On the recordJanuary 12, 2011
I rise, as do all of my colleagues, with sincere condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the horrific events of last Saturday. The victims amongst them were a young student, a number of congressional staff members, one of our dear friends and colleagues who has served with distinction and remarkable ability and grace, and an outstanding Federal judge. During my career in Congress, I have witnessed horrific events: the assassinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. I have seen firsthand anger brought on by landmark life-changing legislation such as the civil rights bill. Like other Members, I have found the current state of affairs is also somewhat new to me. Our Founding Fathers wanted our system of government to be a vigorous one, full of enthusiastic and vibrant debate. But I don't believe that they wanted to see the kind of debate and discussion that we are seeing both in this place and in other places of public assembly.
