Monday, October 19, 2009

Rifqa investigation ignored facts re: Islam


Chad Groening - OneNewsNow - 10/19/2009 4:00:00 AM

An author and terrorism expert says it's a travesty of justice that a 17-year-old Christian covert from Islam has been ordered by a judge to return to Ohio where her Islamic family resides.

Last week Orlando judge Daniel Dawson stated that he will sign the order to send 17-year-old Rifqa Bary back to Ohio once he obtains the proper documents on her immigration status. Bary has been in foster care in Orlando while her case is being reviewed. The teen ran away from her parents' Columbus-area home in July, saying she feared being killed for converting to Christianity. But a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation found no credible threats to Bary.




Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch thinks it is an absolute travesty of justice that the judge intends to send her back to Ohio.

"No attention has ever been paid, in any official level, to Islamic apostasy law, to the risk that she's under from that, and to the reality of Islamic 'honor killing' in the United States," he offers. "None of that registered among any of the investigators."

Spencer says if the girl's parents cannot provide the Florida judge with the proper immigration documents, one of two things could happen.

"She could end up staying in Florida until she's 18, and then she's free," says the author. "But on the other hand, it could be that the family will be deported -- including Rifqa -- back to Sri Lanka [where] she could be in very serious trouble."

Spencer says Islamic authorities in Sri Lanka would be free to punish young Rifqa for converting to Christianity.
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Let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous


1 John 3



1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

4Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

5And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

6Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

7Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

8He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

9Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

10In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

11For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

12Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

13Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

14We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

15Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

16Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

17But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

18My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

19And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

20For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

21Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

22And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

23And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

24And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.



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Sunday, October 18, 2009

Biggest economies try again to strike climate deal


By ROBERT BARR (AP) – 5 hours ago

LONDON — Representatives of the world's 17 biggest and most polluting nations were holding talks Sunday to search for a breakthrough on financing efforts to contain climate change and reduce gas emissions causing global warming.

Pressure has been mounting for the United States to finalize its position before a decisive December conference in Denmark meant to cap two years of negotiations on a global climate change treaty.

"With only 50 more days to go before the final talks at Copenhagen, we have to up our game. Britain is determined to throw everything at this because the stakes are so high," British Environment Minister Ed Miliband said in a statement released Sunday.

Earlier Miliband had said it was "important that the U.S. makes as much progress as possible" at the two-day meeting of the Major Economies Forum.

The Obama administration said it was tied to action by U.S. Congress, where climate bills were making their slow way toward legislation — an argument which cut little ice with other negotiators.

"The rich countries of the Major Economies Forum must urgently put new money on the table to ensure the developing world can grow cleanly and adapt to the effects of climate change, which are already putting millions of lives at risk," said Asad Rehman of Friends of the Earth.

Miliband said there had been some progress, pointing to recent commitments by Japan and China aimed at reducing emissions.

"There are some good straws in the wind, but there are also some big obstacles to overcome," Miliband told the BBC, speaking ahead of the talks opening.

He insisted that the meeting in London could tackle differences between developed and developing nations outside the formal U.N. negotiating process.

"The truth is if this is left to the negotiators ... I think we'll fail," Miliband said. "If we can get a way forward, narrow some of the differences between the countries which represent the lion's share of the problem, then it might make those U.N. talks a bit easier."

Sweden's environment minister Andreas Carlgren, representing the European Union, will hold separate talks with representatives from China and India during the meeting, his spokesman Lennart Boden said.

"All the important components that need solving ahead of Copenhagen will be up for discussion here," Boden said. "By tomorrow afternoon we should know if there have been any changes to positions."

One further negotiating session is set for November in Barcelona, Spain.

But pessimism was mounting that a deal can be struck without policy changes at the highest level.

"In recent months, the prospects that states will actually agree to anything in Copenhagen are starting to look worse and worse," Rajendra Pachauri, head of the U.N. scientific panel studying climate change, wrote in a Friday post on the Newsweek Web site.

President Barack Obama initiated the Major Economies Forum earlier this year as an informal caucus to quietly deal with the toughest problems. Participants agree to keep the talks confidential.

A key issue is helping poor countries adapt to changes in the earth's climate that threaten to flood coastal regions, make farming unpredictable and spread diseases. They also need funds and technologies to develop their economies without overly increasing pollution.

Estimates range in the hundreds of billions of dollars needed every year, but a formula for raising, administering and distributing the funds has proved elusive.

Rapidly growing nations like India, China, Brazil and Mexico have agreed to draw up national strategies for slowing the growth of greenhouse gas emissions, but resist making those limits binding and subject to international monitoring in a treaty.

Industrial countries agree to reduce their own emissions, but not to the levels scientists say are required to avert climate catastrophes.

Associated Press Writer Malin Rising in Stockholm, Sweden, contributed to this report




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Swiss guards in the Vatican, Rome


Swiss guards in the Vatican, Rome

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The Swiss Guards give a touch of color to St. Peter's Square: in their Renaissance costumes, with puffed sleeves and knicker-bockers striped red, blue and yellow, they stand on either side of the basilica, guarding the gates into Vatican City.

When the company was founded, in 1505, the soldiers wore simple tunics, but in 1548 the present uniforms were adopted. A long-standing tradition holds that they were designed by Michelangelo, but there is no foundation for this belief. As well as their everyday costumes, the Swiss Guards have suits of armor, with swords weighing thirty kilos, but these are used only for escorting the Pope during special ceremonies in St. Peter's.

At the beginning of the 16th century the Vatican began to employ Swiss mercenaries, who had a reputation for faithful and disinterested service. During the Sack of Rome in 1527, when Charles V of Spain devastated the city with his army of "lanzichelecchi", it was only the quick reaction of the Swiss Guards which enabled Pope Clement VII to take refuge in Castel Sant'Angelo; 147 Swiss soldiers died in the fighting. The invaders occupied the Vatican buildings, causing untold damage: they used ancient manuscripts as bedding for their horses, lit fires on the marble floors and scratched graffiti on the frescoes.

The Cohors Helvetica currently numbers 107: the commander, five officers (including a chaplain) and 101 soldiers, all of Swiss birth. Until about 30 years ago, only citizens of the German-speaking cantons were eligible for admission to the company, but in recent years there has been a dearth of candidates and now French- and Italian-speaking nationals can also enrol. They must be Roman Catholics, unmarried, between 18 and 25 years of age, and they must also be good-looking. Officially they are supposed to be over 1.74 meters tall, but nowadays this regulation is not enforced too strictly. Their pay is not very high - the equivalent of just over 1,000 U.S. dollars per month, paid in Swiss francs - but they are given full board and lodging.

Every year on May 6, anniversary of the Sack of Rome, the Swiss Guards renew their vows of allegiance in the Courtyard of San Damaso inside the Vatican. In a colorful ceremony, new recruits kneel down, raise three fingers of their right hand to symbolize the Trinity and swear to serve the Pope "to the death".


Source: http://www.inforoma.it/feature.php?lookup=swiss


P.S. Bolds and Highlights added.

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Internment/Resettlement Specialist (31E)


Internment/Resettlement Specialist (31E)

Enlisted
Officer
Active Duty
Army Reserve


Internment/Resettlement (I/R) Specialists in the Army are primarily responsible for day-to-day operations in a military confinement/correctional facility or detention/internment facility. I/R Specialists provide rehabilitative, health, welfare, and security to U.S. military prisoners within a confinement or correctional facility; conduct inspections; prepare written reports; and coordinate activities of prisoners/internees and staff personnel.Some of your duties as an Internment/Resettlement Specialist may include:


  • Assist with the supervision and management of confinement and detention operations

  • Provide external security to confinement/corrections facilities or detention/internment facilities

  • Provide counseling and guidance to individual prisoners within a rehabilitative program

  • Prepare or review reports and records of prisoners/internees and programs

Training
Helpful Skills
Advanced Responsibilities
Related Civilian Jobs
Related Army Positions
Civilian Certifications Earned

Job training for an Internment/Resettlement Specialist requires nine weeks of Basic Training, where you'll learn basic Soldiering skills, and eight weeks of Advanced Individual Training. Part of this time is spent in the classroom and part in a field environment. Some of the skills you'll learn are:


Military laws and jurisdictions
Level of Force Procedures
Unarmed Self-Defense Techniques
Police Deviance and Ethics Procedures
Interpersonal Communications Skills
Close confinement operations
Search and restraint procedures
Use of firearms
Custody and control procedures

Helpful attributes include:

An ability to think and react quickly
An ability to remain calm in stressful situations
An interest in law enforcement and crime prevention
Being physically fit


Advanced level Internment/Resettlement Specialist provides guidance, supervises and trains other Soldiers within the same discipline. As an advanced level I/R Specialist, you may be involved in:

Supervise and establish all administrative, logistical and food support operations, confinement/correctional, custodial, treatment, and rehabilitative activities
Responsible for all personnel working in the confinement/correctional facility, including security, logistical, and administrative management of the prisoner/internee population
Provide command and control, staff planning, administration/logistical services, and custody/control for the operation of an Enemy Prisoner of War/Civilian Internee (EPW/CI) camp
Provide command and control, staff planning, administration/logistical services, and custody/control for the operation of detention facility or the operation of a displaced civilian (DC) resettlement facility


The skills you'll learn as an Internment/Resettlement Specialist will help prepare you for a future with federal, state, county or city law enforcement agencies or the federal penal system. You might also be able to pursue a career as a security guard with industrial firms, airports or other businesses and institutions.


Learn more about the relationship between military training and civilian certification requirements.


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P.S. Bolds and Highlights added.
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As Goldman Gloats, What Does It Matter For Us?



Mark Lennihan/AP
Goldman Sachs headquarters, in New York. The Wall Street firm again showed its trading prowess, helping it earn more than $3 billion in the third quarter.


by Russell Roberts
October 16, 2009


Listen to the Story
All Things Considered
[3 min 50 sec]

October 16, 2009

Should we care about Goldman's profits and compensation? It's pretty gauche when your take-home pay is millions of dollars while some of your neighbors can't find work. But is it wrong? Is it something those of us on the outside should care about?

Normally, I'd say it's nobody's business. What people get paid is best left to the marketplace.

But Goldman Sachs is different because those of us on the outside are really on the inside. Goldman Sachs was propped up with our money. Not the money it took directly from the government and paid back. The money that AIG gave it that really came from the taxpayer.

Goldman Sachs being proud of its performance this year is like the Harlem Globetrotters bragging that they went undefeated. It's not really a normal competition.

Goldman Sachs played the same game as Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers — they made lousy investments financed with borrowed money. When the assets fell in value, Bear and Lehman died. They were reckless with other people's money.

But Goldman Sachs is still here, Why?

Part of the reason is that maybe it took a little less risk and maybe hedged against that risk a little better. But part of the reason Goldman lives and thrives is that the government bailed out AIG. Almost 13 billion dollars of the money the government sent to AIG went out the door and over to Goldman Sachs. This money included loans and insurance Goldman bought on its bad bets. Some of that insurance turned out to be a bad bet, too. But Goldman didn't bear the cost. The taxpayers did.

Part of the reason Goldman and other Wall Street firms made so many bad bets is they knew they might be rescued. And most of the time, they were.

The rescue of large financial institutions is justified as a way to save the system and protect Main Street from a tsunami of financial instability.








Russell Roberts is a professor of economics at George Mason University and a research scholar at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. He hosts the weekly podcast EconTalk.org


But capitalism is a profit-and-loss system. The profits encourage risk-taking. The losses encourage prudence. If the taxpayer almost always eats the losses for the losers, you don't have capitalism. You have crony capitalism.

The latest rescue of Wall St has taken hundreds of billions of dollars from average Americans and given that money to some of the richest people in human history, people who made bad bets and should have been taking enormous losses. Instead, they've been taken care of. Their triumph makes Bernie Madoff look like a small-time operator.

The key policymakers, Henry Paulson, Ben Bernanke, and Timothy Geithner, have been praised for keeping things afloat. But to what purpose? What's the virtue of saving crony capitalism? Maybe they prevented an even worse recession.

There's no way of knowing. But they have deeply damaged both capitalism and democracy.

We have a financial system that not only rewards cronies and encourages recklessness. It also funnels precious capital into areas like the housing sector instead of into more productive investments.

We have to stop rescuing the reckless. We have to let people who make bad decisions bear the consequences.

Profit and loss. The rest of us live that way. Wall Street can too.

Russell Roberts holds the Smith Chair at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, where he is also professor of economics. He is a research scholar at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and the host of the weekly podcast EconTalk.org.
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Spare It This Year Also


Spare It This Year Also



This chapter is based on the following verses:
Luke 13:1-9

CHRIST in His teaching linked with the warning of judgment the invitation of mercy. "The Son of man is not come," He said, "to destroy men's lives, but to save them." Luke 9:56. "God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:17. His mission of mercy in its relation to God's justice and judgment is illustrated in the parable of the barren fig tree.

Christ had been warning the people of the coming of the kingdom of God, and He had sharply rebuked their ignorance and indifference. The signs in the sky, which foretold the weather, they were quick to read; but the signs of the times, which so clearly pointed to His mission, were not discerned.

But men were as ready then as men are now to conclude that they themselves are the favorites of heaven, and that the message of reproof is meant for another. The hearers told Jesus of an event which had just caused great excitement. Some of the measures of Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea, had given offense to the people. There had

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been a popular tumult in Jerusalem, and Pilate had attempted to quell this by violence. On one occasion his soldiers had even invaded the precincts of the temple, and had cut down some Galilean pilgrims in the very act of slaying their sacrifices. The Jews regarded calamity as a judgment on account of the sufferer's sin, and those who told of this act of violence did so with secret satisfaction. In their view their own good fortune proved them to be much better, and therefore more favored by God, than were these Galileans. They expected to hear from Jesus words of condemnation for these men, who, they doubted not, richly deserved their punishment.

The disciples of Christ did not venture to express their ideas until they had heard the opinion of their Master. He had given them pointed lessons in reference to judging other men's characters, and measuring retribution according to their finite judgment. Yet they looked for Christ to denounce these men as sinners above others. Great was their surprise at His answer.

Turning to the multitude, the Saviour said, "Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay; but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." These startling calamities were designed to lead them to humble their hearts, and to repent of their sins. The storm of vengeance was gathering, which was soon to burst upon all who had not found a refuge in Christ.

As Jesus talked with the disciples and the multitude, He looked forward with prophetic glance and saw Jerusalem besieged with armies. He heard the tramp of the aliens marching against the chosen city and saw the thousands upon thousands perishing in the siege. Many of the Jews were, like those Galileans, slain in the temple courts, in the very act of offering sacrifice. The calamities that had fallen

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upon individuals were warnings from God to a nation equally guilty. "Except ye repent," said Jesus,"ye shall all likewise perish." For a little time the day of probation lingered for them. There was still time for them to know the things that belonged to their peace.

"A certain man," He continued, "had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?"

Christ's hearers could not misunderstand the application of His words. David had sung of Israel as the vine brought out of Egypt. Isaiah had written, "The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant." Isa. 5:7. The generation to whom the Saviour had come were represented by the fig tree in the Lord's vineyard--within the circle of His special care and blessing.

God's purpose toward His people, and the glorious possibilities before them, had been set forth in the beautiful words, "That they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified," Isa. 61:3. The dying Jacob, under the Spirit of inspiration, had said of his best-loved son, "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall." And he said, "The God of thy Father" "shall help thee," the Almighty "shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under." Gen. 49:22, 25. So God had planted Israel as a goodly vine by the wells of life. He had made His vineyard "in a very fruitful hill." He had "fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine." Isa. 5:1, 2.

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"And He looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes." Isa. 5:2. The people of Christ's day made a greater show of piety than did the Jews of earlier ages, but they were even more destitute of the sweet graces of the Spirit of God. The precious fruits of character that made the life of Joseph so fragrant and beautiful, were not manifest in the Jewish nation.

God in His Son had been seeking fruit, and had found none. Israel was a cumberer of the ground. Its very existence was a curse; for it filled the place in the vineyard that a fruitful tree might fill. It robbed the world of the blessings that God designed to give. The Israelites had misrepresented God among the nations. They were not merely useless, but a decided hindrance. To a great degree their religion was misleading, and wrought ruin instead of salvation.

In the parable the dresser of the vineyard does not question the sentence that the tree, if it remained fruitless, should be cut down; but he knows and shares the owner's interest in that barren tree. Nothing could give him greater joy than to see its growth and fruitfulness. He responds to the desire of the owner, saying, "Let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it and dung it; and if it bear fruit, well."

The gardener does not refuse to minister to so unpromising a plant. He stands ready to give it still greater care.

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He will make its surroundings most favorable, and will lavish upon it every attention.

The owner and the dresser of the vineyard are one in their interest in the fig tree. So the Father and the Son were one in their love for the chosen people. Christ was saying to His hearers that increased opportunities would be given them. Every means that the love of God could devise would be put in operation that they might become trees of righteousness, bringing forth fruit for the blessing of the world.

Jesus did not in the parable tell the result of the gardener's work. At that point His story was cut short. Its conclusion rested with the generation that heard His words. To them the solemn warning was given. "If not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." Upon them it depended whether the irrevocable words should be spoken. The day of wrath was near. In the calamities that had already befallen Israel, the owner of the vineyard was mercifully forewarning them of the destruction of the unfruitful tree.

The warning sounds down along the line to us in this generation. Are you, O careless heart, a fruitless tree in the Lord's vineyard? Shall the words of doom erelong be spoken of you? How long have you received His gifts? How long has He watched and waited for a return of love? Planted in His vineyard, under the watchful care of the gardener, what privileges are yours! How often has the tender gospel message thrilled your heart! You have taken the name of Christ, you are outwardly a member of the church which is His body, and yet you are conscious of no living connection with the great heart of love. The tide of His life does not flow through you. The sweet graces of His character, "the fruits of the Spirit," are not seen in your life.

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The barren tree receives the rain and the sunshine and the gardener's care. It draws nourishment from the soil. But its unproductive boughs only darken the ground, so that fruit-bearing plants cannot flourish in its shadow. So God's gifts, lavished on you, convey no blessing to the world. You are robbing others of privileges that, but for you, might be theirs.

You realize, though it may be but dimly, that you are a cumberer of the ground. Yet in His great mercy God has not cut you down. He does not look coldly upon you. He does not turn away with indifference, or leave you to destruction. Looking upon you He cries, as He cried so

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many centuries ago concerning Israel, "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Israel? . . . I will not execute the fierceness of Mine anger. I will not return to destroy Ephraim; for I am God, and not man." Hosea 11:8, 9. The pitying Saviour is saying concerning you, Spare it this year also, till I shall dig about it and dress it.

With what unwearied love did Christ minister to Israel during the period of added probation. Upon the cross He prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Luke 23:24. After His ascension the gospel was preached first at Jerusalem. There the Holy Spirit was poured out. There the first gospel church revealed the power of the risen Saviour. There Stephen--"his face as it had been the face of an angel" (Acts 6:15)--bore his testimony and laid down his life. All that heaven itself could give was bestowed. "What could have been done more to My vineyard," Christ said, "that I have not done in it?" Isa. 5:4. So His care and labor for you are not lessened, but increased. Still He says, "I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." Isa. 27:3.

"If it bear fruit, well; and if not, then after that"--

The heart that does not respond to divine agencies becomes hardened until it is no longer susceptible to the influence of the Holy Spirit. Then it is that the word is spoken, "Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?"

Today He invites you: "O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God. . . . I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely. . . . I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. . . . They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine. . . . From Me is thy fruit found." Hosea 14:1-8.


Christ's Object Lessons, Ellen G. White, pp.212-218.


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Technical Difficulties with Quisqueya Now Blog.


This morning I detected some technical difficulties with viewing the blog: Quisqueya Now ; I have contacted Wordpress for assistance in correcting an apparent glitch. We will correct the problem and resume its operation as soon as possible.


Thanks.


Arsenio.


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Saturday, October 17, 2009

Adventist Knights Celebrate 5th Anniversary of Wheelchair Basketball Tournament


October 14, 2009

News Release

Adventist Knights Celebrate 5th Anniversary of Wheelchair Basketball Tournament

Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital hosts event at Maryland Soccerplex


Rockville, Md. - For the 5th year in a row, wheelchair basketball teams from across the nation will show off their athletic skills at the annual Adventist Knights Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in Boyds, Md. The tournament kicks off the beginning of the 2009-2010 National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) season for the Washington, D.C. region.

Nine teams from across the U.S. are expected to compete in the two-day tournament scheduled for Oct. 17 and 18 at the Maryland Soccerplex near Germantown, Md. The tournament, which is free and open to the public, is hosted by Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland in Rockville, part of Adventist HealthCare. Other sponsors include the Spinal Cord Injury Network (SCI).

"We forget that a spinal cord injury or other physical impairment does not destroy a person's need to dream, hope, work hard and play hard," said Dr. Terrence Sheehan, medical director for Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland. "These players demonstrate this and the resilience of the human spirit on the court by 'just doing it'."

The acute rehabilitation hospital organizes the tournament and sponsors the Adventist Knights team, which began when a group of local athletes wanted to form an independent wheelchair basketball team to play competitively. The group is led by Rab Currie, who is the coach and also a player for the Knights. This year the team features players with spinal cord injuries, as well as amputees.

Mary Kate Madden, a certified therapeutic recreational therapist for Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland, is the team manager for the Adventist Knights. Besides competing nationally, the team also promotes disability awareness throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. In return for the hospital's support, some of the players speak to current patients and local schools about adaptive sports and disability awareness.

"Wheelchair basketball has allowed members of our community and former patients to return to a healthy and active lifestyle. Many of our players may not have had the opportunity to play a competitive sport if it wasn't for
the support of the hospital," Madden said. "It is very rewarding to see how one's quality of life is improved through wheelchair basketball."

The wheelchair basketball tournament is one aspect of Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital's "Community Re-entry Program," which includes development of vocational skills and adaptability to leisure activities and sports. The funds raised through the tournament's sponsorships helps Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital maintain its outstanding patient services, the latest advancements in technology and equipment, education opportunities for hospital staff, and to support Adventist HealthCare's mission as a faith-based organization.

WHAT: Adventist Knights 5th Annual Wheelchair Basketball Tournament
WHEN: Saturday, October 17, first game starts at 9:00 a.m.
WHERE: Discovery Sports Center at the Maryland Soccerplex 18031 Central Park Circle, Boyds, Md. 20874

Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland is the first and only acute rehabilitation hospital in Montgomery County. It offers comprehensive rehabilitation programs for traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, strokes, amputations, orthopedic injuries and surgeries, sports related injuries, work-related injuries, cardiopulmonary conditions and neurological disorders. Our Mission is to provide comprehensive physical medicine, rehabilitation programs and services to the community, aimed at restoring or improving the health and quality of life for individuals with functional limitations or potential disabilities through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing.


Source: http://www.adventisthealthcare.com/about/news/2009/5th-anniversary-of-wheelchair-basketball-tournament.aspx

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Pork byproduct in swine flu vaccine


Updated: Thursday, 15 Oct 2009, 7:27 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 15 Oct 2009, 5:34 PM EDT

By TOM JOHNSON FOX 35 News
FOX 35 has discovered that the H1N1, swine flu vaccine contains an ingredient that raises questions whether its use is permissible under certain religious, dietary laws. The Jewish, Muslim and Seventh-Day Adventist faiths all forbid members from consuming pork. The ban is based on scripture.

FOX 35 found that the swine flu mist and injectable vaccine both contain something called hydrolyzed porcine gelatin. The Centers for Disease Control confirms that the ingredient is a pork by-product used to promote temperature stability… and allow for refrigerated storage.

Rabbi David Kay presides over Orlandos Congregation Ohev Shalom. Rabbi Kay says the gelatins existence in the swine flu shot is not a problem under Jewish, Kosher laws since it is injected and not swallowed. However, Kay says the issue is a little more complex with the mist. Because the mist is taken through the nasal passages, there is a chance some vaccine could drip into the throat and be consumed. The Rabbi says while it is not technically being eaten, some may have objections due to the presence of the hydrolyzed porcine gelatin. Kay further says that when the preservation of human life is at issue, Kosher laws do not apply anyway and this would seem to be the case with the vaccine.

The Florida Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists tells FOX 35 they do not consider receiving the vaccine in any form to violate restrictions against consuming pork since it is not eaten. The Orlando based conference also believes the possibility that the vaccine could save a life outweighs any possible objections based on religious doctrine.

FOX 35 also contacted the national headquarters of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. A spokesperson told us by phone that they were unaware of the presence of hydrolyzed porcine gelatin in the swine flu vaccine and will need to investigate further before commenting.

Everyone we spoke with believes that despite the fact that the swine flu vaccine does not technically violate dietary laws, some people will still avoid being inoculated with it based on religious objections.


Source: http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/health/dpgo_101509_swine_vaccine_ingredients_4065304

Note: This story includes a video which I was unsuccessful in posting; Please visit link above to watch it.
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While ye have light, believe in the light



35Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

36While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.
These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

37But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

38That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

39Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,

40He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

41These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

42Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

43For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

44Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.

45And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.

46I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

47And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

48He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

49For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

50And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.



King James Version (KJV)


John12:35-50.
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Be Ye Also Ready




Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Matthew 24:44.


Suppose that today Christ should appear in the clouds of heaven, who . . . would be ready to meet Him? Suppose we should be translated into the kingdom of heaven just as we are. Would we be prepared to unite with the saints of God, to live in harmony with the royal family, the children of the heavenly King? What preparation have you made for the judgment? Have you made your peace with God? . . . Are you seeking to help those around you, those in your home, those in your neighborhood, those with whom you come in contact that are not keeping the commandments of God? . . . Remember that profession is worthless without a practice that enters into the daily life. God knows whether we are keeping His law in truth. He knows just what we are doing, just what we are thinking and saying. Are we getting ready to meet the King? When He comes in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, will you be able to say, "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us" (Isaiah 25:9)? To those who can say this Christ will say, "Come up higher. Upon this earth you have loved Me. You have loved to do My will. You can now enter the Holy City and receive the crown of everlasting life."

If it were possible for us to be admitted into heaven as we are, how many of us would be able to look upon God? How many of us have on the wedding garment? How many of us are without spot or wrinkle or any such thing? . . .

This is our washing and ironing time--the time when we are to cleanse our robes of character in the blood of the Lamb. John says, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).... Shall we not let our sins go? . . .

I entreat you, brethren and sisters, to labor earnestly to secure the crown of everlasting life. The reward will be worth the conflict, worth the effort. . . . In the race in which we are running, everyone may receive the reward offered--a crown of everlasting life. I want this crown; I mean by God's help to have it. I mean to hold fast to the truth, that I may see the King in His beauty.



Maranatha, E.G. W., pp.298.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Nearer, my God, to Thee


Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

Refrain

Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!

Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone.
Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God to Thee.

Refrain

There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n;
All that Thou sendest me, in mercy given;
Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee.

Refrain

Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;
So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee.

Refrain

Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

Refrain

There in my Father’s home, safe and at rest,
There in my Savior’s love, perfectly blest;
Age after age to be, nearer my God to Thee.

Refrain

.


Words: Verses 1-5,
Sar­ah F. Adams,

in Hymns and Anthems, by William Johnson Fox, 1841;


Music: Beth­a­ny (Ma­son),
Low­ell Ma­son, 1856
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Balloon kid incident a hoax: WMD



Yesterday's pre-empted television broadcast incident about the possibility of a boy in a hot air balloon turns out to be a perfect example of WMD's, or Weapons of Mass Distraction. All the hoopla produced by the expectation of a small child flying off in balloon absorbed every one's attention. Prayers were made in vain; Many possibly cried over the child's welfare. Yet, it turns out that the little boy was hiding in a box, and when asked on camera he said: 'We Did This for a Show'. This brings to mind the many other things around us that are really 'done for show'. This whole event was used to entertain. That flying saucer shaped balloon was full of hot-air. I am not laughing!

On another note: Why do we fight? Why do we have troops in 150 Countries (37 European)?*


Why the obsession with Afghanistan's Taliban, Iraq's Shia and Sunni Insurgents, Pakistan's Al Qaeda, Iran's elections or North Korea's Kim Ill? Remember the WMD's that Saddam had?


Could all these be WMD's? Weapons of Mass Distraction, to deviate the attention from problems at home? To justify a hidden globalist agenda? After all, the country's politicians are elected to represent those that voted them into office; Not the citizenry of the rest of the world? Who are they working for???

I think the balloon boy caper is an analogy of what is happening in our world; If we were to find out the real reasons for all the warfare around the world we might find out it's all for show or profit; To advance another agenda besides the one that is pretended.

The little boy was finally found hiding in a box; That reminds me of the Wizard of Oz who hid behind a curtain.

You know, I mean....a fraud!

Arsenio.

*.http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_countries_have_US_troops_in_them

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A Jobless Recovery?




Today on NPR I heard a segment about the recovery. They stated that in the 1930's the term 'A Jobless Recovery' was first used to describe a restoration of the nation's economy from a recession without regaining jobs lost during its impact. David Castelbaum spoke with several authorities on the economy; They stated that a Jobless Recovery is what we are experiencing.
Bah humbug! Ebenezer Scrooge probably coined the term, A Jobless Recovery.
Allow me to ask: How can there be a recovery when people who have lost their jobs are still jobless? The ones that probably recovered are the ones that never lost anything. The ones that lost their jobs are still unemployed. How can they have recovered when they are still out of work? Duhh!

No work, no recovery! You don't need an MBA to recognize that.
Where's the stimulus? Where's the bail-out? Where's the recovery?

Rhetoric can fool just about everyone except the ones that are not in the mood for kool-aid and statements from well compensated 'experts'.


Arsenio.
.
P.S. Give me a break: Jay Rockefeller, the liberal never has to worry about where his next meal is coming from!
Recovery smovery!
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P.S. II:
Unemployment in Florida is now 11% or 1,000,000 people out of work.
September 2009 statistics.
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County to have custody of runaway convert


Proof of immigration status still sought
Friday, October 16, 2009 3:00 AM
By Meredith Heagney

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Fathima Rifqa Bary and her parents have been ordered to undergo psychological exams.


Franklin County Children Services will have temporary custody of religious runaway Fathima Rifqa Bary once she returns to Ohio.

That's been the plan since Ohio accepted jurisdiction in the case on Tuesday. The arrangement was formalized during a hearing yesterday in Franklin County Juvenile Court, though the order is contingent on one of two conditions being met.

Magistrate Mary Goodrich's order will take effect when the girl is transported back to Ohio or when the Florida court is satisfied with the documents to be provided by her parents establishing her immigration status.

The 17-year-old girl, who goes by Rifqa, is a native of Sri Lanka, and her immigration status is unclear. A Florida attorney appointed to represent her said in court Tuesday that there's a chance she's not in the United States legally.

Rifqa ran away from her parents' Northeast Side apartment in July, saying her father had threatened to kill her for converting from Islam to Christianity. Mohamed Bary and his wife, Aysha, have denied her accusations, and authorities in both states have not found credible threats to her safety.

Goodrich also ordered psychological evaluations for the Barys and Rifqa.

On Tuesday, Judge Daniel P. Dawson of the 9th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida agreed that the girl's case should be heard in Ohio, but he said he wanted to review all paperwork related to her immigration status before transporting her across state lines.

He expressed frustration that Rifqa's parents had not produced the documents despite repeated requests.

In Franklin County Juvenile Court yesterday, the Barys' Ohio attorneys said the documents should be filed by today.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services cannot discuss individual cases for privacy reasons, said spokeswoman Sharon Scheidhauer. But generally, if a parent is in a country legally, then the child is likely OK to stay, she said.

The Barys, like all parties and attorneys in the case, are under a gag order and cannot discuss their status.

Yesterday in court, attorneys for both Rifqa and her parents advocated for the custody order.

Jim Zorn, the attorney representing Children Services, called it premature because the child is still in Florida. "It's creating undue burden on the agency to have custody of a child we can't have custody of," he said.

The next hearing in Ohio is scheduled for Oct. 27.

mheagney@dispatch.com
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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Precursors to the New (Age) World Order?


What the World Needs Now is Love

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What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone.

Lord, we don't need another mountain,
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross,
Enough to last till the end of time.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No, not just for some, oh, but just for
Every, every, everyone.

.
Songwriters: Bacharach, Burt; David, Hal



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Imagine


Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one


.Artist: John Lennon



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Age Of Aquarius

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
The age of Aquarius
Aquarius!
Aquarius!

Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind's true liberation

Aquarius!
Aquarius!

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
The age of Aquarius
Aquarius!
Aquarius!
,
written by James Rado, Gerome Ragni, and Galt MacDermot


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Related:


The Aquarian alignment 14th February 2009


http://www.judecurrivan.com/media-articles/articles/the-aquarian-alignment-14th-february-2009/

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The Prisoner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14eUKogPF7shttp://

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xNuQ7Do_Rohttp://


At least 40 Years have passed, and how much things resemble fiction...

Was it fiction? Or, a harbinger of things to come?


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Obama Nobel not the sole symbolic award [Opinion]


Oct. 14, 2009 Daniel Schorr NPR


When President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, it was because he came to symbolize for the Norwegian award committee a vision of a better world. Some Americans have not been willing to accept symbolism for accomplishment, but much of what passes for accomplishment in this world is symbolic.

Much of international conflict today is dominated by a clash of symbols. When Iran's discredited President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatens to hang three of the many protesters against his rigged election, he is striking at a symbol of popular discontent. When insurgents invade the hardest target in Pakistan — the army's headquarters in Rawalpindi — they are displaying a symbol of their strength.

And when President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, it was not because he had accomplished much for peace in his short tenure. It was because he came to symbolize for the Norwegian award committee a vision of a better world.

True, he did not have much concrete to show for his vision. But neither did Jimmy Carter, honored for his "untiring efforts" to achieve worldwide peace. Nor had Vice President Al Gore achieved much beyond symbolism on the global warming front. He was honored for his efforts to alert the world about climate change.

It did not do much for Obama's symbolic image that he chose not to meet with the Dalai Lama, symbol of the Chinese persecution of Tibetans.

President Obama has shown himself to be a master in the manipulation of symbols. He has made powerful and sometimes inspiring speeches on American values and international comity and responsibility.

Perhaps his greatest contribution to world peace so far was presiding over a summit meeting of the United Nations Security Council that charted a path to a world with zero nuclear weapons. But that, too, was a symbolic event. The nuclear stockpiles show no signs of being diminished.

The Nobel Committee said it was honoring Obama for an "extraordinary effort to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." Some Americans have not been willing to accept symbolism for accomplishment. But much of what passes for accomplishment in this world is symbolic.

View this story at NPR.org


Source: http://www.scpr.org/news/2009/10/14/obama-nobel-not-sole-symbolic-award-opinion/

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Deliver me according to thy word


Psalm 119:169-176


169Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD: give me understanding according to thy word.

170Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word.

171My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.

172My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.

173Let thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts.

174I have longed for thy salvation, O LORD; and thy law is my delight.

175Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me.

176I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.


King James Version (KJV)


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Delta Passenger Arrested for Bible Chanting


A Delta airlines passenger caused a disturbance on a flight heading from Seattle to Atlanta. The Delta flight crew had to make an unscheduled stop in Tennessee after the 22 year old man reportedly chanted Bible verses while kicking and flailing inside the aircraft.

According to the police report, Paul Marchuk III was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest by airport police. He was being held on $20,000 bond. Passengers on the Delta Airlines flight reported to local television station WSMV that the passenger had to be subdued by other passengers after quoting Bible passages.

The arrest warrant stated, "According to a police arrest warrant, "The suspect would not allow the person sitting next to him to leave her seat to use the restroom. The suspect kept telling her that his blood would be on her and he was not going to let her leave no matter what happened. Several passengers restrained the suspect and the suspect attempted to bite one of the passengers in the leg."

The Boeing 757 with 178 passengers and a six-person Delta Airlines crew continued the flight to Atlanta after the arrest. It arrived 1 1/2 hours late. The passenger who was arrested, Paul Marchuk III, was under evaluation Wednesday in Tennessee and apparently has no attorney.

Cheryl Phillips
HULIQ.com



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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Rush Limbaugh Hits Back at Sheila Jackson Lee, Others for Racism Charge

October 14, 2009 by


New Hardball Strategy from Limbaugh

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Democrat of Texas took to the floor of the House to explain why Rush Limbaugh ought not to be allowed to own a NFL football team. Rush Limbaugh took to the airways October 14th to make her wish she hadn't.

Sheila Jackson Lee was only one of several people who felt Rush Limbaugh's ire over the controversy in which Rush is being accused of racism based on fabricated quotes. Other people feeling Rush's wrath included CNN reporter Rick Sanchez, whom Rush Limbaugh mentioned had been involved in a hit-and-run accident while drunk while a reporter in Miami, and Senate Majority Harry Reid, whom Rush reminded his listeners is—well—Harry Reid.

Rush Limbaugh told an old story about how Jesse Jackson had lied about Martin Luther King dying in his arms, though apparently he had arrived in time to smear the blood of the iconic civil rights leader on his own clothes to make it look like he had been present. Tawana Brawley was trotted out to beat Al Sharpton over the head with. Rush also accused Al Sharpton of running a shake down racket.

But it was Sheila Jackson Lee who was the special subject of Rush Limbaugh's new policy of answering attacks. Rush inquired, "I wonder if Ms. Jackson Lee to have any regard for the truth. Does she have any regard for hoping, desiring to sound intelligent and knowledgeable, or is she content to be happy and proud to go the floor of the House of Representatives and make a fool of herself?

"Rush Limbaugh went on to relate an old story about Sheila Jackson Lee. It seems that Sheila Jackson Lee was present at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory when the Mars Pathfinder landed in the mid 1990s. Sheila Jackson Lee inquired whether the rover would be able to roll over to where astronauts had planted the American flag.

The problem is that astronauts have yet to visit Mars at all, not to mention plant any flags on its surface. Sheila Jackson Lee, who represents a district in Houston and sits on committees that deal with NASA, did not know that astronauts had in fact planted flags on the Moon

Rush Limbaugh is apparently adding to the legal strategy that he explained on October 13th's broadcast. The idea seems to be that if you launch against Rush Limbaugh, call him names, or lie about him, he will launch against you in responds with overwhelming force. If you go after Rush and have a skeleton in your closet, that skeleton will be trotted out for all to see.

Sources: Limbaugh fires back at 'fool' Jackson Lee for NFL floor speech, Bob Cusak, The Hill, October 14th, 2009

Rick Sanchez of CNN Ran Over a Man Then Fled the Scene. Two Hours Later, Sanchez Was Still Drunk, Erik Erikson, Red State, October 14th, 2009

Jesse Jackson Aims For The Mainstream, Joyce Purnick and Michael Oreskes, New York Times, November 29th, 1987

Sharpton's Million Dollar Shakedown Racket, Sabel Vincent and Susan Edelman, Sweetness and Light, June 15th, 2008

The Smearing of Rush Limbaugh, Mark R. Whittington, Associated Content, October 14th, 2009
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Source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2285345/rush_limbaugh_hits_back_at_sheila_jackson.html?cat=62
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Related:

Democrat Congresswoman Bashes Rush Limbaugh on House Floor

By Noel Sheppard (Bio Archive)October 14, 2009 - 11:39 ET







Monday night's football game between the Jets and the Dolphins might have been the best so far this year, but nothing is matching the entertainment value of the Left's hysteria concerning conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh's bid to buy the St. Louis Rams.

The fiscally-challenged Democrats could actually balance the budget if they sold beer, popcorn, and hot dogs every time some liberal politician or media member stepped in front of a microphone to express why the Excellence in Broadcasting chief isn't qualified to own a football team.

On Tuesday alone Congress could have raised a fortune if it would have sold tickets to Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's (D-Tex.) hyperventilation about Limbaugh on the floor of the House of Representatives (video embedded below the fold with transcript, relevant section at 2:30, h/t Story Balloon, file photo):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhSo5E492lg&feature=player_embeddedhttp://

Let me finally move to another topic and offer my thoughts. Even though I believe in the first amendment and the right to freedom of association, but I stand with the NFL Players Association not to make Rush Limbaugh any kind of national standard or a national hero or the national issue. I'll let my friends on the other side of the aisle determine what he is and what he is not.

Stop the tape: notice how she just said, "I'll let my friends on the other side of the aisle determine what he is and what he is not." That sentiment didn't last long:
But I know that he is not the kind of owner that the NFL needs.

Didn't she just say she was going to let her friends on the other side of the aisle determine what he is not? But I digress:

He does not represent the fullness of appreciation of athletes of all diverse backgrounds no matter what he wants to pretend to say on his radio station. But he is one who is divisive just as they're about to select him as a judge for a Miss America contest. I can't understand that, but that is their choice. Maybe they think he'll bring in millions of listeners, but can you imagine a poor girl scared already to be able to ask a question about the person she admires most, and she says somebody that happens to be a different political affiliation. She is, of course, not a winner. But that's their decision.

Hmmm. You mean like how Carrie Prejean didn't win the Miss USA pageant a few months ago because of HER political views? Where was the Congresswoman when THAT happened?
From this act of uproarious hypocrisy, Jackson Lee predictably moved to Donovan McNabb:
NFL has become one of America's pastimes. All of us from all walks of life and economic backgrounds look at the NFL. I know that there are far better owners that could be selected than one package that has this gentleman in it. I'd ask the NFL owners to put standards in place, criteria, base it on integrity, not just the bottom buck. Anybody that wants to call a quarterback in Pennsylvania and call him out - he happens to be African-American - as not being competent, just somebody that the media has promoted, not being talented. Interestingly enough, that football player is, happens to still be playing and doing a great job.

Well I don't know why in the heck other than the big dollar that Rush Limbaugh would be interested in the NFL. And so, we're not interested in him either.

Wait a minute. What if it is exclusively about money. What's wrong with someone investing in a sports franchise because he or she thinks it's a good longterm investment? Would that be terrible if that was Limbaugh's sole motivation?

Of course, it isn't, for Limbaugh is a diehard football fan who now finds himself in the financial position to invest in something he loves. I guess the Congresswoman doesn't understand that:
And I would hope, though this is not my choice, this is not a government issue as well as it is an issue of integrity for those of us who believe that this is a great sport that brings all of us together.

Well, if this isn't a government issue, why are you talking about it on the House floor?
I would hesitate to say that he is not someone who brings people together. And I just simply ask those owners to do the right thing, have a criteria, a standard, a bottom line of integrity. It's not all about the dollar. It's about the value of sports and teamwork and working together and bringing young people together and looking at values that are not political that are simply about us getting along as a nation, being admired by the world for having a great sporting community if you will whether it's baseball, basketball, football, soccer, tennis, golf. That's what it's about. NFL owners, have some integrity. I think you need a different owner team.

Hmmm. So sports aren't about the dollar? Then why do athletes make more in a year than most Americans will in their entire lives? And why do companies spend so much to advertise during games?

And what about her comment that sports are about "looking at values that are not political?" Isn't that EXACTLY what the Congresswoman did on the House floor Tuesday -- look at Limbaugh's values that ARE political?

Indeed, this entire issue has become political because Limbaugh represents conservatism, and the Left along with their media minions just can't stand it.

As a result this battle has a long way to go; folks better stock up on peanuts, popcorn, and Cracker Jacks if they REALLY want to enjoy the show.

—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters


Source: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/10/14/democrat-congresswoman-bashes-rush-limbaugh-house-floor

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THESE ARE NOT NEGOTIABLE


By Chuck Baldwin
October 13, 2009
NewsWithViews.com

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote, "Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies."

I would argue that we, like our patriot forebears, have also endured "patient sufferance." For at least a half-century, we have patiently endured the erosion and abridgment of our freedoms and liberties. We have watched the federal government become an overbearing and meddlesome Nanny State that pokes its nose and sticks its fingers in virtually everything we do. We cannot drive a car, buy a gun, or even flush a toilet without Big Brother's permission. We are taxed, regulated, and snooped-on from the time we are born to the day we die. And then after we are dead, we are taxed again.

In the same way that Jefferson and Company patiently suffered up until that shot was fired that was heard around the world, we who love freedom today are likewise patiently suffering "a long train of abuses and usurpations." In fact, I would even dare say that these States United have become a boiling caldron of justifiable frustration and even anger.

Accordingly, it is incumbent upon us to very seriously and thoughtfully examine those principles that we absolutely will never cede or surrender. We have already surrendered much of the freedom that was bequeathed to us by our forefathers. We are now to the point that we must define those principles that form our "line in the sand" and that we will not surrender under any circumstance. Either that, or we must admit to ourselves that there is nothing--no principle, no freedom, no matter how sacred--that we will not surrender to Big Government.

Here, then, are those principles that, to me, must never be surrendered. To surrender these liberties to Big Government would mean to commit idolatry. It would be sacrilege. It would reduce us to slavery. It would destroy our humanity. To surrender these freedoms would mean "absolute Despotism" and would provide moral justification to the proposition that such tyranny be "thrown off."

*The Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

Men without guns are not free men; they are slaves. Men without guns are not citizens; they are subjects. Men without guns have lost the right of self-defense. They have lost the power to defend their families and protect their properties. Men without guns are reduced to the animal kingdom, becoming prey to the Machiavellians among them who would kill them for sport or for their own personal pursuits. As King Jesus plainly ordered, "He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one." (Luke 22:36) This we will do--at all costs.

*The Right to Own Private Property

Like the right of self-defense, the private ownership of property is a God-given right that is rooted in the Sacred Text. As God told Moses, "Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it." (Deut. 19:14)

In fact, the history of Western Civilization is replete with the examples of free men who were determined (even at the cost of their very lives) to defend the right to own property. Without private property rights, men are reduced to serfs and servants. Like chattel, they feed themselves by another's leave. This we will not do.

*The Right to Train and Educate Our Children

Education has never been the responsibility of the State. From time immemorial, education has been the right and responsibility of the family. This, too, has its foundation in the Sacred Volume. "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." (Eph. 6:4)

Therefore, the absolute right of homeshooling or private/parochial/Christian schooling must never be surrendered. Homeschooling, especially, is fundamental to freedom. It is not a coincidence that throughout history, most totalitarian governments forbade parents homeschooling their children. Any government--federal, State, or local--that forbids, or even restricts, the right of parents to homeschool their children has taken upon itself the uniform of a tyrant.

*The Freedom of Speech and Worship

Speech and worship are matters of the heart and conscience (Luke 6:45; John 4:24). Only tyrants seek authority over matters of the heart. But, of course, that is what tyrants do: they seek to control men's thoughts and beliefs.

Hence, the alternative media is essential to liberty: the Internet, short wave radio, as well as independent magazines and periodicals. It is almost superfluous to say that there is no such thing as a free and independent press among the mainstream news media today. In fact, the major media more resembles a propaganda machine than it does a free press.

The same can be said for most of the mainstream churches in America today. They more resemble havens for politically correct, Big-Government ideology than they do bastions of Bible truth. Therefore, home-churches and non-establishment churches are increasingly requisite to a free people.

*The Right to Determine One's Own Healthcare

The marriage of Big Government and Big Medicine has created a healthcare monster. Already, the dispensing of medical treatment is micromanaged by Big Brother in a way that has resulted in skyrocketing costs and inferior care (and in some cases, even death). President Obama's universal health care initiatives that are sure to come (in one form or another) will only exacerbate an already untenable situation.

Free men and women absolutely have the right to refuse vaccinations for themselves and their children. Forced vaccinations (of any kind) are an assault against the very foundation of freedom. Free men have the right to choose their own physicians, their own hospitals, their own insurance programs, etc. They also have the right to refuse any and all of the above.

God is Creator. He is also Healer (Exodus 15:26). Therefore, how men choose to seek God's healing is a private matter between them and God. Alternative medicine is a right. Already, our military personnel are used as human guinea pigs to test a variety of drugs and chemicals. Public schools also require forced vaccinations. And now the push is on to force the general population to take the Swine Flu vaccine. At the current pace, it won't be long until all alternative medicines and treatments will be illegal and the federal government will be America's doctor. This is not acceptable.

*The Right to Life

2000 years of Western Civilization have perpetually reconfirmed that life is a gift of God. Both Biblical and American history repeatedly honor God as the Source and Sustainer of man's existence. Therefore, evils such as abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia must be vehemently resisted. It is bad enough that any government (especially one such as ours) would legalize abortion, but the concept of FORCED abortion, infanticide, or euthanasia could only be regarded as a despotic attack on life and liberty of the gravest proportion. In fact, under Natural Law, such an attack would remove said government from the protection of Heaven and would place it in a state of war.

*The Right to Live as a Free and Independent People

God separated the Nations (Genesis 11). Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that we Americans maintain our independence and national sovereignty. We simply cannot (and will not) allow ourselves to become part of any hemispheric or global union.

There they are: seven freedom-principles that are not negotiable. As Jefferson said, we are "disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable." But cross these lines and free men must do what free men must do: "throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

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© 2009 Chuck Baldwin - All Rights Reserved