we know that we are going to continue as you are going to continue to try to get that control. do we see more technical, high- tech equipment coming to our borders? we need help. we need assistance. and people can say that is better than the figures and data sound wonderful. we need more help, more people, many more troops. we need are bordered secured -- our borders secured. >> and that is what we're working toward every day. something simpler and a cover because of the questions you pose. we have the largest civilian law enforcement air force in the world, 269 aerial platforms.

over 130 of those are dedicated in arizona. we have seven unmanned aerial systems. three of those are in arizona. we have the largest air fleet and number of pilots in arizona. we have the largest area incentives in arizona. we have a tremendous amount of technology that is coming. by the end of 2014, we will have all the technology that we need in order to cover the entire state of arizona. that is not to say that we do not cover a big portion of it right now. of a thousand new border patrol agents that are coming into service this year, the vast majority are going into arizona.

but it is also critical to note that there are other activities occurring. our partnerships for mexico, for example, working joint operations with our mexican partners, then in mexico and us on our side, over 60 of the state's law enforcement agents are now partners with us in an operation that incorporates other law enforcement agencies to ensure that we bring the greatest density of enforcement coverage in arizona. the national guard right now, we have 363 national guard troops on the drown the-ground. we have more, so it is a constant buildup of what we are doing in arizona. when we bring arizona under control, not if, we will do so as quickly as we can. something that i think critical here is the following -- this

year because of a drop in activity levels that we have seen, we figure that we will end up in the year with apprehensions somewhere between 106,100 18,000. but as 106,000 --106,000 and 118,000. throughout the state of california, we have apprehended over 57,840 cross border illegal aliens. coming across. i felt comfortable making the following statement, that in california, people are not complaining. that is not to say that the 57,840 is acceptable because we're still driving that number down. in arizona, 106,000 right now.

what the proper number is? for me, it would be zero. but as the governor said earlier, that is an impossibility. we're working towards that. we are working to ensure that what is crossing is being caught. and we cannot forget that the border is not the end. the border actually begins at the port of origin, the point of transit to the border, entry, egress on the border, and the final point of destination. the demographics of the aliens being apprehended in phoenix, for example, tell a tremendous story. last year, 42% of the alien apprehensions being made in phoenix by the phoenix law enforcement community, not by us and not by ice, were people that had crossed into the united states within three days, less

than 30 days. that means that they were crossing immediately very 42% of them. this year coming year to date, that figure has dropped to less than 20%. less than 20% of people being apprehended in phoenix crossed within 30 days and underpaid their rest of the people of been in the country for longer than a year. that means people are not crossing like they were before. it is all these things coming together that tell the tale of the status of our borders. one thing that you mentioned that is also important is how do we measure this. we have the term operational control. that was a very tactical term that the border control instituted to address the critical line, that line in the sand. it was necessary that we use it and it basically did what we needed to do in order to articulate the resources that we

needed. but we're working on now, cdp, is a comprehensive and systematic border index that will take into account a comprehensive measure and third- party indicators that would give a true measure of border security. it would go beyond the line and transcends the border in more homeland security measure, than just a border security measure. we hope to have something that will give us that have come by early next year. the last that out, by early next year. -- that outcome by early next year. >> i look forward to working with the beard now like to open it up to any governors that have questions or comments. the people of my state are not

only concerned about the arizona border, but we aren't fortune on a recipient of a very porous, open border that brings violence into our state. and therefore migrating not only into our state but out of our states into other parts of america. we certainly hope that we get it resolved. most of the people in arizona cannot understand why we can control other countries' borders and we cannot control hours. and why can we get it secured. i know there is no way that we can -- as i said earlier, that tucson sector, i have flown over it, i have driven it, i've seen

the trail and apprehensions, i guess in the ones that have not been apprehended. i have experiences of losing border patrol guards. being killed, the terrible effects that it is happening on our state and our country. i do look forward to seeing the day when it has been secured to the satisfaction of your agency and the satisfaction of the people of arizona and of america. i would open it up if there are any other questions. i did i see that. gov. stefano? >> i have a few things that i would like to clarify.

to put some real perspective on the work in the accomplishments, i like to commend you for the great accomplishments that are being achieved in securing our nation's borders. but with these numbers, do you have any scraps of how they relate to the actual numbers -- graphs of how they relate to the ash on numbers of people who attend and to go across the borders? i think you're talking here about the apprehensions, the numbers. can you put that in perspective with the numbers of attempted crossings and actual crossings? >> that is a very good question, not only weak, but there been many universities and institutions that have been attempting to identify what we

referred to as the denominator. that number of people that are attempting to cross our borders and we have a good grasp on the apprehensions. we do not have a good measure on those attending to cross. that is what we focus so much on measuring third-party indicators. in a situation where there exists all high-level an elevated level of cross border illegal activity, there are associated actions in crimes that occur. everything from law-enforcement high-speed pursuits to rapes, murders, to other crimes that are associated with elevated levels of cross border incursions. those are proxies' that we measure that will tell us the total number of people attempting to cross. we have been asked often what percentage of the people that we

apprehend account for the total number. we do not have a means of measuring it. we are working on that now all along with several high-level institutions that include universities. that is the criticality of those third-party indicators, with the communities in crimes that stellas, what are partners in law enforcement telos -- tell us. the social cost on the hospitals of the tribal nations on the borders were horrendous. they had to support those elevated levels of cross border activities. they have also fallen dramatically. we feel very comfortable in gauging that the flow has fallen dramatically also. >> a second question. we all know that americans have given up a great amount of

liberty to feel secure, especially in the area of travel. the concerns as a governor and as a travel is that the technology -- that we continue to move into, and i see here that one of the statements, i believe that you made, we are now 100% possible screening at the border. i think of a lot of americans concerned with the technology being deployed at the borders, that they are more invasive and all that. i would like to know if there is any real effort on the part of our department of homeland security and other security agencies towards making more

research into equipment that is less invasive but perhaps just as effective or more effective. it bothers me a lot that because of our desire to be secure, giving up more and more freedom and more and more of our liberty is something that i think we should be addressing for our nation. the last question i was going to say -- you are aware that american samoa is probably the only jurisdiction outside of your border jurisdiction or the customs jurisdiction. that brings its own problems because basically our border security falls on our own local capabilities. >> yes, sir. >> the areas where we do not

have a lot of assistance, actually training our actual forces on the ground. my question their and my last question -- will your agency open up your training regimen to our agencies to be able to train so that they are just as confident that being the u.s. jurisdiction and protecting that border and u.s. citizens in u.s. nationals they live and american samoa? i can tell you, the last incident that we have suspected anthrax to four days for a first response team for the united states to arrive. in four days, if that was an actual incidents, all 70,000 people could have been wiped out that easily. i as a governor and very concerned that we continue to find the right solutions for

protecting those americans and u.s. nationals living in american samoa. i think we can do just as good a job if we have the tools to do the job. one of those tools is training. we're not able to access it at the moment. >> absolutely in the last -- answer the last question first aired one of the things that dhs and cdp is involved in its capacity building, of not only places like american samoa but other nations throughout the world. we have officers deployed in afghanistan and iraq and several other countries throughout the world to do just that, to train and to build up that capacity. if your feelings are that we are not doing enough, please give me the information because we're very interested in that type of build up of capacity-building

said that it will help protect your homeland and our homeland also. we would very much -- we would be very much interested in that. on the screen and intrusiveness, one of the things you would be interested in is that everything and anything we do within dhs and certainly cdp is an entity within dhs, the civil rights and civil liberties, but we're -- that reviews every activity that we undertake, that we're planning to undertake, and that we are looking to move toward, to ensure that what which is that when we do take actions, we take into account the civil rights and civil liberties that are of the highest trenches of the secretary and all of us that have historically worked this type of effort. the amount of equipment out there is tremendous.

it helps dramatically. but we're very sensitive to that intrusiveness to make sure we do enough to get the job done but in short that the rights and liberties of our citizens are not in any way intend to. -- violated. >> thank you governors birth or and of maile, for putting this together. forrewer and o'malley, putting this together. i know that it is not an easy job. having said that, unlike their raise a couple of issues that affect not just puerto rico but the rest of the country as well. you mentioned advances in protecting the northern and southern borders. if i may, you left off the third border. i raised this issue with the

president last month when he visited very this is the number one issue on my plate right now. there may be a spillover effect, you mentioned. it has already commenced. we're working at very closely, not just with our federal partners, fbi, the u.s. attorney's office, on this, and the coast guard, but we need resources. the number of homicides related to the drug trafficking effort in the region has skyrocketed in the last year and a half. the dismantling of operations all the way from south america to the eastern seaboard has skyrocketed as well. we're working closely with the dominican republican and our partners in the u.s. virgin islands, but there is only so

much that we can do. we just purchased new of equipment, so that we have three boats to compete with those speedboats coming to our region. but it is truly out of hand. i am here to request greater assistance as i did with the president last month. we have moved to 100% continuing inspections and mechanisms. we've already started what the first of the companies that have operations in our main ports. we are already installing in the second company, and hopefully we will have 100% operational so that we can inspect. also those containers coming in from other states. why? we have already found in one of the four companies that handles

cargo, american cargo, illegal drugs coming in, illegal arms coming in. there is stuff coming in from the north as well. i must tell you that again this is truly getting out of hand. it is like a balloon, when you press one side, the air moves to another area. it is happened already. we certainly want success in the southern border, but the third border is important. the moment that the cargo is in puerto rico or the u.s. virgin islands, it is like arizona or maryland. we are part of a customs system. there is no need for visas or passports. this is actually the number one issue.

this was the main issue i brought up what the president. it has gotten so out of hand that in the last year, i directed the state national guard out there to assist the state police. it is that bad. all the resources that could be available, it is affecting us and the illegal trafficking of drugs. whatever could be done, i would appreciate it. >> thank you, governor. we recognize puerto rico as another border, the third border. one of the things i will take the opportunity to 94 is the assistance with your state and locals there. they are just so tremendous. they are always there and the relationships are outstanding. with a coast guard, but coastal border interdiction group, we do need more resources out there. we have a total of 30 aerial

platforms dedicated to that part of the world. we have to a recapitalization project will add some more. we will stay focused on that. [inaudible] >> i will try to be brief. thank you, governors, for this opportunity. commissioner, thank you for your very good word. [inaudible] >> it has been a great opportunity. >> you have done a great job answering the question. in wyoming, we are not a border state. but first to comment. in my previous life as u.s. attorney i served on the anti- terrorism committee and we got a chance to it you'd ariz.-mexico border -- view the arizona

mexico border. we got to see people coming over the border. one of the things that governor brewer has done is talk about the law enforcement issue. in wyoming, but trafficking and methamphetamine in wyoming came not from mexico. i think the country and the state had done a good job addressing precursors and the cooperation with the mexican law enforcement, i think we've made headway along those lines. but some time the messages get lost outside the illegal drug trade and the trafficking of drugs. there is also a human interest story here. in touring the desert, and governor brewer knows this, use a water bottles, diapers, baby carriers. it is an invitation for human suffering. but one of the cases prosecuted

in wyoming was a young girl who brought across an older sister who was prostituted out in wyoming. they were fearful for the people who brought them over that it they said anything to law enforcement, that they have these things happen to them. this really is a national interest in securing that border. xas, andwer and tax it does not necessarily a success because it can lead to some many abuses. i apologize to you by ms. this, but one of the interesting things when we toured that border, the issue as i recall was that it was roughly 50/50,

and the tribe was very interested in having that open. has that been dealt with? on top of that, help me, there is a porous to ride on the border, the refuge -- a forest right on the border, and you had the families in the tents in the middle of the night. commissioner, this was nine years ago, but how is that going on those two areas? >> when you're down there, i'll still probably the chief of the tucson border patrol. i think i remember you down there. both of those have worked out fairly well. i say that with the indian nation, because it is 78 miles of border and 25,000 tribal members of which 3500 live in

the mexican side as mexican citizens. there are three historical crossings that have been there since time immemorial. at the present time, the united states citizens nations members go back and forth. mexican citizens cannot yet use those crossings. we have come up to less than nation has come up with the western hemisphere travel initiative -- the nation has come up with the western hemisphere travel initiative. it gives them the ability to use a limited amount of travel documents that they can apply for, and used across there. now they have not -- we have signed a memo of understanding with them but they are not going to that point yet. when they got into that point, they will be across pacas for --

back-and-forth as citizens. this goes back to when that nation was split in the 1800's. we operate in very remote areas and deploy up to 30 days at time. they live and operate out there during that time did this is part of the $6 million supplement that the congress gave us, building two additional ones which will bring us up to 10 for operating bases in that area, absolutely essential to our efforts. i think that you would be pleasantly surprised to see the difference from when you sought the last time to what that border is now. still a lot of work to do. >> are the shadow will is still -- and >> the shadow will still operate. they are currently working for ice.

-- the shadow wolves still operate. they are currently working for ice. >> thank you for being here today. we appreciated and i look forward to having further discussions. with that, i like to turn it over to my co-chair, governor introduce our next speaker. >> dr. flynn has published a book shortly after 9/11, and more recently the acclaimed "the edge of disaster -- rebuilding the resilience of nation." he has been working as president of the center for national policy and has been focusing that centers work on informing

and advancing our national resilience. and is organizing a summit in washington, d.c. as we approach the 10th anniversary of september 11 and those attacks. in addition to those accomplishments, he serves as a member of the bipartisan national security prepared news group cochaired by former 9/11 commissioners tontine and lee hamilton. -- tom keane and lee hamilton. he was an expert advisor to the u.s. commission on national security that we have come down as the heart-rudman commission -- hart-rudman commission. it made some precedent recommendations about the high likelihood of terrorist attacks on american soil and american deaths. dr. flynn has served on

homeland security advisory council that baez's secretary napolitano of. we served on the resilience task force which published its report and i had occasion to work with him on that report. as we get around this idea of resilience, after the attacks of september 11, everyone knew what it meant to respond. the response has gone on for 10 years, including most recently the successful operation in pakistan. we know that we're covering in the context of rebuilding in new york and recovering in new york. we have moved into discussing prevention in terms of the information sharing that you talked about, an ongoing process. nsa and building up that capacity. prepared and is in terms of individual protective equipment. resilience is a new turf.

-- term. i am not sure if it is a continuum as much as a continuing cycle. it is what he is one to talk about today, how we can build, redesign if you will, a free and open society that is better able to recover more quickly both economically, socially, in terms of transportation and everything else that it means to live in a free and open society after devastating attacks, whether natural or man-made. dr. flynn? >> thank you for your leadership of this committee. it is good to me with the other governors and alongside the commissioner who is doing tremendous jobs serving our nation. and the border patrol and now was deputy commissioner for customs border protection. i am a career coast guard

officer and retired. i had the chance to serve on the hart-rudman commission that produced a document january 2001 that the number one national security challenge will would be a catastrophic attack on the soil. we were not prepared for it. it was not a good day to see that come to fruition. it was a long career i spent with the coast guard and a continued work with the farm is like the homeland security. hollen state categorically that the frontlines of homeland security is not at our border. the front line is not what is happening with our brave men and women operating overseas. it is within our civil society. it is the greatest asset that we have. i like to put an explanation mark on that directly tied to

9/11. the only successful counter- terrorism measure against the operation was not was conducted on united 93, the brave men and women who kept it from meeting its almost certain destination, the u.s. capitol building. the people of this sworn oaths to protect and defend this country were themselves on 9/11 protected by one thing alone, everyday americans aboard that plane who charge that cockpit and kept it from its destination. that is something that we need to recall. we have an obligation and government to play the role we play, let us not lose sight of the fact that we have this asset which is every day americans who are willing to step up its fast, it informed , if engaged, to support that mission.

on september 11 after the terrorist -- after the towers came down, many went south and many discovered for the first time in manhattan was an island. there were looking on new work carver and they could not go back. a colleague of mine did something very spontaneous. he called up on channel 16, the broadcast channel in a man tomorrow, and ask for any boat to help the people off the island. ferryboats, yachts, many other boats help to evacuate 500,000 people, all for the course of several hours. to that in the context, the great dunkirk evacuation of the british troops after being routed and rushed, celebrated by winston churchill as the break

response of civil society, that was just over 200,000 people. we know that from world war ii, the role of a civil society can be celebrated. the same thing happened on 9/11 and we do not know the story. this is what we need to invest in, going forward. of course we need to invest more at the borders and what we're doing overseas and so forth as we can. to track down and eliminate terrorist, but let's of -- let's put some numbers in the context here. since 9/11, we of spent in iraq and afghanistan close to $1 trillion. break that down, $275 million a day every single day for 10 years, which brings down to $11.5 million and ordered a total amount we have been spending annually on citizen court, a program to engage the american people to be better

prepared within our society to work with law enforcement and public safety is $50 million a year. roughly 75 minutes of warfighting. this is not to say that we will not spend and must spend as we can when we are confronted by war and investing in these things, are we investing enough in this great asset that we have, civil society and dealing with the dangers that confront us? the fact is that the terrorist threat is fundamentally changing over the last 10 years. this is increasingly well documented. the counter-terrorism director i lifted this as well. terrorists have simply gone to the small operations with a homegrown dimension. they are operating as long walls or arrest tuesday a freeze. wolves or twos or

threes. they have not done a large scale operations, but that does not mean that terrorism has gone away. it will come out and smaller forms. that causes problems that the federal level. without dedicated conspiracies, you do not have the smoke signals going off to help you intercept early on. it is much more difficult to prevent. especially the homegrown character creates real challenges. the frontline of terror prevention is going to be in our states and localities, with in everyday people. we know this with the near miss of the times square,. radar not on anybody's screen. he went to one of that most highly police areas in the analysis, drove past a squad

car, parked his suv, and got out with the intent to ignited. the person who spotted it was a t-shirt vendor operating on that corner who had better situational awareness, i would suggest, than any of the local policeman there you're looking for customers and squatters and you know your neighborhood. the fire department responded and they found it was at as matt explosives. but as it was a -- it was a hazmat explosive. the opportunity is to do something that i wish we had done 10 years ago and national level, again asked -- make an ask to the american people. i know we were all shocked and traumatized by the devastation

of the day but we recall the unity and selflessness of this country in response to that tragedy. the desire to help. and yet we did not give people meaningful things to do. people drive by running up to blood banks. i was talking to a young woman who was a very senior executive who bake cookies for three days to give the first responders. people wanted to help and they did it anyway that they could but we were not harnessing them. we tell them to shop and travel and we would take care of you. that is a promise we cannot deliver on in it is missing this core capacity. we must shift to building nascar rosy as -- a building national resilience. it would be tremendous if the governors asked the citizens, you have the credibility in washington does not have much of

that these days, you can ask americans a basic question. where were you on 9/11 and what were you willing to do and what would you be willing to do now? answer that question by asking them to do three things. first, be better prepared for the first 72 hours to look out for you and your family. that is the smart thing to do for you and your family but it takes the load off the very busy front-line players who have helped their citizens who really need the help. one in five americans cannot help themselves in times of dire emergency. there'll come a day or infirm. find that one and five per cent and offer to be their body. the will die out one at in 5% and offered to be there buddy. -- find that on ie in five

person an offer to be there buddy. point to ways in which they can offer -- volunteer. honor the tragedy of that day and tragic loss of life and the men and women in uniform making the sacrifice for the last two years by doing something. being better prepared as individuals, the more engaged to help out as good neighbors, the more able to volunteer and support the limited resources we will always have when confronted by emergencies. we also need to roll up our sleeves and figuring out what makes a community resilient, that along.oster in other parts of this great country, people hate getting knocked down and they get up and do not get knocked down.

the gulf coast of mississippi is an extraordinary part of the country. slammed by katrina, slammed by deepwater horizon, but that place is about as resilient as it gets when it comes to responding to as disaster and helping each other out. most of those people would not live anyplace else. how do we do it? it turns out we can identify the attributes of what makes the community better able to withstand up front a disaster that has a vision about how to respond and recover drawing on the total assets of that community, not just a government level, but what the private sector can bring to bear. you have to do this up front. you get engaged up front. you cannot call out afterwards and you often get those resources but we have to do it

up front. there is an organization that has been working for a last quarter years to identify the how to the community should have to become resilient. we should be able to assess how to be prepared for a fire. if we tiepin insurance, providing benefits for communities, because we know that when something happens, the cost will not be so great and we will recover quickly and losses will be mitigated. we know how to do this. we have to start doing it from the bottom up and we have to invest in doing it. that is something that can only happen if the state and local level. the federal level can be supported and the champion of the good things when it happens. it can create incentives. but i'm so thrilled to speak with the governors today because the leadership of this nation is going to happen at your level.

i want the president up there and he talks about resilience, integrating it into our national security strategy now. there is an office of resilience policy, but turning it into something real is going happen at the state and local level. it is something i think americans will respond to if asked, and let's use the 10th anniversary as a teachable moment to remember and reflect, but most importantly, to act to move forward. thank you very much. how be delighted to take any questions you might have. >> all very truthful and i might daresay inspiring. questions, thoughts? >> you have expressed it so very well on a sentiment that when we take time to conflict -- reflect on a post-9/11, the spirit in

this country in trying to recapture that, one of the things that i worked on is that as a country we seem to forget very easily, the complacency, not only in law enforcement but in the civilians and citizens. your suggestion of how we get people involved also combats that complacency. it is real. it is not something that just happened and will not happen again, as you pointed out. we need to be prepared for it now. great suggestions. certainly i will do my part in wyoming to move forward with that it is tremendous. we could quadruple law enforcement and every sort of group we have working on homeland security and is still would not be enough. we need the citizens involved in this. to avoid the complacency and

build upon in that spirit that you spoke about, so thank you very much for the presentation. >> i know it is getting short, but governor o'malley is working on this as well. we're calling it remembers, renewal, and resilience, and highlighting stories like the one i shared with you at the outset, where we see the strengths and civil society in a call for action. anything that can happen at a state level, and the anniversary as a powerful force of the emotion that is tied to them. the deep emotion i know we all are familiar with on 9/11 is the shop, but as i tried to highlight here, that unity was there as well. if you'd knowledge it will be there, we need to harness it by saying here is what you can do.

children can interview their parents. where were they on 9/11? what were they willing to do? what are they willing to do now? that would be a very powerful thing for a child -- for a parent to go through, especially with a child. highlighting the unity and selflessness is something that says, that is something i want to remember and act on. that is something again at the governor level and the mayors, others could really do this and bring good strength back to our society. >> dr. flynn, our time is growing short here. this is a big topic as we think about this. part of resilience involves

better informed citizens. the most important person and our republic is the citizen. part of it also involves the physical infrastructure as well. governors do best when we see best practices and best models. i wonder if you might talk more about the community regional resilience, talk about the exemplar is in motion. we do best with best practices. after the devastation of katrina and as horrible stories about people left behind in nursing homes that did not have generators, and in our state, we required as part of the licensing for nursing homes that they all have generators.

any new school buildings had to be built to incorporate the rolling generators that we were able to purchase for state homeland security grants. if this sold for to give the building served as a shelter. -- if the building served as a shelter. could you talk about this and the model that might be rising up from this grassroots that we might emulate for municipalities? and there's another thing that we have done that many of the governors -- i was not aware of it until a couple of years ago. to put in place these mutual aid contracts with private providers so that when we become overwhelmed with our state highway resources in our municipalities, we already have this web of mutual assistance, these contracts in place that are mayors can call up.

i suppose that in essence is a sort of resiliency. one of the models -- like are the models that you're hoping to bring home that we can emulate in our states? >> good to provide a bit of detail if you like to follow through. let me make a pitch for required generators at filling stations as well. that is where you get the diesel and other fuels from. people have run out of gas and the power is out of the filling station and i cannot recall the cars. the less they cannot refill the cars. -- they cannot refill the cars. what reasonable measures can be put in place up front to mitigate that disruption?

should we have a few events, -- acute events, what can we do to recover? we want to protect the function of the infrastructure. how we ensure the continuity of a bridge? within that context, you say, was first put their risk, where are the vulnerability is, what a reasonable measures to invest in to protect that risk? what our institute has done is gone to communities light gulfport and memphis, and brought in information from people across the country, former governors, mayors, and emergency managers, leading thinkers, and essentially came up with a basic process which we

wanted communities to go through. define itself. what is the community? we need to focus on the finding that. then look at their risks that community will face. many communities have not done a good job of that. they may no flooding risks but they have not done as good job as they could. and mapping, yes. >> knowing what their vulnerabilities are. >> and that it is ok, what is the vision that we have for addressing that risk? that has to be laid out. and like you suggested, what of the lessons we can draw from nonprofits in the private sector? if the committee can get it back on their fate -- that the community can i get back on

their feet, then others cannot. if a school opens up right away and people are evacuating, the rush to get back because the kids have to get to the ball practices and back to class. they are spending money and they're back in the community helping you out. these are all tied together. the private sector should support that when they can. when the community is capable, can help respond. if the community can i get back on its feet in 30 days, one- third of small businesses will go belly up. they simply do not have the capital to get back started in the cannot borrow money. they will be a death to the community. investing, not just responding, but recovering quickly and thinking in those terms. if you use the school is your shelter, how would you get the kids back to school? what we're rolling out with crri, we are doing it in

washington, five communities annapolis will be one of them, is to go out and dry run this effort so that communities can say, we were hit hard, others can do it too. we spend a lot of time talking about homeland security as something that the federal government needs to do for us. there's a huge responsibility that the federal government has. have we ask what we can do for ourselves as much as we should? we know how to do this. every generation of americans, those here in the first place to those who landed in massachusetts, confronted adversity and overpayment. they bestowed to their children and grandchildren the optimism in shaping the future, not because they avoided risk but because they confronted an

overpayment. that is what we need to nurture again. begin to live in very meaningful name -- ways. -- we can begin to do it in very meaningful ways. we need to map that and know what those critical elements are. we need to see the enter dependency from one to another. i am afraid it does not happen at the national level. we do not see things with all level of regularity as at the local level. -- with the level of a grand hilarity as at the local level. -- granularity as at the local levels. >> it's good to honor the sacrifices of some many people to make our borders secure and in iraq and afghanistan, police departments by harnessing that

american spirit so that we can become a more resilient nation. we will deal with this sort of threat for the foreseeable future. for a couple of generations. you've summed it up very well. we need to confront the risk and overcome it. to that end, we will need to establish policy priorities for the number not -- national governors' association. we will begin work to consolidate, rabbis, and ultimately a line our policies -- consolidate, revise, and ultimately align our policies. it will help better inform our federal authorities of the issues but of our citizens of the thing that we can do is a free people to make our home and more secure.

the executive committee has that. we have agreed to allow all policies of consideration in the new process. once the new policy process is in place, the nga is not precluded from engaging on that issue. this is an ongoing process. i talked to governor hardiman, and they continue the special committee but just for another few years. hopefully we will fully secured the homeland in the next 12 months. [laughter] we forge ahead. are there any questions regarding the policy process? i'm prepared to ask them offline.

hearing none, we are going to move consideration of the resolution, remembering the victims and honoring those who responded to the terrorist attacks of september 11, the process of drafting this resolution began this past spring with a staff advisory committee of the special committee on homeland security in public safety, and the consensus was reached. in order to prepared for consideration today, nga does not often consider resolutions, but this is certainly one in which i think we can all agree, especially as we approach the teachable moment, the moment of reflection, and a moment to inspire greater action because of the sacrifices made on september 11. gov. brewer, is there how a motion to adopt it? all in favor signal by saying ate. the ates hasve it. this completes this meeting.

i want to thank both of our test for testifying. you do tremendous work for our country. thank you very much. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> our coverage of the summer meeting of the national governors' association wraps up tomorrow when thomas friedman talks with the governors about advancing competitiveness. that is why beginning and 1:30 p.m. eastern here on c-span. lawmakers in washington remain on call this weekend for more talks on reducing the deficit and raising the government's debt ceiling. 0 hear this week, president obama told leaders to discuss options trade deal with their rank-and-file members that would be acceptable to both to regrets and republicans. in his weekly address, what --

president obama says that congress should be willing to compromise to cut spending and include some tax increases and what he called a balanced approach to debt and deficit reduction. in the republican address, orrin hatch rejects the call for tax increases and purchases colleagues on capitol hill to pass a balanced budget amendment. >> today there is a debate going on in washington on the west bay to for a decade, america has been spending more money than we have taken in, and for several decades, our debt has been rising. let's be honest. either party in this town is blameless. both have talked this problem to death without doing enough about it. that is what drives people nuts about washington. too often they are more concerned with playing politics than resolving real problems or

focusing on what you are facing in your own lives. but right now, we have responsibility and an opportunity to reduce our deficit as much as possible and solve this problem in a real and concrete the way. simply put, it will take a balanced approach, shared sacrifice, and a willingness to make unpopular choices on all our parts. that means spending less on domestic programs, spending less on defense programs. it means reforming programs like medicare and to reduce costs and strengthen the program for future generations. and it means taking on the tax code and cutting out certain tax breaks and deductions for the wealthiest americans. some of these things do not make folks in my party happy, and i would not agree to some of these cuts if we were in a better fiscal situation, but we are not. that is why i am willing to compromise, to do what it takes to solve this problem, even if it is not politically popular. i expect leaders in congress to

show that same willingness to compromise. the truth is, you cannot solve our deficit without cutting spending, but you also cannot solve it without asking the wealthiest americans to pay their fair share or without taking on loopholes that give special interest tax breaks that middle americans do not get. i did not think oil companies should keep getting a special tax breaks when they are making tens of billions in profits. i don't think hedge fund managers should pay taxes at a lower rate than their secretaries, and i don't think it's fair to ask nothing of someone like me when the average family has seen their income declined over the past decade, and when many of you are just trying to stretch every dollar as far as it will go. we should not put the burden of deficit reduction on the backs of folks who have already borne the brunt of the recession. it is not reasonable and is not right. if we are wrong to ask seniors are students are middle-class americans to sacrifice, then we

have to ask the wealthiest americans to sack representative -- sharon that sacrifice. we have to ask everyone to play their part because we are all part of the same country. we are all in this together. i have put things on the table that are important to me and two democrats, and i expect republican leaders to do the same. ronald reagan work with tip o'neill and democrats to cut spending, raise revenues, and reform social security. bill clinton worked with newt gingrich and republicans to balance the budget and create surpluses. nobody ever got everything they want, but eventually they worked together and they moved this country for. it is that kind of cooperation that should be the least you expect from us, not the most you expect from us. you work hard, you do what is right, and you expect leaders to do the same. he sent us to washington to do the tough things, the right things, not just for some of us, but for all of us. not just enough to get through

the next election, but what is right for the next generation. you expect us to get this right, to put america back on firm economic ground, to forge a healthy growing economy, to create new jobs and rebuild the lives of the middle class. that is what i am committed to doing. thanks. >> good morning. i am senator orrin hatch of utah. our nation is in the midst of one the most critical debates in generations. it is a debate about the size, scope, and shape of our central government. it is a debate over whether we act responsibly so our children and grandchildren are not left carrying the burden of unsustainable debt. while the details of this debate change by the day, the fundamentals are clear. president obama and his democratic allies in congress refused to come up with a legitimate plan to confront our runaway spending that has left our country over $14 trillion in debt. he refuses to reform our near bankrupt entitlement programs,

all while pushing job killing tax hikes. we have been down this road before and republicans will not go down it again. in 1990, congress and the president struck a deficit reduction deal that combines spending cuts with tax increases. unfortunately, while the tax hikes remained, the spending restraint did not, and our debt has only marched higher. the solution to a spending crisis is not tax increases, yet washington has consistently demonstrated that it cannot control its urge to spend. that is why the only long-term solution is a balanced budget amendment to the constitution. only by restoring constitutional restraint on the ability of congress to spend can we constrain the growth of the federal government. think about different our fiscal picture would be if we passed one in 1997. after fierce debate, the balanced budget amendment to the constitution that i introduced

was defeated by just one vote in the united states senate. instead of sending that amendment to the states for ratification and addressing the need for fiscal balance, 14 years later, our nation faces a debt crisis of epic proportions. our national debt has gone from five trillion dollars in 1997 to over $14 trillion today. that is more than $45,000 for every man, woman, and child in america, and that debt keeps growing. according to congress's nonpartisan scorekeeper, the cbo, the nation's debt could reach 101% of domestic product within a decade. with interest payments that could reach over one trillion dollars a year. the situation has only gotten worse after the obama administration, in its first two years in office. discretionary spending has skyrocketed. with spending reaching 25

percent of our nation's economic output. we have not seen spending levels this high since world war ii. this is the number-one issue i hear about from the people in my home state of utah. as families across utah and all over america are forced to cut back, washington refuses to make the tough choices that will bring down our massive debt. they know we need immediate spending cuts. they know we need to cap spending. they know we need a balanced budget amendment. next week, we have an opportunity to set things right. in the senate, all 47 republican senators back a balanced budget amendment i have introduced with my colleagues mike lee and john cornyn. it would require the president to submit and congress to pass a balanced budget every year. most importantly, it limits spending to 18% of gross domestic product and require supermajorities in both houses

of congress to raise taxes. unfortunately, last week the white house dismissed a balanced budget amendment saying it is not good for the economy and that our debt is not a constitutional issue. the american people know better. a balanced budget amendment is essential for our economy and our debt is definitely a constitutional issue. after all, the constitution belongs to the people who determine what is a constitutional issue, not the white house. if the debt is not a constitutional issue, why is it that every state in the union of vermont has a constitutional balanced budget required? this kind of strong budgetary reform would put us on a path to fiscal health and prevent this white house or any future white house from forcing more debt on the american people. the only reason this administration does not want a constitutional amendment is because they want to keep spending the american people's money.

the only reason congressional democrats would refuse to pass it is because they know the people of this country would rise up and quickly ratified it. the balanced budget amendment makes sense. it is time it's time has more than come. now, congress must act. thank you for listening, and may god continue to bless america. >> next, the california funeral service for force budget former first lady betty ford. then we will show you the eulogies from the michigan. for mrs. ford. then another chance to see the national governors' association session on border security. and newsmakers, washington governor christine gregoire talks about the issues facing states and this weekend's meeting of the national governors' association in salt lake city. sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span.

>> first lady michelle obama, three former first ladies, and former president george w. bush for among the invited guests at betty ford's funeral in palm desert, california, on tuesday. former first lady rosalynn carter and journalist cokie roberts gave the duties. betty ford died july 8 at the age of 93. this is an hour and 25 minutes.

>> i am the resurrection and the life, saith the lord. he that believeth in me, though he were dead yet shall he live. whoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. i know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. though this body be destroyed, yet shall i see god, whom i shall see for myself, and my eyes behold as not a stranger.

for, none of us live to himself and no man dieth to himself. if we live, we live unto the lord and if we die, we die unto the lord. whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the lord's. blessed are the dead who die in the lord. even so, saith the spirit, for they rest from their labors.

>> let us pray. o god of grace and glory, remember our sister betty. we thank you for giving her to us to know and love as a companion. console us who mourn. give us faith to see in death, the gate to eternal life so that we may continue our course on earth until, by your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before, through jesus christ our lord, amen. >> amen. >> most merciful god whose wisdom is beyond our understanding, deal graciously with mike, jack, steve, susan, and their families as they

grieve. surround them with your love that they may not be overwhelmed by their loss but have confidence in your goodness and strength to meet the days to come through jesus christ our lord. amen. please be seated.

>> the word of the lord according to isaiah. "hast thou not known or heard that the everlasting god, the creator of the end of the earth fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. he gives power to the faint. to them that have no might he increases strength. even the youth shall fall faint and be weary and utterly fall. but they that wait upon the lord shall renew their strength. they shall mount up with wings as eagles. they shall run and not be weary. and they shall walk and not faint." the word of the lord.

♪ [singing hymn, unintelligible]

♪

♪

>> a reading from the first letter of paul to the corinthians. "if i speak in the tongues of mortals and angels but do not have love, i am a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. if i have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, i am nothing. if i give away my possessions and hand over my body so that i may boast but do not have love, i gained nothing.

love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious or arrogant or rude. it does not insist on its own way. it is not irritable or resentful. it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in truth. it bears all things, believes all things, hopes and endures all things. love never ends. as for tongues, they will cease. knowledge will come to an end. but we know only in part and we prophesy in part. when i was a child, i spoke like a child, thought like a

child, reasoned like a child. when i became an adult, i put an end to childish ways. for now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we will see face-to-face. now i know in part. then i will know fully, even as i have fully been known. now faith, hope and love abide. these three, and the greatest of these is love." the word of the lord. >> thanks be to god. >> faith, hope and love. three remarkable qualities of the human spirit. qualities that we as her family have seen and experienced in mom throughout her entire life.

faith in god and in jesus christ, as her maker and provider, her redeemer, counselor and friend. her faith was evidenced through her personal renewal in faith. faith in her life at the beginning of her recovery from her dependency on alcohol and prescription drugs. we know of mom's faith. mom's faith in the value, the dignity, the worth of her fellow man, and her faith in each of her children, in her brother and sister, her sons and daughters-in-law, her

grandchildren, great- grandchildren, as men and women of good character with great potential and great promise to lead and serve others for the good of all. we know of mom's hope that god's design and his gracious purposes for all mankind would be worked out and fulfilled through the human history. and we know of her hope that each of us as family might discover and embrace that special call of god on our lives and for our futures. and finally, mom's love. we know of her love.

her love of god and his personal touch on her life, bringing good out of evil, healing out of brokenness, joy and dancing -- yes, dancing. she was quite a dancer. bringing dancing out of sorrow. we know her love for dad. as she called him "my boyfriend" after 48 years of marriage. just yesterday, my sister susan was rummaging through some of their special family letters and came across a western union telegram from january 1, 1948.

it was from gerry ford. he was in santa monica, california at the rose bowl. and he sent this to miss betty warren. that's my mom. [laughter] he writes -- "miss you, betty. wish you were here. loads of love, gerry." what a beautiful journey they shared together as husband and wife. faithfully standing by each other through the hard times, through the good times, through the challenges, through the crucibles of life, only to grow stronger in their devotion to one another and closer in their united love.

and we know of mom's love for her family. each one of us as her children, sons and daughters-in-law, grandchildren, great grandchildren will each have our own stories, stories to tell, memories to cherish of how mom loved us. how she took the time to know us -- each on in our own special way, and to love us so well. we know of mom's love for others, whether it be a friend in need or a patient at the betty ford center, mom extended herself freely in love and compassion to so many.

once again, her desire to know a person's heart, to know their brokenness, their struggles, and her willingness to share and care for them through a word of grace and acts of mercy. so, as her extended family, we are here this day to give thanks for her precious life. we celebrate her life, we rejoice in the goodness of it and how she lived it to its full, leaving no regrets, only hope and joy. we celebrate the precious life

of faith, of hope, and of love, but the greatest of these was her love. ♪ ["amazing grace" intro] >> amazing grace, how sweet the

sound, that saved a wretch like me. i once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now i see. t'was grace that taught my heart to fear. and grace, my fears relieved.

how precious did that grace appear the hour i first believed. ♪ through many dangers, toils and snares i have already come;

'tis grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home. ♪ when we've been there ten thousand years bright shining as the sun we've no less days to sing god's praise

than when we first begun >> behold the gospel of our lord jesus christ according to matthew -- seeing the multitudes, jesus went up into a mountain and when he was set, his disciples

came unto him. he opened his mouth and it taught them blessed are the poor inspirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. blessed are they who wonder and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled. blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see god. blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of god. blessed are they who are

persecuted for righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your report in heaven, for the profits which are before you, the gospel of the lord. >> praise be to christ.

>> betty ford was my friend and i am honored to be here today to help celebrate the life of this truly remarkable woman. i never imagined when we first met 40 years ago that we would develop such a close personal friendship. at that time, she was the wife of the vice president of united

states and she danced with martha graham dance company and performed in carnegie hall. she was a leader in the fight for women's rights and she had come to georgia with the michigan art train. jimmy was governor and we invited betty to stay at the governor's mansion. i was nervous. she was the most distinguished guest we had ever had but when she arrived, she was so warm and friendly that she immediately put me at ease and we had a good time together. of course, i did not tell her than that my husband was thinking of running for president. [laughter] the next time i met betty was at the white house shortly after the 1976 election. it might have been a very awkward moment, i know from personal experience, but it was a difficult time for us.

she was just betty, as grateful as always. as i assumed the responsibility to first lady, i had an excellent role model and a tough act to follow. betty broke new ground in speaking out on women's issues, her public disclosure of her own battle with breast cancer lifted the veil of secrecy from this terrible disease. she used the influence of the office of first lady to promote early detection and millions of women are in her debt today. she was never afraid to speak to the truth, even about the most sensitive subject including her own struggle with alcohol and painkillers. she got some criticism. i thought she was wonderful and her honesty she gave to this every single day. for example, she helped me

recover from jimmy's loss in 1980. she worked tirelessly as the former first lady to establish the betty ford center. she showed me that there is life after the white house and it can be a very full life. in 1984, we both participated in a panel at the ford presidential library on the role of first ladies. addictive diseases and mental health came together in many ways and we knew we could be a stronger force it to work as partners and we did for many years, sometimes traveling to washington to work for our causes. i am so glad she lived to see

this happen. we did not get everything we wanted but we got a good start. i know that made her as happy as it made me. we talked about she would round up republicans and i would round up the democrats and we were effective most of the time. [laughter] after the 1984 conference, betty ford wrote me a note that i still treasure where she wrote about women who had the courage of their convictions and did what others were too timid to attempt. she was the most appropriate definition of that, someone who is willing to do things a bit differently than they had been done before, someone who had the courage and grace to fight fear, stigma, and prejudice wherever she encountered it. it is almost impossible today to imagine a time when people were afraid to reveal that they had cancer or to speak publicly

about personal struggles with alcohol or addiction. she was a tireless advocate for those struggling, some struggling alone, ashamed to seek help. it was a privilege to work with her to bring addiction and mental health problems into the light. historians have said that our husbands developed a closer relationship than any other presidents after leaving the white house. i think betty and i had a similar relationship. in closing, i want to add that betty and i shared another passion -- our husbands and our families. her partnership with gerry in public and private have healed a nation and strengthened the family unit in its many forms. the love of her children, michael, jack, steven, and susan was unbounded. her grandchildren were a source

of constant pleasure. when we got together later in life, we talked about our hopes and dreams for our children and grandchildren and our great grandchildren. to you here who mourn loss of a mother, grandmother, and great- grandmother today, jimmy and i extend our most sincere sympathies and want you to know of the deep love and respect we have for this extraordinary woman. it was my privilege to know her, thank you.

>> good afternoon, i'm jeff. i am an alcoholic. betty, we are all here now. some of us here have been working toward this day for quite some time, as you know. that is what happens when you are the first family. people have to be ready, ready

to honor you in just the right way, ready to remember you in just the right way, ready to describe our memories of you in just the right way, ready to pray for you and your family in just the right way. but many of us here today, i dare say perhaps most of us here today, have no recollection at all of you, betty, as first family or, perish the thought, of the u.s. first lady. i never knew you that way. i think i can speak for thousands of us who reclaimed our lives just a few short miles from here.

we never knew you that way. we knew you as mrs. ford, founder, chair, lecturer, hour upon hour, the present phase of recovery here in the desert, in grand rapids, in vail, on larry king, "good morning, america," so many other tv shows, and then on campus. we got to know you as betty. we saw you in the rooms. we listened to you tell stories

about your own feelings, your own guilts, you're own ups, your own downs, your own memories of loneliness and fear and shame and we could relate to that, betty. we felt close to you for that. all of a sudden, it was ok for us to have those feelings because you made us understand that it did not have to be that way anymore. and so, we were embarking on this journey together with you but it was very scary.

we had no clue how to operate or do anything, me without vodka. i had no clue that it was possible to feel any other way other than scared to death, hysterical. i had no clue that there was a way out of my desperate loneliness and my overwhelming guilt. but i remembered what you told us the first week we were here back in september of 1983. i remember you said it did not have to be that way anymore, that it had been that way for you and that by listening to your counselors down in long beach and by opening up to other patients who were there with you and by speaking openly

and honestly with your love and family and friends, each day began to get better, as you slowly learned how to peel away those horrifying feelings of sadness, of anger, and guilt. you said something i have never forgotten. you said you had discovered that you were allergic to alcohol. that rang the bell for me. that, betty, made it understandable. i could grasp allergic. so we began to understand that

if you could do it with all the pressures on you every day living in the white house for goodness sake with the leader of the free world, maybe, just maybe if we worked at it like you told us to, maybe we could also get some relief from the darkness that we had become almost comfortable with, from the abyss that we had fallen into, from, yes, hell. so, day-by-day, one by one, with the loving care and protection of your amazing staff of volunteers, we began to understand maybe, just maybe, if i do what they tell me, if i do as you told us you did,

betty, maybe there is hope. maybe there is relief today, tonight when i finally go to sleep. if i can go just one more day without a drink, just one day like you said, excuse me, strange time to pick that up, wasn't it? [laughter] in just one day like you said, then maybe i will be able to feel just a tiny bit better and so off we went on this journey into the wilderness called treatment. off we went, scared, angry, scared, lonely, scared,

terrified but the warm and loving embrace that you and leonard had and the vision so many years ago at this incredible place of healing began to take hold. lectures, groups, meetings, group, jobs, group, journal, group, pool aerobics, group, feed the ducks, group. my goodness gracious, we were beginning to learn that it was actually ok to trust each

other, that it was actually ok to be ourselves, that the process of purging ourselves of those decades of poison, that it was actually possible to walk away from our toxic behavior and that the more confidence we were able to build within ourselves and the more we watched and listened to your regular talks to us of reassurance and support, the more we began to understand what this thing recovery was all about. as the years have changed and as the world has changed more than any of us would ever have believed, the wisdom and support we take every day from the rooms has guided us in the right way and you were the one

who introduced us to this, betty. you were the one who helped us understand we can walk with god, we can walk together, each and every day and our lives will be better. what a gift to us, to several generations of those like us who need help and to just need to learn how to generate a little pride and self-respect. what a gift ! what a profound legacy. i remember you saying so often, don't thank me, thank yourself. you're the one who is doing it without help. ok, then, thank you, thank you,

god for bringing us this extraordinary lady, this brave and inspirational pioneer into our lives, all of our lives, even those who have not experienced the gift of treatment or recovery, all of us are supremely better for having known you, betty, for having been inspired by you and for having shared love with you. may god now grant you the peace and reward that you helped so many of us learn about and experience. deargod's grace upon you, betty.

the world is so much a better place for your having been here with us. you will never know how much we miss you and, oh yes, before i finish, please give your boyfriend a hug from us. lord knows we miss him, too. godspeed, betty, godspeed.

>> how honored i am to be in this beautiful church with this magnificent choir before so many distinguished people who have served and continue to serve our country, especially the ford family. and to talk about this wonderful woman. when mrs. ford assigned me the daunting honor of speaking at her funeral, it would come as a surprise to none of you that the assignment came with instructions. [laughter] mrs. ford wanted me to remind

everyone of the way things used to be in washington and i would not be at all surprised if she timed her death to make sure that she could convey the message this week when it seemed so badly needed. [laughter] a couple of months ago when the statue of president ford was unveiled in the regal rotunda of the united states capitol, the four children recalled happily their days playing hide and seek under the watchful gaze of george washington and having times rolling in those secrets spaces of the capital, sometimes coming up on something truly spooky and formed the most vivid memories of many of us congressional brats. there are many others we share. we all have the strom thurmond stories, talk about spooky. [laughter] he was there most of our lives.

al gore tells about senator thurmond stepping on his truck when he first met him. us girls have different stories. [laughter] since she came out in the 1960's rather than the 1950's, susan, i don't know if you had to parade down runways for good causes. at one time, one of the women actually scored a coup by scoring robert goulet to croon "if ever i would leave you." susan's mother escaped none of those 1950's rituals. my mother remembers that she and betty ford performed in every fashion show because they were the same size as the models were, that is small. i must say that in the retrospectives over the weekend, it brought back my earliest memories of how incredibly beautiful betty ford

was. our mothers were involved in the congressional club so many of us put in time at the dancing schools. even some of the boys had to do that. we all got copies of the congressional club cookbook as wedding presents. mrs. ford's vichysoisse was not bad. class items of the names of members of congress etched into them were presents. [laughter] it is very nice anyway. it looked like we stole the plate from their office. the worst present was the department of agriculture yearbook. true story. [laughter] we all have fathers who were away a lot and others who ran everything and we groaned and giggled together about it

because we were all friends and that is what betty ford wanted me to talk about here today. a couple of years before he died, i came to the desert to interview president ford on a series on former presidents and the constitution. when we turned the cameras off, the president turned to me and he said," i don't know what's going on today in washington. i just don't understand it. when your father was majority leader and i was minority leader, we would get together on the hill and go downtown to the press club and we would talk about what we would argue about. it was a real debate. we had different views about means to an end and generally disagreed and we were certainly partisan. after we went at it, we would get back in the cab together and the best friends." by that time, they had drivers. we all remembered the wonderful

drivers. the point is the same. that friendship made governing possible. they did not question each other's motives for their commitment to the country. underlying those across the aisle and across the dome, congressional friendship was among the waters. over the last few days, we approach for the celebrated betty ford for her incredible courage in the face of her own challenges and the impact that courage has had upon millions of lives. in her wisdom, she knew that the part of her life that would be given little notice would be her many years as a partner of a member of the house of representatives. that is why she asked me to talk about it. it was a tough job, more often

political than with other than political wives. the duties ranged from showing visiting constituents around the capital. it was a big deal in those days when somebody traveled from michigan or louisiana to washington. she helped him run the social services programs in washington. in the days before home rule, it was political working with the african-american women who lived there who stitched together a safety net for the citizens of the nation's capital. there was always the challenge to the political wife of figuring out how to entertain on no money at all and, of course, she was expected to be the perfect wife and mother. mrs. ford plays all those roles. cub scouts and den mother's seem weak until you have tried it. [laughter] she was a leader in the congressional prayer group and yet her official title as it was for most political wives was a housewife. it was a title she shared with

many american women and it gave her a great understanding about what women's lives were like. she said once,"being a good housewife seems to be a much tougher job than going to the office and getting paid for it." she was giving words to the dirty little secret that men always knew. over the years, she spoke out more forcefully for women's rights. she strongly defended the housewife's role. no wonder women all over the country have spent this past weekend loving her anew. one talent that wives were expected to cultivate was that of first great campaigner, of which we have a few here. it was expected the wives of

house members, the house-wives who face an election every two years who had to really learn how to campaign. by the time he ran for president, gerald ford sported the "elect betty ford's husband" button but people in michigan were expressing that sentiment for years. the constant campaigning brought political wives together even if they were on different sides. they had the same complaints and that meant they forged tight connections that extended to the men as well. they would bring the men together, serve them drinks and a good meal, listen to their stories, and make them behave. some of that good behavior carried over to the corridors of congress. it was a role that political wives had played since the

beginning of this republic and it has worked. now former presidents and members all get together nicely and it is nice getting together after the fact. we wish some of you would come together before hand. [laughter] the friendship between my mother and betty ford spanned more than 60 years. it became especially close when the couples made their historic trip to china in 1972. i asked my mother yesterday what she and mrs. ford did on that trip. at first, she joked that she is not sure she wanted to tell. [laughter] then she lit up, remembering one day when just the two of them went out without a good interpreter and they were getting frustrated about their inability to communicate. finally, mrs. ford turned to mama and said, "what difference does it make?" mama laughed at the memory and said of course she was right as she was about everything.

it was only a few months later that my father's plane was lost over alaska and the fords were devastated. they were so attentive to our family. mrs. ford was really undone and yet she spent so much time shoring up my mother through that period and my mother said softly yesterday,"she was such a great help to me." these women held each other and their husbands and hounded us children and they helped the nation. they regularly conspired to convince theer lawmaker mates to pass legislation that would help educate and care for children, house old and poor people, improve health outcomes for all, and, yes, give equal rights to women. the betty ford support for the equal rights amendment did not become full-blown as first lady.

she had been pushing this for years and made sure her husband got the message. president ford told me years later that he did not have a lot of pressure politically on the outside but from inside his own family. mrs. ford was a very ardent supporter of equal rights for women and he used to get lectures quite frequently. he got pushed to act on the floor of the house in favor of it and he did. he voted for it and he thought it was a good approach but it was a very controversial provision. there is your midwestern understatement. as susan said in an interview, been first lady did not change her mother. it gave her a podium to stand on to express the views she had formed in her years as a congressional wife. betty ford also always knew when to step off the podium and how to avoid the worst of labels for any woman of the era, especially the political wife. she was never strident. she could use her candid good

humor to diffuse any discussion about whether she was overstepping her bounds as first lady, some of you have never heard anything about. [laughter] at the national press club, she told the men assembled -- the women in the press were confined to the balcony -- she told the men they had often heard her say that whatever makes gerry happy makes me happy. if you believe that, you are in deep and worthy of your profession. [laughter] she had them and she made it look easy. it was not easy. through betty ford's courage, we later learned just how hard those years were. mrs. ford had something very important going for her, she knew who she was. before her sudden ascension to first lady, she said," i will do the best i can and if they don't like it, they can kick me out but they cannot make me somebody i am not."

she knew, like her friends the other congressional women, she knew that her husband could not be who he was if she were not who she was. president ford gave me a glimpse of the importance of that strength when he told me," the night before i took the oath of office, i held betty's hand and repeated together from proverbs. i made the unforgivable mistake of failing to ask which proverbs. i know which one they said today. it is of course the goodwife. "she opens her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the teaching of kindness. she looked to the ways of her household and eats not the bread of idleness. her husband praises her. many daughters have done virtuously but you surpass them

all. favor is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman that fears the lord shall be praised. give her the fruit of her hand and let her own works praise her in the gates." your works, all of them over many years, praise you, betty ford. this congressional brought along with the rest of the country, especially the women who have been keeping this republic, thank you. >> in the name of the holy and undivided trinity, amen. it has been a lifelong dream of mine to be the fifth of five speakers in a warm room

immediately following cokie roberts. [laughter] today is the day. agnostic folksinger susan werner may have had it right in her 2007 song," probably not." she sings think of that easter day when they rolled the stone away and the apostles said they had seen jesus by the city wall. st. thomas' part was pure and he said yeah, sure and that's what made st. thomas the grooviest apostle of all. you will recall that he is famous for his doubting. he is not certain but if he is the grooviest, it is not because he lacks trust.

he said unless i see the mark of the nail in his hands, i put my finger in the mark of the nail in my hand in his side, i will not believe. this is not about faithlessness. thomas needed to touch the wound. hearing the story second hand is not good enough. even seeing is not enough unless i put my finger in the wound and my hand in his side, i will never believe. thomas is onto something. he does not suggest that he does not want to believe. he does not suggest that there are no wounds to put his hand on.

he understands something that is lost to all the others, resurrection life involves touching the wounds. resurrection does not make those wounds go away. resurrection gives the wounds power when they touch people like the one leper intent to turn around to thank jesus for healing him, thomas understands that his own healing is somehow connected to turning back, to giving thanks, to putting his on hand on jesus' wounds. it makes a difference because thomas had a wound or two himself. it may have been physical or they may have been wounds of the soul, the kind that call out to us at night and tell us that we are ugly, that we are stupid,

that we have no will power, that we are sick, or that we have been bad, that we are not viable, that the love that we do feel is secret or shameful, that we deserve the pain that we feel. these are the wounds of the great lie, but will instead obscure our ability to see ourselves the way god sees us as beloved children, as made in god's own likeness. these are the ones that leave us groping in a spiritual darkness, afraid to open our eyes too wide and once afraid that we might never see or that we might get a good look at ourselves and be unable to bear the sight. this is not a hypothetical type of wound.

this is lostness that describes the wounded souls of millions of people and its strength is not helped. those who look strong on the outside don't, in fact lack the way. more often, the strong are loveless noise gongs and clanging symbols. enter into that darkness, betty ford. her own wounds by now are well documented in public together with her courage, with her clarity of thought, her imagination, her capacity to put others at ease by risking connection to great joy and to deep wounds.

yesterday, as i watched in here as a friend of mrs. ford briefed the honor guard about what they should expect when they encounter the ford family, he said the fords will not only speak to them but will inquire with sincere interest about how they are doing, about how their work is going, about how they came to be assigned here today. they will ask these things because that is who they are. that is how they were brought up. in short, betty ford had taught her own family to be christ- like. she changed lives not only by the example of her joys and her struggles but by allowing those of us who have no business doing so to touch her wounds and find the healing in them.

god's little secret about weakness and strength is that we are perfected in our weakness not in our strength. in our weakness, god allows us to touch the wounds that are all too familiar to us, by those wounds to be healed. when others encountered her, betty ford characteristically would return the gratitude with good wishes but point out that each person who had found her way to health through recovery did the heavy lifting on her own. thank you, she would say and there is some truth in wisdom and wisdom in that. betty ford did not heal millions of people by her own

strength but by turning around her own example and letting them touch her wounds. many people in this room are alive for that very reason. lives changed, even saved, are hard to measure and hard to count. cause and effect is never as neat as one would like. we never know how many people experienced the novelty of hope because they have watched betty ford share her own wounds with an exacting combination of candor and grace, where shame and fear were stared down at the embrace of an uncertain future. we will never know how many people learned first from betty ford to use the leverage of truth telling and recovery and

not moral failure. women of a certain era were taught that there are places a lady does not go unescorted. we will never know how many women moved unescorted only by betty ford's example to the new and profound gospel truth that we now hold to be self-evident, that women are created equal to men, that their dignity is god- given and that there are new and better ways to be a lady, a first lady like betty ford. to mike, jack, steve, and

susan, we commend your mother's dear soul to our lord who knows her wounds and her home as well because she dared to touch god's own life and poured out for others, to command opening the gates of heaven long and wide to admit countless throngs of angels she carries in tow, living and waiting, who found their way through cold darkness by the life of christ, she took to herself and shared so generously. think of that easter day when they rolled the stone away. her heart was there. she said yeah, sure and that is what betty ford was the

grooviest first lady of all. in the assurance of the eternal life given at baptism, let us stand and proclaim our own faith and say together -- i believe in one god, the father almighty, maker of heaven and earth and in jesus christ, his only son our lord, who was conceived by the holy ghost, born of the virgin mary, suffered under pontius pilate, was crucified and died and was buried and descended into hell the third day he rose again from the death. he ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand of god the father almighty. from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead and believe in the holy ghost, the holy catholic church, the

communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting, amen. >> the lord be with you. let us pray. our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, amen.

>> granted to all who mourn a share of confidence in your

father's care that casting all their grief on you, they may know the consolation of your love, amen. >> give courage and faith to those who are bereaved that they may have strength to meet the days ahead in comfort of a reasonable and holy hope, in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love, amen. >> o god, the king of saints, we praise and glorify your holy name for all your servants who have finished their course in your faith and fear, for the blessed virgin mary, for the holy patriarchs, profits, and martyrs, for all your other righteous servants known to us and unknown.

amen. >> and we pray that encouraged by their examples, aided by their peers, and strengthened by their fellowship, we may also be partners in the inheritance and the saints in light of their merits -- through the merits of your son jesus christ, amen. >> grant, oh lord, to all who have the strength to meet the days to come with steadfast patience. in thankful remembrance of your great goodness and in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love. in this we ask in the name of jesus christ our savior, amen.

>> almighty god, father of mercy and giver of comfort, so we pray with all the more that casting all their care in you in the consolation of your love for jesus christ our lord, amen. >> grant us praise to trust in grandma our never failing love and receive her into the arms of your mercy and remember her according to the favor you bear on to your people, amen. >> god, grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change, the courage to change the things i can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

living one day at a time enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardships as the pathway to peace, taking, as he did, the simple world as it is, not as i would have it, trusting that he will make all things right if i surrender to his will. that i may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with him forever in the next, amen.

♪ ♪ >> give praise, of christ, to your service. though only are immortal, the creator and maker of mankind and we are mortal, formed of the earth and onto earth shall we return for so he went out and created me saying dust to

dust thou art and to that ye shall return. we go down to the dust yet even at grief we make our song alleluia. unto thy hands we commend our servant's body and we humbly beseech thee. receive her into the arms of the mercy, into the blessed rest of the everlasting peace and the glory and company of the saints in light, amen. hhe got a peace who brought again from the dead our lord jesus christ, the great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting

covenant make perfect in every good work to do his will. working in you that which is pleasing in his site and the blessing of god almighty as the father, son, and holy spirit be among the new and remain with you always. amen. >> let us go forth in the name of christ. >> thanks be to god. ♪ [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]

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♪ >> a private dealer service was held thursday in grand rapids, michigan. lynn cheney gave a eulogy. former president clinton and former first lady barbara bush attended the ceremony. after the service, mrs. ford was laid to rest beside her husband, former president gerald ford. this portion of the service is 45 minutes.

>> a reading from a profit of isaiah. as you -- have you not known, have you not heard of the ever living god, the creator, the into the earth faintest not, neither is weary. there is no searching of his understanding. it gives power to the saints, and to them that have no might, increased strength. the young man shall utterly ball. but they will wait upon the lord to show renewed their strength. they shall mount up with wings as eagles and they show run and not be weary, and they shall

walk and not be fate. the word of the lord. ♪

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>> if i speak in the tongues of morals and of angels but do not have love, i am and noisy gong

or clanging symbol. if i have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if i have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, i am nothing. if i give away all my possessions and hand over my body so i may boast, but do not have love, a gain nothing. love is patient, love this kind, love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. it does not insist on its own way. it is not irrigable or resentful. does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, indoors all things. but never ends. but as for prophesies, they will come to an end. as for tongues, they will cease. as for knowledge, it will come

to an end, for we know only in part and we prophesy only in part, but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. when i was a child, i spoke like a child. i thought like a child. i reasoned like a child. when i became an adult, i put an end to childish ways. for now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then, we will see face-to-face. now i know only in part. then i will know fully. even as i have been fully known. and now faith, hope, and love abide. these three, the greatest of these is love. the word of the lord. my brother mike spoke in palm springs, and i had the honor to say a few words about our mother, and it is right.

if the greatest of these is love, mike, jack, susan, dad, me, we were really blessed, because we got a mother, dad got a wife, and she just knew how to love. i have just been soaking all of this in. we were in palm springs and i was standing in line and talking to one of the well-wishers. he said something to me and i had to think about it for a while. he said your mother's funeral is sort of like the commissioning a great, grant ship. i thought about it, and she was grand. our family was a fleet of ships. that was the aircraft carrier, i know that. when i think about mom, this morning i was walking across the bridge to go to the museum and thanking people and shaking their hands. if mom was in our fleet, which she was, she was the hospital

ship. she was the one with the love and comfort, and she was the first one there to put her arms around you. when you celebrated a victory, she was there. when you had a defeat, she was there to hold your hand. her comfort which she gave dad, and that idea of a love that later everybody saw, this was before the spot wide with mike, jack, and susan, we were little kids, and she did that hard, hard work of raising kids, and she got us up, got as breakfast, got us to school and church and football practice and the dentist and the doctor, and many of you in this audience know, dad was on the road a lot serving his country and being a public servant, and mom was on raising us kids it, and we felt her love long before her spot

what came, when dad became vice- president and then president. and then the country and the world got to see below. cancer patients, for alcoholics, drug addicts, and how real a person she was of. and they loved her. they just loved her. i share a special bond with mom, and with millions of others, i guess. 19 years ago when i went through my alcoholism, my mother was the first one there to comfort me like she comforted so many others. she was the first one there, and it was actually funny, because i remember saying mom, i know you have walked in the issues already. i think i am an alcoholic. she was just like every other mother in the country, she said no, my son cannot be an

alcoholic. i said mom, stop, you cannot be in denial. you are, like, betty ford, you are the poster child for this thing. [laughter] she was, she was just like every other mother in the country. once things settle down, she gave me one of the greatest gifts, and that was how to surrender to god. and it to accept the grace of god in my life, and truly in her arms i felt like the prodigal son coming home, and i felt god's love through per, and that was a great gift. both mom and dad left us kids a great legacy, and i have been smiling for days because i know where mom is. she is with her maker. she had a personal relationship with god through christ, and

many of us have sat there in our family time and time again -- i can tell you hundreds of times i sat and help moms hand and we prayed together and we talked about the joy of our salvation for christ, and that is what puts a smile on my face, because we know dad is there already, and mom is heading there now. they gave us a great legacy, a great gift. they used to boldly set with us at the table or someplace and they would explain to us how every night they would pray for us. as little kids growing up, finally woolwich got to the white house, later, and dad or mom would tell the same story. your mom and dad, at night when we would go to bed, we would pray for you children, and at the end, we would hold hands and recite our favorite proverb, and

to think that my parents every nine held their hands and were able to say, trust in the lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct bypass --thy paths. that is a gift to us. thank you, mom, for letting us, loving your husband, loving us kids, loving the nation with the heart of god. we miss you. god bless you.

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>> amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. i once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now i see. t'was grace that taught my heart to fear. and grace, my fears relieved. how precious did that grace appear the hour i first believed. ♪ through many dangers, toils and

snares i have already come; 'tis grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home. ♪ when we've been there ten thousand years

bright shining as the sun we've no less days to sing god's praise than when we first begun >> amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.

i once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now i see.

>> please stand. the holy gospel of our lord jesus christ, according to matthew. and seeing the multitude, he went up into a mountain, and when he was set, his disciples came unto him, and he open his mouth and talk them. blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. blessed or they that more, for they shall become kampf -- for they shall be comforted. blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. blessed are they which do under

and a thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see god. blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of god. blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.

rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. for so persecuted they the profits which are before you. the gospel of the lord. >> honored guests, reverend, mike, jack, steve, susan, and all of mrs. ford's family and

friends, in these last few days, so much has been written about betty ford, and the words have been wonderful and true. yet they are still set to hear, because they are also meant as a goodbye to one of the finest, dearest people in any of us has ever known. for each one of us, what a joy it was that betty ford was a part of our lives. the last time the nation saw mrs. ford, she was here in grand rapids on that long day when we laid her husband to rest. from then on, she was content to go her way and live out her days in the company of a few friends and her loving children and grandchildren. but she remained among the most admired women in the world. public life was behind her, but mrs. board's reputation was not the kind that needed cultivating. just the mention of her name

rings good and hopefully brings to mind. i got to know mrs. ford about the same time the whole nation did. she was the first lady who, less than a year before, had been a stay at home mom in alexandria, virginia. what had started out as the nixon-agnew years suddenly became the for-rockefeller years, and at times brought a few unexpected turns to my own family as well. my husband was called into service by president ford, and before long, i had the privilege of knowing the first family. how many amazing memories we shared. when i was around mrs. ford, what always struck me was how so many incredible things could happen to one person, from suburban life to the white house in a space of 10 months, and still leave her unchanged. through it all, she kept her

bearings, across the years she was the same candid and completely unpretentious woman. mrs. ford once said that walking out on the south lawn and saying goodbye to pat and dick nixon was the saddest day she had ever known. no one acquainted with her character and kind heart had any doubt that she meant it. mrs. ford was not only elegant and graceful, she was a delightfully honest and modest. when she rose high in the world, she observed, it can happen to anyone. after all, it has happened to anyone. but when the attention of the world turned in her direction, elizabeth and bloomer ford was ready. before december 1973, her life was all about home and family and it was time