The First United Methodist Church Chancel Choir enters the stage of the Taylor Performing Arts Center on the campus of

Missouri Southern State University prior to the start of the Joplin Community Memorial Service on May 29, 2011.

Previously:

President Obama in Joplin (May 29, 2011)

President Obama in Joplin – photos and remarks (May 29, 2011)

The “Joplin Community Memorial Service” took place on Sunday afternoon at the Taylor Performing Arts Center on the campus of Missouri Southern State University. Members of the clergy from Joplin spoke, as did Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and President Barack Obama.

The view from a television camera in the balcony – Tulsa, Oklahoma ABC affiliate.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon is welcomed by the audience.

The transcript of Governor Jay Nixon’s remarks:

….[applause] Governor Jay Nixon: Thank you, Pastor Gariss. To the families of those who were killed and injured, to the families of those who are still unaccounted for, to the people of Joplin who have endured this terrible tragedy, to the thousands of Missourians and citizens across the nation who have opened their hearts to help us heal, to the hundreds of firefighters and emergency responders who came without hesitation to climb over piles of rubble in search of survivors, to Pastor Garris, Pastor Brown, Father Monaghan, Lieutenant Colonel Kilmer, and the wonderful choir from First United Methodist Church of Joplin, and to President Obama who is with us today, thank you all for coming.

It is an honor to be here, joining the thousands of Missourians observing this special day of prayer. We stand on hallowed ground, to bear witness to the destructive nature, power of Nature and the invincible power of faith. We have come to mourn what the storm has taken from us, to seek comfort in community, and to draw strength from God to build anew.  It seems, it seems inconceivable that just one week ago the people of Joplin were going about their daily lives doing the ordinary things people do on a Sunday evening. Cooking supper, watching TV, walking the dog, attending their sons’ and daughters’ graduation. And then came the whirlwind. Nearly a mile wide and six miles long, with its two hundred mile an hour winds, churning and roaring, tossing cars and toppling trees, pounding homes, businesses, schools and churches to rubble. But that storm, the likes of which we have never seen, has brought forward a spirit of resilience the likes of which we’ve also never seen. [applause]…

…What our nation and our world have witnessed this week is the spirit of Joplin, Missouri. [voice: “Amen.”][cheers, applause] And we are humbled by it. You have given “love thy neighbor” new meaning. The parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke, chapter  ten, verses twenty-five through thirty-seven begins with a conversation between Jesus and a student of religious law. It starts with a legal question and ends with a moral imperative.  The student asks Jesus, What shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus turns the question around and asks, what is written in the law?  And the student, who is well-versed in the Talmud and the Torah, replied, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength and with all thy, thy mind. And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. And Jesus replies, thou hast answered right. This do, and thou shalt live. But then the student, wanting greater clarity than the law provided, asks Jesus, and who is my neighbor? And Jesus tells him the story of the Good Samaritan. From that parable our charge is crystal clear, Good Samaritans do not pass by those who are suffering and in need. They show their compassion with action.  In Joplin, you see Good Samaritans everywhere you turn. You see them over in the gym at this university where hundreds of volunteers make sandwiches each and every day. You seem them passing out blankets, pillows, sunscreen and flashlights to our neighbors made homeless by the whirlwind.

You need a flashlight. Because it gets pretty dark here at night, especially when you’re standing in the street staring at the lonely pile of matchsticks that was once your home.  If you had been in the ER at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center last Sunday evening, mere moments after the tornado struck, you would have seen Good Samaritans rushing frantically to reach the wounded and the dying.  Shattered glass and bleeding patients everywhere, water and gas spewing from burst pipes, one doctor stumbled through the darkness with a flashlight in his teeth following the wail of a wounded child.

You say, you see Good Samaritans at every checkpoint in the destruction zone where police officers and citizen soldiers of our Missouri National Guard keep watch over wet socks, teddy bears, cherished wedding photos and crumpled wheelchairs, all that is left of our neighbors’ worldly goods. You see them in the churchyard, men sleeping on cots under the stars, after driving all night to get here from Tuscaloosa. [applause] These men were so touched, so moved by the kindness of strangers in their hour of need, they just had to come to Joplin. Good Samaritans on a mission from God. God has chosen us for a mission, too, to grieve together, to comfort one another, to be patient with one another, to strengthen one another, and to build Joplin anew.  [applause, cheers] Not just to build it back the way it was, but to make it an even better place.  We know that all those who perished here are already in [inaudible] place. [applause]

But for us, the living, there is work to do. God says, show me. [laughter] Show me. [applause, cheers]  The people of Missouri were born for this mission. [laughter, applause] We are famously stubborn and self-reliant. [laughter] Practical. Impatient. But whatever may divide us, we always come together in crisis. And once we set our resolve no storm, no fire, no flood can turn us from our task. [applause, cheers]

In the pale hushed stillness before dawn, when the chainsaws have fallen silent, if you listen very closely you can hear the sound of that resolve, like a tiny silver hammer tapping, tapping, tapping inside each of our heads.  In the days to come the satellite trucks will pack up, leave town and move on. Joplin’s story will disappear from the front pages but the tragedy will not disappear from our lives.  We will still be here in Joplin, together, preparing for the long journey out of darkness into light. And we will need more hands, more tools, more Good Samaritans every step of the way. [applause] This tragedy has changed us forever. This community will never be the same. We will never be the same.  The grief we share at this moment is overwhelming. That sorrow will always be part of us, a stone upon our hearts. But those we love, those we lost are safe with God and safe in our hearts. And in our hearts, the joy they gave us lives on and on. Nothing can take that from us. We can, and we will, heal. We’ve already begun. Together, we can and we will
rebuild upon a granite foundation of faith. What we build on this hallowed ground will be a living monument to those we lost, mothers, fathers, our precious children.  It will be a monument to the will and determination of the hundreds of men, women and yes, even children, who helped their neighbors dig out of the ruins, a monument to the search and rescue cue, crews who came swiftly to aid the quick and [inaudible]. By God’s grace we will restore this community. And by God’s grace we will renew our souls.

One year from today, Joplin will look different, and more different still in two years, in three, and five. And as the years pass the moral of our story will be the same, love thy neighbor. God bless. [applause]

Before he takes the podium I’d like to thank President Obama [cheers] for his [inaudible] [cheers, applause] for this, for his tireless efforts [inaudible] resources to communities from Joplin to St. Louis, Sedalia to the bootheel, all across our country, and to communities across the nation who are struggling to recover in the aftermath of deadly storms and floods. The weight on your shoulders is heavy.  We will continue to need that help in the months and years to come.

On behalf of all of the people of my great state, Mr. President, we thank you for your service. [cheers, applause] And now [inaudible] present the forty-fourth President of the United States, Barack Obama. [cheers, applause]

President Obama greets a member of the clergy after his introduction by Governor Jay Nixon.

Previously: President Obama in Joplin

A vehicle parked in the field northeast of the Missouri Southern State University campus

which was a designated parking area for those attending the memorial service.

Blue Girl and I made the round trip drive to Joplin (about four hours each way for a total of over 400 miles) to cover the “Joplin Community Memorial Service” on Sunday afternoon at the Taylor Performing Arts Center on the campus of Missouri Southern State University. Members of the clergy from Joplin spoke, as did Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and President Barack Obama. Statewide officeholders in attendance included Senator Claire McCaskill, State Treasurer Clint Zweifel, and Attorney General Chris Koster.

The Missouri National Guard controlled the perimeter of the campus and directed those attending to parking.

The audience in the balcony.

A few minutes before the memorial service began these individuals on the first row of the balcony unfurled an American flag.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon spoke and then introduced President Obama.

President Obama on the stage.

The transcript of President Obama’s remarks, compiled from the White House transcript and our audio recording:

[cheers, applause] ….President Obama: Thank you. Thank you so much. Please, please be seated.

[voices from audience: “I love you, Obama!” “We love you!”][cheers]

President Obama: I love Joplin!  [applause] I love Joplin.

[voice from audience: “We love Joplin!”][cheers, applause]

President Obama: We love Joplin. [applause]

Thank you, Governor, for that powerful message, but more importantly, for being here with and for your people every step of the way. We are grateful to you, to Reverend Gariss, Father Monaghan. I’m so glad you got in that tub. [laughter, applause][voice: “Yeah!] [cheers, applause] To Reverend Brown for that incredibly powerful message. [cheers, applause] To Senator Claire McCaskill, who’s been here, and Congressman Billy Long, Mayor Woolston. To Craig Fugate. It doesn’t get a lot of attention, but he heads up FEMA, our emergency response at the federal level. Uh, he’s been going from Tuscaloosa to Joplin and everywhere in between, uh, tirelessly doing out, outstanding work. We’re grateful for him. Gail McGovern, uh, the President of the National Red Cross, which has contributed mightily to the rebuilding efforts here. Most of all, to the family and friends of all those who’ve been lost and all those who’ve been affected…

…Today we gather to celebrate the lives of those we’ve lost to the storms here in Joplin and across the Midwest, to keep in our prayers those still missing, to mourn with their families, to stand together during this time of pain and trial.

And as Reverend Brown alluded to, the question that weighs on us at a time like this is, Why? Why our town? Why our home? Why my son, or husband, or wife, or sister, or friend? Why?

We do not have the capacity to answer. We can’t know when a terrible storm will strike, or where, or the severity of the devastation that it may cause. We can’t know why we’re tested with the loss of a loved one, or the loss of a home where we’ve lived a lifetime.

These things are beyond our power to control. But that does not mean we are powerless in the face of adversity. How we respond when the storm strikes is up to us. How we live in the aftermath of tragedy and heartache, that’s within our control. And it’s in these moments, to our actions, that we often see the glimpse of what makes life worth living in the first place. In the last week, that’s what Joplin has not just taught Missouri, not just taught America, but has taught the world. I was overseas in the aftermath of the storm and had world leaders coming up to me saying, let the people of Joplin know we are with them [cheers, applause] we’re thinking [inaudible][applause]

Because the world saw how Joplin responded.  A university turned itself into a makeshift hospital. [applause, cheers] Some of you used your pickup trucks as ambulances, carrying the injured[applause],on doors that served as stretchers. Your restaurants have rushed food to people in need. Businesses have filled trucks with donations. You’ve waited in line for hours to donate blood to people you know, but also to people you’ve never met. And in all this, you have lived the words of Scripture: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but not destroyed.”

As the governor said, you have shown the world what it means to love thy neighbor. You’ve banded together. You’ve come to each other’s aid. You’ve demonstrated a simple truth, that heartbreak and tragedy, no one is a stranger.  Everybody is a brother. Everybody is a sister. [applause] We can all love one another.

As you move forward in the days ahead, I know that rebuilding what you’ve lost won’t be easy. I just walked through some of the neighborhoods that have been affected, and you look out at the landscape, and there have to be moments where you just say, where to begin? How to start? There are going to be moments where after the shock has worn off, you feel alone. But there’s no doubt in my mind what the people of this community can do.  There’s no doubt in my mind that Joplin will rebuild. And as President, I can promise you your country will be there with you every single step of the way. [applause, cheers] We will be with you every step of the way. We’re not going anywhere. [applause] The cameras may leave. The spotlight may shift. But we will be with you every step of the way until Joplin is restored and this community is back on its feet. We’re not going anywhere.  [applause, cheers] That is not just my promise, that’s America’s promise. It’s a promise I make here in Joplin, it’s a promise I made down in Tuscaloosa, or in any of the communities that have been hit by these devastating storms over the last few weeks.

Now, there have been countless acts of kindness and selflessness in recent days. We’ve already heard the record of some of that. But perhaps none are as inspiring as what took place when the storm was bearing down on Joplin, threatening an entire community with utter destruction. And in the face of winds that showed no mercy, no regard for human life, that did not discriminate by race or faith or background, it was ordinary people, swiftly tested, who said, “I’m willing to die right now so that someone else might live.” It was the husband who threw himself over his wife as their house came apart around them.  It was the mother who shielded her young son. It was Dean Wells, a husband and father who lov
ed to sing and whistle in his church choir. Dean was working a shift at the Home Depot, managing the electrical department, when the siren rang out. He sprang into action, moving people to safety. Over and over again, he went back for others, until a wall came down on top of him. In the end, most of the building was destroyed, but not where Dean had directed his coworkers and his customers. There was a young man named Christopher Lucas who was twenty-six years old.  Father of two daughters, third daughter on the way.  Just like any other night, Christopher was doing his job as manager on duty at Pizza Hut. And then he heard the storm coming. It was then when this former sailor quickly ushered everybody into the walk-in freezer. The only problem was, the freezer door wouldn’t stay closed from the inside. So as the tornado bore down on this small storefront on Range Line Road, Christopher left the freezer to find a rope or a cord or anything to hold the door shut. He made it back just in time, tying a piece of bungee cord to the handle outside, wrapping the other end around his arm, holding the door closed with all his might. And Christopher held it as long as he could, until he was pulled away by the incredible force of the storm. He died saving more than a dozen people in that freezer. [applause]

You see, there are heroes all around us, all the time. They walk by us on the sidewalk, and they sit next to us in class. They pass us in the aisle wearing an orange apron. They come to our table at a restaurant and ask us what we’d like to order. Just as we can’t know why tragedy strikes in the first place, we may never fully understand where these men and women find the courage and strength to do what they did. What we do know is that in a split-second moment where there’s little time for internal reflection or debate, the actions of these individuals were driven by love, love for a family member, love for a friend, or just love for a fellow human being.

That’s good to know. In a world that can be cruel and selfish, it’s this knowledge, the knowledge that we are inclined to love one another, that we’re inclined to do good, to be good, that causes us to take heart. We see with fresh eyes what’s precious and so fragile and so important to us. We put aside our petty grievances and our minor disagreements. We see ourselves in the hopes and hardships of others. And in the stories of people like Dean and people like Christopher, we remember that each us contains reserves of resolve and compassion. There are heroes all around us, all the time.  

And so, in the wake of this tragedy, let us live up to their example [applause], to make each day count, to live with the sense of mutual regard, to live with that same compassion that they demonstrated in their final hours. We are called by them to do everything we can to be worthy of the chance that we’ve been given to carry on.  

I understand that at a memorial yesterday for Dean, his wife decided to play a recording of Dean whistling a song he loved, Amazing Grace.  The lyrics are a fitting tribute to what Joplin has been through. “Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come. ‘Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far and Grace will lead me home.[applause] Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess within the veil, A life of joy and peace.”

May those we’ve lost know peace, and may grace guide the people of Joplin home. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. Thank you. [applause, cheers]

After President Obama’s remarks, a closing hymn, and a benediction by Father Justin Monaghan the President and Governor Jay Nixon greeted tornado survivors in the front rows of the auditorium.

Missouri State Treasurer Clint Zweifel speaks with a radio reporter about the memorial service after the service.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster speaking with individuals outside after the service.

A tornado or access to health care, to right wingnuts it’s all the same, right?

A health care story (September 3, 2009)

….Randy Huggins:…Last Thursday I went to a health care information forum, I guess you could call it, Vicki Hartzler [a declared Republican candidate for the 4th Congressional District seat] held here. And she had concerns about the legislation and she had things that she liked about the legislation. Then she said she had solutions. The solution that she offered for the pre-existing condition my grandson had was, she offered to bring the family a, a hot meal. [pause] We’re hungry, but that’s not gonna help his heart, so….

Homes and businesses in Sedalia, Missouri, in the 4th Congressional, were damaged in yesterday’s tornado outbreak. The 4th Congressional District is represented by freshman Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) who has been silent about House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s (r) demand for budget offsets as a condition for the approval of disaster relief in Joplin, Missouri after Sunday’s devastating tornado.

Lo and behold, via Twitter:

@RepHartzler Rep. Vicky Hartzler

Just talked to Dave Clippart, Pettis Co.Emergency Mgmt. Dir. He confirmed substantial damage from today’s tornado & some injuries. 21 hours ago

@RepHartzler Rep. Vicky Hartzler

I have offered whatever help I can after the tornado. I stand ready to help. Will continue to pray for all Missouri storm victims. 21 hours ago

“…I have offered whatever help I can after the tornado. I stand ready to help…”

Does that include advocating for federal disaster relief? Or just a hot meal? Just asking.

Others are, too:

@Psyched55 Dr. Connie S.

@RepHartzler I hope your help includes votes that keep aide intact for those who are suffering rather then putting stipulations on such aide 20 hours ago

@aprillivings April Livings

@RepHartzler: Does that help include making sure that all aid is offset by spending cuts? Aid should not be held up by politics.

15 hours ago

Really, without the republican majority’s insistence on budgetary reductions in times of need we wouldn’t be able to protect those windfall tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. And that wouldn’t be fair at all, would it?

Monday, May 23, 2011

Eric Cantor: Disaster relief for Joplin must be offset by spending cuts

If House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has his way, the city of Joplin will receive no disaster relief unless it is offset by spending cuts….

Senator Claire McCaskill spoke about the tornado in Joplin, Missouri on the floor of the Senate today. She praised the response of the community, of state and federal agencies, and first responders. She mentions House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (r) at approximately six minutes into the video:

Senator Claire McCaskill (D): [6:11] …In this instance we’re gonna need to sustain the support to this community far beyond the headlines, far beyond the satellite trucks going home. We’ve got to get these schools open in September. We’ve got to get this hospital rebuilt. We’ve got to make sure this community is not left stranded without the assistance it needs.

There is no question we have to be careful about the ay we spend federal money, but, with all due respect, to Congressman [Eric] Cantor [r] I have a hard time believing that if this were in his congressional district he would be talking about how additional disaster relief would not be available, uh, unless we found some other programs to take it from. It must be available. This cannot be a political football. We must provide the assistance. [7:00]

We can guess what Claire was really thinking about Representative Cantor and his comments about Joplin, Missouri. And to think he’s a member of the House’s republican leadership.