Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, last week's shooting in Alexandria left our friend and colleague Mr. Steve Scalise badly wounded. Two brave U.S. Capitol Police officers and a young congressional staffer were also injured. We continue to pray for their quick and their full recovery. I know that other Members, other staff members, their friends, their families have been affected by this, too. Too often, after a shooting or some other traumatic event, we focus on those injuries that are physical, the ones we can see, while forgetting about those injuries we can't see. I continue to practice psychology in the Navy at Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, where I work with veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and traumatic brain injury. These veterans come back from witnessing traumatic events while in combat, and some have come close to committing suicide. These brave men and women fight every day against the horrific images that replay in their minds. The wound is invisible; the damage is often long term. They can and do recover with help. Since last week, I have thought about other groups who witness trauma in their homes and in their neighborhoods. These are the forgotten ones: young kids in Chicago who have become desensitized to the sound of a gunshot or the sounds of police sirens throughout the night, victims of sexual assault on college campuses and elsewhere, children who witness domestic abuse, and youth in foster care.…”