may help her maintain her leadership in the tea party movement. host: douglas brinkley joining us from austin, texas. thank you. you are also coming out with a new book. thank you very much. >> on tomorrows "washington journal" a look at state and local gun laws. also comet executive director of the national alliance on s.lness the dat "washington journal" beings at

7:00 a.m. eastern time. >> coming up, and tonight memorial service in tucson, ariz.. >> a discussion on the war, the economy, and america's future. >> middle and high school students, it is time to upload your video propelle the your video. it is owed three open to

students. >> president obama spoke at a memorial service earlier tonight for the victims of saturday's shooting in tucson, arizona. other speakers included to an appalling tunnel -- janet nap olitano and janet brewere. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, tucson, and america. [applause] ♪

["fanfare for the common man" playing] ♪

♪ [applause]

>> welcome. let me start in the traditional way by introducing myself. i am carlist and solace. on my mother's side, i am -- carlos gonzales. on my mother's side, i am mexican. on my waterside, i am yacci refugee from mexico. we have been here -- i am degeneration in the valley in tucson. -- i am his generation in the

valley in tucson. -- fifth generation. please understand i am not of medicine man. i am forced enough to teach here at this university and fortune on up to learn the sacred ways in the sacred words so that i can share them with them. i have been given permission by my elders to say blessings of this type, all the to tell the truth, i have never done one for so many people. [laughter] so i have been fortunate to grow up in this great country where a poor kid -- [applause] from the south side of tucson -- [cheers and applause] new

could get a fine education at the university of arizona. and then better, to come back as a teacher and teach students at this institution. so with that, i would start the blessing after my brief introduction. i have to do it the traditional way. it is the way we do it. for those of you that no the traditional blessing way, please feel free to do it. let me begin. oh creator, i come to get a blessing, a blessing at this time -- to give the a blessing, a blessing at this time of disunity. please after hearing my blessing

and my prayer, let us work toward harmony, toward wholeness and balance sheet. honoring theby eastern door from where we get visions and guidance. make each of us get the vision and guidance to proceed in a good way. from the southern dorks where we get the energies of the champ -- doors where we get the energies of the families, let us honor the families of those that passed on, of those that are healing, and also let us honor our own families. let us remain humble and also use humor when appropriate, for

humor is healing and can help people. from the western door, please let us honor the sacred ways and our sacred and ancestors. without them we would not be here. oh creator, that is the door through which those who have passed on have walked to the next world. let us honor them as they pass on. let us also look within ourselves to see how we can improve and be better human beings. from the northern door where we receive challenges and the strength and meet those challenges, let us all receive strained to meet the challenges that face our great country. please give us that strength as we proceed. trump bought their sky where we

get the masculine energy, -- from hobart skied -- father sky where we get they've masculine energy for protection, and give us that energy. from mother earth, where we get the feminine energy, less get the energy to help those that need it and those that ask for our help. these energies, the masculine energy, and the feminine industry -- energy, let them come together in our center where the creator exists, where each of us has a piece of the creator. please, you have given us eat a gift. may we use these kits to help our fellow human beings. of creator, let us bless the families of those that have lost their loved ones.

let us bless the family of those that are healing. let us bless those people that are here today. let us bless those that are outside in greater tucson and arizona and in our country. let us bless them so that they too can hill from this tragedy that has -- heal from this tragedy that has occurred. oh creator, if i may, my son is on afghanistan. a little blessing to him, too. [applause] 0 creator, let us not forget our fellow teachers, those that stand, those that blow on the wind, those that are tall and stately. those that call on the earth,

those that slither on the earth, those that live under the year. let us remember and less the winged ones, those that swim in the water, but for legged and also our brothers, but to let it, they walk throughout this world. now we all come together at this time and made the words of the people here sing again to their hearts so that state to can heal -- so that they can heal. oh creator, i ask this humbly. i ask this of that we can all once again achieve harmony and balance in our lives. oh creator, welcome. we welcome those people that come to our beloved city, the beloved city of tucson. welcome here and please bless

each and everyone here. with that, i would like to and my blessing -- end my blessings. [applause] >> please welcome robert shelton, president of the university of arizona. >> good evening. on behalf of the faculty, staff, and the students of the university of arizona here in tucson, ariz. -- [applause] i am privileged to welcome you to "together we thrive, tucson

and america." our thanks to the doctor for offering tonight's blessing. [applause] when sean now the lead in the national anthem by the tucson symphony orchestra, conducted by george hansen and sung by a doctoral student in music here at the university of arizona. ["star spangled banner" playing] >> ♪ osage can you seeing oh say can you see by the dawn's

early light and the rockets' red glare the bombs bursting in air gave approval through the night that our flag was still there oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave land of the free and the home of the brave ♪ [applause]

>> please be seated. tonight we had gathered here as a community to mourn the tragic and senseless loss. we are here to try in a small way to bring comfort to those whose lives had been forever changed by an act so heinous that it is simply impossible to comprehend. no one who lives here was untouched by the events of last saturday. over the past few days, i have repeatedly heard people ask, "how could such a thing have happened and how could it have happened here, in our town, and

to people so loved and so it mired?" one of the characteristics that has struck me about tucson, of vast metropolitan area of 1 million people, it can function so much like a small college town. [applause] it is in the truest and best sense of the word a community where people know each other and care about each other. the university of arizona sits in the middle of that committee, both literally and figuratively. by hosting this ceremony, we hope that we can begin the process of healing.

tonight we have a chance to pray for those who were wanted -- wounded, remember those that were lost, and remember our commitment to each other. representative gabrielle giffords is a good friend of mine, as she is almost everyone in this community. [applause] this attack on her and on her constituents, our neighbors, our friends, has changed us all. the question we have to answer is whether that change will make us angry and afraid, or whether it will inspire us to commit to building a more sensible and caring world. [applause]

tucson is a city that is unique for its diversity and its passion. so many of you would come out tonight speaks to our unity of spirit and our desire to stand by our friends and our neighbors in this time of great need. [applause] our society has many serious challenges, but fortunately we have a great leadership to help us through these difficult times. many of those leaders are here with us tonight to offer their support. [applause]

to offer their support to the families and friends so tragically affected by the events of last saturday. among the many heroes this week was one of our students, daniel hernandez, jr. -- [cheers and applause]

daniel showed extraordinary ploys at a most difficult moment. you see he is here tonight what the president of the associated students of the universe of a -- the university of at arizona. please welcome them at this time. [applause] >> good evening. i like to start by expressing my sincere gratitude to everyone in the tucson and diversity -- and university community for coming here to sell your support for those affected by a heartbreaking events of this weekend. it is uplifting to see everyone tonight and to witness the outpouring of support for all of

you -- from all of you. we need to take a moment and recognize that the victims on saturday or attending congresswoman gabby giffords' event in order to take place in the democratic process. it was something she has spent the better part of her life serving. like many students here and other young people, i have had the opportunity to interact with gabby and her staff as an intern. and to gain a sense of appreciation and inspiration for public service in its most genuine form. from my experience, i believe the of one of the things gabby would want us to take away from saturday is that we need to continue to be devoted public servants and citizens. on saturday -- [applause]

on saturday, violence reared its ugly head to silence our voice in government, but we know our command and you will not be silent and our representatives will not be silent. [applause] one of the most expressive examples of the spirit is my friend standing next to me, daniel hernandez. [applause] many of you had heard his story as someone who displayed courage and heroism in the face of danger. as someone who knew daniel before he had been called a hero, as a friend, the one who stayed up late with me many late nights of work and brought me many cups of coffee, i was not surprised to hear of his actions and selfless courage. toomey daniel exemplifies the spirit of used and in individual committed to his friends,

community, and greater humanity. daniel is only a representation of many that stepped up and took action. those individuals are a symbol of the character found throughout this community, and thus the potential to act with kindness and to rise up when we have been called to do so. [applause] it is with great honor that i introduce to you, my friend, daniel hernandez, to say a few words. [applause] >> thank you, thank you. thank you. i would like to start up by thinking in a late but also with a few words, but first of which is e pluribus unum.

never have those words been more true than today. we have come together. on saturday, we all became tucsonians, we became an arizonans, and above all, we became the americans. despite those actions, we saw glimmers of hope. these glimmers of hope come from people who are the real heroes. although i appreciate the sentiment, i must humbly reject the use of the word hero because i am not one. that heroes are people like pam simon. [applause] gave zimmerman, who unfortunately we lost that day. ron barber, the first responders, and also people like dr. rhee, who've done an amazing

job in making certain gabby is ok and those that are injured are being treated to the best of our ability. [applause] thank you. we have all come together to realize that what a fine says is not the differences, it is that we are all together, we are all a family, we are all americans. we must recognize that the real heroes i mentioned are those that dedicated their life to public service, whether direct care in nursing, or being a position, or being a great representative like congresswoman giffords, or being a staffer, they are the people we should be honoring and they are the people we need to keep and our thoughts and prayers. i thank you for this opportunity but i say we must reject the title of hero and reserve it for

those who deserve it, and those who deserve it are the public servants in the first responders and the people making sure they have dedicated their life to taking care about is. with that, i thank you all. [applause] >> these two young students are examples of why i am so proud of this university. they should get all of us a great sense of hope for our future. thank you, daniel. thank you, emily. [applause]

i am now honored to bring to the lectern the leader of our state. she is providing great leadership at a difficult and challenging time. please welcome to the podium the governor of the state of arizona, the honorable jan brewer. [applause] >> thank you, and thank you president shelton. mr. president, mrs. obama, the justice kennedy, attorney general holder, secretary napolitano, minority leader pelosi, and my fellow arizonans, good evening. let me say again, thank you, daniel, for your very uncommon courage that likely couragegabby giffords -- on

common courage that likely saved gabby giffords' life. mr. president, i thank you for coming today to help us with our healing. [applause] in the aftermath of saturday, your words have been a source of comfort and strength to every arizonan. your presence serves as a reminder that we are not alone in our sorrow. america agrees with us. this great nation stands ready to help our wounded heal, to join in morning aulos beyond measure. loss beyond

measure. a day that began as a warm arizona morning, neighbors were grocery shopping, running errands, they were gathering to meet their congresswoman, to see the gabby giffords smile all of us know so well. there is no way -- [applause] there is no way to quantify loss of a fine public service like united states district court judge john roll. [applause] there is no way to measure the depth of good people parents and grandparents liked dorwin stoddard, phyllis schneck, and

dot morris. gave zimmerman, also killed, only 30 years old, devoted to social work and a fighter for justice. [applause] there is absolutely no measure in the ad debt of the void someone like gabe leaves behind. we also lost christina-taylor green. born on another day of a unparalleled sadness, september 11, 2001, christina was only 9

years old. she was a new member of the student council at mesa verde at elementary school. she loved ballet, swimming, and baseball. we can never know what christina might have come. we cannot imagine what the families of our six innocent neighbors are appealing. nor could we known the pain of the wounded, some whom are still struggling for their lives. gunfire did not just take six lives, and injure others. it pierced our sense of well- being. it raised questions of which we can make no sense, questions begging for answers that will not come at any time soon. i know this -- arizona it is united in a mission of recovery. this state, bound together by

prayer and action and hope and faith, will not be shredded by one madman's act of darkness. [applause] we have come to understand, aided by your presence, that we are being lifted up by the thoughts and prayers of others who mourn with us. we will remember how to smile again. i know arizona. i know every corner. i know it's proud, courageous citizens. we will go forward together, patient and tribulation, devoted to prayer, we will go forward unbending, unbowed. in the words of abraham lincoln, "if it is a way which is plain, peaceful, and generous, and jos. it is a way in which followed,

god will forever blas." may god bless all the victims, their families, and those suffering from saturday's tragedy. made the -- may god bless those whose service in the cause of freedom and of justice. may he bless you and your families and our great state of arizona. and may god always bless and protect the united states of america. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, governor romer. confronting the challenges of our nation's security is an enormous security. we are safer as a country

because we have the right person leading that effort. please now welcome back to arizona, our former governor and the current secretary of homeland security, janet napolitano. [applause] >> thank you. thank you, tucson. thank you, arizona. [applause] >> we know that of violence that

occurred saturday does not represent this community, this state, or this country. [applause] at these times, words can fail us. so let us listen instead to the words of the old testament. and i will provide a reading now from the book of isaiah. comfort, yes, comfort my people, says your guide. speak comfort to jerusalem and cry out to her that her warfare is ended, that her inequity is part in, for she has received from the lord's hand double for all her sands. the loss of one crying in the

wilderness, prepare the way of the lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our god. every valley shall be exalted in every mountain and hill brought low. the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth. the glory of the lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together for the mouth of the lord hath spoken. lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these things. who brings out their hosts by number? he calls them all by name, by the greatness of his might and the strength of his power, not one is missing. why do you say, at jacob, and speak, israel, my way as hidden from the board and might just claim is passed over by my god? had you not heard the everlasting god, the lord, the creator of the ends of the

earth, neither banks nor is weary? his understanding is unsearchable. he gives power to the week ended those who have no might, he increases strength. even the use of paint and the weary and a young man shall utterly false. but those who wait on this board shall renew their strength. they shall mount up with wings like eagles. they shall run and not be weary. they will walk and not faint. this is the word of the lord. [applause] >> thank you, secretary napolitano.

[applause] i am honored now to introduce the leader of the united states department of justice. he is our nation's leading law enforcement official. please welcome the attorney general of the united states, eric holder. [applause] >> thank you. far -- likell reads secondi'll read from corinthians. since we have the same spirit of faith of his hand that wrote, i believe and so i spoke, we too believe and so we speak, knowing

that he who raised the lord jesus will raise us also with cheeses and bring us with you into his presence. for it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people, it may extend thanksgiving to the glory of god. so we do not lose heart, though i our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day. for this slight momentary of affliction is preparing us for of gloryal waeight beyond comparison. we let not the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen, are eternal.

we know that if the earthly 10th we live in is destroyed, we have a building from god, i house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. this is the lords words. [applause] >> i think you can see by ed those who are in the program and by the many dignitaries and elected officials in the audience how deeply our country was affected by the terrible events last saturday.

we are truly honored to have a leader of our great nation with us here tonight. [applause] we are obviously saddened by the circumstances that have brought president and mrs. obama to tucson. but we're comforted, we are comforted by their compassion and inspired by their determination to reach out and help. america has been blessed through its glorious terry hits in history by committed president's who often in great personal sacrifice step forward to lead us to better futures and greater hope. barack obama assumed the presidency at a perilous time in our history. we are fortunate to have someone with his intellect, his energy,

and his heart to leave us forward. please welcome the president of the united states, barack obama. [cheers and applause] >> thank you, thank you. thank you very much. thank you. thank you very much. thank you. please be seated. [cheers and applause] to the families of those we have

lost, to all who call them friends, to the students of this university, the public servants gathered here, the people of tucson, and the people of arizona -- i have come here tonight as an american who like all americans kneel to pray with you today and will stand by you tomorrow. there is nothing i can say that hole.fill the sudden in your hearts. but no this -- the hopes of the

nation are here tonight. we mourn with you for the fallen, we join you in your grief, and we add our faith to your so that gabrielle to giffords and the other victims of this tragedy will pull through. scripture tells us there is a river whose stream makes glad the city of god, a holy place where the most holy dwell. god is within her. she will not fall. god will help her at break of

day. on saturday morning, gabby, her staff, and many of her constituents gathered outside a supermarket to exercise their rights to peacefully assemble and free speech. [applause] they were fulfilling a central tenet of the democracy envisioned by our founders. representatives of the people answering questions to their constituents, who carry their concerns back to our nation's capital. gabby called it congress on your corner. the updated version of

government of, and by, and for the people. [applause] and that quintessentially american scene, that was the scene shattered by a gunman's bullets. and the six people who lost their lives on saturday, they too represented what is best in us, what is best in america. judge john roll served our legal system for nearly 40 years. [applause] a graduate of this university and a graduate of this law school.

[applause] judge roll was recommended for the federal bench by john mccain 20 years ago. appointed by george h. w. bush, and rose to become arizona's chief federal judge. [applause] his colleagues describe him as the hardest working judge within the ninth circuit. he was on his way back from attending mass, as he did every day. he decided to stop by and say hi to his representative. john is survived by his loving wife, maureen. his three sons and his five beautiful grandchildren. [applause]

georgian dorothy morris -- george and dorothy morris, dot to her friends, did everything together. their friends call that a 50- year honeymoon. saturday morning, they went by the safe way to hear what their congresswoman had to say. gunfire rang out, and george, the former marine, instinctively shielded his wife. [applause] both were shot. dot passed away. a new jersey native, phyllis schneck, retired to tucson to

beat the snow. in the summer she would return east where world revolved around her three children, the seven grandchildren, and day 2-year- old great granddaughter. she often worked under her favorites tree. she would sell eight friends with the logos of the jets and the giants to give out at the church where she volunteered. a republican, she took a liking to gabby and wanted to get to know her better. [applause] dorwin and mavy moved apart.

they started their own respective families. but when both were widowed, they found their way back. daughter puty's it, to be boyfriend and girlfriend again. you could find them just up the road, helping folks in need at the mountain avenue church of christ. of retired construction worker, dorwin spent his spare -- spare time fixing up the church with his dog, spot. his final act of selfless this was to dive on top of his wife, sacrificing his life for her. [applause] everything gabe zimmerman did, he did with passion. [applause]

his true passion was helping people. heby's outreach director, made the care is of thousands of our constituents his own. he saw to it that seniors got to keep medicare benefits that they have earned. that veterans got the metals and care that they deserved. that government was working for ordinary folks. he died doing what he loved, talking with people and seeing how he could help. gabe is survived by his parents, his brother, and his fiancee who he plan to marry next year. [applause] and then there is 9-year-old christina-taylor green.

christina was a a student, a dancer, a gymnast, a swimmer. she decided she wanted to be the first woman to play in the major leagues. as the only girl on her little league team, no one put it past her. [applause] she showed an appreciation for life and common -- uncommon for a girl her age. she told her mother, we are so blessed. she paid those backed by participating in a charity that helped children who were less fortunate. our hearts are broken by their sudden passing.

our hearts are broken. and yet our hearts also have reason for fullness. our hearts are full of hopes and thanks for the people who survive the shooting, including the congresswoman many went to sea on saturday. i have just come from the university medical center just a mile from here, where our friends gabby courageously fights to recover even as we speak. i want to tell you, her husband mark is here and he allowed me to share this with you. right after we went to visit, a few minutes after we let the room and some of her colleagues from congress were in their room, gabby opened her eyes for the first time. [cheers and applause]

gabby opened her eyes. gabby open your eyes alighted can tell you she knows that we are hurt, and she knows that we are rooting for her for what will undoubtably be of rough road ahead. [applause] our hearts are full of thanks for that could nays -- good news

and full of gratitude for those who saved others. we're thankful to daniel hernandez. a volunteer in gabby's office. daniel, you may deny it but we have decided you are a hero. you ran through the chaos to minister to your boss to help tend her once and help keep her alive. [cheers and applause] we are grateful to the men who tackled the gunman as he stopped to reload.

[cheers and applause] they are right over there. [applause] [applause] we are grateful for petit patricia maisch who wrestled away that killers ammunition and undoubtedly saved some lives.

[cheers and applause] >> and we are grateful for the doctors and nurses. and the first responders to worked wonders to deal -- heal those that had been heard. -- 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 of 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]

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[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]

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

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[applause] [applause]

["imagine"] ♪

[cheers and applause]

[cheers]

gentleman from ohio seek recognition? 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 governnt 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. whereasorwan, 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 giffordand whereas several indivuals, includinpatricia 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 condences to t families, friends and loved ones of those who were killed in the aack. 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

coeague, 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 thankfu 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, dorwa ordinary citizens who dieparticipating 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 gfords. our hearts are broken but our spirits 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 azona. >> 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 e house, mr. bhner, 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? -- verdeelementary 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, congresswomagabby 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 cled 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 mmitment 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 peacefulssembly. 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 peopl in our -- many of our churches we sing on sunday and other days of the week, lethere 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, comingogether, peace with us, we offer our thoughts and support, our prayers tthe 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 thate 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 thoughtand 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 thr leadership, with their service. and with their love for each other. thank you, madam speaker. i yielback 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 lassaturday 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 distition 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. th -- 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 stan 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 ow 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. pasto 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 trady 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, congresswon 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 reflt their views. each onef 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 ouny. 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 depth he refused to see as anything other an his fellow amerins, 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. 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 d 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 rmoil and the anguish of the occasion there were audible expresons 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. the 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 werenderstandably 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. muchs 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 e 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 spear 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 peoe 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 thaday 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: t 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. thspeaker 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 we 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 rk 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 les of so many others around her. . madam speaker, the last words i had with gabbyiffords 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 isy 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 myse 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 particate 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 perised, 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 litally 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 perfecexample 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, hewillingness to lrn, 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, congressman 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 fte rivalry, a.s.u. vs. u. of a. gabby takes enormous pride in the job in representing the communities of sthern 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 t individuals who lost their lives or who were iured 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 sufficntly 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 little christine taylor green, and the loved ones of judge roll, dorwan stodda, 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 bk 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: 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 h 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 conces 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 acon 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 reachingut 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 wroteer best wishes for a joyful new year and continued writing thate 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 everyone 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 because of the murderous acts of a deranged killer. gabby read the first amendment 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 tried 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 democratic 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 gentleman 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 you, mr. speaker. i rise in strong support 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 like 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, commitment and competence have been used to

voice her help for our nation and moved forward in a positive way. she's been very active as a member of the committee sponsoring and co-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 hearings 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 members 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 speaker 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 own 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 steadfast 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 honor to 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 yield 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 could prevent or diminish the threat that has so 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, courageous 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 the 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 forward to 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. carter: 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. she 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 just 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 together 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 in 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, my position 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, her staff 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 democracy. 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. mr. 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 near gabby 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 control 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 1994 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 wyoming 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 of 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 peaceably assemble. 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 cannot 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. and 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 from guam. 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 victims of saturday's tragic 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 needless 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 that all 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 speaker pro 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 struggle to survive for others including our own gabby. for those who lost their lives we know that the list is lamentably long, 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 and 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 quote 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 the time. 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, disciplined and effective. ms. matsui: and as we have all seen over the last few days, her strength is unwavenering. last saturday gabby 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 their best 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 taylor 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 volunteer 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 back. 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 for two 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 his 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 his life he aspired to do good. through his life, let us all inspire to do our 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 are 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 with us in the spiritual as long as we remember who she was and never forget that we cannot allow the innocent to be stolen from us without our taking the time to pause and be grateful for the time that we had with the innocent. we are one and 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 learn to 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 gentleman from 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 few days there have been many moving tributes to gabby and all of them are 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 fami >> coming up, a memorial service for the victims in tuscon and discussions about the b.p. gulf oil spill. >> live, later today, taves smiley leads the discussion on the war, the economy, education, jobs and america's future with arianna huffington, cornell west beginning at 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. middle and high school students, it is time to upload your videos for c-span's student cam competition. get your video to c-span by january 20 for your chance to win the grand prize of $5,000.

c-span's video documentary composition i guess the is open to students in grade 6-12. >> president obama spoke at a memorial service last night for victims of saturday's shooting in tucson, arizona. these speakers collude janet napolitano, attorney generic holder and arizona governor joon jan brewer. this is an hour and 40 mince.

>> ladies and [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

♪ ["fanfare for the common man" playing] ♪

♪ [applause]

>> welcome. let me start in the traditional way by introducing myself. i am carlist and solace. on my mother's side, i am -- carlos gonzales. on my mother's side, i am mexican. on my waterside, i am yacci refugee from mexico. we have been here -- i am

degeneration in the valley in tucson. -- i am his generation in the valley in tucson. -- fifth generation. please understand i am not of medicine man. i am forced enough to teach here at this university and fortune on up to learn the sacred ways in the sacred words so that i can share them with them. i have been given permission by my elders to say blessings of this type, all the to tell the truth, i have never done one for so many people. [laughter] so i have been fortunate to grow up in this great country where a poor kid -- [applause] from the south side of tucson --

[cheers and applause] new could get a fine education at the university of arizona. and then better, to come back as a teacher and teach students at this institution. so with that, i would start the blessing after my brief introduction. i have to do it the traditional way. it is the way we do it. for those of you that no the traditional blessing way, please feel free to do it. let me begin. oh creator, i come to get a blessing, a blessing at this time -- to give the a blessing,

a blessing at this time of disunity. please after hearing my blessing and my prayer, let us work toward harmony, toward wholeness and balance sheet. honoring theby eastern door from where we get visions and guidance. make each of us get the vision and guidance to proceed in a good way. from the southern dorks where we get the energies of the champ -- doors where we get the energies of the families, let us honor the families of those that passed on, of those that are healing, and also let us honor

our own families. let us remain humble and also use humor when appropriate, for humor is healing and can help people. from the western door, please let us honor the sacred ways and our sacred and ancestors. without them we would not be here. oh creator, that is the door through which those who have passed on have walked to the next world. let us honor them as they pass on. let us also look within ourselves to see how we can improve and be better human beings. from the northern door where we receive challenges and the strength and meet those challenges, let us all receive strained to meet the challenges that face our great country.

please give us that strength as we proceed. trump bought their sky where we get the masculine energy, -- from hobart skied -- father sky where we get they've masculine energy for protection, and give us that energy. from mother earth, where we get the feminine energy, less get the energy to help those that need it and those that ask for our help. these energies, the masculine energy, and the feminine industry -- energy, let them come together in our center where the creator exists, where eachf us has a piece of the creator. please, you have given us eat a gift. may we use these kits to help our fellowuman beings. of creator, let us bless the

families of those that have lost their loved ones. let us bless the family of those that are healing. let us bless those people that are here today. let us bles those that are outside in greater tucson and arizona and in our country. let us bless them so that they too can hill from this tragedy that has -- heal from this tragedy that has occurred. oh creator, if i may, my son is on afghanistan. a little blessing to him, too. [applause] 0 creator, let us not forget our fellow teachers, those that

std, those that blow on the wind, those that are tall and stately. those that call on the earth, those that slither on the earth, those that live under the year. let us remember and less the winged ones, those that swim in e water, but for legged and also our brothers, but to let it, they walk throughout this world. now we all come together at this time and made the words of the people here sing again to their hearts so that state to can heal -- so that they can heal. oh creator, i ask this humbly. i ask this of that we can all once again achieve harmony and balance in our lives. oh creator, welcome. we welcome those people that come to our beloved city, the

beloved city of tucson. welcome here and please bless each and everyone her with that, i would like to and my blessing -- end my blesngs. [applause] >> please welcome robert shelton, president of the university of arizona. >> good evening. on behalf of the faculty, staff, and the students of the university of arizona here in tucson, ariz. -- [applause]

i am privileged to welcome you to "together we thrive, tucson and america." our thanks to the doctor for offering tonight's blessing. [applause] when sean now the lead in the national anthem by the tucson symphony orchestra, conducted by george hansen and sung by a doctoral student i music her at the university of arizona. ["star spangled banner" playing] >> ♪ osage can you seeg oh

say can you see by the dawn's early light and the rockets' red glare the bombs bursting in air gave approval through the night that our flag was still there oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave land of the free and the home of the brave ♪

[applause] >> please be seated. tonight we had gathered here as a community to mourn the tragic and senseless loss. we are here to try in a small way to bring comfort to those whose lives had been forever changed by an act so heinous that it is simply impossible to comprehend. no one who lives here was untouched by the events of last saturday. over the past few days, i have repeatedly heard people ask,

"how cod such a thing have happened and how could it have happened here, in our town, and to people so loved and so it mired?" one of t characteristics that has stck me about tucson, of vast metropolitan area of 1 million people, it can function so much like a small college town. [applause] it is in the truest and best sense of the word a community where people know each other and care about each other. the university of arizona sits in the middle of that committee, both literally and figuratively.

by hosting this ceremony, we hope that we can begin the process of healing. tonight we have a chance to pray for those who were wanted -- wounded, rember those that were lost, and remember our commitment to each other. representative gabrielle giffords is a gd friend of mine, as she is almost everyone in this community. [applause] this attack on her and on her constituents, our neighbors, our friends, has changed us all. the question we have to answer is whether that change will make us angry and afraid, or whether

it will inspire us to commit to building a more sensible and caring world. [applause] tucson is a city that is unique for its diversity and its passion. so many of you would come out tonight speaks to our unity of spirit and our desire to stand by our friends and our neighbors in this time of great need. [applause] our society h many serious challenges, but fortunately we have a great leadership to help us through these difficult times. many of those lears are here with us tonight to offer their support.

[applause] to offer their support to the families and friends so tragically affected by the events of last saturday. among the many heroes this week was one of our students, daniel hernandez, jr. -- [cheers and applause]

daniel showed extraordinary ploys at a most difficult moment. you see he is here tonight what the president of the associated students of the universe of a -- the university of at arizona. please welcome them at this time. [applause] >> good evening. i like to start by expressing my sincere gratitude to everyone in the tucson and diversity -- and university community for coming here to sell your support for those affected by a heartbreaking events of this weekend.

it is uplifting to see everyone tonight and to witness the outpouring of support for all of you -- from all of you. we need to take a moment and recognize that the victims on saturday or attending congresswoman gabby giffords' event order to take place in the democratic process. it was something she has spent the better part of her life serving. like many students here and other young people, i have had the opportunity to interact with gabby and her staff as an intern. and to gain a sense of appreciation and inspiration for public service in its most genuine form. from my eerience, i believe the of one of the things gabby would want us to take away from saturday is that we need to continue to be devoted public servants and citizens.

on saturday -- [applause] on saturday, violence reared its ugly head to silence our voice in government, but we know our command and you will not be silent and our representatives will not be silent. [applause] one of the most expressive examples of the spirit is my friend standing next to me, daniel hernandez. [applause] many of you had heard his story as someone who displayed courage and heroism in the face of danger. as someone who knew daniel before he had been called a hero, as a friend, the one who stayed up late with me many late nights of work and brought me many cups of coffee, i was not surprised to hear of his actions

and selfless courage. toomey daniel exemplifies the spirit of used and in individual committed to his friends, community, and greater humanity. daniel is only a representation of many that stepped up and took action. the individuals are a symbol of the character found throughout this community, and thus the potentialo act with kindness and to rise up when we have been called to do so. [applause] it is with great honor that i introduce to you, my friend, daniel hernandez, to say a few words. [applause] >> thank you, thank you. thank you. i would like t start up by thinking in a late but also with

a few words, but first of which is e pluribus um. never have those words been more true than today. we have come together. on saturday, we all became tucsonians, we became an arizonans, and above all, we became the americans. despite those actions, we saw glimmers of hope. these glimmers of hope come from people who are the real heroes. although i appreciate the sentiment, i must humbly reject the use the word hero because i am not one. that heroes are people like pam simon. [applause] gave zmerman, who unfortunately we lost that day. ron barber, the first

responders, d also people like dr. rhee, who've done an amazing job in making certain gabby is ok and those that are injured are being treated to the best of our ability. [applause] thank you. we have all come together to realize that what a fine says is not the differences, it is that we are all together,e are all a family, we are all americans. we must recognize that the real heroes i mentioned are those that dedicated their life to public service, whether direct care in nursing, or being a posion, or being a great representative like congresswoman giffords, or being a staffer, they are the people we should be honoring and they are the people we need to keep

and our thoughts and prayers. i thank you for this opportunity but i say we must reject the title of ho and reserve it for those who deserve it, and those who deserve it are the public servants in the first responders and the people making sure they have dedicated their life to taking care abo is. with tt, i thank you all. [applause] >> these two young students are examples of why i am so proud of this university. they should get all of us a

great sense of hope for our future. thank you, daniel. thank you, emily. [applause] i am now honored to bring to the lectern the leader of our state. she is providing great leadership at a difficult and challenging time. please welcome to theodium the governor of the state of arizona, the honorable jan brewer. [applause] thank you, and thank you president shelton. mr. president, mrs. obama, the justice kennedy, attorney general holder, secretary napolitano, minority leader pelosi, and my fellow arizonans, good evening. let me say again, thank you,

daniel, for your very uncommon courage that likely couragegabby giffords -- on common courage that likely saved gabby giffords' life. mr. president, i thank you for coming today to help us with our healing. [applause] in the aftermath of saturday, your words have been a source of comfort and strength to every arizonan. your presence serves as a reminder that we are not alone in our sorrow. america agrees with us. this great nation stands ready to help our wounded heal, to join in morning aulos beyond

measure. loss beyond measure. a day that began as a warm arizona morning, neighbors were grocery shopping, running errands, they were gathering to meet their congresswoman, to see the gabby giffords smile all of us know so well. there is no way -- [applause] there is no way to quantify loss of a fine public service like united states district court judge john roll. [applause] there is no way to measure the depth of good people parents and

grandparents liked dorwin stoddard, phyllis schneck, and dot morris. gave zimmerman, also killed, only 30 years old, devoted to social work and a fighter for justice. [applause] there is absolutely no measure in the ad debt of the void someone like gabe leaves behind. we also lost christina-taylor green.

born on another day of a unparalleled sadness, september 11, 2001, christina was only 9 year old. she was a new member of the student council at sa verde at elementary school. she loved ballet, swimming, and baseball. we can never know what christina might have ce. we cannot imagine what the families of our six innocent neighbors are appealing. nor could we known the pain of the wounded, some whom are still struggling for their lives. gunfire did not just take six lives, and injure others. it pierced our sense of well- being. it raised questions of which we can make no sense, questions begging for answers that will t come at any time soon.

i know this -- arizona it is united in a mission of recovery. this state, bound together by prayer and action and hope and faith, will not be shredded by one madman's act of darkness. [applause] we have come to understand, aided by your presence, that we are being lifted up by the thoughts and prayers of others who mourn with us. we will remember how to smile again. i know arizona. i know every corner. i know it's proud, courageous citizens. we wil go forward together, patient and tribulation, devoted to prayer, we will go forward unbending, unbowed. in the words of abraham lincoln, "if it is a way which

is plain, peaceful, and generous, and jos. it is a way in which followed, god will forever blas." may god bless all the victims, their families, and those suffering from saturday's tragedy. made the -- may god bless those whose servicin the cause of freedom and of justice. may he bless you and your families and our great state of arizona. and may god always bless and protect the united states of america. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, governor romer.

confronting the challenges of our nation's security is an enormous security. we are safer as a country because we have the right person leading that effort. please now welcome back to arizona, our former governor and the current secretary of homeland security, janet napolitano. [applause] >> thank you. thank you, tucson. thank you, arizona. [applause]

>> we know that of violence that occurred saturday does not represent this community, this state, or this country. [applause] at these times, words can fail us. so let us listen instead to the words of the old testament. and i will provide a reading now from theook of isaiah. comfort, yes, comfort my people, says your guide. speak comfort to jerusalem and cry out to her that her warfare is ended, that her inequity is part in, for she has received

from the lord's hand double for all her sands. the loss of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our god. every valley shall be exalted in every mountain and hill brought low. the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth. the glory of theord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together for the mouth of the lord hath spoken. lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these things. who brings out their hosts by number? he cal them all by name, by the greatness of his might and the strength of his power, not one is missing. why do you say, at jacob, and speak, israel, my way as hidden from the board and might just claim is passed over by my god?

had you not heard the everlasting god, the lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, neither banks nor is weary? his understanding is unsearchable. he gives power to the week ended those who have no might, he increases strength. even the use of paint and the weary and a young man shall utterly false. but those who wait on this board shall renew their strength. they shall mount up with wings like eagles. they shall run and not be weary. they will walk and not faint. this is the word of theord. [applause] [applause]