Senator Zell Miller on the floor of the United States Senate...
Frances Morey
austin-ghetto-list@pairlist.net
Tue Feb 24 15:12:09 2004
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I may not agree with all the details of what he says but he sure says it with style.
Frances
Sent by Margaret Mertone:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 12, 2004
Miller Delivers Floor Speech on 'Deficit of Decency' in America
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Zell Miller (D-GA) today delivered
the following statement on the floor of the United States Senate
addressing
several social issues facing the country:
"The Old Testament prophet Amos was a sheep herder who lived back in
the Judean hills, away from the larger cities of Bethlehem and
Jerusalem.
Compared to the intellectual urbanites like Isaiah and Jeremiah, he
was
just an unsophisticated country hick.
"But Amos had a unique grasp of political and social issues and his
poetic
literary skill was among the best of all the prophets. That familiar
quote
of Martin Luther King, Jr. about 'Justice will rush down like waters
and
righteousness like a mighty stream' are Amos's words.
"Amos was the first to propose the concept of a universal God and not
just
some tribal deity. He also wrote that God demanded moral purity, not
rituals
and sacrifices. This blunt speaking moral conscience of his time
warns in Chapter 8, verse 11 of The Book of Amos, as if he were
speaking
to us today:
That 'the days will come, sayeth the Lord God, that I will send a
famine in the land. Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but
of
hearing the word of the Lord.
'And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the
east. They shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall
not
find it.'
'A famine in the land'. Has anyone more accurately described the
situation
we face in America today? 'A famine of hearing the words of the Lord.'
"But some will say, Amos was just an Old Testament prophet - a minor
one at that - who lived 700 years before Christ. That is true, so how
about
one of the most influential historians of modern times?
"Arnold Toynbee who wrote the acclaimed 12 volume A Study of History,
once
declared, 'Of the 22 civilizations that have appeared in history, 19
of
them collapsed when they reached the moral state America is in today.'
"Toynbee died in 1975, before seeing the worst that was yet to come.
Yes,
Arnold Toynbee saw the famine. The 'famine of hearing the words of the
Lord.' Whether it is removing a display of the Ten Commandments from a
Courthouse or the Nativity Scene from a city square. Whether it is
eliminating prayer in schools or eliminating 'under God' in the Pledge
of
Allegiance. Whether it is making a mockery of the sacred institution
of
marriage between a man and woman or, yes, telecasting around the world
made-in-the-USA filth masquerading as entertainment.
"The Culture of Far Left America was displayed in a startling way
during
the Super Bowl's now infamous half-time show. A show brought to us
courtesy of Value-Les Moonves and the pagan temple of Viacom-Babylon.
"I asked the question yesterday, how many of you have ever run over
skunk
with your car? I have many times and I can tell you, the stink stays
around for a long time. You can take the car through a car wash and it's
still there. So the scent of this event will long linger in the
nostrils of
America.
"I'm not talking just about an exposed mammary gland with a pull-tab
attached to it. Really no one should have been too surprised at that.
Wouldn't one expect a bumping, humping, trashy routine entitled 'I'm
going
to get you naked' to end that way.
"Does any responsible adult ever listen to the words of this rap-crap?
I'd
quote you some of it, but the Sergeant of Arms would throw me out of
here,
as well he should. And then there was that prancing, dancing,
strutting,
rutting guy evidently suffering from jock itch because he kept yelling
and
grabbing his crotch. But then, maybe there's a crotch grabbing culture
I've unaware of.
"But as bad as all this was, the thing that yanked my chain the
hardest
was seeing that ignoramus with his pointed head stuck up through a hole
he
had cut in the flag of the United States of America, screaming about
having 'a bottle of scotch and watching lots of crotch.' Think about
that.
"This is the same flag that we pledge allegiance to. This is the flag
that is draped over coffins of dead young uniformed warriors killed
while
protecting Kid Crock's bony butt. He should be tarred and feathered,
and ridden out of this country on a rail. Talk about a good reality
show,
there's one for you.
"The desire and will of this Congress to meaningfully do anything
about
any of these so-called social issues is non existent and
embarrassingly
disgraceful. The American people are waiting and growing impatient
with
us.
They want something done.
"I am pleased to be a co-sponsor of S.J. Res. 26 along with Senator
Allard
and others, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United
States relating to marriage. And S.1558, the Liberties Restoration Act,
which declares religious liberty rights in several ways, including the
Pledge of Allegiance and the display of the Ten Commandments. And today
I join Senator Shelby and others with the Constitution Restoration Act
of
2004 that limits the jurisdiction of federal courts in certain ways.
"In doing so, I stand shoulder to shoulder not only with my Senate
co-sponsors and Chief Justice Roy Moore of Alabama but, more
importantly,
with our Founding Fathers in the conception of religious liberty and
the
terribly wrong direction our modern judiciary has taken us in.
"Everyone today seems to think that the U.S. Constitution expressly
provides for separation of church and state. Ask any ten people if
that's
not so. And I'll bet you most of them will say 'Well, sure.' And some
will point out, 'it's in the First Amendment.'
"Wrong! Read it! It says, 'Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.'
Where is the word 'separate'? Where are the words 'church' or 'state.'
"They are not there. Never have been. Never intended to be. Read the
Congressional Records during that four-month period in 1789 when the
amendment was being framed in Congress. Clearly their intent was to
prohibit a single denomination in exclusion of all others, whether it
was Anglican or Catholic or some other.
"I highly recommend a great book entitled Original Intent by David
Barton.
It really gets into how the actual members of Congress, who drafted
the
First Amendment, expected basic Biblical principles and values to be
present throughout public life and society, not separate from it.
"It was Alexander Hamilton who pointed out that 'judges should be
bound
down by strict rules and precedents, which serve to define and point
out
their duty.' Bound down! That is exactly what is needed to be done.
There
was not a single precedent cited when school prayer was struck down in
1962.
"These judges who legislate instead of adjudicate, do it without being
responsible to one single solitary voter for their actions. Among the
signers of the Declaration of Independence was a brilliant young
physician from Pennsylvania named Benjamin Rush. "When Rush was
elected to that First Continental Congress, his close friend Benjamin
Franklin told him 'We need you. . . we have a great task
before us, assigned to us by Providence.' Today, 228 years later there
is
still a great task before us assigned to us by Providence. Our Founding
Fathers did not shirk their duty and we can do no less.
"By the way, Benjamin Rush was once asked a question that has long
interested this Senator from Georgia in particular. Dr. Rush was
asked, are you a democrat or an aristocrat? And the good doctor
answered, 'I am neither'. 'I am a Christocrat. I believe He, alone, who
created and
redeemed man is qualified to govern him.' That reply of Benjamin Rush
is
just as true today in the year of our Lord 2004 as it was in the year
of our Lord 1776. "So, if I am asked why - with all the pressing
problems this nation faces today - why am I pushing these social issues and
taking the Senate's valuable time? I will answer: Because, it is of the
highest
importance. Yes, there's a deficit to be concerned about in this
country, a
deficit of decency.
"So, as the sand empties through my hourglass at warp speed - and with
my
time running out in this Senate and on this earth, I feel compelled to
speak out. For I truly believe that at times like this, silence is not
golden. It is yellow."
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<DIV>I may not agree with all the details of what he says but he sure says it with style.</DIV>
<DIV>Frances</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Sent by Margaret Mertone:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<BR> Thursday, February 12, 2004<BR> Miller Delivers Floor Speech on 'Deficit of Decency' in America<BR><BR><BR><BR> WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Zell Miller (D-GA) today delivered <BR>the following statement on the floor of the United States Senate <BR>addressing <BR>several social issues facing the country:<BR><BR> "The Old Testament prophet Amos was a sheep herder who lived back in<BR>the Judean hills, away from the larger cities of Bethlehem and <BR>Jerusalem.<BR> Compared to the intellectual urbanites like Isaiah and Jeremiah, he <BR>was<BR> just an unsophisticated country hick.<BR><BR> "But Amos had a unique grasp of political and social issues and his <BR>poetic<BR> literary skill was among the best of all the prophets. That familiar <BR>quote<BR> of Martin Luther King, Jr. about 'Justice will rush down like waters <BR>and<BR> righteousness like a mighty stream' are Amos's words.<BR><BR> "Amos was the first to propose the concept of a universal God
and not <BR>just<BR> some tribal deity. He also wrote that God demanded moral purity, not <BR>rituals <BR>and sacrifices. This blunt speaking moral conscience of his time<BR> warns in Chapter 8, verse 11 of The Book of Amos, as if he were <BR>speaking<BR> to us today:<BR>That 'the days will come, sayeth the Lord God, that I will send a<BR>famine in the land. Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but <BR>of<BR>hearing the word of the Lord.<BR> 'And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the<BR>east. They shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall <BR>not<BR> find it.'<BR> 'A famine in the land'. Has anyone more accurately described the <BR>situation<BR> we face in America today? 'A famine of hearing the words of the Lord.'<BR> "But some will say, Amos was just an Old Testament prophet - a minor<BR>one at that - who lived 700 years before Christ. That is true, so how <BR>about<BR>one of the most influential historians of modern
times?<BR> "Arnold Toynbee who wrote the acclaimed 12 volume A Study of History, <BR>once<BR> declared, 'Of the 22 civilizations that have appeared in history, 19 <BR>of<BR> them collapsed when they reached the moral state America is in today.'<BR><BR> "Toynbee died in 1975, before seeing the worst that was yet to come. <BR>Yes,<BR> Arnold Toynbee saw the famine. The 'famine of hearing the words of the<BR>Lord.' Whether it is removing a display of the Ten Commandments from a <BR>Courthouse or the Nativity Scene from a city square. Whether it is<BR>eliminating prayer in schools or eliminating 'under God' in the Pledge <BR>of<BR> Allegiance. Whether it is making a mockery of the sacred institution <BR>of<BR> marriage between a man and woman or, yes, telecasting around the world<BR> made-in-the-USA filth masquerading as entertainment.<BR><BR> "The Culture of Far Left America was displayed in a startling way <BR>during<BR> the Super Bowl's now infamous half-time show. A show brought to
us<BR> courtesy of Value-Les Moonves and the pagan temple of Viacom-Babylon.<BR> "I asked the question yesterday, how many of you have ever run over <BR>skunk<BR> with your car? I have many times and I can tell you, the stink stays <BR>around for a long time. You can take the car through a car wash and it's<BR>still there. So the scent of this event will long linger in the <BR>nostrils of<BR> America.<BR> "I'm not talking just about an exposed mammary gland with a pull-tab<BR> attached to it. Really no one should have been too surprised at that.<BR> Wouldn't one expect a bumping, humping, trashy routine entitled 'I'm <BR>going<BR> to get you naked' to end that way.<BR><BR> "Does any responsible adult ever listen to the words of this rap-crap? <BR>I'd<BR> quote you some of it, but the Sergeant of Arms would throw me out of <BR>here,<BR> as well he should. And then there was that prancing, dancing, <BR>strutting,<BR> rutting guy evidently suffering from jock itch because he kept
yelling <BR>and<BR> grabbing his crotch. But then, maybe there's a crotch grabbing culture<BR> I've unaware of.<BR> "But as bad as all this was, the thing that yanked my chain the <BR>hardest<BR>was seeing that ignoramus with his pointed head stuck up through a hole <BR>he<BR> had cut in the flag of the United States of America, screaming about <BR>having 'a bottle of scotch and watching lots of crotch.' Think about <BR>that.<BR> "This is the same flag that we pledge allegiance to. This is the flag<BR> that is draped over coffins of dead young uniformed warriors killed <BR>while<BR> protecting Kid Crock's bony butt. He should be tarred and feathered,<BR>and ridden out of this country on a rail. Talk about a good reality <BR>show,<BR> there's one for you.<BR><BR> "The desire and will of this Congress to meaningfully do anything <BR>about<BR> any of these so-called social issues is non existent and <BR>embarrassingly<BR> disgraceful. The American people are waiting and growing
impatient <BR>with<BR> us.<BR> They want something done.<BR><BR> "I am pleased to be a co-sponsor of S.J. Res. 26 along with Senator <BR>Allard<BR> and others, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United <BR>States relating to marriage. And S.1558, the Liberties Restoration Act, <BR>which declares religious liberty rights in several ways, including the<BR>Pledge of Allegiance and the display of the Ten Commandments. And today <BR>I join Senator Shelby and others with the Constitution Restoration Act <BR>of<BR>2004 that limits the jurisdiction of federal courts in certain ways.<BR><BR> "In doing so, I stand shoulder to shoulder not only with my Senate<BR> co-sponsors and Chief Justice Roy Moore of Alabama but, more <BR>importantly,<BR> with our Founding Fathers in the conception of religious liberty and <BR>the<BR> terribly wrong direction our modern judiciary has taken us in.<BR><BR> "Everyone today seems to think that the U.S. Constitution expressly<BR> provides for
separation of church and state. Ask any ten people if <BR>that's<BR> not so. And I'll bet you most of them will say 'Well, sure.' And some<BR> will point out, 'it's in the First Amendment.'<BR><BR> "Wrong! Read it! It says, 'Congress shall make no law respecting an<BR> establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.'<BR> Where is the word 'separate'? Where are the words 'church' or 'state.'<BR><BR> "They are not there. Never have been. Never intended to be. Read the <BR>Congressional Records during that four-month period in 1789 when the<BR> amendment was being framed in Congress. Clearly their intent was to<BR> prohibit a single denomination in exclusion of all others, whether it<BR> was Anglican or Catholic or some other.<BR><BR> "I highly recommend a great book entitled Original Intent by David <BR>Barton.<BR> It really gets into how the actual members of Congress, who drafted <BR>the<BR> First Amendment, expected basic Biblical principles and values to
be<BR> present throughout public life and society, not separate from it.<BR><BR> "It was Alexander Hamilton who pointed out that 'judges should be <BR>bound<BR> down by strict rules and precedents, which serve to define and point <BR>out<BR> their duty.' Bound down! That is exactly what is needed to be done. <BR>There<BR> was not a single precedent cited when school prayer was struck down in<BR> 1962.<BR> "These judges who legislate instead of adjudicate, do it without being<BR> responsible to one single solitary voter for their actions. Among the<BR> signers of the Declaration of Independence was a brilliant young<BR> physician from Pennsylvania named Benjamin Rush. "When Rush was <BR>elected to that First Continental Congress, his close friend Benjamin <BR>Franklin told him 'We need you. . . we have a great task<BR>before us, assigned to us by Providence.' Today, 228 years later there <BR>is<BR>still a great task before us assigned to us by Providence. Our Founding<BR>Fathers did
not shirk their duty and we can do no less.<BR> "By the way, Benjamin Rush was once asked a question that has long<BR> interested this Senator from Georgia in particular. Dr. Rush was<BR>asked, are you a democrat or an aristocrat? And the good doctor <BR>answered, 'I am neither'. 'I am a Christocrat. I believe He, alone, who <BR>created and<BR> redeemed man is qualified to govern him.' That reply of Benjamin Rush <BR>is<BR> just as true today in the year of our Lord 2004 as it was in the year<BR>of our Lord 1776. "So, if I am asked why - with all the pressing <BR>problems this nation faces today - why am I pushing these social issues and <BR>taking the Senate's valuable time? I will answer: Because, it is of the <BR>highest<BR>importance. Yes, there's a deficit to be concerned about in this <BR>country, a<BR>deficit of decency.<BR> "So, as the sand empties through my hourglass at warp speed - and with <BR>my<BR> time running out in this Senate and on this earth, I feel compelled
to<BR> speak out. For I truly believe that at times like this, silence is not<BR> golden. It is yellow."<BR></DIV><p><hr SIZE=1>
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