INFAMY

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives:
Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.
Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And, while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has therefore undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense, that always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.
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.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph. So help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt - December 8, 1941

December 7th, one of the most defining moments in American history.  While you remember those who died at Pearl Harbor, remember their brethren across the Pacific.   My great-grandfather was in The Philippines, thankfully he survived but others were not so lucky.  Other families still don't have their dead to bury, remember them.  Remember our allies who were attacked and brutalized.  Not only Americans suffered that day, not only Hawaii suffered that day.  Remember all those who gave their lives on a Date Which Will Live In Infamy.

Thank you Rep Poe!

Rep. Ted Poe, of Texas' 2nd District, is Urging that Mr. Frank W. Buckles be Lain In State in the Capitol Rotunda. Hallelujah! THANK YOU Rep Poe!

If you would like to take a moment to thank Rep Poe for listening, you can e-mail him.

Washington is beginning to hear the roar of the people. Don't let up on them, double & redouble the contacting, the emails, the phone calls, the faxes. Let us give our last Great War veteran the honor for his generation.

CALLING ALL AMERICANS

Light up DC's Switchboard! Call, fax, email, if you're local WALK IN, if you're not MAIL A LETTER! Frank W. Buckles has EARNED the honor of the Rotunda by being the last WWI Veteran we will ever have.

Frank W. Buckles passed away 27 Feb 2011 at the age of 110. He was America's LAST WWI Veteran. We have no others, we will never have another. We must do this right, and do it now, or we slip even more deeply into a lack of respect and honor for those in the service.

Mr. Buckles should Lie In State in the Capitol Rotunda in DC. This honor is not for him, it is for the 4.7 million Americans he represents. It is for the entire generation that fought the Great War. We have lain men who send boys off to die in the Rotunda, but according to Speaker of the House Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, the last man standing to have survived that war has earned no honors.

Frank Woodruff Buckles was born in 1901. He lied to enlist to serve his nation. He would go on to be a civilian Prisoner of War of the Japanese in the Philippines in WWII. He saw the horrors of the battlefields of France as an Ambulance driver. He spent several years after WWI helping to repatriate German POWs. He suffered years of starvation and deprivation at the hands of one of America's most brutal enemies. He asked NOTHING for himself in return for those services, that suffering. He has more than earned the honor of being remembered, as have all his brothers & sisters in arms.

To add insult to injury, the DOD has REFUSED to provide an Honor Guard to Mr. Buckles' body if anything happens outside of Arlington. He only got the 'right' to rest in Arlington because President Bush ordered it so in 2006. This is NO way to treat a veteran, let alone the last of his brothers in arms. A 2 star general has claimed it is not cost effective to send an Honor Guard across the Potomac river to guard the body of the last Doughboy. Even now the DOD is fighting to prevent Mr. Buckles' use of the amphitheater in Arlington which is within earshot & sight of the Tomb of the Unknowns which houses the remains of a solider who also fought WWI.

This is not about politics, this is not about party affiliation. This is not about which branch is better. This is about honoring a generation through their last known survivor. Even now WWI has NO federal memorial, just a dilapidated run down hulk in DC that's purely a city memorial. We CAN and SHOULD do better. Mr. Buckles never asked for anything for himself, but he spent his last years fighting to get the veterans of WWI recognized and remembered. Let's not fail him in death as we so pitifully did in life.

We have laid the likes of Rosa Parks in the Capitol Rotunda. The Unknown Soldier of WWI laid in the Rotunda. Teddy Kennedy, a lying whoremonger alcoholic Laid In State. Congress even exhumed Pierre L'Enfant, architect of Washington DC over 100 years AFTER his death, and laid him in the Rotunda but according to two stubborn old men who have not served one day in the uniform of their country Mr. Buckles (and every veteran he represents) is not "entitled" (yes, that is the word they chose to use) to such remembrance. Neither Reid nor Boehner has served their nation, but they've sent you all off to fight wars in their names while they stayed comfy at home in DC. They've never seen combat, they've never had to leave their families for months or years on end to be shot at, to live in sand and dense jungle, to sweat and bleed for those back home. These are the likes of the 2 men blocking the honoring of the last WWI Veteran.

Britain is the sole country to have survivors of the Great War, and they only have 2 - 1 in the UK (a 109 year old woman) and 1 in Australia (a 110 year old man). France has none, Russia has none, Poland has none, every other country party to War to End All Wars has none and now, we have but the shell of the last. France honored their last with their own version of a Lying In State, as did Russia, and every other combatant nation to have fought WWI. Surely Mr. Buckles' body deserves to be draped in the flag he fought for, the flag of the nation he suffered for, the flag of the nation he honored to his last breath. Surely we as a nation can send representatives of our military services to stand guard over that flag draped coffin, and beyond a shadow of a doubt that coffin deserves to lie in the polished marble halls of the capital of the nation.

As Texans we pride ourselves on honor, duty, respect to our elders, respect to our military, and doing things the old fashioned way - with love and care. We have the most military members (either born or settled) of any state in the nation who call us home. Its time to act like we remember where our backbone is and demand that the nation gets the chance to honor their own.

It is time that the so-called servants of the people, answer to the will of the people. I'm not asking for your money, I'm asking for your voice. I am asking for your time, just a few precious minutes, to do the right thing for our elder.

Please, if you support it or don't, call / email / fax. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!