Sorrow and silence for Tucson victims

People around the Philadelphia area joined others around the nation in a moment of silence at 11 a.m. today to honor all the victims of the mass shooting in Tucson.

In schools, offices and public places, men, women and children paused to offer a thought or a prayer for the six killed and 14 wounded in the rampage, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who is fighting for her life.

At the City Coffee Shop on Market Street in Camden, several people paused as CNN broadcast the moment of silence.

Tisheena Jackson, 35, of Sicklerville, came in for a cup of coffee and was on her way out when she stopped to watch the television. She bowed her head and quietly spoke God's name as she stood among the others. She wiped tears from her face as others shook their head as pictures of the victims appeared.

"It's really, really sad. Just being an American, I hate to see something like this happen. So senseless. What's this world coming to? That's what really saddens me," Jackson said. "We're all human. It doesn't matter where it happens, we all have compassion."

Nearby, Asia-Marie Adames, 29, held her 2-month-old Joshua while her 5-year-old daughter Jomarys kept her eyes on the television.

"My sister went to serve in Iraq after 911 and she fought to stop this," Adames said. "It affects all of us when there are acts of terrorism. It never ends."

At the ornate Courtroom 1 in Bucks County, the largest in the Courthouse, the courtroom seemed empty and cavernous as 11 a.m. approached.

With only eight spectators amid the 300-plus seats, Judge Rea B. Boylan was plowing through her docket, accepting guilty pleas on four cases that were decidedly at the other end of the judicial spectrum from the horrific case now unfolding in Arizona.

Boylan droned through the familiar court colloquy: "By pleading guilty, you're giving up almost all of your legal rights . . . Is there anyone here who is under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medications . . ."

Boylan was about to sentence a young drug defendant to 11 1/2 months in the county prison when Deputy District Attorney Daniel Sweeney approached the bench and whispered to the judge.

After completing the sentencing, Boylan addressed Sweeney. "Do you wish to make a motion?" she asked.

"Your honor," Sweeney said, "It's 11 a.m. At this point the Commonwealth requests that we observe a moment of silence for the victims in Arizona."

Boylan announced: "At this time we will observe a moment of silence."

The room fell silent, with most heads bowed, the silence broken only by the sniffling of the drug defendant's weeping mother as she walked from the courtroom.

Afterward, Sweeney said he had made the request, "just to remember the victims of the shooting, out of respect for the national request and especially given the fact that there was a victim with a local connection."

A hush came over the Monday morning regulars at the Marlton Diner in Evehsam Township when the television cut to the special report broadcasting the moment of silence. The waitresses stopped pouring coffee, staring up at the screen. The regulars lowered their voices.

"I heard they had to put her in a coma to relieve the pressure on her brain," said William Miller, a retired fire fighter, shaking his head.

To him, the shooting was yet another sad chapter for a country that has careened off the tracks in the last decade.

"A lot of people are getting killed and shot up for nothing," he said.

"Politics," he said, after a moment, as if it was a slur word.

On the television, President Obama bowed his head. There was silence for a moment. Then the moment was over as quickly as it began, but the conversation continued.

Jim Doyle, 81, a retired teacher and high school football coach, said he was most concerned about the reports of the suspect's erratic behavior in the years before the shooting. "There seemed to be so many red flag about this guy," he said. "In today's world, how could they be missed?"

Sitting next to him was his friend, Joe Druding, a retired engineer.

He said he believed the suspect was a nut with a gun and he saw no need to look for deeper meaning, to ponder what the tragedy says about our country.

"He was a deviant," Druding said.

On the television, the special broadcast ended. "Stay tuned for The View," said the announcer.

Kathy Veasey, sitting at her cubicle at the Montgomery County Courthouse, put her head down and clasped her hands as if in prayer at 11 a.m.

When the minute of silence passed, Veasey, a scanning clerk, expressed sympathy for the victims who survived the shooting in Tucson and the families of those who died.

"I feel so sad," she said. "I feel so bad for these families."

"It's tragic that people can get that disturbed," Veasey said of the suspect, Jared Lee Loughner. "The lack of respect for life is just not there. That bothers me more than anything."

A few minutes before 11 a.m., the second graders in the computer class at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Maple Shade stopped what they were doing.

"We're about to have a moment of silence and prayer," teacher Kathy Karsch told the youngsters.

"As a country, all the people are going to stop and be still and quiet to pray for the people who lost their lives and were injured . . . ," added homeroom teacher Sherri Hunkins.

Then principal Donna Satkowski's voice came over the intercom.

"We pray for peace. Unfortunately, there are people in the world who don't have peace in their minds and hearts . . . ," said Satkowski.

The 20 children - all seven and eight-year-olds - quietly clasped their hands together and bowed their heads.

After the silence, Satkowski prayed.

"Oh Lord, we call upon You in our time of sorrow, for the people of Arizona, that You give them the strength and willto bear their heavy burdens, until they can again feel the warmth and love of Your divine compassion," the principal said. "Be mindful of and have mercy on them while they struggle to comprehend life's hardships. Keep them ever in Your watch, till they can walk again with light hearts and renewed spirits."

For many others, the moment passed unnoticed, but not deliberately.

At the King of Prussia mall, shoppers perused sales racks, as 11 came and went.

Kathy Smith, marketing manager, said there was no plan to observe the moment of silence.

Several shoppers said they were unaware of President Obama's call for the moment of silence.

"I certainly would have wanted to observe it," said David Brubaker, 72, of Sinking Spring.

His wife, Jane Brubaker, 69, agreed.

"It's a sad situation that there are sick individuals out there who have access to weapons," she said.

The American flag was flying at half-staff in front of the Gladwyne Post Office. But inside, as 11 a. m. came and went, it was business as usual in the lobby with a postal clerk trying vainly to fix a broken scale.

The shooting in Tucson, however, was still on the minds of those waiting in line for service.

Herberta Ashburn, 81, widow of Phillies player and announcer Richie Ashburn, called the situation "horrible" and planned to write a note later today to the another member of the Phillies family, Dallas Green, whose granddaughter Christina Taylor Green was one of those killed.

"This little 9-year-old went out to do some civic duty," she said. "It's tragic."

Sandy Cozen, 69, of Villanova, there to mail a package, was disappointed there was no formal announcement for the observance.

"We weren't even silent, we were suppose to be silent," she said, calling the shooting a "real sad time and commentary on our society today."

In calling for the moment of silence on Sunday, the president said it would serve as "a time for us to come together as a nation in prayer or reflection, keeping the victims and their families closely at heart."

Obama also signed a proclamation calling for flags to be flown at half staff.

Gov. Rendell directed that all U.S. and state flags in Pennsylvania be flown at half staff until sunset Friday.

Also killed in the shooting were U.S. District Judge John Roll, 63; Gabe Zimmerman, 30; Dorothy Morris, 76; Dorwin Stoddard, 76; and Phyllis Scheck, 79.