Political Quotes

“sadly, I return to the floor today to say farewell to another Member who will conclude his time in the Senate at the end of the term, the junior Senator from Alabama, Doug Jones. We all know Doug came to the Senate as a storied courtroom lawyer and U.S. attorney, but fewer people know about his more humble origins. Doug was born and raised in Fairfield, AL, just outside of Birmingham, the son of a steelworker, the grandson of a coal miner. When he was 19 years old, he spent his summer working at the local cotton tie mill, 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. One day, a freak accident sent a bit of shrapnel flying his way, and he came within inches of losing an eye. Several stitches later, Doug went right back to work--early evidence of a stubborn streak. Only at the end of the summer did Doug decide it was time to focus a bit more on his studies. That same work ethic--the sometimes stubborn work ethic--followed him his entire life. He brought it next to law school. On the one occasion Doug decided to skip class, it wasn't to throw a pigskin around the quad or engage in some extracurricular activity with friends. No, Doug skipped class to attend the trial of the Klansman ringleader of the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, a tragedy that had shaken the conscience of a nation. A young Doug Jones was moved by the disposition of justice in that trial, but he was left with the impression that other members of the conspiracy had escaped the reach of the law.…”