Tuesday, July 08, 2008

First American named to lead Vatican court


St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke
Tom Gannam: Associated Press




July 3, 2008, 6:18PM


First American named to lead Vatican court
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle News Services



ST. LOUIS — An archbishop who tussled with singer Sheryl Crow, college basketball coach Rick Majerus and Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry over their support for abortion rights has been named the first American to lead the Vatican supreme court.
Archbishop Raymond Burke, an expert in church law and perhaps the most outspoken of conservative U.S. bishops, was appointed last week to the court, which is traditionally headed by a cardinal.
Burke's appointment shows that Pope Benedict XVI has great respect for U.S. bishops, said the Rev. Thomas Reese, senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.
"This is more power than Americans have ever had in Rome," Reese said.
In 2005, Benedict named Archbishop William Levada of San Francisco to head the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and later elevated him to cardinal.
"Those two positions are the highest of any American in the Vatican in a long time," Reese said. "Certainly (Burke) is going to get a red hat. He's going to be made a cardinal."
Roman Catholics in St. Louis clearly are split between those who are glad and those who are sorry he's going.
Some see him as a champion of orthodoxy who represents a refreshing return to church values. Others view him as sorely lacking as a pastor, an unbending stickler for the letter of the law.
"I've been getting phone calls since 6 o'clock this morning from parishioners singing, 'Ding, dong, the archbishop is gone,' " said the Rev. Marek Bozek, who, along with his parish board, was excommunicated by Burke after a long-simmering dispute over St. Stanislaus Kostka's assets.
Yet other Catholics defended Burke, 60.
"We're sad about it," said the Rev. Karl Lenhardt, who was invited here by Burke to establish a place where the Latin Mass could be celebrated. "But we are convinced that work in his new capacity will be good for the universal church. We can't be surprised that the Holy Father has called him."
Burke said he would move to Rome in late August to head the supreme court, which resolves jurisdictional disputes among various Vatican tribunals and hears procedural appeals on marriage annulments. Benedict and his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, have complained for years that local tribunals grant an excessive number of annulments.
The archbishop worked on the staff of the Vatican's high court, called the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, for five years before being named bishop of La Crosse, Wis., his home diocese, in 1995. In 2006, Benedict named Burke one of the 15 judges on the Signatura.
In June, the pope named Burke to two Vatican offices, the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, which interprets canon law, and the Congregation for the Clergy, which regulates the formation and training of diocesan priests and deacons.
"It's the respect the pope and Vatican officials have for him as canon lawyer that has gotten him this job," Reese said. "The pastoral skills needed to run a diocese are not needed as the head of the Signatura."
The Associated Press and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.




Everything seemingly is spinning out of control



By ALAN FRAM and EILEEN PUTMAN, Associated Press Writers

Sat Jun 21, 3:14 PM ET
WASHINGTON - Is everything spinning out of control?

Midwestern levees are bursting. Polar bears are adrift. Gas prices are skyrocketing. Home values are abysmal. Air fares, college tuition and health care border on unaffordable. Wars without end rage in Iraq, Afghanistan and against terrorism.
Horatio Alger, twist in your grave.
The can-do, bootstrap approach embedded in the American psyche is under assault. Eroding it is a dour powerlessness that is chipping away at the country's sturdy conviction that destiny can be commanded with sheer courage and perseverance.
The sense of helplessness is even reflected in this year's presidential election. Each contender offers a sense of order — and hope. Republican John McCain promises an experienced hand in a frightening time. Democrat Barack Obama promises bright and shiny change, and his large crowds believe his exhortation, "Yes, we can."
Even so, a battered public seems discouraged by the onslaught of dispiriting things. An Associated Press-Ipsos poll says a barrel-scraping 17 percent of people surveyed believe the country is moving in the right direction. That is the lowest reading since the survey began in 2003.
An ABC News-Washington Post survey put that figure at 14 percent, tying the low in more than three decades of taking soundings on the national mood.
"It is pretty scary," said Charles Truxal, 64, a retired corporate manager in Rochester, Minn. "People are thinking things are going to get better, and they haven't been. And then you go hide in your basement because tornadoes are coming through. If you think about things, you have very little power to make it change."
Recent natural disasters around the world dwarf anything afflicting the U.S. Consider that more than 69,000 people died in the China earthquake, and that 78,000 were killed and 56,000 missing from the Myanmar cyclone.
Americans need do no more than check the weather, look in their wallets or turn on the news for their daily reality check on a world gone haywire.
Floods engulf Midwestern river towns. Is it global warming, the gradual degradation of a planet's weather that man seems powerless to stop or just a freakish late-spring deluge?
It hardly matters to those in the path. Just ask the people of New Orleans who survived Hurricane Katrina. They are living in a city where, 1,000 days after the storm, entire neighborhoods remain abandoned, a national embarrassment that evokes disbelief from visitors.
Food is becoming scarcer and more expensive on a worldwide scale, due to increased consumption in growing countries such as China and India and rising fuel costs. That can-do solution to energy needs — turning corn into fuel — is sapping fields of plenty once devoted to crops that people need to eat. Shortages have sparked riots. In the U.S., rice prices tripled and some stores rationed the staple.
Residents of the nation's capital and its suburbs repeatedly lose power for extended periods as mere thunderstorms rumble through. In California, leaders warn people to use less water in the unrelenting drought.
Want to get away from it all? The weak U.S. dollar makes travel abroad forbiddingly expensive. To add insult to injury, some airlines now charge to check luggage.
Want to escape on the couch? A writers' strike halted favorite TV shows for half a season. The newspaper on the table may soon be a relic of the Internet age. Just as video stores are falling by the wayside as people get their movies online or in the mail.
But there's always sports, right?
The moorings seem to be coming loose here, too.
Baseball stars Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens stand accused of enhancing their heroics with drugs. Basketball referees are suspected of cheating.
Stay tuned for less than pristine tales from the drug-addled Tour de France and who knows what from the Summer Olympics.
It's not the first time Americans have felt a loss of control.
Alger, the dime-novel author whose heroes overcame adversity to gain riches and fame, played to similar anxieties when the U.S. was becoming an industrial society in the late 1800s.
American University historian Allan J. Lichtman notes that the U.S. has endured comparable periods and worse, including the economic stagflation (stagnant growth combined with inflation) and Iran hostage crisis of 1980; the dawn of the Cold War, the Korean War and the hysterical hunts for domestic Communists in the late 1940s and early 1950s; and the Depression of the 1930s.
"All those periods were followed by much more optimistic periods in which the American people had their confidence restored," he said. "Of course, that doesn't mean it will happen again."
Each period also was followed by a change in the party controlling the White House.
This period has seen intense interest in the presidential primaries, especially the Democrats' five-month duel between Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Records were shattered by voters showing up at polling places, yearning for a voice in who will next guide the country as it confronts the uncontrollable.
Never mind that their views of their current leaders are near rock bottom, reflecting a frustration with Washington's inability to solve anything. President Bush barely gets the approval of three in 10 people, and it's even worse for the Democratic-led Congress.
Why the vulnerability? After all, this is the 21st century, not a more primitive past when little in life was assured. Surely people know how to fix problems now.
Maybe. And maybe this is what the 21st century will be about — a great unraveling of some things long taken for granted.


Monday, July 07, 2008

FDA Tests Cilantro, Peppers for Salmonella


Tomatoes Are Still a Suspect in the Salmonella Outbreak, Says FDA


By Miranda HittiWebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
July 7, 2008 -- The FDA is testing cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and Serrano peppers, as well as tomatoes, to find the source of the salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 943 people in 40 states and Washington, D.C.
The FDA began testing cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and Serrano peppers within the past few days. Jalapeno peppers and Serrano peppers are hot peppers that are often used in salsa.
But the FDA hasn't made any recommendations about eating -- or avoiding -- cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and Serrano peppers. For now, the FDA's advice to consumers is still all about tomatoes.
Last week, the FDA announced that it was broadening its search for the source of the outbreak beyond tomatoes. At the time, FDA officials declined to get specific about what other types of produce they were probing, except that those items were commonly eaten with tomatoes.
View Article Sources
SOURCES:
FDA.
CDC: "Investigation of Outbreak of Infections Caused by Salmonella Saintpaul."

© 2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.



Farmers say salmonella scare has hurt tomato sales


Friday, July 4, 2008


FRESNO, Calif. - Expect fewer slices of red, ripe tomatoes next to the grill this holiday weekend.
With a salmonella scare causing many customers to shun what's normally a summertime favorite, tomato farmers nationwide have had to plow under their fields and leave their crop to rot in packinghouses.
As losses across the supply chain top $100 million, industry leaders are calling for a congressional investigation into the government's handling of the outbreak, the source of which hasn't been determined.
McDonald's Corp., Wendy's International Inc. and Yum Brands Inc. resumed offering some tomatoes on their menus in the last few weeks.
But now, during one of the biggest barbecue weekends of the year, tomato farmers say their summer season has already withered despite the government's recent announcement that some other type of fresh produce might have caused the salmonella outbreak, which has sickened 922 people.
"Now the government has a doubt as to whether it was tomatoes after they've already blackened our eye?" said Paul DiMare, president of The DiMare Companies in Johns Island, S.C. "June and July are the best time of the year for tomatoes, but our movement has completely stopped in the United States."
Farmers, packers and shippers fear it could take months to rebuild the $1.3 billion market for fresh tomatoes.
In Fresno County, one grower chose to lose $225,000 by letting his tomatoes rot in the fields this weekend because he would have taken a bigger hit hiring crews to harvest them, said Ed Beckman, president of the statewide cooperative California Tomato Farmers.
"This is normally a huge week for the industry because everyone barbecues, but we're just not seeing that demand materialize," Beckman said. "We are slowly starting to see consumers recognize that California tomatoes are, in fact, safe. But for a grower to walk away from a $225,000 investment, there's a lot of pain."
In Ruskin, Fla., where DiMare's son Tony oversees the family business' packing facilities, the price per 25-pound box of red round tomatoes dropped from $16 to just $10 after the outbreak began in early June. Tony DiMare said he had no choice but to let the fruit turn to mush, since his customers refused to pick up their orders.
"It's like pulling teeth right now trying to move product," he said. "We've been kind of guilty by association in this blunder of an investigation."
Like others in the produce trade, DiMare is critical of the Food and Drug Administration's progress on the investigation.
Officials with the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said the sheer complexity of the outbreak and the industry's vast international supply chain have hampered efforts to find the sources of contamination.
In April, before the first victim fell ill, federal agriculture authorities visited Florida packinghouses and tomato farms on a special mission to assess food safety conditions.
At a handful of stops near Immokalee - located in one of the domestic regions still considered a possible origin of the outbreak - they found "conditions and practices of concern," including the presence of domestic animals, problems with the water system and poor sanitation, agency officials said.
All facilities corrected the problems immediately and none were deemed "egregious," FDA spokesman Michael Herndon said. Still, officials can't rule out the possibility that the salmonella may be linked to one of those locations.
Red plum, red Roma and red round tomatoes harvested in the area during that period were later shipped out to market, and have yet to be cleared of suspicion. But they also have not been directly tied to the outbreak.
DiMare, who volunteered to lead officials through the company's repacking facility in Ruskin as part of the initiative, said inspectors would be hard-pressed to find traces of salmonella on farms now, weeks after harvest ended. He said authorities found no concerns at his company.
Last week, the FDA suggested tomatoes picked weeks ago could have tainted packing sheds or warehouses that are only now sending their products to market. There's also the possibility that the source itself is still on the market or that a different kind of produce is making people sick.
As farmers' frustration grows, Western Growers, which represents 3,000 growers in California and Arizona, is urging the House Committee on Agriculture to hold hearings on the outbreak.
"The collateral damage inflicted on thousands of innocent producers in this country by FDA blanket `advisories,' such as with spinach and tomatoes, cannot go unchallenged," said the group's president, Tom Nassif. "Congress must investigate this matter and determine ways to avoid this in the future and make the innocent tomato growers, packers and shippers whole."
---
On the Net:
http://www.dimareinc.com
http://www.californiatomatofarmers.com
http://www.wga.com
http://www.fda.gov
http://www.cdc.gov/



The Letter To Laodicea Is A Warning To The TRUE Church Today



The Letter To Laodicea Is A Warning To The TRUE Church Today

by Sandy Simpson, 4/30/07


Rev. 3:14-22 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.Much has been made of this passage, using it to point out what is happening today in the apostate churches around the world. It is true that they believe they are rich in spiritual things when they are very poor. It can be applied in one sense to the Word of Faith movement. It is true that the "River" movement of Latter Rain teachings do think they are hot when actually they are cold.


But this letter to the end times church of Laodicea is actually talking to biblical Christians who are born again. The apostate movements of the Latter Rain, Third Wave, Toronto "Blessing", Vineyard, Brownsville "Outpouring", Word of Faith, New Apostolic Reformation, World Gathering on Indigenous People, Manifest Sons of God, Seeker Friendly, Church Growth, Emerging Church and many others have already had their lampstands removed (Rev. 2:5) because of their apostasy and have already been spit out of the Lord's mouth (Rev. 3:16). We can know this because of what the Bible says about those who teach false doctrines (1 Tim. 6:3-5, 2 Tim. 4:3) and make false prophecies (1 John 4:1). These false churches, false movements and false brethren (Gal. 2:4) are already under the judgment of the warnings of the seven letters, as all but two of the original first century churches are today (only the two who Jesus did not warn still survive today). Therefore the letters to the churches apply to those churches who have not had their lampstands removed and been spit out of the mouth of God because of heresy and false prophesy. So the warning to the true biblical churches today remains. Why is this warning significant to us?


It is significant because, by in large, it is the true Church today that has allowed the movements mentioned above to infiltrate and take over the agenda for what is called "Christianity" today. Many in the Church have allowed heretics and false prophets to fill the airwaves with their apostasy and bring the truth into disrepute. Most have not drawn a clear line in the sand among believers and non-believers so that they would be able to understand that the leadership of those movements do NOT represent true biblical Christianity. Many have not contended for the Faith in order to preserve the truth. A large part of the true Church is lukewarm, just as Laodicea (in what is now Turkey) was addressed by John as part of the true Church. It has sat back and allowed heresy to take a front seat in the representing Christ and His Church while thinking that we are rich and "have need of nothing". It has parked itself in expensive pews and sanctuaries and not responded to the all out attack on the core doctrines of the Faith and lying in the name of God that is taking place in thousands of churches and movements worldwide. When does the Bible say that those who use the name of the Lord yet teach heresy and make false prophecies without repentance are our brothers in the Lord?


Ga 2:4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: Ro 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. Tit 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;Yet much of the true Church, by remaining silent, has not rejected the heresy of the movements above, but instead has allowed the influence of these false brethren into our churches. Many use their methods and materials. They read their books and sing their songs. Most pray with them using their agendas on the National Day of Prayer. Many watch them on TV saying they can eat the meat and spit out the bones, while actually being brought into bondage by their diaprax brainwashing. How is it that the true churches that remain believe they will be spared judgment for, in effect, being ashamed (Mark 8:38) to stand up for the name of Christ today? The fact is that many true churches and true believers have been taught not to judge by the very people who need to be judged!


Many true biblical churches and individual Christians today think they are fine because they say they are saved when, in fact, they are disobeying the commands of the Lord, thus proving they do not really love Him (John 14:24, John 15:10). They are actually "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked". What needs to happen is for true believers today to buy gold refined in the fire of standing for the truth (Eph. 6:14) and being persecuted for it (2 Tim. 3:12). This is EXACTLY what many discernment and apologetics ministries have done and have had to stand ridicule from both the apostate churches and from true believers. Those who are born again and wear the white clothes need to stop dirtying them by consorting with apostates. We can pray for them and try to pull them from the fire (Jude 1:23) when the Lord opens the door, but we must mark and avoid them (Rom. 16:17) until they come to the Faith or return to it. Otherwise how can the world know what true Christianity is all about? The true Church and true Christians need to ask for wisdom from God to open their blind eyes they have turned on what is happening to the cause of Christ before the world today. True believers need to REPENT of this dalliance with the world, the flesh, and those who serve the enemy (1 John 3:8) instead of the Gospel! We all have a lot to overcome and so we must, by faith (1 John 5:4), be overcomers.


I know this warning will seem like I am now taking potshots at everyone, including the true Church. But is not my intent nor has it been all along. I take this warning seriously myself, which is why my neck is on the line in front of the world and the churches on a daily basis. I need to be sure I tell it like it is. False teachers and false prophets who are spreading lies and denying core doctrines of the Faith are NOT my brothers in the Lord until they repent and turn to Jesus Christ. True believers are NOT to associate with heretics! We are to reject them (Tit. 3:10). Have these individuals and movements that are heretical been admonished? They HAVE! ... many, many times in many different ways. The matter of public false teaching and false prophecy is not a matter that is properly addressed in private. Those who are doing these things need to repent of them publicly, just as their teachings and works need to be refuted publicly.


2 Co 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV) 1Ti 5:20 Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.



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Jan Paulsen Adventist World President Grants First Major Television Interview


Pastor Dr. Jan Paulsen


Jan Paulsen Adventist World President Grants First Major Television Interview Watch It Here!


Seventh-day Adventist world church president, Pastor Jan Paulsen, appeared as a guest on the February 11 edition of Night Talk with Mike Schneider, a one-hour program airing on Bloomberg TV.
This is the first time Pastor Jan Paulsen has granted an interview with a major international television network.
"We've never, as a church, had the opportunity to present our face to the public in this manner," Pastor Jan Paulsen, said following the show's January 24 taping in New York City. "I've said to many of my fellow leaders to both seek and use the opportunities that come your way to profile the church before the public."
"We have something to say to the public, not only when we run the evangelistic campaigns or when we preach Sabbath morning," Pastor Jan Paulsen, later told the Adventist News Network. "We represent a community of so many values. People will know about us in the most unbiased, informed way if we tell them ourselves."
Program host Schneider asked questions about the church's history, growth and diversity, as well as its relation to contemporary issues.
When asked about the church's future goals, Pastor Jan Paulsen, said, "My goal for the church is that we become more effective in communicating not only ideas, but care for people, so that they may discover that Seventh-day Adventists are good people to get to know."
Rajmund Dabrowski, director of communication for the world church, said "often times, when there is a lack of information, people tend to create who you are by connecting with rumors and hearsay. These caricatures do not do justice to the church or its mission. Interviews like this go a long way in establishing who we are."

See the Complete Interview With Pastor Jan Paulsen Here!



Saturday, July 05, 2008

Don't You Let Nobody Turn You 'Round


Don't You Let Nobody Turn You 'Round: arr. by Philip Kern (SSATB)


Hear a sample of this piece (in RealAudio .rma format; requires RealAudio player)


***


Lyrics?

Well don't you let nobody turn you 'round
Turn you 'round, turn you 'round
Well don't you let nobody turn you 'round
You got to keep on walkin', keep on talkin'
Marchin' to the freedom land

Well don't you let nobody turn you 'round
Turn you 'round, turn you 'round
Well don't you let nobody turn you 'round
You got to keep on walkin', keep on talkin'
Marchin' to the freedom land

Well don't you let the policeman turn you 'round
Turn you 'round, turn you 'round
Well don't let the policeman turn you 'round
You got to keep on walkin', keep on talkin'
Marchin' to the freedom land

Well don't let the politician turn you 'round
Slow you down, slow you down
Well don't let the politician slow you down
You got to keep on walkin', keep on talkin'
Marchin' to the freedom land

Well don't you let the army general burn the world
Burn the world, burn the world
Well don't let the army general burn this world
You got to keep on walkin', keep on talkin'
Marchin' to the freedom land

Well don't you let nobody turn you 'round
Turn you 'round, turn you 'round
Well don't you let nobody turn you 'round
You got to keep on walkin', keep on talkin'
Marchin' to the freedom land

Source: http://edit.mp3lyrics.org/s/steve-miller-band/dont-you-let-nobody-turn-you-around/

Next President Faces Housing Crisis

AP / Getty Images


Next President Faces Housing Crisis
By JEANNINE AVERSA,
AP
Posted: 2008-07-05 12:01:30


WASHINGTON (July 5) - Home foreclosures will keep rising next year no matter who is elected president in November.Even the optimism that surrounds a new president taking office cannot resurrect home values overnight, and presidents have no direct ability to reduce rising mortgage rates. Nevertheless, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain both promise help for homeowners facing foreclosure.



Obama supports a broader role for government than does McCain. Both envision the Federal Housing Administration providing new, cheaper mortgages to distressed homeowners who otherwise would have difficulty refinancing into more secure government-insured loans with lower monthly payments.For the plans to work, lenders would have to be willing to take a substantial loss by reducing the amount owed on the loan. But some would have a powerful incentive to do so. A refinancing deal could allow them to recover far more money than they would get from the costly process of foreclosing on the property and trying to resell it.Obama supports legislation along these lines by Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., that would help about 400,000 homeowners. People would not have to have good credit to qualify as long as they could show they can afford the new payments."If the government can bail out investment banks on Wall Street, we can extend a hand to folks who are struggling on Main Street," Obama said.McCain's plan would provide relief to 200,000 to 400,000 homeowners. The aid would be available only to people who could show they were creditworthy when they got their original loan. The plan offers "every deserving American family or homeowner the opportunity to trade a burdensome mortgage for a manageable loan that reflects the market value of their home," he said.



The FHA piece of the Dodd plan would cost close to $1 billion. The money would come from diverting dollars in the early years from an affordable housing fund financed by the profits of the mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. McCain's FHA provision is estimated to cost from $3 billion to $10 billion and would mean either cutting federal spending elsewhere or having the government borrow more. The first choice is to trim spending, a McCain aide said.Experts predict foreclosures will continue to climb well into 2009. Some believe there is a chance for improvement in late 2009, but more think that will not happen until 2010.A long-term solution is tied to a turnaround in house prices. Slumping home values are blamed for the bulk of the increasing foreclosures. Troubled borrowers are left owing more to the bank than their homes are worth, so they walk away from their homes. Dumping more empty houses on the market adds to the pile of unsold homes, and that drives home prices down further."This is uncharted territory," said Susan Wachter, a professor of real estate and finance at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.Some predict house prices will not climb until the spring selling season of 2010 - at the earliest.Lawrence Summers, a treasury secretary in the Clinton administration, predicted that more than 2 million foreclosures are coming over the next two years and that as many as 15 million homeowners will owe more than their house is worth.

AOL Elections Main >>


According to a recent AP-Yahoo News poll, 57 percent of people said housing prices are important to them personally. For many, their home is their biggest asset. As home prices dropped, so did people's net worth - leaving them feeling less financially secure and more gloomy about the direction of the economy.Which candidate would do a better job of handling housing prices? In the poll, 25 percent said Obama and 17 percent thought McCain. Nearly 30 percent said neither.Although most voters think the next president will have a "great deal" or "some" influence over housing prices, the reality is there is no quick fix."The odds of that are slim to none," said Cal Jillson, political science professor at Southern Methodist University. If the next president can make people more optimistic about the future, "the slow rebuilding of confidence will help to increase home values," he said.When it comes to handling the broader economy, which is the top concern of voters, the poll found that 32 percent picked Obama and 28 percent went with McCain.An additional factor is the Federal Reserve, which presidents do not control. If the central bank were to raise interest rates to fend off inflation, the step would increase payments for homeowners whose loan rates are resetting higher. That, in turn, could push up foreclosures. "We are very exposed to interest rate risks and mortgage payment shocks in 2009," Wachter said.Mortgage rates, including those on 30-year home loans, already are climbing, propelled by inflation worries.In addition to his FHA proposal, Obama wants to create a $10 billion fund to counsel distressed homeowners before they slide into foreclosure; help people sell homes they bought but could not afford; and team with state governments, community groups and lenders to ensure sure loans can be modified in a timely manner to avoid foreclosure or bankruptcy.His approach, reflecting the traditional Democratic preference for greater government intervention, would establish a 10 percent mortgage credit for people who do not itemize their taxes. That would provide 10 million homeowners, most of whom earn less than $50,000 a year, with an average of $500 in savings, according to his campaign, and help those struggling to make mortgage payments.Obama also supports changing bankruptcy laws so homeowners going through that process can renegotiate terms of their mortgages - just as people or investors who own multiple homes or vacation homes can do.The Illinois senator also wants to combat mortgage fraud and improve mortgage disclosure. Deficiencies in those areas contributed to lax lending that allowed people to take out home loans that their incomes could not support, critics say."This kind of transparency won't just make our homeowners more secure, it will make our markets more stable, and keep our economy strong and competitive in the future," Obama said.McCain prefers a more limited government role in dealing with the housing crisis, a position consistent with traditional GOP leanings. The other component of his plan would have the Justice Department to set up a task force to investigate possible wrongdoing in the mortgage industry. The department has been pursuing cases of fraud and other mortgage-related matters."In some cases, lenders and borrowers alike were caught up in the speculative frenzy that has harmed the housing market," the Arizona senator said. "And it is not the responsibility of the American public to spare them from the consequences of their own bad judgment."Congress is working on legislation that would allow the FHA to help struggling homeowners. Differences have to be worked out between Dodd's plan, still in the Senate, and a similar House-passed proposal by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and with the White House, too. The White House has threatened a veto but is working behind the scenes with congressional leaders to find common ground.The plans envisioned by Obama and McCain - and Congress - would deliver short-term help but are not a cure-all, housing experts said.Long-term strategies are needed to prevent a repeat of the foreclosure crisis, experts said, and that must revamp the regulatory structure to improve oversight of players and borrowers in the mortgage finance system. The debate on such a broad overhaul has already started in Washington and will likely spill over to next president and Congress. Both Obama and McCain have indicated they favor tougher regulation.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.


2008-07-05 11:37:15



Source: http://news.aol.com/elections/story/_a/next-president-faces-housing-crisis/20080705113609990001

Friday, July 04, 2008

A-Rod's wife tells pals she believes Madonna lured Yank with kabbalah

Alex Rodriguez with his wife, Cynthia, who believes Madonna (below) has lured away her husband with kabbalah.

A-Rod's wife tells pals she believes Madonna lured Yank with kabbalah
BY GEORGE RUSH and BILL HUTCHINSON DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Updated Friday, July 4th 2008, 5:02 AM
Appleton/News
Rentz/Getty
Pop icon Madonna is using kabbalah to brainwash Yankee star Alex Rodriguez into believing they are "soulmates," the ballplayer's estranged wife is telling friends.
Cynthia Rodriguez, who has bolted to rocker Lenny Kravitz's Paris pad to avoid the limelight, is blaming the Material Girl for breaking up her five-year marriage, a close friend told the Daily News. The 34-year-old stunner has revealed to close confidants that she discovered a note her husband wrote professing his true feelings to Madonna.
"I believe he was having an affair with Madonna," she told a friend, who spoke anonymously for fear of angering A-Rod. "She said she found a letter where Alex told Madonna: 'You are my true soulmate.'"
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The friend said Cynthia Rodriguez, who gave birth to the couple's second daughter about 10 weeks ago, is teary and heartbroken over the split. Despite the sleepless nights and jags of tears, Cynthia Rodriguez is telling friends, "I still love my husband."
The startling revelations come just days after reports that Rodriguez, 32, had been dumped by his wife and has been seen making late-night visits to the 49-year-old Madonna's upper West Side home.
While Madonna's flack has vehemently denied any hanky-panky, insisting the slugger and the singer "are just friends," Cynthia Rodriguez is convinced otherwise. She has privately insisted to pals that the "Hard Candy" singer beguiled A-Rod by introducing him to the mystical Jewish teachings of kabbalah.
"I feel like Madonna is using mind control over him," Cynthia Rodriguez told the friend. "I don't recognize the man he's become. He was a sweet, beautiful, loving husband and father. Today he's very cold and calculating."
The Bombers' $275 million third baseman upset his wife in April by showing up 10 minutes after she gave birth to their daughter, Ella Alexander. He only exacerbated her hurt feelings by spending only a day with her and their newborn before rejoining the Yankees.
"This all started with kabbalah," said the friend. "Alex told Cynthia that he'd discovered that he'd been looking for his soul mate. And now, he said, he'd found her."
Simultaneously, Madonna has been hounded by reports that her seven-year marriage to filmmaker Guy Ritchie is on the rocks.
'I believe in family more than anything'
At first, Cynthia didn't find it odd that her brawny husband was spending so much time with the married pop star, whose daughter, Lourdes, shares his mother's name.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Footprints of A Prophet or Tracks of a Wolf?


FOOTPRINTS OF A PROPHET OR TRACKS OF A WOLF?

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 Posted by John Higgins under: False Prophets
Author: Jan Markell

Source: Olive Tree

I am writing the “inconvenient truth” today. I have been blitzed with e-mails about the Todd Bentley “revival” in Florida. Before you fall for his stories and “signs and wonders,” please allow me to make some comments. I realize this will not be received well by many.

Go To Related Posting And Video
False Prophets
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”—Mat 7:15
This is a Charismatic happening called the “third wave.” The “first wave” was Toronto, and it fizzled out. The “second wave” was Pensacola, and it had the same fate. Now Bentley has brought in the “third wave,” and folks are coming from around the world for the “anointing.” Even the Charisma Magazine editor Lee Grady says — sounding a warning — “My inbox has been full of messages from Charismatic leaders who are concerned about everything from Bentley’s tattoos and body piercings to his claim that he once interviewed the apostle Paul in Heaven. When I called for scrutiny of some aspects of the Lakeland Revival, I was labeled a Pharisee and a ‘religious policeman.’ I had suddenly become the enemy.”
Who is Todd Bentley? He is an ex-Satanist, a pierced and tattooed signs and wonders guy, and a man who gets messages from angels, particularly one named Emma. He does not open the Bible and preach. When he is “under the anointing” he can cause tumors to “explode,” he says. The Holy Spirit told him to kick a lady in the face with his biker boot so he did so. If he tries to deal with someone he thinks might be demonized, he gets nothing short of violent, virtually choking a man he is trying to exorcise. He also gets violent when he uses the word “bam.”
As Mike Oppenheimer from Let us Reason says, “Instead of people getting saved, they are getting lost–by listening to a man’s experiences of the supernatural that are unbiblical and untrue.”
Oppenheimer continues, “This revival has all the spiritual sensations and activities of the other revivals combined: Roaring, groaning, burning sensations in the body, head, and stomach; shaking, jerking, spiritual drunkenness and uncontrollable laughter and then some new manifestations. People have their eyes rolled back in the back of their heads. There are reports of women gyrating and pulsating like they’ve been ravaged from behind by some unseen force. Holy or un-holy may still be debated by some but to those of us who are knowledgeable of the previous ‘revivals’ and the power of the occult, the jury is in. The source is not the God of the Bible. This may disturb some but if they will use their Bible, pray, and think it through, they will gain discernment and spiritual understanding.”
The shakes, jerks, twitching, frozen stillness, laughter, animal sounds, and more have all been standard in other “revivals.” The Florida Revival is nothing new but it is preying on young and new believers who do not know their Bibles. It is also preying on the desperate: Sick people who can find no medical help.
Critic Jacob Prasch says, “The crowds following Bentley are seen being overcome by ugly spirits of drunkenness and stupor. It reflects the faulty theology of those in ‘the river’ movement popularized by the so-called ‘Toronto Blessing.’ Song lyrics reflect Kingdom-Now visions of the church taking over all the elements of society and setting up a kingdom on earth before the Lord returns which the Bible contradicts.”
Todd himself talks about the mad chaos–totally uncharacteristic of God. He says, “During a visitation, the pastor’s wife got totally whacked by the Holy Ghost. She began running around barking like a dog or squawking like a chicken as a powerful prophetic spirit came on her.”
The research site “Lighthouse Trails Research Project” reports that, “The following information will show Bentley’s spiritual resonance with a man named Sundar Singh (1829-1929). At one point in Bentley’s ministry, he had a vision of Sundar Singh. This vision influenced Bentley. According to the biographer of Singh, Singh spent much of his life in deep trance-like states communicating with spiritual beings.” Through this he saw the “glories” of the spirit world. He combined East and West in his meditative disciplines. He had long hours of meditation and days of silence.
Bentley talks about himself being possessed by demons, undergoing a deliverance, his past Satanic worship, his mother levitating, and demons writing 666 on his cupboard in his kitchen.
It is hard to tell the difference between the words of Bentley and those of Satan! Todd says: “You see, I want to be fruitful; I want to be far above. I want to be a conqueror; I want to be a mountain of strength; I want to be greatness. You know, we like that word greatness. Well, he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High automatically comes into everything that the Almighty is. It happens.” Sounds like Isaiah 14:12 - 14 to me.
Angelology plays a large role here. He talks to an angel named Emma and he says, “So when I need a financial breakthrough, I don’t just pray and ask God for my financial breakthrough. I go into intercession and become a partner with the angels by petitioning the Father for the angels that are assigned to getting me money: ‘Father, give me the angels in heaven right now that are assigned to get me money and wealth. And let those angels be released on my behalf. Let them go into the four corners of the earth and gather me money.’”
As reported by Jacob Prasch, “Bentley refers to his angel as ‘the angel of the Lord’ and also waits upon Emma for the signs and wonders to manifest. However, according to Bible scholars, the term ‘the angel of the Lord’ is an Old Testament reference to the pre-incarnate Christ, also called a Theophany. It seems that Emma is really overstepping her bounds to be referred to as ‘the angel of the Lord.’” She is most likely a demon.
Bentley and his close friend, the exposed false prophet Paul Cain, look to disgraced “prophet” William Branham. Pentecostal pastor Bill Randles says, “The only problem was Branham’s teaching. He had a few quirks, such as his belief that the doctrine of the Trinity was of the devil, his belief that the zodiac was as valid as the Word of God, and his unfortunate belief that he was the angel of the Church of Laodicea! When he died in a head-on auto crash in 1965, his followers were so obsessed with his ‘works of power,’ they delayed burying him for several months, hoping that he would be resurrected the following Easter! He was that GREAT!”
We are warned in the Bible that the devil will “transform himself into an angel of light,” and that in the last days will come “lying signs and wonders” that will deceive, if possible, the very elect” (II Thess. 2:9). Doesn’t the Bible tell us that the devil is capable of the supposed “miracles” at the Bentley meetings? Tragically, many pastors are having hands laid on them to receive this “Florida anointing” and further spread this chaos.
So what started April 2, 2008, at Ignited Church in Lakeland, Florida, is now spreading everywhere. With today’s death of discernment, guys like Bentley flourish and prosper. We are in a season of weak gospel-preaching as well. This longing for the signs and wonders of one man is but paving the way for the “man of sin,” the “lawless one,” the Antichrist. What many believe is the anointing of the Holy Spirit is really nothing but “kundalini power” which in sanskrit means coiled as a snake. You can watch Todd exercising that power at the above link. You can learn much more in Caryl Matrisciana’s brilliant film, “Yoga Uncoiled” as well as her film “Supernatural Powers” which deals with God’s angels and fallen angels. You can also learn more about “kundalini power” at this link.
It says in II Timothy 3 that in the last days evil will wax worse and worse with men seducing, deceiving, and being deceived. Todd Bentley is a deceiver who is himself deceived. He will likely stand before the Lord some day and say, “But Lord, I did this all in Your Name.” But he is exercising serpent-power, not Holy Spirit power.
Pray for Todd and the legions following him and believing every word out of his mouth. Pray that their eyes would be opened before they are further spiritually damaged. We are not trying to demonize Todd; rather, we hope to protect some sheep, which our pastors should be doing but many are not.

Source: www.inthedays.com/category/false-prophets/

Mom Accused of Withholding Son's Chemo

Left: Eric Fraser(left) kisses his eight-year-old son Jeremy Fraser, outside of the Artie's Right: Prosecutos have charged his ex-wife Kristen Anne LaBrie (right) with failing to get follow up cancer treatment for Jeremy. She was charged in Salem District Court of reckless child endangerment (Boston Globe,Essdras M Suarez/Landov; Salem Police Dept./AP Photo)


Mom Accused of Withholding Son's Chemo
Police Charge Mother Failed to Follow Up With Outpatient Chemo Treatments

By ANNE-MARIE DORNINGJuly 2, 2008


It seems unimaginable. An 8-year-old autistic boy is diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He is treated, goes into remission and is given an 85 percent to 90 percent chance of survival. But his mom must continue a "five-phase" regimen of chemotherapy at home.

Left: Eric Fraser(left) kisses his eight-year-old son Jeremy Fraser, outside of the Artie's Right:...
Left: Eric Fraser(left) kisses his eight-year-old son Jeremy Fraser, outside of the Artie's Right: Prosecutos have charged his ex-wife Kristen Anne LaBrie (right) with failing to get follow up cancer treatment for Jeremy. She was charged in Salem District Court of reckless child endangerment (Boston Globe,Essdras M Suarez/Landov; Salem Police Dept./AP Photo)
His mom was supposed to pick up medications, administer them and bring her son back to the hospital for follow-up treatments.
It might seem hard to believe, but in court papers filed in Salem District Court prosecutors charge that's what Kristen Labrie of Salem, Mass., failed to do for her son, Jeremy Fraser.
According to court documents, the boy's cancer has returned, and doctors said his chances of survival are now more like 10 percent. Jeremy's dad, Eric Fraser, told reporters Monday that Jeremy might not make it to his ninth birthday, just weeks away.
Labrie, 36, was arraigned on child endangerment charges Monday, pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance after being ordered to have no contact with her son until further notice. The Salem News reported Labrie responded by saying "That's OK, his dad doesn't let me see him anyway."


The Corruption of Truth


The Corruption of Truth


Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. Matt. 24:23. Before the last developments of the work of apostasy there will be a confusion of faith. There will not be clear and definite ideas concerning the mystery of God. One truth after another will be corrupted. {Mar 192.1}
After the truth has been proclaimed as a witness to all nations, every conceivable power of evil will be set in operation, and minds will be confused by many voices crying. "Lo, here is Christ; lo, He is there. This is the truth, I have the message from God, He has sent me with great light." Then there will be a removing of the landmarks, and an attempt to tear down the pillars of our faith. A more decided effort will be made to exalt the false sabbath, and to cast contempt upon God Himself by supplanting the day He has blessed and sanctified. This false sabbath is to be enforced by an oppressive law. {Mar 192.2}
In the future, deception of every kind is to arise, and we want solid ground for our feet. We want solid pillars for the building. Not one pin is to be removed from that which the Lord has established. The enemy will bring in false theories, such as the doctrine that there is no sanctuary. This is one of the points on which there will be a departing from the faith. {Mar 192.3}
There will be false dreams and false visions, which have some truth, but lead away from the original faith. The Lord has given men a rule by which to detect them: "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20). {Mar 192.4}
As we near the end of time, falsehood will be so mingled with truth, that only those who have the guidance of the Holy Spirit will be able to distinguish truth from error. We need to make every effort to keep the way of the Lord. We must in no case turn from His guidance to put our trust in man. The Lord's angels are appointed to keep strict watch over those who put their faith in the Lord, and these angels are to be our special help in every time of need. Every day we are to come to the Lord with full assurance of faith, and to look to Him for wisdom. . . . Those who are guided by the Word of the Lord will discern with certainty between falsehood and truth, between sin and righteousness. {Mar 192.5}

Maranatha, E.G.W., p.192.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Satan and The Threefold Union


Satan and the Threefold Union


And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast. Rev. 13:4.


"He had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." Though professing to be followers of the Lamb of God, men become imbued with the spirit of the dragon. They profess to be meek and humble but they speak and legislate with the spirit of Satan, showing by their actions that they are the opposite of what they profess to be. This lamb-like power unites with the dragon in making war upon those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. And Satan unites with Protestants and Papists, acting in consort with them as the god of this world, dictating to men as if they were the subjects of his kingdom, to be handled and governed and controlled as he pleases. If men will not agree to trample under foot the commandments of God, the spirit of the dragon is revealed. They are imprisoned, brought before councils, and fined. "He causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads." "He had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." Thus Satan usurps the prerogatives of Jehovah. The man of sin sits in the seat of God, proclaiming himself to be God, and acting above God. {Mar 191.1}



There is a marked contrast between those who bear the seal of God and those who worship the beast and his image. The Lord's faithful servants will receive the bitterest persecution from false teachers, who will not hear the word of God, and who prepare stumbling blocks to put in the way of those who would hear. But God's people are not to fear. Satan cannot go beyond his limit. The Lord will be the defense of His people. He regards the injury done to His servants for the truth's sake as done to Himself. When the last decision has been made, when all have taken sides, either for Christ and the commandments or for the great apostate, God will arise in His power, and the mouths of those who have blasphemed against Him will be forever stopped. Every opposing power will receive its punishment. {Mar 191.2}



Maranatha, E. G. W. , p.191.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

America - A Nation of Empty Souls!

Volume XXVII Issue VII July 2008
Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Fax: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/

America - A Nation of Empty Souls!


"O generation, see ye the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? A land of darkness? Wherefore say my people, we are lords; we will come no more unto thee? Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number."

Jeremiah 2:31-32

"For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches. The shield of his mighty men is made red; the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken. The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings."

Nahum 2:2-4

"When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out, and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation."

Matthew 12:43-45

In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will once again compare current events with the prophetic Word of God. In doing so we will draw ever closer to the reality that we truly are in the last of the last days. The entire world is in deep trouble, especially the erstwhile great nation of the United States of America. America is a nation that has forgotten the true God for days without number. From the time of its inception, America has always had problems with sin, idolatry, witchcraft, and secret societies. There was a time, however, when true evangelists cried out through the land and revival fires burned brightly. Society frowned upon homosexuality, gambling, drunkenness, divorce, and other things that have now become an accepted way of life in our country. Religions have become entertainment centers, televangelists have become money extractors, and the true Gospel of Jesus Christ has been long ago forgotten!


What happened in America? In the second portion of Scripture above, we are told of emptiers that came and emptied out Israel. This is precisely what has happened to the United States. The wealth, integrity, character, and greatness of our nation has been emptied out by conspiratorial design. When we look throughout our land and see the empty factories, homes, and commercial buildings, can any thinking person doubt that some clandestine force of darkness has emptied us?


When the prophet Nahum saw the vision and wrote chapter 2:2-4, he also saw what he described as chariots that ran as flaming torches, and as fast as lightning, as they ran into each other and into trees. Was he describing our modern-day automobile? I recently stood on a highway overpass in the state of Washington and watched from above as hundreds of vehicles raced down the freeway at dusk. The high speed and headlights glaring made me wonder how Nahum the prophet would have described this scene. No doubt, he would have written exactly as he did write it.


In Nahum's prophecy in those same verses where he described the automobile as an end time sign, he also told of a red army that would invade after the emptiers had finished their work. The prophet even mentions the red shield. Amazingly, the words for red shield in German are rot schild, which is the meaning of the word Rothschild. When Moses Amschel Bauer took the name Mayer Amschel Rothschild, he did it with a purpose. Rothschild, or Red Shield, and his five sons soon took over the banking systems of all of Europe and subsequently that of the United States. It was this banking dynasty that retained Dr. Adam Weishaupt, who was the son of a rabbi but converted to Roman Catholicism and was a professor of canon law at Ingolstadt University in Bavaria, to form a conspiratorial organization designed to take over the world. That organization was called the Illuminati, and it was designed to hide within the ranks of secret societies; primarily Freemasonry and the lodges of the Grand Orient. Illuminism is now in its final stages as they prepare to enthrone their god Lucifer as the god of the new world order. All of this was prophesied in the Bible, and rest is history. There is so much more to tell.


One more vital point must be made regarding the emptiers that have emptied our land. When something is completely emptied, even of air, it forms a vacuum. When a soul is in this condition, there is a spiritual suction that draws everything into it. This is the very condition of our society today. Our Saviour referred to this fact in the third portion of Scripture above. And so it is that when the Gospel is heard, it drives the devil out. But if it is not accepted and obeyed, there is a spiritual vacuum that draws that devil back, and seven more worse than itself enter and cause a demonic infestation. The Lord Jesus also said this would happen to an entire generation of people. How do the leaders of America dare to declare that God is on our side when we are not on God's side?


The situation is critical, and there is not much time left. Judgment is just ahead and you will be in it. If you are reading this right now, there is still a little time, very little, to call upon the merciful Saviour in true repentance. He will hear you, and you can be genuinely converted by His power. Do it now!


Is it the Eve of Destruction?


It is an election year in the United States, and the entire nation is in turmoil and confusion, just as has been planned by the illuminists. The front-running candidate for President of the United States is now Barack Hussein Obama, according to all of the research polls. Obama mania has been building in a continuous crescendo. I have in front of me a picture that was taken one month ago, and it show Obama on a platform in Oregon with a literal sea of humanity that came out to hear and cheer him. There were approximately 70,000 people at this rally in Portland, Oregon. (1) We know that the Moslem countries are backing Obama, and now he has picked up the full endorsement of Fidel Castro of Cuba. (2) Reports from other countries, especially Africa, reveal that people are amazed that America would consider a Moslem for President.


Will Obama live to become President, and if he does, will he live very long as President? Only God knows the answer to that. We must note, however, that before Hillary Clinton suspended her campaign she defended her decision to stay in the race by implying that something could happen as it did to Bobby Kennedy. (3) We know that Bobby Kennedy was shot on June 5th, 1968, and died the next day on 6-6-68. We must also note that Bobby Kennedy was shot the day after the 13th primary election. (4) Quite obviously, if Obama picked Hillary for Vice President, he would have to watch his back constantly.


Republican candidate John McCain, who is now being referred to as Bush-Lite, recently stated, "It's not too important when the troops return from Iraq." (5) McCain also has said that the war in Iraq could take another one hundred years, and on June 11th, he said, "The war could be won by 13", meaning the year 2013. (6) We are facing troublesome times as the senseless war continues. In the past year, troop stress illness has risen 50%. There were 14,000 new cases of this damaging illness, known as PTSD, in 2007. (7) Like George Bush, John McCain is giving the impression that he is completely out of touch with reality.


We know that the Obama campaign has used messianic themes regarding its candidate. The McCain campaign has done likewise. Georgia Republican party chairwoman Sue Everhart made the following statement on May 17th, 2008: "John McCain is kind of like Jesus Christ on the cross." She made this statement regarding McCain's suffering as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. (8) I am reminded of I John 2:18 which says, "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time." Remember, the name McCain is Gaelic for the son of Cain! How strange it is regarding the presidential election, for no matter who wins, we lose!


Many strange things are happening behind the scenes. We know that President Bush was very close to Pope Benedict XVI during the Pope's recent visit to the United States. Now, President Bush has been traveling throughout Europe to gather support against Iran. President Bush took time out, however, to go to the Vatican for a very special reason. On the 13th day of June, Friday the 13th, Bush and the Pope ascended together to the top of a restored medieval tower overlooking St. Peter's Basilica. As President Bush ascended the tower, he kept repeating over and over to the Pope, "Such an honor, such an honor!" (9) On that same day of Friday the 13th, British newspapers featured stories claiming the likelihood of George Bush following the lead of Tony Blair and converting to Roman Catholicism! The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that heads of state always meet with the pope in the Library of the Apostolic Palace, but President Bush was taken to the 12th century Tower of St. John, reserved only for the Pope's private reflection. (10)


In the United States, our government in Washington, D.C., went through a mysterious eight-day exercise, which began on May 7th, 2008. The test was run by the Department of Homeland Security, and it was a disaster drill that evacuated high government officials from Washington, D.C., to underground facilities in the mountains and caves of Virginia from which they would continue to run the government in the event of any major disaster. (11) Think of it, our great leaders hiding in the rocks of the mountains. It sounds like Revelation 6:15-17, which reads as follows: "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"


Are terrorists operating in the United States? Who are the real terrorists? Is it insider terrorism? On May 26th, 2008, Continental Airlines flight 1544 was startled by a missile heading toward its Boeing 737 airplane, carrying 148 passengers. The aircraft was flying at 5,000 feet eleven miles east of Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas. (12) The missile flew past the cockpit and was described as large with a heavy contrail. Witnesses aboard the aircraft were later warned by the FBI to keep their mouths shut about the incident.


How far away is World War III? On May 30th, 2008, the Financial Times reported, "Iran is on track for a nuclear milestone." The story following this headline reported that Iran now has a huge stockpile of uranium with much faster enrichment in progress. (13) On May 20th, 2008, the Jerusalem Post reported Army Radio had quoted a top official in Jerusalem, claiming that a senior member in the entourage of President Bush stated that Bush and Cheney were of the opinion that military action against Iran is called for. The White House, however, is flatly denying that Bush intends to attack Iran before his Presidency is over. (14)


Certain Signs of a Dying Economy!


The United States of America is a malfunctioning and dying corporation. The economy of our nation is terminal, and all indicators reveal that there is great trouble just ahead. On March 24th, 2008, the Financial Times newspaper reported that in the very near future, houses in America will be worth only 50% of the loans on them. (15) This is changing the entire world of banking. On May 27th, 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported that the well-known and respected economist Ed Yardeni recently stated, "The Government of Last Resort is working with the Lender of Last Resort to shore up the housing and credit markets to avoid Great Depression II." (16) Economics expert George Soros recently stated, "We are in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the 1930's." (17) The general consensus of many top economists is that there will be a ten-year depression followed by a world war. Current conditions are so very much like 1928-1929, and when the crash came in 1929, amazed, dazed, and disillusioned investors gathered in front of Federal Hall on Wall Street as a stunned nation fell into the hardest times it had ever known. Then ten years later, the horrors of World War II began.


On June 18th, 2008, the Royal Bank of Scotland formally issued a global stock and credit crash alert. The bank advised clients to brace for a "full-fledged crash in global stock and credit markets over the next three months as inflation paralyses the major central banks." The Royal Bank of Scotland's chief credit strategist said, "A very nasty period is soon to be upon us - be prepared!" (18)


Signs of a bankrupt America are everywhere. Our great bridges and freeways are being sold to foreign countries and interests, and now even the treasured New York skyscrapers are being sold to Arab and European countries, who are taking advantage of our weak dollar. The iconic Chrysler and Flatiron skyscrapers, as well and the GM building, are all being sold to overseas investors. (19) It seems that our entire nation is on the auction block, and our prized landmarks are being sold at rummage sale prices.


America and its wealth continue to be dissolved into the global admixture in every way. We have now learned that American food companies are now outsourcing U.S. farms to Mexico. These American companies have forsaken American farm land for Mexican land and cheap labor. There are at least 45,000 acres in Mexico that are under this program, and it is expanding rapidly. (20)


More wealth is moving to Mexico as Ford Motor Company is building a giant manufacturing operation in suburban Mexico City. Ford is renovating two plants and building a new one for the production of its "global car", the Fiesta. Ford is initially spending over three billion dollars on the project. (21)


Another example of what is happening in our country is what has happened to the large agricultural industry of Oregon and Washington. Big Valley Foods of Westchester, Illinois, has notified the cucumber growers of that region that they are no longer needed. The company is also closing the North Portland processing plant, because all of their cucumber pickles will be brought in from India and packaged with the American brand names. Check the back of the labels and see if it says "product of India." (22)


Our traitors in Washington and our nefarious major corporations as well have betrayed the American people and the American way of life. Recently, news commentator Jack Cafferty took a lot of heat for telling it like it is regarding Red China! He said the following: "We continue to import their junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food, and export jobs to places where you can buy workers for a dollar a month to turn out the stuff that we're buying from Wal-Mart. So I think our relationship with China has certainly changed. I think they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years." (23)


On May 22nd, the price of crude oil topped $130 per barrel for the first time, and now it is near $140 per barrel. Gasoline at the pump ranges in price from $4 dollars to $5 dollars per gallon. (24) We must remember that these prices are based on when crude oil was $90 dollars per barrel. Without a doubt, gasoline prices will reach $7 dollars per gallon at the pump very soon. The airlines are also suffering as 100,000 people per day are avoiding air trips. (25) There have never been times such as these in America!


Humanity Run Amok!


On May 16th, 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that "Gay marriage is a right." On Monday, June 16th, the ruling took effect, and countless numbers of California's 92,000 registered same-sex couples began to line up to become "husband and husband" or "wife and wife" and to further insult the Almighty God of Heaven with a perverted form of "Californication." One lesbian couple, both of whom were 84 years old and had lived together for fifty years, were planning to tie the knot. Many other sodomite couples from states in America were also flocking to California to solemnize their perversions. (26) We have also learned that major schools and universities are now installing "gender-neutral" bathrooms where men or women can both use the same facility. (27) Our Lord Jesus Christ warned us that at the time of His return, it would be as it was in the days of Sodom.


On June 15th, 2008, the London Daily Telegraph reported that two Anglican priests were married in a church wedding. The "Rev." Peter Cowen and the "Rev." David Lord were officially married in the church. (28) We are made to wonder how much worse it can get, and how long the righteous Saviour will allow it to continue before He comes with flaming fire. In II Thessalonians 1:6-10, we read as follows: "Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you. And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power: When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day."


Controlled Food and Drug Poisoning!


At the end of last year on December 17th, 2007, the United Nations warned that the global food supply is dwindling rapidly. (29) In April 2008, food riots began to break out in Egypt, numerous African countries, Bolivia, Indonesia, and elsewhere around the world. Food rationing became necessary in many countries. Even here in the United States, rice was rationed. (30) Food prices are rising rapidly, and that was before the great flood that recently engulfed much of the Midwest in the United States. The state of Iowa is a disaster area, and nearly the entire corn crop is destroyed. I will comment more on that later. Food prices were already escalating because of high fuel prices; now massive shortages will drive them higher than ever. In addition to that, we frequently have recalls of food because of contamination with E. coli, salmonella, listeria, and other potentially deadly bacteria. This has affected a wide range of foods including spinach, peanut butter, tomatoes, lettuce, beef, chicken, snack foods, and chocolate. (31) Many millions of pounds of food had to be recalled and destroyed in recent months. Such things were a very rare occurrence a few years ago; now the recalls are frequent. I am reminded of God's warning to Israel if they did not obey Him. It is found in Deuteronomy, chapter 28. Verses 16-20 read as follows: "Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me."


Another great problem in America is the heavy dependency on prescription drugs, all of which have side effects. People have come to believe in the magic that the drug companies promise, and they never stop to think that their liver and other systems of their body must process the powerful chemicals and extracts in their medicine. Almost two-thirds of women twenty and older are using prescription drugs. One in four teenagers are on at least one prescribed drug. Fifty-two percent of adult men and 75% of people sixty-five and older are using prescribed medication. We also know that 28% of women and nearly 22% of men take five or more medicines regularly! (32) With all of the drugs being consumed by so many millions of people, why is our nation getting sicker? People have bought a lie that God needs the help of man to produce remedies in laboratories when the truth of the matter is that natural remedies already exist within the realm of natural herbs and whole foods in the creation of God.


One example of what is wrong with the drug industry in America came to light with the use of a blood thinner called heparin. In April 2008, the FDA said that sixty-two people died and over eight hundred had severe allergic reactions after they were given heparin. Almost all heparin is made in Red China in small factories sitting among the vegetable and fruit fields in Red China. Heparin is literally squeezed from pig guts. It is derived from the mucus wrung and washed from pig intestines and other organs. This product is then shipped to the United States, where the biggest distributor of heparin to hospitals is Baxter International Inc. of Deerfield, Illinois. When FDA inspectors finally got around to inspecting the Chinese workshops that produced the extract, they found scratched metal tanks with an unidentified substance sticking to the sides of them. The sad fact is that 40% of all pharmaceuticals and 80% of the chemicals used in drugs are imported, mostly from Red China, India, and Mexico. (33)


Divine Judgment by Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water!


Without question, the extremes of weather in the United States are breaking all records. On May 28th, the Winston-Salem Journal featured a story with the following headline: "Trend of deadly tornadoes puzzles experts." So far this season, there have been 1,191 tornadoes in the United States. These included such massive storms that entire towns were wiped off the face of the earth. In many areas of the Midwest, entire city blocks were destroyed as homes were ripped away to their foundations, and people were killed even as they scrambled to take shelter in their basements. Meteorologists have never seen so many tornadoes that rate in the F-3 to F-4 categories. Iowa and Missouri were especially hard-hit with widespread devastation and twenty-three deaths in one weekend. (34)


During the first weekend in June, my wife and I were in the Seattle and Tacoma area of Washington, where we held services and baptized fifteen precious souls in the saving name of the Lord Jesus Christ. While we were there, horrendous storms struck our home state of Wisconsin, including our home city of Beaver Dam. The flooding was severe, and in the Wisconsin Dells area, the shore near the dam gave way and drained Lake Delton. Dream homes became nightmares of destruction as they were ripped from their foundations and crumbled before the very eyes of the owners. The 267 acre Lake Delton was drained of more than 600 million gallons of water within two hours, leaving nothing but a mud flat. (35)


As we were returning home on the Amtrak train on Monday, June 9th, we ran into trouble as usual. The car we were riding in developed a bad wheel and had to be abandoned at Minot, North Dakota. We were herded into a coach car overnight, and at St. Paul, Minnesota, we were bussed the rest of the way, because railroad tracks were washed out. While going through this, I remembered our trip on Amtrak to Albany, New York, last October. The car we were riding in developed trouble and stopped the train twice in the middle of nowhere. We did make it through, but a train behind us did not and there was an explosion.


After we returned home, a second round of storms hit, and our hometown of Beaver Dam and the entire southern region of Wisconsin were severely flooded. Highways were shut down, and even Interstate 90-94 had two to five feet of water over portions of it and had to be closed. Farm fields were lakes, and in cities there was much structural damage. We at Last Trumpet Ministries suffered no damage at all to our homes or church even though our county was declared a federal disaster area.


Then, more rain came to the south of us, and water from the north moved into Iowa. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was devastated and buried in water. Here let it be noted that Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is one of the largest producers of one of the components for implantable RFID chips, and that industry was flooded out. The dark, filthy water forced 24,000 people to evacuate and flee from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (36) Nearly the entire state of Iowa was declared a federal disaster area. Vast amounts of crops planted in the fields known as the breadbasket of America were destroyed. Famine and shortages come in many forms, and it is time for people to repent of their wickedness.


In California, there have been many fires raging, (37) as well as other disasters that seem to strike continually. Fires, heavy rains, mudslides, earthquakes, windstorms, and so on are continually rebuking that beautiful but wicked state. The Almighty is making his point and pressing the issue. There is so much more to come.


Nearly four hundred significant earthquakes of magnitude 4 and above have shaken our world within the past thirty days. Red China has still not recovered from the recent quake that left ten million people homeless! I am sure that Almighty God is not pleased with the Olympics that are to be held in Red China. The massive earthquake in Red China, which measured 8 on average of all recording stations, happened 88 days before the Olympics are scheduled to start on 8-8-08 at 8:08 P.M. The number eight is known as the number of new beginning. The present world will soon end and eternity will begin. It is also interesting to note that on June 2nd, 2008, a massive fire swept through Universal Studios at Universal, California. The massive fire was fought by 490 firefighters but swept through and completely destroyed the movie set of "Back to the Future." Thick black smoke rose thousands of feet into the air as "Back to the Future" was destroyed. (38) Is this an ominous reminder that the future of our nation and world is reserved unto the wrath of God? It is time for all people everywhere to repent!


In closing, I want to remind you that your prayer requests are always welcome, and they do receive individual attention by our prayer teams. I also want to thank all of you who support this end time prophetic ministry. I pray you will be blessed exceedingly. Grace and peace be unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.


David J. Meyer


Acknowledgements
01. New York Daily News, May 19, 2008, New York, NY.
02. Daily Telegraph, May 28, 2008, by Alex Spillius, London, England, U.K.
03. New York Post, May 24, 2008, by Geoff Earle, New York, NY.
04. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jun 6, 2008, by Brian Witte, AP, Washington, D.C.
05. Politico.com, Jun 11, 2008.
06. Associated Press, May 16, 2008, by Glen Johnson, Columbus, OH.
07. Associated Press, May 28, 2008, Washington, D.C.
08. AJC.com Metro, May 17, 2008, by Aaron Gould Sheinin, Columbis, OH.
09. Reuters News Service, Jun 13, 2008, by Phillip Pullella, Vatican City.
10. Daily Telegraph, Jun 13, 2008, by Malcolm Moore, Vatican City.
11. Washington Post, May 7, 2008, by Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington, D.C.
12. Houston Chronicle, May 26, 2008, by Cindy Horswell, Houston, TX. + www.4physics.com
13. Financial Times, May 30, 2008, by Daniel Dombey, Washington, D.C.
14. Jerusalem Post, May 20, 2008, Jerusalem, Israel.
15. Financial Times, Mar. 24, 2008, by Tony Jackson, Washington, D.C.
16. Wall Street Journal, Mar. 27, 2008, by Dale Wessel, New York, NY.
17. Daily Telegraph, Jun 1, 2008, London, England, U.K.
18. Daily Telegraph, Jun 18, 2008, by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, London, England, U.K.
19. AFP News, Jun 14, 2008, New York, NY.
20. Associated Press, May 27, 2008, by Jessica Bernsteinwax, Irapuato, Mexico.
21. Washington Post, May 31, 2008, by Manuel Roig-Franzia, Mexico City, Mexico.
22. Oregonian, Apr. 3, 2008, Portland, OR.
23. CNN News, Apr. 9, 2008, by Jack Cafferty, CNN.
24. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 22, 2008, by John Wilen, AP, New York, NY.
25. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jun 1, 2008, AP, Washington, D.C.
26. Associated Press, May 15, 2008, San Francisco, CA.
27. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jun 9, 2008, by Scott Williams, Milwaukee, WI.
28. Daily Telegraph, Jun 15, 2008, by Jonathan Wynne-Jones, London, England, U.K.
29. International Herald Tribune, Dec. 17, 2008, by Elisabeth Rosenthal, Rome, Italy.
30. Daily Telegraph, Apr. 9, 2008, by Gary Cleland, London, England, U.K.
31. Health Day, Jan. 14, 2008, by Amanda Gardner, Health Day News.
32. Associated Press, May 14, 2008, by Linda A. Johnson, Trenton, NJ
33. Detroit Free Press, Apr. 13, 2008, by Elaine Kurtenbach, AP, Changzhou, China.
34. Winston Salem Journal, May 28, 2008, AP Washington, D.C.
35. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jun 10, 2008, by Rick Romell and Patrick Marley, Lake Delton, WI
36. Associated Press, Jun 14, 2008, by Michael J. Crumb, Cedar Rapids, IA.
37. Associated Press, Jun 13, 2008, by Don Thompson, Paradise, CA.
38. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jun 2, 2008, AP, Universal City, CA.


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