House to honor Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

The House will convene at 10 a.m. today to pay
tribute to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the victims
and heroes of the Arizona shooting spree.
Giffords, an Arizona Democrat in her third term in
Congress, is in critical condition at University
Medical Center after being shot in the head.
Doctors are optimistic about the 40-year-old's
prognosis.
Six people -- including U.S. District Judge John
Roll, Giffords staffer Gabriel Zimmerman and 9-
year-old Christina-Taylor Green -- were killed in
the rampage. Federal authorities have charged
alleged shooter Jared Lee Loughner in the attack.
The House resolution condemns "in strongest
possible terms" the rampage and states that the
institution "stands firm in its belief in a
democracy...in which intimidation and threats of
violence cannot silence the voices of any
American."
While there has much debate -- often heated --
about the role political rhetoric played in the
shooting, the tone today is expected to be
somber and focused on the fallen.
"This is about condemning a brutal attack on --
among others -- a member of Congress and
mourning those whose lives were lost," Michael
Steel, a spokesman for House Speaker John
Boehner, told Politico.
"We hope and expect every member will bear
that in mind during the debate on the House
floor," Steel said.
Boehner will open the session from the speaker's
chair and the floor time will be managed by
senior members of the Arizona congressional
delegation, Republican Jeff Flake and Democrat Ed
Pastor.
In the days since the attack, lawmakers from
both sides of the aisle have shared anecdotes
about their dealings with Giffords, a centrist
Democrat who has made illegal immigration one
of her key issues.
She has been widely hailed as a hard-working
lawmaker devoted to her constituents and whose
pleasant personality has won her friends on both
sides of the aisle.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has called
Giffords "brilliant." Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, who
has worked with Giffords on border control
issues, described Giffords as "very even-
tempered" but "feisty."
The House also will receive briefings on security
from the sergeant-at-arms, U.S. Capitol Police
and other law enforcement. A prayer service is
also scheduled.
USA TODAY's Kevin Johnson looks at some of
the dynamics of the legal case against Loughner,
the alleged shooter.
We also have a photo gallery of the victims and
scenes from Tucson.

Source: Http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/01/gabrielle-giffords-house-resolution--1/1