President Barack Obama will go to Tucson, Arizona, Wednesday to speak at a memorial service for those killed in Saturday’s shootings. The president will try to help the nation deal with the rampage, which left six people dead and a U.S. congresswoman critically wounded.
Here’s photo of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly.
The president and his wife Michelle will cross the country to attend Wednesday night’s memorial service at the University of Arizona.
The president will speak there, in an effort to help Americans cope with the tragedy. May God Bless our President and our nation.
Full text of the President’s speech as prepared for delivery.
“To the families of those we’ve lost; to all who called them friends; to the students of this university, the public servants gathered tonight, and the people of Tucson and Arizona: I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today, and will stand by you tomorrow.
There is nothing I can say that will fill the sudden hole torn in your hearts. But know this: the hopes of a nation are here tonight. We mourn with you for the fallen. We join you in your grief. And we add our faith to yours that Representative Gabrielle Giffords and the other living victims of this tragedy pull through.
As Scripture tells us:
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
On Saturday morning, Gabby, her staff, and many of her constituents gathered outside a supermarket to exercise their right to peaceful assembly and free speech. They were fulfilling a central tenet of the democracy envisioned by our founders – representatives of the people answering to their constituents, so as to carry their concerns to our nation’s capital. Gabby called it “Congress on Your Corner” – just an updated version of government of and by and for the people.
That is the quintessentially American scene that was shattered by a gunman’s bullets. And the six people who lost their lives on Saturday – they too represented what is best in America.
Judge John Roll served our legal system for nearly 40 years. A graduate of this university and its law school, Judge Roll was recommended for the federal bench by John McCain twenty years ago, appointed by President George H.W. Bush, and rose to become Arizona’s chief federal judge. His colleagues described him as the hardest-working judge within the Ninth Circuit. He was on his way back from attending Mass, as he did every day, when he decided to stop by and say hi to his Representative. John is survived by his loving wife, Maureen, his three sons, and his five grandchildren.
George and Dorothy Morris – “Dot” to her friends – were high school sweethearts who got married and had two daughters. They did everything together, traveling the open road in their RV, enjoying what their friends called a 50-year honeymoon. Saturday morning, they went by the Safeway to hear what their Congresswoman had to say. When gunfire rang out, George, a former Marine, instinctively tried to shield his wife. Both were shot. Dot passed away.
A New Jersey native, Phyllis Schneck retired to Tucson to beat the snow. But in the summer, she would return East, where her world revolved around her 3 children, 7 grandchildren, and 2 year-old great-granddaughter. A gifted quilter, she’d often work under her favorite tree, or sometimes sew aprons with the logos of the Jets and the Giants to give out at the church where she volunteered. A Republican, she took a liking to Gabby, and wanted to get to know her better.
Dorwan and Mavy Stoddard grew up in Tucson together – about seventy years ago. They moved apart and started their own respective families, but after both were widowed they found their way back here, to, as one of Mavy’s daughters put it, “be boyfriend and girlfriend again.” When they weren’t out on the road in their motor home, you could find them just up the road, helping folks in need at the Mountain Avenue Church of Christ. A retired construction worker, Dorwan spent his spare time fixing up the church along with their dog, Tux. His final act of selflessness was to dive on top of his wife, sacrificing his life for hers.
Everything Gabe Zimmerman did, he did with passion – but his true passion was people. As Gabby’s outreach director, he made the cares of thousands of her constituents his own, seeing to it that seniors got the Medicare benefits they had earned, that veterans got the medals and care they deserved, that government was working for ordinary folks. He died doing what he loved – talking with people and seeing how he could help. Gabe is survived by his parents, Ross and Emily, his brother, Ben, and his fianc??©e, Kelly, who he planned to marry next year.
And then there is nine year-old Christina Taylor Green. Christina was an A student, a dancer, a gymnast, and a swimmer. She often proclaimed that she wanted to be the first woman to play in the major leagues, and as the only girl on her Little League team, no one put it past her. She showed an appreciation for life uncommon for a girl her age, and would remind her mother, “We are so blessed. We have the best life.” And she’d pay those blessings back by participating in a charity that helped children who were less fortunate.
Our hearts are broken by their sudden passing. Our hearts are broken – and yet, our hearts also have reason for fullness.
Our hearts are full of hope and thanks for the 13 Americans who survived the shooting, including the congresswoman many of them went to see on Saturday. I have just come from the University Medical Center, just a mile from here, where our friend Gabby courageously fights to recover even as we speak. And I can tell you this – she knows we’re here and she knows we love her and she knows that we will be rooting for her throughout what will be a difficult journey.
And our hearts are full of gratitude for those who saved others. We are grateful for Daniel Hernandez, a volunteer in Gabby’s office who ran through the chaos to minister to his boss, tending to her wounds to keep her alive. We are grateful for the men who tackled the gunman as he stopped to reload. We are grateful for a petite 61 year-old, Patricia Maisch, who wrestled away the killer’s ammunition, undoubtedly saving some lives. And we are grateful for the doctors and nurses and emergency medics who worked wonders to heal those who’d been hurt.
These men and women remind us that heroism is found not only on the fields of battle. They remind us that heroism does not require special training or physical strength. Heroism is here, all around us, in the hearts of so many of our fellow citizens, just waiting to be summoned – as it was on Saturday morning.
Their actions, their selflessness, also pose a challenge to each of us. It raises the question of what, beyond the prayers and expressions of concern, is required of us going forward. How can we honor the fallen? How can we be true to their memory?
You see, when a tragedy like this strikes, it is part of our nature to demand explanations – to try to impose some order on the chaos, and make sense out of that which seems senseless. Already we’ve seen a national conversation commence, not only about the motivations behind these killings, but about everything from the merits of gun safety laws to the adequacy of our mental health systems. Much of this process, of debating what might be done to prevent such tragedies in the future, is an essential ingredient in our exercise of self-government.
But at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized – at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do – it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.
Scripture tells us that there is evil in the world, and that terrible things happen for reasons that defy human understanding. In the words of Job, “when I looked for light, then came darkness.” Bad things happen, and we must guard against simple explanations in the aftermath.
For the truth is that none of us can know exactly what triggered this vicious attack. None of us can know with any certainty what might have stopped those shots from being fired, or what thoughts lurked in the inner recesses of a violent man’s mind.
So yes, we must examine all the facts behind this tragedy. We cannot and will not be passive in the face of such violence. We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of violence in the future.
But what we can’t do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on one another. As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together.
After all, that’s what most of us do when we lose someone in our family – especially if the loss is unexpected. We’re shaken from our routines, and forced to look inward. We reflect on the past. Did we spend enough time with an aging parent, we wonder. Did we express our gratitude for all the sacrifices they made for us? Did we tell a spouse just how desperately we loved them, not just once in awhile but every single day?
So sudden loss causes us to look backward – but it also forces us to look forward, to reflect on the present and the future, on the manner in which we live our lives and nurture our relationships with those who are still with us. We may ask ourselves if we’ve shown enough kindness and generosity and compassion to the people in our lives. Perhaps we question whether we are doing right by our children, or our community, and whether our priorities are in order. We recognize our own mortality, and are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame – but rather, how well we have loved, and what small part we have played in bettering the lives of others.
That process of reflection, of making sure we align our values with our actions – that, I believe, is what a tragedy like this requires. For those who were harmed, those who were killed – they are part of our family, an American family 300 million strong. We may not have known them personally, but we surely see ourselves in them. In George and Dot, in Dorwan and Mavy, we sense the abiding love we have for our own husbands, our own wives, our own life partners. Phyllis – she’s our mom or grandma; Gabe our brother or son. In Judge Roll, we recognize not only a man who prized his family and doing his job well, but also a man who embodied America’s fidelity to the law. In Gabby, we see a reflection of our public spiritedness, that desire to participate in that sometimes frustrating, sometimes contentious, but always necessary and never-ending process to form a more perfect union.
And in Christina…in Christina we see all of our children. So curious, so trusting, so energetic and full of magic.
So deserving of our love.
And so deserving of our good example. If this tragedy prompts reflection and debate, as it should, let’s make sure it’s worthy of those we have lost. Let’s make sure it’s not on the usual plane of politics and point scoring and pettiness that drifts away with the next news cycle.
The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better in our private lives – to be better friends and neighbors, co-workers and parents. And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let’s remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy, but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation, in a way that would make them proud. It should be because we want to live up to the example of public servants like John Roll and Gabby Giffords, who knew first and foremost that we are all Americans, and that we can question each other’s ideas without questioning each other’s love of country, and that our task, working together, is to constantly widen the circle of our concern so that we bequeath the American dream to future generations.
I believe we can be better. Those who died here, those who saved lives here – they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us. I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.
That’s what I believe, in part because that’s what a child like Christina Taylor Green believed. Imagine: here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that someday she too might play a part in shaping her nation’s future. She had been elected to her student council; she saw public service as something exciting, something hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.
I want us to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it. All of us – we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.
Christina was given to us on September 11th, 2001, one of 50 babies born that day to be pictured in a book called “Faces of Hope.” On either side of her photo in that book were simple wishes for a child’s life. “I hope you help those in need,” read one. “I hope you know all of the words to the National Anthem and sing it with your hand over your heart. I hope you jump in rain puddles.”
If there are rain puddles in heaven, Christina is jumping in them today. And here on Earth, we place our hands over our hearts, and commit ourselves as Americans to forging a country that is forever worthy of her gentle, happy spirit.
May God bless and keep those we’ve lost in restful and eternal peace. May He love and watch over the survivors. And may He bless the United States of America.”
An Open Letter to Parents Following the Tragedy in Tucson
Posted by First Lady Michelle Obama on January 13, 2011 at 06:07 PM EST
Dear parents,
Like so many Americans all across the country, Barack and I were shocked and heartbroken by the horrific act of violence committed in Arizona this past weekend. Yesterday, we had the chance to attend a memorial service and meet with some of the families of those who lost their lives, and both of us were deeply moved by their strength and resilience in the face of such unspeakable tragedy.
As parents, an event like this hits home especially hard. It makes our hearts ache for those who lost loved ones. It makes us want to hug our own families a little tighter. And it makes us think about what an event like this says about the world we live in – and the world in which our children will grow up.
In the days and weeks ahead, as we struggle with these issues ourselves, many of us will find that our children are struggling with them as well. The questions my daughters have asked are the same ones that many of your children will have – and they don’t lend themselves to easy answers. But they will provide an opportunity for us as parents to teach some valuable lessons – about the character of our country, about the values we hold dear, and about finding hope at a time when it seems far away.
We can teach our children that here in America, we embrace each other, and support each other, in times of crisis. And we can help them do that in their own small way – whether it’s by sending a letter, or saying a prayer, or just keeping the victims and their families in their thoughts.
We can teach them the value of tolerance – the practice of assuming the best, rather than the worst, about those around us. We can teach them to give others the benefit of the doubt, particularly those with whom they disagree.
We can also teach our children about the tremendous sacrifices made by the men and women who serve our country and by their families. We can explain to them that although we might not always agree with those who represent us, anyone who enters public life does so because they love their country and want to serve it.
Christina Green felt that call. She was just nine years old when she lost her life. But she was at that store that day because she was passionate about serving others. She had just been elected to her school’s student council, and she wanted to meet her Congresswoman and learn more about politics and public life.
And that’s something else we can do for our children – we can tell them about Christina and about how much she wanted to give back. We can tell them about John Roll, a judge with a reputation for fairness; about Dorothy Morris, a devoted wife to her husband, her high school sweetheart, to whom she’d been married for 55 years; about Phyllis Schneck, a great-grandmother who sewed aprons for church fundraisers; about Dorwan Stoddard, a retired construction worker who helped neighbors down on their luck; and about Gabe Zimmerman, who did community outreach for Congresswoman Giffords, working tirelessly to help folks who were struggling, and was engaged to be married next year. We can tell them about the brave men and women who risked their lives that day to save others. And we can work together to honor their legacy by following their example – by embracing our fellow citizens; by standing up for what we believe is right; and by doing our part, however we can, to serve our communities and our country.
Sincerely,
Michelle Obama
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog…
Just had to come by and visit this precious site… Had to say how utterly humble, compassionate, sensitive and brilliant is our Awesome President Obama! I suppose I was crying before he got to the stage, but once he started orating, I was done. The tears flowed with each word from his gentle graceful yet powerful voice. I hope that we all can heal as rapidly as possible from this tragic occurrence in our history and most importantly, I hope the family’s who lost loved ones will keep his words of comfort in their hearts where their loved ones will always reside. Bless this site and everyone on it who truly and deeply appreciates what we have in this awesome President! Love, Peace and Blessings from a womanofcolor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PS: I will be doing all I can to fight with words filled with love and kindness, all the vitriol and rhetorical rubbish spewed from those who support the ex-governor from Alaska…
Hi iamwomanofcolor! It’s good to see you, again.
The President spoke to the victims and their families, and their hearts were open to receiving the message of healing.
He spoke to ALL Americans who tunned in, but only those whose hearts were open could receive the message of peace, healing, and love.
It was a poignant and powerful message.
Iamwomanofcolor,
So good to see you again. We missed you round these parts.
I concur with your thoughts on our President’s compassion & grace. He indeed lifted up a hurting nation. We are so lucky to have him as our President.
Follow us on Twitter! @3ChicsPolitico
I just listened to the president speak again. I hope Arizonans appreciated his grace and humbleness as they heal their divisive and grief-filled hearts.
Here’s a link to the service in segments if anyone wants to review them. Holder, PBO, Napolitano, Brewer, etc.
We’ll post the entire PBO speech when the video is available for embed.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/part-barack-obama-consoles-nation-tucson-arizona-shooting-memorial-gabrielle-giffords-12603872?tab=9482931§ion=1206833&playlist=&page=1
POTUS was just what the country needed tonight.
Indeed. He is a true STATESMAN. And FLOTUS by his side. They are both what this country need PERIOD.
I love this song!
Simple Gifts. Our President invoked the sense of family and highlighting our children. No one else could have delivered this heartfelt tribute to Christina and the other victims and their family.
And so glad he mentioned the rhetoric, yet using it in the context with how we can survive and thrive as a nation.
WELL DONE! Hearts will heal…
Bravo, Mr President! Bravo!
We love you!!!!!!!!!
He wants to live up to Christinas expectations. Right on Mr. President.
Hello, walk it, don’t talk it.
Dannie, I think Holder read from Corinthians.
Thank you.
Applause!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s my President!!!!!!!!!
Bring the child forward, Mr. President. They are our future.
I love Dr Rhee!
Wow!
Congressman Giffords opened her eyes for the first time after the President’s visit today. God IS good all the time and all the time God IS good.
***Tears***
NURSES ROCK!!! Right, Dannie. LOL
Nurses rock indeed!
Hell yea we do lol!!
I am crying.
Tears are healing, go ahead and cry, Dannie.
You know POTUS & FLOTUS think about Sasha & Malia too…
FLOTUS looks like she may cry.
The Flotus and Potus share the people’s grief.
Oh God, I’m coming undone… Gabby opened her eyes for the first time!
Indeed. They have compassion and heart.
Whoo Hoo!
Go, Mr President!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So glad to hear him give honors to the dead and wounded.
Mr. President, ome with it.
The president has been crying and grieving with the families.
My Lord!
AG Holder is reading a most heavenly scripture.
Do you remember the passage? I want to bookmark it
http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/attorney-general-speaks-tucson-memorial-12603519
Go Janet!
LOL did you hear the crowd say ‘WE MISS YOU!”
LOL
Cindy McCain is sitting behind Daniel.
no, we’ll have to check out the video when it’s available.
Oh, oh, keep it together Governor Brewer. Stick to the script.
My fingers are crossed.
LOL whew, glad that’s over…next
Bravo, Daniel!
Daniel Hernandez is making me mighty proud! Speak son!
He did good.
Speak on it Mr. Hernandez!
Did you hear the screams when our POTUS & FLOTUS entered the room?
That’s my President!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s so fitting to have a Native American send up the prayer, especially since his ancestors have been a part of Tucson, AZ since the 1800s.
“Tucson” is Native American.
Precisely! I was just saying the same thing to my kids.
Law enforcement betta ask somebody, if they ever stop him for papers. Did he say he had a son in Afghanistan?
Yes
They are well loved.
The ceremony is starting now.
Mr. Kelly is seated next to POTUS & FLOTUS.
I’m going to start crying…
That’s quite a prayer…
Congressman Giffords’ husband looks so hurt. My heart breaks.
Jusitce Sandra Day O’Conner is sitting on the front row.
Ok, I think the tears are falling now….
I can’t wait to see the president’s solemn presence and hear his calming voice. That’s what our nation needs right now.
Amen
The President has met with Congresswoman Giffords for 9 minutes.
God bless him! So happy to have a President with so much compassion.
Obama visiting Giffords, victims at Ariz. hospital
TUCSON, Ariz. — President Barack Obama flew to Arizona Wednesday and headed straight to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ bedside to pay his respects to the wounded lawmaker as he sought to unify a mourning nation.
The president then met with family members of those killed before speaking at a nighttime memorial service at the McKale center in Tucson.
“The president wanted to begin this solemn trip by stopping first at the hospital where Congresswoman Giffords and others continue to recuperate,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters traveling with the president. Giffords was the target of the first assassination attempt on a member of Congress in decades.
Inside the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital, Obama spent about 10 minutes with Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly. He also met with four other victims from the shooting, including two of Giffords’ staff members who were wounded in the rampage. The president and the first lady also met with members of the trauma resuscitation team who were the first people to treat the victims.
Dr. Peter Rhee, chief of the trauma unit, led the 45-minute visit to the hospital.
The president moved to the site of the memorial at the University of Arizona, where he met privately with families of the victims.
Searching for the right tone in the evening service, Obama aimed to console the country, not dissect its politics in a speech expected to go 16-18 minutes.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41043078/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
PBO spent 45 minutes visiting all the wounded and Gabby Giffords.
Agenda Set For Tucson Memorial Service
http://www.kpho.com/news/26469489/detail.html
TUCSON, Ariz. — President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be among those to visit the University of Arizona to speak at a memorial event honoring the victims of Saturday’s shooting rapage in Tucson.
“Together We Thrive: Tucson and America” begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday in McKale Memorial Center, 1721 E. Enke Drive, is intended to support and remember the victims and to lift the spirits of those affected by this tragedy, organizers said.
The preliminary agenda is:
Opening music
Native American blessing
Welcome by UA President Robert N. Shelton
Playing of the National Anthem
Remarks by UA President Shelton
Remarks by UA Student
Remarks by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer
Remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
Remarks by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
Remarks by President Barack Obama
Moment of silence
The event is expected to last one hour.
President Obama Speaks at “Together We Thrive: Tucson and America”
University of Arizona Tucson
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live