Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart, just 2 weeks after the horrific violence that ripped through the small town of Perry, Iowa. On the morning of Thursday, January 4, students woke up and returned to school after their winter break. They did not know what that day would entail. Before school had started, some students arrived for a breakfast program just before 8:00 a.m., and reports of shots rang throughout the school. Law enforcement rushed to Perry High School. The violence that day left four students wounded, the death of sixth grader Ahmir Jolliff, and now, most recently, the life of Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger. The Butler family also lost their son that day. Like many Iowans, when I first heard the news, I was angry. No parent, no child, no teacher should ever have to wonder if it is safe to be able to go to school. We have a duty, a sacred oath, to protect our children, our families, and our educators. In addition, no family and no parent should ever have to feel the pain that Ahmir's mother, Erica, felt that day when she learned that her 11-year-old son, Mr. Smiley, had been shot and killed simply for going to school. Ahmir was an incredible kid. His mother shares that he loved soccer, played the tuba, and sang in a choir. Most importantly, that day, he got up excited to go back to school because he wanted to see his friends and his teachers. This past weekend, this horrible attack claimed another life, Principal Dan Marburger.…”