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babylonsister

(170,963 posts)
Sun Sep 9, 2012, 12:47 PM Sep 2012

Gabby Giffords’ True Patriotism

http://www.nationalmemo.com/gabby-giffords-true-patriotism/

Gabby Giffords’ True Patriotism
September 8th, 2012 12:00 am
Cynthia Tucker


The bands played, the confetti flew and the pundits pronounced on Bill Clinton’s folksy wonkiness, Jennifer Granholm’s YouTube-ready theatrics and President Obama’s “workmanlike” acceptance speech. I’m consumed, however, by the less-expected star turns by understudies at last week’s Democratic National Convention.

I was inspired anew by Tammy Duckworth, the Iraqi vet who lost both legs in combat but is now running for Congress. I was cheered by vice-presidential spouse Jill Biden, who reminded her audience that she still teaches school because the job fulfills her. And I was profoundly moved by Gabby Giffords, who made a gutsy appearance to lead the Pledge of Allegiance on the final night.

I teared up before Giffords began to form her first word. Assisted by her close friend Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairman of the National Democratic Committee, the former congresswoman walked across the stage with a slow and awkward yet determined gait. Her entrance illuminated her slow, agonizing and halting recovery from a lunatic’s bullet to her brain in January 2011.

As she spoke, her words occasionally slurring, her face was focused yet beaming. It was the most powerful Pledge of Allegiance I’ve ever witnessed — made more so by her unflinching loyalty to a nation in whose service she was fatefully wounded. In an era of unabashed cynicism toward politicians and hearty skepticism toward the very notion of public service, she was a stirring reminder of the enduring power of unselfish citizenship and genuine patriotism.

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But Giffords reminded me that there are still many Americans — and that includes Duckworth and other veterans we saw last week — who reflect an uplifting and exclusive vision of democracy. They embrace the notion of a common good, of a citizenship that gives as well as receives, of public service as a moral calling.

snip//

President Obama, rightly, endorsed the battered concept of citizenship in his speech. “As citizens, we understand that America is not about what can be done for us. It’s about what can be done by us, together, through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government.”

But Giffords embodied it; her movements may have been fragile but her faith in her country and its resilience — and her own — is steadfast. That was more powerful than a month’s worth of political rhetoric.
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Gabby Giffords’ True Patriotism (Original Post) babylonsister Sep 2012 OP
kinda painful to see her loss of motor skills hfojvt Sep 2012 #1
Her pledge was what started my tears and they continued until the end of the Convention that night. lunatica Sep 2012 #2
Excellent article. DURHAM D Sep 2012 #3
Gabby has come a long way in her recovery. Lugnut Sep 2012 #4
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