. [applause] and that process of reflection of making sure we align our values with our actions, that is what i believe a tragedy like this requires.

for those who were harmed or killed, they are part of our family. the american family, 300 million strong. [applause] we may not have known them personally, but surely we see ourselves and them. . dot, -- to george, dot, others. we sense them in our life partners. phyllis is our mom or grandma. gabe, our brother or son. and judge roll, we recognize a man that not only applies to

family and doing his job well, but a man that embodied america's fidelity to the law. in gabi, we see a reflection of the public spiritedness that desire to participate in the sometimes frustrating and sometimes contentious but always necessary and never-ending process to form a more perfect union. [applause] and in cristina. we see all of our children so curious, so trusting, so energetic. so full of magic.

so deserving of our loved. and so deserving of our good example. if this tragedy, some reflection and debate as it should, let's make sure it is worthy. of those we have lost. [applause] let's make sure is not on the usual plain of politics and point scoring and pettiness that drift away and the next news cycle. the loss of these wonderful people should make everyone of us strive to be better, to be better in our private lives, could be better friends and

neighbors, co-workers, parents. and as it has been discussed in recent days, and their death helped usher in more civility in public discourse. remember that is not because a simple act of civility caused this tragedy. but rather, because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to the challenges of our nation in a way that would make them proud. [applause]

we should be civil because we want to live up to the example of public servants like those that knew first and foremost that we are all americans, we can question each other's ideas without questioning each other'' love of country, and that working together, we constantly widen the circle of our concern. so that we bequeath the american dream to future generations. [applause] they believed and i believe that we can be better. those that died here, they held

me believe. lehman not be able to stop all evil in the world. but i know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us. and i believe that for all of our imperfections, we are people of decency and good as. the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us. [applause] that is what i believe. in part because that is what a child believes. imagine for a moment, here was a

young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy. just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship. just starting to let the fact that some day, she might play a part in shaping her nation's future. she had been elected to student council. she sought public service as something exciting and helpful. she was often the term congresswoman. someone she was sure was good and important. and might be a role model. she saw all of this through the eyes of a child. undimmed by the cynicism and vitriol that we take for granted as adults. i want to live up to her

expectations. i want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it. i want america to be as good as she imagined it. all of us, we should do everything we can do to make sure this country lives up to our children's expectations. [applause]

as it has already been mentioned, christina was given to us on the timber 11, 2001. there were 50 babies born that day pictured in a book called "faces a vote -- of hope." on the other side of her photo were simple wishes. i hope you help those in thneed. i hope you know all the words to the national anthem and sing it with your hand over your heart. [applause] i hope that you jump in rain

puddles. if there are rain puddles in heaven, cristina is jumping in them today. [applause] and here, on this earth, a year on this earth we place our hands over our hearts and we commit ourselves as americans to forging a country that is forever were the for gentle, happy spirits. god bless and keep those we have lost. they love and watch over the survivors and may he bless the united states of america. [applause]

>> thank you. thank you, president obama for your remarkable and inspiring words. [applause]

i also thank all of the speakers here tonight as well as all of the federal, state, and local leaders that have come tonight to lend their support. we have heard many inspirational thoughts from our distinguished guests. this time, i invite everyone here and those watching around the nation to join together in a moment of silence that will be followed by the musical selections. join me, please, in a moment of silence.

[singing] ♪ ♪

♪ [applause]

>> i now conclude the program tonight by reading a poem that was written by the current poet loriat of the united states of america. he has a long history with the poetry center here at the university of arizona. the pollen is titled, who the new year. with what stillness at last you appear in the valley your first sunlight reaching down to touch of the tips of the few high leaves that do not stir as though they had not noticed

and did not know you at all then, the voice of the above calls from the far away in itself to hush of morning so this is the sound of you here and now, whether or not anyone here is a -- hears it this is where we have come with our age. our knowledge, such as it is and our hopes, such as they are invisible before us untouched and still possible. [applause]

thank you for coming, and goodnight to everyone. [applause] ♪ [choir singing]

[applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]

[cheers and applause] ♪ ♪

♪

[applause]

[applause]

["imagine"]

♪

[cheers and applause]

[cheers] >> members of congress consider

a resolution honoring the victims of the tucson shooting. "washington journal," a look at the history of political violence in the u.s. and the memorial service from tucson, arizona. tomorrow on c-span, a look at the bp gulf oil spill. the center for strategic and international studies hosts a discussion with environmental policy analyst. live coverage begins at 10:00 a.m. eastern time. and at 1:00 p.m., the minnesota gov. tim pawlenty, his term as governor ended and he will speak to promote his new memoir. you can watch it live on c-span. >> on television, on radio and on line. c-span, bringing public affairs to you. created by cable. it is washington your way.

>> the house debated a resolution today honoring the victims of saturday's shooting in arizona including gabrielle giffords. house speaker john boehner introduced a resolution. here is part of the debate on the measure. this is two hours 40 minutes. mr. boehner: i ask for the resolution and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: house resolution 32. whereas on january 8, 2011, an armed gunman opened fire at a congress on your corner event hosted by representative gabrielle giffords of tucson, arizona, killing six and wounding at least 14 others. whereas christina taylor green, dorothy morris, john rohl, and gabriel zimmerman lost their lives in this attack. whereas christina taylor green, a 9-year-old daughter of john and roxanne green, was born on

september 11, 2001, and was a third grader with an avid interest in government who was recently leblingted to the student council in mesa verde elementary school. whereas dorothy morris attended the january 8 event with george, her husband of over 50 years, with whom she had two daughters and who was also critically injured as he tried to shield her from the shooting. whereas john rohl, a pennsylvania native who was 63 years old, began his professional career as a bailiff in 1972, was appointed to the federal bench in 1991 and became a chief judge for the district of arizona in 2006 and was a devoted husband to his wife, marie, father to his three sons and grandfather to his five grandchildren. whereas phyllis, a proud mother of three, grandmother of seven, a great-grandmother from new jersey, was spending the wenter in arizona and was a 79-year-old

church volunteer and a new york giants fan. whereas dorwan, a volunteer at the mountain avenue church of christ, is credited with shielding his wife, a long-time friend whom he married while they were in their 60's who was also injured in the shooting. whereas gabriel matthew zimmerman who was 30 years old and engaged to be married served as director of community outreach to representative gabrielle giffords and was a social worker before serving with representative giffords. whereas representative gabrielle giffords was the target of this attack and remains in critical condition at the arizona hospital. whereas 13 others were also wounded in the shooting, including ron barber and pamela simon, both stafferers to representative giffords and whereas several individuals, including patricia mosh, amply -- army colonel bill badger, retired, who was also wounded in

the shooting, roger schullingburg, and daniel hernandez jr. helped apprehend the gunman and assist the injured, thereby risking their lives for the safety of others and shall be commended for their bravery. now therefore be it resolved that the house of representatives, one, condemns in the strongest possible terms the horrific attack which occurred at the congress on your corner event hosted by representative gabrielle giffords in tucson, arizona, on january 8, 2011. two, offers its heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of those who were killed in the attack. three, expresses its hope for the rapid and complete recovery of those wounded in the shooting. four, honors the memory of christina taylor green, dorothy morris, john rohl, phyllis, dorwan and gabriel zimmerman. five, applauds the bravery and quick thinking exhibited by

those individuals who prevented the gunman from potentially taking more lives and helped to save those who have been wounded. six, recognizing the service of the first responders who raced to the scene and the health care professionals who attended to the victims once they reached the hospital. whose service and skill saved lives. seven, reaffirms the bedrock principle of american democracy and representative government which is memorialized in the first amendment of the constitution and which representative gabrielle giffords herself read in the hall of the house of representatives on january 6, 2011, of the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. eight, stands firm in its belief in the democracy of which all can participate in which intimidation and threats of violence cannot silence the voices of any american. nine, honors the service and leadership of representative

gabrielle giffords, a distinguished member of this house, as she courageously fights to recover and, ten, when adjourning today, shall do so out of the respect to the victims of this attack. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house today, the resolution shall be debatable for six hours, divided equally and controlled by the majority leader and the minority leader or their designees. the gentleman from virginia, mr. cantor, and the gentleman from arizona, mr. pastor, each will control three hours. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i yield one minute to the speaker of the house, the gentleman from ohio. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio, the speaker of the house, is recognized for one minute. the speaker: madam speaker, my colleagues today, we are called here to mourn. an unspeakable act of violence has taken six innocent lives and left several more, including our

colleague, gabrielle giffords, battling for theirs. these are difficult hours for our country. among the fallen is gave zimmerman, a member of congresswoman giffords' staff, a public servant of the highest caliber, one of our own. and even in our shock, we are composed and determined to fulfill our calling to represent our constituents. this is the great cause for which gave gave his life. we swore an oath to uphold the constitution and at the time of the attack, he was engaged in the most simple and direct of democratic rituals. listening to the people. listening to his neighbors. the brutality that shattered saturday morning's calm was

devastating but brief. bravery and quick thinking prevented a larger massacre. turning innocent bystanders into heroes. the service and skill of first responders and medical professionals saved lives. law enforcement officials are now working to ensure swift justice. look to tucson right now and you'll be reminded that america's most plentiful source of wealth and strength is her people. we're thankful, so thankful, that gabby is still with us and we're thankful that two of her staffers who were also wounded, ron barber and pam simmons, are with us as well. in her steady, gabby's staff has pressed on, opening for business monday morning, right on schedule. and the men and women who faithfully served the people of arizona's eighth district have

signaled that no act, no matter how heinous, will stop us from doing our duty and being among the people we serve. and to all the dedicated professionals that we rely on to make this institution work, to each of you, thank you for what you do. and to gabby's staff and their families, please know that our hearts and prayers go out to each of you. this body has yet to fully register the magnitude of this tragedy. we feel a litany of unwanted emotions that no resolution could possibly capture. we know that we gather here without distinction of party, the needs of this institution have always risen above partisanship. and what this institution needs right now is strength. wholly and uplifting strength.

the strength to grieve with the families of the fallen, to pray for the wounded and to chart a way forward no matter how painful and difficult it may be. today is not a ceremony, but tragedy that stirs us to renew our commitment to faithfully fulfill our oath of office. and let us not let this inhuman act frighten us into doing otherwise. the free exchange of ideas is the life blood of our democracy as prescribed by the first amendment, the beacon of free expression that congresswoman giffords recited in this well just days ago. these rights have not been handed down by dictate, they've been preserved and protected through generations of hard sacrifice and commitment. and we will continue that unfinished work.

we will do it for christina taylor green, dorothy morris, phyllis shank, dorwan, ordinary citizens who died participating in their democracy, and we will do it for judge john and we'll do it for gave zimmerman. and we will do it, god willing, with gabrielle giffords. our hearts are broken but our spirit is not. this is a time for the house to lock arms in prayer for the fallen and the wounded and resolve to carry on a dialogue of democracy. . we may not have all the final answers but we already have the answer that matters most. that we are americans and we'll make it through this difficult period. we will have the last word. god bless this house.

god bless this congress. and god bless america. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona. >> madam speaker, i yield one minute to the minority leader, ms. pelosi. the speaker pro tempore: the the gentlewoman from california, the minority leader, is recognized for one minute. ms. pelosi: thank you very much, madam speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. extend my condolences to him, mr. pastor, the senior member of the arizona delegation, and all of the members of the arizona delegation. madam speaker, i'm pleased and saddened greatly saddened to join the speaker of the house, mr. boehner, in coming together in sadness today to share our prayers and indeed our hopes for those who have lost so much because of the tragedy in arizona involving our colleague, congresswoman gabby giffords.

her staff and innocent bystanders. words are inadequate at a time like this, but nonetheless i hope it is a comfort to those who are -- lost loved ones, or injured on saturday that so many people mourn the losses but also pray for the survivors and care for them at this very difficult time. i think the resolution is -- its description of what happened and the context with which it happened is an excellent resolution and i hope people will read it, pray over it, and be grateful that we had this opportunity to comment on it. today we will say many prayers for our country and for the victims of this horrific

evening. we think of our colleague, congresswoman gabby giffords, fighting to recover and the 14 others who were injured, remember the six who were killed. there names are mentioned and they are described in the resolution. the speaker has mentioned their names, but i think acknowledging them bears repetition. how do you explain the death of the 9-year-old christina taylor green, recently been elected to the student council in her school, mesa vare day elementary school? -- verde elementary school? the unbearable grief of john and rocks an -- roxanne green. dorothy morris married for more than 50 years to her high school sweetheart and mother of two. federal judge john roll who had just come from mass.

which he attended every day. phyllis schneck, mother of three, grandmother of seven, and great grandmother. and i know the new yorkers are glad to hear she's a giants fan. snowbird in arizona carrying that dedication wes. dorwan stoddard, died shielding his wife, mary, shielding his wife, mary. and has been mentioned in the resolution and we have mourned, congresswoman gabby giffords director of community outreach gabrielle matthew zimmerman. one ever his -- gabriel matthew zimmerman. one of his co-workers said gave for the living. some who protected others, wong member, phyllis, who grabbed the fuel magazine of ammunition of the killer as he attempted to

reload. just think how many more we could have lost. roger sulzgeber and joseph zimudeo, and daniel hernandez jr., 20 years old an intern who had just been on the job for four days when he heard gunshots, he ran toward them, ran toward them, and attended to congresswoman giffords, helping to staunch her bleeding with his own hands. pray for the recovery of other members of congresswoman giffords staff, ron barber, pam simon, and the entire giffords staff for carrying on. those heroes at the scene were joined by first responders from county and municipalities, arriving just three minutes after the first 9-1-1 call and

performed excellently and in doing so saved lives. we also pay tribute to the skilled professionals at arizona's university medical center whose role is ongoing. healing the victims of this tragedy. tonight the university community. to acknowledge together saturday's tragedy. promptly this is called together we thrive, tucson and america. together we thrive, tucson and america, will be an opportunity to grieve and it will be a demonstration of our strength. strength in community. a strength in community that was demonstrated last saturday, a strength in community there that is ongoing. tucson demonstrated its strength on saturday when the

city was full of heroes, ordinary citizens, victims, first responders coming together in the spirit of community. madam speaker, our colleague, congresswoman giffords, was the primary target of cowardly act, and as she recovers, we honor her as a brilliant and courageous member of congress. she brought to congress an invigoration, thinking of new generation of national leaders. a businesswoman, state legislator, she came to congress full of ideas, and we will long continue to be blessed by them, look forward to when she is present with us on the floor. she has spoken out courageously and led boldly when the times demanded it. it's especially tragic that those who lost their lives and those who were wounded had come

together as the resolution presents to participate in an activity that reflects the best of our democratic tradition. a representative of the people, gabby giffords, her staff hearing directly from the men and women she represents. american democracy is founded on our commitment to a contest of ideas not violence. political disagreement and dissent must never violate our nation's values as expressed in the constitution, of free expression, speech, and peaceful assembly. gabby spoke to that right here from the floor last week. in this hour of anguish, we seek renewed commitment to hope, to civility, to peace among the american people. in our -- many of our churches we sing on sunday and other days of the week, let there be peace on earth and let it begin

i guess with us, but with me. with each of us, within each of us. speaking as one house today, coming together, peace with us, we offer our thoughts and support, our prayers to the health of our colleague, gabby, congresswoman gabrielle giffords, and all of the injured. we share the stories, the heroes of the tramdy, and mourn those who perished. let their actions and their memories be a blessing to our country. we don't know why god saw this to be necessary, but let this be something that we cherish as an opportunity as we mourn the heartbreaking horror of it all. this resolution is fitting tribute, great resolution, please read it again and again, carry those names in your

heart. remember each of these people because of, again, a tragic accident took lives, wounded people, in the free expression of ideas. may this resolution remind us of the urgent need to uphold our democratic values, to treat one another with courtesy and with respect, and to act as congresswoman giffords has always done and always do, in a manner that reflects the best of american leadership. as our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of all who were affected, i want to call special attention to commander, captain mark kelly, gabby's husband, who has been a source of strength to all of us in this difficult time. we pray for him. we thank him for he -- for his and gabby's service to our

country. god truly blessed america with their leadership, with their service. and with their love for each other. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cantor: this week most members of the house will gather briefly here in washington, but our hearts and spirits will be in arizona. the unspeakable tragedy in tucson last saturday came as a complete shock, casting a pall over the entire nation. with this resolution we join 300 million americans and millions of others around the world in showing our solidarity with congresswoman giffords and the rest of the victims. gabby serves arizona's eighth district with distinction and thoughtful leadership and we are all praying for her speedy

recovery. saturday's cowardly crime was more than just an attack on dozens of innocent americans at a grocery store. it was an attack of the very essence of democracy and representative government. an assault on the open exchange of ideas between legislators and the people to whom they are accountable. this resolution honors the memory of christina taylor green, dorothy morris, judge john roll, phyllis schneck, dorwan stoddard, and gabrielle zimmerman. the -- gabriel zimmerman. it represents a broad american public, young and old, men, women, and child, friends, brothers, sisters, and children . they will be missed. but not forgotten. this inexplicable crime reminds us there is evil in the world.

yet as we look for light in a thicket of darkness, our nation has drawn inspiration from the bravery and quick thinking displayed by the heroes on the scene. were it not for their efforts, there likely would have been many more victims. the outpouring of support, prayer, and solidarity also reminds us that america is a country of compassion, community, and empathy. we will stand with the victims and their families and pray and mourn with them as they cope with this horrific tragedy. madam speaker, i also want to offer my thoughts of comfort to gabby giffords' staff and want them to know that our hearts hang heavy and our thoughts and prayers are with them. as they try and persevere through this very difficult time. madam speaker, i'd also like to

add my thanks to the brave law enforcement that has helped our nation over the last several days and every day. the law enforcement under the directorship of director mueller, the f.b.i., the local law enforcement in arizona, and from our perspective most especially the capitol bliss and -- capitol police and the office of the sergeant at arms and sergeant at arms themselves that they are doing each and every minute as we try to cope with this tragedy. madam speaker, this resolution affirms the point all of us want to make, our hearts are heavy, we mourn with the victims, and i urge my colleagues to support it. madam speaker, i yield my remaining time to the gentleman from arizona, mr. flake, and ask unanimous consent that he be permitted to control that time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

the gentleman from arizona. million pastor: i yield four -- mr. pastor: i yield four minutes to the gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for four minutes. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman from arizona for yielding. madam speaker, this week we pause the work of the house to mourn the loss of lives of six of our fellow citizens. one of those born on that day of tragedy and carnage when thousands were slain and equally -- in an equally indiscriminate, heinous act of hate. citizens shot dead on saturday in tucson in pursuit of the right to peaceably assemble. . the amendment which gabrielle giffords read on this floor. we come as well to honor those who risked their lives to save others.

to pray for the lives of the wounded. and to pray for our colleague and friend, congresswoman gabrielle giffords. today this tellble of representative democracy -- tell am of representative democracy is -- temple of representative democracy is a sadder place. but representative giffords' intelligence and toughness, her public spirit and her charm will, god willing, and with the extraordinary med edcal care she is receiving -- medical care she is receiving, soon return to this body. and again be a practitioner and a model for the principles of civil debate and thoughtful deliberation on which this temple is founded. congresswoman giffords was attacked doing the work that is the heart of democracy as has been so eloquently observed by our speaker, mr. boehner.

listening to her neighbors, listening to those who sent her here to washington to reflect their views. each one of us have done that work, each one of us has come back bearing their fears and their hopes, their convictions and their visions for the future. some of course are everyday hopes, some are matters of life and death. but in each case we bring these hopes here and speak to our neighbors as best we can. that is what congresswoman giffords was doing. we do not know, of course, the specific motive which led the perpetrator of this crime to act. nor can we draw conclusions as to specific causes. but it seems to me it is a time for us to reflect on the heightened anger being projected on our public debate.

and the daily denigration of those with whom we disagree and it is appropriate therefore that the wrenching, shocking, senseless violence of that day compel us to reflect on our own represent -- responsibility to tell per our words -- temper our words and rcht those with whom we disagree. let the failure to do so give incitement to the angriest and most unstable among us. let us speak for our neighbors in a spirit of unity. not a false and shallow unity, not a unity that wishes away our differences or our discords, but a unity founded on our reverence for our democracy's most precious, most franl ilgift, its power -- fragile gift, its power to resolve without violence our

questions. in a much darker time than ours, from the edge of a great war, president lincoln addressed these words to the men and women whom even in the war's depths he refused to see as anything other than his fellow americans, he said this, we are not enemies but friends. we must not be enemies, though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. there are in every society and in every culture and every nation those who reflect that cede -- creed, but if we love our country, if we honor our oath to country, constitution and to our nation of laws, we must live by those words. there is perhaps nothing we can

do that will prevent the mindless violence committed by the few. but we can and must appeal to the best instincts of the many, to the families of the fallen we extend our sympathy. to the survivors we extend our prayers for a full and speedy recovery. and to our colleague, to our beloved colleague, gabby, we extend our love, our hopes for her early return to the chamber and our ranks. all of us in this time have come together, reached out to one another, comforted one another and lifted one another up. may that sentiment not pass quickly from this body or from

this country. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from arizona, mr. flake. mr. flake: madam speaker, i want to thank speaker boehner and the leadership on both sides of the aisle for bringing this resolution to the floor. this is indeed congress at its best. none of us will ever forget the feeling we had when we heard the news of the shooting last saturday, one of the victims of which was our dear friend and colleague, gabrielle giffords. a few hours after the news broke, i was in attendance at the press conference in tucson at the medical center, amid the turmoil and the anguish of the occasion there were audible expressions of joy and relief in that room and around the country when the doctor announced that gabby could listen and respond. gabby's progress over the past few days has been measured in much the same manner. the squeeze of a hand, the raising of two fingers, a thumbs up sign. each gesture letting us know

that she hears, that she is listening and responding. these traits, listening and responding, have defined gabrielle giffords' career as a legislater. let me give but one example born of another tragedy just 10 months ago. long-time arizonan known to provide assistance to those he found in need was murdered on his ranch near arizona's southern border. farmers and ranchers in arizona were understandably alarmed. gabby listened and responded over and over she contacted and visited those affected, reassuring them that help was on its way. she convened monthly conference calls for the farming and ranching communities involving the border patrol, immigrations and customs enforcement and justice department and other federal agencies, each month broadening the circle to include more stakeholders. we learned of her efforts in delegation meetings here in washington where she enlisted additional support last august. much as a result of gabby's

persistent efforts, the congress acted, providing unprecedented resources to improve security in the area. gabby listened, she responded and in the end congress responded as well. we are responding here today by giving thanks for the service of federal judge john roll and gave zimmerman for the public service they have rendered. we are responding today by recognizing the heroic life-saving efforts of people like daniel hernandez who delivered aid to congressman giffords, those who tackled the gunman, to dorwin stoddard, who shielded his wife from the gunfire, selflessly giving his own life that she might live. we are responding today by joining john and roxanne green in mourning the loss of their 9-year-old daughter christina, as well as the friends and families of dorothy murray and phyllis schneck. we in the arizona delegation are proud of the wonderful state that we together with more than six million of our friends and neighbors call home.

arizona is defined not by the actions of a lone, crazed gunman, but by the heroism and bravery of those who left us on saturday. and those like our friend and colleague gabrielle giffords who will continue to lead us in the future. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from arizona, mr. pastor. mr. pastor: i yield three minutes to the leader of the caucus, mr. larson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from connecticut is recognized for three minutes. mr. larson: i thank the gentleman from arizona, thank you, madam speaker. shake peer -- shakespeare tells us in "othello, that when aigo whispers mistruths in the ear of othello, something beautiful dies. something beautiful died in

tucson, arizona, this past saturday. people who came to an event to hear their congresswoman speak, one little girl, 9 years old, all beautiful, all celebrating the great beauty and manlesty of our democrat -- majesty of our democracy passed on that day. who knows what mistruths were bouncing around in the head of the assassin, who could know that? but something beautiful died. democracy died just a little that day.

but beauty has a way of coming back. it resides in people like gabrielle giffords. she epitomizes all that is good and rich about serving in the united states congress. from her very demeanor, to her graciousness, to the way she carried herself in committee with her legislation and how she held forth with her constituents in an accountable manner that has become so much a fabric of our democracy, our congress on the corner. she truly is a beautiful person and that beauty had others

responding that day with acts of remember wism that have already been recounted on -- heroism that have already been recounted on this floor, and that beauty lies in state with her husband by her side and with the fervent prayers of a nation and hope, knowing and feeling confident that she will return from this awful incident and be back here with us, gracing us with her beauty and dignity and vision and purpose. one of her last remarks was, in speaking to mr. troy grayson, director of harvard institute of politics, was to say, i would love to talk about what we can do to promote criticism, centrism and modderism. i think we need to figure out

how to tone down our rhetoric and the partisanship that exists here. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from arizona, there -- mr. flake. mr. flake: i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from arizona, mr. franks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. franks: and i thank the gentleman. madam speaker, the tragedy this week in arizona has been a reminder to all of us of the brevity and delicate nature of this earthly life. it is my prayer this morning that god would grant all of the victims named in this resolution as well as the grieving families and loved ones who are mourning the loss of the six precious lives that were taken that day the comfort, the peace and the restoration that only he can give. madam speaker, it happens that the only one of those victims

that i knew well personally was our own gabby giffords. madam speaker, gabby and i are from different parties and on past and happier days, many in arizona would often joke about the differences in our politics. but i can testify to you this morning, madam speaker, that in the four years that i have known gabby giffords, there has never been one unkind or even ters word passed between us. gabby giffords is a precious, warm, caring, decent human being whose warmth and charm touched the hearts of all who know her. and the testimony of her life and work is proof that true tolerance is not in pretending that we have no differences. it is being kind and decent to each other in spite of those

differences. and it strikes me as more than a poignant coincidence that only days before the tragedy we all listened to gabby giffords as she stood at this very podium and read the words of the constitution's first amendment which protects the right of the people to peaceably assemble. and then only days later, madam speaker, as she was exercising that right and faithfully doing her job as a member of the united states congress, one berest of heart human compassion and respect for innocent human life mindlessly shattered her life and the lives of so many others around her. . madam speaker, the last words i had with gabby giffords were spoken not 10 feet from this podium when we exchanged simple with you genuine and heartfelt words and best wishes for the new year and the new congress.

madam speaker, i will tell you that when i heard the news of this tragedy and the false report that gabby had died, i felt such an overwhelming sense of grief in my soul to think that those were the last words i would ever speak to her. and it was a reminder to me, madam speaker, of the brevity and preshness of human life and freedom and just how important it really is for each of us to seize every moment and to speak kind and loving words to each other while we still can. so, madam speaker, it is my prayer that god would come -- would comfort the giffords family and all of the victims of this horrible tragedy and hold them closely in his arms as only he can and that he would someday very soon return a smiling gabby giffords to this chamber and to all of us. as clear eyed and as whole as

when she left us. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona, mr. pastor. mr. pastor: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pastor: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: i would also join my colleague from arizona, jeff flake, in thanking the leadership and bringing this resolution here this morning. i also want to recognize that representative giffords staff is in the gallery with us this morning. so we want to wish them the best. madam speaker, it is with great sadness i rise today to pay tribute to six innocent and precious arizonans who, while participating in a public event, designated to strengthen our democracy, so tragically lost their lives in a senseless act of violence last saturday. i also want to pay tribute to

those 14 arizonans, including our dedicated and beloved colleague, and my personal friend, gabby giffords, who were wounded. these americans all dedicated to freedom and all loving our country so much that they chose to use their sunday morning to participate in a public event to make their government better. recovering at different paces and with unique and different needs, the city of tucson, pima county, and the entire state of arizona assist and welcome these brave heroes back to our communities once they have reef covered. gabby continues to fight, literally fight, every minute, for her life. and we are all reaching toward our god in prayer, contemptation, -- contemplation, and whispers, in

a unified effort to bring about a quick recovery and return to us here in this house of representatives. those who perished, dorothy morris, gabe zimmerman, christina taylor green, dorwan stoddard, and john roll will be missed by their families, their colleagues, their friends, and all arizonans. phyllis schneck was described by her new jersey hometown paper as a lifelong conservative. yet she was there to seek gabby because she admired her. this is a perfect example of someone who wanted to step beyond the current vitriol in modern day politics and bring us together. dorothy morris was married to a former marine corps pilot who was also wounded and recovering. we all know the patriotism and love of country every spouse of a marine exhibits.

and she was no exception. gabe zimmerman was one of us. a dedicated staff member to gabby. it is said he literally lived to serve his community. sadly he perished but he perished fulfilling his calling and doing what he loved, helping the people of his town. christina taylor green was just start her political career. she had just been elected to her school student council and wanted to come see at the highest level. she wanted to see a pro so she came to see gabby. she was a special little girl who kept reaching for the stars and politics, dance, baseball, and whatever her heart desired. dorwan stoddard died shielding his wife who was also wounded but expected to recover.

following their regular saturday outing, dorwan brought his wife to gabby because reportedly she wanted to tell gabby what a good job she was doing. high school sweethearts who were reconnected after many years apart, they were a pillar of their church community and we know mazie will continue on. saddened and burdened, but hopefully not broken. finally, judge roll, had been working with gabby and several of us in the delegation for the past several months trying to make the courts in arizona more efficient and more responsive to both the victim and the accused. i knew him to be a fair, dedicated, charming professional and loyal person. he loved his family, he loved his profession, he loved his job, his community, and his country. arizona and the nation will be a different place without him. again i'm encouraged by the

reports concerning all the wounded. these individuals are the perfect example of the strength of arizonans and all americans. they will recover, we pray, and they will not shy from continuing to serve their community. this is most true for gabby. gabby is a special person among us here in congress. we all know that. we all love her patriotism, her bipartisanship, her willingness to learn, her dedication to give, her compassion for her job, and for each of us. and her spirit to continue striving to make the eighth congressional district of arizona and america a better place to live and work. hopefully it won't be much longer until we see her here, her smiling face with us again doing what she loved and working hard for the people of our country. our prayers go to gabby, all

victims, and the families of the deceased. i reserve the balance of my time. mr. flake: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from arizona, mr. schweikert. mr. schweikert: mr. speaker, it is with heavy heart that i come to the floor today to offer these thoughts on this tragic event this past saturday outside tucson. that took the lives of john m. roll, christine taylor green, dorwan stoddard, dorothy morris, gabe zimmerman, and phyllis schneck and gravely injured our colleague, congresswoman gabby giffords. it was just last week that my wife and i had the opportunity to visit with gabby in statutory hall before the ceremonial swearing-in. and as so many of you know, our

interactions with her were gracious, energetic, and she was willing to help us as we were setting up our freshman office. we took a few photos, we talked about ways we could work together, and of course we engaged in the banter and teasing of arizona's faste rivalry, a.s.u. vs. u. of a. gabby takes enormous pride in the job in representing the communities of southern arizona. and my wife and i send our thoughts and prayers to mark during this difficult time. we deeply appreciate the gift mark generously shares with all of us here in washington and back in arizona. it is also important not to forget the individuals who lost their lives or who were injured while they were exercising their right to participate and have a say in this republic. indeed, they became victims while exercising a fundamental

right that has served as a backbone of this country since its founding. a right our nation's founders sacrificed so dearly for. just as the victims this last saturday have tragically also sacrificed for. we are stunned by the tragedy, but we remain resolute in our commitment to assemble peacefully, engage civilly in the types of discourse that are fundamental to maintaining this republic. although words may not sufficiently capture the sorrow and grief we are experiencing, particularly in arizona, joyce and i send our thoughts, our prayers to gabby, mark, rocks an, -- roxanne, and john green, the parents of little christine taylor green, and the loved ones of judge roll, dorwan stoddard, dorothy morris, gabe

zimmerman, phyllis schneck, the community of tucson and southern arizona, all arizonans, this nation. our hearts are heavy but our prayers are with all of you. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back any time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from ohio. mr. kucinich. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. kucinich: we are one as we pay tribute to congresswoman giffords and all the other victims of violence in tucson. our gathering reflects the truth of america's first motto which is above this chamber,

epluribus unum, out of many we are one. it is vital that we acknowledge our oneness. not just as a congress, but as a nation and as a world. in that appreciation for oneness we find human sympathy, compassion, and love. it is an awareness of the imperative of hueman unity which can bring us to the threshold of understanding, our power to bring an end to the violence which is consuming our loved ones. it is an awareness of the imperative of human unity which can help us to create a new america. where the presence of violence is understood as a challenge to be met not as an unyielding truth of the human condition to be accepted. our hearts are open now as we

recognize the victims. so let us be open to a new direction where we and this nation can take an organized approach to deal with the causes of violence not just the effects. we are one with our sister, congresswoman giffords, and all the other victims. let us continue to be one with each other as we struggle to bring light to this moment of darkness. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. mr. flake: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from arizona, mr. quail -- quayle. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. quayle: i thank the gentleman from arizona for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of house resolution 32, and to honor the victims of the

senseless act of violence that took place in tucson on saturday. all arizonans and all americans mourn the six souls that lost their lives. they will never be forgotten. they were model citizens, actively engaged in their community and with their government. just chatting with their representative on a saturday morning. that, mr. speaker, peaceful discourse and participation, is a precious part of our society and one of the things that makes our country great. we must not allow an act of violence to inhibit the preexchange of thoughts and concerns -- free exchange of thoughts and concerns. the six that lost their lives died because they loved america. they wanted to be involved in the process. in recent days we have heard their inspiring stories from family and friends. we shouldn't have to wonder what the future had in store for them. they are the friends,

neighbors, and colleagues that our communities depend upon. mr. speaker, we pray for our friend and colleague, congresswoman gabby giffords, that she survived her counts is a miracle, but no surprise to those who know her and admire her spirit, determination, and conviction. congresswoman giffords was a do your job to the best of her ability. she wasn't in an orr nate congressional hearing room on the floor of the house. she was back home on the sidewalk of a supermarket listening to the concerns of her constituents. that, too, mr. speaker, is what makes this country great, that, too, must never change. . in our great state of arizona, there's much to mourn after saturday's tragedy. but make no mistake, there are also many things that he list great pride -- elicit great pride. we're proud of the brave civilian and professional first

responders whose quick response time and decisive action prevented more loss of life and greater injury. we're proud of the amazing work performed by the surgeons and medical teams at the university of arizona medical center. whose skill and expertise shined during trying times. and above all, mr. speaker, we are proud of the six who perished and of congresswoman giffords, all of whom were simply doing their duty as good americans. they as active citizens and she as their worthy representative. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from michigan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. >> we all come together in the

aftermath of the overwhelming tragedy of tucson. to remember all of the victims and also to fervently hope, still in disbelief. mr. levin: our colleague, gabby giffords, epitomized what a public servant should be, fully dedicated, principled, caring and reaching out to all constituents and to all our colleagues. time will tell with clarity -- clarity exactly what are the appropriate lessens for all of us to learn -- lessons for all of us to learn from the tucson tragedy. in the meanwhile, our fow focus is indeed -- our focus is indeed very personal. in the holiday card that gabby sent to me she wrote her best wishes for a joyful new year and continued writing that we will

have our work cut out for us. the new year is now far, far less joyful. so our hope in the prayer we are sending with love to gabby and to mark is that gabby will be able to join us, as we take on the work cut out for us, to which gabby, you have devoted your whole self so fully. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman is recognized. mr. flake: i thank the speaker. let me say how nice it is to have you presiding, another arizonan controlling time on that side, and so many in the delegation here today, we are a close delegation. i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from arizona, mr. gosar.

mr. gosar: mr. speaker, i stand here today with a heavy heart as i give my prayers to representative giffords and her family. as well as my condolences to the other victims of the rampage in tucson. i speak not just for myself and for my family, but for the citizens of my district in arizona and so many others who are saddened and outraged by this senseless act. gabby is more than arizona's third female congresswoman. she is first and foremost an american who devoted much of her life to public service. there are risks with public service, we cannot deny that. but gabby has powerful beliefs and she came to d.c. to represent the people of her district and everye knows she is tireless. gabby has the grit of a fighter and the tenacity of a woman on a mission. it is that heart and that grit

and that tenacity that i pray will continue to serve her well and speed her recovery. i hope the day is coming soon that i get to greet gabby with open arms and welcome her back to the floor of this house there is so much that we have yet to do together for arizona, for this country. i look forward to working with gabby on the issues of our day and hearing her spirited voice. let me add further, the acts of a criminal will not stop us from meeting our people. we will not be deterred. we will not be intimidated and we will not abandoned the people of arizona becausef the murderous acts of a deranged killer. gabby read the first amendnt on the floor of the house just days before she was shot. that amendment provides that the people shall have the right to petition their government and give the people of this nation a voice to speak on the issues important to them. gabby did not just read the first amendment, she lived it.

she was living it on the very day someone trd to kill her. let us continue to pray for the recovery of the wounded, let us pray for the full recovery of gabby, let us pray for the families who lost a loved one, let us pray for the mothers and fathers who lost a child. and let us pray that god will continue to guide us in everything we do. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from michigan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to honor and offer prayers for my friend and colleague, congresswoman gabrielle giffords, her staff and all of the victims of the tragic and senseless shooting in tucson. mr. kildee: she is a brilliant and caring public servant.

she loves this country as all members of congress do. at times like these, words are always inadequate to express the full extent of our grief. what we can do is pray, reflect and seek to gain some meaningful perspective from this time of great sorrow. mr. speaker, this terrible act, whatever the cause, does violence to the democrati principles our country was founded on. as i pray for the victims of this terrible event, i also pray that our country can move forward from this tragedy with that love and respect that gabrielle giffords has for human dignity. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. mr. flake: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to

the gentleman from georgia, mr. price. mr. price: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, tragedy is always accompanied by so many thoughts and emotions and the irrational violence visited upon our nation last saturday in tucson brought a new wave. shock at learning the news of the carnage, incredulity at even the possibility of such a senseless act, sadness for those injured or killed and for their families, confusion by this inexplicable violence, anger at the lunatic responsible for this , inadequacy to combrehend the mind that conceives such an act, respect for those expert hands and minds working to heal the casualties, honor for those who sacrificed and helped in a moment of real crisis, hope for

a full recovery for congresswoman gabrielle giffords and all battling their injuries, recognition that life and liberty are precious and fleeting, love of our country and the blessing of liberty that we all enjoy, steadfast in our commitment to preserving our great nation, humbled by our mutual responsibility as citizens charged with that preservation, reverence for our lord, the only one who knows the answer to the why, and strength from his grace and his love and his mercy. and so we resolve to use this unspeakable and senseless tragedy as an opportunity to better ourselves as a people, to recommit ourselves to the tireless preservation of our republic, and to reaffirm those

fundamental principles of liberty and american representative government. may god place his healing hand on all affected by this heinous event and may god bless the united states of america. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the ntleman is recognized. mr. pastor: mr. speaker, at this time i would yield two minutes to the gentlelady from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from texas is recognized. ms. johnson: thank y, mr. speaker. i rise in strong suppo of the resolution before us today. and think it is fitting and proper that we take this opportunity to pause and remember those who lost their lives and were wounded in the tragedy that occurred last saturday in tucson, arizona. it is really hard to comprehend how such senseless acts of violence can happen. and yet while we may not be able

to fathom why this tragedy occurred, the harsh reality is that six innocent people were killed, including a 9-year-old child, and another 14 individuals were wounded, including our own friend and colleague, representative gabrielle giffords. as we speak, she remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit at the university medical center in tucson, fighting for her life. those of us who know gabby know that she is a real fighter and that gives us optimism that the final outcome will be a good one that she will be returning to this institution that she loved and still fight for what she believes in. a number of my colleagues have spoken about the many ways in which representative giffords has touched their lives here in congress and i would le to echo some of those sentiments. as the ranking member of the -- on science, space and technology

committee, i have been and seen firsthand the way they are passion, comtment and competence have been used to voice her help for our nation and moved forward in a posite way. she's been very active as a member of the committee sponsoring ando-sponsoring many pieces of legislation relating to the research, innovation, space exploration, math and science education, they have included the solar technology road map act, the science parks research and innovative technologies act, the nasa authorization act of 2010, and america competes, as many other important pieces. she's been tireless in carrying out her oversight responsibilities. as chairman of the space and you are a astronautics subcommittee in the 111th congress, she conducted numerous hrings on a wide range of issues related to nasa, civil and commercial space

activities, international corporation in space, civil engineering and aviation and observations, among others. her willingness to work hard, to get the facts and exercise tough love on the agencies she oversees has earned her the respect of mbers on both sides of the aisle. in addition why she's not afraid to express her videos directly, she always has -- views directly, she has always done so with civility and grace. so, mr. speaker, congresswoman gabby giffords, the one i know and respect, we hope to see her return soon. it is still harder to me to comprehend that such evil could be -- could befall her and the other victims of last saturday. i know i speak for all members in saying that our thoughts and prayers are with each of them and their families. we look forward to the day when we can welcome ms. giffords back to the floor and join with her to do the nation's business. i thank you and i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman is recognized. mr. flake: mr. speaker, i yield two -- i'm sorry, such time as he may consume to the gentleman from texas, mr. sessions. the spear pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i join with my colleagues today with respect to the delegation from arizona who suffers and yet today comes to the floor of the house of representatives to do their duty. to the colleagues of ms. giffords who today join in support, not only in prayerful support, but as we stand together we speak clearly to say that the support for congresswoman giffords and all the victims of this tragic shooting and their families need to be remembered and we offer full support. i was deeply shocked and saddened by these heartbreaking events and i join my colleagues and i know all of america looked on tv on saturday as we all

condemned not only in our n hearts but also as our families spoke around the tables about what had happened, we condemned the senseless act of violence. congresswoman giffords is a dedicated public servant and has served the people of arizona for over 10 years. she was elected to the house of representatives in 2006, she's known as a stefast leader in congress for her constituents. i would see her often on the airplane as we would travel back every weekend. she is known by each of us as a kind and wonderful person who serves with honor and who is very deeply genuine and a warm person with friends on both sides of the aisle. . all members of this body understand the high honoro serve our constituents every single day and i join with my colleagues in standing together today to guarantee that the inhumane acts of this saturday

will not deter us from our duty. this heartbreaking event has left americans astonished and speechless. those participating as members of congress today should stand up and say that we will stand behind gabrielle and look forward to her safe return to be with her colleagues. we offer our prayer for her support. i yiel back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from illinois. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from illinois is recognized. ms. schakowsky: i'm very grateful to join my colleagues on both side of the aisle to -- both sides of the aisle to join with those who wanted nothing more than to participate in the simple but precious opportunity to meet directly with their congresswoman, gabrielle giffords. there will be time to reflect on potential remedy that is uld prevent or diminish th threat that has personally

touched us all, but today i simply want to send my love to gabby and to mark and the rest of their family. we have all had the opportunity to focus on you, gabby, the brilliant, effective, warm, urageous person, leader that you are. you brought us together to focus on just how meaningful your friendship is to us, to me. i also want to take this opportunity to thank my dedicated staff here in washington and at home in the district and all the staff that work with us. thank you for your daily efforts and sacrifices, the long hours, and t commitment to your constituents, our constituents. the tragedy of this event and the loss of gabe zimmerman and the wounded staff has brought home just how important you are to all of us and to everything that we do here.

let us take this sad moment to seek peace and love, to honor those who were killed, and fervently pray for those who were injured, including our beloved colleague, gabrielle giffords, and look forwardto the day when she will return to us in full health. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. flake: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from texas, mr. carter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. caer: thank you, mr. speaker. i come to the floor today because about four weeks ago a plane coming back from washington, d.c., flying to dallas, where i changed planes, and also gabrielle giffords changed planes, was my first opportunity to interact with this young lady. i watched her work -- i watched her visit with the fellow travelers on the plane.

she spied a couple of her constituents and talked with them. e visited with me. then was she shared a cart to our changing gates, i was just touched by what a really, really nice person she was. we interact in this building and we have our debates and so forth, but i got a chance to st talk about family and talk about flights with a charming, intelligent, and quite honestly captivating young lady. and that's why i came down here today because you don't cross paths with individuals like that very often. and when you do, it's a blessing that comes into your life. and when i turned on the television and discovered that this blessing had been attacked by this vicious, vicious attack that took place in arizona, not

only was this sweet life placed at risk, but a 9-year-old child was killed. senselessly others were murdered, others were wounded on the streets of tucson in the united states of america at a congressional event. it makes you stop and pause and think. we have to get back together and work on these issues. we have to get civility into the world. and i am concerned about the violence, violence has entered our house and injured one of our own and killed one of our own. i hope justice is swift and i hope justice is severe, but as we go forward, we need to work tother to secure not only this house but to secure this nation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from maryland.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from maryland is recognized. ms. edwards: mr. speaker, i rise today in honor and prayer for our friend and colleague, congresswoman gabrielle giffords, a delightful personality, dedicated legislator, and powerful advocate for her constituents. sitting next to her on the sighons and technology committee, you only had to be there to know and feel her passion for nasa, solar technology, innovation, and research. it has rubbed off. as we pause to reflect on the terrible tragedy that took place tucson, we know that congresswoman giffords was simply doing what she does so well, meeting with the constituents of arizona's eighth congressional district and hearing their different points of view. this is a sentiment that's reflected in congresswoman giffords' own words when she said, myosition is to listen to my constituents, then ultimately make sound, rational decision that is are going to be beneficial for the eighth congressional district.

that's my job. mr. speaker, i join the nation in expressing my sorrow for the senseless and tragic loss of life christina taylor green, dorothy morris, u.s. district court judge, john roll, phyllis schneck, dorian stoddard, and gabriel zimmerman. and those injured including our friend and colleague, gabrielle giffords and her staff. we'll keep you and your families in our hearts, thoughts, and prayers, and we are deeply grateful to the heroes sung and unsung who showed great courage and sacrifice and continue to do so in caring for their friends, family, and community. to gabby, to mark kelly, her husband, hertaff we pray that your burdens are lifted and that the dark days become light. may god bless you and strengthen i. may god bless this congress. and may got bless america. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady yields back. mr. flake: i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from oregon, mr. walden. mr. walden: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise on behalf of the people of oregon's second district to offer my deepest sympathies to the families of the victims of saturday's senseless shooting in tucson. americans see each of us taking this personally because congresswoman giffords and her staff were doing what each of us does in our own way. we go home, we reach out to listen to people who agree and disagree, and we practice the art of demracy. it is the practice so fundamental to our nation that families bring their young children who are interested in public service. senior judges attend to discuss federal policy. citizens come to get help with their medicare or vare benefits. -- veterans' affairs benefits. no one comes, no one comes thinking such a despicable act of violence will occur. despite deep philosophical

differences, sometimes argued vigorously and vociferously in our meetings, americans share a common belief that violence has no place in democratic discourse. romans 12:1 paul writes, don't be overcome by evil but over come evil with good. we stand together across america committed to this calling and in the belief that the great good in america will always overcome the isolated evil. may god's healing hand be on our colleague and those affected and bring comfort to all. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman is recognized. . pastor: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized. >> i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. ms. harman: as gabby's colleagues, we all have had moments with her so many memories we recall vividly and

calmly. for she she's an inspiring younger member of the house sisterhood, she is whip smart and serious legislator. she's the kind of person we need so badly in this chamber, doing the people's business without rancor or vitriol. though the attack occurred in tucson, it was an attack on all of us and it strikes very close to home. just a week ago today i sat nearabby at a new democrat lunch in the capitol visitor center. the group was assessing the recent election and her contribution to the discussion was personal, impressive, and well delivered. but seven days is a long time in politics. and our world here is in upheaval. beyond the heroic efforts of tucson's emergency and medical teams, the f.b.i., and the capitol police, the alleged gunman must be fairly and swiftly prosecuted. but there is more. the congress family must take additional prudent steps to

protect our staffs and constituents from random violence at our public events or offices i serve here as we all do in loco parentis and take this very seriously. finally we should revis it sensible federal laws to ntrol access to guns and ammunition. at a minimum i believe we must promptly restore the expired federal ban on extended magazine clips. i personally would urge us also to re-enact the 199 ban on assault weapons which i was proud to support and bar sales of saturday night specials. mr. speaker, we can't roll back last saturday, but we can and must learn its lessons. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. flake: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from wyoming, mrs. lummis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from wying is recognized. mrs. lummis: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of this resolution. i rise to add the voice of the

people of wyoming to the chorus of united americans reaching out in prayer to the victims in arizona. and to the families of those whose lives were stolen from them. on january 6, representative gabrielle giffords took to the floor this house and eloquently read to us the first amendment of our constitution, she gave her own strong emphasis to the praise that grants americans the right to peaceablassemble. two days later she and her constituents had their god given rights violently taken from them. in the midst of our national grief, the desire to make sense of the senseless is profound. we err if we attempt to rationalize what is wholly

irrational and to understand what cann be understood. the apostle paul writes, now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror. instead, let us all stand with the gentlelady from arizona in her time of trial and defense of the constitution which she is striving to uphold. let us stand with our 9-year-old daughters who are fostering a budding interest in our representative democracy. let us stand with our 76 and 79-year-old mothers and fathers who seek only to forge a relationship with their elected representatives. and to impart a wisdom that comes with long life as a citizen of this country. d let us stand with our

servant leaders of all ages and parties and who spend every day in a passionate effort to better a great nation and beautiful ideal. we do them honor if we continue not with idle speculation but with a renewed commitment to exercise the right of liberty and freedom. we begin the long road to healing by fervently praying for peace in our world, peace in our country, and peace in our heart. god bless the victims of saturday's violence and their families. god bless america. and now may the peace of god which surpasseses all human

understanding and all human misunderstanding be with us all. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady omuam. miss bore calo: -- ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i rise in support of the resolution today and to honor the six individuals who lost their lives. my friend and my colleague, gabby giffords, who is currently fighting for her life, and the 13 other wounded victimsf saturday's tgic shooting in tucson. gabby zimmerman, federal judge john roll, dorothy morris, phyllis schneck, dorwan stoddard, and the innocent 9-year-old christina taylor

green, all who passed away on saturday in such a senseless act of violence that was a direct attack on our democracy. . being the extraordinary public servant she is, gabby had taken her first opportunity in the 112th congress to organize an event, to learn of her constituents' concerns and their hopes. the victims had all peacefully gathered at a local mall to participate in the democratic process. the basic exercise of democracy was interrupted by a disturbed individual bent on anger at the system. this neeess and despicable act of violence has no place in our society and should give us all cause to reflect on the level of political discourse in this country. but while we recognize the tragedy that occurred and pray for the quick recovery of those

injured and those who died, let us not overlook the many acts of bravery and heroism of those on saturday. as we piece together the events of last saturday, my thoughts and prayers go out to gabby and the others who had been killed or injured, and let this tragic event serve as a reminder of the obligation that we have as elected representatives of the people to be responsible in our leadership and be careful of the words that we choose. i will keep the victims and their families in my thoughts and prayers and i know thaall of my colleagues will do so as well. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the leader is recognized. mr. cantor: i thank the speaker. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in

which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the -- on h.res. 32. the speakepro tempore: without objection. mr. cantor: and, mr. speaker, it's now my honor to yield to the gentlewoman from florida for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker, and i thank the leader for the time. just a few days ago one of our own, congresswoman gabrielle giffords, was gravely injured as a result of a terrible act of an unbalanced individual. americans were profoundly shocked and saddened and continue to be, this deplorable act of violence which resulted in the unjust deaths of six innocent individuals and a strugg to survive for others including our own gabby. for those who lost their lives we know that the list is lamentably lg, the honorable john roll, a federal judge who went by just to say hi to his friend gabby, and christina

taylor green, a 9-year-old girl who had just been chosen to serve in her school's student council and who was taken to gabby's congress on your corner event by a family friend who wanted to get her interested in public affairs. and gave zimmerman, a member of gabby's loyal staff who had an enormous heart and was recently engaged to be married. it is difficult to make sense of this tragedy but all americans stand with gabby, with her family and the families of all the victims throughout this painful time. many of us count gabby not just as a colleague but as a friend. i had the privilege of getting to know gabby as a -- gabby as a member of our foreign affairs committee. she has always demonstrated a strong commitment to serving her constituents, the men d women of our armed forces and our nation. and that is exactly what we must do, we must not waiver in our duties -- waver in our duties to serve those who we are proudly

and yet humbly asked to serve. our republic was founded on the premise that the people have the right and the duty to petition their representatives and to express their views. and gabby truly embodies that principle. she has always been accessible, she's always been eager to listen to her constituents. representatives like gabby are what have made america an example of freedom and democracy the world over. it is truly reprehensible to think that these noble intentions were exploited to carry out such a terrible tragedy. to quo dr. martin luther king, we must disagree without becoming violently disagreeable. the thoughts and prayers of the residents of florida's 18th congressional district are with gabby's family and with the families of all those affected by this senseless tragedy. i thank the speaker and i thank our leader for theime. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back and the gentleman from arizona is

recognized. mr. pastor: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized. ms. chu: mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the victims of the tucson shooting, including our colleague and friend, gabby giffords. i have seen gabby's commitment and dedication to her constituents firsthand. i've had the pleasure to work with her as we promoted efforts to restore our nation's competitiveness and specifically to help create clean energy jobs. gabby is smart, courageous, disclined and effective. ms. matsui: and as we have all seen over the last few days, her strength is unwavenering. last saturday gay organized an event to talk to her constituents about their priorities, about their concerns and their hopes. it is heartbreaking and a tragedy that six innocent people lost their lives and an additional 13 have been critically wounded, all while trying to participate in and

strengthen our democracy. we are all now reflecting on what brought our country to this point and how to move forward. as everyone in this chamber can attest, being a representative is more than a job title. it is what we do and it is who we are. we meet with our constituents, we listen to them, we advocate for theibest interests. mr. speaker, i'd also like to take a moment to honor the other victims of this horrific tragedy. 9-year-old beautiful christina ylor green, recently elected to student council. gave zimmerman, a dedicated staffer who was just on the cusp of his own life, recently engaged. judge john roll, highly respected judge who came by to thank gabby for her support at the judiciary. phyllis schneck who was a tireless voluner at her local

church. dorwin stoddard who shielded his dear wife. and dorothy morris who was married to her husband a long time, who was there but who survived. my thoughts and prayers remain with gabby and with each victim and their families. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields . the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: madam speaker, i yield to the gentleman from kentucky, mr. guthrie, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized forwo minutes. mr. guthrie: thank you, madam speaker. i appreciate the opportunity to be here, to offer my thoughts and prayers for gabby, our colleague. like all of us here, any interaction i've had with her was always pleasant and memorable and i look forward to her returning, pray for her return, pray for her staff and pray for the other victims. i want to hold mr. upton: one victim this morning. i didn't know dorwin stoddard but through a close network of

friends i've had the opportunity to learn a little bit about dorwin stoddard and he's the one that shielded s wife with his own body, saving her life but losing his own. and he and his wife were having breakfast and decided they wanted to go to the congress on the corner to give gabby encouragement for the new year and the new year in congress, to encourage her. he loved the bible, he loved the scriptures in its simplest and purest form and wanted to live them which is evidence in his life. he's very involved in church work. he ran the benevolence program which lived up to christ's challenge to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. and we know he internalized the scripture because of his last act. of his last act. and i don't know this, but i think i can say without fear of contradiction there were many times he's probably sitting in church waiting for the minister to deliver a sermon on marriage and i'm sure the text was one when it said, husband, love your wifes as christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

what love he had for his wife and what faith he had in god. thrulte his life, he aspired to -- throughout s life he aspired to do good. through his life, let us all inspire to dour best. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona. mr. pastor: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. green: madam speaker, today we are one and we are resolute. we are one because we understand that there really is but one race and that is the human race. we are one because as dr. king put it, all of humanity was created by one common creator to live in harmony from a base black to a treble white, we ar one and we are resolute. we are resolute in our belief that one day our friend, our sister will return to the floor

of this congress, to this hall, and she will stand at this podium and she will be welcomed by her colleagues as she returns and takes a rightful place in the halls of the congress of the united states of america. we are one and we are resolute because we believe that an innocent baby was taken from us and that innocent baby, though she is not with us in the physical, she will forever be th us in the spiritual as long as we remember who she was and never forget that we cannot allow the innocent to betolen from us without our taking the time to pause and be grateful for the time that we hadith the innocent. we are one a we are resolute. but we must also be resolute in a basic premise that dr. king called to our attention and that is that we must learno live together as brothers and sisters or we will perish together as fools. we are one and we are resolute.

i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: thank you, madam speaker. i now yield two minutes to the gentleman from minnesota, mr. paulson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlemafrom minnesota is recognized for two minutes. mr. paulsen: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today in contribute to my friend and colleague, representative gabrielle giffords, one of many victims of a very senseless act of violence this past saturday. i've had the pleasure of knowing gabby and her husband mark, astronaut mark kelly, for several years, even before either of us set foot in this chamber. in my district office there's a photo of gabby, myself and others who were part of a fellowship program which was created to explore the responsibilities of public leadership, advanced thoughtful, civil, bipartisan dialogue and help america's leaders achieve their full potential. gabby is so much about all of these ideals. i found myself looking at this photo over the last few days quite often and i couldn't help but think that all of our

communities could use a few more individuals like gabby whose bright smile and kind heart have come to define her tenure here in congress. for many of us here today, the news of the tragedy was gut wrenching. it's hard to believe that just a few days before this senseless attack, my family and i were out visiting at the air and space museum at dulles airport when we heard someone shut out my name. it was gabby's husband, mark, with gabby and her parents in toe and we spent the next several minutes talking and as friends often do recalling some of our good memories such as when i joined gabby with two of my daughters at one of mark's space shuttle launches in florida. over the past fedays the have been many moving tributes to gabby and all of them a true. she leads by example with her fighting spirit, her diligent work ethic and friendly, constant smile and it's my hope that we can follow in gabby's footsteps over the next several weeks and as hard as it may be,

show the same bright smile and kind heart that she has shown all of us. my thoughts and prayers remain with gabby and her husband mark and their family. gabby's staff and all of the victims and their families as >> tomorrow, all look with john lott. also the executive director for the national organization for mental on this. then we will discuss the government's report on the oil spill. "washington journal" begins live it 7:00 a.m. eastern time on c- span. >> live tomorrow, tavis smiley lead to discussion on jobs and the american future.

beginning at simpy critics 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> lawmakers gathered on the house floor to pay tribute to rock representative -- to representative gabrielle giffords. all the comments of your congressman, track daily time lines, and read transcripts of every house and senate session. congressional chronicle -- it is washington your way. >> on washington journal, we talked with someone from the broking institution and douglas brinkley about how the country has reacted to similar acts of violence in the past. this is 40 minutes. we want to welcome to the table in washington thomas mann, a senior fellow at the brookings institution. joining us from austin, texas is doug brinkley.

mr. brinkley, let me begin with you. first, let's begin with the role of the president. what is it? guest: the president has to become healer in chief. the whole country, after an event like tucson, is hurting. there are not any easy answers. were not sure if there will be a big congressional debate over the gun selling policy. we are not sure if there will be increased security on congressional candidates or the people in state houses or governors' mansions. what we do know is that the behavior we witnessed, and we're all feeling a disdain for this young man who would shoot innocent people -- somebody has got to move us beyond this mourning area and frame it for us. president obama is going to

arizona today, very much like bill clinton in 1995 and ronald reagan with the challenger disaster in 1986, will have to say words to kill the family and soothe our national move, -- he al the family and sued our national -- sooth our national mood. at the end of the speech, has to give some hope. i recently reread bill clinton's oklahoma city speech. he talked about planting trees on the lawn of the white house. he also needs to make tuscon feel good. it's a wonderful state. the state is still in very ostracized and hurt. he needs to kind of bring that

state back into the union, if you'd like, emotionally. host: "the arizona daily" has a piece from the arizona -- a note from the obamas, "despite tragedy, this is a good town." thomas mann, according to the paper, he has to steer clear of politics. guest: i think that's very right. if there was any intimation that he is trying to garner political advantage from this, the opportunity for the country would be lost. i think doug is exactly right. it is particularly important, seeing the reaction of last couple of days. i'm not talking about tuscon. i'm talking about the broader, a political partisan debate that has ensued as to whose fault it

is and rather than he did, ugly, violence prone rhetoric is coming from one side or the other -- in some way, cost this. i think it is a reflection of our times. in some respects, the worst of our times. president obama needs to get us beyond that. i suspect that is what he is going to try to do. host: here is a headline in "the new york times." mr. mann, what is the role of the speaker of the house? guest: i think that is quite accurate. i think speaker boehner has risen to the occasion so far. the early maneuvering is in this congress suggested open partisan

war over repealing the health care act and intense battles over domestic spending. speaker boehner immediately sensed the new situation and cancel the -- cancelled the media business and is doing his utmost to tone down the rhetoric. frankly, that's what is needed right now. we need to tone it down. i think that the speaker is a constitutional officer of the united states, not simply the leader of the majority. he or she has a responsibility to speak on behalf of the entire congress and country. i think boehner understands that. host: here is "usa today"

looking back at tragedies that have happened in our country and what past presidents had to say. this is what president reagan had to say after the challenger accident. >> ladies and gentlemen, the events of earlier today led me to change the plans. today is a day for mourning and remembering. we are pained to the court over the tragedy of the shuttle challenger. this is truly a national loss. 19 years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. we never lost an astronaut in flight. we've never had a tragedy like this. perhaps we have forgotten the courage it took of the crew. challenger -- they were aware of the challenges, overcame them, and did their jobs bravely.

we mourn seven heroes. host: doug brinkley, what did you hear and what was the reaction? guest: it was a peggy noonan speech. ronald reagan did an excellent job of paying homage to the people who died in challenger. the difference in a speech like that, however, is when you go into a space program, the risks are so high. anytime you go into space, you know it could be your last time ally that any moment. as part of the risks of joining the space program. in this time in tuscon, is a congresswoman doing a meet and greet at a local store. it creates a different kind of morning. -- mourning. there's a lot of political warfare and partisan bickering over what happened in tuscon. that was not the case in the challenger. our country was unified.

obama has a tougher task, in a way. he has got to not stoke hate rhetoric against him or against his opposition. he has to keep an even killed -- keel tone. bill clinton at oklahoma city is the analogous speech. when you're looking at tuscon and looking at other assassinations or assassination attempts, is almost eerily similar to what happened to the assassination of george wallace in maryland, where you had a real misanthropic cook who was keeping diaries and just wanted to be noticed and fumbled the job and could not even kill the person he was after. i see real similarities to that. also in the sense of wallace and congresswoman giffords, not

everyone was interested in gabby giffords or george wallace's movement. it was a periphery event. something like oklahoma city had a tragic consequence that made us rethink terrorism. oklahoma city broke a climate of partisan warfare down a notch. most americans are not in the mood right now for a partisan food fight this week about what went wrong in tuscon. people would like to have a proper mourning. host: the memorial service with president obama gets under way this evening at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. "usa today" notes that past presidents'messages have customarily invoked national pride and resolve. mr. thomas mann, is that also the role of congress?

when you think of pictures after 9/11 and members coming together. guest: absolutely. it's part of a way of showing national unity in the face of crisis or trauma or a horrific outbreak of violence. frankly, members of congress do not come together very often. they are separated in the party caucuses. the level of debate is heated. these occasions call for something very different. it is not that the rhetoric of politics caused this mentally unbalanced person to commit violence. it is that sad occasion provides

an opportunity to try to tone down the intensity of partisan debate. that is what you will see unfolding over the next several days. host: let's get to your phone calls. the topic this morning is -- the u.s. aftermath of tragedies in the united states. north carolina, and jim on the republican line. go ahead. good morning. you are on the air. caller: good morning. can you hear me? host: we can. please go ahead. caller: in my opinion, we overdo this national mourning stuff. we are a big country. we have stuff like this happen every day in this country. you just do not hear about them. it's a good thing we do not have the current crop of americans when we were crossing the great plains on wagon trains and people will lose their

lives. they would bury them and say a prayer and go about their business. that's what we need to do. we need to bury our dead. we need to attend to the wounded. we need to comfort -- let the families mourn in private. host: doug brinkley, is this overdone? guest: i disagree completely with the caller. we are not a country that is not used to pulling out a block and a blasting congress people in the face. i find the cholera living in some fantasy wild west division of america -- caller living in some fantasy wild kamala and has been a part of american history, certainly, but even curtailing violence is what he is talking about. we have a situation of a psychotic killer in a city like to son and is bringing a fear to people. i am a father.

i cannot like the idea of my family being gunned down at a shopping center because somebody is cleared for a semi-automatic weapon who has records of being mentally unstable. this is something we have to pay attention to and not just bury our dead. to listen not havwant to a fuel tonight, nobody is forcing him to. go take a walk. host: next phone call. caller: i just want to say, united we stand, divided we fall. in this critical time, we are divided like never before. look at bush before 9/11. nobody liked him. the word on the street was that he stole the election, but after

9/11, everyone loved him. mr. brinkley, the president has had no power since president kennedy was killed. the shadow government controls everything. host: mr. brinkley, if you could address his comments to you. guest: that is a well-known conspiracy-type thing. presidents have enormous power, they can declare war when they want to, the ability to use rhetoric -- you mentioned ronald reagan, i talked about bill clinton -- and they are able to move the country through their words. we talk about the gettysburg address a lot because lincoln struck the right tone at the right time. i do not think that we are in a

time of declining power for the president. guest: it is hard to underestimate the extent to which obama has come out of nowhere and be elected president of the ad states, nor can one underestimate the markey has put on his administration in the first two years in office. he is not a tool of some other powerful force pulling the strings. of course, he operates in a democratic, constitutional system, and he relies on others for advice, but that sounds much to like a conspiracy to me.

host: you talked about the tone and the timing of what the president said. how important, for both of you, is it that a president responds quickly? while the president may want to stay clear of politics, there is a political cost to not striking the right tone and timing. guest: i do not know if it is as much a matter of the quickness, but he has to be apropos. we had the national moment of silence, and now appropriately, going to tucson. there will be a lot of the motion there. you are dealing with a traumatized community. i am sure the president will rise to the occasion and give a fitting memorial speech, a healing speech. he is good at this. what he did not want to do is

what happened during the bp oil spill where he had a sense of callousness, did not get down there quick enough, started the drumbeat of don't you care? this time, in tucson, he is doing all the right things and has taken precisely the right tone. host: this view were e-mails -- viewer e-mails in -- "the new york times" writes about this upcoming state of the union address -- excuse me, it is "of washington post."

getting past the pep rally. what they suggest is republicans and democrats do not fit on their separate sides and you do not have that symbolic picture of one side jumping up to applaud and the other side sitting there. guest: it would be an interesting experiment. you may have some republicans and democrats get to know one another. this is common in decades past. often times, members would get together, members with sharp differences -- say, bob dole and george mcgovern redo could fight it out on the floor and then walk out -- could fight it out on the floor and then walked out together. i do not want to diminish the importance of philosophical

differences that are meant to be fought out, but the other side is not the enemy. they are simply americans with a different take. that is the sentiment we need to see coming out of congress and reaching the public. host: bridgeport, ohio. tom, you are on the air. caller: i resent the way that this assailant has been described as being politically motiva to commit these crimes. it is pretty dastardly than one political party could use this as motivation, criticizing republican propaganda. i think the democrats are wrong

about that. guest: i do not think that is the argument being made. virtually all the commentary has acknowledged this young man seems to be seriously concerned -- disturbed mentally, and his ramblings were absolutely incoherent. there was no explicit evidence of taking signals from sarah palin or glenn beck. liberals are not saying that and it is a mistake for the caller to fall into that same partisan trap -- all those bad democrats are saying this. what we are saying is, let's tone it down. the tone was not the cause of the disaster, but it brings to mind for many americans -- i know members of congress feel

this way -- it is a little bit scary when a representational process, like a meeting, creates the possibility of a vulnerability of the lives of ordinary americans. there is so much hate in the air. host: this is an e-mail from a viewer talking about the mental health treatment system in arizona, calling it the poorest in the country -- linda is a republican in orlando, florida. go ahead. caller: you all are historians, so i want you to put this in light of history. there was a story in the paper yesterday talking about past

violence with politicians. in the past 111 years, there have been 10 incidences of shooting, -- i am sorry, eight incidences and 10 people killed. that is over 111 years. i am not try to make light of that at all but for people to think that this happens frequently, i do not think it does. host: douglas brinkley? guest: keep in mind, this is somebody actualizing an event in tucson. congress people constantly get death threats. here at c-span, you probably get some incredibly crazy people that call in or right in. they are out there.

there is a percentage of the country that is not stable. we have to figure out a way to address that. one question, it was mentioned in an e-mail, how do all states better deal with mental health? that is something that we need to look at. semi-d we be giving semioti automatic weapons to someone just because they are 21 and have a driver's license? the gun lobby is very strong in the united states. here in texas, we have a land commissioner that is pushing for people to carry guns on city buses. recently, he said, i should have shot my opponent when i had the chance.

there is a kind of gun culture to texas and the southwest, and it is fine if you are doing it as feeder, but when you have young people actualizing it, it becomes a problem. these states need to stop making guns into a fetish. host: arcadia, florida. richard, you are next. go ahead. caller: i hate to say this, but one of the problems we have is in the white house. our president is a divider, not a united, and he is definitely a radical. the progressive left are going to use this event from this

deranged lunatic, and politics did not play any role in this, but they are going to use this for their agenda. we have to look at president obama's action when he first came into the white house. brinkley?est douglas guest: his description of the president is part of the problem. his actions, endorsements would put him it very much in the mainstream of american politics. there is this belief that there is a radical in the white house who does not deserve to be there. that kind of demonization

fuels' an anger and rhetoric that is really quite destructive of our politics. i would say to the caller, cool it, tone it down, talk to someone who sees things differently than you and see if we cannot get back to some point of reasonable deliberation and compromise. host: did you see a similar pattern when george bush was in office and rhetoric coming from the left? guest: yes, there was. people on the left would say that george bush was like hitler, our new stolid. -- stallin. it went overboard and over the line. it seems to have grown. i did not know where it began.

it may have been some years back with the clarence thomas supreme court appointment, it may have started with the woodward and bernstein when the press became a powerful, at the same time with nixon. we are in a period right now where we have to call our jets -- calm our jets. we are turning people off on politics. what people are engaging in is finger-pointing over every incident. even this incident in tucson, people are pointing fingers. i am not sure talk radio had played in this man's life. as a writer, i write books, but

there is tv, violence everywhere. we cannot go blame everything on oliver stone. this movie caused the crime in columbine. it is a dangerous game. we need to look how we look at mental illness issues. there was a trail. how do we get help for the people when they are young? we need to take a real look at a country that is just drenched in guns and making sure that the right people are getting a license. these people are getting these weapons to kill. host: a tweet from cspanjunkie -- an e-mail from a viewer --

let's go to floyd. butler, tennessee. republican line. caller: i am an old man, a republican, and i have been around. i have seen a whole lot of stuff. i tell you, in the last 30 years, the republicans that made me a republican when i was young would roll over in their graves if they saw what was happening today. host: thomas mann? guest: i spent quite a bit of time speaking to former

republican elected office holders who are distressed with the developments in their own party and in our politics. it is really such that it becomes a crime to think about compromising with the enemy, yet our entire system is predicated on people with diverse views coming together and trying to understand what is behind other arguments, interests. but that has been taken out of our politics, no compromise, stand on principle, reclaim american for real americans. i am not sure if it is connected to the tucson event. as doug said, the real roots of this are in the personal problems of the individual

involved. but it calls for a larger problem in the country that we need to deal with. host: gregory in manhattan. you are on the air. caller: good morning. hopefully, i will be able to express what i have to say. short. keep it sor america has a history of violence. when the indians were here, we came over and they were destroyed. there were lynchings in america. most people are not born prejudice, but they are led to become presidentprejudice. the guy who called earlier

wondering who president obama actually is, greta, you came back with a balanced response and mentioned president bush. the supreme court annointed him president. he took us to a war where we were not really supposed to. that is a responsibility that bush has to take personally. lastly, but not least lee, fox news. nobody with a college degree can stand there and actually believe that the intention behind fox news is to be fair and balanced. host: i think we have addressed this. more of a common than a question. let's move onto trevor. independent line. caller: there is a tendency of the government to react to

tragedy called tragedy reaction solution. it is part of a dialect that the government has practiced for years to divide and promote a certain agenda. you two men are educated and i am sure you are aware of the hegelian dialectic. a couple of examples of this would be the christmas day bomber, which i might add, the story was broken by the detroit press when the state department helped that man get on the plane. then right after that, what did we get? scanners. what did begin after 9/11? the patriot act. now after this shooting incident, what do we get? we are getting, tone down the rhetoric, as things get worse in the country, as employment

rises, as food prices rise. as people become more discontent, obviously, that anger will be targeted toward the so-called public servants we have. host: douglas brinkley? guest: clearly, there is a lot of pressure put on politicians, especially in a recession. we talk about the new deal, but you talk about some of the things that were said about fdr in the 1930's. many people used to slur him as rosenfeld, making an anti- semitic connection to fdr. even when he was being attacked as being a socialist, with anger

during the great depression, there seemed to be rules of engagement. photographers did not take photographs of him in a wheelchair. there are only a couple that exist of him in his braces because of his polio. this was done out of respect. unfriendly newspapers did not want to disrespect office of the presidency. we do not see that anymore. anything is fair game. we are in a new era and i do not know if the past is helpful in this new information age. we are still trying to figure out how we can use technology solely to our advantage because there are a lot of disadvantages to becoming wired. while it can be egalitarian, the internet as a mob quality to it sometimes.

host: i want to show you the video that was put out by sarah palin this morning, reacting to the criticism that has been put toward her and the shooting over the weekend. >> there are those who claim political rhetoric is to blame for the despicable act of this deranged, apparently a political criminal. they claim political debate has become more heated recently. when was that less heated? back in the old days when political figures literally settle their differences with pistols? our founding fathers knew they were not designing a system for perfect men and women. if men and women were angels, there would be no need for government. our founders genius was to design a system to settle the inevitable conflicts caused by our passions in civil ways.

we must condemn violence if our republic is to endure. host: thomas mann, your reaction? guest: sarah palin is under a taylor deal of pressure right now. she is very effective in coming up with colorful rhetoric. -- fair deal of pressure right anow. i think she feels unfairly attacked. what she is saying is it has always been this way. we have had heated rhetoric in our history, get over it. we just have to live with it. i really think that is the comment of a political player and not of a national leader. if our president said that tonight, i think the country

would feel let down. we need an appeal to our better angels. yes, it is tough, there are disagreements, differences, intensity, but we do not need major political figures, especially in our two major political parties, to further fuel that animosity. we need someone to bring us together. host: doug brinkley, there has been a lot made about sarah palin not saying anything in reaction until this morning. what do you make of her timing this morning with this video? guest: i think she was feel compelled to do something. instead of going on a morning show and being drilled by a reporter, she put out a statement. it seemed a little bit defiant. she is feeling defensive.

she is having to defend the tea party movement, to whom she has been a leader of. i think she felt like she needed to step up. it is not a speech that you would hear from a states person or someone active in politics. it is someone leading a movement in which guns are a big part of the movement. it goes back to her talking about those in american history. well, we used to also shoot native americans on the spot. part of the great thing about america is a change. i think her argument that violence has always been there, so chin up everybody, we settle our disputes that way -- i do not find her comments