Get Up And Win The Race

Get up and Win the Race

Great Bend, Kansas

Big Idea: Leave the Past behind and strive toward the future…to win the prize in Christ Jesus.

Introduction: This morning I want to review 2003. I believe it’s a noble thing to do in light of 2004. What are some of the major events that occurred in history?

Remember

January

Bush Presents Case for War in Iraq (Jan. 28): In his second State of the Union speech, president says country must be prepared to attack Iraq, preferably with the backing of the United Nations. Bush also asserts that his $674 billion tax-cut package will help to boost economy and vows to make prescription drug coverage part of Medicare.

February

U.S. Says Hussein Must Leave Iraq (Feb. 28): In a policy shift, White House says Iraq must disarm and Hussein must go into exile to avoid war.

Space Shuttle Explodes (Feb. 1): Columbia breaks up as it reenters Earth’s atmosphere on its way to Kennedy Space Center, killing all seven crew members. Victims are: Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, and the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon. (Feb. 13): Investigators think a hole in the left wing let superheated gas flow into the shuttle, contributing to crash.

Bush Sends Congress Budget (Feb. 3): Fiscal year 2004 budget totals $2.23 trillion and predicts record deficits in coming years.

Club Fire Kills Dozens in Rhode Island (Feb. 21): Pyrotechnics display set off during concert by band Great White ignites an inferno that quickly engulfs entire building at West Warwick. Death toll reaches 100.

Court Upholds Ban on Word “God” (Feb. 28): Federal appeals court in San Francisco lets stand earlier ruling that recitation in public schools of the words “under God” in Pledge of Allegiance violates the separation of church and state.

March

Mystery Illness Strikes Asia (March 15): World Health Organization calls virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a “worldwide health threat.” (March 19): WHO reports illness may be caused by a virus in the paramyxoviridae family. (March 25): U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it thinks a “previously unrecognized virus from the coronavirus family” is the root of the illness

War in Iraq Begins (March 20): U.S. launches Operation Iraqi Freedom. Called a “decapitation attack,” the predawn air strike targets Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi leaders in Baghdad. Ground troops enter the country, crossing into southern Iraq from Kuwait. (March 21): Major phase of war begins with heavy aerial attacks on Baghdad and other cities. Campaign, dubbed “shock and awe,” intended to promptly overwhelm Iraqi forces. (March 23): Coalition troops encounter fierce resistance near the southern city of Nasiriya. Iraqi forces capture 12 members of the 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company. (March 25): U.S. modifies its ground strategy as Iraqi militias, called fedayeen, attack coalition ground troops as they advance on Baghdad. (March 26): About 1,000 paratroopers land in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq to open a northern front. (March 27): U.S. bombards Baghdad, targeting government buildings. (March 28): With Umm Qasr freed of mines, first shipment of humanitarian aid arrives in Iraq. Iraqi suicide bomber strikes near Najaf, killing four U.S. soldiers from the Third Infantry Division. (March 30): Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld deflects criticism that the U.S. has not deployed enough Army ground troops in Iraq. (March 30): U.S. Marines and Army troops launch first attack on Iraq’s Republican Guard, about 65 miles outside Baghdad.

April

Colossal Squid Found (April 4): In the Antarctic waters off New Zealand, fishermen catch young female Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, weighing 330 pounds and measuring 16 feet. Only second such squid to be caught.

MAY

Bush Says Combat Over in Iraq (May 1): In a speech from the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, president announces U.S. victorious in war in Iraq.

House Passes AIDS Plan (May 1): Votes, 375–41, for $15 billion measure to fight disease globally. Includes provision that one-third of the money be used to encourage abstinence.

Tornadoes Ravage Central U.S. (May 5): At least 38 people die in a series of twisters in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

JUNE

Martha Stewart Indicted (June 4): Charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and securities fraud from Dec. 2001 sale of shares in ImClone Systems.

JULY

U.S. Offers Bounty for Hussein (July 3): With allied troops under continued attacks by Baath Party loyalists, U.S. announces $25 million reward for Iraqi president’s capture or evidence that confirms his death.

Investigation Reveals Widespread Abuse by Massachusetts Priests (July 23): Attorney General Thomas Reilly reports that at least 789 children were sexually abused by 250 priests and church employees in Boston’s Roman Catholic Archdiocese since 1940.

August

Massive Blackout Darkens Northeast and Midwest (Aug. 14): In the country’s largest power failure in history, 50 million people in eight U.S. states and parts of Canada are without electricity. Cause unknown, but officials acknowledge that electricity grid is antiquated. (Aug. 15): Power restored to most areas after 29-hour blackout. (Aug. 16): Electricity restored in Detroit, the last metropolitan area left in the dark