Burgess Owens: “without excessive repetition, I would like to join my colleagues in the House to pay tribute to Officer J.J. Chestnut…”

“without excessive repetition, I would like to join my colleagues in the House to pay tribute to Officer J.J. Chestnut and Detective John Gibson who gave their lives dutifully protecting this hallowed institution. It is important that we all come together across party lines and across all other differences to pay homage to these two heroes. And as we pay tribute to the dead, let us also honor the other police and protective forces and other staff members whose reverence for this institution is no less than and sometimes even greater than the reverence of the elected members. In paying tribute to our defenders, we reaffirm the fact that this House of Representatives and the democratic process, this government belongs to all of the people. We reaffirm the fact that we are the guardians of a sacred process that takes place within the walls of this Capitol. This democratic process cannot survive without institutional support. The process and the institution have become inseparable. This is the great democratic process that guarantees our freedom and guides our progress. It is the process that inspired the bravery and the courage on the beaches of Normandy. It is the process that applauded and rewarded the returning World War II heroes with more than merely marches and medals; Congress, this institution passed the GI Bill that offered unprecedented educational opportunities to every veteran.”