[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 19007]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       ARMY PUBLIC SCHOOL MURDERS

  Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I wish to offer my heartbroken condolences 
to the people of Pakistan and to the friends and family, the parents 
and loved ones, of those murdered yesterday at the Army Public School 
in Peshawar.
  As the Pakistan military continues its assault on the Pakistani 
Taliban in North Waziristan, the terrorist group responded yesterday 
with an act of murder and barbarity that simply has no parallel, as 
nine gunmen murdered more than 140 students and teachers who together 
were simply gathered to ensure a brighter future for their country.
  This is a crime that simply passes comprehension. As the father of 
three, I can only imagine in my worst nightmares the reality that those 
parents are now living.
  Unfortunately, as a nation, Americans have in our not so distant past 
also felt the grief that now envelops Pakistan.
  Two years ago this past weekend, a gunman stormed the Sandy Hook 
Elementary School in Newtown, CT and murdered 26 of our sons and 
daughters, our brothers and sisters. Two years later we remain in 
mourning, for the lives taken from us and for the futures that were so 
quickly extinguished.
  My prayers are with all Pakistanis who mourn today and with the loved 
ones of the victims of Newtown who remain in mourning. May we pray for 
the safety of those who are most precious and sacred to us, and may we 
remain undeterred in the face of such evil.

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