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January 27, 2012

Editorial: Genuine public service

Press-Republican

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, as palpable a symbol of supreme courage amid the most indescribable horror, has decided to resign from the House of Representatives. She has without doubt chosen the correct path, and we wish her godspeed as she sets about reclaiming her life.

We've long rejected the validity of the term "public servant." Many who lay claim to the term do so with assailable credentials.

"Service" connotes something given with nothing given in return except satisfaction that a general good has been conferred. Most people calling themselves public servants earnestly — sometimes with great hostility — campaign for approval to win that opportunity for service. Sometimes, they employ tactics that no true public servant would abide, let alone commit.

Most public officials are well paid for their "service." Many take extreme and very questionable steps to make sure they are not displaced.

Giffords has earned the right to call herself a public servant by anyone's most critical standards. She was shot in the head while conducting a public forum in her home state of Arizona on Jan. 8, 2011. A state legislator from 2001 and a member of Congress since 2007, she was forced to undertake an ordeal of recovery and rehabilitation few could imagine, much less duplicate.

She has relearned to talk, walk and perform life's tasks that she'd spent a lifetime taking for granted.

That unimaginable assault killed six innocent people and wounded 13 others. It was a ghastly episode in anyone's experience.

This week, she received a standing ovation as she returned to the House of Representatives to hear President Obama's State of the Union address.

Now she resigns to turn her duties over to one better equipped to dispense them, but she does so with the promise she'll return to public service in some capacity when she is able.

Perhaps her close friend and colleague in the U.S. Senate Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) best proffered to her praise and encouragement:

"For the past year, Gabby has shown the world the person I have always known — an extraordinary woman of fierce drive, determination and courage. Gabby made the right decision for her and her family, but this is just the beginning of the next chapter of her story. I know that Gabby will find other ways to fulfill her calling of public service and continue to lead and inspire the nation. I feel blessed to call Gabby Giffords a dear friend and look forward to supporting her in whatever she decides to do next."

We appreciate what Giffords did for her country. We lament the consequences of her efforts and look forward to any future public service she is able to contemplate.

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Editorial
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