 A Quarterly International Service Newsletter |
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The Moorhill Monitor
*
Volume 16 / Issue 1 / Date 1st Half 2007 *
In this
Issue:
[History of the
Star Spangled Banner]
[100
Years Ago]
[A Marine Sees What A Defeatist Does Not]
[After Eden] [Take One or Leave It on The Desk]
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1.
History of the Star Spangled Banner!
In 1812, the United States went to war with Great Britain, primarily over
freedom of the seas. We were in the right. For two years, we held off the
British, even though we were still a rather weak country. Great Britain was
in a
life and death struggle with Napoleon. In fact, just as the United States
declared war, Napoleon marched off to invade Russia. If he won, as everyone
expected, he would control Europe, and Great Britain would be isolated. It
was
no time for her to be involved in an American war.
At first, our seamen proved better than the British. After we won a battle
on
Lake Erie in 1813, the American commander, Oliver Hazard Perry, sent the
message, "We have met the enemy and they are ours." However, the weight of
the
British navy beat down our ships eventually. New England, hard-hit by a
tightening blockade, threatened secession.
Meanwhile, Napoleon was beaten in Russia and in 1814 was forced to abdicate.
Great Britain now turned its attention to the United States, launching a
three-pronged attack.
The northern prong was to come down Lake Champlain toward New York and seize
parts of New England.
The southern prong was to go up the Mississippi, take New Orleans and
paralyze
the west.
The central prong was to head for the mid-Atlantic states and then attack
Baltimore, the greatest port south of New York. If Baltimore was taken, the
nation, which still hugged the Atlantic coast, could be split in two. The
fate
of the United States, then, rested to a large extent on the success or
failure
of the central prong.
The British reached the American coast, and on August 24, 1814, took
Washington,
D.C. Then they moved up the Chesapeake Bay toward Baltimore. On September
12,
they arrived and found 1,000 men in Fort McHenry, whose guns controlled the
harbor. If the British wished to take Baltimore, they would have to take the
fort.
On one of the British ships was an aged physician, William Beanes, who had
been
arrested in Maryland and brought along as a prisoner. Francis Scott Key, a
lawyer and friend of the physician, had come to the ship to negotiate his
release. The British captain was willing, but the two Americans would have
to
wait. It was now the night of September 13, and the bombardment of Fort
McHenry
was about to start.
As twilight deepened, Key and Beanes saw the American flag flying over Fort
McHenry. Through the night, they heard bombs bursting and saw the red glare
of
rockets. They knew the fort was resisting and the American flag was still
flying. But toward morning the bombardment ceased, and a dread silence fell.
Either Fort McHenry had surrendered and the British flag flew above it, or
the
bombardment had failed and the American flag still flew.
As dawn began to brighten the eastern sky, Key and Beanes stared out at the
fort, trying to see which flag flew over it. He and the physician must have
asked each other over and over, "Can you see the flag?"
After it was all finished, Key wrote a four stanza poem telling the events
of
the night. Called "The Defense of Fort McHenry," it was published in
newspapers
and swept the nation. Someone noted that the words fit an old English tune
called, "To Anacreon in Heaven" -- a difficult melody with an uncomfortably
large vocal range. For obvious reasons, Key's work became known as "The Star
Spangled Banner," and in 1931 Congress declared it the official anthem of
the
United States.
Now that you know the story, here are the words. Presumably, the old doctor
is
speaking. This is what he asks Key:
Oh! say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed
at
the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through
the
perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And
the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the
night
that our flag was still there. Oh! say, does that star-spangled banner yet
wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
"Ramparts," in case you don't know, are the protective walls or other
elevations
that surround a fort. The first stanza asks a question. The second gives an
answer:
On the shore, dimly seen through the mist of the deep, Where the foe's
haughty
host in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze, o'er the
towering
steep. As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? Now it catches
the
gleam of the morning's first beam, In full glory reflected, now shines on
the
stream 'Tis the star-spangled banner. Oh! long may it wave O'er the land of
the
free and the home of the brave!
"The towering steep" is again, the ramparts. The bombardment has failed, and
the
British can do nothing more but sail away, their mission a failure.
In the third stanza, I feel Key allows himself to gloat over the American
triumph. In the aftermath of the bombardment, Key probably was in no mood to
act
otherwise.
During World War II, when the British were our staunchest allies, this third
stanza was not sung. However, I know it, so here it is:
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore That the havoc of war and the
battle's confusion A home and a country should leave us no more? Their blood
has
washed out their foul footstep's pollution. No refuge could save the
hireling
and slave From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave, And the
star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave O'er the land of the free and the
home
of the brave.
The fourth stanza, a pious hope for the future, should be sung more slowly
than
the other three and with even deeper feeling:
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand Between their loved homes and
the
war's desolation, Blest with victory and peace, may the Heaven - rescued
land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we
must,
for our cause is just, And this be our motto --"In God is our trust." And
the
star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave O'er the land of the free and the
home
of the brave.
Source: DR. ISAAC ASIMOV, 2007
Here are some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1906:
************************************
The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated
than California.
With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous
state in the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.
Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was
fifteen cents a pound.
The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500
per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a
mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at HOME.
Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they
attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the
press AND the government as "substandard."
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks
for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their
country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and
Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the
local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the
complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels,
and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time
servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.
Source: Anonymous, 2007
RAMADI, Iraq — This is my third deployment with the 1st Marine Division to
the Middle East.
This is the third time I've heard the quavering cries of the talking heads
predicting failure and calling for withdrawal.
This is the third time I find myself shaking my head in disbelief.
Setbacks and tragedy are part and parcel of war and must be accepted on the
battlefield. We can and will achieve our goals in Iraq.
Waiting for war in the Saudi Arabian desert as a young corporal in 1991, I
recall reading news clippings portending massive tank battles, fiery death
from Saddam Hussein's "flame trenches" and bitter defeat at the hands of the
fourth-largest army in the world. My platoon was told to expect 75%
casualties. Being Marines and, therefore, naturally cocky, we still felt
pretty good about our abilities.
The panicky predictions failed to come true. The flame trenches sputtered.
Nobody from my platoon died. Strength, ingenuity and willpower won the day.
Crushing the fourth-largest army in the world in four days seemed to crush
the doubts back home.
Twelve years passed, during which time America was faced with frustrating
actions in Somalia and the Balkans. Doubt had begun to creep back into
public debate.
In the spring of last year, I was a Marine captain, back with the division
for Operation Iraqi Freedom. As I waited for war in the desert, just 100
miles to the north from our stepping-off point in 1991, I was again
subjected to the panicky analyses of talking heads. There weren't enough
troops to do the job, the oil fields would be destroyed, we couldn't fight
in urban terrain, our offensive would grind to a halt, and we should expect
more than 10,000 casualties.
Remembering my experience in Desert Storm, I took these assessments with a
grain of salt. As a staff officer in the division command post, I was able
to follow the larger battle as we moved forward. I knew that our tempo was
keeping the enemy on his heels and that our plan would lead us to victory.
But war is never clean and simple. Mourning our losses quietly, the Marines
drove to Baghdad, then to Tikrit, liberating the Iraqi people while losing
fewer men than were lost in Desert Storm.
In May of last year, I was sitting with some fellow officers back in
Diwaniyah, Iraq, the offensive successful and the country liberated from
Saddam. I received a copy of a March 30 U.S. newspaper on Iraq in an old
package that had finally made its way to the front. The stories: horror in
Nasariyah, faltering supply lines and demonstrations in Cairo. The mood of
the paper was impenetrably gloomy, and predictions of disaster abounded. The
offensive was stalled; everyone was running out of supplies; we would be
forced to withdraw.
The Arab world was about to ignite into a fireball of rage, and the Middle
East was on the verge of collapse. If I had read those stories on March 30,
I would have had a tough time either restraining my laughter or, conversely,
falling into a funk. I was concerned about the bizarre kaleidoscope image of
Iraq presented to the American people by writers viewing the world through a
soda straw.
Returning to Iraq this past February, I knew that the Marines had a
tremendous opportunity to follow through on our promises to the Iraqi
people.
Believing in the mission, many Marines volunteered to return. I again found
myself in the division headquarters.
Just weeks ago, I read that the supply lines were cut, ammunition and food
were dwindling, the "Sunni Triangle" was exploding, cleric Muqtada al-Sadr
was leading a widespread Shiite revolt, and the country was nearing civil
war.
As I write this, the supply lines are open, there's plenty of ammunition and
food, the Sunni Triangle is back to status quo, and Sadr is marginalized in
Najaf. Once again, dire predictions of failure and disaster have been
dismissed by American willpower and military professionalism.
War is inherently ugly and dramatic. I don't blame reporters for focusing on
the burning vehicles, the mutilated bodies or the personal tragedies. The
editors have little choice but to print the photos from the Abu Ghraib
prison and the tales of the insurgency in Fallujah. These things sell news
and remind us of the sober reality of our commitment to the Iraqi people.
The actions of our armed forces are rightfully subject to scrutiny.
I am not ignorant of the political issues, either. But as a professional, I
have the luxury of putting politics aside and focusing on the task at hand.
Protecting people from terrorists and criminals while building schools and
lasting friendships is a good mission, no matter what brush it's tarred
with.
Nothing any talking head will say can deter me or my fellow Marines from
caring about the people of Iraq, or take away from the sacrifices of our
comrades. Fear in the face of adversity is human nature, and many people who
take the counsel of their fears speak today. We are not deaf to their cries;
neither do we take heed. All we ask is that Americans stand by us by
supporting not just the troops, but also the mission.
We'll take care of the rest.
Maj. Ben Connable is serving as a foreign-area officer and intelligence
officer with the 1st Marine Division.
Source: Major Ben Connable, 2007
Submitted: Dan Lietha, 2007
5. Take One or Leave It On The Desk!
There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr Christianson, a studious man
who taught at a small college in the western United States. Dr. Christianson
taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular
institution. Every student was required to take this course his or her freshman
year, regardless of his or her major.
Although Dr Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in
his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing
but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take
Christianity seriously.
This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a
freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the
ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical
specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was
the best student in the professor's
class.
One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with
him.
"How many push-ups can you do?"
Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."
"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do you think you could
do 300?"
Steve replied, "I don't know.... I've never done 300 at a time."
"Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson.
"Well, I can try," said Steve.
"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to
do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you
to tell me you can do it," said the professor.
Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it"
Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain
what I have in mind."
Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When
class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren't
the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream
centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last
class of the day, and they were going
to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class.
Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do
you want to have one of these donuts?"
Cynthia said, "Yes."
Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten
push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"
"Sure." Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat
in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.
Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, do you want
a donut?"
Joe said, "Yes."
Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a
donut?"
Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle,
Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut.
Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the
basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve.
When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"
Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"
Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."
Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."
Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you
do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?"
With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten pushups.
Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"
Dr. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and
these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put
a donut on Scott's desk. Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a
little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort
to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming
out around his brow.
Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to
get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"
Sternly, Jenny said, "No."
Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so
Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?"
Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.
By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were
beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.
Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these pushups
done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor
beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the
physical effort involved.
Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class,
to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten pushups in a set
because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten
donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and
watch Steve closely.
Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some
students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the
radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this,
he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He
started to worry if Steve would be
able to make it.
Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the
end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more
time to complete each set.
Steve asked Dr Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"
Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You are in
charge now. You can do them any way that you want." And Dr. Christianson went
on.
A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was
about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "No! Don't come in!
Stay out!"
Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let
him come."
Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have
to do ten pushups for him?"
Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut"
Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way
right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"
Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he said, "give me
a donut."
"Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?"
Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was
handed a donut and sat down.
Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors
seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a
struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was
profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy
breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.
The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders,
and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked,
"Linda, do you want a doughnut?"
Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."
Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that
Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"
Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.
Then Dr Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a
donut?"
Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr. Christianson, why
can't I help him?"
Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do it alone, I
have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an
opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a
party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only
student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or
offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player
messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my
party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for
your sakes."
"Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?"
As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he
had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms
buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.
Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that our Savior,
Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'into thy hands I commend my
spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of
Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us
leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."
Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted,
but wearing a thin smile.
"Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding "Not all
sermons are preached in words."
Turning to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you might understand
and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to
you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not
only His Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and
forever. Whether or not we choose
to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid."
Source: Anonymous, Eternity
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