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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Words cannot adequately express the deep shock and |
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sadness felt by all Texans over the tragic events at the Boston |
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Marathon on April 15, 2013, and we pause to remember those who died |
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and to honor those who risked their own lives to come to the aid of |
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the injured; and |
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WHEREAS, The Boston Marathon has been held every spring since |
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1897, with elite athletes and dedicated amateurs from around the |
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world gathering in a festive spirit of friendly competition and a |
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celebration of the joy of running; the marathon is traditionally |
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held on Patriots' Day, a Massachusetts state holiday, and this |
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year, 23,000 runners were being cheered on by half a million |
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spectators; and |
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WHEREAS, At 2:50 p.m. on the afternoon of the 117th running of |
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the marathon, a bomb exploded near the finish line, devastating the |
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crowd, and seconds later, another bomb detonated nearby; three |
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people were killed and more than 170 others were injured, many of |
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them severely; the three innocents who lost their lives were Martin |
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Richard, a spirited eight-year-old boy from Dorchester, |
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Massachusetts, Krystle Campbell, a dynamic young woman from |
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Arlington, Massachusetts, who worked as a restaurant manager, and |
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Lu Lingzi, a graduate student from China who had come to America to |
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study at Boston University; our thoughts and prayers go out to their |
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families and loved ones; and |
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WHEREAS, Even as it was unfolding, this terrible tragedy was |
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met with a response that embodied the best of the human spirit; |
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video recordings of the event captured the awe-inspiring heroism of |
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Boston police officers, medical personnel, marathon volunteers, |
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and ordinary citizens who raced through the smoke toward the |
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wounded only seconds after the explosion, with no thought for their |
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own safety, only the determination to offer assistance and comfort |
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to strangers; in addition, many of the participants in the marathon |
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continued running past the finish line, heading to local hospitals |
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to donate blood, while numerous area residents spontaneously opened |
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their hearts and their homes to stranded visitors; and |
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WHEREAS, Although the explosions took place 2,000 miles away, |
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the people of the Lone Star State stand shoulder to shoulder with |
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our brothers and sisters in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and |
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while we mourn for those who were lost and the lives that were |
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shattered, we also offer our heartfelt tribute to the citizens of |
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Boston, whose bravery, resilience, and compassion in a time of |
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trial are a beacon of hope to all people, everywhere; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby express its grief over the immeasurable pain and |
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suffering caused by the bombings at the Boston Marathon and honor |
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the everyday heroes of that city who came to the aid of the victims; |
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and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That when the Texas House of Representatives |
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adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Martin Richard, Krystle |
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Campbell, and Lu Lingzi. |