Old Guard2
Trusted Member
Moderator
Posts:9551
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| 18 Aug 2009 01:46 PM |
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This really stinks!
SHALL WE HIRE A MONUMENT ENGRAVER TO GO TO ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY AND ADD THE MISSING WORDS ?
A MESSAGE FROM AN APPALLED OBSERVER:
Today I went to visit the new World War II Memorial in Washington , DC . I got an unexpected history lesson. Because I'm a baby boomer, I was one of the youngest in the crowd.. Most were the age of my parents, Veterans of 'the greatest war,' with their families. It was a beautiful day, and people were smiling and happy to be there. Hundreds of us milled around the memorial, reading the inspiring words of Eisenhower and Truman that are engraved there.
On the Pacific side of the memorial, a group of us gathered to read the words President Roosevelt used to announce the attack on Pearl Harbor:
Yesterday, December 7, 1941-- a date which will live in infamy--the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked.
One elderly woman read the words aloud:
'With confidence in our armed forces, with the abounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph.'
But as she read, she was suddenly turned angry... 'Wait a minute,' she said, 'they left out the end of the quote They left out the most important part. Roosevelt ended the message with 'so help us God.'
Her husband said, 'You are probably right. We're not supposed to say things like that now.'
'I know I'm right,' she insisted. 'I remember the speech.' The two looked dismayed, shook their heads sadly and walked away.
Listening to their conversation, I thought to myself, Well, it has been over 50 years she's probably forgotten.'
But she had not forgotten. She was right.
I went home and pulled out the book my book club is reading --- 'Flags of Our Fathers' by James Bradley. It's all about the battle at Iwo Jima .
I haven't gotten too far in the book. It's tough to read because it's a graphic description of the WWII battles in the Pacific.20
But right there it was on page 58. Roosevelt 's speech to the nation ends in 'so help us God.'
The people who edited out that part of the speech when they engraved it on the memorial could have fooled me. I was born after the war.! But they couldn't fool the people who were there. Roosevelt 's words are engraved on their hearts.
Now I ask: 'WHO GAVE THEM THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE WORDS OF HISTORY?????????'
Send this around to your friends. People need to know before everyone forgets.
People today are trying to change the history of America by leaving God out of it, but the truth is, God has been a part of this nation, since the beginning.. He still wants to be...and He always will be!
If you agree, pass this on and God Bless YOU!
If not, May God Forgive You!
Proud mom of
SN Robertson, Colin
USCGC Seneca
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captkyguy
Trusted Member
Senior Member
Posts:5074
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| 18 Aug 2009 02:24 PM |
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In his Life Changing Name God Bless Us All I am passing this forward!
Kyle
In his life changing name God Bless! |
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| In His life changing name, God Bless!
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wepprop
Veteran Member
Posts:3969
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| 18 Aug 2009 02:39 PM |
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Revisionist History: Cap'n's version of Super Bowl XL |
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jen899193
Trusted Member
Moderator
Posts:2518
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| 18 Aug 2009 09:14 PM |
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ridiculous!!!
Jen
Proud Coastguard Mom of
SN Church, Brittney R.
OS A-School
Petaluma, Ca
"Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." ~Benjamin Franklin
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wepprop
Veteran Member
Posts:3969
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| 18 Aug 2009 09:44 PM |
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Ok, before everyone gets carried away here, Roosevelt's 'Infamy' speech, which was actually his request for a declaration of war against Japan, was 485 words long. The 'Pearl Harbor' inscription on the national WWII monument is 35 words long. It's an excerpt. The Reader's Digest Condensed Version. Lots of stuff was left out. If they had reprinted the entire speech verbatim, but left out "so help us God", I would be upset too. But this is just silliness. |
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Old Guard2
Trusted Member
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Posts:9551
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| 18 Aug 2009 10:45 PM |
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It isn't silliness when you have to put your hand on a bible and swear to God to tell the truth but the court can't have the 10 Commandments posted. More & more God is being left out of things and the "So help us God" followed the sentence that is imprinted on the wall. They didn't complete the sentence, that is something to get carried away about. There are no atheists in foxholes and there will be no prayer in school when they stop administering tests. If you don't care if God remains in our speeches and on our money and in our mottos, that's fine. But please don't call my belief that it should be there, stay there and remembered that it is there silly. I'm not calling you ridiculous for willing to forego the complete quote.
Proud mom of
SN Robertson, Colin
USCGC Seneca
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jen899193
Trusted Member
Moderator
Posts:2518
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| 18 Aug 2009 10:55 PM |
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uh hum...... i wasn't calling you ridiculous missy. just the whole concept of not using the word "god" because it may offend someone of a different nationality or religion. our fore fathers used it with purpose. history is history and shouldn't be re-written for fear of offending. next thing you know~we will be like that fool in iran~and saying the holocaust didn't happen either. i agree, too many liberties are being taken with our words. first amendment gives us freedom of speech. right, wrong, or indifferent it shouldn't be changed.
Jen
Proud Coastguard Mom of
SN Church, Brittney R.
OS A-School
Petaluma, Ca
"Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." ~Benjamin Franklin
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Old Guard2
Trusted Member
Moderator
Posts:9551
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| 18 Aug 2009 11:25 PM |
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My post wasn't directed at you! :)
Proud mom of
SN Robertson, Colin
USCGC Seneca
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wepprop
Veteran Member
Posts:3969
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| 18 Aug 2009 11:33 PM |
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It is silliness. |
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COASTIE_CLEMENTINE
Advanced Member
Posts:723
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| 19 Aug 2009 12:11 AM |
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Excerpt or not, it was still a part of that particular sentence, it should be in there. Like Macie said about the courts, swearing on a bible but the Ten Commandments are not in sight etc.... Is it still considered perjury(or whatever you call it) if you swear on a bible and you don't believe in God, so that's like making a false promise to tell the truth...if that makes sense.
~Semper Paratus~
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~Semper Paratus~
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Old Guard2
Trusted Member
Moderator
Posts:9551
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| 19 Aug 2009 12:27 AM |
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You go stand there and tell a WWII vet that notices that part of the sentence is missing and he makes a comment, you tell him it is silly and to get over it. I hope at that point he says "You're welcome." I'm sure it will be more than his pleasure to have fought for you to call something so important to his era "silliness". That is what he fought for after all, freedoms. In that vein, if you think it's silly, don't read or comment on the post.
Proud mom of
SN Robertson, Colin
USCGC Seneca
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wepprop
Veteran Member
Posts:3969
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| 19 Aug 2009 12:41 AM |
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If that WWII vet were of a Christian faith that believed that oaths are taking the name of the Lord in vain, he might be glad it was left out. If he was of another faith entirely, he might be glad. You have no monopoly on the beliefs of WWII vets.
It is silliness to believe that the omission of an oath in a 35 word excerpt from a 485 word speech is a vast conspiracy to deny God his glory, which can't be done by men anyway. |
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wepprop
Veteran Member
Posts:3969
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| 19 Aug 2009 12:59 AM |
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Oh, and the OP advocates the modification of a national monument. That puts it in the public arena and means anyone is free to comment, yea or nay. |
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Newcoastiewife
Advanced Member
Posts:677
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| 19 Aug 2009 01:21 AM |
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wepprop said...
...a vast conspiracy to deny God his glory, which can't be done by men anyway. I agree with this part. Men can not deny God his glory or separate anyone from his love. There's a part of me that is angry with it being left out, its a trend that I see. Everyone needs to be so "PC" which is beyond me...being "PC" doesn't allow for free opinions. Then there's the other part of me that believes like how Bill put it so well there is no denying his glory.
Cassie |
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Cassie |
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Newcoastiewife
Advanced Member
Posts:677
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| 19 Aug 2009 01:32 AM |
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Let me clarify, I would prefer to have the words to be included on the monument. When I was complaining about everything being so PC, it was a compliant that parallels the "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" compliant. I'm 100% for everyone having their own opinion, religion or lack thereof. What I do get frustrated at is instead of saying: I'm Jewish, I'm an atheists, I'm Muslim, ect, in correcting things like "Merry Christmas" people feel the need to make a stink and now its not socially acceptable to say it or similar things.
Cassie |
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Cassie |
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wepprop
Veteran Member
Posts:3969
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| 19 Aug 2009 02:26 AM |
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The argument that it's all one sentence is specious. Here is the text of the inscriptions on the WWII monument. The 'Pearl Harbor' text, as recorded at the official WWII Memorial website, is: WWII Memorial said...
PEARL HARBOR
DECEMBER 7, 1941, A DATE WHICH WILL LIVE IN INFAMY…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.
The original reading text of Roosevelt's speech is preserved in the National Archives. Please note that the text on the memorial includes a sentence fragment from the second paragraph, followed by ellipses, followed by the first sentence from the tenth paragraph (fourth up from the bottom): Roosevelt said...
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 that 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 it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.
The oath is at the conclusion of the twelfth paragraph (second from the bottom), no part of which is rendered on the memorial: Roosevelt said...
With confidence in our armed forces—with the unbounding determination of our people—we will gain the inevitable triumph- so help us God. <!-- Edit --> Last Edited : 8/19/2009 3:40:42 AM GMT |
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COASTIE_CLEMENTINE
Advanced Member
Posts:723
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| 19 Aug 2009 02:43 AM |
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You have done your research very well and prove a valid point. If those words were included , I am sure there would be people saying "why does God have to be mentioned in everything" (you know the people who don't believe in god and so on so on)
~Semper Paratus~
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~Semper Paratus~
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wepprop
Veteran Member
Posts:3969
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| 19 Aug 2009 02:52 AM |
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I, personally, like the sentence that ends "so help us God" a lot, and would have been happy to see it on the monument. As I said before, if they had reproduced the entire speech verbatim, or even the last two paragraphs, but omitted the oath, I would be leading the charge on Washington myself.
I just think the OP is misleading and inflammatory. |
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lan56
Basic Member
Posts:441
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wepprop
Veteran Member
Posts:3969
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| 19 Aug 2009 11:38 AM |
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I wish I had been smart enough to check Snopes. Would have saved a lot of time and acrimony. |
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lan56
Basic Member
Posts:441
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| 20 Aug 2009 09:44 AM |
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I check Snopes for every chain letter I read. My mom gets a lot of chain letters and I usually end up Snopes'ing it; she teases me a lot for it!! |
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Ian56's Mom
Basic Member
Posts:210
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| 02 Jan 2010 05:03 AM |
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Yes, "SNOPES" is a god-send. 
 Debbie "Ian56's mom" "My sons are the loves of my life" |
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Debbie
"Ian56's mom"
"My sons are the loves of my life" |
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