6 Things I learned about Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

I spent my formative years (junior high school/high school) in  Reston, Virginia which is 20 minutes, south of Washington.

I grew up reading three newspapers a day and watching the Sunday morning political shows.  Now,  I can barely pay attention to politics because the rhetoric is not about helping the country and it’s people, but is more focused on name calling.

So it comes as an embarrassment to me that given that there are so few women in Congress that I had no idea who Gabrielle (Gabby) Giffords was until a crazed madmen decided to shoot her and 18 other people.

As Jon Stewart said on the Daily Show, instead of spending anytime reading about the gunmen who I refuse to mention, we should learn more about the people who were killed and the extraordinary lives they led.

That said, here are few things I learned about Gabrielle (Gabby) Gifford, the Democratic congresswoman from Tucson, Arizona.

• She is Jewish. That’s right. Her father, Akiba Hornstein changed the family name to Gif Giffords to avoid anti-Semitism.
• She is fluent in Spanish.
• She is married to an astronaut, Captain Mark Kelly who is scheduled to commander the next Shuttle, Endeavour and at their wedding in 2007 were married under a huppah, the traditional Jewish canopy.
• She is a Democrat in a largely Republican state but is moderate and does not always vote with the party.
  • She was in favor in legislation that would have granted citizenship to children of illegal immigrants but is a strong believer in tough border security.
  • She opposes the death penalty but owns a Glock.
  • She voted against Nancy Pelosi to be reelected House Speaker but instead voted for John Lewis, the noted civil rights activist.

I know that as the news cycle moves, the media will focus on the gunmen and politics of gun control and the victims will be a memory.

But for now, I want to focus on the Congresswoman and the other 6 people who were killed.

Christina Green – The nine year was the youngest victim and was a the rally because she had an interest in politics.

John Roll – The Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court was appointed by President George H. W. Bush and was the rally to thank the Congressman for her support.

Phyllis Schneck- She was 79 year old great grandmother.

Gabe Zimmerman – He was the Congresswoman’s outreach director and was engaged to be married.

Dorothy Morris – She was 76 year old and was married to her high school sweetheart for 55 years.

Dorwan Stoddard – The 76 year old Stoddard was the ultimate hero, shielding his wife from the madmen’s bullets.

For more about Congressman Gabrielle Giffords, visit her website.