Vicente Gonzalez: “I am from San Antonio, and in my hometown, about a year and a half ago, a convenience store owner was murdered by a…”

“I am from San Antonio, and in my hometown, about a year and a half ago, a convenience store owner was murdered by a robber. The brother of the slain owner observed that both his brother and the murderer got up that same morning and made conscious choices: His brother chose to go to work and support his family--a right and a good thing. The murderer made a choice to rob and kill--an evil and a destructive thing. On January 8, 2011, in Tucson, many people got up that morning and made a choice to do the right and good thing. Only one person got up that morning and decided to do an evil and destructive thing. We cannot and will not allow the cruelty of one person to overshadow the goodness that each of his victims represents. We in this Chamber are not helpless. We offer our prayers for those who died and for a speedy recovery for those who have survived. And, to Gabby, I know we all join in saying: Hurry back. This House needs you. We love you. But we can do more. We can set an example that creates a fertile environment for constructive discourse that extends beyond the confines of this Capitol. Despite the heartache and the tragedy of last Saturday, we find solace and inspiration that, in our Nation, the United States of America, the goodness of the many will always triumph over the evil of the few.”