Gov. Patrick's Intro to Obama Speech at Interfaith Memorial Service

Last Thursday night I was listening to live coverage of the President's speech at the interfaith memorial service in Boston that followed last Monday's Marathon bombings.  Governor Deval Patrick introduced the President with a list of things he is thankful for.  The most impressive aspect of the speech this second half:

"...And I am thankful, maybe most especially, for the countless numbers of people in this proud City and this storied Commonwealth who, in the aftermath of such senseless violence, let their first instinct be kindness. In a dark hour, so many of you showed so many of us that 'darkness cannot drive out darkness,' as Dr. (Martin Luther) King said. 'Only light can do that.'

"How very strange that the cowardice unleashed on us should come on Marathon day, on Patriots’ Day, a day that marks both the unofficial end of our long winter hibernation and the first battle of the American Revolution. And just as we are taught at times like this not to lose touch with our spiritual faith, let us also not lose touch with our civic faith.

"Massachusetts invented America. And America is not organized the way countries are usually organized. We are not organized around a common language or religion or even culture. We are organized around a handful of civic ideals. And we have defined those ideals, through time and through struggle, as equality, opportunity, freedom and fair play.

"An attack on a civic ritual like the Marathon, especially on Patriots’ Day, is an attack on those values. And just as we cannot permit darkness and hate to triumph over our spiritual faith, so we must not permit darkness and hate to triumph over our civic faith. That cannot happen. And it will not.

"So, we will recover and repair. We will grieve our losses and heal. We will rise, and we will endure. We will have accountability, without vengeance. Vigilance, without fear.And we will remember, I hope and pray, long after the buzz of Boylston Street is back and the media has turned its attention elsewhere, that the grace this tragedy exposed is the best of who we are..."


Then he introduced the President.   I have never listened to a speech by the Governor before, but this was profound.  Well done.

http://www.boston.com/news/source/2013/04/text_of_governo.html