SHALL WE HIRE A MONUMENT ENGRAVER TO GO TO ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY AND ADD THE MISSING WORDS?
THIS IS 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 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.
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!
Antichrist at work again. The Dems have been trying to kill GOD for years.
ReplyDelete@8:53
ReplyDeleteYou can't kill something that doesn't exist.
9;46
ReplyDeleteThe point is that todays P.C. society they are trying to change history to reflect what they think it should be.
9:46 Get ready to meet up (down ?)with Ted Kennedy.
ReplyDeleteThough it is true that Franklin D. Roosevelt's 485-word "day of infamy" speech contained the phrase "so help us God," it did not end with them. Furthermore, the inscription on the World War II Memorial wall consists of two brief excerpts, not the entire speech. In their original context, neither of the excerpts closed with the phrase "so help us God."
ReplyDeleteThe confusion is caused by this section of the email, which is grossly misleading:
One woman read the words aloud: "With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph." But as she read, she was suddenly angry. "Wait a minute," she said. "They left out the end of the quote. They left out the most important part. Roosevelt said 'so help us God.'"
The sentence the woman supposedly read -- "With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph..." -- does not even appear in the inscription. Why should "so help us God"?
Exhibit A: Here are the quotes from the "day of infamy" speech exactly as they are inscribed on the wall of the World War II Memorial:
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.
Exhibit B: Go read Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech. SBYnews check your fact or become a second rate wing-nut mouth piece.
This is one of those internet urban myths that has been circulating for months.
ReplyDeleteI'd be the first to scream loudly if it was true, but the claim doesn't hold water.
Fact: Roosevelt's speech was 25 sentences long.
Fact: One, and only one, of his sentences is engraved on stone at the WWII memorial.
Fact: That sentence is quoted in its entirety.
Fact: Roosevelt did end a sentence with "so help us God."
Fact: The "so help us God" sentence was near the end of his speech, and none of it is quoted at the WWII memorial.
Therefore, the original writer (and the woman present) have some of the facts wrong, and there's no misquote or partial quote at the memorial (unless you want to say by not engraving his entire speech is a misquote, but that makes nearly every memorial in D.C. to be misquoting someone).
When you use a flawed argument to make a valid point, all you do is damage your reputation for the next time when you have real data.
Once again the wing nuts try to make something out of nothing. Have you nothing better to do?
ReplyDelete11:05 Fox people are never interested in the facts.
ReplyDeleteOh shut up. GOD. (There, are you happy?)
ReplyDeleteHey, did the writer of this article get an interview with the alleged "old couple" that was at the memorial? The writer would not resort to any "strawman" tactics to make a salacious point, would he?
ReplyDeleteIf I am betting money, this never happened. It is a "story" designed to prove some point.
@1:39
ReplyDeleteI think the point of the story is to drum up some fake Christian persecution.
the words of history were not changed... they were omitted.
ReplyDeleteBravo to Joe for allowing all these comments that are contrary to the post. I've read that Joe regularly deletes opposition on here, but this post and comments are at least some evidence that he allows debate on things he posts.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, as an atheist and an American the only thing I am concerned about is that the quote be accurate. And it is.
I agree with 11:19. If you give me a false argument that is easy to tear down then my respect level for you drops at least a little bit. The internet is a useful tool to verify things. Double and triple check everything then make your point with passion and determination.