April 5-7 National Days of
ThanlKgiving
President Bush urges all Americans to give thanks for the liberation of
Kuwait the end of hostilities in the Gulf
Bush’s
Energy
Policy
continued from page 2
optimistic about my future. I, too,
desire to press lovely things in my
arms. But if we as a nation
continue to be so reliant upon
petroleum products, so used to
throwing everything away, so
used to thinking that there will
always be the same amount of
everything, then, the only things
we will hold in our arms will be
nuclear waste and pollution. Cur
world will be reduced to water
we can’t drink and air we can’t
breathe.
We need to prepare for the
inevitable—nothing lasts forever.
However, there are things that
will last a lot longer than we
will—sunshine, wind, water.
These are all possible sources for
energy. If we could rely on these
renewable sources for energy,
we wouldn’t have to rely so much
upon foreign or domestic oil. But
we can’t do it alone. The initial
switch to renewable sources will
be expensive, but so is continual
research on nuclear energy and
drilling for oil in the Arctic.
Somehow people think that if
the government stresses
production, then it is right. Well,
it is wrong. The government needs
to give people incentive to switch
to alternative sources and to
conserve. I’m not undenjfiining
the individual, but I am saying
that a handful of people who
desire to press a lovely earth in
their arms cannot prevent the
inevitable.
President Bush has
proclaimed April 5-7,1991 to be
The National Days of
Thanksgiving. In his
proclamation, the President states
that we, as a nation, must “give
thanks for the remarkable unity
of our people” during the Persian
Gulf conflict and “remember and
pray for all those who made the
ultimate sacrifice.”
President Bush asks that
"Americans gather in homes and
places of worship to give thanks.”
He also urges the "the flag of the
United States be flown and that
“bells across the country be set to
ringing at 3; 00pm (eastern daylight
savings time) on April 7,1991, in
celebration of the liberation of
Kuwait and. the end of the
hostilities in the Persian Gulf.”
A Proclamation
As the Psalmist wrote, “O give
thanks to the Lord for He is
gi'acious, for His mercy endures
for ever.” Almighty God has
answered the prayers of millions
of people with the liberation of
Kuwait and the end of offensive
operations in the Persian Gulf
region. As we prepare to welcome
home our courageous service men
and women and join the joyful
celebrations of the Kuwaiti
people, it is fitting that we give
thanks to our Heavenly Father,
our help and shield, for His mercy
and protection.
Asking Him to judge not our
worthiness but our need and
protection, and knowing that the
Lord gives viaory “not by might,
nor by power," we prayed for a
swift and decisive viaory and for
the safety of our troops. Clearly,
the United States and our coalition
partners have been blessed with
both. We thank the Lord for His
favor, and we are profoundly
grateful for the relatively low
number of allied casualties, a £aa
described by the commanding
general as “miraculous."
Nevertheless, because every
human life is precious, because
the massive scale of Operation
Desert Storm must never dminish
the loss of even one service
member, we also remember and
pray for all those who made the
ultimate sacrifice in this conflict.
May the Lord welcome all who
have fallen into the glory of
Heaven, and may He strengthen
and console their families in their
hour of need. May it also please
our Heavenly Father to grant a
full recovery to those military
personnel wounded in action.
We also give thanks for the
remarkable unity of our people
throughout this conflict—a unity
marked by heartfelt and generous
support for our troops in the field
and, in the American tradition,
respect for the rights of those
who dissent. May our Nation
emerge from this conflia stronger
and more united, to face as one
united people the challenges and
opportunities before^ us.
As we unite in thanksgiving to
Almighty God, let us pray in a
special way for the innocent men,
women, and children—wherever
they may be—^who have suffered
as a result of the conflia in the
Gulf. Recalling the words of
President Wilson shortly after
World War I, let us seek
forgiveness for any “errors of aa
or purpose" and pray for God’s
help and guidance on the way
that lies ahead. May the resolution
of remaining questions and
concerns, especially the return of
all prisoners of war and the freeing
of those who are detained, be as
timely and as certain as this viaory
in battle.
Finally, seeing’ before us
the promise of a safer,
more peaceful world—
one marked by respect for
the rule of law—^let us
offer all these entreaties in
a spirit of faith, humility.
and gratitude, seeking
reconciliation with all
peoples. In so doing, we
recall the timeless prayer
found in Scripture:
Thine, O Lord, is the
greatness, and the power,
and the glory.. .for all that
is in the heaven and in the
eanh is Thine.. .and Thou
reignest over all.. .inThine
hand is power and might:
and in Thine hand it is to
make great, and to give
strength unto all. i.'ow
therefore, our God, we
thank Thee and praise
They glorious Name.
As the Psalmist wrote, “Come
behold the works of the Lord.. .He
makes wars to cease to the end of
the earth.”
Now, therefore, I, George
Bush, President of the United
States of America, do hereby
proclaim April 5-7, 1991, as
National Days of Thanksgiving. I
ask that Americans gather in
homes and places of worship to
give thanks to Almighty God for
the liberation of Kuwait, for the
blessings of peace and liberty, for
our troops, our families, and our
nation. In addition, I direa that
the flag of the United States be
flown on all government
buildings, I urge all Americans to
display the flag, and I ask that
bells across the country be set
ringing at 3:00pm (eastem daylight
savings time) on April % 1991, in
celebration of the liberation of
Kuwait and the end of hostilities
in the Persian Gulf.
In witness thereof, I have
hereunto set my hand this seventh
day of March, in the year of our
Lord nineteen hundred and
ninety-one, and of the
Independence of the United States
of American the two hundred
and fifteenth.
George Bush
April 1.1991 Paged