BILL REQ. #:  H-2678.2 

Read first time 04/11/2003.   Referred to Committee on State Government.

     TO THE HONORABLE GARY LOCKE, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:
     WHEREAS, The United States is currently engaged in a war on terrorism in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001; and
     WHEREAS, The Armed Forces of the United States are currently engaged in a campaign to disarm the regime of Saddam Hussein and liberate the people of Iraq; and
     WHEREAS, On June 1, 1774, the Virginia House of Burgesses called for a day of fasting and prayer as an expression of solidarity with the people of Boston who were under siege by the enemy; and
     WHEREAS, On March 16, 1776, the Continental Congress, recognizing that the "Liberties of America are imminently endangered" and the need "to acknowledge the overruling Providence of God," called for a day of "Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer"; and
     WHEREAS, On June 28, 1787, during the debate of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin, convinced of God's intimate involvement in human affairs, implored the Congress to seek the assistance of Heaven in all its dealings; and
     WHEREAS, On March 30, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, at the bequest of the Senate, and himself recognizing the need of the Nation to humble itself before God in repentance for its national sins, proclaimed a day of fasting, prayer, and humiliation; and
     WHEREAS, On March 27, 2003, The House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States, in the tradition of George Washington who acknowledged that freedom is the gift of God Almighty and liberty the greatest of all earthly blessings, passed H. R. 153 by a vote of 369-49 requesting that the President designate a day for humility, prayer, and fasting for all the people of the United States; and
     WHEREAS, All of the various faiths of the people of the United States have recognized, in our religious traditions, the need for fasting and humble supplication before Providence; and
     WHEREAS, Humility, fasting, and prayer in times of danger have long been rooted in our essential national convictions and have been a means of producing unity and solidarity among all the diverse people of this Nation as well as procuring the enduring grace and benevolence of God; and
     WHEREAS, Through prayer, fasting, and self-reflection, we may better recognize our own faults and shortcomings and submit to the wisdom and love of God in order that we may have guidance and strength in those daily actions and decisions we must take; and
     WHEREAS, Dangers and threats to our Nation persist and, in this time of peril, it is appropriate that the people of the United States, leaders and citizens alike, seek guidance, strength, and resolve through prayer and fasting;
     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the Governor should issue a proclamation:
     (1) Designating a day for humility, prayer, and fasting for all people of Washington State; and
     (2) Calling on all people of Washington State:
     (a) To observe the day as a time of prayer and fasting;
     (b) To seek guidance from God to achieve a greater understanding of our own failings and to learn how we can do better in our everyday activities; and
     (c) To gain resolve in meeting the challenges that confront our Nation.
     BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Gary Locke, Governor of the State of Washington.