STATEMENT ON RESOLUTION HONORING CONGRESSWOMAN GIFFORDS AND VICTIMS OF THE TRAGIC SHOOTING IN ARIZONA

Congressman Jerry F. Costello
Of the 12th District – Illinois

January 12, 2011

Mr. Speaker, I join our colleagues today in offering my condolences to the victims and families of last weekend’s shooting in Tucson, Arizona. They are in our thoughts and prayers during this extremely difficult time. Our friend Congresswoman Giffords remains in the hospital, and we are hopeful that her recovery will continue to progress and that she will be back here on the House floor in the near future.

The passage of a few days has done little to make this attack any more comprehensible. As much as anything, it is a chilling reminder of the fragile nature of our lives. It gives us all pause that Gabrielle was hurt doing the same things that we do every day as part of representing our constituents, that staff members were killed and injured as part of their service, and that in a public setting such as this we cannot absolutely guarantee anyone’s safety.

As I said immediately after the event, without drawing conclusions about what happened here, I hope that as a country we agree to tone down the volume and animosity that has become so much a part of our political discourse. We can disagree without being enemies.

Mr. Speaker, contrary to popular belief, most, if not all of us, ran for office because we want to help people - because we believe we have something to offer through public service. That is certainly true for Gabrielle. Through our grief, despite the potential risks, I think we still all agree that this work is worth doing, that we can and do make a difference, and that with Gabrielle as our example, we must push ahead as a country, as a society, to help each other the best that we can.