[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 26, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H2334-H2336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
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SECURING BLESSINGS OF PROVIDENCE FOR PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES AND
OUR ARMED FORCES
Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 153) recognizing the public need for fasting and
prayer in order to secure the blessings and protection of Providence
for the people of the United States and our Armed Forces during the
conflict in Iraq and under the threat of terrorism at home.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 153
Whereas the United States is currently engaged in a war on
terrorism in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001;
Whereas the Armed Forces of the United States are currently
engaged in a campaign to disarm the regime of Saddam Hussein
and liberate the people of Iraq;
Whereas, on June 1, 1774, the Virginia House of Burgesses
called for a day of fasting and prayer as an expression of
solidarity with the people of Boston who were under siege by
the enemy;
Whereas, on March 16, 1776, the Continental Congress,
recognizing that the ``Liberties of America are imminently
endangered'' and the need ``to acknowledge the overruling
Providence of God'', called for a day of ``Humiliation,
Fasting and Prayer'';
Whereas, on June 28, 1787, during the debate of the
Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin, convinced of
God's intimate involvement in human affairs, implored the
Congress to seek the assistance of Heaven in all its
dealings;
Whereas, on March 30, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War,
Abraham Lincoln, at the bequest of the Senate, and himself
recognizing the need of the Nation to humble itself before
God in repentance for its national sins, proclaimed a day of
fasting, prayer and humiliation;
Whereas all of the various faiths of the people of the
United States have recognized, in our religious traditions,
the need for fasting and humble supplication before
Providence;
Whereas humility, fasting, and prayer in times of danger
have long been rooted in our essential national convictions
and have been a means of producing unity and solidarity among
all the diverse people of this Nation as well as procuring
the enduring grace and benevolence of God;
Whereas, through prayer, fasting, and self-reflection, we
may better recognize our own faults and shortcomings and
submit to the wisdom and love of God in order that we may
have guidance and strength in those daily actions and
decisions we must take; and
Whereas dangers and threats to our Nation persist and, in
this time of peril, it is appropriate that the people of the
United States, leaders and citizens alike, seek guidance,
strength, and resolve through prayer and fasting: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of
Representatives that the President should issue a
proclamation--
(1) designating a day for humility, prayer, and fasting for
all people of the United States; and
(2) calling on all people of the United States--
(A) to observe the day as a time of prayer and fasting;
(B) to seek guidance from God to achieve a greater
understanding of our own failings and to learn how we can do
better in our everyday activities; and
(C) to gain resolve in meeting the challenges that confront
our Nation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Stearns). Pursuant to the rule, the
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) and the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Davis) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays).
General Leave
Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the
resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Connecticut?
There was no objection.
Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
House Resolution 153, introduced by the distinguished gentleman from
Missouri (Mr. Akin), recognizes the public need for fasting and prayer
in order to secure the blessings and protection of Providence for the
people of the United States and their Armed Forces abroad due to the
armed conflict in Iraq and the threat of terrorism here at home.
Mr. Speaker, our great Nation is at battle overseas with the vicious
regime of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The mission Operation Iraqi
Freedom aims to dislodge Hussein and his top advisers from power,
eliminate weapons of mass destruction from the Iraqi military's
arsenal, and free the Iraqi people from Hussein's awful dictatorship.
This conflict can lead to a wonderful improvement in the lives of all
Iraqi people. The risks of this conflict, however, are terribly
significant to all American citizens.
In Iraq, the threats to our remarkable servicemen and women are many.
The Iraqi soldiers' resistance may include the deployment of chemical
and biological weapons, not to mention the lethality of Iraq's
military's conventional weapons. Here at home, the Federal Government
has launched Operation Liberty Shield to increase domestic security due
to the danger of terrorist attacks within our borders.
This combination of threats to Americans across the globe make
passage of this resolution essential and meaningful. Since the birth of
our Nation, Americans of all backgrounds, faiths and creeds have
especially recognized the value earned from prayer, reflection,
sacrifice and humility during times of national crisis.
Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I urge all Members to support the
adoption of House Resolution 153. I thank my colleague from Missouri
for introducing this extremely relevant and valuable measure.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us calls on the American people to
fast
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and pray for the United States and the Armed Forces fighting the war in
Iraq. Anytime there is any conversation or notion or discussion of a
religious nature, there are bound to be different people who have
different thoughts and ideas about it. Different people worship
different forms of supremacy. As mothers and fathers, sisters and
brothers, friends and neighbors, and most of all as a peace-loving
people, we seek and hope for a quick resolution to the conflict in
Iraq.
All those who believe in a supreme being, whether it be God, Jehovah,
Allah, Buddha or whether people call their belief Prince of Peace or
Rose of Sharon or Lily of the Valley, to me it does not really matter.
What matters is that people believe in the supremacy of a being. They
believe in the coming together. They believe in a force that is more
powerful than anything that we have been able to actually discern or
see. It is something that is one of the mysteries, in many ways, of
life but a part of the hope that people have, part of the faith.
And so I rise in support of this resolution. I urge that we pray for
the men and women who are giving of themselves each and every day, who
even may or may not return. I would urge passage, then, of this
resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).
Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I have the greatest respect for the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from Connecticut
(Mr. Shays) and understand the spirit in which they come forward to
support this resolution.
Considering the dynamics of this war, I would just like to urge a
note of caution here, Mr. Speaker; and the note of caution is that this
resolution may be seen by some as an attempt to inject religion into
this war at a time when some of America's enemies abroad are asserting
that this is indeed a war about religion.
I know that the intentions of the sponsors are to ask for the
blessings of Providence upon our troops. I think that all of us support
the troops. Some of us do not support the mission.
Pope John Paul II, greeting a group of Polish pilgrims in Vatican
City on March 5, 2003, said, ``I ask all of you for this prayer and
fasting. May these be concrete gestures of the involvement on the part
of those who believe in the mission to remind the world that it is
never too late for peace.''
I think that it would be very constructive as this House proceeds in
deliberating resolutions of this type if an appeal was made not only
for the success of those who work for this country under the flag of
this country in fields far from home, as soldiers in combat, I think it
would be constructive if this House also in this resolution or in
another resolution would agree that it is never too late for peace.
I also think that aggressive war is not consistent with prayerful
aspirations. The golden rule, which represents an even higher calling
than this resolution, do unto others as you would have them do unto you
and love your neighbor as you would love yourself, I think is
instructive in guiding us to be quite cautious about passing a
resolution that would easily be interpreted as sanctioning aggressive
war.
So I reluctantly come here to offer this note of caution, knowing
full well that Members who have proposed this are very good people,
they are good Americans, they are patriotic Americans, and we all care
about our troops.
Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I would like to read this resolution, and I think it is pretty clear
what it says:
Recognizing the public need for fasting and prayer in order to secure
the blessings and protection of Providence for the people of the United
States and our Armed Forces during the conflict in Iraq and under the
threat of terrorism at home.
Whereas the United States is currently engaged in a war on terrorism
in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001;
Whereas the Armed Forces of the United States are currently engaged
in a campaign to disarm the regime of Saddam Hussein and liberate the
people of Iraq;
Whereas, on June 1, 1774, the Virginia House of Burgesses called for
a day of fasting and prayer as an expression of solidarity with the
people of Boston who were under siege by the enemy;
Whereas, on March 16, 1776, the Continental Congress, recognizing
that the ``Liberties of America are imminently endangered'' and the
need ``to acknowledge the overruling Providence of God'', called for a
day of ``Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer'';
Whereas, on June 28, 1787, during the debate of the Constitutional
Convention, Benjamin Franklin, convinced of God's intimate involvement
in human affairs, implored the Congress to seek the assistance of
Heaven in all its dealings;
Whereas, on March 30, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, Abraham
Lincoln, at the behest of the Senate, and himself recognizing the need
of the Nation to humble itself before God in repentance for its
national sins, proclaimed a day of fasting, prayer and humiliation;
Whereas all of the various faiths of the people of the United States
have recognized, in our religious traditions, the need for fasting and
humble supplication before Providence;
Whereas humility, fasting, and prayer in times of danger have long
been rooted in our essential national convictions and have been a means
of producing unity and solidarity among all the diverse people of this
Nation as well as procuring the enduring grace and benevolence of God;
Whereas, through prayer, fasting, and self-reflection, we may better
recognize our own faults and shortcomings and submit to the wisdom and
love of God in order that we may have guidance and strength in those
daily actions and decisions we must take; and
Whereas dangers and threats to our Nation persist and, in this time
of peril, it is appropriate that the people of the United States,
leaders and citizens alike, seek guidance, strength, and resolve
through prayer and fasting: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that
the President should issue a proclamation--
(1) designating a day for humility, prayer, and fasting for all
people of the United States; and
(2) calling on all people of the United States--
(A) to observe the day as a time of prayer and fasting;
(B) to seek guidance from God to achieve a greater understanding of
our own failings and to learn how we can do better in our everyday
activities; and
(C) to gain resolve in meeting the challenges that confront our
Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I think the resolution speaks for itself. It is a
resolution that I think all of us can support with humility and grace
and a love for our great Nation.
I would just remind the Members of this Chamber that the medallion
that is directly facing the Speaker is the medallion of Moses. We have
been guided by his laws for many years.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time
as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Strickland).
Mr. STRICKLAND. Mr. Speaker, I came to the Chamber today to speak on
this resolution. I intend to vote for it and support it, but there were
some comments that I think are relevant regarding this resolution.
I am a little troubled that we would presume to tell the American
people what they should do to secure the blessings and protections of
Providence. It just troubles me that it begins by saying we recognize
the public need for fasting and prayer in order to secure the blessings
and protections of Providence. I really think that is a theological
conclusion, a theological belief. It just causes me some difficulty.
I think that each of us in our own way have an understanding of how
to pray and why we should pray, but it also bothers me that we would
pass this resolution without considering it as serious as it is. I
would hope, and I am going to make three suggestions related to those
of us who in a few moments may be voting on this resolution, that we do
three things.
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That we commit ourselves during this day of fasting to go without
food,
[[Page H2336]]
that we not ask the American people or suggest the American people
should do something that each of us as individuals do not do ourselves.
I would also suggest that on that day we should forego any political
fundraising at which food may be served or consumed; and, thirdly, I
would suggest that those of us who would vote for this resolution would
ask our leadership to close the Members dining room during that day. I
think if we vote for this resolution, we should take it seriously. We
should follow its dictates, and we should do what we are asking each of
the American citizens to do. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this
time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I do not have any other speakers; so I would say, in closing, I would
state that I am a strong believer in the first amendment. I believe in
prayer, fasting. I believe that we should pray not only for our troops
but that we pray to end this conflict as quickly as it could possibly
be ended and as peacefully as it could be ended. I pray that the loss
of life would be diminished as much as possible and that people who are
fighting from the United States as well as those from other countries
and other nations would have the power of an Almighty supreme force
invoked so that all of us can escape this effort with as much hope,
peace, and possibility as we can. I urge support for this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I would like to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for his
very thoughtful words and comments, and just to remind Members again
that the most operative words in this resolution are what we resolve,
that we designate a day for humility, prayer, and fasting for all
people of the United States and call on all people of the United States
to observe the day as a time of prayer and fasting, to seek guidance
from God to achieve a greater understanding of our own failings to
learn how we can do better in our everyday activities, and to gain
resolve in meeting the challenges that confront our Nation.
I believe that resolve is so in line with the spirit of what our
Founding Fathers did in years before.
Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Missouri (Mr. Akin), who was the presenter of this resolution. I
thank him for that.
Mr. AKIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for his
remarks and for a moment to talk about something that is so much a
pattern of America's history.
If we go back to the early days of our system of republics, we go
back to the time in 1774 when there was a day of fasting and prayer
that was called by the Virginia House of Burgesses. That was where
Patrick Henry, of course, made his famous speech.
But I think perhaps historically one of the more amazing incidents
occurred the next year, 1775, where the Governor of Connecticut called
his State to a time of fasting and prayer for the people of Boston and
the people of Massachusetts. He coincidentally called that time of
fasting and prayer for the month of April on the 18th day. As it turned
out, that was the exact day that the Redcoats left Boston in search of
John Hancock and the weapons that they thought were being stored in
Concord, Massachusetts, and the War of Independence began.
That continues along. In fact, we had FDR, even going back to World
War II time, talking about the fact that this is a war, really
defending the idea that everybody should have equal rights because God
gives them those equal rights. That was FDR making that comment in
World War II. So we have a long history of a Nation that, when we get
into an armed conflict, to turn to God and to ask His support and to
humble ourselves before Him.
That actually, though, if we think about it logically, is very
consistent with the very purpose and cause of what America has always
been about. If we really think about what is it that is the glue that
defines America, what holds us together as a people, it is that belief
that there is a God who grants to all of us certain basic and
unalienable rights, the right to life, the light to liberty, the right
to pursue the dream that God puts into everybody's heart. So we do not
believe that that is just an American right, but that is something that
is for all people everywhere, and it is that belief that has propelled
our soldiers onto the battlefield and made us to stand strong in the
face against many different types of tyrants, just as we are even at
this day.
So it is with these thoughts and these sentiments that we once again
turn back to our traditions and to our history and ask and implore the
Almighty God to watch over us, to remind us of our faults and places
where we need to change our ways but also to strengthen us and to
encourage us and help us to prevail because we do know, in fact, it is
true that all people everywhere should have life and liberty and be
allowed to pursue the dreams of their own hearts.
Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I have no other speakers, and I want to thank, before returning the
balance of my time, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Akin) again for
introducing this important resolution and also the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Davis) for his thoughtful comments and support.
I urge all Members to support the adoption of this measure.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Linder). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 153.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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