Sam Brownback: “I will read portions of the article because it is so instructive about what Valentine's Day is about. In the 3rd…”

“I will read portions of the article because it is so instructive about what Valentine's Day is about. In the 3rd century, the Roman Empire was ruled by Claudius Gothicus. He was nicknamed ``Claudius the Cruel''-- That is a pretty auspicious name for an emperor-- because of his harsh leadership and tendency for getting into wars. In fact, he was in so many wars he was having a difficult time recruiting soldiers. Claudius believed that recruitment for the Army was down because Roman men did not want to leave their loves or their families behind. . . . So what do you do if you are emperor and cannot get people to sign up? He banned the institution of marriage and said there was not going to be marriage allowed anymore. Thousands of couples saw their hopes for matrimony dashed by the single act of a tyrant. But a simple Christian priest named Valentine came forward and stood up for love. He began to secretly marry soldiers before they went off to war, despite the emperor's orders. In 269 AD, Emperor Claudius found out about the secret ceremonies. He had Valentine thrown into prison and ordered him put to death. He gave his life so couples could be bonded together in holy matrimony. They may have killed the man, but not his spirit. Even centuries after his death, the story of Valentine's self-sacrificing commitment to love was legendary in Rome. Eventually, he was granted sainthood and the Catholic church decided to create a feast in his honor.”