for them, 2015 is all about the coalition parties losing rather than labor having to actually try and win. that, in my view, tells you everything about why they act the way they do. decision torate put tactical deliveries over reform. remember the referendum? not a hacker -- happy memory for the democrats. you remember that av was in labor's a manifesto. yet it was labor figures most staunch in defense of the status quo just to score points against us. [applause] lords reform. something that the labor party historically believed in. when they have a chance to vote for it, they found excuses not to just to score points against

us. even when we hear good news about the economy, they are miserable. they rather it be bad just to score points against us. i have a message for labor today. you can't just to duck responsibility for the past and refused to spell out what you do in the future and expect people to give you a blank check. you can sit and wait for the british people to come back to you, but don't hold your breath. [applause] if there is one area all of the parties need to put politics aside, it is europe. britain's place in it. the conservatives have this

bizarre view that we can turn our back on europe and still lead in the world. as if we will be taken seriously by the american, chinese, indian, all the big superpowers of the modern world when we are isolated and irrelevant in our own backyard. the truth is, we stand tall in washington, in beijing, in delhi , in brussels, paris, berlin. i know it. i have worked there. i have seen with my own eyes what can be achieved for britain by engaging with our neighbors and building the world's largest borderless single market a which millions of jobs in our country now depend. of course the european union needs reform. no one is saying it doesn't. we cannot allow the contorted confusion of the right, the outright isolationism to jeopardize millions of british jobs and diminish our country's

standing in the world. lebron democrats, it falls -- liberal democrats, it falls to us to stand up for the national interest. we will be the party. [applause] i am an internationalist, pure and simple. first, by birth, then by marriage, but above all, by conviction. we made -- we may be an island nation but there is no such thing as an economic island in an age of globalization. is always at its strongest and proudest when we are open with the world, generous-spirited, warmhearted, working with our neighbors and a leader on the world stage. that is the message i will take

to new york next week when i represent our country at the united nations general assembly. there are some in the world who seek to present us as pulling up , following parliament's decision not to consider the literary intervention in syria. they will hear from me that they are wrong. my views on syria are well known. i believe the use of chemical weapons a war crime, a war crime under international humanitarian law should be stopped wherever possible. i understand of course why some people are wary of another entanglement in the middle east. iraq casts a long shadow. we have the opportunity to work in the united nations with the russians, americans, french, and others to put these heinous weapons beyond the reach of assad's regime. what matters now is that we are clear that this nation is not heading into retreat. ifwould be a double tragedy

thategacy of iraq was britain turned away from the world. other nations look to our values and our traditions for inspiration. democracy, peaceful protest, equality before the law -- that in itself confers a leadership role on us. not as some military superpower, not out of nostalgic impulse. because we believe in the virtues of law, peaceful dissent, political to spell it he -- and human rights. these are the values that my own never took for granted. try to teach our sons that they shouldn't take these values for granted either.

democracyn moved to in the 1970's, miriam's father was the first democratically elected mayor and a small agricultural town in the middle of the spanish countryside. he single-handedly brought better schools, more jobs, better housing to his community. he was hugely proud at being the first mayor to serve his community through the ballot box. he sadly died. there is a small statue of him today outside the church in the village. boys see thatle statue every holiday and miriam tells them of the wonderful things he did. about why hesk, was elected and nobody before him. we teach them that democracy and freedom, they are fragile, recent things in many parts of the world. we teach them just as my parents taught me, the rights and values

that should never be taken for granted. if you believe in them, you should stand up for them. is the united kingdom. i want my children, all children to grow up a united kingdom that defends and promotes its values, our liberal values at home and abroad. [applause] it is now a year to the day until the scottish people decide whether or not to leave the united kingdom. i am unambiguously, unequivocally in favor of scotland remaining in the united kingdom. [applause]

the nationalists don't have a anomaly -- a monopoly of passion. i love the way the united kingdom is made up of different people, different traditions, different histories. i sat in rugby grounds shouting my head off for england while the scottish fans shouted back just as loud. it is a very special thing when good-natured rivalry can flourish side-by-side with a feeling of affinity and closeness that comes from being a family of nations. and on every single level, we are stronger together than we are a part. [applause] we live in uncertain times. in an uncertain world. to build not days walls. they are days to bring them

down. [applause] decision in that referendum in a yours on time does not need to be between breaking the bond and keeping the status quo. no does not mean a change. a scottish decision to remain within the united kingdom can and must give way to a new settlement for this nation. the liberal democrats have always thought for more hours to scotland and wales and northern ireland too. the biggestseen transfer of financial freedoms in 300 years. continue to believe in home rule. a super report setting out how we think home rule will work in the future. our vision is of a proud and strong scotland within the

united kingdom in charge of its own fate but part of a family of nations too. this is a vision shared by many scots and increasingly, the other major political parties. the issue of scotland's participation in the united kingdom is hopefully settled next year. i want to see a new cross party approach. [applause] willy has already signaled his leadersess to work with ahead of next years but. i supported. delivering home rule is a tantalizing prospect that is now closer than it has been for a generation. let's get out there to win the referendum in favor of keeping our nations together and then work with others to deliver the

future scotland wants. [applause] i had the pleasure of meeting one of scotland's finest. it was at a reception in the downing street garden the day after his stunning wimbledon victory. david cameron and i were fluttering around trying to ask questions about the match. suddenly, andy merry interrupted and said, why can't you always be like this? quite a good question. it was met with a very awkward silence and the three of us chuckling our feet. he was right. it is true. we are never going to be mates but there is nothing against them personally. politically, yes. not personally. that is why the constant

speculation about different party leaders getting on misses the point. i endlessly asked, do i feel more comfortable with david cameron or an element -- ed miliband? look at ed and david and ask myself, who i would be most comfortable with as if i was buying a new sofa. [laughter] in an ideal world, i would be prime minister on my own. [applause] i would like to think i do a better job to. very good. give the manage. -- give the man a job. the best thing would be to put

all of those predictions to one side. whether we have another coalition is determined by the british people, not may, not you, the people. if that happens, only their votes can tell us what combination of parties carries the greatest legitimacy. our job is plain and simple, to get more elected. a liberal commitment to genuine pluralism, genuine democratic choice starts and finishes with the wishes of the public, not the preferences of the political classes. ed is one of the reasons why i of ourver shared the aim party should be to realign british politics by joining up with one or the other party.

jenkins, someone i admired hugely believed that if we aligned with a modern party, we could heal divisions in the centerleft. for me, joining forces for good with another party simply reduces democratic choice. the liberal democrats are not just some sub sect of the labour or tory parties. we are no one's little brother. we have our own values and liberal beliefs. [applause] we are not trying to get back into government, to fold into one of the other parties. we want to be there to anchor them to the liberal center ground right in the center, bang in the middle. we are here to prop up the two- party system. we are here to bring it down.

[applause] my own upbringing was privileged. home counties, private school, cambridge university. i had a lot of fantastic opportunities. i also had two parents who were determined that my brothers, my sister and i, that we knew always how lucky we were. on both sides, their families have experienced huge upheavals. my dutch mother spent much of her childhood in a prisoner of war camp. my dad's russian mother had come to england after her family lost everything in the russian revolution. our home was full of different

languages, relatives with different backgrounds, people with different views, music and books from different places. always toldd father us that people's fortunes can turn quickly. good fortune should never be assumed. misfortune can occur suddenly without warning. i think maybe because of the things their parents had been through, what they wanted -- while they wanted to give us everything, it was important that we didn't take things for granted. my brothers, sister and i were always taught to treat everyone the same, not to judge people by their background. we were raised to believe that everyone deserves a chance because everyone's fortunes can change. often through no fault of their own. now, as a father with three children in school, i have come to understand even more clearly than before, if we want to live

in a society where everyone has that fair chance to live the life they want and to bounce back from the misfortune to know , then education is the key. an ability to empathize with others, the joy and forging new friendships, these are instilled with an extraordinarily young age. that is why i made social mobility the social policy objective of this government and why i will want it to be the same in any government i am in. it is why so much of my efforts over the last three years and so much of the money available to us has been invested in those crucial formative years. the 15 hours of free preschool

for all three and four-year- olds. olds two euros -- two-year- from the homes who need it most. tax-free childcare. i spende the measures more time on than anything else in this coalition. if you want to know what i really believe, you both find it in those policies. using the muscle of the state to create a level playing field when it counts most, when boys and girls are still forming their views, their characters, their hopes and their fears, that is why i am so delighted to tell you we are now going to provide free school meals for all children. [applause]

from next september, we give every child in reception and years one and two a healthy lunch every day. democrats, this is a first step. my ambition is to provide free school meals for all primary schoolchildren, and other reason we want to get into government again next time around. [applause] the conservatives, on the other hand, have made it clear that their priority is to help some families over others with a tax break for married couples. funded break for some through the taxes of everybody else. that tells you everything you need to know about their values. allhowever, will help families in these tough times. not just the kind we like best,

by helping their young children get the best possible start in life. that tells you everything about our values. [applause] providing this kind of help, liberal democrats, is now the most important thing we can do. aside from anything else, that is how we restore people's faith in our policy, by delivering to that are relevant and real. by talking to people about the things they care about, not what the political classes are talking about. sight ofeasy to lose those things when you're stuck in the westminster bubble. i want to be honest with you. keeping a balance between politics and normal life is not

straightforward. politics these days is a roller coaster ride of 24-hour news, breathless headlines, endless polls, constant gossip about who is up and who is down. you have to be really disciplined about keeping one foot in the real world to keep things in balance. miriam and i chose not to live behind the government battlements and whitehall. we live in the same home we have been in for some years. we try very hard to keep our family life private. we keep our children away from the cameras. we don't pretend we are a model family. we are who we are. we try to make sure that westminster doesn't take over our lives. know i won't be in politics forever. you all should be relieved. [laughter] just three or four more general

elections to go. be is a father, a to all, a son, and uncle those i love in my family for good. just like anybody else. the longer i spend in this job, the more and more i cherish the human, the direct, on stuffy -- ffy way we liberal democrats do politics. speaking like human beings. we must never lose that. as i am always telling you to embrace government, i am forever looking waste -- looking for ways to get out of whitehall myself. trying to help my constituents out when they come to see me. going out on regional tours.

doing things differently. that must always be part of our identity. i want us to stay in government but i also want us to show that it is possible to be a party of government without behaving like an establishment party. [applause] to illustrate the point, there was this wonderful moment on the day of the vote on the equal marriage bill. some of us put pink carnations in our buttonholes. carmichael and i were invited to go outside and meet campaigners. little did we know that what the setup was an impromptu wedding with cake and dancing and all outside the palace. found ourselves standing side-by-side, not hand-

in-hand. [laughter] in front of the exuberant london gay men's chorus. they were singing abba's while dinosaur opponents of the bill were having another go at killing it. awkward though alastair and i must have appeared as we clapped moment webbam, at that were exactly where we belonged, on the outside, welcoming in reform. [applause]

liberal democrats, three years ago i told you that we had an opportunity our criticisms would have given anything for, to govern, to turn our liberal principles into practice. even, i tell you that an bigger opportunity awaits. the cycle of red, blue, blue, red has been interrupted. our place in this government has prevented the pendulum swinging back from left to right. we are now where we always should have been. in power. in the liberal center. in tune with the british people. everyday, we are showing that we can govern and govern well. that's the role as him works. if we could do this again -- works.uralism

if we could do this again, we would be a step closer to breaking the two-party mold for good. [applause] in the past, there were people who would only support us when the future of the country was not at stake. now, there are people who will support us precisely because the future of the country will be at stake. democratst, liberal would eke out an existence on the margins of british politics. now, we hold the liberal center while our opponents head left and right. i have spent my entire adult life watching the other too -- two mess it up. we cannot stand idly by and let

them do it all over again. [applause] we are the only party that can finish the job of economic recovery fairly. the only party able to build a stronger economy and a fairer society. liberal democrats, take that message, take it out to the country. our mission is angering britain to these underground -- anchoring written to the center grant. our place is in government. thank you. [applause] ♪ [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

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complete gavel to gavel coverage of the u.s. house all as a public service of private industry where c-span created by the cable tv industry 34 years ago and funded by the local cable or satellite provider and now you can watch us in hd. >> earlier, a memorial service was held for the 12 victims who died in last week's navy yard shooting in washington, d.c.

♪ was blind but now i see ♪

>> please be seated. in peace, let us pray. o mighty god whose way is in the sea, whose powers are in the great waters, whose command is overall, whose love never failette. thank you for the extraordinary men and women who died as a result, the tragedy at the washington navy yards. they died in service to their country. may their spirits return in peace to you, the god who gives ever lasting light. in your holy word, you warned us there would be moments if you understand how good people seem to die before their time. but you promise when they die,

kmo calamity can hurt them, they can find peace as they live forever with you. you promise your love for them and theirs for you and for each of us would never die and to not even death itself can take from us that which is eternal. comfort their families as the nation pauses, pauses to honor the ones they dearly love, pauses to remember sacred stories of how they cherish life, faith, family, friendship, freedom, and the joy of life. we pause this day to proclaim to the world that though our colleagues may now rest from their labors, their good example and godly deeds will leave on through each of us and through all those they were blessed to

touch. we joined with the bereaved family as they pray for those who are recovering, both physically and emotionally. we are forever grateful to all who responded and the outpouring of love and support. and now lord god, speak tos, give us hope that is beyond our grief. and grant us your great strength and the gift of your peace which surpasses all understanding in your holy name i pray, amen.

>> before i start on behalf of everyone who works in the navy yard, thank you to all who work in the d.c. area, especially the first responders, for everything you've done for us during this tragedy. it has been an honor for all of us to mourn with the americans we serve here today. they loved their country. they love their navy. they love the fleet -- the fleet they helped build and sustain, most of them dedicated their entire adult lives to building and sustaining our navy ships.

as i mourn with the family, i promised them that i would directed the recording of this tragedy, the report was that no service men were killed, just civilians and contractors. and that is flat wrong. these patriots have died and built these ships. they sustained and set the standard for the ships. they connected us with each other and to the fleet and they connected and sustained our head quart earles. these 12 members of our navy team, our navy family, were kill in the line of duty.

they died in the service to our nation. the service to our navy. for that service, we honor them. for that service, we will never forget them. i salute these american heroes.

good evening, last week's problem at the navy yard were a sad day for the nation, the navy yard, and most importantly those lost and who suffered injuries and was a tragedy for the district of columbia. residents of our cities lost friends, neighbors, mothers, fathers, colleagues and fellow church members. and our brave first responders join their federal counterparts in doing their duty fearlessly and unselfishly. one of our own metropolitan police officers. officer scott williams is one of the first to respond.

and he was shot in both legs. his bravery is symbolic of countless other personnel from our metropolitan police department, our fire and emergency medical services, and our federal and local public safety agencies who answered the call to duty without hesitation. we're reviewing their response to learn as many lessons as we can in this event. but there's one lesson that is already abundantly clear. our country is drowning in a sea of guns. one of monday's victims was the district resident whose family had already been tragically touched by gun violence. arthur daniel is 51 years old.

and that day the simple act of going to work, going to work in the morning, cost him his life. sadly, it was the price that his family had paid once before. wid widow priscilla told me how her son was shot in the back while running from an assailant. selfless gun violence like this is all too everyday fact of life in the district. sandy hook, aurora, columbine, the streets of our cities, why is it that every time we seem to

let ourselves become used to the horrific violence these places represent. i don't know the answer. but i know this, this time it happened in the view of the capitol dome. i for one will not be silent about the fact that time has come for action. thank you.

>> ladies and gentlemen, our navy lost 12 teammates in monday's attack. these were members of the navy family. they were our shipmates. mothers, daughters, sons, fathers, who wanted to work for our family and serve our nation. the nature is we certain together and we depend on each other in times of needs. we have triumphs and we grieve together in times of sorrow. now these shipmates dedicated their careers to building and maintaining the finest navy in the world. they worked alongside one another for a purpose greater than themselves. simply put, they were the best naval engineering team in the world, a team that designs, repairs, maintains our ships and

submarines. they plan and manage budgets, and they research, design, and build our future. this team is the genesis of the united states sea power. it all starts here. but above all else, they are part of the navy. and navy strength has been and will continue to be the resilience and endurance of our people during times of crisis. whether an attack on pearl harbor or the bombing of the united states ship cole, our legacy has been that the navy pulls together with resolve when tragedy strikes. members of our navy family demonstrated true courage at the navy yard last week. it was apparent in the actions of, for example, a navy civilian shipmate who happened to be a former hospital corpsman as she carried out one of her fallen --

excuse me -- fallen co-workers and performed cpr in an attempt to save his life. or the individual who ensured the safe evacuation of the blind co-worker. these are examples of what defines the navy family. the shipmates taking care of shipma shipmates. we will remember the fallen and the events of last monday and we will grow stronger as an institution, reenforcing our commitment to maybe taning the world's finest navy. to the families here, we mourn with you today. god bless you, our navy, and the thank you.tes of america.

>> as the military organization, we've experienced all too often the searing pain of combat losses. and honored the many who in lincoln's words, have sacrificed their lives on the altar of freedom. today we honored 12 patriots who have made the same sacrifice in the service of their nation, this time in the service of your home. we rightly satisfy solemn days and hit yules to recognize and remember and revered the men and women in uniform who paid the final price in the defense of our freedoms.

these nine men and three women deserve no less. they work. that of thousands of civilian colleagues across this city and country is critical to our nation's security. now it's a part of the navy marine corps team of the navy marine corps family. we have a family. uniform and civilian, we work together, serve together, overcome together as a family, we grieve together. they will be remembered and honored as heroes. because that is what they are.

heroes, ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstance. an ordinary monday became a day of extraordinary horror and extraordinary heroism. they ran into danger to aid and protect others as colleagues, friends, and strangers assist each other in danger even at the risk of their own lives. we memorialize as heroes those who lost and honor the heros we have here today. the courage we witnessed on monday did not end with the closing of the awful day. on tuesday, people returned to their work and by thursday, when much of the navy yard reopened, thousands whose lives had been in real peril three days before, would not let fear keep them away.

still, we know it will take time for those with wounds, visible or invisible to heal. the shock and anger that occur uhhed on monday will take us time to deal with. this act of evil defies comprehension -- defies understanding. 12 wives, husbands, fathers, husbands, brothers, sisters, children, work mates, colleagues, taken from us suddenly, violently, cruelly.

today, one by one, we will hear their names and remember them and mourn. they join so many other navy and marine corps heros. whose lives and deeds shine forever bright. we remain semper fodoris, semper

fidelis, forever courageous, forever faithful. >> mr. president, mr. obama. on behalf of the 3 million men and women of the department of defense serving across the nation and all over the world, i want to express our deepest sympathy to the families here today. know that our thoughts and our prayers are with all of you. today we come together at this historic post to begin a long road of heal iing and recovery.

it's a path we walk together. we walk with the families to help ease the pain, hoping grief and sadness will one day enand cherished memories of those we love so much will take their place. we walk with those injured and charred in the senseless act of violence to help them regain strength. and together, we will recover. we will remember the first responders. we will remember the first responders who ran toward the sounds of gun fire. including officers, scott waiz, injure in the line of duty. we will remember the valor of the navy yard personnel, all of the people in the building 197. we will remember the face of tragedy, the united states navy is once again responding with resolve as we remember the

fallen, we also note the timeliness resilience of the institution that the victims were part of that they so proudly supported and the nation they so humbly serve. god bless the families, friends, and those we remember today. and god bless our country. >> secretary hagel, secretary davis, admirals renner and

lourdes. mayor gray. leaders from across this city and our armed forces to all of the outstanding first responders, most of all, the families whose hearts have been broken. we cannot begin to comprehend your loss. we know that no words we offer today are equal to the magnitude, to the depths of that loss. we come together as a grateful nation to honor your loved ones. to grieve with you, and to offer as best we can some solace and some comfort. on the night that we lost martin

luther king jr. to a gunman's bullet, robert kennedy stood before an angry crowd in indianapolis and he broke the terrible news. and in the anguish of that moment, he turned to the words of an ancient greek poet. even in our sleep, pain, which we cannot forget, falls drop-by-drop upon the heart until in our own despair against our will comes wisdom through the awful grace of god. pain which cannot forget, drop by drop upon the heart. the tragedy and the pain that

brings us here today is extraordinary. it is unique. the lives that were taken from us were unique. the memories their loved ones carry or unique. they will carry them an end dur long after the news cameras are gone. but part of what wears on as well is the sense that this has happened before. what wears on us, what troubles us so deeply is we gather here today is how is limp lest violence that took place in the navy yard echoes other recent tragedies. as president i have now grieved with five american communities

ripped apart by mass violence. ft. hood, tucson, aurora, sandy hook, and now the washington navy yard. these mass shootings occur against a backdrop of daily tragedies, as an epidemic of gun violence across communities in america, from the streets of chicago to neighborhoods not far from here. so once again we remember our fellow americans just going about their day, doing their job doing what they love in this case the unheralded work that keeps our country strong and our navy the finest fleet in the world. these patriots doing their work that they were so proud of and

is now been taken away from us by unspeakable violence. once more we come together to mourn the lives of beauty and the comfort of wonderful families who cherish them. once more, we pay tribute to all who rush towards the danger, who risk their lives so others might live, and who are in our prayers today, including officer scott williams. once more, our hearts are broken. once more, we ask why. once more, we seek strength and wisdom through god's grace. you and your families, this navy family, are still in the early hours of your grief. and i'm here today to say that there's nothing routine about

this tragedy. nothing routine about your loss. your loved ones will not be forgotten. the hearts of the navy they help you to keep strong in the hearts of their co-workers and their friends and their neighbors. i want them to know how she lives, jessica gardy said of her mother, kathy. she's not a number of some statistic. none of these 12 fellow americans are statistics. you may have never met these men and women, but you know them. they're your neighbors, like arthur daniels out there on the weekend polishing the white crown victoria.

kenneth foster with the yellow mustang who if you ask will fix your car too. she was the friendly face at the store. sylvia frazier with unforgettable gold hair who took a second job atwal mart because she just loved working with people. she was the die hard fan she sat next to in the game. season ticket holder for 25 years. they were the volunteers making the community better, marty boudrog leading the children's bible study at church. they lived for the american dream who let everything they knew in india for this land of opportunity and raised a wonderful family and dedicated himself to the united states

navy. they were proud veterans like gerald green who wore the army uniform for more than 25 years and michael arnold who became one of the navy's leading architects of whom a colleague said nobody knew those ships like him. dedicated fathers like nigel. joining facebook just to keep up with his girls. one of whom said he was always the cool dad. they were loving mothers like mary francis knight devoted to her daughters and just recently watched with joy as her older daughter got married. they were doting grand apartments like john johnson. always smiling, giving bear hugs

to his ten grandchildren and who would have welcomed an 11th grandchild this fall. these are not statistics. they are the lives that have been taken from us. this is how the single act of violence can ripple. the husband lost his wife, wives have lost their husbands. sons and daughters have lost their moms and their dads. little children have lost their grandparents. hundreds in our communities have lost a neighbor, and thousands here have lost a friend. as mentioned for one family, the daniels family, old wounds are ripped open again. they lost arthur, her husband of 30 years only a few years ago as mayor gray indicated another

shooting took the life of their son, just 14 years old. i can't believe this is happening again, priscilla says. the families endured a shattering tragedy. it ought to be a shot to all of this as a nation or as a people. it ought to upset us. it ought to lead to some sort of transformation. that's what happened to other countries when they experience similar tragedies. in the united kingdom, in always trail yeah, just a single mass shooting occurred in those countries, they understood there was nothing ordinary about this kind of carnage. they endured great heart break but they mobilized and changed.

mass shootings became a great rarity. but here in the united states, after the around-the-clock coverage on cable news. after the heart breaking interviews with families, after all of the speeches and all of the punditry and all of the commentary, nothing happens. alongside the anguish of the american family, alongside the accumulated outrage so many of us feel, i fear there's a creeping resignation that these tragedies are somehow just the way it is. that this is somehow the new normal. we can't accept this.

as americans bound in grief and love, we must insist here today there's nothing normal about innocent men and women being gunned down when they're working. nothing normal about our children being gunned down in their classrooms. there's nothing normal about children dying in our streets from stray bullets. no other advanced nation endures this kind of violence. none. here in america, the murder rate is three times what it is in other developed nations. the murder rate with guns is ten times what it is in other developed nations. and there's nothing inevitable about it. it comes about because of decisions we make or fail to make. it falls upon us to make a difference. sometimes it takes an unexpected

voice to break through. to help remind us what we know to be true. we heard one of those voices last week. dr. janice ul ch rlaski's team treated the wounded. she spoke with heart breaking hones the i as somebody who sees daily and nightly the awful carnage of so much violence. we are a great country, she says. but there's something wrong. all of these shootings, all of these victims, she said. this is not america. this is a challenge to all of us, she said, and we have to work together to get rid of this. that's the wisdom we should take away from the tragedies. not accepting the shootings but

asking what can we do to prevent them from happening again and again and again. i said before, we cannot stop every act of senseless violence. we cannot know 6 what lurks in the tragedies, if we can spare what other families are going through, surely we have an obligation to try. it's true that each of the tragedies i mentioned is different and in this case, it's clear, we need to do a better job of securing our military facilities, deciding who gets access to them, and as commander in chief, i ordered a review of procedures up and down the chain an i know that secretary hagel is moving aggressively on that. as the society, we have do a

better job of ensuring those who need mental health care actually get it and in those efforts, we don't stick mattize those who need help. those things are clear and we've got to move to address them. we americans are not an inherently more violent people than folks in other countries. we're not inherently more prone to mental health problems. the main difference is we don't enough. we don't take the basic common sense actions to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous people. what's different in america is easy to get your hands on a gun. and a lot of us know this.

but the politics are difficult as we saw again this spring. that's sometimes where the resignation comes from, the sense that our politics are frozen and nothing will change. well, i cannot accept that. i do not accept that we cannot find a common sense way to preserve our traditions, including our basic second amendment freedoms and the law abiding gun owners while at the same time stopping gun violence that unleashes so much mayhem on a regular basis. it may not happen tomorrow, next week, or next month, but it will happen. because it's the change we need and the change supported by an overwhelming majority of

americans. by now, though, it's the change we need not coming from washington even though the tragedy strikes washington. change will come the only way it ever has come, and that's from the american people. so the question now is not whether as americans we care in moments of tragedy. clearly we care. our hearts are broken again. now we care so deeply about these families. the question is do we care enough? do we care enough to keep standing up for the country that we know is possible, even if it's hard and even if it's politically uncomfortable. do we care enough to sustain the passion and the pressure to make our communities safer and our countries safer? do we care enough to do everything we can to spare other

families the pain that is felt here today. our tears are not enough. our words and prayers are not enough. if we want to honor these 12 men and women, if we want to go to work and school free from senseless violence without so many lives being stolen by a bullet from a gun, then we're going to have to change. we're going to have to change. on monday morning, these 12 men and women woke up like they did every day. they left home and they headed off to work. and joe reid's wife kathy said see you tonight for dinner. john johnson looked at his wife

judy and said what he always said when ever they parted -- good-bye, beautiful, i love you so much. even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop on the heart. until in our own despair against our will comes witz dom through the awful grace of god. but robert kennedy understood what dr. king understood, what all our great leaders always understood, that wisdom is not come from tragedy alone. or from some sense of resignation in the fallibility of man, witz dom comes from recognition that tragedies such as this are not inevitable and that we possess the ability to act and to change and to spare others the pain that drops upon our hearts.

for in our grief, let us speak that grace. let us find that wisdom and in doing so, let us truly honor these 12 american patriots. may god hold close the souls that grant them from us and grant eternal peace. may they comfort and grant over the familiar lils and may god grant us the wisdom to keep safe our united states of america.

♪ ♪ o beautiful for spacious skies ♪ ♪ for amber waves of grain ♪ for purple mountains

majesty ♪ ♪ above the fruited plain ♪ america america ♪ ♪ god shed his grace on thee ♪ and crown thigh good with brotherhood ♪ ♪ from sea to shining sea

♪ o beautiful for ♪ ♪ that goes beyond the yield ♪ ♪ ♪ america america ♪ ♪ god shed his grace on thee

♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪ ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ hallelujah

in the translation it says, hindu holy scripture -- can cut it nor can fire burn it. nor can -- the translation -- as

a man sheds his worn outclothes, seeks other new ones, likewise, the embodied soul calsing off wornout bodies enters into other new bodies. a small prayer from hindu scripture. >> from untruth, lead us to the truth, from darkness, lead us to the light, from death, lead us to immortality. oh beast, beast, and beast. may the treasured souls of our 12 dear friends rest in peace.

>> a reading from the letter to the romans. it is god who equips us, who will condemn. it's christ jesus who died, yet who is raised at the right hand of god who indeed interseeds for us. -- intercedes for us. what will separate us from the love of christ. anguish, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or the sword in no. in all these things, we conquer overwhelmingly through him who has loved us. for i am convinced that neither death nor light nor angels nor

rulers nor things present, things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of god in christ jesus our lord. the word of the lord. >> would all of you join with me in praying and reading together from the ancient prayer book we know as the psalms. this reading is from the 23rd psalm. will you read together with me? the lord is my shepherd

i shall not want. he maketh me to lie down in green pastures. he leadette me beside the still waters. he restoreth our soul. he leadth me in the paths of rich p righteousness for his name sake. y aerks e though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i fear no evil, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. you prepare table before me in the presence of my enemies. you anoint my head with oil. my cup run over. surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all of the days of my life and i will dwell in the how was the lord forever. let us pray. al mighty and eternal god, we

have gathered today to honor our fallen colleagues who died while serving their nation. he whom he west regard as civilian sailors, as shipmates, beloved fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, sons, daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, colleagues, neighbors, friends. as we remember them this day, we give thanks to what they have meant to us. for their love, for their courage, for their dedication to service, to our navy, to our nation. we mourn their deaths and we grieve and we miss them terribly. and even as we grieve, we are also thankful for those who responded in the face of

terrifying violence. for those who strove to end it, for those who gave medical assistance. for those who lent a helping hand or put an arm around the shoulder, we give thanks. gracious lord, you heal the broken hearted. you bind up their wounds. we commend to your care the families and the friends of those whom we have lost. ed be psalmist reminds us we are not alone, whether we descend to the heights or the depths and dwell and take it to the utter most parts of the sea, even there, your hands shall lead us. if we walk through the valley of the shadow of death itself, your right hand shall hold us.

so we ask you, hold us now, comfort each one of us with the great power of your love. and in our grief and our confusion, give us light to guide us into the assurance of your love. we pray this in your holy name, amen. would you please rise as we recall the names of those whom we have lost and please remain standing for the navy hymn and for "taps." following "taps," please remain in place for the departure of president and mrs. obama and the families. these are our fallen colleagues. michael wells arnold.

martin john bedrog, arthur lee daniels. sylvia rene frasier. kathleen gaarde. john roger johnson. mary francis knight. frank edwin kohler. vishnu pandit. kenneth bernard proctor.

gerald eugene reid. and richard michael rigal. >> on the next washington journal, president of the committee for the responsible budget. then jay hancock of kitzer health news talks about the law's impact on fulltime and part-time employees. a look at how taxpayers' dollars are being spent by members of congress and travels overseas with "washington times" investigative reporter, philip schwarz. all that plus calls, e-mails, tweets live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span.

>> this is a garden she originally designed when she was president of prospect house. when ellen wilson is in the white house, she brings the white house gardiner back here to this garden and says to the white house gardiner, let's re-create the rose section of this garden at the white house. this becomes the famous rose garden at the white house. ellen tragically doesn't live to see the rose garden completed, however. she's dying in the summer of 1914, she's wheeled out to the space outside in her wheelchair and she watches as the gardiner

works but doesn't live to see the completion of the vision she has for roses blooming at the white house. >> meet the first and second wife of president wood row wilson monday night live at 9:00 eastern on c-span and c-span iii, on c-span radio and c-span.org. student cam video competition is under way. it's opened to all middle and high school students. this year, we're doubling the number of winners and prize money, creating the documentary on the most important issue that you think congress should consider in 2014. entries should include c-span video, show varying points of view, and they're due by january 20, 2014. need more information? visit studentcam.org. >> in a few minutes, q&a with agriculture department and inspector general, phyllis throng. she talks about her role within the agriculture department and the duties as chair of inspectors on effectiveness and efficiency. after that, nick craig speaking

to members of the liberal democrats' party of the autumn conference. then the confirmation hearing to ambassador to japan nominee caroline kennedy. >> this week on q&a, phyllis fong, and the chair of the objectivity and efficiency. >> phyllis fong, what's an inspector general? >> an inspector general is a public official whose responsibility it is to review the operations of that inspector general's agency, to make sure that programs are