Obama speaks at Tucson Memorial Service

President Obama spoke on Wednesday night in Tucson. "Together we thrive; Tucson and America."

"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" ~ President Obama

Here is a link to watch the video again from MSNBC Video

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Remarks of President Obama - As Prepared for Delivery At a Memorial Service for the Victims of the Shooting in Tucson, Arizona

January 12, 2011

From PoliticalWire.com

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.

Read the entire speech HERE

Posted on January 12, 2011 7:50 PM | |
Comments (2)

Thank you, Mr. President, for generating light tonight, instead of the heat so many others seem obsessed with generating. May your moderation, empathy, humanity, common sense and common decency bring you a reward from God -- and be a lively yeast that spreads through the dough of our nation for our common good.

Posted by Gregory Orloff [TypeKey Profile Page] | January 12, 2011 11:03 PM

I realize that President Obama has many more pressing and urgent things he needs to do, so we can hardly expect him to go to Dublin to address the meeting of the Anglican Primates. But there are certainly parts of his address last night in Tucson that I wish +Rowan would play for them. (Except, as is so often the case, those who most need to hear it are least likely to be there.)

Posted by Bill Moorhead [TypeKey Profile Page] | January 13, 2011 1:57 PM

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