Friday, December 28, 2007

PROTESTANT VIEWS ON THE ANTICHRIST

Some Protestant Churches have made it an issue of faith to identify the Bishop of Rome and the papal system as the Antichrist. See, for example, the Smalcald Articles, Westminster Confession and the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith; early Protestant Reformers, including Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer, John Knox, Cotton Mather, and John Wesley, identified the Roman Papacy as the Antichrist [1]. Headed by Matthias Flacius, several Lutheran scholars in Magdeburg, known as the Centuriators of Magdeburg, wrote the 12-volume "Magdeburg Centuries" to discredit the papacy, including identifying the pope as the Antichrist. Virtually all popes have been called the Antichrist by their enemies, and many popes have applied this title of "Antichrist", "son of perdition", or "man of sin", to their enemies as well. Some Catholics expected a son of Martin Luther to be the Antichrist, as his scion would be the son of an ex-priest and ex-nun.


The Lutheran Churches of the Reformation [2], the Concordia Lutheran Conference [3], the Church of the Lutheran Confession [4], and the Illinois Lutheran Conference [5] all hold to Brief Statement. In 1959 the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) formally issued its "Statement on the Antichrist", a doctrinal statement that declared, "we reaffirm the statement of the Lutheran Confessions, that 'the Pope is the very Antichrist'". "WELS Statement on the Antichrist".


Widespread Protestant identification of the Papacy as the Antichrist persisted until the early-1900s when the Scofield Reference Bible was published by Cyrus Scofield. Prior to the Scofield Bible, with few exceptions, the Protestant confessions of faith declared the Papacy as the Antichrist. Westminster Confession of Faith:



25.6. There is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ: nor can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God; whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.

(Col. 1:18; Matt. 28:18-20; Eph. 4:11-12; 2 Thess. 2:2-9)


In response to the identification of the Papacy as Antichrist, the modern view of Futurism (Christian eschatology), a product of the Counter-Reformation, was advanced beginning in the 16th century. This theory was developed by a Jesuit priest named Francisco Ribera in his 1585 treatise on the Apocalypse of John entitled In Sacrum Beati Ioannis Apostoli, & Evangelistiae Apocalypsin Commentarij. This view was then codified by St. Bellarmine, who gives in full the Catholic theory set forth by the Greek and Latin Fathers, of a personal Antichrist to come just before the end of the world and to be accepted by the Jews and enthroned in the temple at Jerusalem—thus endeavoring to dispose of the exposition which saw Antichrist in the pope. Bellarmine's interpretation, in modified form, is now accepted by most premillennial dispensationalists. [7]. The Leader of the Free Presbyterian Church, Ian Paisley, loudly denounced the then Pope, Pope John Paul II as the Antichrist when the pontiff was giving a speech at a sitting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg in 1988, when Paisley was an MEP.


Contemporary, conservative, Confessional Lutherans still hold that the pope is the Antichrist, insisting that this article of faith is part of a quia rather than quatenus subscription to the Book of Concord. In 1932, the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) adopted A Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod. Statement 43, Of the Antichrist:



43. As to the Antichrist we teach that the prophecies of the Holy Scriptures concerning the Antichrist, 2 Thess. 2:3-12; 1 John 2:18, have been fulfilled in the Pope of Rome and his dominion. All the features of the Antichrist as drawn in these prophecies, including the most abominable and horrible ones, for example, that the Antichrist "as God sitteth in the temple of God," 2 Thess. 2:4; that he anathematizes the very heart of the Gospel of Christ, that is, the doctrine of the forgiveness of sins by grace alone, for Christ's sake alone, through faith alone, without any merit or worthiness in man (Rom. 3:20-28; Gal. 2:16); that he recognizes only those as members of the Christian Church who bow to his authority; and that, like a deluge, he had inundated the whole Church with his antichristian doctrines till God revealed him through the Reformation -- these very features are the outstanding characteristics of the Papacy. (Cf. Smalcald Articles, Triglot, p. 515, Paragraphs 39-41; p. 401, Paragraph 45; M. pp. 336, 258.) Hence we subscribe to the statement of our Confessions that the Pope is "the very Antichrist." (Smalcald Articles, Triglot, p. 475, Paragraph 10; M., p. 308.) [8]


Revelation 13 contains a description of the Antichrist:



1. "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy."

2. "And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."

3. "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast."

4. "And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"

5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months."

6. "And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven."

7. "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."

8 ."And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (as per the King James Bible)


Some theorists attribute the wounding and resurgence in the third verse to the papacy, referring to General Louis Berthier's capture of Pope Pius VI in 1798 , and the pope's subsequent death in 1799 . Instead of reducing the power of the papacy, however, it grew and became the most influential political and religious power in the world.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antichrist

"TALKING LOUD AND SAYING NOTHING"

Talking Loud and Saying Nothing
Like a dull knife
Just ain't cutting
Just talking loud
Then saying nothing

Just saying nothing
Just saying nothing

You can't tell me
How to run my life down
You can't tell me
How to keep my business sound

You can't tell me
What I'm doing wrong
When you keep driving and
Singing that same old money song

You can't tell me
Which way to go
Cause three times seven
And then some more
You can't tell me, hey

You're like a dull knife
Just ain't cutting
You're just talking loud
And saying nothing

Just saying nothing
Just saying nothing

Don't tell me
How to do my thing
When you can't, can't
Can't do your own

Don't tell me how to be a boy
When, when you know I'm grown

Can't use me like a woman
Woman throws away her dress
And you can't tell me, hey
How to use my mess

You're like a dull knife
Jack, you just ain't cutting
You're just talking loud
Then saying nothing

Just saying nothing
And saying nothing

Shape up your bag
Don't worry bout mine
My thing together
And a doing fine

Good luck to you
Just allow you're wrong
Then keep on singing that
Same old money song

Then keep on singing that
Same old money song
Just keep on singing that
Same old money song

Just keep on singing that
Same old money song
Just keep on singing that
Same old money, oww

I got to, I want yo
I musta, I got to
Ashes ashes and a dust to dust
I musta, jump on back
I'm doing a, my hands

I say I will, the point
Is too dark to fill
You say I cant
You're phony, you're phony
I said, I said, you're phony...

James Brown, Bobby Byrd, 1972.
***
Yesterday, December, 27, 2007, following the assassination of Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto; Both, G.W. Bush, and Gordon Brown, conducted an emergency press conference or a press release. In the early afternoon President Bush, from the "western White House", appeared on an brief impromptu news conference. He walked to the podium with a somber countenance, and stated something similar to this: "Laura and I send our deepest condolences to the family of Ms. Bhutto". Then, he proceeded to say that the terrorists responsible for this assassination had to to be brought to justice and pay for this heinous atrocity (something to that effect).
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Yep! Not another WMD affair?
Later in the afternoon, from London-England, came a press release of Gordon Brown, the new Prime Minister.
Brown stated something similar to President Bush. G.B. (G. Brown) of G.B. (Great Britain), stated that the terrorist will not get away with this blatant crime (or something to that effect).
G.B. and G. B., both issued statements on the assassination of Ms. Bhutto.
Not too long ago, President Bush was calling on President Musharraf, of Pakistan, to lose/loose the military uniform. Now, Bush is speaking of bringing the culprits of Benazir Bhutto's murder to justice. Does this sound a little like meddling in the internal affairs of a sovereign, Asian; Not, a Western or American (as in Monroe Doctrine, etc.) nation? Secondly, for Gordon Brown the P.M. of Britannia the Great, to insinuate that something must be done to these culpable terrorists who attacked and killed Ms. Bhutto, is an understatement. I'm not sure that Pakistan or India, really want to hear any pronouncements (condescending) coming from the former Colonial Mater Britannia. I believe that the previous Vice-Royalty of India/Pakistan, can manage without the old 'chaps' and their 'spot of tea';
After all, the Bengals are now part of Pakistan, not trusted guards and soldiers of the Empire.
Let's not add insult to injury. Pakistan is an independent nation that has enough internal turmoil of its own, without foreign interests/powers getting into the mix!
I'm not Pakistani, but, I do see a lack of tact and decorum on the part of anyone trying to 'capitalize' on Pakistan's loss.
Arsenio.

NEW-HOMES SALES PLUNGE BY 9 PERCENT

A for sale sign hangs on a fence outside a home for sale in Chicago, Dec. 16, 2007. The upside to a housing slump is cheaper homes.
New-Home Sales Plunge by 9 Percent
Friday, December 28, 2007

WASHINGTON - Sales of new homes plunged last month to their lowest level in more than 12 years, a grim testament to the problems plaguing the housing sector.

The Commerce Department reported Friday that new-home sales tumbled by 9 percent in November from October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 647,000. That was the worst showing since April 1995, when the pace of sales was 621,000.

The sales pace for November was much weaker than economists were expecting. They were predicting sales in the weakest sector of the economy to drop by around 1.8 percent, to a pace of 715,000.

The median sales price of a new home dipped to $239,100 in November. That is 0.4 percent lower than a year ago. The median price is where half sell for more and half for less.

By region, sales fell in all parts of the country, except for the West, where they rose.

New-home sales dropped by 19.3 percent in the Northeast. They plunged by 27.6 percent in the Midwest and they fell by 6.4 percent in the South. However, sales increased by 4 percent in the West.

Over the last 12 months, new-home sales nationwide have tumbled by 34.4 percent, the biggest annual slide since early 1991, and stark evidence of the painful collapse in the once high-flying housing market.

That market has been suffering through a severe slump following five years of record-breaking activity from 2001 through 2005. Sales turned weak as did home prices. The boom-to-bust situation has increased dangers to the economy as a whole and has been especially hard on some homeowners.

Foreclosures have soared to record highs and probably will keep rising. A drop in home prices left some people stuck with balances on their home mortgages that eclipsed the worth of their home. Other home buyers were clobbered as low introductory rates on their mortgages jumped to much higher rates, which they couldn't afford.

With credit now harder to get to finance a home purchase, the problems in housing have grown worse. Unsold homes have piled up. The problems are expected to persist well into next year.

The housing and mortgage meltdowns have raised the odds that the country will fall into a recession. And, it has given Democrats and Republicans politicians- including those who want to be the next president - plenty of opportunities to spread blame around.

To help bolster the economy, the Federal Reserve has sliced a key interest rate three times this year. Its latest rate cut, on Dec. 11, dropped the Fed's key rate to 4.25 percent, a two-year low. Many economists are predicting the Fed will lower rates again when they meet in late January.

The economy's growth is expected to have slowed to a pace of just 1.5 percent or less in the October-to-December. Analysts believe that the housing and credit troubles will force consumers and businesses to tighten the belts, causing the economy to lose considerable speed. The housing slump has been a drag on overall economic activity, lopping more than a full percentage point off growth during the summer alone.

Copyright © 2007, PeoplePC Inc. All rights reserved.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

ALL DRESSED UP AND NO PLACE TO GO

Monday, December 17, 2007
Bush and Cheney: All Dressed up and no Place to Go
by Rodrigue Tremblay

"The leader whose thinking process most resembles [Adolf] Hitler's is our own president. —Like Hitler, (George W.) Bush's ideological beliefs have blinded him to reality, and like Hitler, he seems impervious to advice that conflicts with his beliefs."
Charley Reese

"When the tyrant has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest or treaty, and there is nothing to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader. "
Plato, (428/427-348/347 B.C.), ancient Greek philosopher

"If the war is enlarged in the next 20 months to include Iran— if that happens—for the next 20 years the United States is going to be bogged down in a war which spans Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and then you can forget about American global leadership."
Zbigniew Brzezinski, National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter

For many months, the Bush-Cheney administration and its Neocon allies in Congress and in the media have been inching toward a fresh new war against Iran, possibly using nuclear weapons, under the same flimsy pretext that it had used, in 2003, to launch an illegal war of aggression against Iraq. The military gear had been positioned, with three full armadas in or around the Gulf of Hormuz, and the propaganda machine was running full time to persuade the American people that a state of perpetual war was in their interests.

But something happened on the road to war. On December 3, Michael McConnell, Director of the National Intelligence Council, dropped a political bomb. His office—in close collaboration with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the fifteen other U.S. Intelligence agencies, regrouped under the umbrella of the United States Intelligence Community (IC)—issued a devastating report about the veracity of the claims made for months by the Administration that Iran was actively engaged in developing a nuclear arms program. The National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report said, "We judge that in the fall of 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program....We assess with moderate confidence Tehran has not restarted its nuclear weapons program as of mid-2007." The Director of the US National Council issued also a most unusual statement, saying that "the decision to release an unclassified version of the key judgments of this NIE [report] was made when it was determined that doing so was in the interest of our nation’s security. The Intelligence Community is on the record publicly with numerous statements based on our 2005 assessment on Iran. Since our understanding of Iran’s capabilities has changed, we felt it was important to release this information to ensure that an accurate presentation is available." In other words, even if the Intelligence Community felt that the disclosure would undermine a key Bush-Cheney policy, they were ready to go public with the damaging report for the sake of national interest.

The very claim of a nuclear Iran has been used by President George W. Bush to push to the limit, at the United Nations and in Congress, to obtain some cover for a bombing campaign against Iran. In fact, as recently as October 17, the American president had used the apocalyptic term of a possible "World War III," even raising the specter of a nuclear holocaust, to draw the darkest picture possible if Iran was not prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons, thus ending Israel's nuclear monopoly in the Middle East. Vice President Dick Cheney has also claimed that Iran had a "fairly robust new nuclear program," and that had to be stopped by all means. Indeed, for months, the person in the Bush administration who most wanted a hot conflict with Iran has been Vice President Dick Cheney.

Well, it turns out that both Bush and Cheney knew, at least since last August, that the Director of National Intelligence had concluded that Iran had abandoned its nuclear arms program as far back as 2003, four years earlier. The report had the effect of pulling the rug out from under any plan for a preemptive attack against Iran that the Bush-Cheney administration intended to implement in the near term. This was good economic news. Immediately, the price of oil receded from its lofty level around $100 a barrel, an indication that the market had factored in some probability of supply disruptions early in 2008.

Left naked, Bush is now uttering lies and absurdities. First, there was his claim that he had "only learned of the new intelligence assessment" the week before, when it is a fact that the President is briefed every morning by the Director of the United States Intelligence Community (IC). Quickly, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, contradicted him. Hadley said that "Bush was first told in August or September about intelligence indicating Iran had halted its weapons program." And Senator Rockefeller confirmed that "the president knew, even as he was saying 'World War III' and all that kind of stuff." And, second, Bush professed about not being deterred by mere facts: "The [National Intelligence Estimates that Iran has no nuclear weapons program] doesn't do anything to change my opinion about the danger Iran poses to the world—quite the contrary." I don't know which of these two statements undermine the most President Bush's credibility, if there is any left.

Where does all this leave the warmongering Neocon crowd? They are scurrying in all directions with op-eds in far right media to discredit the U.S. Intelligence Community, trying to rekindle the flames of war against Iran. This a crowd that revolves around the pro-Israel Lobby in the U.S., led by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and by some Washington-based pro-Israel "think-tanks" such as the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). They have been pushing for an illegal attack against Iran, using nuclear arms, for years. They have all the reasons now to be displeased. They have used their enormous influence within the Bush-Cheney administration and within the leadership of both Congressional parties to attack Iran, and all these efforts seem to have been made for nil.

Indeed, the Israel Lobby, led in Congress by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (Ind-Conn.), has been strongly influencing some prominent so-called Bush Democrats to join in the war frenzy against Iran. As its point-man in Congress, Senator Joe Lieberman (Ind-Conn) has been calling for the U.S. bombing of Iran every other week, dutifully doing the round of Sunday morning public affairs TV shows. The Neocons have not been deterred by the fact that bombing another country without provocation is an international crime of high order. According to the Nuremberg Charter, it is even a crime punishable by death.

So far, all U.N. resolutions about sanctions against Iran have been specifically framed under Article 41, which entails "measures not involving the use of armed force." It is most doubtful that China and Russia, two Security Council members, will ever accept a resolution that would impose sanctions against Iran under U.N. Article 42, which allows the use of military force "to restore international peace and stability," now that official American intelligence assessments state that there is no Iran nuclear arms program. The United Nations is not going to serve as cover for military operations against Iran.

And the U.S. Congress, especially the non-neocon Democrats, will be increasingly reluctant to give the Bush-Cheney administration a blank check to launch a war against Iran. Last September, the U.S. Senate came very close to handing the Bush-Cheney administration a blank check for military strikes against Iran, when 75 Senators voted in favor of the so-called Kyle-Lieberman non-binding resolution. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), voted in favor of the resolution. This was counteracted last November 1, by 30 U.S. Senators, none of them Republican, led by Senator Jim Webb, from Virginia, who sent a letter to President George W. Bush stressing that the Administration did not have the legal authority to attack Iran without congressional approval.

In the past, Senator and presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has even accused Bush of playing down the threat of a nuclear Iran and has called for swift action at the United Nations to impose sanctions on the Iranian government. Similarly, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) ostensibly capitulated to Bush, after having attended AIPAC's annual meeting, stripping from a war finance bill the provision that would have forced Bush to go to Congress before launching an attack on Iran.

Now, with the NIE report officially out, it will be increasingly difficult for the Democratic leadership in Congress to pussycat with the Bush-Cheney administration regarding any future unprovoked aggression against Iran.

Last February, Admiral William Fallon, the head the Central Command (CENTCOM), expressed strong opposition to an administration plan to increase the number of carrier strike groups in the Persian Gulf from two to three, and he vowed privately there would be no war against Iran as long as he was chief of CENTCOM. And last June, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei said that an attack on Iran over its refusal to freeze programs that could make nuclear weapons would be "an Act of Madness.''

For the time being, cooler-headed individuals have prevailed over the ideologues and the warmongers. As a result, the planned Bush-Cheney-Lieberman war against Iran has been sidetracked. With the subprime financial crisis scheduled to pick up steam in the first half of 2008, it is good news that a fabricated geopolitical crisis has so far been avoided. The main question now is to ask whether Bush and Cheney have the gall to ignore the official intelligence report and invent new lies to justify a war against Iran. Stay tuned for more on this incredible saga.


Rodrigue Tremblay is professor emeritus of economics at the University of Montreal and can be reached at rodrigue.tremblay@yahoo.com
He is the author of the book 'The New American Empire'
Visit his blog site at: www.thenewamericanempire.com/blog.
Author's Website: www.thenewamericanempire.com/
Check Dr. Tremblay's coming book "The Code for Global Ethics" at: www.TheCodeForGlobalEthics.com/
Posted, Monday, December 17, 2007, at 5:30 am

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DEATH RAY REPLACED BY A VOICE

Death Ray Replaced By The Voice of God

December 17, 2007: While U.S. efforts to deploy it's microwave Active Denial System (which transmits a searchlight sized bean of energy when makes people downrange feel like their skin is on fire) continue to be delayed, another non-lethal system, LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) has been quietly deployed to Iraq. And there the story gets a little strange.

LRAD is basically a focused beam of sound. Originally, it was designed to emit a very loud sound. Anyone whose head was touched by this beam, heard a painfully loud sound. Anyone standing next to them heard nothing. But those hit by the beam promptly fled, or fell to the ground in pain. Permanent hearing loss is possible if the beam is kept on a person for several seconds, but given the effect the sound usually has on people (they move, quickly), it is unlikely to happen. LRAD works. It was recently used off Somalia, by a cruise ship, to repel pirates. Some U.S. Navy ships also carry it, but not just to repel attacking suicide bombers, or whatever. No, the system was sold to the navy for a much gentler application. LRAD can also broadcast speech for up to 300 meters. The navy planned to use LRAD to warn ships to get out of the way. This was needed in places like the crowded coastal waters of the northern Persian Gulf, where the navy patrols. Many small fishing and cargo boats ply these waters, and it's often hard to get the attention of the crews. With LRAD, you just aim it at a member of the crew, and have an interpreter "speak" to the sailor. It was noted that the guy on the receiving end was sometimes terrified, even after he realized it was that large American destroyer that was talking to him. This apparently gave the army guys some ideas, for there are now rumors in Iraq of a devilish American weapon that makes people believe they are hearing voices in their heads.

This made more sense when an American advertising firm recently used an LRAD unit to support a media campaign for a new TV show. LRAD was pointed at a sidewalk in Manhattan, below the billboard featuring the new show. LRAD broadcast a female voice providing teaser lines from the show. The effect was startling, and a bit scary for many who passed through the LRAD beam. It appears that some of the troops in Iraq are using "spoken" (as opposed to "screeching") LRAD to mess with enemy fighters. Islamic terrorists tend to be superstitious and, of course, very religious. LRAD can put the "word of God" into their heads. If God, in the form of a voice that only you can hear, tells you to surrender, or run away, what are you gonna do?

Meanwhile, the microwave powered ADS, a non-lethal weapon that looks like a radar dish, languishes in politically correct limbo. The ADS "radar dish" projects a "burn ray" that is about four feet in diameter. It is effective in fog, smoke and rain. When pointed at people and turned on, it creates a burning sensation on the skin of its victims, causing them to want to leave the area, or at least greatly distracts them. The microwave weapon has a range of about 500 meters. ADS is carried on a hummer or Stryker, along with a machine-gun and other non-lethal weapons (like LRAD). The proposed ROE (Rules of Engagement) for ADS were that anyone who kept coming after getting hit with microwave was assumed to have evil intent, and could be killed. The microwave is believed to be particularly useful for terrorists who hide in crowds of women and children, using the human shields to get close enough to make an attack. This has been encountered in Somalia and Iraq.

Deployment of ADS has been delayed for years because of concerns about how non-lethal it really is. ADS has been fired, in tests, over 2,500 times. Many of these firings were against human volunteers, and the device performed as predicted, without any permanent damage. But generations of exposure to lurid science fiction descriptions of "death rays" has made the defense bureaucrats anxious over the negative public relations potential if something like ADS was actually used. From a publicity perspective, using more lethal "non-lethal-weapons" is preferable to deploying something safer, but that could be described, however incorrectly, as a "death ray." In any event, it appears that the cheaper, smaller (about 45 pounds), gentler and more flexible LRAD has taken ADS's place in the American arsenal. At least for now.

Source: http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htweap/articles/20071217.aspx

SMOM REJECTS ALLEDGED LINK TO ACTION

Knights of Malta rejects alleged link to military action

December 15, 2007 ·

“The painful saga of modern Arab-Muslim history evokes the battles fought in Crusades of the 11th centry - when the Knights of Malta began their operations as a Christian militia whose mission it was to defend the land conquered by the Crusaders. These memories return violently to mind with the discovery of links between the so-called security firms in Iraq such as Blackwater have historic links with the Order of Malta. You cannot exaggerate it. The Order of Malta is a hidden government or the most mysterious government in the world.”

- Jordanian MP Jamal Muhammad Abidat, from an editorial in the United Arab Emirates daily Al-Bayan entitled “The Knights of Malta - more than a conspiracy”. Abidat describes the role played by the Knights of Malta during the Crusades, and that the Order is playing a similar role in the Middle East today, citing the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The 78th Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, His Most Eminent Highness Fra’ Andrew Bertie (R), accorded the ecclesiastical precedence of a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, with the diplomatic honors due to a sovereign head of state, on state visit to Poland May 14th, 2007 reviewing Polish military troops in Warsaw with the President of the Polish Republic Lech Kaczynski.

ADN Kronos Dec 14, 2007

Rome, 14 Dec. (AKI) - The Roman Catholic Order of Malta on Friday rejected suggestions that it is in any way involved in military activity in Iraq or any other country in the world.

The organisation responded to a message posted a week ago on Islamist websites close to al-Qaeda, urging jihadists to carry out a terrorist attack on its embassy in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

The message urging the attack followed an editorial in the UAE daily al-Bayan, by Jordanian MP Jamal Muhammad Abidat claiming the order was playing a direct role in conflicts in the Middle East, such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Such statements, as well as causing deep upset because they are unfounded, have been expressed about an humanitarian organisation that helps the weak and disadvantaged in 120 countries around the world with medical and humanitarian programs,” the organisation said in a statement.

The order, better known as the Knights of Malta, stressed that more than once there had been confusion in many countries about names and symbols that were similar to its organisation.

“The Order of Malta’s mission is exclusively to help the poor, the sick and the most needy,” the statement said.

“Created in Jerusalem more than nine centuries ago, its focus today is international public rights. With its headquarters in Rome, it is neutral, impartial and apolitical.”

The organisation has 12,500 members and 80,000 volunteers that helps the elderly, children, the disabled, lepers, refugees and those with terminal illnesses on five continents without distinctions between race or religion.

The message posted on 6 December called for Egyptians to attack the organisation’s Cairo office.

“Do not stint on your attacks, Egyptians, either with car or truck bombs,” read the message.

In the newspaper article, Abidat gave a Muslim interpretation of the Order’s history, describing the role played by the Knights of Malta during the Crusades. Abidat claimed the Order is playing the same role in the Middle East today.

Order of the Knights of Malta

“The painful saga of modern Arab-Muslim history evokes the battles fought in Crusades of the 11th century - when the Knights of Malta began their operations as a Christian militia whose mission it was to defend the land conquered by the Crusaders.”

Abidat accused the Order of Malta of being run by men who are close to US president George W. Bush and neo-conservative political circles.

“You cannot exaggerate it. The Order of Malta is a hidden government or the most mysterious government in the world,” said Abidat in the editorial.

The Rome-based Order of Malta, whose full name is the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, is also known as The Knights of Malta.

It began as an organisation founded in Jerusalem in 1080, to care for poor and sick pilgrims to the Holy Land.

The Order of Malta retains its claim of sovereignty under international law and has been granted permanent observer status at the United Nations. It issues its own passports, stamps and coins and has formal diplomatic relations with 99 states. . .

Source: http://aftermathnews.wordpress.com/2007/12/15/knights-of-malta-rejects-alleged-link-to-military-action/

BUSH APPROVES $555 B SPENDING BILL - 2008

Bush Approves $555 Billion US Spending Bill for 2008

26 December 2007

President Bush has signed a massive spending bill for 2008 that includes $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

President Bush arrives at TSTC airfield, Wednesday, 26 Dec. 2007 in Waco Texas to spend the rest of the holidays at his ranch near Crawford Texas
President Bush arrives at TSTC airfield in Waco Texas to spend the rest of the holidays at his ranch near Crawford Texas, 26 Dec 2007
Mr. Bush said in a statement Wednesday that the $555 billion budget bill funds the government without raising taxes and without what he called the most objectionable policy changes considered by the Congress.

Congressional Democrats lost their bid to link funding for the Iraq war with a timetable for withdrawal. Mr. Bush had threatened to veto any bill that included deadlines to pull U.S. forces out of Iraq.

Mr. Bush also said he is disappointed the bill includes more than $10 billion in earmarks -- spending allocations for projects favored by specific members of Congress. Mr. Bush has said he instructed his budget director to review the options for dealing with what he called "wasteful spending."

The president signed the bill before flying to his Texas ranch, where he will ring in the new year. The measure funds all government departments except defense through September 2008. A separate defense budget was signed into law earlier.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP .


Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-12-26-voa53.cfm

OLD FOLKS AT HOME?

The Swanee River (Old Folks at Home)

words and music by Stephen C. Foster (1826-1864)

   FIRST VERSE
Way down upon de Swanee Ribber,
Far, far away,
Dere's wha my heart is turning ebber,
Dere's wha de old folks stay.
All up and down de whole creation
Sadly I roam,
Still longing for de old plantation,
And for de old folks at home.

CHORUS
All de world am sad and dreary,
Eb-rywhere I roam;
Oh, darkeys, *how my heart grows weary,
Far from de old folks at home!

SECOND VERSE
All round de little farm I wandered
When I was young,
Den many happy days I squandered,
Many de songs I sung.
When I was playing wid my brudder
Happy was I;
Oh, take me to my kind old mudder!
Dere let me live and die.

THIRD VERSE
One little hut among de bushes,
One dat I love
Still sadly to my memory rushes,
No matter where I rove.
When will I see de bees a-humming
All round de comb?
When will I hear de banjo strumming,
Down in my good old home?

Adoption of State Song

Old Folks at Home
Old Folks at Home
Courtesy University of Pittsbugh

Stephen Collins Foster wrote "Old Folks at Home" in 1851, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was written for E. P. Christy and his performing troupe, Christy's Minstrels. An interesting bit of trivia is that Foster referred to the Pedee River instead of the Suwannee River in an original draft of the song. "Suwannee" had to be shortened to "Swanee" to fit in with the song's rhythms.

As printed in the program for the dedication of the New Capitol on March 31, 1978, "brothers" was substituted for "darkeys" in the chorus of "Old Folks at Home." Leon and Lynn Dallin, in Heritage Songster, used "dear ones." The Dallins also eliminated all attempts at reproducing dialect.

The song, "The Swanee River (Old Folks At Home)", words and music by Stephen C. Foster, was adopted as the official state song of Florida on May 25, 1935.

House Concurrent Resolution

On May 25, 1935, the Florida Legislature, in its 25th Regular Session adopted "The Swanee River (Old Folks at Home)" as the official state song, replacing "Florida, My Florida," which had been adopted as the State Song in 1913. "Swanee River (Old Folks at Home)" was promoted as the new state song in House Concurrent Resolution No. 22, sponsored by S. P. Robineau of Miami.

Source: http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/song/fl_swanee_river.htm

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

THE REIGN OF TERROR


The Reign of Terror

Instead of a democracy the Convention established a war dictatorship operating through the Committee of Public Safety, the Committee of General Security, and numerous agencies such as the Revolutionary Tribunal. Known to history as the Reign of Terror, this period represented the efforts of a few men to govern the country and wage war in a time of crisis. Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre dominated the new government, with Robespierre gradually gaining over Danton and others. Price and wage maximums were unevenly enforced, and acceptance of the inflated paper currency, the assignats, was made mandatory. A huge number of suspects were arrested; thousands were executed, including Marie Antoinette. A revolutionary calendar, with 10-day weeks, was adopted.

The fanatic Jacques Hébert, who had introduced the worship of a goddess of Reason, was arrested and executed in Mar., 1794, along with other so-called ultrarevolutionaries. The next month Danton and his followers, the “Indulgents,” who advocated relaxation of emergency measures, were executed. To counter Hébertist influence, Robespierre proclaimed (June, 1794) the cult of the Supreme Being. France's military successes lessened the need for strong domestic measures, but Robespierre called for new purges. Fearing that the Terror would be turned against them, members of the Convention arrested Robespierre on July 27, 1794 (see Thermidor), and had him guillotined; a majority of Commune members were also executed.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0858287.html

OMEGA APOSTASY IN THE SDA CHURCH



This idolatrous standard of Rome was placed by the Vatican on the stage of the 1995 General Conference Session of Seventh-day Adventist in Utrecht, Netherlands.
Omega Apostasy in the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Introduction
The Lord will return soon, but before that happens our beloved Seventh-day Adventist Church and its individual members will go through some very trying times. It was predicted by Ellen White that as we near the end, the church will have the appearance of falling, but it will not fall. It was predicted that the condition of God’s people overall will be much like the condition of the Israelites when Jesus walked this earth. It was also predicted that false theories would be introduced right in our midst that would lead many astray. This article will deal with some of those false theories that have taken root in the minds of many professing Adventists. The article is not intended to condemn anyone, but only to reveal the nature of those false ideas, and to warn the unsuspecting.
TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE CLICK ON LINK BELOW:

WHAT SAITH ROME?

Spiritual Insights Into The New World Order So Startling
You Will Never Look At The News The Same Way Again

Mary
Virgin Mary
Queen of Heaven
What saith Rome?
Introduction

Pope John Paul II
Bent Crucifix


We are living in what the Bible describes as "perilous times" popularly known as the End of the Age (2 Timothy 3:1). As we draw near to the dawn of the twenty-first century, the many religions of our world are endeavoring vigorously to achieve a false unity at the expense of the Bible's clear teachings. Much of this effort is being implemented through the employment of counterfeit or vague terminology. Words that are given different meanings sound like the truth but in reality are "doctrines of devils", or "doctrines that demons teach" 1 Timothy 4:1, Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified).

There are many people who are convinced that the Roman Catholic Church preaches the same Gospel as the Bible. Is this actually true? In our study we are going to examine the present-day teachings of Rome as found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church [Liguori Publications, Imprimi Potest + Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Interdicasterial Commission for the Catechism of the Catholic Church].

We will evaluate each Catholic teaching in light of the inerrant and completely sufficient Word of God (Sola Scriptura).

Our study will take us on a journey to examine "What saith Rome?" When you understand what Roman Catholicism REALLY teaches, you will be surprised and shocked! You will also be able to determine whether Roman Catholicism is truly "Christian" as she claims.

This is not an excercise in futility, because your eternal soul is at stake. If you carry your belief and trust for eternal life in Roman Catholicism to your grave, you will be as lost for eternity as if you believed nothing at all, like the Heathen. Therefore, read carefully, and prayerfully.

Remember, we love you all, and only wish that you would come to the Truth of Jesus Christ as taught in the Scriptures and the Scriptures alone. May God Richly Bless You.

Read the Articles

Read the Articles

Source: http://www.cuttingedge.org/articles/rome.html

BANKING ON PROSPERITY


Banking on prosperity

December 23 2007

Anniversary

TIME passes swiftly. It is now 10 years from the Asian banking crisis of 1997 and much has changed. Readers may remember that the collapse of the Thai bhat lost billions of dollars and put Asian economies into a state of turmoil. Much has changed for the better and far from losing a decade of development much of Asia has made great progress. As that progress continues, a damaged global financial sector needs to assess current and future risk and take action. Meanwhile the Asian financial sector must understand that the progress that they have made is progress only. The job is far from finished.

In a recent report McKinsey has analysed whether enough has changed in Asian banking to avoid another catastrophe. North American, European and some Asian banks are suffering from a crisis that they created. The danger is that the global economy may suffer with them. The answer to McKinsey's challenge appears to be "No". Let us take a look, however, at the facts before reaching any harsh conclusions.

Transformation

THERE can be little doubt that 10 years after the massive problems the Asian banking system is now far better placed to withstand shocks. The Japanese economy has risen from the ashes, India and China have developed into global economic giants. Investment capital is abundant and the need for it is obvious and growing. It would seem that all is well now and for the future, but perhaps we should never take things for granted and risks — even those that have apparently been resolved — should constantly be considered afresh as the global economy develops. When creativity and innovation are encouraged latent risks will emerge. Not only Asian, but global banks must be ready to deal with them.

Shocks will occur

THE rate of change carries with it the seeds of future concern. Imbalances are all but inevitable when growth is rapid. Does the present state of the financial sector in Asia give us cause for celebration or concern? Or is it, as experience suggests, a complex mixture of new strengths and old weaknesses? Ten years is a very short time for shock-proof risk management across a continent that is experiencing massive change.

Asia may well continue its momentum and soon stand equal to the USA and Europe as a global leader in financial services, but there will be problems to be faced and history to be studied en route. The West, with centuries of experience can hardly claim that they always get it right.

Growth

FOR a decade growth of many parts of the Asian economy has been the main economic and business "talking point" in the West. With expanding prosperity the financial sector has grown, is growing and will grow further. By 2015 it will account for nearly 30 per cent of the world increase in international financial services.

Today four Asian centres are included in the top 10 financial cities of the world. Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo are now major international centres that rival those of the West.

London and New York continue their long-term domination, but Asian achievement has been remarkable. The danger will be that, flushed with success, policy makers in Asia will discontinue the view that reform is "work in progress" and fall into the trap of believing that the whole task is accomplished.

The "to do" list

EFFECTIVE risk management needs to be come a key part of the culture of financial institutions to an ever greater degree. We have recently experienced what happens when global bankers move away from their traditional habit of conservatism. The global economy is only beginning to pay for short-term greed. Nobody appears to know how great the final cost will be. The danger still exists that a problem will develop into a full scale crisis in spite of the intervention by national banks.

Hopefully the Asian financial sector and that of the rest of the world will embed the lessons. Risk management must permeate every organisation. They and we must not point the finger and assume that there is nothing needing to be done on "our" part. The West should step back a little towards tradition while the East enhances a "new" culture.

Contingency planning must be careful and continuous. Threats abound. Some are foreseeable and therefore avoidable. Appropriate avoidance actions should be built into strategies, but some shocks will emerge. We are now suffering from what happens when contingency planning is slack and greed is rampant.

Corporate governance should be the focus of mind and behaviour for every board. Again this goes beyond the development of systems. Recent happenings in the UK involving the loss of data suggest that systems are meaningless unless the right "state of mind" is developed.

Talent, in this sector as elsewhere is scarce and needs to be acquired and developed. Talent offers creativity, but for the global economy's sake, innovation needs to be tempered by effective risk assessment and planning. Talented people should see a little further than most of us and should be encouraged and enabled to do so. Talented people with a deep understanding of the global situation will see further yet.

Ben Bernanke has recently begun the process of opening up, in the face of entrenched defensiveness, conduits of information that will enable closer relationships between the financial sector, regulators, central banks and policy makers so that all can be pulling in the same direction with clear and shared goals constantly in sight. For the USA this is virgin territory. For London it is an old story. We can all learn together as both West and East explore that territory with a new intensity.

The take away

AS the result of a decade of thought and hard work the finance industry in Asia has developed in a way that mirrors the continent's economic and trading success. The achievements have been great, but the job is far from finished. As Asia continues to tackle that job the West needs to ensure that we do not limit ourselves to advice on how to remove the "mote" from Asia's eye.

We have our own beam to "pluck out" and only by working together will the global economy prosper in a climate of reduced risk. Goldman Sachs record profits, announced this week, show what effective contingency planning can do. Without effective planning, governance and action the next crisis is never far away.

Tom Lambert is an international businessman and distinguished academic and author. He will be contributing a weekly column from Europe to the Khaleej Times.

Source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/ColumnistHomeNew.asp?section=proftomlambert&col=yes

THE AMERICAN ECONOMY GOING GLOBAL



The American economy continues to go global, as overseas banking behemoths pour vast sums of money into ailing American banks!

Was this the plan from the beginning, i.e., to use the subprime crisis as a tool by which important areas of the American economy could be globalized?



NEWS BRIEF: "Asian, Mideast funds unleash cultural revolution on Wall Street: Buying up big stakes in ailing US banks", Khaleej Times, 25 December 2007



"WASHINGTON - State-run investment funds from Asia and the Middle East are unleashing a cultural revolution on Wall Street, buying up big stakes in ailing US banks. Concerns have spiked in recent weeks as some of America’s top investment banks have sought vast cash infusions to offset multi-billion dollar losses triggered by a deep housing slump and a related credit crunch."



The sums of money being poured into these financially distressed banks are truly huge. For example:



* Merrill Lynch announced Monday that Temasek Holdings Pte. Ltd., a Singapore state-owned investment group, was buying a 4.4-billion-dollar shareholding in the company"



* The China Investment Corporation (CIC) had obtained a five-billion-dollar stake in Morgan Stanley



* The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority of the United Arab Emirates grabbed a hefty 7.5-billion-dollar shareholding in Citigroup last month



* CIC grabbed a three-billion-dollar stake in the Blackstone Group, a large private equity firm, earlier this year



* China’s CITIC Securities Company Ltd. bought a six percent shareholding in Bear Stearns, another troubled US investment house, for one billion dollars in October



"Analysts believe more deals are likely, especially as the foreign funds are sitting on huge cash stockpiles. US banks have been forced to seek cash injections because of heavy losses on mortgage investments. Beijing’s financial firepower has been swelled by over one trillion dollars of foreign currency reserves while the energy-rich UAE’s coffers have been fattened by rocketing oil prices."



From the beginning, we believed that the subprime crisis was being manipulated to achieve coveted Illuminati goals. This development falls into line with known global goals necessary to establish the prophetic One-World Economy. But, Conservatives are dismayed by this development, as well they should be, because global control over the American banking system does threaten our national sovereignty.



But President Bush does not seem concerned.



"President George W. Bush addressed the flurry of such deals during a White House press conference on Thursday. 'I don’t think it’s a problem', Bush said, as he warned against a protectionist backlash, which he said could harm investment flows."



This issue is one which positively brands the President as a Liberal, rather than a true Conservative. The entire Bush Family has long been viewed with suspicion by genuine Conservatives, and for good reason. Liberal Policies like this have been too common for both Presidents Bush.



Source: http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/headline.html

ONE KILLED, 12 CHURCHES ATTAKED IN INDIA

Figure 6 - Seige of Orissa

One killed, 12 churches attacked in E. India
(Reuters)

26 December 2007



BHUBANESWAR - Hundreds of federal police were deployed in India’s eastern state of Orissa on Wednesday as Hindu hardliners burnt and damaged 12 churches in communal clashes, killing at least one person, police said.


The reported injury of a local Hindu leader by a Christian group on Monday sparked two days of violence over Christmas in the Kandhamal district of southern Orissa by hardliners who accuse Christian groups of converting low-caste Hindus.



“The situation is tense but under control,” said B.B. Mishra, a state inspector-general of police.



The hardliners, some linked to India’s main Hindu nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have often accused Christian priests of bribing poor tribes people and low-caste Hindus to change their faith.



Many of the churches targeted were makeshift places of worship, often built with thatched roofs and mud walls, local media reported.



Orissa, now governed by a BJP ally, has witnessed some of the worst attacks on Christians in the past, including the murders of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two children who were burned to death inside their car by a mob in 1999.



Christian groups say lower-caste Hindus who convert do so willingly to escape the highly stratified and oppressive Hindu caste system.



But several states ruled by the BJP have passed anti-conversion laws. Christians make up around 2 percent of mainly Hindu India’s 1.1 billion people.


Source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2007/December/subcontinent_December870.xml&section=subcontinent

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

WINDS BLAMED FOR OUTAGES IN LA AREA

Gusty winds blamed for thousands of outages in LA area

From the Associated Press
.
Gusty winds knocked down electrical wires and blew several transformers Monday, causing outages to nearly 10,000 homes and businesses amid concerns that weather conditions could prompt a Christmas fire.

The winds hampered firefighter's efforts to douse a blaze that gutted a historic church in Hollywood, said city Fire Department spokeswoman d'Lisa Davies.

No one was injured in the fire, which destroyed the Little Country Church of Hollywood, made famous in the 1930s by a Tennessee preacher who broadcast his sermons on national radio.

Officials were investigating the cause, Davies said.

Dry Santa Ana winds, combined with low humidity prompted the National Weather Service to issue a "red flag" warning, indicating that conditions will be ripe for brush fires through Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, some 9,900 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers were without power, mostly in the San Fernando Valley and city's west side, utility spokeswoman Carol Tucker said.

Crews were working to restore power, Tucker said.

At least eight transformers exploded and some street signals were out, Davies said.
Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-winds25dec25,1,3308951.story?coll=la-headlines-california

ON CHRISMAS, POPE URGES END TO WARS

On Christmas, pope urges end to wars


In this photo released by the Vatican's L'Osservatore Romano newspaper,  Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, from the velvet-draped loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, during the 'Urbi et Orbi' message, Latin for ''to the city and to the world', Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2007. The pontiff issued a Christmas Day appeal  to political leaders around the globe to find the 'wisdom and courage'' to end bloody conflicts in Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Congo. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, HO)

In this photo released by the Vatican's L'Osservatore
Romano newspaper, Pope Benedict XVI delivers...
.
.

By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer2 hours, 58 minutes ago

Pope Benedict XVI issued a Christmas Day appeal Tuesday to political leaders around the globe to find the "wisdom and courage" to end bloody conflicts in Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan and Congo.

Benedict delivered his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" speech — Latin for "to the city and to the world" — from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, blessing thousands of people gathered in the square below under a brilliant winter sun.

Wearing gold-embroidered vestments and a bejeweled bishops' hat, or miter, Benedict urged the crowd to rejoice over the celebration of Jesus Christ's birth, which he said he hoped would bring consolation to all people "who live in the darkness of poverty, injustice and war."

He mentioned in particular those living in the "tortured regions" of Darfur, Somalia, northern Congo, the Eritrea-Ethiopia border, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Balkans.

"May the child Jesus bring relief to those who are suffering and may he bestow upon political leaders the wisdom and courage to seek and find humane, just and lasting solutions," he said.

Beyond those conflicts, Benedict said he was turning his thoughts this Christmas to victims of other injustices, citing women, children and the elderly, as well as refugees and victims of environmental disasters and religious and ethnic tensions.

He said he hoped Christmas would bring consolation to "those who are still denied their legitimate aspirations for a more secure existence, for health, education, stable employment, for fuller participation in civil and political responsibilities, free from oppression and protected from conditions that offend human dignity."

Such injustices and discrimination are destroying the internal fabric of many countries and souring international relations, he said.

In a nod to his engagement with environmental concerns, the pontiff also noted that the number of migrants and displaced people was increasing around the globe because of "frequent natural disasters, often caused by environmental upheavals."

The pontiff delivered his message just hours after celebrating Midnight Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

Benedict followed his speech with his traditional Christmas Day greetings — this year delivered in 63 different languages, including Mongolian, Finnish, Arabic, Hebrew, Swahili, Burmese, and in a new entry for 2007, Guarani, a South American Indian language.

As he finished, the bells of St. Peter's tolled and the Vatican's brightly outfitted Swiss Guards stood at attention as a band played and a crowd numbering in the tens of thousands waved national flags and cheered.




Copyright © 2007 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071225/ap_on_re_eu/vatican_christmas

Monday, December 24, 2007

REAL ID ACT - A NATIONAL IDENTITY SYSTEM

Real ID Act – A Backdoor National Identity System



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This 90-second Freedom Files video short looks at the federal Real ID Act that may be on its way to your local motor vehicles office, where it would bring longer lines, worse service, bureaucratic nightmares, and higher fees – and turn your driver’s license into a true federalized national identity card that will be used to invade our privacy in ways Americans have never seen before.

The piece features Bill Cattorini, a retired Chicago fireman who has been caught in a bureaucratic limbo due to a discrepancy between his birth date as listed on his driver’s license and the date on his social security card. That was never an issue until Illinois began trying to comply with some parts of Real ID. Now Cattorini can’t drive.

Cattorini is hardly unusual in having a quirk or discrepancy in his bureaucratic records. And millions of others will face similar problems, or worse, if Real ID goes into effect.

The key word is “if.” A battle is now raging over Real ID in state legislatures across the nation, with a growing number of states rebelling against this expensive (and unfunded) scheme. Already Maine and Idaho have declared that they won’t comply, and many other states are moving toward similar action.

For more information about Real ID, please visit RealNightmare.org. A map showing the status of anti-Real ID legislation in each state is available here.

REAL ID: WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU

The Real ID Act was rammed through Congress without hearings in May 2005. It was a? ached to emergency supplemental legislation providing funds to continue the war in Iraq and humanitarian relief for victims of the recent Pacifi c tsunami. The Real ID Act:

Is a REAL national ID.

Drivers' licenses will contain a standardized set of information collected by all 50 states, backed up by a standardized “machine-readable zone” and by a national database of ID information. Local Department of Motor Vehicle offices will become federal agents charged with administering an internal passport without which you will be unable to function in the United States.

Is REAL ineffective.

REAL ID is supposed to stop terrorism. ID documents do not reveal anything about evil intent – and even if they did, determined terrorists will always be able to obtain fraudulent documents (either counterfeit or real documents bought from corrupt offi cials).

Is a REAL nightmare for state governments.

States will have to remake their driver’s licenses, restructure computer databases and systems, create an extensive new document-storage system, and expand security measures. They will have to verify the “issuance, validity and completeness” of every birth certifi cate, every immigration document, every utility bill, and every other document -- not just when a drivers' license is fi rst issued, but every time you want to renew it as well.

Is REAL expensive.

It could cost as much as $23 billion, leaving you to pay additional steep fees when applying for driver’s licenses. It will take funds away from important state programs.

Is a REAL hassle.

You are also likely to confront slower service, longer lines, and bureaucratic snafus in obtaining these ID cards, and may get caught in the nightmare of inflexible verification requirements.

Is a REAL identity theft risk.

The creation of a single interlinked database as well as the requirement that each DMV store copies of every birth certifi cate and every other document creates huge new security risks by creating a one-stop shop for identity thieves.

Is a REAL invasion of privacy.

The IDs must include a “common machine-readable technology” that will allow for easy, computerized transfer of the data on the cards. That will make it easy for anybody in private industry to snap up the data on these IDs and put it up for sale, not subject even to the limited privacy rules in eff ect for the government. Since home addresses are currently required for the card, victims of domestic violence may be put at special risk.

Is a REAL step toward a surveillance society.

This new national identity card will create an infrastructure for the tracking, monitoring, and regulation of your activities. Its centralized database will inevitably, over time, become the repository for more and more data on individuals, as we become a "show me your papers, please" society.