Posted on 02/14/2003 7:27:20 PM PST by CubicleGuy
It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way.
Sunday morning came -- next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their young faces alight with martial dreams -- visions of the stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender! Then home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! With the volunteers sat their dear ones, proud, happy, and envied by the neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag, or, failing, die the noblest of noble deaths. The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the building, and with one impulse the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that tremendous invocation
*God the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest! Thunder thy clarion and lightning thy sword!*
Then came the "long" prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was, that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in the day of battle and the hour of peril, bear them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory --
An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness. With all eyes following him and wondering, he made his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher's side and stood there waiting. With shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued with his moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in fervent appeal, "Bless our arms, grant us the victory, O Lord our God, Father and Protector of our land and flag!"
The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside -- which the startled minister did -- and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes, in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said:
"I come from the Throne -- bearing a message from Almighty God!" The words smote the house with a shock; if the stranger perceived it he gave no attention. "He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd, and will grant it if such shall be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import -- that is to say, its full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of -- except he pause and think.
"God's servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two -- one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of Him Who heareth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this -- keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor's crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.
"You have heard your servant's prayer -- the uttered part of it. I am commissioned of God to put into words the other part of it -- that part which the pastor -- and also you in your hearts -- fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: 'Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!' That is sufficient. the *whole* of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory--*must* follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!
"O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle -- be Thou near them! With them -- in spirit -- we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.
(*After a pause.*) "Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits!"
It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.
The story is in response to a particular war, namely the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902, which Twain opposed. See Jim Zwick's page "Mark Twain on the Philippines" for more of Twain's writings on the subject.
Transcribed by Steven Orso (snorso@facstaff.wisc.edu)
We know this?
First, it nowhere says in the Constitution that a declaration of war must contain the words "declare" and "war." So clearly, synonyms and other constructions, at least if they are unambiguous, amount to the same.
The Congress, if it were more pretentious, could say "we approve of belligerency against Iraq." If it wanted to focus more on the personality of Saddam, it could say "we authorize the President to kill Saddam Hussein" -- an act of war that would obviously give casus belli to Saddam's military and other agents, and would require the use of military force. Or it could authorize any other acts of war explicitly, authorizing the President to do whatever was specified. Finally, if we now spoke French (something that would not have seemed out of the question to the framers of the Constitution regarding a point over 200 years in the future), the Congress could authorize "guerre" instead of "war" and the Constitutional requirement would have been just as well meant.
And second, the only way to stop the President from waging an undeclared war is to remove him as Commander in Chief. Judges and Congressmen cannot order troops around. Military command cannot be divided, and by definition it belongs to the Commander in Chief. The way to get a new Commander in Chief is to impeach and convict the President, in this case of improper waging of war. In some circumstances that would be politically feasible (e.g., Bush bombs Toronto), but in this case it is not, precisely because three-fourths of the Congress has explicitly authorized the use of military force against Iraq.
Saint Michael, Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And you, Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell Satan and the other evil spirits who prowl the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.
No, we're not. In fact, we have said specifically that we have no quarrel with the people of Iraq. Our military has taken far greater pains to avoid civilian casualties than any other military in the history of warfare, sometimes at increased risk to themselves.
Yes, some innocents will die - That is unavoidable. But innocent people die every day in Iraq, victims of their own government. And if we do nothing, they will continue to die. Saddam seeks weapons that no reasonable person can believe he should possess, and if he acquires them, many more innocent people, perhaps millions of innocent people, will be at risk.
We cannot, and will not, allow this to happen.
We learned nothing from the Tonkin betrayal.
Conservatives-last I looked-are for a weak and checked govt -both legislative, judicial AND executive.
Just because we like Bush does not make it ok this time.
Rant is over. I know the Republic is long dead and I am resigned to it.
You know-what the hell-I'm a young guy raised on MTV, I went to public school so my education is the best the taxpayer can be gauged for and I read this. I mean I am not an Ivy League professor or anything or the son of a Senator-patrtician -- BUT EVEN I KNOW THAT THE WAR CONGRESS CAN "STOP" A PRESIDENT IS TO WITHDRAW FUNDS FOR THE WAR!!" YOU DO NOT NEED TO REMOVE HIM FROM HIS OFFICE AT ALL!!!!
Secondly, the Republican controlled Congress during the Kosovo war DID!! deny Clinton military authorization-this AFTER Clinton started the shooting war. What did Clinton do? Continued to fight the war in violation of the constitution. Congress then had the opportunity to end the war and was so freaked-so afraid of the power they had so long gladly given up that they -- after denying the President authorization for the Kosovo war-gave the President the funds to carry out the same war they voted him to stop.
It was the last gasp of the republic. The rubber stamp congress is now in session when it comes to foreign affairs..so long as they can fight for their share of the domestic spoils--our empire's version of the imperial bribe.
PS: Used caps because I was to lazy to bold.
...for they shall inherit the Earth...
...in little six-foot plots.
-Jay
Considering the way that the Democrats in congress screw the pooch when it comes to matters as simple as confirming a Circuit Court justice, I'd have to say I have absolutely no confidence in their appropriately handling something of far greater importance (such as declaring war).
Don't like it? Then tell the Democrats to get off their filibustering dead @$$es.
-Jay
All our intelligence gathering "knows" this. You can disbelieve it if you want. There are a lot of people that don't believe that Americans ever walked on the moon. And there are French that believe that the Pentagon was not hit by a hijacked airplane. And you can believe Colin Powell was lyng his head off at the U.N.
That would fit right in with historic precedent, you betcha.
Elaborate, thanking you in advance.
The joint resolution of Congress authorized the President to use force "as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to...enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq." Simply put, the resolution amounts to carte blanche for the President to enforce UN dictates.
To be fair, the President has repeatedly expressed displeasure with the UN for not adopting a new resolution authorizing enforcement of the old UN resolutions. If the President's lament was based on the UN becoming too powerful, then his rhetoric, at least would be noteworthy, if not praiseworthy even. Unfortunately the president is only complaining that the UN is not exercising the power it has and as it should. Consider the President's words:
"We created the United Nations Security Council, so that, unlike the League of Nations, our deliberations would be more than talk, our resolutions would be more than wishes...
The conduct of the Iraqi regime is a threat to the authority of the United Nations, and a threat to peace. Iraq has answered a decade of U.N. demands with a decade of defiance. All the world now faces a test, and the United Nations a difficult and defining moment. Are the Security Council resolutions to be honored and enforced, or cast aside without consequence? Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its founding, or will it be irrelevant?...
We want the resolutions of the worlds most important multilateral body to be enforced."
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has stated that global interest should be national interest. While the President may sound like he's lauding our national interests, in reality he's supporting the same objective as that of Kofi Annan - empowerment of the United Nations. If that were not the case, then he'd be hoping that the UN indeed become irrelevant instead of fulfilling the purpose of its founding. If the UN can disarm Iraq, then so can it disarm any other nation, including America and it would be well on its way to becoming the global police force its founders had envisioned.
says as much and is something that the State Department has never disavowed even so they refuse to comment on it.
Mr. Bush actually makes the UN more relevant than to the contrary and more politically attainable than less so. By taking the position he has, he is making it easier for the U.S. to support whatever "compromise" resolutions the UN does adopt without provoking too much backlash from patriotic Americans.
If Mr. Bush truly wants to put "the UN where it belongs - the ash-bin of history - he should use his bully pulpit to try to get the U.S. out of the UN and the UN out of the U.S.
If you are willing to watch a mugger rob and murder for the sake of making peace with him at the expense of his victim, then begone. If you are willing to condemn those who seek liberty for the sake of those who do not, begone.
Those who are willing to sacrifice their liberty for the sake of safety (theirs or others) deserve neither liberty nor safety, and shall have neither.
And those who pray for peace at all costs always pray a two-faced prayer. For the victims of good-intentioned Utopians by far outnumber the victims of liberators.
As for prayer, it is sufficient to pray only that God's will be done in the battles ahead, be they diplomatic or military, and then do your best as a soldier or leader, trusting Him to deliver.
And that, my friend, is not a two-faced prayer.
I am continually astounded by those who preach peace because of the possibility that some few may fall to American bombs, but care not a whit about millions starved to death, hacked to death, tortured to death, gassed to death, burned to death, worked to death, buried alive, mutilated, deprived of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to bear arms, enslaved, deprived of property, prosperity and opportunity, deprived of heritage and history, reeducated, intimidated, extorted, threatened, libelled, ... and now they want us to look away so that those who do these things can get their hands on nuclear weapons too, and threaten to do all this to even more people?
No one cares.
Certainly not the people who cry out against war now.
They want all these things to continue indefinitely, worldwide, and don't care if eventually these things are imported to this country because we failed to stop it while we could. We have seen their type before. We see that type every time we see someone look the other way when a crime is going down.
No one cares, least of all those whose wisdom is no more than parrotted lines from tenured marxist professors.
No one cares except some "warmongering" Americans, a few gallant Brits, and some others who know such tyranny first-hand, as do our friends in Eastern Europe.
Pacifist activism is a murder-suicide pact for the benefit of tyrants, perpetuated by people who do not understand what it is to be without liberty or hope.
"Hey, everyone, it's none of our business if this dude is bleeding to death."
Thanks for letting me know, by word number 9, that we probably shouldn't take you too seriously.
... are we prepared to watch them suffer for the leader's sake, that he may build temples unto himself and defy God...
So, you're saying that God has given you the special mission of seeing to it that Hussein stops defying God? Seems a bit presumptive to me.
... to live in a land that has children's prisons that even UN inspectors fear to describe lest the description incite people to war...
If Hussein really is the Son of Satan as you have described him here, then it seems to me that the UN inspectors have a duty to speak up in order that Hussein's people will be incited to war. If it's anyone's responsibility to get rid of the guy, it's that of the people he's apparently so brutally repressing, don't you think?
Be sure and let us all know when you've been issued a gun and when you're shipping out to bring liberty to the good people of Iraq. Or are you one of those who is all in favor of liberty for the oppressed, so long as it's someone else who does the dirtywork?
As for prayer, it is sufficient to pray only that God's will be done in the battles ahead, be they diplomatic or military, and then do your best as a soldier or leader, trusting Him to deliver.
I believe that the commandment "thou shalt not murder" can be overridden by God on occasion, but I'm unaware of His having done so recently. Has He, in your opinion, released us from that standard of behavior? If so, I'd like to be made aware of when the announcement happened.
If you're so willing to trust in God to deliver, why aren't you willing to go all the way, letting God handle it in His own way and in His own good time, instead of insisting on adopting the title of Deliverer yourself? Or is God just not taking action fast enough for you?
And that, my friend, is not a two-faced prayer.
Personally, I believe that "the judgments of God will overtake the wicked; and it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished; for it is the wicked that stir up the hearts of the children of men unto bloodshed". I'm not so anxious to join that crowd, myself. It is one thing to fight a defensive war, and another thing entirely to go on the offensive. If you're anxious for God to bring down His judgments on this nation, then by all means, let's go on the offensive and see what follows.
I am continually astounded by those who preach peace because of the possibility that some few may fall to American bombs, but care not a whit about millions...
And I am continaully astounded by those who proclaim faith in God, but who can't seem to wait to take God's power of life and death into their own hands.
No one cares except some "warmongering" Americans, a few gallant Brits, and some others who know such tyranny first-hand, as do our friends in Eastern Europe.
Yeah, I'm sure that France and Germany know absolutely nothing of tyranny first-hand. That's why they're such pacifists in this matter. Just chalk it up to ignorance, right?
Pacifist activism is a murder-suicide pact for the benefit of tyrants, perpetuated by people who do not understand what it is to be without liberty or hope.
Luke 14:28-30:
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Count the cost. Are you really sure that you have?
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