RSS 2.0 FeedJanuary 20, 2011, Weekly editorial
One giant step back towards the dream
As a couple of our readers have pointed out, we will never really know, even if he speaks out, what really motivated a deranged assassin’s attempt on the life of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords last week.
Still, as we paused to celebrate, remember and mourn civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this past weekend on a national holiday declared in his honor, we could also contemplate a number of miracles that came out of this more recent assassination attempt.
One was that Congresswoman Giffords, visited by family and friends, including colleagues in Congress and our President, was later able to respond, even open her eyes, and amazed doctors are already talking about her recovery.
Another was that a firefighter from New York traveled all the way to Arizona to bring the flag that survived the World Trade Center attack on the day she was born, to the funeral of nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green, who was killed during the assassination attempt.
But the greatest miracle was how Americans were able to pull together, showing those who at first saw this event as a reason to criticize us that we are a nation committed to the dream of equality.
To honor the victims of the tragedy in Tucson, a fund has been started in Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ name to support future leaders in Earth and space sciences, and in engineering and policy. In her 112th Congress swearing-in speech, she had talked about the need for leadership.
She also strongly supports earth and space sciences, technological innovations and public policy that benefit our nation. Hopefully, she will recover and administer the fund, which is intended to help develop America’s leadership in these critical areas through a range of activities, sponsorships and support for students.
The Gabrielle Giffords Earth and Space Leadership Fund was started by friends and supporters of hers from Tucson and the space community. Send your tax-deductible donation to the Gabrielle Giffords Earth and Space Leadership Fund, 3481 East Michigan Street, Tucson AZ 85714. You may also give online through PayPal using the donate button.
