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Dissent Poisons-
Father John Corapi, SOLT
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"There is no such thing as being a good Catholic and being disobedient to the Holy Father. There is no such thing
as being a good Catholic and being disobedient when it comes to faith and morals. There is no such thing as arguing the validity
of authentic and authoritative Church teaching. No such thing. Those who do that separate themselves from Christ and His body.
They become dead members of the body of Christ.
You should avoid such people like the plague and you should keep your children from such people as though keeping them
from the worst contagion, because contact with such people can poison their minds, poison their souls and kill them morally
and spiritually, and you don't want to be responsible for that. That is not lack of charity, that is not lack of pastoral
concern. That IS charity, that IS being pastoral and that IS being merciful. It is not merciful to turn our children over
to those that can poison their hearts and minds. That is not charitable, merciful, nor pastoral.
Pray for people that attack the Church, the Holy Father, the Magisterium. Pray for them, love them indeed, but don't listen
to them and don't put yourselves nor your children in a position where they or you can be influenced.
Let me tell you something. The devil is smarter than you and me. He is a very high angel fallen from grace. Yet God has
allowed him to retain that very high angelic intelligence. You will not outwit the devil; he's very clever. Through true humility,
through grace and through prayer, you win the battle. But don't be presumptuous and think that out of some kind of misguided
notion of being 'open', of being 'tolerant,' that you can subject yourself and your children to all forms of philosophical
and theological error.
Now I'll put this very simply. As some of my rancher friends from Wyoming would put it, if you soak in a tub of manure,
you might come out smelling funny. Well, if you soak in error and incorrect beleifs, if you put yourself in an environment
of religious error, theological and philosophical error, you're apt to pick some of the smelly contagion of it. Don't do that.
That's not smart.
There's a story from the annals of the Post Resurrection Church of St. John the Evangelist, the beloved disciple, who
went to Ephesus. And the Blessed Mother went with him. And they say that St. John was within the public baths of Ephesus and
a heretic came in from the other end of the public baths and word of his presence got to the other side to St. John. Now this
is the Apostle that preached Love, right? St. John, the one who said God is Love. In his old age, the only thing St. John
could say was 'Love God." That's all he could say. He got word that a heretic had just come in the building, he leaped
up, grabbed his clothes and ran out of the building yelling "run for your lives, the heretic 'so-and-so' just came in
the house." That was his attitude.
I'll tell you something, I used to contest with these people. I used to debate with them. I used to engage in apologetics
with them. I don't do it anymore and I'm going to tell you something. For the most part, I am more qualified to do it than
you are, than most of you. I've got a doctorate, I've got five degrees in Theology and Philosophy. I know the material, but
I don't do it because it is an exercise in futility and I don't want to drive myself 'nuts,' in plain English, and it doesn't
work. Now, if I have to defend the faith, I'll do that, but I do not engage in debates with people, especially with people
who have lost the faith. There's an axiom in metaphysics, 'Things are received in the mode of the receiver.' I say this over
and over again. You get what you're ready to get, you receive what you're ready to receive."
The Culture of Death Advances
by Patrick J. Buchanan
March 30, 2005
On Good Friday, as Terri Schiavo lay dying of thirst in Woodside Hospice, Gabriel Keys took her a cup of water. Gabriel
was arrested, handcuffed and taken away.
Apparently, no one taught Gabriel that you do not disobey a judge's order, even to bring water to someone dying of thirst.
As he is 10 years old, he is probably not yet conversant with the new morality, where a corporal work of mercy can be a crime.
Perhaps his parents filled his mind with such subversive texts as, "Whoever shall give to drink to one of these little
ones, a cup of cold water" shall not lose eternal life.
Before this column appears, Terri Schiavo may well be dead. If so, another milestone will have been passed in the long
retreat of Western Civilization from a Christian-rooted culture of life to the pagan culture of death of pre-Christian Rome.
For Terri Schiavo will not have died a natural death. She will have been put to death by the state. The coroner's report
should read: This was a state-sanctioned killing of a woman because she was brain-damaged, and the method of execution was
by starvation and denial of water. These are methods most of us would protest if imposed on the Beltway snipers.
Why did Florida put Terri Schiavo to death? Because that was the demand of a husband who refused to divorce her and denied
her medical care, while he lived with another woman. Michael Schiavo is the ACLU poster boy for family values.
In the Old Testament, King Solomon ruled that the mother who had been willing to give up her baby to the woman who had
kidnapped the child rather than see the baby cut in half should have the child. Our Florida Solomon ruled that the husband
who wanted Terri dead should have custody of her, not the parents who wanted her alive.
"Should Congress have intervened?" is an issue that has divided conservatives. But conservatives are constitutionalists.
Under the Constitution, no person may be deprived of life without due process of law. This has traditionally meant a trial
of one's peers, proof beyond a reasonable doubt of a heinous crime and no cruel or unusual punishment. Though she committed
no crime, Terri was put to death in a manner most decent men and women would not use to put a suffering animal out of its
misery.
Most conservatives believe in a God who is the Author of Life and has given us the laws by which we must live. Among the
first of these is that we must not shed innocent blood. For that is forbidden by the teachings of Christianity, Judaism and
Islam, and the laws of all the civilizations erected on these faiths. In all nations, killing of the innocent is the most
despicable of crimes. Done on a vast scale, these are what were called at the Nuremberg trials, "crimes against humanity."
Americans must face a hard truth. The state of Florida put Terri Schiavo to death. Before Holy Week, she was neither dead
nor dying. For 15 years, she had been cared for by nurses and visited by loving parents. She was not dying until the judge
ordered her dead, by ordering her feeding tube removed. Then it has taken her nearly two weeks to die, as he blocked the reinsertion
of the feeding tube and ordered police to prevent anyone from giving her water.
When the courts failed Terri, and Congress and the Florida Legislature failed Terri, the governor of Florida, who took
an oath to defend the constitutional rights of Florida's citizens, should have taken custody of Terri, ordered the tube reinserted
and let the federal courts proceed with the de novo hearing of the evidence, while Terri was still alive.
When Gov. John Peter Altgeld of Illinois came to believe that those convicted of murder in the infamous Haymarket Massacre
of 1886 were innocent, that a judicial outrage had been committed, he pardoned them. "I am a dead man politically,"
he told Clarence Darrow.
Jeb Bush should have done the same thing, the right thing. He should have rescued Terri from the death sentence unjustly
imposed upon her. If the court held him in contempt, so what? Who does not hold that Florida court in contempt?
From abortion on demand in 1973, to a right to die in Oregon, to a right to suicide in Holland, to involuntary euthanasia
in the old folks homes on the old and dying continent of Europe, to America's death sentence for Terri Schiavo, the West advances
steadily toward its own death.
As we find more and more justifications for ending life, we also find that not one Western nation has a native-born population
that is growing. All are dying. Before century's end, the West ends, as T.S. Eliot wrote, "Not with a bang, but a whimper."
First greeting of His Holiness Benedict XVI - "Urbi et Orbi" Apostolic Blessing (April 19, 2005)
Central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
After the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble labourer in the vineyard of the
Lord.
The fact that the Lord knows how to work and to act even with inadequate instruments comforts me, and above all I entrust
myself to your prayers.
Let us move forward in the joy of the Risen Lord, confident of his unfailing help. The Lord will help us and Mary, his
Most Holy Mother, will be on our side. Thank you.
The Arranged Marriage
Television Star- Lisa Welchel
"I'm so thankful that I waited to follow the Good Shepherd's voice to find the man I was supposed to marry. I must
admit, though, that it didn't happen quite the way I imagined it would. I mean, come on, what daughter wants her Father to
choose a husband for her?
Steve, and I became friends when I was assigned to a prayer group that he, as a pastor, was appointed to oversee. His
boss, Pastor Jack Hayford, had organized affinity groups in our church to provide a safe place where members who were in the
entertainment industry could be open and transparent about their prayer needs. Our group consisted of four married couples,
Michael and Stormie Omartian, Gabri Ferrer and Debbie Boone, Dominic Allen and Charlene Tilton, and Bruce Sudano and Donna
Summer. Other than Donna's manager, Susan Munao and the other pastor, Minnie Whaley, who was an elder in every sense of the
word, Steve and I were the only single people in the group. Looking back, I can see that it was a set-up right from the start.
Our group met once a month, and every month I had the same prayer request. At twenty-two I was ready to get married and
start a family, and I wanted to find God's choice of a husband for me. Steve and the others were dutiful to pray. I should
have known something was up when Steve asked if he could lay hands on me and pray. Just kidding!
But not entirely.
Over the next two years, Steve and I began to spend a lot of time together, and we became good friends. (Interpretation:
I was not at all attracted to him.) Every so often, he would take me out for the talk. The one where, because of his integrity
and desire not to take advantage of his position as a pastor, he would confess that he was feeling more for me than friendship.
I would assure him that although I thought he was a really nice guy (girls, you know what I mean), I was not feeling those
same stirrings. We would then resolve to continue going out as friends as long as it didn't get too uncomfortable for either
of us.
I had a plumb deal. I had someone to go to dinner and the movies with, and my boyfriend wasn't jealous. Oops, did I forget
to mention that I had a boyfriend? I'd better fill you in. I had been dating a contemporary Christian singer/musician who
was on the road a lot. One weekend when he was home, we were out on a date, and I felt I had to tell him about my relationship
with Steve, just to keep everything up front and even though he wasn't the Jewish guy kosher. I mentioned that Steve and I
had been spending a lot of time together and said that because he was so safe,he was the logical person to escort me to functions
when my minstrel was out of town. I watched my music man from across the table as he struggled to place the name with a face,
Steve, Steve. Oh yeah, the church organist! I don't have to worry about him.
So now I had all my little ducks in a row. Well, actually, I was not so sure about one little duckie,Steve's feelings.
He was so sweet; I just couldn't bear the thought of his feelings getting hurt because of unrequited love. This time I initiated
the talk. As gingerly as possible, I suggested that we not spend as much time together. I encouraged him not to take it personally;
after all, I was planning to break up with my boyfriend as well.
I explained that I was going through a personal revival with the Lord. I was even considering joining YWAM (Youth with
a Mission) on a mission trip for a year after the last taping of The Facts of Life. I told him that it would be best if I
just concentrated on my relationship with God for a while. There. I had said it.
I relaxed back in my chair at the same time Steve leaned forward in his. He looked me straight in the eye and declared,
Lisa, I could be good for you.
Where did that come from? Talk about out of the blue. Who had sneaked into the restaurant, kidnapped Mr. Milquetoast,
and replaced him with Mr. Big? I was speechless, which is saying a lot. (Actually, it's not really saying anything, is it?
Oh, never mind.) I didn't know how to reply, especially since there was something incredibly attractive about what Steve had
just done. I decided that it was best not to respond at all, so we ordered dessert and pretended that the entire conversation
hadn't happened.
Many weeks passed, Steve and I as friend-ly as ever, while I continued to wholeheartedly pursue my relationship with God.
I registered for a seminar at our church conducted by a visiting evangelist. The last session was to be an anointing service.
There were hundreds of people in attendance, and she was praying for them one at a time, so the rest of us sat waiting quietly
on the Lord in worship.
I had my hands lifted to the Lord as a gesture of praise when I felt the sensation of a gentle weight descend upon me.
I recognized this feeling as the presence of the Holy Spirit. And because this kind of thing doesn't happen every day, or
even every year, I knew enough to pay attention. As I waited expectantly, the thought popped into my head, Would you ever
consider marrying Steve Cauble? I knew this was God talking because it was the last thing I would have ever thought to think
on my own. My knee-jerk response was: No. Are you kidding?
I shrugged the Holy Spirit off my shoulders and got back to the business of worship. But the thought would not go away.
So I purposed to ponder it in my heart, but I certainly was never going to tell Steve about it.
The next day Steve was leaving town for a week, so after the seminar I visited Steve at his house. We chatted as he packed;
then it was time for me to head home. Just as I turned to leave, he took my hand, led me to sit down on the couch, and looked
at me with unusual urgency. Listen, he implored.Before you leave, I have to ask you one question. Would you ever consider
marrying me?
Wow! This guy doesn't say much, but when he does,it's a doozy. I laughed nervously. Funny you should mention that, I said.
Then I told him what had happened earlier at church, and we agreed that this was probably something we should pray about.
Yeah, I know, pretty discerning, huh?
In my opinion, this called for more than praying, this called for fasting! If you know anything at all about me, you know
that something has to be mighty serious for me to think about giving up food. But considering the fact that I had suddenly
lost my appetite, it wasn't such a tough decision.
Proverbs 11:14 says that safety comes with a multitude of counselors, and during the following week, I met with every
pastor or elder I could schedule an appointment with. They all loved Steve and me and thought this was a fabulous idea. But
by the time Steve got back from his trip, I was more confused than ever. How could this be God's will? I mean, weren't you
supposed to want to kiss the guy you were going to marry? And I really wanted children. How was I going to do that?
We concluded that what we really needed was council from the Big Kahuna himself, Pastor Jack. He would know what we should
do. So Steve called him up, and he invited us up to his house after the Sunday evening service.
We arrived just as Pastor Jack and Annas favorite television show, Murder She Wrote,was beginning. We had to sit there
trying to act interested in a show that anyone could figure out within the first five minutes. I wanted to shout, The butler
did it! Now, can't we get on with something a little less trivial, like the rest of my life? But I stifled my impatience,
thank goodness I'm an actress.
Mercifully the program ended, and it was time to receive from the hand of the master. We gave a full account of all that
had transpired over the past few months. We covered the friendship aspect of our relationship; we addressed our age difference
(Steve is thirteen years older than me); we talked about what we thought the Lord might be saying; and we reiterated our desire,
above all, to do God's will. The only thing I failed to mention was the tiny detail of the lack of physical attraction on
my part.
Pastor Jack paused just long enough to break into a broad smile before he delivered his blessing, "Sounds good to
me," he beamed. I think you should go for it! What? That's it? No alliterated three-point sermon? No big words that I
would have to look up when I got home? I was stunned. Before I could react, Anna was offering me a piece of strawberry cheesecake,
and we were talking about Jessica Fletcher and that stupid television show again. Help! I'm on a freight train, and I can't
get off.
Little did I know that this little engine that couldn't was about to become a bullet train. Steve left the next day to
accompany Pastor Jack to the Foursquare denomination's district conference. After Pastor Jack was introduced, but before he
began to preach, a huge grin burst across his face. Steve was like a son to him and he couldn't wait any longer to act the
proud papa. "Before I begin" he began, "I have some happy news to announce. Our very own Steve Cauble is engaged
to be married to Lisa Whelchel." Gasps and applause erupted from the crowd.
Let me make sure you have the full picture. Steve knew full well that immediately after the benediction, the Foursquare
grapevine would swing into action. It just so happened that Steve's parents are Foursquare pastors themselves. So he sneaked
out of the service and raced to a payphone to call me. I could tell from his voice that something was wrong as he tiptoed
on the other line,"Lisa you may want to get a hold of your mother before someone else informs her of our impending marriage."
"Come again," I said, hoping we just had a really bad connection and I hadn't actually heard him say that we
were engaged and I didn't even know about it. He tried to explain that there apparently had been a little miscommunication:
We obviously hadn't made it clear to Pastor Jack that we had gone to him for his counsel, not his blessing.Yowser, Bowser!
he exclaimed.
We hung up and it hit me: I'm engaged to a man who says, "Yowser, Bowser."
I knew immediately that I would have to leave the church. There was no way I could go through with this. I mean, isn't
there a place in a wedding ceremony where the preacher says,You may now kiss the bride? It might be a bit embarrassing if
I offered Steve my cheek. No, I would definitely have to leave the church. I realized that I couldn't continue to attend,
knowing that every little old lady I passed in the sanctuary would be whispering,There goes the Jezebel who broke sweet Steve
Cauble's heart.
When Steve got back to town, we met for dinner. I anticipated an intense evening of wrestling through our options as we
figured out how to clear up this terrible misunderstanding. I was not prepared for how excited Steve was. Did he sincerely
believe that just because all of Foursquaredom was thrilled about our engagement that I was too?
Apparently so, because the next thing he said was, Well, I guess if we are engaged, I ought to buy you a ring. Why was
it so hard for me to say no? Did I really think that I could avoid hurting Steve's feelings forever by continuing this charade?
Sooner or later, I was going to have to do the loving thing and break his heart.
I was able to postpone the inevitable one more time when he said,My friend Doug bought Christa an engagement ring at the
mall. Let's go look there. Whew, I was off the hook. The truth is, I'd known for a long time what kind of engagement ring
I wanted. I also knew, no offense, that I certainly wasn't going to find it at the mall. I was sure that it would have to
be designed specifically for me. I mean, really now.
As we drove to the mall, I rested secure in my superior taste in jewelry. The man behind the counter asked me if I had
anything in particular in mind. Well, frankly, I do. But I've never actually seen the ring, I've just imagined it. Perhaps
it would help if I drew it. The gentleman handed me a piece of paper, and I proceeded to draw an emerald-cut diamond in the
center surrounded by two triangular, trillion cuts on each side.
The jeweler studied the slip of paper and then reached into the case and pulled out a ring. "You mean this one?"
he asked.
There it was! My ring, the one I had never actually seen before. Oh no, I thought. I had drawn it! I couldn't take it
back and say, Well, no, come to think of it, it was more circular in shape.
Steve was elated. He whipped out his credit card and bought it on the spot. I'm pretty sure I even heard him say, Praise
the Lord. But the Lord obviously had nothing to do with this. I mean, God created man and woman; He created the way they created
babies. He knows about these things. He surely wasn't a part of all thesecoincidences.
A few days later I panicked and caught the first flight to Nashville to visit my childhood friend, Michelle. Either she
would help me figure out what to do or I could just have my belongings shipped to Tennessee. When I got there I went to the
local Christian bookstore and bought every book in the shelf on how to find the will of God.
I spent the next three days in bed, alternately pouring over these books and pouring out my heart to God. This had gotten
way out of hand and had escalated into a crisis of faith. It was more than an issue of whether Steve was the man I was to
marry; this was now about whether God was the God I was to serve.
The way I saw it, either this was all a big joke and God had capriciously manipulated our lives for His own sick entertainment,
or this was all my fault for not having the courage to say no or this was God's plan for my life and I was destined to marry
a man for whom I felt very little attraction. To me, all the options were devastating.
Because either my past was all a lie or my future was to be lived as one, I had to find the truth. What did I know for
certain? Let's start at the beginning: Okay, I believe there is a God. I have met Him personally, and He has proven Himself
trustworthy in my life many times. I know that I know that He adores me and that He is good through and through. He is stronger
than the devil's schemes, and He is more powerful than circumstances, coincidences, or cowardliness. I could rest in this
because I also knew for certain that I had sought His will with a pure heart.
The choice was mine. Was I going to trust God or trust my heart? I knew the decision I had to make, and I felt an unexplainable
peace about it. When I boarded a plane home, I was wearing my new engagement ring and carrying the "Now That You Are
Engaged" book I had purchased earlier in the week. I figured that since I had decided to marry this man whether the feelings
were there or not, I could probably use all the help I could get.
The first suggestion in the book was that I fill out a sheet of paper entitled, "What I love about my fiancé."
I took out a legal pad and began to list all of Steve's wonderful qualities. There was never a question about how much I admired
and respected him, so this was easy. I even recall a time shortly after getting to know Steve when I remarked to a friend,
"If the woman who marries Steve Cauble doesn't realize what a prize she has, I will personally pay her a visit and knock
some sense into her."
Before I realized what was happening to me, somewhere up there around 35,000 feet, I had completed not one, but two legal-size
sheets of paper filled with unexaggerated hyperbole extolling the many virtues of Steve Cauble. As I reread my list, something
totally unexpected happened.
I fell in love.
When I got off that plane, I ran into my fiancé's arms and gave him the sloppiest kiss you ever did see!
What do you know that you know that you know about God? Do you believe that He is all-powerful? Do you trust that He is
all-good? Is He all-loving and all-holy? These are questions that you need to settle in your heart. There may come a time
in your life when the only thing you can count on is the character of God. And that will be enough.
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The Abolition of Christmas
Patrick J. Buchanan
12/21/01
When I was a boy, Kensington was a village half an hour north of Chevy Chase Circle where, inside an ice-cold armory,
Catholic kids practiced basketball. Montgomery County was a bedroom suburb of D.C. Nothing beyond existed, except for the
Rockville drive-in.
This fall, both precincts became world-famous as citadels of wacko liberalism. The Montgomery County Council voted to
fine homeowners $500 who let cigarette smoke escape into neighbors' houses. And the Kensington council voted to purge Santa
from its 30-year-old tradition of lighting a pine tree in front of town hall.
Why did the Kensington Taliban expel St. Nick? Says the mayor: "Because two families felt that they would be uncomfortable
with Santa Claus being a part of the event." Ebeneezer Scrooge felt the same way.
Now this may not be in the Christmas spirit, but it needs to be said as writer Tom Piatak says it so well in Chronicles.
The spirit that seeks to purge Santa, and has already purged Christ from Christmas, is not a spirit of tolerance, but a spirit
of "hatred, resentment and envy."
And why should a tiny few who resent Christmas prevail in America over the great joyous majority who love it?
Multiculturalists say Christmas celebrations cause "non-Christians to feel 'left out.' I am skeptical, but even if
the multiculturalists are right," says Piatak, "how much should we worry about those who feel left out. ... We cannot
forever shield non-Christians from the reality that they are a minority in America, and suppressing the observances of the
majority seems a high price to pay to allow overly sensitive souls to live in comfortable delusion."
Moreover, he adds, "Christmas in America was never marked by pogroms or expressions of hatred, but by countless acts
of charity and kindness. ... The public celebration of Christmas was capable of being enjoyed by non-Christians as well as
Christians, and almost everyone did enjoy at least some of it. I know of non-Christians who enjoy Christmas specials, Christmas
movies, Christmas music."
Under true tolerance, schoolchildren whose parents do not wish for them to take part in Christmas carols, pageants or
plays would be exempt, but all non-Christians would be invited to join in.
But, as multiculturalists know, the result of free choice would be the almost-universal celebration of Christmas in public.
And this they cannot abide, for their agenda is to purge from public life the Christian faith that gave birth to Western civilization.
For they believe Western civilization was a blight upon mankind. As that great multiculturalist Jesse Jackson put it, "Hey,
hey, ho, ho, Western Civ has got to go!"
"Europe is the faith, the faith is Europe," asserted the Catholic writer Hillaire Belloc. Piatak echoes Belloc.
Christmas "has been the principal holiday of the world's most creative civilization for over a millennium. It has inspired
a profusion of art, architecture, literature and music; a love of Christmas can lead to a deeper love of our whole civilization.
Giotto never painted a Kwanzaa scene, Bach did not write a Hannukah oratorio, and Dickens did not pen 'A Ramadan Carol.' And
no one comparable to them did, either."
Indeed, the birth of Christ has inspired more great paintings, music and sculpture than any event in history. "Ultimately,"
writes Piatak, "we should be free to celebrate Christmas publicly and joyously, because it is a great holiday, and because
it is our holiday and one of the crowning glories of Western culture that gave birth to America and sustains us still."
But why, then, are we not free to do so? Why may we not celebrate, as we did for 200 years, the birth of our Savior, the
day God became man to open up for us the gates of heaven and bring mankind the hope of eternal salvation?
Answer: Because our Constitution has been hijacked by bigots in black robes, who perverted it to de-Christianize America.
And we let them get away with it. Second, because Christians have become an intimidated lot, who will permit themselves to
be pushed around and even permit their Savior to go uncelebrated for fear of being called insensitive. But if we do not proclaim
the Son of God, will He proclaim us before the Father in heaven?
If Jesus was truly God, and the first Christmas was the day he was born of the Virgin Mary, and He came into the world
for our salvation, what does it say about us that we would permit a handful of unhappy people to deny us the right to celebrate
His birth in our public squares?
But, nevertheless, "God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing ye dismay" not even the ACLU on this coming Christmas
Day.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Pearl Harbor Speech, December 8, 1941
To the Congress of the United States
Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately
attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with the
government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.
Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States
and his colleagues delivered to the Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated
that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many
days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United
States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many
American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco
and Honolulu.
Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
This morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak
for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to
the very life and safety of our nation.
As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.
Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might
will win through to absolute victory.
I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves
to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph
- so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, Dec. 7, a state of
war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.
Knute Rockne
"Win One For the Gipper" Speech
"I haven't a thing to say.
Played a great game...all of you. Great game.
I guess we just can't expect to win em all.
I'm going to tell you something I've kept to myself for years --
None of you ever knew George Gipp.
It was long before your time.
But you know what a tradition he is at Notre Dame,
And the last thing he said to me -- "Rock," he said
"Sometime, when the team is up against it -- and the
breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out there with all they got and win just one for the
Gipper...
I don't know where I'll be then, Rock", he said - "but I'll know about it - and I'll be happy."
Bishop Peter D. Weaver
Mother's Day
2005
"In 1928, Reverand W.L.Caldwell preached a message to a mother's day audience. This is what he said, "Well may
we pause to pay honor to her who after Jesus Christ is God's best gift to men, mother. It was she who shared her life with
us when as yet our members were yet unformed. Into the valley of the shadow of death she walked that we might have the light
of life. In her arms was the garner of our food and a soft couch for our repose. There we nestled in the hour of pain, there
was the playground of our infant glee. Those same arms later became our refuge and stronghold. It was she who taught our baby
feet to go and lifted us up over the rough places. Her blessed hands plied the needle by day and by night to make our infant
clothes. She put the book under our arms and started us off to school. But best of all she taught our baby lips to lisp the
name of Jesus and told us first the wondrous story of the savior's love. The pride of America is its mothers. There are wicked
mothers like Jezebel of old, there are unnatural mothers who sell their children into sin. There are sin cursed, rum soaked,
and abandoned mothers to who their motherhood is the exposure of their shame. But I am glad to believe that there are but
few in this class."
Few maybe in 1928, but in 2005, not so few. Are mothers still the pride of America? In the self-centered society in which
we live, the sentiments that Caldwell expressed are almost funny. What has happened to American motherhood? There are one
and a half million legal abortions a year in this country. The divorce rate today is astronomical. The number of illegitimate
births continues to rise. The rate of battered children in the United States grows every year. Sexually molested children
are almost the norm. This is particularly scary in light of Caldwell's words that, "no nation is ever greater than its
mothers. For they are the makers of its men."
Each year we witness the coronation of another Miss America. For millions of little girls and young ladies Miss America
is a model woman. As Bert Parks used to sing, "There she is, Miss America, There she is, your ideal." For many,
then, the ideal woman is young, single, sexy, and sophisticated. The ideal woman of Proverbs 31 is quite different. She is
married and she has children. We are not told her age or whether she is pretty. The most important quality of the ideal woman
is that she is godly.First, this description of the woman in Proverbs 31 is one that is carefully composed. It was not written
by a husband who had forgotten it was Mother's Day, and hastily penned a few words of praise after picking up a dozen roses
on a street corner. This piece of Hebrew poetry is an acrostic, a poem in which the first letter of each verse begins with
the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The passage is a literary masterpiece, very carefully constructed.
Second, the woman described is to be a model not an ideal. A model is to be imitated, but an ideal will never be reached.
She is a woman of godly character, and in this both men and women should seek to follow her example. But beyond this, she
is a woman of great ability.
This woman is praised, not for her charm or her beauty, but for her fear of God. Mothers, you are an influence. It is
so important for your children's sake that you be a godly one.
Let me share with you an example of a godly woman who greatly influenced her children. Susanna Wesley was the wife of
a pastor and mother of 19 children. She was an attractive woman who taught her children six hours a day. She was well read
and valued book learning. Her main concern was to raise her children to act strictly and honestly. The children were taught
to fear the rod, and cry softly by which means they escaped abundance of correction. Mrs. Wesley sincerely believed that by
her method she was training her children to obey God. Even if in the first instance, they were obeying her.
The code of conduct she taught never left them; the picture of God which she gave them in childhood shaped their conceptions
through life. One of her children was John Wesley. The man who'd ideas gave rise to the Methodist Church. He often said he
owed to her the discipline of his mind. Her goal was to instill into his mind the principles of true religion and virtue.
She prayed, "Lord give me the grace to do it sincerely and prudently and bless my attempts with good success."
Some of her rules were: no child was to be given a thing because he cried for it. If a child wanted to cry , cry softly.
In her house was rarely heard loud cries. Each child must eat and drink everything before them. No eating or drinking between
meals unless sick.
To many in our modern time's this wonderful mother probably sounds like a cruel taskmaster.
Nothing could ever have been further from the truth. A wonderful, loving example of how to be
a good Christian mother she was.
She spent one hour every day shut up in her room praying for her children. And it showed in
in the adults they all grew to be.
Parents, Let us continually seek to establish the qualities of the godly woman as the goal toward which our girls should
strive. And let us teach our sons that this is the kind of woman who makes married life such a blessing.
The fact that Mother's Day has become an international institution proves that "time cannot wither nor custom stale"
the veneration in which we hold our mothers and their great wisdom in bringing us into the world.
Mothers you are an influence in the lives of your children, that is without question. The question is are you being a
godly one? If you are looking for meaning and purpose in your life, God's word says it is found in motherhood. Nobody influences
society more that its mothers. Mom's, please remember the words of pastor Caldwell, "No nation is ever greater than its
mothers. For they are the makers of its men."
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