English subtitles for clip: File:Barack Obama 2011 Tucson memorial speech.ogv

1
00:00:02,399 --> 00:00:09,532
The President:
To the families of
those we've lost;

2
00:00:09,532 --> 00:00:14,466
to all who called them friends;
to the students of this

3
00:00:14,467 --> 00:00:21,066
university, the public servants
who are gathered here,

4
00:00:21,065 --> 00:00:26,966
the people of Tucson and the
people of Arizona: I have come

5
00:00:26,966 --> 00:00:34,199
here tonight as an American
who, like all Americans,

6
00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:40,100
kneels to pray with you today
and will stand by you tomorrow.

7
00:00:40,100 --> 00:00:51,299
(applause)

8
00:00:51,299 --> 00:00:58,532
There is nothing I can say that
will fill the sudden hole torn

9
00:00:58,533 --> 00:01:01,500
in your hearts.

10
00:01:01,500 --> 00:01:09,834
But know this: The hopes of
a nation are here tonight.

11
00:01:09,834 --> 00:01:14,233
We mourn with you
for the fallen.

12
00:01:14,233 --> 00:01:18,433
We join you in your grief.

13
00:01:18,433 --> 00:01:22,600
And we add our faith to yours
that Representative Gabrielle

14
00:01:22,599 --> 00:01:28,966
Giffords and the other living victims
of this tragedy will pull through.

15
00:01:28,966 --> 00:01:40,632
(applause)

16
00:01:40,632 --> 00:01:48,834
Scripture tells us: There is a
river whose streams make glad

17
00:01:48,834 --> 00:01:57,299
the city of God, the holy place
where the Most High dwells.

18
00:01:57,299 --> 00:02:03,265
God is within her,
she will not fall;

19
00:02:03,266 --> 00:02:10,432
God will help her
at break of day.

20
00:02:10,432 --> 00:02:17,733
On Saturday morning, Gabby,
her staff and many of her

21
00:02:17,734 --> 00:02:24,800
constituents gathered outside a
supermarket to exercise their

22
00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:30,834
right to peaceful
assembly and free speech.

23
00:02:30,834 --> 00:02:38,599
(applause)

24
00:02:38,599 --> 00:02:45,599
They were fulfilling a central
tenet of the democracy

25
00:02:45,599 --> 00:02:50,466
envisioned by our founders --
representatives of the people

26
00:02:50,467 --> 00:02:54,367
answering questions to their
constituents, so as to carry

27
00:02:54,366 --> 00:02:59,399
their concerns back to
our nation's capital.

28
00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:03,667
Gabby called it "Congress
on Your Corner" --

29
00:03:03,667 --> 00:03:10,265
just an updated version of
government of and by and for the people.

30
00:03:10,265 --> 00:03:18,933
(applause)

31
00:03:18,933 --> 00:03:24,265
And that quintessentially
American scene,

32
00:03:24,265 --> 00:03:30,032
that was the scene that was
shattered by a gunman's bullets.

33
00:03:30,032 --> 00:03:35,299
And the six people who lost
their lives on Saturday --

34
00:03:35,300 --> 00:03:39,867
they, too, represented
what is best in us,

35
00:03:39,866 --> 00:03:42,733
what is best in America.

36
00:03:42,734 --> 00:03:44,766
(applause)

37
00:03:44,766 --> 00:03:53,667
Judge John Roll served our legal
system for nearly 40 years.

38
00:03:53,667 --> 00:03:57,734
(applause)

39
00:03:57,734 --> 00:04:03,200
A graduate of this university
and a graduate of this law school --

40
00:04:03,199 --> 00:04:12,599
(applause)

41
00:04:12,599 --> 00:04:15,667
-- Judge Roll was recommended
for the federal bench by John

42
00:04:15,667 --> 00:04:19,165
McCain 20 years ago --

43
00:04:19,165 --> 00:04:20,699
(applause)

44
00:04:20,699 --> 00:04:26,199
-- appointed by President George
H.W. Bush and rose to become

45
00:04:26,199 --> 00:04:28,800
Arizona's chief federal judge.

46
00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:32,734
(applause)

47
00:04:32,733 --> 00:04:37,000
His colleagues described him as
the hardest-working judge within

48
00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,766
the Ninth Circuit.

49
00:04:39,766 --> 00:04:43,233
He was on his way back
from attending Mass,

50
00:04:43,233 --> 00:04:47,800
as he did every day, when he
decided to stop by and say hi to

51
00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:50,900
his representative.

52
00:04:50,899 --> 00:04:55,766
John is survived by his
loving wife, Maureen,

53
00:04:55,766 --> 00:05:00,632
his three sons and his five
beautiful grandchildren.

54
00:05:00,632 --> 00:05:09,065
(applause)

55
00:05:09,065 --> 00:05:14,299
George and Dorothy Morris
-- "Dot" to her friends --

56
00:05:14,300 --> 00:05:19,233
were high school sweethearts who
got married and had two daughters.

57
00:05:19,233 --> 00:05:22,399
They did everything together --
traveling the open road in their

58
00:05:22,399 --> 00:05:29,032
RV, enjoying what their friends
called a 50-year honeymoon.

59
00:05:29,033 --> 00:05:34,500
Saturday morning, they went by
the Safeway to hear what their

60
00:05:34,500 --> 00:05:37,333
congresswoman had to say.

61
00:05:37,333 --> 00:05:42,533
When gunfire rang out,
George, a former Marine,

62
00:05:42,533 --> 00:05:46,766
instinctively tried
to shield his wife.

63
00:05:46,766 --> 00:05:55,332
(applause)

64
00:05:55,333 --> 00:05:57,867
Both were shot.

65
00:05:57,867 --> 00:06:01,467
Dot passed away.

66
00:06:01,466 --> 00:06:06,199
A New Jersey native, Phyllis
Schneck retired to Tucson to

67
00:06:06,199 --> 00:06:09,165
beat the snow.

68
00:06:09,165 --> 00:06:12,733
But in the summer,
she would return East,

69
00:06:12,733 --> 00:06:16,265
where her world revolved
around her three children,

70
00:06:16,266 --> 00:06:21,934
her seven grandchildren and
2-year-old great-granddaughter.

71
00:06:21,934 --> 00:06:26,100
A gifted quilter, she'd often
work under a favorite tree,

72
00:06:26,100 --> 00:06:29,333
or sometimes she'd sew aprons
with the logos of the Jets and

73
00:06:29,333 --> 00:06:30,734
the Giants --

74
00:06:30,733 --> 00:06:32,032
(laughter)

75
00:06:32,033 --> 00:06:36,633
-- to give out at the
church where she volunteered.

76
00:06:36,632 --> 00:06:40,532
A Republican, she took
a liking to Gabby,

77
00:06:40,533 --> 00:06:42,633
and wanted to get
to know her better.

78
00:06:42,632 --> 00:06:52,666
(applause)

79
00:06:52,666 --> 00:06:56,733
Dorwan and Mavy Stoddard
grew up in Tucson together --

80
00:06:56,733 --> 00:07:00,699
about 70 years ago.

81
00:07:00,699 --> 00:07:04,233
They moved apart and started
their own respective families.

82
00:07:04,233 --> 00:07:08,800
But after both were widowed they
found their way back here, to,

83
00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:11,966
as one of Mavy's
daughters put it,

84
00:07:11,966 --> 00:07:14,032
"be boyfriend and
girlfriend again."

85
00:07:14,033 --> 00:07:17,667
(laughter)

86
00:07:17,666 --> 00:07:21,165
When they weren't out on the
road in their motor home,

87
00:07:21,165 --> 00:07:23,300
you could find them
just up the road,

88
00:07:23,300 --> 00:07:28,834
helping folks in need at the
Mountain Avenue Church of Christ.

89
00:07:28,834 --> 00:07:32,132
A retired construction worker,
Dorwan spent his spare time

90
00:07:32,132 --> 00:07:36,599
fixing up the church
along with his dog, Tux.

91
00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:42,433
His final act of selflessness
was to dive on top of his wife,

92
00:07:42,432 --> 00:07:45,466
sacrificing his life for hers.

93
00:07:45,466 --> 00:07:56,699
(applause)

94
00:07:56,699 --> 00:07:59,899
Everything -- everything
-- Gabe Zimmerman did,

95
00:07:59,899 --> 00:08:01,532
he did with passion.

96
00:08:01,533 --> 00:08:05,766
(applause)

97
00:08:05,766 --> 00:08:09,266
But his true passion
was helping people.

98
00:08:09,266 --> 00:08:14,233
As Gabby's outreach director, he
made the cares of thousands of

99
00:08:14,233 --> 00:08:18,800
her constituents his own, seeing
to it that seniors got the

100
00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:22,934
Medicare benefits
that they had earned,

101
00:08:22,934 --> 00:08:27,000
that veterans got the medals and
the care that they deserved,

102
00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:32,033
that government was
working for ordinary folks.

103
00:08:32,033 --> 00:08:37,200
He died doing what he loved --
talking with people and seeing

104
00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:39,567
how he could help.

105
00:08:39,567 --> 00:08:43,734
And Gabe is survived by his
parents, Ross and Emily,

106
00:08:43,734 --> 00:08:47,133
his brother, Ben, and
his fiancée, Kelly,

107
00:08:47,133 --> 00:08:50,066
who he planned to
marry next year.

108
00:08:50,066 --> 00:09:01,266
(applause)

109
00:09:01,265 --> 00:09:06,466
And then there is nine-year-old
Christina Taylor Green.

110
00:09:06,466 --> 00:09:11,966
Christina was an A student; she
was a dancer; she was a gymnast;

111
00:09:11,966 --> 00:09:14,799
she was a swimmer.

112
00:09:14,799 --> 00:09:18,165
She decided that she wanted to
be the first woman to play in

113
00:09:18,166 --> 00:09:21,834
the Major Leagues, and as the
only girl on her Little League

114
00:09:21,833 --> 00:09:24,099
team, no one put it past her.

115
00:09:24,100 --> 00:09:33,133
(applause)

116
00:09:33,133 --> 00:09:39,667
She showed an appreciation for
life uncommon for a girl her age.

117
00:09:39,667 --> 00:09:44,567
She'd remind her mother,
"We are so blessed.

118
00:09:44,567 --> 00:09:47,899
We have the best life."

119
00:09:47,899 --> 00:09:51,165
And she'd pay those blessings
back by participating in a

120
00:09:51,166 --> 00:09:58,633
charity that helped children
who were less fortunate.

121
00:09:58,633 --> 00:10:04,700
Our hearts are broken
by their sudden passing.

122
00:10:04,700 --> 00:10:09,533
Our hearts are
broken -- and yet,

123
00:10:09,533 --> 00:10:14,866
our hearts also have
reason for fullness.

124
00:10:14,866 --> 00:10:18,632
Our hearts are full of hope and
thanks for the 13 Americans who

125
00:10:18,633 --> 00:10:23,633
survived the shooting, including
the congresswoman many of them

126
00:10:23,633 --> 00:10:26,400
went to see on Saturday.

127
00:10:26,399 --> 00:10:29,667
I have just come from the
University Medical Center,

128
00:10:29,667 --> 00:10:33,800
just a mile from here, where our
friend Gabby courageously fights

129
00:10:33,799 --> 00:10:37,666
to recover even as we speak.

130
00:10:37,667 --> 00:10:42,500
And I want to tell you -- her
husband Mark is here and he

131
00:10:42,500 --> 00:10:49,332
allows me to share this with you
-- right after we went to visit,

132
00:10:49,332 --> 00:10:52,432
a few minutes after we left her
room and some of her colleagues

133
00:10:52,432 --> 00:10:57,734
in Congress were in the room, Gabby
opened her eyes for the first
time.

134
00:10:57,734 --> 00:10:59,667
(applause)

135
00:10:59,667 --> 00:11:02,266
Gabby opened her eyes
for the first time.

136
00:11:02,265 --> 00:11:18,733
(applause)

137
00:11:18,734 --> 00:11:20,567
Gabby opened her eyes.

138
00:11:20,567 --> 00:11:30,767
(applause)

139
00:11:30,767 --> 00:11:35,100
Gabby opened her eyes, so I can
tell you she knows we are here.

140
00:11:35,100 --> 00:11:37,000
She knows we love her.

141
00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,966
And she knows that we are
rooting for her through what is

142
00:11:39,966 --> 00:11:42,432
undoubtedly going to
be a difficult journey.

143
00:11:42,432 --> 00:11:43,667
We are there for her.

144
00:11:43,667 --> 00:11:59,600
(applause)

145
00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:02,633
Our hearts are full of
thanks for that good news,

146
00:12:02,633 --> 00:12:08,734
and our hearts are full of
gratitude for those who saved others.

147
00:12:08,734 --> 00:12:11,633
We are grateful to
Daniel Hernandez --

148
00:12:11,633 --> 00:12:12,834
(applause)

149
00:12:12,833 --> 00:12:14,566
-- a volunteer in
Gabby's office.

150
00:12:14,567 --> 00:12:17,000
(applause)

151
00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:18,600
And, Daniel, I'm
sorry, you may deny it,

152
00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:20,834
but we've decided you
are a hero because --

153
00:12:20,833 --> 00:12:22,000
(applause)

154
00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:25,100
-- you ran through the chaos
to minister to your boss,

155
00:12:25,100 --> 00:12:28,233
and tended to her wounds
and helped keep her alive.

156
00:12:28,232 --> 00:12:58,766
(applause)

157
00:12:58,767 --> 00:13:04,033
We are grateful to the men who
tackled the gunman as he stopped

158
00:13:04,033 --> 00:13:05,332
to reload.

159
00:13:05,332 --> 00:13:13,033
(applause)

160
00:13:13,033 --> 00:13:14,567
They're right over there.

161
00:13:14,567 --> 00:13:49,166
(applause)

162
00:13:49,166 --> 00:13:58,834
We are grateful for
petite Patricia Maisch,

163
00:13:58,833 --> 00:14:01,833
who wrestled away the
killer's ammunition,

164
00:14:01,833 --> 00:14:04,199
and undoubtedly
saved some lives.

165
00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:33,500
(applause)

166
00:14:33,500 --> 00:14:39,332
And we are grateful for the
doctors and nurses and first

167
00:14:39,332 --> 00:14:45,100
responders who worked wonders
to heal those who'd been hurt.

168
00:14:45,100 --> 00:14:46,367
We are grateful to them.

169
00:14:46,366 --> 00:15:14,366
(applause)

170
00:15:14,366 --> 00:15:22,132
These men and women remind us
that heroism is found not only

171
00:15:22,133 --> 00:15:25,600
on the fields of battle.

172
00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:31,332
They remind us that heroism does
not require special training or

173
00:15:31,332 --> 00:15:34,632
physical strength.

174
00:15:34,633 --> 00:15:40,500
Heroism is here, in the hearts
of so many of our fellow

175
00:15:40,500 --> 00:15:45,767
citizens, all around us, just
waiting to be summoned --

176
00:15:45,767 --> 00:15:51,900
as it was on Saturday morning.

177
00:15:51,899 --> 00:16:00,567
Their actions, their
selflessness poses a challenge

178
00:16:00,567 --> 00:16:04,033
to each of us.

179
00:16:04,033 --> 00:16:09,700
It raises a question of what,
beyond prayers and expressions

180
00:16:09,700 --> 00:16:18,033
of concern, is required
of us going forward.

181
00:16:18,033 --> 00:16:21,834
How can we honor the fallen?

182
00:16:21,833 --> 00:16:29,199
How can we be true
to their memory?

183
00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:34,432
You see, when a tragedy
like this strikes,

184
00:16:34,432 --> 00:16:39,667
it is part of our nature
to demand explanations --

185
00:16:39,667 --> 00:16:45,966
to try and pose some order on
the chaos and make sense out of

186
00:16:45,966 --> 00:16:51,066
that which seems senseless.

187
00:16:51,066 --> 00:16:55,600
Already we've seen a national
conversation commence,

188
00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:59,533
not only about the motivations
behind these killings,

189
00:16:59,533 --> 00:17:03,500
but about everything from the
merits of gun safety laws to the

190
00:17:03,500 --> 00:17:07,532
adequacy of our
mental health system.

191
00:17:07,532 --> 00:17:15,065
And much of this process, of
debating what might be done to

192
00:17:15,066 --> 00:17:19,133
prevent such tragedies
in the future,

193
00:17:19,133 --> 00:17:27,933
is an essential ingredient in
our exercise of self-government.

194
00:17:27,933 --> 00:17:38,366
But at a time when our discourse
has become so sharply polarized

195
00:17:38,366 --> 00:17:43,165
-- at a time when we are far too
eager to lay the blame for all

196
00:17:43,165 --> 00:17:48,000
that ails the world at the feet
of those who happen to think

197
00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:52,799
differently than we do -- it's
important for us to pause for a

198
00:17:52,799 --> 00:17:59,767
moment and make sure that we're
talking with each other in a way

199
00:17:59,767 --> 00:18:05,033
that heals, not in
a way that wounds.

200
00:18:05,032 --> 00:18:21,299
(applause)

201
00:18:21,299 --> 00:18:27,000
Scripture tells us that
there is evil in the world,

202
00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:34,666
and that terrible things happen for
reasons that defy human understanding.

203
00:18:34,666 --> 00:18:38,966
In the words of Job,
"When I looked for light,

204
00:18:38,967 --> 00:18:42,667
then came darkness."

205
00:18:42,666 --> 00:18:48,165
Bad things happen, and we
have to guard against simple

206
00:18:48,165 --> 00:18:52,399
explanations in the aftermath.

207
00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:55,300
For the truth is none of us can
know exactly what triggered this

208
00:18:55,299 --> 00:18:58,232
vicious attack.

209
00:18:58,232 --> 00:19:02,000
None of us can know with any
certainty what might have

210
00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:06,032
stopped these shots
from being fired,

211
00:19:06,032 --> 00:19:14,132
or what thoughts lurked in the inner
recesses of a violent man's mind.

212
00:19:14,133 --> 00:19:19,734
Yes, we have to examine all
the facts behind this tragedy.

213
00:19:19,733 --> 00:19:25,366
We cannot and will not be
passive in the face of such violence.

214
00:19:25,366 --> 00:19:28,966
We should be willing to
challenge old assumptions in

215
00:19:28,967 --> 00:19:34,400
order to lessen the prospects
of such violence in the future.

216
00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:45,667
(applause)

217
00:19:45,666 --> 00:19:51,966
But what we cannot do is use
this tragedy as one more

218
00:19:51,967 --> 00:19:54,700
occasion to turn on each other.

219
00:19:54,700 --> 00:19:58,500
(applause)

220
00:19:58,500 --> 00:19:59,967
That we cannot do.

221
00:19:59,967 --> 00:20:14,533
(applause)

222
00:20:14,532 --> 00:20:20,065
That we cannot do.

223
00:20:20,066 --> 00:20:25,767
As we discuss these issues, let
each of us do so with a good

224
00:20:25,767 --> 00:20:29,400
dose of humility.

225
00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:33,867
Rather than pointing
fingers or assigning blame,

226
00:20:33,866 --> 00:20:40,000
let's use this occasion to
expand our moral imaginations,

227
00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:43,666
to listen to each
other more carefully,

228
00:20:43,666 --> 00:20:49,532
to sharpen our instincts for
empathy and remind ourselves of

229
00:20:49,532 --> 00:20:54,132
all the ways that our hopes
and dreams are bound together.

230
00:20:54,133 --> 00:21:02,967
(applause)

231
00:21:02,967 --> 00:21:07,300
After all, that's what most of
us do when we lose somebody in

232
00:21:07,299 --> 00:21:14,200
our family -- especially
if the loss is unexpected.

233
00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:17,734
We're shaken out
of our routines.

234
00:21:17,733 --> 00:21:22,366
We're forced to look inward.

235
00:21:22,366 --> 00:21:28,733
We reflect on the past: Did we
spend enough time with an aging

236
00:21:28,733 --> 00:21:32,066
parent, we wonder.

237
00:21:32,066 --> 00:21:35,799
Did we express our gratitude for
all the sacrifices that they

238
00:21:35,799 --> 00:21:38,299
made for us?

239
00:21:38,299 --> 00:21:44,466
Did we tell a spouse just how
desperately we loved them,

240
00:21:44,467 --> 00:21:50,934
not just once in a while
but every single day?

241
00:21:50,933 --> 00:21:54,466
So sudden loss causes
us to look backward --

242
00:21:54,467 --> 00:21:58,867
but it also forces
us to look forward;

243
00:21:58,866 --> 00:22:02,767
to reflect on the
present and the future,

244
00:22:02,767 --> 00:22:06,734
on the manner in which we live
our lives and nurture our

245
00:22:06,733 --> 00:22:11,099
relationships with those
who are still with us.

246
00:22:11,099 --> 00:22:22,466
(applause)

247
00:22:22,467 --> 00:22:27,533
We may ask ourselves if we've
shown enough kindness and

248
00:22:27,532 --> 00:22:35,332
generosity and compassion
to the people in our lives.

249
00:22:35,333 --> 00:22:38,066
Perhaps we question whether
we're doing right by our

250
00:22:38,066 --> 00:22:48,066
children, or our community,
whether our priorities are in order.

251
00:22:48,066 --> 00:22:54,467
We recognize our own mortality,
and we are reminded that in the

252
00:22:54,467 --> 00:22:57,700
fleeting time we
have on this Earth,

253
00:22:57,700 --> 00:23:04,100
what matters is not wealth, or
status, or power, or fame --

254
00:23:04,099 --> 00:23:06,966
but rather, how well
we have loved --

255
00:23:06,967 --> 00:23:08,800
(applause)

256
00:23:08,799 --> 00:23:12,200
-- and what small part we have
played in making the lives of

257
00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:13,567
other people better.

258
00:23:13,567 --> 00:23:30,467
(applause)

259
00:23:30,467 --> 00:23:35,233
And that process -- that
process of reflection,

260
00:23:35,232 --> 00:23:41,000
of making sure we align our
values with our actions --

261
00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:46,733
that, I believe, is what a
tragedy like this requires.

262
00:23:46,733 --> 00:23:50,899
For those who were harmed,
those who were killed --

263
00:23:50,900 --> 00:23:56,967
they are part of our family, an
American family 300 million strong.

264
00:23:56,967 --> 00:24:05,734
(applause)

265
00:24:05,733 --> 00:24:09,567
We may not have known
them personally,

266
00:24:09,567 --> 00:24:13,933
but surely we see
ourselves in them.

267
00:24:13,933 --> 00:24:20,200
In George and Dot,
in Dorwan and Mavy,

268
00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:24,000
we sense the abiding love we
have for our own husbands,

269
00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:28,767
our own wives, our
own life partners.

270
00:24:28,767 --> 00:24:33,967
Phyllis -- she's our
mom or our grandma;

271
00:24:33,967 --> 00:24:37,734
Gabe our brother or son.

272
00:24:37,733 --> 00:24:42,032
(applause)

273
00:24:42,032 --> 00:24:48,265
In Judge Roll, we recognize not
only a man who prized his family

274
00:24:48,266 --> 00:24:52,300
and doing his job well, but also
a man who embodied America's

275
00:24:52,299 --> 00:24:54,032
fidelity to the law.

276
00:24:54,032 --> 00:24:55,500
(applause)

277
00:24:55,500 --> 00:24:59,700
And in Gabby -- in Gabby,
we see a reflection of our

278
00:24:59,700 --> 00:25:06,500
public-spiritedness; that desire
to participate in that sometimes

279
00:25:06,500 --> 00:25:10,700
frustrating, sometimes
contentious,

280
00:25:10,700 --> 00:25:18,133
but always necessary and never-ending
process to form a more perfect union.

281
00:25:18,133 --> 00:25:30,533
(applause)

282
00:25:30,532 --> 00:25:39,933
And in Christina -- in Christina
we see all of our children.

283
00:25:39,933 --> 00:25:50,000
So curious, so trusting, so
energetic, so full of magic.

284
00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:54,666
So deserving of our love.

285
00:25:54,666 --> 00:26:00,299
And so deserving of
our good example.

286
00:26:00,299 --> 00:26:04,633
If this tragedy prompts
reflection and debate --

287
00:26:04,633 --> 00:26:10,967
as it should -- let's make sure
it's worthy of those we have lost.

288
00:26:10,967 --> 00:26:24,432
(applause)

289
00:26:24,432 --> 00:26:28,200
Let's make sure it's not on the
usual plane of politics and

290
00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:36,100
point-scoring and pettiness that
drifts away in the next news
cycle.

291
00:26:36,099 --> 00:26:39,000
The loss of these wonderful
people should make every one of

292
00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:42,500
us strive to be better.

293
00:26:42,500 --> 00:26:45,333
To be better in
our private lives,

294
00:26:45,333 --> 00:26:52,500
to be better friends and
neighbors and coworkers and parents.

295
00:26:52,500 --> 00:26:57,299
And if, as has been
discussed in recent days,

296
00:26:57,299 --> 00:27:01,133
their death helps usher in
more civility in our public

297
00:27:01,133 --> 00:27:06,000
discourse, let us remember it
is not because a simple lack of

298
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:11,032
civility caused this
tragedy -- it did not --

299
00:27:11,032 --> 00:27:15,833
but rather because only a
more civil and honest public

300
00:27:15,834 --> 00:27:21,100
discourse can help us face up to
the challenges of our nation in

301
00:27:21,099 --> 00:27:23,699
a way that would
make them proud.

302
00:27:23,700 --> 00:27:58,500
(applause)

303
00:27:58,500 --> 00:28:01,333
We should be civil because we
want to live up to the example

304
00:28:01,333 --> 00:28:05,432
of public servants like John
Roll and Gabby Giffords,

305
00:28:05,432 --> 00:28:09,299
who knew first and foremost
that we are all Americans,

306
00:28:09,299 --> 00:28:11,866
and that we can question
each other's ideas without

307
00:28:11,866 --> 00:28:16,599
questioning each other's love
of country and that our task,

308
00:28:16,599 --> 00:28:20,733
working together, is to
constantly widen the circle of

309
00:28:20,733 --> 00:28:29,332
our concern so that we bequeath the
American Dream to future generations.

310
00:28:29,333 --> 00:28:35,467
(applause)

311
00:28:35,467 --> 00:28:44,066
They believed -- they believed,
and I believe that we can be better.

312
00:28:44,066 --> 00:28:49,733
Those who died here, those
who saved life here --

313
00:28:49,733 --> 00:28:53,232
they help me believe.

314
00:28:53,232 --> 00:28:58,066
We may not be able to stop
all evil in the world,

315
00:28:58,066 --> 00:29:01,533
but I know that how
we treat one another,

316
00:29:01,532 --> 00:29:03,666
that's entirely up to us.

317
00:29:03,666 --> 00:29:06,733
(applause)

318
00:29:06,733 --> 00:29:09,299
And I believe that for
all our imperfections,

319
00:29:09,299 --> 00:29:14,000
we are full of
decency and goodness,

320
00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:17,567
and that the forces that divide
us are not as strong as those

321
00:29:17,567 --> 00:29:18,933
that unite us.

322
00:29:18,933 --> 00:29:30,567
(applause)

323
00:29:30,567 --> 00:29:36,400
That's what I believe, in part
because that's what a child like

324
00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:40,266
Christina Taylor Green believed.

325
00:29:40,266 --> 00:29:41,933
(applause)

326
00:29:41,933 --> 00:29:49,834
Imagine -- imagine for a moment,
here was a young girl who was

327
00:29:49,834 --> 00:29:54,432
just becoming aware
of our democracy;

328
00:29:54,432 --> 00:29:59,599
just beginning to understand
the obligations of citizenship;

329
00:29:59,599 --> 00:30:03,766
just starting to glimpse the
fact that some day she, too,

330
00:30:03,767 --> 00:30:10,700
might play a part in
shaping her nation's future.

331
00:30:10,700 --> 00:30:14,299
She had been elected
to her student council.

332
00:30:14,299 --> 00:30:19,866
She saw public service as
something exciting and hopeful.

333
00:30:19,866 --> 00:30:22,767
She was off to meet
her congresswoman,

334
00:30:22,767 --> 00:30:27,066
someone she was sure was good
and important and might be a

335
00:30:27,066 --> 00:30:30,066
role model.

336
00:30:30,066 --> 00:30:35,500
She saw all this through
the eyes of a child,

337
00:30:35,500 --> 00:30:40,767
undimmed by the cynicism or
vitriol that we adults all too

338
00:30:40,767 --> 00:30:46,400
often just take for granted.

339
00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:49,734
I want to live up
to her expectations.

340
00:30:49,733 --> 00:30:50,966
(applause)

341
00:30:50,967 --> 00:30:55,600
I want our democracy to be as
good as Christina imagined it.

342
00:30:55,599 --> 00:31:00,567
I want America to be as
good as she imagined it.

343
00:31:00,567 --> 00:31:01,900
(applause)

344
00:31:01,900 --> 00:31:06,400
All of us -- we should do
everything we can to make sure

345
00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:10,533
this country lives up to
our children's expectations.

346
00:31:10,532 --> 00:32:01,933
(applause)

347
00:32:01,933 --> 00:32:05,633
As has already been mentioned,
Christina was given to us on

348
00:32:05,633 --> 00:32:12,299
September 11th, 2001, one of
50 babies born that day to be

349
00:32:12,299 --> 00:32:18,633
pictured in a book
called "Faces of Hope."

350
00:32:18,633 --> 00:32:24,299
On either side of her photo in
that book were simple wishes for

351
00:32:24,299 --> 00:32:27,767
a child's life.

352
00:32:27,767 --> 00:32:33,366
"I hope you help those
in need," read one.

353
00:32:33,366 --> 00:32:37,232
"I hope you know all the words
to the National Anthem and sing

354
00:32:37,232 --> 00:32:40,099
it with your hand
over your heart."

355
00:32:40,099 --> 00:32:44,899
(applause)

356
00:32:44,900 --> 00:32:52,200
"I hope you jump
in rain puddles."

357
00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:55,799
If there are rain
puddles in Heaven,

358
00:32:55,799 --> 00:32:58,532
Christina is jumping
in them today.

359
00:32:58,532 --> 00:33:02,933
(applause)

360
00:33:02,933 --> 00:33:08,799
And here on this Earth
-- here on this Earth,

361
00:33:08,799 --> 00:33:12,866
we place our hands
over our hearts,

362
00:33:12,866 --> 00:33:17,232
and we commit ourselves as
Americans to forging a country

363
00:33:17,232 --> 00:33:22,567
that is forever worthy of
her gentle, happy spirit.

364
00:33:22,567 --> 00:33:25,933
May God bless and keep those
we've lost in restful and

365
00:33:25,933 --> 00:33:27,966
eternal peace.

366
00:33:27,967 --> 00:33:32,233
May He love and watch
over the survivors.

367
00:33:32,232 --> 00:33:35,432
And may He bless the
United States of America.