News reel of the surrender ceremony on board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on Sunday, September 2, 1945. Background music is "With Honour Crowned".

It is easy enough to forget what was once most the most important event in the world. Every year, we have fewer eyewitnesses to remind us.

The Japanese officially surrendered–ending World War II–on Sunday, September 2, 1945. That morning, on the deck of the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay, the Japanese envoys Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and Gen. Yoshijiro Umezu signed their names on the Instrument of Surrender. The time was recorded as 4 minutes past 9 o’clock. Afterward, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Commander in the Southwest Pacific and Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, also signed. He accepted the Japanese surrender “for the United States, Republic of China, United Kingdom, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and in the interests of the other United Nations at war with Japan.”

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The following is an article by John Stemberger and is reposted from an email sent by the Florida Family Policy Council.

Faithful till the end…

A Perspective on Winning and Losing Elections
By John Stemberger

So your guy didn’t win the election? Maybe several of your candidates didn’t win. What about all of the time, money and effort you spent? What about the credibility of your personal support? Or what about the countless hours of volunteering, sending e-mails and talking to neighbors and friends? Are you discouraged? Disillusioned? Upset?

Well, at the risk of sounding insensitive, welcome to politics in a fallen world.

I was speaking at a conference in Jacksonville when a man raised his hand and told me he was greatly discouraged by all the insanity of where the country is going politically. He asked me what I could tell him to encourage him. While I can really sympathize with this man’s feelings, my response was straightforward. “Faithfulness is the goal.”

For the world, “winning” is not just the goal, it’s everything. For the believer, faithfulness is the goal. Now don’t get me wrong. I want to win. And we will fight hard to win. In a sense, I have devoted my life to winning the battles we fight. But in God’s economy, the focus is not merely winning– but on us being faithful to the end.

Do we stop proclaiming the Gospel or speaking truth in love because the world rejects the truth? Do we give up on evangelism because we are not “winning” and seeing results with unbelievers? Do we give up as parents because we are not seeing “results” in our children? No, we develop a holy resilience to failure and setbacks and press on in faithful obedience to any task that we are called to accomplish.

In politics, as with evangelism, God simply calls us to be faithful to the message and the task. The results are in His providential hands. When history is behind us, we rest in His sovereign plan. We do our best to promote the virtuous and expose evil and deception. We work hard to elect the most principled candidates. We steward our citizenship by educating ourselves and others and voting with the best possible information we can find. But once we have discharged our responsibility, we can be satisfied and feel God’s pleasure in the fact that we were simply faithful.

As for me and my house, we are done with the emotional ups and downs of the roller coaster of election wins and losses—super elated with a win or totally depressed with a loss. We are learning the discipline of just being content with the knowledge that we were faithful to have done everything within our influence to elect principled men and women that will stand for life, marriage, and family.

It is natural and normal to be disappointed with a defeat and overjoyed with a victory. I am not suggesting we deny the emotional responses that come with either winning or losing. What I am suggesting is that we not become emotional slaves to the circumstances one way or another but instead to sense God’s highest satisfaction in knowing that we were merely faithful to do our part– irrespective of the outcome.

This understanding aligns us with an eternal perspective. It protects us from burn out and it gives us greater endurance and resilience. Most importantly it postures us to humble ourselves before the Creator of history itself to recognize that we can only see in part and know in part and that ultimately His ways are higher, deeper and wiser than our ways.

My favorite historical place to visit in Washington, D.C. is the Arlington National Cemetery. To walk quietly at the feet of over a quarter of a million gravestones representing American soldiers from the Civil War to Iraq can be a profound experience. Looking across what appears to be an endless sea of mostly young men and women who have died so that I might live with freedom, is a sobering if not a completely transforming experience. Suddenly, everything comes into perspective. In that moment, I recommit myself with greater tenacity and courage to what I am called to do and realize that any disappointment or discouragement I have experienced is merely light and momentary compared to those who have paid the ultimate price.

Mother Teresa spent her lifetime serving the poor and unborn in conditions which just seemed insurmountable. Yet her timeless admonition still gives fresh motivation today. She said, “We do nothing. God does everything. All glory must be returned to Him. God has not called me to be successful. He called me to be faithful.” Would that we could all have this same steady and eternal perspective when we face the wins and losses of life.

Matt Hudson

Faith Forum is the 3rd Saturday of Each Month. Calvary Chapel, Ft. Lauderdale, Auditorium by Banquet Hall.

• Where: 2401 W. Cypress Creek Road, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309
• When: August 21, 2010. 3:30 pm – Meet and Greet; 4:00 pm Meeting
• No registration required
• Times and locations may vary – check before coming.

Other upcoming topics:

• Chase Adams — the US Constitution
• Merit pay for school teachers
• Florida sovereignty
• Ultrasounds before aborttons
• Teen violence and suicide

This is a primary election, but judges and school board members will be elected that day.  ALL voters can vote for the school board and judicial candidates, although those with no party affiliation cannot vote for Governor, U.S. Congress, State House and others in the primary election.   It is vitally important that everyone VOTE on August 24.

There is a voter registration form attached, which also serves as a switch and change of name/address form. Or get it here:

Broward County: http://www.browardsoe.org/VoterRegistration.aspx

Broward County Supervisor of Elections
115 South Andrews Avenue, Room 102
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
954-357-7050

Palm Beach County: https://www.pbcelections.org/VoterRegistration.aspx

Those in other counties can contact your local Supervisor of Elections.

Start studying the ballot now (you can see all the races online); there are lots of races and referendums!  Also, don’t forget to get an absentee ballot for those who need one.  This is a VERY IMPORTANT election!!

Marco Rubio

Faith Forum is the 3rd Saturday of Each Month. Calvary Chapel, Ft. Lauderdale, Auditorium by Banquet Hall.

• Where: 2401 W. Cypress Creek Road, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309
• When: July 17, 2010. 3:30 pm – Meet and Greet; 4:00 pm Meeting
• No registration required
• Times and locations may vary – check before coming.

Other upcoming topics:

• Chase Adams — the US Constitution
• Merit pay for school teachers
• Florida sovereignty
• Ultrasounds before aborttons
• Teen violence and suicide

Presidential Trivia Question...

What is missing at Barack Hussein Obama’s press conference?

BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

Hints to follow …

GEORGE WALKER BUSH

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON

GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH

RONALD WILSON REAGAN

[That's right... If you haven't already noticed, no American flags]

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A more traditional Rice Krispies TV ad (circa late 1950′s) appears below…

FLORIDA CONSERVATIVE LEADER ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF A NEW PRO-LIFE, PRO-FAMILY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE

For Immediate Release:
May 17, 2010

(Orlando, FL) After the conclusion of the Annual Policy Awards Dinner of the Florida Family Policy Council, on Saturday, May 15, 2010, John Stemberger, President of the Florida Family Action organization, announced the formation and organization of a state political action committee called “Florida Family Action PAC”.

The Florida Family Action PAC (FFA-PAC) will be a membership organization and is being set up as a “Committee for Continuing Existence” under Florida law. The FFA-PAC will exist to selectively recruit, endorse, and support candidates for state public office.

Mark Montini of Campaign Secrets in Atlanta will conduct exclusive candidate trainings under the banner of FFA-PAC. Mark is considered one of America’s leading political consultants and has taught campaign schools for the Republican Party of Florida for many years.

John Stemberger, President of the new FFA-PAC, released the following statement:

The time has come for us to more fully engage the process of policy making from beginning to end. Organizations which simply educate and lobby constituents and elected officials are not as fully equipped to influence the decision making of lawmakers because they cannot directly engage in elections.

We will recruit home grown candidates from within our communities. We will train, help finance, and equip them with the tools to win elections. We are not looking for people who simply claim they will “vote right” when elected. The PAC will seek out and support viable champions and leaders who support life, marriage, family and religious liberty issues.

The first duty of public officials should not be to simply follow “leadership” to avoid being stripped of power, perks or pork. Their first duty ought to be to their God, to principle and to their constituents. To this end, we announce the formation of this new organization.

For More Information Contact
Michelle McKinnie at 407-251-1957

Family resemblance or coincidence?

You may have noticed that two recent articles on this blOg mentioned the name “Johansson.” Scarlett Johansson is the actress in The Island (2005). Ingemar Johansson is the boxer to who knocked Floyd Patterson down seven times, in their championship boxing match in 1959. A reader wondered if they are related? I couldn’t find any reference connecting the two on the Internet. If they were related, I’m sure the kinship would have been reported somewhere on the world wide web.¹

Anyway, for the skeptics, here is a side by side photographic comparison of Scarlett Johansson and Ingemar Johansson. Actually, I do see a bit of a resemblance. What do YOU think???

Scarlett Johansson. Apparently no relation to the heavyweight boxer, although they do have an uncanny resemblance

Ingemar Johansson (1932 - 2009), standing. That's Floyd Patterson, napping on the canvas. Johansson won the fight by a TKO in the 3rd round on June 26, 1959.

FOOTNOTE:

US Supreme Court

It was the last symbol of a free society. Now it is the latest victim of terrorist threats.

For generations, Americans looking to the U.S. Supreme Court as their last judicial appeal could climb the 44 marble steps leading to its front door and pass through the giant bronze doors, crossing under the words engraved above the stately columns, “Equal Justice Under Law.”

Those majestic steps have served as a magnet, a natural draw for protests of everything from capital punishment and abortion to affirmative action and the imprisonment of terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay. Those steps bore the caskets of justices who lay in repose as thousands of mourners paid their respects. The scene was so iconic, so evocative, that it became a template for depiction of a democracy at its finest, a staple of movies from the film classic “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” to the made-for-TV movie about the contested Bush v. Gore 2000 election called “Recount.”

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court did something that no other high court in a democratic country has ever done — not even Israel. It closed the front door to its building for security reasons, forcing those seeking justice to go through ground-level side entrances to a “secure reinforced area” where they can be screened “for weapons, explosives and chemical and biological hazards,” the court announced.

Note: The side doors–now the only access for the public–were traditionally used for prisoners.