Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Indians throng Nepal's Gadhimai fair for animal sacrifice



Sudeshna Sarkar, TNN 24
November 2009, 06:05pm IST

KATHMANDU: Thousands of Indians from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other states bordering Nepal swarmed to the Himalayan republic’s southern plains Tuesday to attend a notorious Hindu fair there and sacrifice animals and birds in the hope their wishes would be fulfilled.

While a debate began to grow in Nepal about the Gadhimai Fair in Bara district and the wanton cruelty it inflicted on animals, the festival drew its strength from zealous Indian attendees who have been flocking to it every five years in a bid to circumvent the ban imposed on animal sacrifices in their own states.

The name on everyone’s lips on Tuesday, when the slaughter of buffaloes started, was that of Raman Thakur, a farmer from Sitamarhi in Bihar who sacrificed 105 buffaloes to show his gratitude. The goddess, Thakur said, had answered the prayer he had made five years ago by granting him a son.

Men, women and children poured in from Bihar, most of them carrying kid goats and roosters, many of which had been smuggled across the porous Indo-Nepal border, bypassing the few Nepali quarantine posts. “My son Vishnu has been ill for years and can’t walk,” said Kalaiya Devi, pointing to a severely malnourished child in her arms whose legs looked like matchsticks. “I am going to sacrifice a pigeon now and come back with a buffalo at the next fair if the goddess gives him the strength to walk.”

People who believe in witchcraft and supernatural powers and were hardened to suffering due to the suffering they themselves have undergone for generations are the people who keep the Gadhimai Fair in Nepal alive while the locals regard it more as an occasion to do brisk business when their hotels and restaurants remain full.

Ram Mahato, 37, who also came from Sitamarhi, planned to watch the execution of the animals, visit the circus and drink his fill of local liquor that has also been doing brisk sale underground despite an official ban on it. He had not heard of Maneka Gandhi, let alone her plea to the Nepal government to ban the quinquennial slaughter at Gadhimai. Neither had he heard that six people, including one from Motihari, had died after consuming adulterated hooch.

“Gandhi?” he asked, scratching his head. “Is she related to Indira Gandhi? But then, they have everything, unlike us. They can afford not to seek the blessings of the goddess.”

The local Maoist MP, Shiv Chandra Kushwaha, said he had decided to skip attending parliament – which his party had agreed to allow to convene for three critical days to pass the budget – to attend the fair since it was for a bigger cause. “About 75 percent of the people who come to fair to offer sacrifices are Indians. We can’t stop them because it is a religious sentiment. Why blame us? It is not us who are making the sacrifices.”

The Maoist MP estimates about 15,000 buffaloes will be killed Tuesday. On Wednesday, he says, the number of slaughtered goats, roosters and pigeons will run into hundreds of thousands. The temple authorities have built a new slaughter house at a cost of nearly NRS 5 million while a huge pit has been dug to bury the heads of the butchered animals. The animal skins are being bought by tannery owners in India and Nepal.

Nepal’s government refused to ban the massacre despite warnings by animal lovers and livestock experts that it could cause an outbreak of animal-borne diseases like goat plague, swine flu and bird flu.

Though celebrities like Maneka Gandhi and yesteryear’s sex symbol French actress Brigitte Bardot raised their voices against the killings, the root of the problem perhaps is that these voices are not as potent in the drinking water and electricity-less villages of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh as the voices of imagined gods and demons.


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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

But as the days of Noah were


And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 5:32


. 5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

9These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

10And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

12And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

13And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

17And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

18But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.

19And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

20Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.

21And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

22Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
Genesis 6:5-13,17-22.

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1And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

2Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

3Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

4For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

5And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

6And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.

7And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

8Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,

9There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.

10And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

12And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

13In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;

14They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.

15And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.

16And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.

Genesis 7:1-16.
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And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;

And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:

And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.

And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.

And God spake unto Noah, saying,

And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:

And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Genesis 6:1, 6, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20.

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And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

Genesis 9:1


37But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be
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Matthew 24:37-39


For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

Isaiah 54:9


Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 14:14

Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

Ezekiel 14:20

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Hebrews 11:7
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Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

1 Peter 3:20

And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

2 Peter 2:5

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Make kids love God, clergy told


Tuesday, 24th November, 2009


By Abdulkarim Ssengendo

Churches should embrace conditions that will encourage children to love God, President Yoweri Museveni has urged. “Our children are growing up in a time of moral decadence. Therefore, the church must set conditions that will encourage them to love God,” Museveni noted.

The message was contained in a speech read by labour state minister Emmanuel Otaala at a fundraising function for Rutooma Church in Mbarara district on Sunday.

Museveni contributed sh5m towards the completion of the church. About sh26m was raised in cash and pledges. The President thanked the people of Rutooma for allowing their children to join the liberation struggles, adding that Rutooma holds a special place in the history of Uganda.

He also said he was happy with the Christians of Rutooma for their effort to build the church, which he called a noble enterprise. Museveni appealed to the church to strengthen families in order to give young people a firm foundation.

He said the church has the responsibility to teach sound morals, discipline young people and design programmes that will help them avoid distractive pressures. The President commended the church for its vigilance in building of homes.

He asked the church to partner with the state, especially in the provision of socio-economic services, adding that the Government is committed to uplifting the standards of education in the country.

Museveni noted that the Government is promoting community polytechnics to equip children with productive skills.

The president urged the clergy to aim for higher education standards, engage in campaigns of preventive health care and fight HIV.


Source:http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/18/702226

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Health care reform will bankrupt America


November 16, 2009

Dr. Allen D. Unruh

The last nail in the coffin of capitalism will be a government takeover of health care. All doctors will be slaves of the state, while all patients will be wards.

This undermines the entire Declaration of Independence, where the inalienable (God-given) right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is guaranteed.

President Obama has promised fundamental reform, which replaces God-given rights with government-given rights.

The first lesson in economics is there never are enough resources to meet everyone's desires. The first lesson of politics is to ignore the first lesson in economics.

Karl Marx said, "The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism." C.S. Lewis said, "Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised to the good of its victims may be the most oppressive." And Thomas Jefferson said, "I predict happiness for the American people if they can keep the government from confiscating the fruits of their labor under the pretense of taking care of them."

"One of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the great struggle for independence," Charles Beard said. Government health care will be like a hospital gown: You think you're covered, but you're not.

What is at stake in the health care reform debate? Your health, your freedom and your life. Your economic opportunity to prosper will change to a survival mind-set.

We are told the sky will fall if we don't let government take over health care immediately. A better metaphor is that the Titanic is sinking, and bureaucrats want the country to get on board because it will be too late next year. It's time we send some lifeboats because all Americans are in the same boat.

There is one principle about a boat: You can't sink half of it. We either live in freedom or in servitude. There is no in between.

Obama has said, "We are our brother's keeper." But the good Samaritan walked across the road to help the beaten pilgrim. He didn't call a social welfare agency.

They tell us we should just "trust them." Has the federal government given even one reason why we should trust it? Medicare costs nine times more than projected estimates and is going broke fast. In history, there never has been a government program that has come in under budget.

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, brother of White House chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, has been appointed to two key positions: health policy adviser at the Office of Management and Budget and a member of the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research. He bluntly admits that cuts will not be painless.

In the Feb. 27, 2008, issue of Health Affairs, Emanuel wrote, "Savings will require changing how doctors think about their patients." In the June 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, he added that doctors take the Hippocratic oath "as an imperative to do everything for the patient regardless of the cost or effects on others."

Ezekiel Emanuel wants doctors to look beyond the needs of their patients and consider social justice such as whether the money could be better spent on somebody else. The people who fall through the cracks are the elderly, people in chronic pain, the disabled and those who require expensive procedures. He explicitly defends discrimination against older patients.

Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, urged Congress to delegate its own authority over Medicare to a new, presidentially appointed bureaucracy that wouldn't be accountable to the public.

The current version of health care reform undermines the First, Fourth, Fifth, 10th and 13th amendments to the Constitution. America will go bankrupt, freedom will be lost, health care costs will go up dramatically, health care quality will go down, health care workers will be demoralized and millions of jobs will be lost.

This is not about health care. It's about tyranny and power.

There is only one solution: Kill the bill.

We must give a pink slip in the next election to everyone who votes for it. Market solutions are not allowed on the table.

Edmund Burke said, "Bad laws are the worst form of tyranny." Jefferson said, "Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God."

Nothing less than the future of civilization is at stake.



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Tensions Flare Between Religious Leaders and Lawmakers Over Abortion

Updated November 23, 2009

by
FOXNews.com



In this Sept. 22 file photo, Rep. Patrick Kennedy gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo)


In an effort that has produced heated public feuds as well as significant changes in proposed health care legislation, religious leaders are zeroing in on followers of their faith in Congress to make sure that taxpayer money will not be used to fund abortions.

The latest confrontation comes between Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., an abortion-rights supporter, and Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin, who asked Kennedy not to receive Holy Communion if he maintained his position.

The tension is palpable as senators prepare to take up a version of legislation that pro-life leaders say does not provide the same assurances as the version that passed the House early this month. Catholic leaders were considered key in pushing for the restrictions in the House bill.

Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop' Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, said Monday that his group will "work with senators of both parties" to address their concerns. But his group blasted the Senate health bill on Friday, and Doerflinger said Monday that the conference will oppose it if their concerns are not met.

Here's a look at some of the lawmakers who are at odds with their religious leaders over the issue:

Rep. Patrick Kennedy

The dispute between Kennedy, son of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, and Tobin began in October when Kennedy criticized Catholic bishops for threatening to oppose health care reform without restrictions on federally funded abortion. Tobin demanded an apology and requested a meeting with Kennedy, but that meeting fell through. Tobin then wrote a public letter calling Kennedy's position "scandalous" and "unacceptable."

The latest chapter in the dispute came over the weekend, when Kennedy told The Providence Journal that Tobin instructed him not to take Communion and instructed other priests not to give it to Kennedy either. Though Tobin denied banning Kennedy from receiving Communion elsewhere, he said he did ask Kennedy to stop receiving Communion in 2007.

"He attacked the church, he attacked the position of the church on health care, on abortion, on funding," Tobin told The Associated Press on Sunday.

But Kennedy, a member of the most prominent Catholic family in American political life, has earned some support in his stand against the church.

Catholics for Choice issued a statement Monday applauding Kennedy and describing Tobin as part of a "small minority of bishops" trying to "intimidate" Catholic lawmakers.

"Despite what this minority of bishops has done -- and it is worth noting that the majority of bishops do not seek to use the sacraments as political weapons -- prochoice Catholic policymakers continue to stand by their consciences," the statement said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Pelosi has a long history of conflict with the Catholic Church.

But the church's intervention this time around may have helped persuade the California Democrat, who is Catholic, to allow a game-changing amendment.

Before the House passed its health care bill, representatives for Catholic bishops huddled with top officials in Pelosi's office to discuss the language. Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, also called Pelosi to discuss abortion restrictions with her personally.

In the end, an amendment from Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., to impose tough restrictions on federal funding for abortion coverage passed along with the overall health care bill. And the bishops are taking credit.

"It was a good example of how we as a conference can work together to have a positive influence on legislation," Bishop William Murphy, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, told the Catholic News Service, pledging that the conference would remain "vigilant" on the Senate side.

But the bishops' harmony with Pelosi may be temporary.

William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, told FoxNews.com that he expects Pelosi to try to strip out the Stupak language in conference committee when differences between the House and Senate versions must be ironed out. Donohue was one of 150 Christian leaders who signed a declaration on Friday reaffirming their opposition to abortion and gay marriage.

Pelosi hasn't shied away from confrontations with the church. She was rebuked by the archbishop of Washington last year after she said in an interview that the church had been inconsistent on its abortion position over the years. At the same time, the archbishop of Denver warned then-vice presidential candidate Joe Biden not to take Communion. Pelosi later met privately with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. The Vatican released a statement at the time saying the pope spoke with Pelosi about "the Church's consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death."

Rep. Michael Capuano

Capuano, D-Mass., has also bucked leaders of his Catholic faith to take a firm stand in favor of abortion rights as the health care debate proceeds. He told FoxNews.com recently that he would "tend to vote against" the final bill if it restricted abortion funding -- though he voted for the House version weeks ago.

Capuano is focusing on abortion in part because it's a big issue in the race for the Senate seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy. Both he and state Attorney General Martha Coakley are playing up their abortion rights credentials in the race for the Democratic nomination.

Capuano, though, made clear that he won't be intimidated by Catholic leaders on the issue.

"I treat them with probably more respect, more deference. But they don't tell me how to vote," he said, according to The Boston Globe.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro

DeLauro, D-Conn., was among the female Democratic House members outraged by the Stupak amendment. DeLauro reportedly got in a shouting match with Rep. George Miller, a Pelosi ally, after the House speaker announced in early November that she would allow the amendment on the health care reform bill.

But as a Catholic, DeLauro has drawn fierce criticism from inside the religious community.

Deacon Keith Fournier, founder of The Catholic Way, listed DeLauro among those lawmakers "who supported the funding of the continued killing of children in the womb with tax dollars" in a recent online column.

In an interview with the Catholic News Agency, a representative for The National Right to Life Committee blasted a separate amendment offered by DeLauro on the issue of abortion funding as "ludicrous" and "an insult."

Sen. Bob Casey Jr.

Casey, D-Pa., is known for his pro-life stance but he's not been entirely clear on how forcefully he would come down on the issue in the Senate health care legislation.

Expect the Catholic senator to be a target of religious groups seeking tougher language in Majority Leader Harry Reid's health care bill.

"Bob Casey has had an on-again, off-again relationship with some of the bishops in his state," Donohue said. "I'm sure there's a tremendous amount of pressure on him to make good on this."

Casey told CNSNews.com in early November that he supports an amendment to prohibit federal funding from paying for abortion coverage in health care reform.

But then a few days later, his office put out a statement saying he's not in favor of new restrictions, suggesting he doesn't want to pursue language akin to the Stupak amendment in the Senate.

Galen Carey, director of government affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, told FoxNews.com that his group is hoping to persuade Casey, and even Reid, to change the abortion language in the Senate bill.

"The current Senate bill is a radical departure from the current U.S. government policy," Carey said.

The Senate bill as written would allow let private insurers that receive federal subsidies to offer plans that include abortion coverage, but the money for abortions is supposed to come from premiums paid by beneficiaries and not from the subsidy money.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Senate Candidates Split Over Second Stimulus


LISTEN NOW
By CURT NICKISCH
Published November 23, 2009 UPDATED 12:07 PM


BOSTON — If the first stimulus was like an alarm that was supposed to wake up the economy and get it back on its feet, the economy slept right through it.

Some economists says it may not have been set loud enough.

“We’ve not done as good a job with the stimulus as we could have,” said Northeastern University labor market professor Andrew Sum. “It’s not been very well targeted. It’s not been very transparent.”

With the economy basically hitting snooze, the question facing Congress is: Let the economy wake up on its own, or give it another buzz by funding a second federal stimulus package?

Of all the candidates for Massachusetts’ open U.S. Senate seat, Democrat Alan Khazei wants to turn it up the loudest.

“I believe we need an aggressive jobs program,” Khazei said.

Khazei wants tax cuts to spur businesses to hire and invest. He also wants a slew of stimulus spending, like more national service jobs for college grads. But other candidates say Khazei has it all wrong.

“I’m definitely against a second stimulus,” said Republican Jack E. Robinson. “The only thing the stimulus stimulated was the government. And the only way to create jobs is to stimulate the private sector.”

Robinson’s idea is to drop the capital gains tax next year to coax companies into spending more on property and equipment.

His Republican primary opponent, State Sen. Scott Brown, wants to keep the tax code where it is by making President Bush’s tax cuts permanent. Brown does not want more stimulus spending.
“In Massachusetts, we’re 49th out of 50 (states) in actually releasing the money,” Brown said. “So why would we do another stimulus when we haven’t even done the first one?”
In contrast, Attorney General Martha Coakley, a Democrat, is not ruling out a second stimulus package. However, she’s not ruling one in, either.

“I’d want to make sure, before we use dollars, that we’d make sure what worked and what didn’t on Stimulus one,” Coakley said. “Particularly in Massachusetts.”

Like Coakley, Democrat Steve Pagliuca is noncommittal about a second round.

“We already have a national debt of over $12 trillion,” Pagliuca said. “That’s a scary number.”
What Pagliuca wants to do is take money from the first stimulus that hasn’t been spent yet and put those couple hundred billion dollars more directly toward job training and creation.

But Democrat Rep. Michael Capuano defends the first stimulus for saving more jobs than people realize, even if it’s not creating many. Capuano did, after all, vote for it. He is a congressman. And he says he’d vote for a second.

“The next one probably won’t be called stimulus because this one has kind of a bad name,” Capuano said. But that doesn’t bother him. “Whatever they come up with, that’s fine, I’ll use whatever term they want, he said. “If it creates jobs, I’ll be for it.”

So consider again the analogy of stimulus spending as an alarm clock that jolts the economy awake. Two Senate candidates, both Democrats, want to set the alarm again: Michael Capuano and Alan Khazei, who wants to turn it up.

The two Republicans, Scott Brown and Jack E. Robinson, want to turn it off. They say it’s too expensive and doesn’t really work.

And then Democrats Steve Pagliuca and Martha Coakley are iffy about setting it again. They’re gonna sleep on it.


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The Secret Political Reach Of 'The Family'

Fresh Air from WHYY

Published November 24, 2009 9:55 AM



Jeff Sharlet is also the author of Killing the Buddha: A Heretic's Bible, a travelogue based on a year he and Peter Manseau spent exploring the margins of faith in America.





You may recognize these names from recent headlines: Sen. John Ensign, Rep. Bart Stupak and Rep. Joe Pitts. Stupak and Pitts have become familiar names through the media's health-care overhaul coverage; their abortion-funding amendment introduced an 11th-hour twist as the House of Representatives approached a vote on a landmark health-care bill.

Ensign was the focus of media attention over his affair with a campaign staffer last year. Just last night, a Nevada man disclosed that he found out about his wife's affair with the state's junior senator — his best friend — via a text message.

The common factor among these political players is their involvement with the Family, a secretive fellowship of powerful Christian politicians that centers on a Washington, D.C. townhouse. Investigative journalist Jeff Sharlet has written extensively about the influential group in his book The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power.

Sharlet returns to Fresh Air today to talk with host Terry Gross to talk about Ensign, Stupak and Pitts, and about new developments concerning the Family.

Since 2003, Sharlet has been an associate research scholar at New York University's Center for Religion and Media, where he has taught graduate seminars in journalism and the history of American religion. He has also spoken on religion, politics, and media at colleges and universities across the country. At NYU, Sharlet created TheRevealer.org, a review of religion and the media.

Related Links

'Family': Fundamentalism, Friends In High Places

The Nation: Pro-Choicers Backing Down? Fat Chance

Source: NPR


Source: http://www.wbur.org/npr/120746516

The Afghan Question, Going Rogue, and Dog Tails


It is turning out to be a very "telling" month. We are being confounded by the barrage of paradigm shifting information. The Afghan question (McChrystal recommendations, the dithering...) is at the top of the headlines; It continues to be waved before the populace, it's coming, like a carrot before a carriage horse. Next, the recent hostile takeover of Health care by the Legislative Branch of the Federal Government; Last Saturday Night's mockery of democracy in the U.S. Senate was followed by a number of Sunday Morning TV News program denials. Congressman Joe "the independent" Lieberman (CT), stated that he would not vote for the final bill if it included a public option. Out of left field came U.S. Senator Charles E. “Chuck” Schumer (D) NY, who introduced legislation to address the issues of frequent flyer programs.
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Meanwhile, they say that the recession is over. It's going to be a jobless recovery. Can you believe this? They say that the economy is growing. Don't worry be happy!
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Ex-Vice President candidate Sarah Palin is now on a book signing tour around the nation promoting her book "Going Rogue". Now, after having resigned from her post as governor of Alaska she is barnstorming America; Why is she doing this? She lost shamelessly in November. Is she the great white female republican hope? If this weren't so ridiculous, I'd say she was preparing for the 2012 presidential elections?

Last week, women's preventive health measures were questioned when it was revealed that most females under 50-years-old do not need routine Mammograms. What a reversal of procedures? This is like hitting the down button on an elevator that's headed up to the 5th floor. The stories never cease to amaze me. But, I detect a common denominator in all the confusion; It is part of the wag the tail technique.

To add to all the distressing push-a-me pull-a-me media hype of the Swine Flu Pandemic year, add today's story: Small batch of swine flu vaccines pulled in Canada
The Associated Press -
Meera Selva - ‎51 minutes ago‎
GlaxoSmithKline is only investigating the one batch of its swine flu vaccine in Canada. White said no other doses of its swine flu vaccine around the world ...


Now this puts the icing on the cake!

What may seem as a deluge of conflicting information, might just be intentional. As we know most people aren't able to multi-task so readily. Most men can't march and chew gum at the same mind. The old adage comes to mind: If you cant dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with nonsense...


I remember the lyrics to a 1970's song that said: "We don't need no Watergate, just gimme' some bucks and I'll be straight." Now we don't need bizarre
stories to occupy our minds, or money to enrich our lives; We need wisdom and a keen awareness to what is truly important. We must focus on the unchanging Word of God.


So, does a suspicious person have grounds to distrust all the disinformation that passes for news? They just can't make things up like this, or can they? We can call this what it is: A bunch of Dog Tales, or Dog Tails wagging to divert the attention from the real issues; I consider one of these to be the upcoming Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen where global government will further compromise our diminishing Constitution, and our representative Republican form of government. Keep your ear to the ground! More perplexing changes will overwhelm even the most vigilant of men.

Our freedoms are on the line.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.


Arsenio.

Philippines massacre: State of emergency declared, but will Arroyo pursue justice?


On Tuesday in Manilla, protesters hold signs condemning the killing of at least 40 political supporters and journalists in the southern Philippines.
Bullit Marquez/AP

The Philippines massacre of 46 people on Monday prompts President Gloria Arroyo to declare a state of emergency in the affected province. Is she ready to take on her country's culture of political violence?

By Donald Kirk Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the November 24, 2009 edition

Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of emergency for parts of the southern island of Mindanao on Tuesday, after a political massacre there left at least 46 people dead.

But her strong response came amid widespread questions over whether action will be put to her words. The murders are alleged to have been arranged by one of her political allies and the Philippines has a long-standing culture of impunity for political violence.

"The government definitely has the numbers but not the political will," says Vilnor Papa, Philippine campaign manager of Amnesty International. "We have political killings. We have summary executions. This is a culture of impunity. You have seen how people from the military have gotten away with murder."

But while political murders are common in the Philippines, this was an extraordinary outrage – a brazen daylight attack in front of witnesses and with apparently no threat from police. At least a dozen of the victims were local journalists.

The killers were alleged, according to eyewitness reports broadcast on Philippine radio and television stations, to be under orders from Andal Ampatuan Jr., mayor of a town that bears his family name. The victims were stopped in Ampatuan, herded several miles away, and shot.
The victims had been on their way to enter the name of Ismael Mangudadatu, the vice mayor of another town, as a candidate for governor. Mr. Ampatuan is vying to succeed his father, Andal Sr., as governor of the province of Maguindanao. Mr. Mangudadatu was not among the victims.
The Ampatuan family are local warlords accustomed to winning elections, in part thanks to their close relationship with Arroyo and the military. The family helped her win the vast majority of votes in the province in the 2004 presidential election. Arroyo won 100 percent of the votes in some towns in the province and at some polling stations the number of votes for Arroyo exceeded the number of registered voters.

Political warfare
On a broader level, the massacre reflected the constant struggles among factions and families. In a region that was barely subdued by the Spanish and then the Americans, warlordism has replaced feudalism, with different groups fighting for political perks and payoffs.

Ampatuan's gubernatorial rival Mangudadatu is the doyen of another powerful local family and had refused to stand down amid reported threats against his life. Thinking gunmen would be reluctant to shoot women and journalists, he sent them in a convoy to register his candidacy. His wife and two sisters were among the dead.

Arroyo's government Tuesday took pains to distance itself from the Ampatuans, denouncing the killings as "unconscionable" and declaring that no one was "untouchable." The national police chief dismissed Provincial Police Chief Zukarno Adil Dicay and three other officers. National Police spokesman Leonardo Espina told local media that Mr. Dicay had been seen with some of the gunmen earlier on Monday, before the assault.

But strong words and highly publicized manhunts have become common after political killings in the Philippines, while successful prosecutions have been rare. Some analysts are convinced the Ampatuan family will remain in power.

The fact that the government has a large number of troops in the area adds to the mystique of impunity.

Arroyo has had to make compromises with Muslim family leaders throughout the region while soldiers pursued elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, deeply ensconced in the province.

"The area is highly militarized," says Satur Ocampo, a longtime foe of the government who now serves as deputy leader of the opposition in the Philippines House of Representatives. "There's a high level of troops there. The Philippine National Police was on alert, but it's quite apparent they were unable to prevent this massacre."

Arroyo may face greater pressure to pursue justice in this case because of the uproar it has created. Since so many local journalists were killed, the government is under fire not only from the Philippines' National Union of Journalists but also from international organizations such as Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

"There is pressure from all sectors for the government to do something," says Girlie Padilla, secretary general of the Ecumenical Movement for Justice and Peace.

Still, Ms. Padilla has doubts. "Will they cover up for the ally who did the killings?" she asks. "That would show they would do anything to cover up for this group. We will have a hard time getting justice."

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Monday, November 23, 2009

JFK Special VII

(Last Minute program change?)


JFK Special VII
(on Coast to Coast AM)



Date:
11-22-09

Host:
George Knapp
Guests:
Jim Marrs, John Barbour, Kenn Thomas

George Knapp presided over the 7th annual JFK Special, featuring three acclaimed Kennedy assassination researchers. He was joined by award-winning journalist Jim Marrs along with TV producer and critic John Barbour in the first half of the program, as well as conspiracy expert Kenn Thomas in the latter half of the show. "It only seems controversial," Marrs said of the Kennedy assassination, because there is a such a glaring difference of opinion between those who believe the government's version of events and "those who have actually studied the case."
Barbour and Marrs cited a myriad of suspicious elements involving the Kennedy assassination, such as the FBI's handling of evidence following the murder and issues with the veracity of the gunpowder tests administered to Lee Harvey Oswald. Barbour noted that the spent shell casings, allegedly from the shooting, were found sitting on the book depository's 6th floor windowsill, "one inch apart and facing the street." An amused Marrs observed that such a scenario would be impossible because, when discharging a spent shell from that type of gun, "it flings it over your right shoulder."

They also discussed the nature of the enduring mystery surrounding the murder of Kennedy. Marrs explained that much of the confusion about the event has been created on purpose. "The cover-up has been based on obfuscation," he observed, noting that all the various suspects and factions blamed for the assassination only serve to make the case harder to truly solve. "All the facts were there, they were just never investigated," Barbour concurred. Ultimately, Marrs mused, the true story of what happened on that day in Dallas will never be "officially" known because it is simply too troubling to be revealed by the government.

In the second half of the program, Kenn Thomas focused on the connection between the JFK assassination and infamous esoteric figure Fred Crisman. Thomas detailed how the enigmatic Crisman was named as the prime suspect for being the Grassy Knoll shooter by two independent sources, one of which was prosecutor Jim Garrison. Potentially placing him at the scene of the crime, Thomas said, is the "three tramps" photo where the character known as "Frenchie" is a "spitting image of Crisman." Thomas also addressed various theories which tied JFK's murder to mind control, UFOs, and even Nazi scientists imported via Project Paperclip.

Website(s):
jimmarrs.com
steamshovelpress.com


Book(s):
Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy
Parapolitics: Conspiracy in Contemporary America
Secret and Suppressed II

The JFK Assassination: Recommended Reading List

In anticipation of the JFK Special, we polled Jim Marrs, John Barbour, and Kenn Thomas for their recommended reading list of books related to the JFK assassination. The result was a veritable cornucopia of conspiracy tomes covering not only the assassination itself, but also Lee Harvey Oswald's life as a spy, the story of a man who may have been set up to be the 2nd patsy on November 22nd, 1963, and some recent examinations of America's most infamous parapolitical mystery.


Jim Marrs:
Anyone who wants to really delve into the Kennedy assassination should start with the Warren Commission Report (1964). Most of the information in this report is valid. The problem is not with what they reported but with what they failed to report. Then read my 1989 book Crossfire: The Plot that Killed Kennedy to take up the slack. These two books should give the reader a good background in the case.

Then, for more up-to-date thoughts and the broad perspective, I would recommend:
David Talbot's Brothers (2005)
James Douglass', JFK and the Unspeakable (2008)
John F. Kennedy: History, Memory, Legacy (2009)
Revisiting Dealey Plaza: What Happened to JFK? - a compendium of various researchers edited by James H. Fetzer


John Barbour:
On The Trail Of the Assassins by Jim Garrison. Garrison's view of the killing as a result of his investigations, and the book bought by Oliver Stone as the basis for the film.
Rush To Judgement by Mark Lane. Forced to go outside the country to get his critique of The Warren Commission published,(being paid only $1,200.00,) this is the book that really brought wide attention to the shabbiness of the Government's non-investigation.
The Man Who Knew Too Much by Dick Russell. It's a long book but an unbelievable read about Richard Case Nagell,the man assigned to kill Oswald, but who felt he was being set up as the alternate patsy, and to save himself walked into a bank just weeks before Nov. 22nd., 1963, shot bullets into the ceiling and when arrested said, 'I don't want to be in Dallas on Nov. 22nd!'
Crossfire by Jim Marrs. Another well-written, solid taking apart of the Government's case against Oswald, and another book used by Oliver Stone for his film.
Post Mortem by Harold Weisberg. Weisberg is a former Intelligence Officer who self-printed a number of books called 'Whitewash' in which he very meticulously shreds the myths surrounding the government's view of Kennedy's killing.
Sons And Brothers by Richard Mahoney. Mahoney, who ran for the Senate in Arizona, started out wanting to just write a book about Bobby Kennedy, but the more he delved into the material the more he realized there had been a major conspiracy at the very highest levels.
Deep Politics And The Death Of JFK by Richard Dale Scott. The title is self-explanatory and shows just how deep the conspiracy went.
Conspiracy by Anthony Summers. This English Investigative Journalist is the British version of Jim Marrs, and shows just how international is the disdain for The Warren Report.
A Farewell To Justice by Joan Mellen. The best book written about Jim Garrison's case against New Orleans businessman Clay shaw, and probably the best book written about Garrison himself.
Heritage Of Stone by Jim Garrison. This book about the Clay Shaw trial received rave reviews by John Leonard in the morning edition of The New York Times, but didn't appear in the late edition. Evidently the Times didn't think it was News Fit To Print!


Kenn Thomas:
NASA, Nazis & JFK ... yes, one of mine, but it has the indispensable Torbitt Document
Rush To Judgment by Mark Lane ... since it was the first (and has a movie documentary)
Plausible Denial by Lane ... covers the E. Howard Hunt trial story
Spy Saga by Phil Melanson ... covers Oswald's life as a spy
Oswald and the CIA by John Newman ... also covers Oswald's life as a spy
Crossfire by Jim Marrs ... for best overview of the case
Best Evidence by David Lifton ... covers the "body switch" theory and "wink" photo
Legend, The Secret World of Lee Harvey Oswald ... has a photo of John Wayne and Oswald together
Destiny Betrayed by Jim DiEugenio ... covers the Garrison case
On The Trail of the Assassins by Jim Garrison


Source: http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2009/11/22
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National Healthcare a Mad Scientist's Dream

(Now, what can I get you for that rash?)

Substitute Mad Scientist with Social Engineer, or with EU-genicist; It's the same difference! Doctors working for the establishment, and Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Company, or GlaxoSmithKline, etc.

It's creepy, just to think about it.

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Dr. Kervorkian was way ahead of his time. Dr. Death will soon be a national hero.

Blogman.
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Friends React To Southern Adventist Student's Murder



November 20, 2009 4:44 PM
Will Carr


Friends and Faculty are mourning the loss of a Southern Adventist University student killed halfway across the world.

Kirsten Wolcott was on a student mission project in the Sate of Yap in Micronesia when she was murdered earlier this week. Her friends at Southern Adventist University say Wolcott loved to teach and that's exactly what she was doing in Yap when she was killed.

On Wednesday Kirsten Wolcott went for a run on the remote island of Yap in Micronesia, but she never returned. Initial reports state her body was found in the woods after she'd been stabbed to death.

"I couldn't believe it because she was my friend first of all and i've never had a friend be murdered and it could have been me so easily," Hanna Freire, Wolcott's friend, says.

That's because Freire served as a missionary in Yap last year.

"It was like I was taken out of my life there and she was placed in it," Freire says. "I can see my students faces as they found her and it's really hard I still have not comprehended how I feel about this."

Freire tells us Wolcott was always sweet, caring, loved God, and loved to help others.

"We are bleeding as a church, as a school family we've lost one of our own," Chaplain Brennon Kirstein says.

Kirstein says Southern Adventist University is offering counseling for students right now. He tells us the University currently has eighty-six other missionaries across the globe who are serving just like Wolcott.

"And she laid her life down for a much higher cause and we salute her and we're incredibly proud of her and may others follow her example," Kirstein says.

It's an example her friends say stood out nearly half way across the world.

"She loved being a student missionary and so many people will get scared away because of the whole student missions because of this story but Kirsten would want them to go," Wolcott says.

We have learned that an arrest has been made in connection with Wolcott's death but right now details are very limited.

The University has set up a web page in Wolcott's memory. To visit the page please click on the "Southern Adventist University - Kirsten Wolcott" under the links portion of this story.





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Who is Bridging Boundaries International?



Who is Bridging Boundaries International?


Bridging Boundaries International’s mission is to promote and encourage shared ideals through cultural communication and education leading to improved coexistence, tolerance, and mutual respect. BBI also promotes the empowerment of students.
BBI is about bringing kids together to prepare them to improve their world – their homes, their schools, their communications and much more.
BBI is a 501(c)(3) in the United States and an NGO in Bosnia. It is a unique program that endeavors to promote and spread tolerance and acceptance through tomorrow’s leaders. We believe there are ways to build bridges across chasms of culture, religion and ethnic differences that will encourage peaceful coexistence.

BBI has Student Councils in both Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Richmond, Virginia that organize summer workshops for teens in Mostar and Richmond. The workshops are unique in that students from Mostar attend Richmond workshops and students from Richmond attend Mostar workshops. The Richmond Student Council which is made up of five Sister Schools participates in community service projects such as Richmond Hill and the Trash Patrol. The Student Councils holds Speaker’s Forums at the various Sister Schools” with themes that are consistent with the mission of BBI.

Success will breed success and because success is infectious, BBI will become a model for Richmond and other cities and countries undertaking a similar program that attempt to sow accord where there are discords

Trash Patrol - Sign UpKids working together make a difference.
Pledge your Support Download a pledge card today


2007Feburary - Launch New BBI Website
2006Shafer Court Connections Article .



546785858585986543



Our Board of Directors

Dr. Bert B. Beach
Bert was born in Switzerland of American parents. He has spent more than half of his life in Europe, in various positions connected with the administration of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Since 1980 he has worked at the World Headquarters of the SDA Church, for fifteen years as Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty. Currently he is general secretary of the Council on Inter-Church/Faith Relations. He holds an earned doctorate from the University of Paris (Sorbonne) and an honorary doctorate from Poland. For 32 years (until 2002) he served as secretary of the Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions. He served for 15 years as secretary general of the International Religious Liberty Association and is now Secretary general emeritus. He has written over two hundred articles and six books. He speaks fluently in 5 languages and is the Secretary of BBI.


Christine O. Bridge
Christine Ober Bridge is a government relations executive with extensive experience at the local, state and federal levels. Her work in legislative and political circles, along with demonstrated skills in public skills in public and advocacy, provide her with an informed perspective on a wide range of public policy issues. She is a graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and has served as a senior advisor to local, state and federal elected officials, as well as private sector leaders and organizations. These officials include Governor of Virginia and State Senator.

Douglas J. Burford
Not being the brightest star, I had to work hard. As a kid, Officer Sneaky Pete pulled me aside and told me that being a member of the Ocean View Aces was not going to enhance my career. So I enrolled in RPI (now VCU). Got a BA in advertising. Got lucky. Ad Week selected us as one of the top three creative agencies in the South East. I got to be “Ad Man of The Year” and was elected to the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. But what I am most proud of is being blessed with a phenomenal wife, three fantastic kids two ugly dogs, “Masai Warrior Beads” (given to me by an African Chief), and the “Fire In The Gut” award (given to me by my Seal Team PT instructor for being too stupid to quit).

Dr. Wallace R. Johnston
Wally is a columnist, radio commentator, author and speaker on work and workplace issues. His columns and commentaries are syndicated through Media General and his commentaries are carried on Public Radio, WCVE, in Richmond, 88.9 FM. He is a graduate of The George Washington University and holds Emeritus status at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Catherine A. Mueller
Catherine is the Executive VP with Peoples Income Tax. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a B.S. Degree in Accounting and a minor in Business Administration. Catherine is licensed as an Enrolled Agent to practice before all administrative levels of the IRS and is a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents. She is the Treasurer of BBI.

Carol O. Negus
Carol is the President of Bridging Boundaries, International. She served with the Council for America’s First Freedom from 1984 – 2002 as Volunteer, Trustee, President of the Board, Executive Director, and President of the Corporation. She closed her business of 18 years to open the Council’s office. She was the first woman honorary life member of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, and was named the Outstanding Woman in Richmond by the YWCA in the religion category. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, she serves on the Boards of VCU of Alumni Foundation, Memorial Child Guidance Clinic, and the Dayton Peace Accords Foundation.

William H. Poarch
Bill is a Long Term Care Insurance Specialist with General Electric Financial Advisors. He is President Elect of the Petersburg Rotary Club, and is also a vestryman and Senior Warden of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Petersburg, Virginia. Bill is a career Naval Aviator, and is retired with the rank of Commander, United States Navy and is also a retired Continental Airlines International and flight test pilot. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia. He is currently taking a leave of absence.

Daniel C. Smith
Dan teaches World Religions and Global Ethics at Virginia Commonwealth University. Before a 26 year business career (in franchising, domestic and international), Dan earned a graduate degree in Middle East Studies (University of Wisconsin), then lived and studied in Israel and Egypt, where he concentrated on Arabic and Islamic history, culture and politics. Even in business (His Ph.D. is in Business Administration), Dan has long been building bridges between Muslims and Christians, Arabs and Jews, Palestinians and Israelis.

Dr. Jeffrey B. Spence
Dr. Spence was educated in the White Plains, New York Public School system. A graduate of Washington and Lee University with a Bachelor of Arts in Religion, he received his Master of Divinity from Drew University. He was ordained a Christian minister in the United Church of Christ in 1974. After serving two churches, Dr. Spence became Executive Director of the Kansas City Region of the NCCJ and later the Virginia Region of the NCCJ. In 1993, he received his Doctor of Ministry degree from the Virginia Union University in the areas of Applied Ethics becoming the first caucasian male to receive an earned doctorate from this historical black university. He lives in Goochland County and is married to his wife of more than thirty years, Laura M. Spence.

Warren A. Stewart, Ed.D.
Warren is a retired superintendent with business and military experience. He has worked with the Bosnia-Hercegovina Initiative since its beginning, and now serves as Virginia AARP’s State Advocacy Coordinator. Dr. Stewart has a BA from Guilford College, MA from Old Dominion University and Ed.D from the University of Virginia, and currently lives in Norfolk with his wife, Nancy. He is the Chair of BBI.

The Most Reverend Walter F. Sullivan
The Most Reverend Walter F. Sullivan, Bishop Emeritus was the eleventh bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. In 1960, he received a degree in Canon Law from the Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and became Secretary of the Diocesan Tribunal in May of that year. He was installed as the Bishop of the Diocese of Richmond on July 19, 1974. In September 2004 Pope John Paul II accepted his resignation as the eleventh Bishop of Richmond but he continues to be active in the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. Bishop Sullivan is a national leader of the religious community’s involvement in the work of justice and peace. For years Bishop Sullivan has been a member of Pax Christi, USA and has been active in the Catholic Peace Movement, having also served as Bishop President of Pax Christi, USA. He has been active in the Pro-Life movement and concern for the poor and disadvantage.

Our Advisory Board

Joy Hakim
Joy Hakim is the author of A History of U.S., a ten-volume storyteller’s history of the United States. Those books led to a television series and a handsome companion book, Freedom: A History of U.S., with George and Laura Bush writing the introduction and Tom Hanks as the voice of Abraham Lincoln. Joy is now at work on The Story of Science, which will be published by Smithsonian Books in 2004.

W. Taylor Reveley, III
Taylor Reveley is the current Dean and Professor of the William & Mary Law School from 1998 to date. He was Managing Partner of Hunton & Williams from 1982-1991. He is currently a Trustee of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, JSTOR, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Board President 1996-99); Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, Presbyterian Outlook Foundation and Book Service (Board President 1993-95); The Richmond Symphony Council (President 1995-99), and Trustee Emeritus of Princeton University, Virginia Historical Society.

Martin M. Selak
Martin Selak is the man behind “Progress through Technology” as this slogan so eloquently describes the drive behind a man with a dream. He was born in a small village in Bosnia. Living there during wartime was a struggle, but he persevered even through jail and Croatian concentration camps, and moved to Belgrade as a young Man. He graduated from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn as Junior Mechanical Designer. In 1968 he established Selak Graphics. During the next five years, he claimed 3 of the 19 US patents he has acquired to date, that would bring him manufacturing success through today. He worked as a consultant for a new product-designing corporation in Skokie, Illinois. He formed Astro Machine Corporation in 1978 where he is presently Chairman of the Board. Under his direction the corporation produces state-of-the-art inkjet printers and related products, supplying companies worldwide. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the corporation’s success in business.



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WCC website revamped

25.08.09


Visitors to the website of the World Council of Churches (WCC) are now being welcomed by a fresh, simplified look and a new homepage, designed to give an immediate feel of the identity and values of the organization.

The homepage was rebuilt around three aspects of the council's mission: the pursuit of unity, common witness and Christian service.

Visitors are invited to discover what the WCC says and does about these three keywords. Relevant news or feature stories and ideas for personal involvement in each thematic area are also proposed.

While the homepage is no longer centred on the latest news, all WCC press releases and other news items can be read and - another novelty - commented on the news page where users can also sign up to receive them by e-mail. To give more opportunities for interactivity, "friends of the WCC website" groups have been created on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Commenting on the work of the web team, Mark Beach, WCC director of communications said: "We are confident visitors to the site will find it easy to navigate and learn more about the council's key mission of unity, witness and service."

800,000 unique visitors from 227 countries came to the WCC website http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/browse/7/article/1634/en/home.html last year with an average of 2,500 per day. Most content is available in English, German, French and Spanish.

The WCC website


Learn more about the WCC web office
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Bert B. Beach, General Secretary / Council on Inter-Church Relations


Bert B. Beach, General Secretary
Seventh-day Adventist Council on Inter-Church Relations

Dr. Bert B. Beach has served as General Secretary for the Seventh-day Adventist Council on Inter-Church Relations since 1980. He also served as secretary for the Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions from 1970-2002. Apart from that, he is the vice president for the International Commission for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (ICPA), and the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA).

An author of half a dozen books and numerous articles, Dr. Beach obtained his graduate studies from Stanford University and his Ph.D. from the University of Paris. As former director for the Department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty from 1980-95, Dr. Beach has attended many international conferences on freedom of religion, church-state, ecumenical peace, etc., and organized many symposiums and meetings on religious liberty issues around the world.

Dr. Beach has received many honors and recognitions, such as the honor by a special resolution of the Senate of the State of Maryland in 1984 for his contribution to religious liberty; elected to membership in the prestigious COSMOS Club in 1984 on the basis of "meritorious contribution to human knowledge" or professional distinction; made a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International in 1984; Order of Bishop Horuda, Polish Catholic Church in 1986; Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Polish Republic in 1997, and several more.

Born in Switzerland, Dr. Beach is married to Eliane and have two daughters and four grandchildren.



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Bush's War on Terrorism Replaced by Obama's Overseas Contingency Operations


Oct. 11, 2009

Bush's War on Terrorism Replaced by Obama's Overseas Contingency Operations

By Jim Kouri

One cannot help but wonder how the war on terrorism gave way to our Overseas Contingency Operations. Or is this merely another example of what George Orwell termed "Newspeak?"

In a report released on September 25 by the Government Accountability Office, this latest euphemism -- created by President Barack Obama and his national security team -- is peppered throughout the documents submitted to the US Congress. Congress has provided the Department of Defense with $893 billion in supplemental and annual appropriations, as of June 2009, primarily for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO).

DOD's reported annual obligations for OCO have shown a steady increase from about $0.2 billion in fiscal year 2001 to about $162.4 billion in fiscal year 2008. For fiscal year 2009, Congress appropriated $151 billion in war-related requests.

A total of $89.1 billion has been obligated through the third quarter of fiscal year 2009 through June 2009. The United States' commitments to OCO will likely involve the continued investment of significant resources, requiring decision makers to consider difficult trade-offs as the nation faces an increasing long-range fiscal challenges such as the recession and projected increases in government health services.

The magnitude of future costs will depend on several direct and indirect costs and, in some cases, decisions that have not yet been made. DOD's future costs will likely be affected by the pace and duration of operations, the types of facilities needed to support troops overseas, redeployment plans, and the amount of equipment to be repaired or replaced.

DOD compiles and reports monthly and cumulative incremental obligations incurred to support OCO in a monthly report commonly called the Contingency Operations Status of Funds Report. DOD leadership uses this report, along with other information, to advise Congress on the costs of the war and to formulate future OCO budget requests. DOD reports these obligations by appropriation, contingency operation, and military service or defense agency. DOD has prepared monthly reports on the obligations incurred for its involvement in OCO since fiscal year 2001.

As of June 2009, Congress has appropriated a total of about $893 billion primarily for OCO since 2001. Of that amount, $151 billion was appropriated for use in fiscal year 2009. DOD has reported obligations of about $744 billion for OCO from fiscal year 2001 through fiscal year 2008 and for fiscal year 2009 (October 2008 through June 2009).

The $149 billion difference between DOD's appropriations and reported obligations can generally be attributed to the remaining fiscal year 2009 appropriations; multiyear funding for procurement; military construction; and research, development, test, and evaluation from previous OCO-related appropriations that have yet to be obligated; and obligations for classified and other items, which DOD considers to be non-OCO related, that are not reported in DOD's cost-of-war reports.

Of DOD's reported obligations for OCO through June 2009 (about $744 billion), about $570 billion is for operations in and around Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and about $146 billion is for operations in Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Philippines, and elsewhere as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The remainder of about $28 billion is for operations in defense of the homeland as part of Operation Noble Eagle. DOD's reported obligations for Operation Iraqi Freedom have consistently increased each fiscal year since operations began. The increases in reported obligations for Operation Iraqi Freedom are in part due to continued costs for military personnel, such as military pay and allowances for mobilized reservists, and for rising operation and maintenance expenses, such as higher contract costs for housing, food, and services and higher fuel costs.

In fiscal year 2009, through June 2009, DOD reported obligations of about $89.1 billion, which is more than one half of the total amount of obligation it reported for all of fiscal year 2008. Reported obligations for Operation Iraqi Freedom for the same period continue to account for the largest portion of total reported OCO obligations by operation--about $61.5 billion. In contrast, reported obligations associated with Operation Enduring Freedom total about $27.4 billion, and reported obligations associated with Operation Noble Eagle total about $138.2 million.

With the impending US troop surge in Afghanistan, it would be safe to assume there will be increases in DOD expenditures. Would it be unfair to surmise that Overseas Contingency Operations are more expensive than waging a global war on terrorism?
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A Terrorist Trial in New York City


November 18, 2009 2153 GMT


By Ben West and Fred Burton



U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Nov. 13 that the U.S. Justice Department had decided to try five suspected terrorists currently being held at Guantanamo Bay in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, located in lower Manhattan. The five suspects — Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarek bin Attash, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Ali Abdul-Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi — are all accused of being involved in the 9/11 plot, with Mohammed describing himself as the mastermind in a 2003 confession.

The announcement follows from U.S. President Barack Obama’s first executive order, which he signed on Jan. 22, to close the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and another executive order to suspend the military tribunals set up under the Bush administration to try suspected terrorists. Holder’s decision has generated much debate and highlighted the legal murkiness concerning the status of Guantanamo detainees and how best to bring them to justice.

Beyond this murkiness is the perceived security threat of bringing five suspected terrorists accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to trial in New York City. Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he thought holding the trial in New York would put residents at risk. And Andrew McCarthy, former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, wrote in The New Republic that the trial will “create a public-safely nightmare for New York City.” Numerous other observers and media outlets around the world have voiced similar security concerns about the New York trial.


Although there has been much criticism of the decision to hold the trial in New York City, when it comes to prosecuting terror suspects, the Southern District of New York knows what it’s doing. The staff of the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York has gained considerable knowledge and expertise prosecuting terror cases over the years, just as the U.S. Marshals Service Special Operations Group (SOG) has gained much experience providing security for those trials. It was in the Southern District of New York in 1995 that Omar Abdel Rahman, aka the Blind Sheikh, was tried for the so-called Landmarks Plot of 1993 and received a life sentence. In 1996, Abdel Basit (aka Ramzi Yousef) and two co-conspirators were also tried in the Southern District and sentenced to life in prison for their roles in the Bojinka Plot, which also included an indictment for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (the staff of the Southern District has been familiar with Mohammed for some time now). The attackers behind the 1998 attacks against the U.S. embassies were also prosecuted in the Southern District of New York and sentenced to life imprisonment. Few other courts have so much experience handling and prosecuting high-profile terrorism cases, so it should have come as no surprise that Holder named the district as the venue for the upcoming trial. On top of all this, the World Trade Center towers were also in the Southern District of New York, putting the deadliest site of the 9/11 attacks under the Southern District’s jurisdiction.

The case will be prosecuted jointly by the offices of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, led by Preet Bharara, and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, led by Neil H. MacBride. The Eastern District of Virginia has also successfully prosecuted several terrorism cases, including those of John Walker Lindh in 2002, the Virginia Jihad Network in 2005 and Zacarias Moussaoui in 2006.


While some believe that trying the so-called “Gitmo Five” in New York City will result in more terrorist attacks in the city, STRATFOR does not anticipate a marked increase in the number of plots or attacks. New York City has long been a popular target for radical Islamists — there have been nine known plots involving targets in New York uncovered since the 9/11 attacks, including two in the past six months. In May 2009, four men were arrested for attempting to detonate explosives outside a synagogue in the Bronx, and in September, Najibullah Zazi was arrested for plotting to detonate backpack explosives on trains in New York City. Other plots have included a 2007 plan to detonate fuel tanks at John F. Kennedy International Airport, a 2006 plot to detonate explosives in the Holland Tunnel and a 2004 plot to attack a subway station near Madison Square Garden.


New York City remains an alluring target for jihadists because of its symbolism. Home to more than 8 million people, it is the largest city in the United States and a global financial and media center. Whatever happens there gets more exposure and publicity than virtually anywhere else in the world. It is also a perceived center of Jewish wealth and culture (New York has the second-largest Jewish population behind Tel Aviv), compounding the threat from Islamist radicals. New York City will remain a terrorist target for many reasons other than the Gitmo Five trial. It is also interesting to note that none of the city’s other high-profile terrorism trials has ever resulted in a retaliatory attack against the city.


In addition to the federal prosecutors who will be involved in the trial having experience dealing with terrorism cases, the New York Police Department has the training, manpower and focus to provide effective physical security. Federal agents, including those of the U.S. Marshals Service SOG, will be primarily responsible for handling the five suspects and providing security inside the federal courthouse. The building is one of the most secure federal courthouses in the country, equipped with anti-vehicle borne explosive device barricades, 24-hour guard posts and high-resolution video cameras. The U.S. Marshals will be augmented by NYPD “Hercules” teams (designed to provide a surge of police presence in an area to prevent or disrupt criminal and terrorist operations) and will likely place sniper teams on nearby rooftops for added security. Vehicular and pedestrian traffic around the courthouse will be severely limited, with nearby streets closed to traffic and nearby subway entrances closed to riders.


During the trial, the five defendants will be held at the Metropolitan Correctional Complex, which is connected to the courthouse via a third-of-a-mile-long underground tunnel. This significantly reduces the threat of terrorist attack or a disruption of the proceedings by allowing security forces to control the geography of the trial venue and spot unusual activity. Another geographic benefit is the fact that Manhattan is an island with limited access points (bridges and tunnels), which makes it easier to seal off the area and control who or what gets in or out. These factors do not necessarily preclude an attack, especially a suicide attack in which the perpetrator is undeterred by the risk of death, but do decrease the options of an attacker and increase the options of law enforcement personnel in dealing with the potential risks.


Because the courthouse will be under such tight security, any attacker able to penetrate the island cordon and slip into the area would likely go after softer targets surrounding the building. The NYPD will be responsible for protecting areas outside the courthouse and will probably create a secure buffer around the complex, the depth of which will depend on the severity of any given threat. Police would have the wherewithal to put whole sections of the city under heavy lockdown and provide a level of physical security designed to thwart terrorist activities that have reached the latter stages (deployment, attack and escape). This buffer would both protect softer targets nearby and make it that much harder for would-be attackers to infiltrate the courthouse. The NYPD also has the intelligence-collecting capabilities (informants, undercover officers, surveillants, analysts, etc.) to keep a close eye on any potential threat in the area leading up to and during the trial. The NYPD developed these capabilities with a vengeance following the 9/11 attacks, and in the years since it has become quite adept at conducting preventative counterterrorism investigations rather than just reactive ones.


In addition to the NYPD, other first-responders in New York — the fire department, emergency medical services and transportation agencies — are experienced and well-trained in dealing with terrorist attacks and can support security efforts surrounding the trial. Given the 9/11 experience, Manhattan residents and workers are also well-versed in emergency action plans and preparations.


Certainly, the fact that such a high-profile trial will be held in New York City will temporarily add to the workload of federal and municipal security and emergency personnel, but in some ways it will be little more than a routine effort. The city is used to high-profile events, regularly hosting such events as the U.N. General Assembly, with its attendant flow of international VIPs. New York City has been and will remain a prime terrorist target, and the people responsible for maintaining security in the city are very good at what they do. Indeed, Manhattan — given its recent history of civic trauma and intense focus on counterterrorism — may very well possess the safest civilian court in the country.


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