Clinton's opening statement at Benghazi hearing

Benghazi hearing: Hillary Clinton's entire statement

CNN

Published on Oct 22, 2015

Hillary Clinton gave her opening statement to the House Select Committee investigating the 2012 attacks at the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya.

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Flashback

2013

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Secretary Clinton Opening Statement on Benghazi Attack before Senate (C-SPAN)

C-SPAN

Published on Jan 23, 2013


From C-SPAN coverage: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers her opening statement before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Benghazi Consulate Attack on September 11, 2012. Watch the complete video of the hearing here: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/31...

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Ben Carson Discusses Presidential Aspirations, Christian Persecution

4:00PM EDT 6/20/2014

SHAWN A. AKERS

Dr. Ben Carson (Facebook)

Ben Carson's latest book, One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America's Future, outlines his ideas to help turn the country around morally, socially and financially. Inpart one of this exclusive interview we talked about religious freedom, the state of the church and more. In part two, Carson dives into politics.

Charisma News: You said in your National Prayer Breakfast speech in 2013 that you think that political correctness is "a horrible thing" and that "it's dangerous." Why is that, and how do you think this country got to this point when it comes to political correctness?

Ben Carson: The reason it's so dangerous is that it keeps people from talking. It puts a blanket of silence over everything. Many have noticed, before people get divorced, what do they do? They stop talking and they stop communicating. The next thing you know their spouse is the devil incarnate. That's exactly what's going on with our society—the demonization of people who disagree with you in any way. That's why I dislike it so much.

Then you have people out there who are trying to create hypersensitivity. There were things where people normally just listened and move right along. But now it's like, "Did you hear what that person just said? Oh my God." It's like the kid on the playground that would say, "Did you hear what he said about your mama?" It's just stirring up trouble. People have to realize that we're being manipulated and we're not each other's enemies. Even if someone disagrees with you, they are not your enemy. We have a lot more in common than people think. We have to allow ourselves to stop being manipulated and work together to solve problems.

We have the most powerful economic engine on the face of the earth. But, we have things going on that are preventing it from being able to move forward. We can easily take the foot of government off the neck of the business industry and get things moving again. The Environmental Protection Agency, I believe, is a very important agency. But it should be used to work in tandem with business, with industry, with academia to find the safest ways that we can use our abundance of energy to solve our problems. Who's getting hurt by our policies? It's the poor. Look at the energy prices. Everybody has to pay those energy prices, but it doesn't hurt the rich. It hurts the poor. These are the kinds of things that are causing the rapidly increasing debt. If we could just go back to the regular economic model and allow the free market to work, those gaps will close again. Jobs will become abundant again, people will begin to become innovative again and we will see America prosper again.

CN: Democrats and Republicans these days seem to simply do things to spite each other. Do you ever see a time where they might put such childishness down for the good of the country?

Carson: Bear in mind that we have not had the kind of leadership that will lead to union or a common vision. The current administration is incredibly divisive. The administration before that was so engrossed and concentrated on the war that there certainly was no time to tend to the issues. The administration before that was very political. We need good leadership again. I think it would make a tremendous difference.

CN: You said in the book, "Balancing the federal budget is not a goal out of reach." What will it take for that to happen, and wouldn't many people say that's a far-fetched dream?

Carson: Not a far-fetched dream at all. Recognize just how much our government has grown the last year. Good statistics are available. In 2010, if you took the income of the middle class and above—$69,000 a year and greater—it comes out to about $5.1 trillion. The Federal budget that year was about $3.5 trillion. That's bout 60 percent of everything the middle class and above makes—that is absurd. And it is still growing. What I would do, and it's pretty simple actually, would be to allow the government to shrink by attrition. Thousands of government workers retire each year; don't replace them. You can shift people from one department to another and don't replace them. If you do that for about four or five years, the government will be down to the size it needs to be. Then, they'll be able to concentrate on the bigger issues at hand and they won't try to regulate everything. You would be amazed at how much and how quickly things would get done.

CN: Have you read Todd Starnes' book, God Less America, and if so, what did you think of it?

Carson: I have read some excerpts from it. That's a big part of our problem. We are a Judeo-Christian nation. Our values come from the Bible and Judeo-Christian tradition. When we try to divorce ourselves from those things, then we find ourselves in trouble. The media, Hollywood, politicians—make a decision as to where you want your values to come from. What seems to be the trouble is that we've moved away from the value systems that God gave us and recognize that this is a nation that was unashamed of its relationship with God. Loving and caring about your fellow man. We were unashamed of it. We put it on our money—in God we trust. It's in our pledge, it's in our creed, it's in all of our documents like the Declaration of Independence, like the inalienable rights given to us by our Creator. What happened when we did that? We went from nowhere to the pinnacle of the world in record time. We became by far the most powerful and prosperous nation in the history of the world. As we have rejected those principles, we have started going just as rapidly in the opposite direction.

CN: It's a question you've heard many times before in the last few weeks, but will you seriously
consider running for president of the United States in 2016?
Carson: It's not something that I exactly would desire to do after having a very arduous surgical career. I am really looking forward to relaxing a bit. Another thing about it is that anyone who enters the political arena looks about 20 years older after only four years. It's not something that I want to do, but I also recognize that our steps and our life are ordered by a power higher than ourselves.

I will be looking very carefully at what happens this November in the elections. If in fact the American people indicate that they are ready to move back in the direction of a nation that is forever by the people and not a nanny state, that would tell me quite a bit. We'll see. I just have to keep my eyes and ears open. I won't be a Jonah and run away. If people continue to clamor for it, I'm not sure that I could turn my back on that.

CN: Given today's atmosphere of Christian persecution in America, do you think that an unashamedly born-again Believer could ever again be elected to the highest office in this land?

Carson: Absolutely, it can happen, especially when people stop being afraid to express themselves. I believe the majority of the people in this country are Believers. It's just that they've been beaten into submission. We need to recognize that this is who we are and not allow ourselves to be changed into something else by a pop culture that tells you, "Yeah, this is cool. This is how you have to act." Anybody that believes that stuff is wacky. I think the majority of the people in this country have traditional beliefs, have common sense and think in a logical way. That's why they're so alarmed at what's going on today. The only thing that's lacking right now is the courage to stand up for their beliefs.

I believe that if you get the right kind of people talking about it, you will see the change that is needed. I think it will happen. When it does happen, it will be absolutely crucial to recognize that this is a free country. When we begin to apply the right principles, you will see an explosion in business, you will see a lot of morality coming back and a lot of strong values coming back. People who are on the wrong track who think they're on the right track will notice that and they will begin to say, "You know what, maybe we need to rethink this." That's the way you do things. You don't force them.

Source

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Ordination Study Concludes with Suggestions for “The Way Forward”

[Photo: Karen Porter]


TOSC group considered hermeneutical, historical questions and prepared study materials.

June 05, 2014 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Adventist Review Staff

Leaders and members of the Adventist Church’s Theology of Ordination Study Committee (TOSC) wondered aloud if the fourth and last multi-day session of the group would yield a consensus on the thorny issue of ordaining women to ministry.

One TOSC member wistfully noted to the group that Wednesday, June 4, was Pentecost in the Jewish calendar. He hoped, he said, that a miracle of unanimity might conclude the two-year study process as members were asked to choose their preferred solution, or “Way Forward,” on the issue the church has wrestled with for more than 25 years.

However, when TOSC chairman Artur Stele announced the results of an informal survey of the group of scholars, church administrators, pastors and laypersons, three positions emerged from the data, with no position claiming a majority of the 95 votes received.[1]

Forty TOSC members identified as their first choice a position that “Each entity responsible for calling pastors be authorized to choose either to have only men as ordained pastors; or to have both men and women as ordained pastors.”

Thirty-two members favored a proposal that affirms the "practice of ordaining/commissioning only qualified men to the office of pastor/minister throughout the world church . . ..”

A third option was the first choice of 22 participants. It stated, “Christ is the only head of the church,” noting that there is a “biblical pattern of male leadership, under the headship of Christ, in the office of the ordained minister.” But this option also added that “We recommend that denominational leadership at a proper level be authorized to decide, based on biblical principles, whether such an adaptation [permission to ordain both men and women] may be appropriate for their area or region.”

General Conference president Ted N. C. Wilson spoke to committee members after the poll results were announced by Stele. “As we move forward with this process, I’m asking that we each act with humility—not authoritatively or in an overbearing manner,” Wilson urged. “We should do all things in the spirit of Jesus.”

Wilson also thanked participants for an action they voted unanimously earlier in the day. TOSC members acted “to affirm that in spite of the differences of opinion on the subject of women’s ordination, the members of the Theology of Ordination Study Committee are committed to the message and mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as expressed through the 28 Fundamental Beliefs.”

“We will be very open and fair in the way we approach the handling of this matter,” Wilson assured the committee as he sketched key stages the church will follow in the months ahead.

Several administrative groups at the church’s world headquarters will consider the written report of the TOSC process during meetings June 16-19, Wilson said, and will place the matter on the agenda of the denomination’s Annual Council convening in Silver Spring, Maryland October 9-14. General Conference leaders have promised to make all materials from the recent study process and supplemental documents available in advance to the 300+ member Executive Committee, which decides what to recommend to the church’s quinquennial General Conference session planned for San Antonio, Texas, 13 months from now.

Wilson said that multiple presentations will be made at the scheduled administrative meetings as part of helping church representatives openly review the subject.

“The results of today’s poll shouldn’t dictate any outcomes for the world church, but they should be given their appropriate weight,” said TOSC vice chair Geoffrey Mbwana, also a vice-president of the church. “No one should quickly say, ‘This is all a clear matter.’ All that is really clear at this moment is that we have strong differences about the matter of ordaining women to ministry.” TOSC leaders saw the survey as an evaluation tool to determine if consensus positions had developed in the committee.

The TOSC group’s assignment was to do an in-depth study and analysis of the subject of ordination with input from world divisions of the church: the committee wasn’t organized to be proportionately representative of the world church. A more international assessment will come in the process at the 2014 Annual Council and 2015 General Conference session when delegates selected by church constitutional and policy provisions will consider the issue.

Karen Porter, TOSC Secretary and assistant secretary of the world church, underlined the value of the study.

“What we’ve experienced here could be an important template for the world church as it considers other international issues,” Porter said. “We’ve learned lessons of both kinds—what works, and what doesn’t—and we’re all better for having spent so many days and hours listening to people we may not always agree with.”

Stele also praised the spirit of committee members as the 24-month study process concluded. He suggested that the fourth session had probably been more positive because of the greater amount of time spent in caucuses and working groups instead of plenary presentations.

“Though we’ve had challenging and difficult discussions at times, we’ve developed a camaraderie—a respect for each other—during the last two years,” he said. “A large majority of participants learned to trust each other as they prayed together, ate meals together, and talked in the hallways. This is the first truly global study process on this issue that has ever been attempted. It’s been gratifying to see and feel how much this unique process has built up mutual understanding and better relationships.”

Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, director of the Adventist Church’s education department and a TOSC member, focused on the long-term gain to the church from the study process. “One of the most important developments for us as a global, multi-national church was to revisit our hermeneutics, and think about how we study the Bible across many cultures,” she told Adventist Review. “This experience helped us to clarify what we believe—and why we believe it, as well as focusing us on how we unitedly pursue our mission.”

Wilson urged committee members to remain hopeful about the ultimate outcome of the process as the Wednesday session ended.

“We may not yet see just where the Spirit is taking us on this issue,” he said. “But we firmly believe that God will open the way for His church to fulfill its mission.”



[1]The full TOSC membership was 106 persons.

 

Source: "Adventist News Network"
Copyright © 2014, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

 
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Special envoy says Obama admin. moving aggressively to transfer Gitmo detainees

Transcript

JUDY WOODRUFF: The Pentagon announced a significant milestone was reached this week in the long saga to close the prison in Guantanamo Bay. The last three ethnic Uighurs from China were released and sent to Slovakia. A total of 22 Uighurs were captured after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001.

They were found not to be a threat, and a judge ordered them freed in 2008, but the U.S. struggled to find a place to send them. All told, nine detainees were transferred in the month of December.

So, just who has been released and under what conditions? And what will happen to the remaining 155 prisoners?

For that, we turn to the State Department's special envoy for Guantanamo closure, Cliff Sloan.

Cliff Sloan, welcome to the NewsHour.

CLIFF SLOAN, U.S. State Department Special Envoy for Guantanamo Closure: Thank you. Happy to be here.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So there was a slump in the release of prisoners for a period of about two years, until you came in this summer. Just in the last month, as we have said, several released.

What's changed since you have been there?

CLIFF SLOAN: Well, Judy, as you know, in May, the president gave a speech at the National Defense University.

And he strongly reiterated and renewed his commitment to close Guantanamo. And he's been very committed to closing it from the beginning. And in this speech, he said, we were going to move forward on transfers, we were going to move forward on closing the facility.

He announced the appointment of special envoys at the State Department and the Defense Department who would be focused and moving forward on closure. I started the beginning of July. Paul Lewis, my counterpart at the Defense Department, started in November. And so we are moving full-speed ahead.

And I'm also pleased that we are able to work with Congress in the last few months to change the law in a way that removes some of the obstacles and restrictions that had led to that slump that you referred to. And I think that's also going to be very helpful to us in moving forward.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, is that what made the difference? And how did you prioritize who was going to be released first among these prisoners?

CLIFF SLOAN: Well, in terms of changing the law -- and the law will be different in 2014 -- I think that is going to help us very much in moving forward with the transfers.

In terms of prioritizing the transfers, let's step back for a second and have an overview of the facility; 155 detainees are there right now; 76 now are approved for transfer; 79 are not approved for transfer. And when I say approved for transfer, there's a very important point that I think people don't realize, which is that the executive branch in 2009 and 2010 undertook a very rigorous review by the national security agencies and departments.

And those who are approved for transfer were unanimously determined that they should be transferred, subject to appropriate security arrangements and humane treatment arrangements.

JUDY WOODRUFF: That they were no longer a threat, or...

CLIFF SLOAN: Well, that they should be -- that they should be transferred, subject to appropriate security and humane treatment, assurances and agreements with other countries, that there was no need to continue to hold them.

And so those are the priority. And we have been moving forward as aggressively and quickly as we can on those approved for transfer. Now, let me just say...

(CROSSTALK)

JUDY WOODRUFF: Can I just say, is the hold -- has the holdup then been finding the countries, the places that will take them?

CLIFF SLOAN: Well, it's a -- it's a complicated process, which includes, as I said, there were the congressional restrictions which we think were far more burdensome than necessary and helpful.

There's the question of the countries they're going to. And in some cases, it's to their home countries. And in some cases, if that's not possible for security or humane treatment reasons, it would be to third countries. And that takes negotiations. And it is a -- it is a complicated process.

But one thing that I think is very important, Judy, and that I have tried to emphasize and Paul Lewis at the Defense Department has tried to emphasize, we don't want to relitigate the old battles. We don't be looking backward. We want to be looking ahead.

And we feel very strongly there is a new air of possibility on moving forward on closing the Guantanamo detention facility. That is what we are focused on. We don't want to go over what happened in the -- during the last several months and the years when there was that slump. We feel very good about moving ahead now.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So, of the 155 left, you said 70-some are cleared for -- how long is it going to take to get those detainees out of the country to a new location?

CLIFF SLOAN: Well, I can't give you an exact time frame, but what I can tell you is, we are working just as hard as we can. We are moving forward as aggressively as we can.

As you mentioned, nine were transferred in the month of December alone, 11 in the last couple of months. We are working very hard on all those approved for transfer. But the other point that I want to make which is also very important is, the 79 who are not approved for transfer, we have also started a new administrative process for them, a new hearing, where they have the opportunity to show that they now should be approved for transfer. They get a fresh look.

And that's important as well in moving forward.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So it's -- so they may not necessarily stay at Guantanamo, because right now it looks as if you have got several dozen of them who are -- who will be there indefinitely?

CLIFF SLOAN: Well, they -- as I said, we have 79 who are not approved for transfer. Eight of those are facing criminal charges. So, of the remaining 71, they now will have this new administrative hearing.

That's already started. That's going to accelerate on a rolling basis, and that is going to be very important in moving forward.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Do you believe that Guantanamo will close within the foreseeable future, and that all detainees will be taken care of one way or another?

CLIFF SLOAN: Absolutely.

We are going to close the Guantanamo detention facility. I have no doubt about that. And President Obama is very strongly committed to that.

JUDY WOODRUFF: By when?

CLIFF SLOAN: I'm not going to give you a time frame on it, but I am absolutely convinced that we going to close the Guantanamo facility.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Why are you convinced, if you don't -- if you can't say how long it's going to take?

CLIFF SLOAN: Well, I can't say how long it's going to take because there are variables, and I don't want to give an artificial timeline. I don't want to just pluck a date out of the air and say it.

But those who have been approved for transfer, we will do everything we can to transfer those. Those who are not approved for transfer will have the new administrative hearing. Now, there is more work to be done with Congress, because there currently is a ban on bringing any detainees to the United States, including for prosecution in our courts.

And we think that is unwise. And we think that restriction should be lifted. But we are going...

(CROSSTALK)

JUDY WOODRUFF: And do you think you can be successful changing that?

(CROSSTALK)

CLIFF SLOAN: I think so. And I think you are seeing a new recognition across the spectrum that it's time to move on, it is time to put this problem before us.

When you look at the facts and when you just take a sort of reasoned view of it, there is a much better solution out there than just -- just keeping them at Guantanamo. And we can and we will close the Guantanamo detention facility.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Cliff Sloan, who is the special envoy for Guantanamo closure, we thank you.

CLIFF SLOAN: Thank you. I appreciate it.


Source
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Pelosi: Dem spending concessions ‘lost in the news’ on shutdown

By Jonathan Easley - 10/04/13 08:57 AM ET



House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday dismissed the notion Democrats have been unwilling to negotiate with Republicans in the government shutdown fight, saying President Obama’s concessions have been “lost in the news.”


“The president of the United States has gone forward extending the hand of friendship over and over. I think that has been lost in the news,” Pelosi said on CBS’s This Morning. “But if you say to the president, we only will open the government if you eliminate the Affordable Care Act, that’s just a non-starter.”

Pelosi argued that the clean continuing resolution – one that doesn’t defund ObamaCare – was already at levels Democrats were unhappy with because it’s at sequester levels mandated after the 2011 debt ceiling fight. The Democratic leader said this was a point that had been lost on the media in the back and forth between the two parties.

“We don’t like the [spending] bill … it is not adequate to do the job we’re supposed to do for the American people, but we will accept that in order to go forward,” Pelosi said. “But [Republicans] do not have within their own ranks the ability to take yes for an answer.”

“We agreed to their number, which we don’t like,” she added. “We’ve always said to them 'We’ll help you procedurally, we’ll help you substantively.'”

The House minority leader said the only way out is for Republicans to “take their party back” from the Tea Party wing.

“It will take some coming together on the Republican side,” she said. “It’s very hard to negotiate with Republicans when they can’t negotiate with themselves.”

She added: “If you don’t believe in a government role, then it’s easy for you to say, in order to lift the debt ceiling we want to eliminate all [Environmental Protection Agency] rules for clean air, clean water and the rest.”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), a Tea Party favorite, helped initiate the government shutdown fight by demanding the president’s healthcare law not receive any appropriations in a continuing resolution. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) took up the fight in the House, although Republicans have since pivoted away from the demand.

“Here’s what the president has said – the full faith and credit of the government is non-negotiable. Everything else in the budget is [negotiable],” Pelosi continued. “But they can’t say – our first premise is you have to overturn the Affordable Care Act.”
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Source: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/326553-pelosi-obamas-concessions-lost-in-the-news#ixzz2glZT7dYe

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More Moving Forward?

Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward.
Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward. Moving Forward, Move Forward; We must move forward; We got to move forward.
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Ad Nauseam .................................................................

Folks: They're using this cliche to a sickening extent. Just listen.O

Have you had enough of this metaphor? It's the dumbest euphemism in a time of economic decline...


Arsenio.
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Stuck on a groove

Stuck on "Moving Forward".

This Administration loves this cliche. I think they are stuck on a groove.

It's their favorite buzz word.

Yes, they are stuck on a groove.

I suggest they check out their Funk and Wagnalls or a Thesaurus, so they can find another euphemism. It's time to move forward since that same old tune has become annoying.

Arsenio.

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