Chuck Grassley: “the weekend before last, I had the privilege of responding to the President's Saturday radio address. Some of my…”

“the weekend before last, I had the privilege of responding to the President's Saturday radio address. Some of my colleagues may not have heard my remarks. For their benefit, I would like to paraphrase and expand upon what I said. A few of my colleagues or their family members have had a brush with violent crime here in our Nation's Capital. Some assaults occurred in the streets nearby the Capitol Grounds, which are patroled by our own Capitol Hill Police Force. This reinforces to us that, if it can happen here, it can happen anywhere. Imagine, Mr. President, that you are driving home from work after a busy day in the Senate. All of a sudden, young kids pass you by in their cars. A gunfight breaks out just as they pass. A stray bullet comes crashing through your car window. Suddenly, you are slumped over your steering wheel, dead. You were caught in the crossfire of a senseless gun battle. Although an unpleasant thought, it is not hard for us in this body to relate to the possibility of such a tragedy happening here in Washington--the murder capital of the country. But a similar tragedy happened just over 3 weeks ago in Des Moines, IA, the capital city of middle America. The victim's name was Phyllis Davis. She was 42. Phyllis was driving in Des Moines in broad daylight, on her way home from work. She was suddenly the victim of a gunfight between two gangs of kids. A stray bullet lodged in her body and killed her.”