Monday, January 04, 2010

Seoul Battles Heaviest Snow In More Than 70 Years



Associated Press
South Koreans walk through heavy snow in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Jan. 4, 2010. Thousands of workers in the South Korean capital are battling the city's heaviest snowfall in nine years. The snow has caused massive flight cancellations and seriously snarled road traffic.


SEOUL, South Korea January 4, 2010, 04:35 am ET

Seoul residents battled the heaviest snowfall in modern Korean history after a winter storm dumped more than 10 inches (26 centimeters) Monday, forcing airports to cancel flights and paralyzing traffic in South Korea's bustling capital.

The snowfall, which began about 1 a.m. (1600 GMT Sunday), was the worst since Korea began conducting meteorological surveys in 1937 and continued through the afternoon, the state weather agency said.

Gimpo International Airport, west of Seoul, canceled 224 flights before resuming service Monday afternoon, airport official Choi Choon-ja said.

More than 20 flights between Incheon International Airport, 43 miles (70 kilometers) southwest of Seoul, and cities in China also were canceled, with China also coping with a snowstorm. More than 100 flights to other regions were delayed, Incheon airport official Kang Soo-kyung said.

The snow and icy roads snarled traffic in and out of Seoul, with many commuters squeezing into packed subway trains to get to work. About 3,600 workers were mobilized to clear the snow from Seoul's roads and sidewalks.

One vendor in downtown Seoul said she began shoveling the sidewalk where she sells sandwiches from a truck at 9 a.m. (0000 GMT), and hadn't stopped all day.

"It's been nonstop," said Moon In-ja, 53, her hair covered in snow. She said she didn't dare brave the traffic to head back to her home in another part of Seoul, where she runs a business in the afternoons. "If I can't drive now, I might as well stay and clean the street here."

Beijing also was digging out Monday from a weekend winter storm.

More than 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of snow accumulated in the city center Sunday, according to China's National Meteorological Center. Citing meteorologists, state media said the snowfall was the highest in the capital for a single day in January since 1951.

Upward of 8 inches (20 centimeters) was recorded in the suburbs of Changping near the Great Wall of China, one of the country's top tourist attractions.

Hundreds of flights from Beijing were canceled or delayed Sunday because of the snowfall.

Primary and middle schools were closed in Beijing and the nearby port of Tianjin, and with snow plows in short supply, more than 300,000 people were assigned to clear snow in the capital with shovels, scrapers and brooms.

Authorities were guarding against building collapses and major traffic pileups, but none were reported Monday, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

———

Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen contributed to this report from Beijing.


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Earthquakes Hit Solomon Islands and the Philippines

3 January 2010
Posted by Nel

Two large earthquakes were recorded near Solomon Islands, Monday, January 4. The first one was felt at 8:48 AM local time with a magnitude of 6.5. Another one followed, this time stronger, with a 7.2 magnitude recording at 9:36 AM. The epicenters of the earthquakes were at 64 miles and 53 miles southeast of Gizo.



The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued only local tsunami warning that can be destructive along coasts located within a few hundred kilometers of the earthquake epicenter.

Meanwhile, the Philippines, was hit by a moderate 5.3 magnitude earthquake at 5:38 AM local time on the same day, the US Geological Survey said. It was centered at 102 kms southeast of Davao City, in the southern Philippines island of Mindanao. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue any tsunami warning.

The Philippines and the Solomon Islands are in an area called Pacific Ring of Fire where continental plates meet causing frequent seismic and volcanic activities. In fact, one of the Philippine volcanoes, Mayon, has been showing signs of imminent eruptions for the past few weeks. The warning, however, was lowered to level 3 when 2010 ushered in.

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Source:http://dailycontributor.com/earthquakes-hit-solomon-islands-and-the-philippines/10197/
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Solomon Islands Hit by 7.2 Magnitude Earthquake, Local Tsunami

January 04, 2010, 12:43 AM EST

By Ed Johnson

Jan. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The Solomon Islands archipelago in the Pacific was hit by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake today causing a local tsunami, disaster agencies said. Several houses collapsed and some people were injured as they ran away from the shore in panic, Agence France-Presse reported.

The quake hit at 9:36 a.m. local time about 105 kilometers (65 miles) south-southeast of Gizo, at a depth of 30.5 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said sea level measurements taken off Honiara indicated a tsunami of 6 centimeters (0.2 feet) was generated. There was no region-wide threat, it said.

“The earthquake caused a small wave,” AFP cited Julian Makaa of the country’s National Disaster Management Office as saying. Some homes collapsed on the island of Rendova, near Gizo, he said.

The Solomon Islands archipelago, about 2,500 kilometers east of Australia, lies in the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and experiences frequent seismic tremors. About 50 people were killed and more than 5,000 left homeless there after an 8.1- magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami in April 2007.

Today’s 7.2-magnitude quake was the strongest of several temblors to hit off Gizo. A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck at 8:48 a.m. local time, according to the USGS, followed by quakes of 5.3, 5.2 and 5.7. Gizo is the second-largest town in the Solomon Islands with a population of about 6,000 people, according to AFP.

The tsunami warning center said that “small, non- destructive sea level changes” could last for several hours in other coastal areas.

There was no tsunami threat to the Australian coastline, the Bureau of Meteorology said on its Web site.


--Editors: Paul Tighe, Dave McCombs


To contact the reporter on this story: Ed Johnson in Sydney at +61-2-9777-8647 or ejohnson28@bloomberg.net.


To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Tighe at +61-2-9777-8626 or ptighe@bloomberg.net.
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Source:http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-04/solomon-islands-hit-by-7-2-magnitude-earthquake-local-tsunami.html
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Tajikistan quake leaves 20,000 homeless

Associated Press / January 4, 2010

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan - About 20,000 people were left homeless in the impoverished Central Asian nation of Tajikistan after an earthquake leveled their homes in a mountainous region, officials said yesterday.

No deaths were reported after the magnitude 5.3 quake struck the Pamir Mountains on Saturday, the Emergency Situations and Civil Defense Committee said.

Hundreds of mud-brick houses in several villages in the Gorno-Badakhshansky region were damaged.

The quake also cut electricity and communications and blocked the main road between the regional center of Vanch and nearby villages.

Those left homeless were placed in emergency shelters in schools and other public buildings or moved in with relatives, Azimjon Shamsiddinov, the deputy chief regional administrator, was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

Earthquakes are common in the mountains of Tajikistan, one of the poorest of the former Soviet states.

The country of 7.3 million people lies north of Afghanistan and west of China.

Also yesterday, the Solomon Islands were hit by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

The quake hit at 9:36 a.m. about 60 miles south-southeast of Gizo, the US Geological Survey said.

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Source:http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2010/01/04/tajikistan_earthquake_leaves_20000_homeless/
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Sunday, January 03, 2010

The New Crusade: Imperial U.S. vs Political Islam



Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The New Crusade: Imperial U.S. vs Political Islam
By Rodrigue Tremblay

"I am as intolerant of imperialistic designs on the part of other nations as I was of such designs on the part of Germany. The choice is between two ideals; on the one hand, the ideal of democracy, which represents the rights of free peoples everywhere to govern themselves, and, the ideal of imperialism which seeks to dominate by force and unjust power, an ideal which is by no means dead and which is earnestly [sought] in many quarters still."
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, July 1919

"Fight and kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, harass them, lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war."
The Qur'an (9:5), Islam's holy book

"We are fighting them (the terrorists) over there so that we won't have to fight them here at home."
Former U.S. President George W. Bush's political slogan

“I, like any head of state, reserve the right to act unilaterally if necessary to defend my nation.”
U.S. President Barack Obama, December 10, 2009

“When the tyrant has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest...and there is nothing to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war.”
Plato, ancient Greek philosopher (428/427-348/347 B.C.)


In the political movie “Charlie Wilson's War” about the Soviet-Afghanistan war, the hero states “America does not fight religious wars.” Is this possibly wrong, dead wrong?

In fact, is it not possible that since September 11, 2001, a new type of “holy war” may have begun? This time, the new crusade with strong religious overtones pits fundamentalist Christian America and its allies, against political Islam and the Islamist al Qaeda terrorist organization. On September 16, 2001, then President George W. Bush set the tone when he said: “This crusade, this war on terrorism, is gonna take awhile.”

On December 1, 2009 Nobel “Peace” laureate Barack Obama, president of the United States since January 20, 2009, decided to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, President George W. Bush. He announced a policy of stepping up the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan-Pashtunistan. He announced an escalation in the military occupation of Afghanistan by sending extra American troops in that Muslim country, putting the number of American soldiers in Afghanistan at more than 100,000. Not satisfied in using the same vocabulary as George W. Bush, Barack Obama pushed the symbolism by adopting Bush's practice of announcing policies surrounded by more than 4,000 students dressed as soldiers at the West Point Academy. This was all too reminiscent of President Lyndon B. Johnson's fatal decision in 1965 to acquiesce to the request from U.S. commanders to enlarge the Vietnam war by sending scores of additional U.S. soldiers to that Asiatic country.

America seems to be in a constant need of a foreign enemy. First, it was the British. Then it was the Indians. Then it was the Mexicans. Then it was the Spanish. Then it was the Philippinos. Then it was the Japanese. Then it was the Germans. Then it was the Italians. Then it was the Koreans. Then it was the Cubans. Then it was the Vietnamese. Then it was the Soviets. Then it was the Iraqis. Then it was the Islamists. Then it was the Talibans. And, once the current conflict in Pashtunistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan is over, it will possibly be the Iranians, the Chinese, the Russians...etc.!

The reason for such a permanent-war mentality is most likely related to the U.S. military-industrial complex, an enormous beast that must be fed regularly hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars, if not trillions of dollars, to sustain itself.

In the months following the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991, the high echelons at the Pentagon were busy designing a new post-cold-war strategy designed to keep the U.S. war machine humming. Paul Wolfowitz, then Undersecretary of Defense for Policy under Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney in the George H. Bush administration, wrote a memorandum titled “The Defense Policy Guidance 1992-1994”, which was dated February 18, 1992. The new so-called Wolfowitz Doctrine was a blueprint to "set the nation’s [military] direction for the next century." This new neocon military doctrine called for the replacement of the policy of "containment" with one of military "preemption" and international "unilateralism", in effect, discarding the United Nations Charter that forbids such international behavior.

The Pentagon's overall goal was to establish, through military force, a “one-Superpower World”. The more immediate objectives of the new U.S. neocon doctrine was to "...preserve U.S. and Western access to the [Middle East and Southwest Asia] region's oil", and, as stated in an April 16, 1992 addendum, to contribute “to the security of Israel and to maintaining the qualitative edge that is critical to Israel's security”.

Because of some opposition within the U.S. Government, the new policy did not become immediately effective. But the objective remained.
For instance, in September 2000, under the auspices of “The Project for the New American Century”, a new strategic document was issued and was entitled "Rebuilding America's Defenses, Strategy: Forces and Resources For a New Century". The same goals expressed in the 1992 document were reiterated.

The belief was expressed that the kind of military transformation the (neocon) planners were considering required "some catastrophic and catalyzing event — like a new Pearl Harbor”, to make it possible to sell the plan to the American public.

They were either very prescient or very lucky, because exactly one year later, they were served with the "New Pearl Harbor" they had been openly hoping for. Indeed, the Islamist terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, turned out to have been a bonanza for the American military-industrial complex. The military planners' wish for a "New Pearl Harbor", was fulfilled at the right time. It is important to remember that from 2001 to 2005, Paul Wolfowitz served as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense in the George W. Bush administration, reporting to U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. In this capacity, he was well positioned to implement his own Wolfowitz doctrine that later morphed into the George W. Bush Doctrine. For the time being, this is the “doctrine” that newly-elected President Barack Obama continues to implement in the Pashtunistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan corridor. As a politician, Barack Obama may be new at the job, but the policy he is being asked to implement was crafted long before he even set foot in Washington D.C.

Another possible reason why the United States is so often involved in foreign wars, besides its obvious aim of imposing a New American Empire on the world, may be due to the strong influence of religion in the United States. Just as for some aggressive Islamic countries, the U.S. is also the most religious of all first world countries. Researchers have found strong positive correlations between a nation's religious belief and high levels of domestic stress and anxiety, and other indicators of social dysfunction such as homicides, the proportion of people incarcerated, infant mortality, drug abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, teenage births and abortions, corruption, large income inequalities, economic and social insecurity...etc.

It is possible that wars serve as an emotional outlet that allows some Americans to forget about their nation's domestic problems. I suppose more research would be necessary on this issue. Indeed, is it possible that foreign wars, including wars of aggression, are a way for the American elites to deflect attention from domestic social problems and, as such, are a convenient pretext to direct tax money to defense expenditures rather than to social programs? The issue deserves at least to be raised. This could explain why U.S. foreign policy is so devoid of fundamental morality.

U. S. politicians who become president understand this American proclivity for war. They know that the best way to popularity is to be seen as a “war president”. A president who does not start a war abroad or who does not enlarge one already in progress is open to criticism and is likely to suffer politically. He must be seen less as a president than as “commander-in-chief”, in effect, as an emperor. How could this be, when the framers of the U.S. Constitution attempted precisely to avoid that?

Indeed, Article One (the War Powers Clause) of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress, and not the President, the authority to declare war.

Since World War II, however, this central article of the U.S. Constitution has been circumvented by having Congress give the President a blanket authorization to deploy troops abroad for euphemistically called "police actions", without an explicit or formal congressional declaration of war. The term was first used by President Harry S. Truman to describe the Korean War.

This artifice has done a lot to trivialize the act of war. It also contributed much in the transfer of the powers of war and peace from the legislative branch to the executive branch. In doing so, it has reinforced the role of the U.S. president as a commander-in-chief or as a de facto emperor. Only a formal constitutional amendment could restore, in practice, the framers' initial intent.

All said, it is easy to understand why when political faces change in Washington D.C., policies do not necessarily change. This push toward empire on the part of the United States can also explain why there is resentment and an anti-Americanism movement abroad.


Rodrigue Tremblay is professor emeritus of economics at the University of Montreal and can be reached at rodrigue.tremblay@yahoo.com.
He is the author of the coming book "The Code for Global Ethics" at: www.TheCodeForGlobalEthics.com/

You can reserve a copy of the book on Amazon

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www.lecodepouruneethiqueglobale.com/
or on Amazon.

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Please visit the book site at:
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_____________________________________
Posted, Wednesday, December 23, 2009, at 5:30 am

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2009: The Year of the Failed Banks

Posted on December 21, 2009 by Kevin LaCroix



Since the sole remaining Friday in December is also Christmas Day, the seven banks the FDIC closed last Friday night may represent the last bank failures of 2009. Of course, there is no legal requirement that Friday is the only day of the week on which the FDIC can close a bank. The FDIC could close additional banks on any of the few remaining business days left this year. But given the holiday season, the 140 year-to-date number of bank failures seems likely to be where we will end the year.

The 140 bank closures were both widely dispersed and narrowly concentrated. The FDIC took control of banks in 32 different states, but the closures were particularly clustered in four states: Georgia (with 25 closures), Illinois (21), California (17), and Florida (14). These four states alone account for 77 of the bank failures this year, more than half of the year to date total. Indeed, no other state had double digit numbers of bank failures. The next closest states were Minnesota (6), Texas (5) and Arizona (5).

Though the bank closures have been geographically dispersed, certain regions have been spared. For example, there were no 2009 bank failures in the New England states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island, and only one each in New York and Pennsylvania. And though Georgia and Florida have seen high numbers of bank failures, much of the rest of the South has been relatively untouched – there were no 2009 bank failures in West Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana, and only one each in Virginia, Kentucky and Oklahoma.

Among the banks that failed in 2009 were some of the country’s largest, including Colonial Bank (with assets of $25 billion), Guaranty Bank ($13 billion), and BankUnited ($12.8 billion). However, these banks all are smaller than two of the larger banks that failed in 2008, Washington Mutual ($307 billion) and IndyMac ($32 billion).

But though there the list of failed banks includes these larger banks, the list of bank closures really has been predominated by smaller banks. Of the 140 banks that failed in 2009, 112 (80%) involved institutions with less than $1 billion in assets. Indeed, 97 of the 140, or about 69%, had assets of under $500 million. 21 of the 2009 failed banks, or 15%, has assets of under $100 million.

Lest anyone might optimistically hope that with the end of 2009 we have put these sad tidings in the past, the 2009 bank closure timeline seems to suggest to the contrary. Of the 140 banks that closed in 2009, 95 (or about 68%) closed in the second half of the year, compared to 45 in the first half of the year. Though the highest monthly total was in July (when 24 banks were closed, nearly as many as the 25 banks that failed in all of 2008), there were significant numbers of closures in October (20) and December (16).

The FDIC’s latest Quarterly Banking Profile stated that as of September 30, 2009, it graded 552 banks as "problem" institutions (about which refer here), which suggests there could be many bank closures yet to come – which helps explain why FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair last week proposed to increase the agency’s budget and staff, in order for the agency to be able to deal with the anticipated increasing numbers of banking failures in 2010.

I have previously commented the high numbers of bank failures in Georgia, which has been referred to as the "bank failure capital of the world." In that regard, it is noteworthy that there were as many 2009 bank failures in Georgia (25) as there were in the entire country in 2008. In the two year period, Georgia has a total of 30 failed banks, as detailed here.

Who Might Sue When Banks Fail: In prior posts (for example, here), I have noted developments in claims being asserted against directors and officers of failed financial institutions by disappointed investors and by banking regulators. But in addition to these two groups that potentially might assert claims against the directors and officers of failed banks, another group of potential claimants also has recently emerged – the employees of the failed banks.

For example, as reflected in their December 17, 2009 press release, plaintiffs’ attorneys filed a class action lawsuit in the Western District of Washington against Venture Financial Group, the parent of Venture Bank, which regulators closed on September 11, 2009. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of the participants in the bank’s retirement plans. The defendants include the holding company’s directors and officers, some of whom also served on the bank’s board, as well as the individual members of the plans’ administrative committees.

The complaint, which can be found here, alleges that the bank engaged in "a number of large, high-risk and inappropriate investment practices." These practices, "combined with its hazardous lending practices produced more than $200 million losses" and "exposed the retirement plans," which included investments in the holding company’s stock, and which allegedly sustained more than $12 million in losses. The complaint seeks to recover damages on behalf of the plan participants under ERISA.

On December 16, 2009, the same plaintiffs’ firm also announced (here) that it is investigating the possibility of a similar ERISA class action behalf of participants in the benefits plans of Sterling Financial Corporation, which, though it is not among the banks that the FDIC has closed, was also recently hit with a securities class action lawsuit.

This new lawsuit and the plaintiffs’ lawyers’ investigation announcement underscore that in the wake of a bank failure there are a variety of constituencies might consider initiating claims against the failed institution’s directors and officers. This is all just one more reason I think that one of the key litigation trends we will see in 2010 is an upsurge in litigation against the directors and officers of failed banks.

The Receiver’s Right to Stay Failed Bank Litigation and Require Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies: Though other constituencies may seek to assert claims, the FDIC has rights to seek a stay of the other claimants’ lawsuits under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 ("FIRREA), as reflected in a December 10, 2009 order in the Northern District of Texas lawsuit involving Millennium State Bank. Millennium failed on July 2, 2009 (refer here). Investors who had purchased Millennium stock filed a state court action against the bank, its directors, its auditors and its offering underwriter. The investors claimed they had been provided incomplete and inaccurate information about the bank. The investors alleged violations of Texas securities law and common law, and they sought to rescind their investment traction and/or damages.

The FDIC moved to intervene in the state court suit and then removed the case to the Northern District of Texas. The FDIC then filed a motion under FIRREA, arguing that the investors’ case should be stayed and that the plaintiffs’ and intervenors’ claims must be "exhausted under the administrative claim procedure of FIRREA."

The court granted the motion, holding that the FDIC was entitled to the stay, saying that "the law is well established that a stay is mandatory for any claim subject to FIRREA, if the receiver requests one." The court rejected the investors’ argument that the FDIC was not entitled to a stay because they had not named the bank as a party. The court found that "the mandatory stay applies to all claims against the bank and any related third parties" and found further that under FIRREA the "stay is required as to all parties."

The court quoted case authority from the prior era of failed banks to the effect that refusing to grant a stay "would largely defeat FIRREA’s purpose of allowing the agency to evaluate claims in a streamlined administrative procedure."



The court granted the stay until the earlier of the date on which the FDIC as receiver disallows the claims or until the 180-day administrative review period has expired.

In other words, though there may be many constituencies that may seek to pursue claims in the wake of a bank’s failure, the FDIC has rights under FIRREA to sort out which claims will go forward. It seems likely one consideration that might affect whether the FDIC will allow a claimant’s case to go forward would be whether the FDIC intends to pursue its own claims as receiver against the defendants (and, it should probably be added, to try to maximize its own recovery from D&O insurance proceeds). As I previously noted (here), the FDIC has already established that it is going to be aggressive in asserting its priority rights to assert claims against the directors and officers of failed financial institutions.

So if, as I expect, there will be an upsurge in failed bank litigation in 2010, the FDIC is going to call the shots.



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Saturday, January 02, 2010

Economic Forecast: 2010


10 pm - 2 am PT (1 am -5 am ET)


. Ian Punnett welcomes experts in finance and the economy including Gerald Celente, Joseph Meyer, Catherine Austin Fitts, and Robert Chapman to discuss the outlook in 2010 for markets, commodities, and the U.S. dollar.

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Source: http://www.coasttocoastam.com/

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On alert for terrorists


Sunday, January 3, 2010




Reports are flying and fingers are pointing because suspected airplane bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was not identified as a potential terrorist.

Abdulmutallab was on the TIDE list, but that didn't set off alarms. If he had been on the Selectee List, he might have been stopped.

He was not on the No-Fly List, but you can see who is.

Thousands of specially trained officers at 161 U.S. airports might have spotted him. They look for specific behaviors, including micro-expressions.

Some are calling for high-tech full-body scanners at airports, though others complain they're too revealing. Check out pictures of how you would look.

The "8 Signs of Terrorism" video, narrated by a football legend, gives you direction of warning signs to look for.

The profiling of these people at airports has been seen as controversial.

Remember this guy? He and Abdulmutallab used the same type of explosive, and both failed.
Video clips explain what this attempted terrorist attack could mean for travelers headed to the airport. And don't complain: It pales in comparison to security checks at the airport considered the safest in the world.

What lies ahead? Future air travel screening may include special cameras and a good, hard look at your face.
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Malaysia gov't to fight court verdict on Allah ban



Posted : Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:57:56 GMT


Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia's High Court on Thursday handed down a landmark ruling by overturning a government ban on the use of the word Allah, or God in Arabic, in a weekly Catholic paper. The High Court in the capital Kuala Lumpur ruled that the word Allah was not exclusive to Islam, and that an existing ban by the Home Ministry was illegal and void.

The court ruled that the Herald newspaper was now permitted to use Allah to refer to God in its Malay-language articles.

Thursday's court decision put to rest a year-long legal battle between the Catholic church and the mainly Muslim government, which ruled that the word Allah was prohibited in any non-Islamic publications in order to avoid "confusion" among Muslims.

The government's ban on the use of the word in the Herald, the country's main Roman Catholic newsletter, prompted minority religious groups to argue that the Arabic word is a common term for God that predates Islam and has been used for centuries as a translation in Malay.

Malaysia's constitution declares it a secular state but with Islam as its official religion. About 60 per cent of Malaysia's 25 million people are Muslims.

Copyright DPA


Source: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301602,malaysian-court-lifts-ban-on-use-of-allah-for-catholic-paper.html
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Related

Malaysia gov't to fight court verdict on Allah ban

The Oklahoman

Published: January 2, 2010


KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's government has pledged to challenge a court ruling that Christians have the constitutional right to use the word Allah to refer to God.

The High Court's verdict has sparked small, peaceful protests by Muslim groups since being handed down Thursday, raising fears of friction between the ethnic Malay Muslim majority and the large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, who mainly practice Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism.

The Prime Minister's Department will file an appeal against the verdict, Jamil Khir Baharom, a Cabinet minister responsible for Islamic affairs, said in a statement late Saturday.

The statement called for Muslims to respect the court decision and for all parties to be patient and allow the dispute to be resolved through the legal process.

The High Court's decision struck down a government ban on non-Muslims translating God as Allah in their literature. Minorities welcomed it as a blow against what many consider to be institutionalized religious discrimination.

The verdict has divided Muslim commentators. Some agree with the government's insistence that Allah is an Islamic word that should be used exclusively by Muslims, and that its use by other religions would be misleading. However, other Malaysian Muslim scholars say non-Muslims should be free to use Allah.

Efforts by Christians to use Allah in Malay-language literature have been perceived by some Muslims "as a plot to convert Malay Muslims to Christianity," Anas Zubedy, a popular Muslim blogger on social and political issues, wrote after the court verdict, adding his support of the ruling.

Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Saturday the government should set strict conditions for the use of the word Allah to ensure the court verdict does not trigger religious tensions, the national news agency Bernama reported.

"What I am afraid of is that the term 'Allah' might be used in such a way that could inflame the anger of Muslims, if (non-Muslims) were to use it on banners or write something that might not reflect Islam," Mahathir was quoted as saying.

Minorities often claim their constitutional right to practice religion freely has come under threat from the Malay Muslim-dominated government. The government denies any discrimination, but authorities recently confiscated 10,000 copies of Malay-language Bibles because they contained the word Allah.


Source:http://www.newsok.com/malaysia-govt-to-fight-court-verdict-on-allah-ban/article/feed/119599?custom_click=headlines_widget
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Brickell restaurant throws a party to help St. Jude Children's Hospital


Posted on Thursday, 12.24.09

BRICKELL


A TRENDY BRICKELL RESTAURANT KNOWN FOR ITS LATE-NIGHT PARTIES HOSTED A FUN-FILLED FAMILY EVENT TO BENEFIT THE ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL AND PROVIDE A LESSON ON THE SPIRIT OF GIVING


BY MICAELA HOOD
mhood@MiamiHerald.com


As a magician waved his magic wand and a DJ spun some of today's hottest holiday music, a funky-looking Santa Claus entertained children -- of all ages.

In typical fashion, St. Nick donned his usual red and white suit. But he also sported a hot pair of shades and a stylish diamond walking cane.

Santa, who also moonlights as a restaurant manager, was among the entertainers at a benefit and toy drive for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital held Dec. 12 at Segafredo Brickell, 1421 S. Miami Ave., in downtown Miami.

The event, which drew a crowd of about 200, featured live music, games and a choir performance by singers from the Miami Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Although the popular restaurant and lounge is known for its late-night parties, co-owner Alejandro Ferllen said the ``Kids for Kids: A Season of Miracles'' fundraiser was meant for families and those looking to spread some holiday cheer.

``The holidays are the perfect time to give back and we wanted to do something special for the children,'' Ferllen said. ``I think we need to educate the kids from the beginning to help others. . . . It's important they learn to appreciate that from a younger age.''

Sponsors for the event -- which raised about $20,000 and included a silent auction -- were Saks Fifth Avenue, Romero Britto, Milan Kitchens, Miami Beach Cinemateque, The Patton Group, Venue Magazine, Good Times Party Rentals, The SER Institute, Grace All Occasions and Floral Palace.

Eight-year-old Cecelia Flortina brought a toy truck and car to the event.

``I don't have a brother so I thought I would bring something nice to make another boy happy,'' she said.

As face painters adorned little girls with heart and flowers, most of the boys chose to feast on free candy and popcorn.

Taylor Ramos, 14, said he was happy to see so many people donate toys.

``Now I feel like I'm in the holiday spirit,'' he said. ``If we did something like this everyday, think of what a different it would make for the kids.''

As the sun faded and city lights from nearby high-rises lit the sky, partygoers gathered together for the traditional Segafredo Christmas tree lighting. ``I have a lot to be thankful for,'' Cecelia said. ``and that's why I wanted to give back today.''


1421 S. Miami Ave., Miami, Fl

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The “Pulpit Initiative” and other Dominionist Machinations

Written by Mel Seesholtz
Wednesday, 06 August 2008 16:51



by Mel Seesholtz, Ph.D.
The legal minions of Christian Dominionism have been busy for some time finding ways pastors can use the pulpit for political purposes. The Alliance Defense Fund, a group of lawyers dedicated to realizing the dominionist goal of marrying church and state, has taken another step in that direction:
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The Pulpit Initiative Reclaiming pastors’ constitutional right to speak Truth from the pulpit
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On Sunday, September 28, 2008, we are seeking pastors who will preach from the pulpit a sermon that addresses the candidates for government office in light of the truth of Scripture. The sermon is intended to challenge the Internal Revenue Code’s restrictions by specifically opposing candidates for office that do not align themselves and their positions with the Scriptural truth. By standing together and speaking with one voice, it is our hope to recapture the rightful place of pastors and churches in American life. [italics added]
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Do those “Scriptural truths” include the passages in Leviticus and Deuteronomy that sanction selling one’s daughter into slavery, stoning to death non-virgin brides, people who work on the Sabbath, and those who wear clothes made of two different threads? How about Paul’s scriptural edict in First Timothy: “suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence”?
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No doubt the ADF’s pocketed pastors will cite Leviticus 18:22 and Romans 1:26–27 as proof positive of their bible-based socio-political position. They will, of course, forget to tell the flock that Romans was penned by the same St. Paul who had those “enlightened” thoughts about women’s divinely ordained place in the scheme of things.
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“Scriptural truths” one and all, are they not? Or does one get to pick and choose which biblical passages are true and which aren’t? If so, what are the criteria for such judgments?
On July 11, 2008, the propaganda organ of Don Wildmon’s American Family Association ran an article titled “Wildmon: Prop. 8 vote crucial in culture battle”:
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The Arlington Group, a coalition of about 60 pro-family groups and ministries, will stress the importance of the November 4 vote in California on Proposition 8, a proposed constitutional amendment that would protect traditional marriage. To do that, pastors will be encouraged to use one Sunday in September to focus on the sanctity of marriage. Churches also will be encouraged to take up a special offering which will go toward the fight for marriage in California.
[italics added]
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The article reeks with the desecration of language at which dominionists are so adept. Chris Hedges discussed “logocide” in his 2006 book American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America:
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Dominionists and their wealthy, right-wing sponsors speak in terms and phrases that are familiar and comforting to most Americans, but they no longer use words to mean what they meant in the past. They engage in a slow process of “logocide,” the killing of words. The old definition of words are replaced by new ones. Code words of the old belief system are deconstructed and assigned diametrically opposed meanings.
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“Protect traditional marriage.” What does “protect” mean? If gay and lesbian couples marry, will heterosexual couples stop? If that were the case, then prohibiting same-sex marriage would “protect” heterosexual marriage. But that is not the case. Heterosexual couples still marry in Massachusetts and California. In fact, heterosexual marriage in those states has been totally unaffected by marriage equality. So one has to conclude that by “protect” dominionists mean reserve a civil right to a civil institution for some people and deny it to others: the definition of discrimination.
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“Traditional marriage.” In biblical times a “traditional marriage” was arranged, and often involved more than one “wife” and several concubines. David’s eight wives, except for Mikal, are listed in 1 Chronicles 3:1-5, and his ten concubines are referred to in 2 Samuel 15:16. Thanks to those good old biblical times, for most of the next two millennia “wives” were deemed little more than the property of their husbands. Are those the biblical “traditions” dominionists want to preserve and protect?
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The “sanctity of marriage.” What does “sanctity” mean, and to whom? In September 2004 – during the height of dominionists’ pre-election campaign to “save traditional marriage” – the Barna Group, a Christian marketing-research organization, issued a report titled “Born Again Christians Just As Likely to Divorce As Are Non-Christians.” It documented that “among married born again Christians, 35% have experienced a divorce. That figure is identical to the outcome among married adults who are not born again: 35%.” Barna also documented that “nearly one-quarter of the married ‘born agains’ (23%) get divorced two or more times.” The struggle of gay and lesbians Americans to secure the right to a legal, civil marriage clearly demonstrates their belief in the “sanctity” of the institution as well as their respect for it. Can the same be said for those twice-divorced born-againers, many if not most of whom support the dominionist campaign to “protect” the “sanctity” of marriage.
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A “special offering.” Not only do the members of the Arlington Group want the pulpit politicized, they want the worship service turned into a fund-raising event for a political cause: a clear expression of the dominionist goal of marrying church and state, with the state as the “traditional” subservient wife who adheres to St. Paul’s edict in First Timothy.
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The “fight for marriage”? It is the gay and lesbian couples who are fighting “for marriage.” Dominionists, on the other hand, are fighting against marriage and to weaken the institution by excluding people who want to support it. The gay and lesbian couples seeking the right to marry are also fighting for the institution by expressing their faith in it. Dominionists, on the other hand, are using it as a political toy and, thereby, demeaning and trivializing it.
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In keeping with dominionist logocide, Wildmon went on in the One News Now article to claim that the institutions of marriage and the family as well as society itself would collapse if civil equality won the day in California on November 4. In that, he echoed James Dobson – another self-appointed spokesman for God – who, in his 2004 book Marriage Under Fire stated that if gay and lesbian Americans were allowed to marriage, the world would end “as it was in the days of Noah.”
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There’s good reason the two men share the same rhetoric. They’re both members of the Arlington Group, an organization dedicated to Christian dominionism. People for the American Way offers some insights:
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The Arlington Group (AG) is the newest coalition of the leaders of Religious Right groups brought together by right-wing strategist Paul Weyrich and Don Wildmon, head of the American Family Association, to coordinate activities. The group is widely credited with being the driving force behind the effort to put marriage protection amendments on the ballot in 11 states in the 2004 election. …
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Membership: Members include the heads of 75 (as of September 2006) Religious Right groups such as Paul Weyrich, Don Wildmon, James Dobson, and Gary Bauer. …
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The Arlington Group describes itself as a “powerful coalition of leaders from the pro-family community, [that] develops and executes national and grassroots strategies to: protect the traditional institution of marriage, increase respect for every human life, limit judicial activism, and act on other moral issues of concern.” …
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In 2005, the Group threatened to withhold support for the President’s proposed Social Security reforms if Bush did not actively work to pass a federal marriage amendment banning same-sex marriage. … [links added]
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Theocracy Watch – “a partner project of the
CRESP Center for Transformative Action at Cornell University” – has much more to say, especially about Paul Weyrich. In 1977, Weyrich co-founded Christian Voice. Two years later founded – with Jerry Falwell – the Moral Majority. Weyrich coined the phrase “Moral Majority” which was neither “moral” or a “majority.”
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Among Weyrich’s other organizations is the Free Congress Foundation. According to Theocracy Watch (and the Anti-Defamation League), Weyrich and his FCF advocate the dominionist agenda. That agenda can be summed up in a few words: Biblical edicts the dominionists decide are literal and valid combined with their concocted version of Christian dogma should have supremacy – dominion – over all secular laws, including the United States Constitution. From Chris Hedges’ American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America:
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Dominionism is a theocratic sect with its roots in a radical Calvinism. … It teaches that American Christians have been mandated by God to make America a Christian state. … America bcomes, in this militant Biblicism, an agent of God, and all political and intellectual opponents of America’s Christian leaders are viewed, quite simply, as agents of Satan.
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Under Christian dominionism, America will no longer be a sinful and fallen nation but one in which the 10 Commandments form the basis of our legal system, and the media and the government proclaim the Good News to one and all. Labor unions, civil-rights laws and public schools will be abolished. Women will be removed from the workforce to stay at home, and all those deemed insufficiently Christian will be denied citizenship. …
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The death penalty is to be imposed not only for offenses such as rape, kidnapping and murder, but also for adultery, blasphemy, homosexuality, astrology, incest, striking a parent, incorrigible juvenile delinquency, and, in the case of women, “unchastity before marriage.” …
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The moral calculus no longer revolves around the concept of universal human rights, now its center is the well-being, protection and promotion of “Bible believing Christians.” For dominionists, all other religions and any political view other than theirs are Satanic. Weyrich made that clear when he launched a “Christian boycott” of the military because Wicca was recognized as a legitimate religion. From Weyrich’s “‘Satanic’ Army Unworthy of Representing United States,” Free Congress Foundation press release, June 9, 1999:
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Until the Army withdraws all official support and approval from witchcraft, no Christian should enlist or re-enlist in the Army, and Christian parents should not allow their children to join the Army…
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An Army that sponsors satanic rituals is unworthy of representing the United States of America … The official approval of satanism and witchcraft by the Army is a direct assault on the Christian faith that generations of American soldiers have fought and died for...
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If the Army wants witches and satanists in its ranks, then it can do it without Christians in those ranks. It’s time for the Christians in this country to put a stop to this kind of nonsense. A Christian recruiting strike will compel the Army to think seriously about what it is doing.
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Obviously Mr. Weyrich has no idea what Wicca is or what it isn’t, nor does he understand what “freedom of religion” means. Does he really believe the Army “sponsors satanic rituals”? Weyrich’s assertions are grotesque exaggerations and flamingly flatulent: characteristics the rhetoric of Christian dominionists share. That could be because it’s commonly scripted behind closed doors?
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Weyrich, Wildmon and Dobson are members of the Council for National Policy: the star-chamber in which Christian dominionists and their wealthy right-wing sponsors plot and plan how to take over of the United States and make it their own theofascist domain.
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Never heard of the Council for National Policy? That’s not surprising. It’s a highly secretive organization. Subversive organizations usually are. Members never talk about what goes on behind closed doors. Some of what is known is available here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here. Do the words “shadow government” come to mind?
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The CNP uses secrecy. Dominionists use fear. Their rhetoric is filled with ominous predictions of impending doom and divinely ordained punishments if the movement’s ideas are not blindly accepted and acted upon. The “enemies of God” are identified and demonized – gay and lesbian Americans head that list – and the faithful are called upon to engage in a holy war to save “Christian America.” As Wildmon wailed, “‘If we lose California, if they defeat the marriage amendment, I’m afraid that the culture war is over and Christians have lost … If the homosexuals are able to defeat the marriage amendment … then the culture war is over and we’ve lost – and gradually, secularism will replace Christianity as the foundation of our society.
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”Wildom and the rest of the dominionist leaders see only black and white. It’s either their way, or utter doom. They prey on people’s fears and exploit their weaknesses. They claim they and they alone know “God’s” will and what’s right and wrong for everyone, and offer simplistic, bumper-sticker answers to complex questions. They play the victim while relentlessly victimizing others. They are the worst humanity, religion and politics have to offer. As Chris Hedges noted, “radical Christian dominionists have no religious legitimacy. They are manipulating Christianity, and millions of sincere believers, to build a frightening political mass movement with many similarities with other mass movements, from fascism … to the ethnic nationalist parties in the former Yugoslavia.”
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The Alliance Defense Fund’s “Pulpit initiative” – which implies only their pastors can speak “Truth” – and the Arlington Group’s blatant call to use their pastors’ pulpits and collection plates for political purposes attest to the dominionist agenda. They also suggest… desperation.
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Most of the leaders of Christian dominionism are … old and out of touch. Reading their propaganda one would think America’s youth are embracing evangelical doctrine, fundamentalist ideology and dominionist ideas. They’re not. In fact, America’s youth is moving in exactly the opposite direction and have been for some time. An October 2006 New York Times article reported the exodus:
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Evangelicals Fear the Loss of Their Teenagers Despite their packed megachurches, their political clout and their increasing visibility on the national stage, evangelical Christian leaders are warning one another that their teenagers are abandoning the faith in droves. …
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Their alarm has been stoked by a highly suspect claim that if current trends continue, only 4 percent of teenagers will be “Bible-believing Christians” as adults. That would be a sharp decline compared with 35 percent of the current generation of baby boomers, and before that, 65 percent of the World War II generation. …
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The board of the National Association of Evangelicals, an umbrella group representing 60 denominations and dozens of ministries, passed a resolution this year deploring “the epidemic of young people leaving the evangelical church.”
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So what did the evangelical and dominionist elders blame for teens’ mass exodus?
Certainly not themselves or their message of intolerance, hate and bigotry:
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I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you. I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good...Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a Biblical duty, we are called by God, to conquer this country. We don’t want equal time. We don’t want pluralism.
Randall Terry
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Certainly not their hysterical preaching that everyone who disagrees with their extremist agenda is innately evil and the cause of all the world’s evils: The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. – Pat Robertson Certainly not the preposterous anti-knowledge, pro-ignorance claims made by prominent leaders of the dominionist movement:
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The Bible is the inerrant...word of the living God. It is absolutely infallible, without error in all matters pertaining to faith and practice, as well as in areas such as geography, science, history, etc. [italics added]
– Jerry Falwell
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Nope. They blamed popular culture and, of course, played victim once again citing “a pervasive culture of cynicism about religion.”
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Cynicism? One of the keynote speakers at the gathering reported on by the Times was the then president of the National Association of Evangelicals, Ted Haggard. He’d been an outspoken critic of gay and lesbian Americans – and especially their desire to marry – until his extra-marital, drug-fueled homosexual trysts with a male prostitute were made public. (Click here. It seem Rev. Haggard was talking about himself and was quite serious about sending him that $1000.)
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And who could be cynical about the holier-than-thou who advocate amending the U.S. Constitution to make gay and lesbian Americans permanent second-class citizens? Such an effort is backed by pillars of morality and honesty such as the two senators who “named themselves as co-sponsors of” the Marriage Protection Amendment:
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Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), who was arrested June 11, 2007 on charges of lewd conduct in a Minneapolis airport terminal, is co-sponsoring the amendment along with Sen. David Vitter (R-LA).
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Craig, who entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct, was detained and charged for attempting to engage in sexual activity with a male undercover police officer. His arrest and plea became public two months later. At that time, Craig attempted to withdraw his plea and enter a new plea of not guilty. To date, his efforts have been denied by the courts.
In July of 2007, Vitter was identified as a client of a prostitution firm owned by the late Deborah Jeane Palfrey, commonly known as The DC Madam.
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Every poll shows America’s youth – ages 18-30 – overwhelmingly support equality for gay and lesbian Americans, including the civil right to a civil marriage. In November 2008, Californians will vote on Proposition 8 which, if passed, would amend the state’s constitution and ban the same-sex marriages that are now legal in California. A statewide Field Poll conduced the week of July 15, 2008 found that “if the election were being held now, more voters say they would vote No (51%) on Prop. 8 than would vote Yes (42%). … By age, opposition to Prop. 8 is greatest among younger voters under age 30, as well as among ‘baby boomers’ in the 50 – 64 age bracket.”
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Today’s youth are media savvy. They can see through frauds and charlatans, and they’ve had enough of the hate, irrationality and what can only be called the blind (and blinding) arrogance so ubiquitous in dominionist rhetoric.
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To be sure, dominionists will not go extinct. They will change their name and, like a virulent pathogen, lay low until they sense an opportunity to break out and infest the body politic again. Those who have used religion to feed their megalomania and further their own hate-based political and social agenda have always existed. Their names are among history’s most infamous, then and more recently.
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During the Bush administration, dominionists and the Council for National Policy have had carte blanche. In many ways they have steered the ship of state. That administration is coming to an end. It’s time for religion to again become one of many passengers on the ship, not its captain.
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The Most Deadly Enemy The United States Will Ever Have To Face

Can you see it coming?

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AMERICA WILL SOON LOSE ITS CONSTITUTION


Soon the United States must face its most deadly enemy. The Bible clearly identifies this enemy and shows the tragic outcome of this confrontation. Bible prophecy also shows that the United States will shortly repudiate every principle of its Constitution and will become one of history’s worst persecuting powers.

Already we can see the beginning of these sad events in the Waco massacre, where the United States government slaughtered helpless and defenseless women and children with a battle tank and poison gas!

When the New World Order is instituted, freedom will be gone from the earth. There will be no United States to escape to, no United States Constitution, no Bill of Rights, and no guarantees of freedom of any kind. The whole world will be one vast prison. The freedom we have enjoyed that was so dearly purchased by our founding fathers is now being thrown away by unscrupulous politicians and their sovereignty-destroying treaties.

The preceding paragraphs were written shortly after February 28, 1993, when the Waco massacre occurred. One would have to be blind not to see the many losses of liberty that have occurred since then. The following article will explain how and why we are losing our constitution.

THE MOST DEADLY ENEMY
THE UNITED STATES
WILL EVER HAVE TO FACE


The United States can never be taken by an external army. U.S. military might is too strong for any nation to ever hope to defeat the U.S. militarily. The U.S. must be infiltrated and taken from within.

Here is a quote by Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States:

“At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.” — Address Before the Young Men’s Lyceum, of Springfield, Illinois, January 27, 1838.
Charles Chiniquy was a priest who exposed the inner goals and objectives of the papacy in his book, 50 Years in the Church of Rome. This book can be read on the internet at: http://www.biblebelievers.com/chiniquy/

For many decades the papacy has been laying plans for the takeover of the United States. This goal of the papacy is clearly stated in Charles Chiniquy’s book, Fifty Years in the Church of Rome.

“We are determined . . . to take possession of the United States, and rule them; but we cannot do that without acting secretly and with utmost wisdom. If our plans become known, they will surely be defeated.” — Charles Chiniquy, Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, The Wickliffe Press, Protestant truth Society, Wickliffe Avenue, 104 Hendon Lane, Finchley, London, N3, 1885, p. 373.

“How sad will their awakening be, when, with our out-numbering votes, we will turn them, for ever, from every position of honor, power and profit! What will those hypocritical and godless sons and daughters of the fanatical Pilgrim Fathers say, when not a single judge, not a single teacher, not a single policeman will be elected if he be not a devoted . . . Roman Catholic? What will those so-called giants think of their matchless shrewdness and ability, when not a single Senator or member of Congress will be chosen, if he be not submitted to our holy father the Pope? What a sad figure those Protestant Yankees will cut when we will not only elect the President, but fill and command the armies, man the navies, and hold the keys of the public treasury?

“Then, yes! then, we will rule the United States, and lay them at the feet of the Vicar of Jesus Christ [the pope], that he may put an end to their godless system of education, and sweep away those impious laws of liberty of conscience which are an insult to God and man!

“. . . The American people must be very blind indeed, if they do not see that if they do nothing to prevent it, the day is very near when the Jesuits will rule their country, from the magnificent White House at Washington, to the humblest civil and military department of this vast Republic.” — ibid, p. 374.

The papacy is the most deadly enemy the United States will ever have to face. Using the utmost secrecy to conceal her plans, the papacy, through her facade of religion, has for many decades been infiltrating the United States in all levels of government. As a result, the United States will soon lose its constitution and become a tyrannical, persecuting power.

As you read the following, keep in mind that they have said it is their goal to take over the United States and trash the Constitution. The American Constitution is thoroughly detested by the papacy, because the freedom safeguards it contains make it impossible for the papacy to take over the United States as long as the Constitution is in force.

“Rome is in constant conspiracy against the rights and liberties of man all over the world; but she is particularly so in the United States. Long before I was ordained a priest I knew that my Church was the most implacable enemy of this Republic. My professors of philosophy, history, and theology had been unanimous in telling me that the principles and laws of the Church of Rome were absolutely antagonistic to the laws and principles that are the foundation stones of the Constitution of the United States.

“1st. The most sacred principle of the United States Constitution is the equality of every citizen before the law. But the fundamental principle of the Church of Rome is the denial of that equality.

“2nd. Liberty of conscience is proclaimed by the United States a most sacred principle, which every citizen must uphold .… But liberty of conscience is declared by all the Popes and Councils of Rome, a most godless, unholy, and diabolical thing, which every good Catholic must abhor and destroy at any cost.

“3rd. The American Constitution assures the absolute independence of the civil from the ecclesiastical or Church power; but the Church of Rome declares, through all her Pontiffs and Councils, that such independence is an impiety and a revolt against God.

“4th. The American Constitution leaves every man free to serve God according to the dictates of his conscience; but the Church of Rome declares that no man has ever had such a right, and that the Pope alone can know and say what man must believe and do.” — ibid, p. 375.

And when the papacy takes over there will be bloodshed.

“The Church of Rome says that she has a right to punish with the confiscation of their goods, or the penalty of death, those who differ in faith from the Pope.” — ibid, p. 376.

America simply has no idea of the terrible trouble and persecution that is coming soon at the hands of the papacy. The people of America have forgotten the wanton cruelty and unrestrained butchery this unholy power demonstrated during the Dark Ages when it slaughtered over 150 million Christians because they wanted to worship God according to the Bible. Hitler’s holocaust against the Jews was tiny compared to the papal holocaust against Christians during the Dark Ages, and the Jesuit-controlled news media never mention these atrocities.

Don't misunderstand here. The Catholic Church is NOT a Christian religion. It is a strange combination of the old pagan religions with a Christian facade. Just because they claim to be a Christian church does not make it so.

Here is a statement from the same book that shows the power these people have already amassed in the United States.

“The Jesuits of the United States form one of the richest and most powerful corporations the world ever saw.” — ibid, p. 375.

The papacy is by far the wealthiest institution on earth.

“Jesus, the founder of Christianity, was the poorest of the poor. Roman Catholicism, which claims to be His church, is the richest of the rich.” — Avro Manhattan, The Vatican Billions, Chick Publications, p. 17.

“The Catholic church is the biggest financial power, wealth accumulator and property owner in existence. She is a greater possessor of material riches than any other single institution, corporation, bank, giant trust, government or state of the whole globe.” — Jack Chick, Smokescreens, Chick Publications, p 73.

Very few people know anything about the Jesuits because of their extreme secrecy. Here is a description of them from the book The Great Controversy that shows the abominable character and deceptiveness of the pope’s Jesuits.

“Throughout Christendom, Protestantism was menaced by formidable foes. The first triumphs of the Reformation past, Rome summoned new forces, hoping to accomplish its destruction. At this time the order of the Jesuits was created, the most cruel, unscrupulous, and powerful of all the champions of popery. Cut off from earthly ties and human interests, dead to the claims of natural affection, reason and conscience wholly silenced, they knew no rule, no tie, but that of their order, and no duty but to extend its power. The gospel of Christ had enabled its adherents to meet danger and endure suffering, undismayed by cold, hunger, toil, and poverty, to uphold the banner of truth in face of the rack, the dungeon, and the stake. To combat these forces, Jesuitism inspired its followers with a fanaticism that enabled them to endure like dangers, and to oppose to the power of truth all the weapons of deception. There was no crime too great for them to commit, no deception too base for them to practice, no disguise too difficult for them to assume. Vowed to perpetual poverty and humility, it was their studied aim to secure wealth and power, to be devoted to the overthrow of Protestantism, and the re-establishment of the papal supremacy.

“When appearing as members of their order, they wore a garb of sanctity, visiting prisons and hospitals, ministering to the sick and the poor, professing to have renounced the world, and bearing the sacred name of Jesus, who went about doing good. But under this blameless exterior the most criminal and deadly purposes were often concealed. It was a fundamental principle of the order that the end justifies the means. By this code, lying, theft, perjury, assassination, were not only pardonable but commendable, when they served the interests of the church. Under various disguises the Jesuits worked their way into offices of state, climbing up to be the counselors of kings, and shaping the policy of nations. They became servants to act as spies upon their masters. They established colleges for the sons of princes and nobles, and schools for the common people; and the children of Protestant parents were drawn into an observance of popish rites. All the outward pomp and display of the Romish worship was brought to bear to confuse the mind and dazzle and captivate the imagination, and thus the liberty for which the fathers had toiled and bled was betrayed by the sons. The Jesuits rapidly spread themselves over Europe, and wherever they went, there followed a revival of popery.” — E. G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 234, 235, 1911, Pacific Press Publishing Assn.

Today the pope’s Jesuits are not only entrenched at the highest levels of all branches and departments of the U.S. Government, but they are also entrenched at the highest levels of virtually all the major corporations and industries in the United States. The Jesuits are the major stockholders of many of the largest corporations. They own 51% of the stock in Bank of America for instance. And because the papacy is a so-called church, they pay not one penny of taxes. Because they are a so-called church, they are able to operate internationally outside of the laws and legal proceedings everyone else must follow.

Here are a few of the Jesuit-controlled corporations that totally support their Jesuits in congress and the government: American Airlines, TWA, Anheuser Busch, AT&T, Bell Atlantic, Boeing, Cigna, Coca-Cola, Daimler Chrysler, Exxon, Ford Motor Company, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Home Depot, May Company, McDonald’s, Motorola, Philip Morris, Price-Waterhouse, Rite Aid, RJR Nabisco, Sony Corp. of America, Texaco, United Parcel Service, Walt Disney Company, and Wells Fargo.

These corporations give their Jesuit senators and congressmen in both the Democratic and Republican parties many thousands of dollars for their election campaigns. These senators and congressmen are the most radical and dangerous this country has ever had. They do everything they can to pass laws and regulations prohibited by our constitution, laws designed to destroy the United States, to eliminate freedom, and to convert the United States into a ruthless tyranny. They lie constantly to deceive the people so the people will go along with the laws and regulations they want to pass.

Everyone in high positions in the government takes a solemn oath to uphold and obey the Constitution, but nearly all of them totally ignore the Constitution. The president issues executive orders that are totally unconstitutional, and Congress passes laws that the Constitution specifically forbids. Our God-given Constitution is the reason the United States has become the greatest country in the world, but it is being thoroughly undermined today by the Jesuits in government as they work to convert the United States into a ruthless police state.
The laws and regulations they pass are designed to export the industrial and manufacturing base of the United States to other countries. They are designed to destroy our energy base by restricting oil prospecting, fuel production, and nuclear power plants. The Jesuits in the House, Senate and regulating agencies restrict the private use of land with nonsensical environmental rules and regulations. They pass laws and regulations about what is “proper” to be taught in schools so that children will grow up being extremely ignorant under the banner of being educated.

The Jesuits are not recognized by the general populace because of their treachery and secrecy. They tell no one that they are Jesuits. They even belong to other churches, other cultures, and other organizations, that they have infiltrated, to hide their identity and to control these organizations.

There are millions and millions of the pope’s Jesuits. They are everywhere. They are into everything. They are into every major organization, and control nearly every political organization and government in the world. Because of the Jesuits’ extreme secrecy, many of these organizations and governments are totally unaware that they are being infiltrated and controlled.

It is easy to identify the Jesuits and the Jesuit puppets in the United States Congress, because they are the ones that continually try to get all kinds of laws passed that require exactly the opposite from what the Constitution says. They continually pass laws that restrict the liberty of the citizens of the country. They continually pass laws to regulate every aspect of life in the United States. They continually pass laws that restrict freedom of speech such as the Campaign Finance Reform Act. Incidentally, they always use names for these laws that will sound good to the American people, but rarely indicate what is in the law. They use every means they can to deceive the people of the country and the world.

The USA Patriot act of 2001 is in almost total violation of the constitution, requiring many of the regulations Nazi Germany and communist Russia had. When all the requirements of this act are implemented, the citizens of this country will rue the day they ever allowed such a monstrosity to become law. Jesuits in the government were responsible for this act and forced its passage. They forced a vote on this act without giving the congressmen and senators an opportunity to read it! Why didn’t the congressmen and senators have the good sense to vote “no” and defeat this act since they were never able to read it?

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 is another act that was passed to take away freedom and security in the United States and is in total violation of the constitution. As all the requirements of these acts become implemented, the people of the country will learn first-hand how it feels to have absolutely no freedom. These and other laws and regulations on the books will, when implemented, convert the United States into a more ruthless police state than was Nazi Germany or communist Russia and Red China.

The Jesuits continually try to pass restrictive gun legislation. The second amendment to the Constitution says, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Every gun law that congress has ever passed is a direct violation of the United States’ Constitution. Because of the crime and terrorism in our country today, and because of the government and media propaganda against guns, people are made to believe that these laws are necessary.

When the citizens of a nation are armed, where their right to own guns is not infringed, the crime rate is extremely low.

Every man in Switzerland, for instance, is required to have guns in his home, including assault rifles. Crime in Switzerland is almost non-existent. In states and cities in America that allow people to carry guns, the crime rate is extremely low.

During World War Two, Hitler wanted to invade Switzerland. The Swiss told him that he could send his army across the border, but none of his officers would return. Hitler gave the order to invade Switzerland several times, but his officers refused to obey. Switzerland remained safely neutral all during the war because Hitler could not overcome the guns in the hands of Swiss private citizens. No dictator wants to be the dictator of a nation with 200 million guns around.
Christians generally do not want to have anything to do with guns, because a Christian would never take the life of another individual. It is not the USE of the guns that keeps the crime rate low; it is just the fact that the guns are there, and the criminals and would-be dictators know that the guns are there. That knowledge keeps them at bay.

In order to motivate the people of the United States to give up their guns, the Jesuits stage shootings periodically to show how “dangerous” guns are. These shootings occur in the most emotional places such as schools where children die. But Waco shows what will happen when only the government has guns. Some 86 children died a torturous death at Waco at the hands of the government.

Since Australia and Canada have banned guns, the crime rate in these countries has increased over 400%

Today, the United States is run and controlled by its most dedicated enemies. If you wonder at the things the government and the people in control of the government do that are so damaging to the United States, it is because they are our enemies and are determined to destroy the United States. Treason is running rampant throughout all levels and branches of the U.S. government today.

“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banners openly against the city. But the traitor moves among those within the gates freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears no traitor; he speaks in the accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their garments and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation; he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city; he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist.” — Marcus Cicero, speaking to Caesar, Crassus, Pompey and the Roman Senate.

Many wonder today why the Republican party does nothing to defeat the treasonous schemes of the Democrats. It is because the pope’s Jesuits have thoroughly infiltrated the Republican party as well as the Democratic party. Many wonder why the news media lie so much to support and protect the Democrats. It is because the pope’s Jesuits have thoroughly infiltrated the news media. The news media and schools and colleges, with their lies and propaganda, have so conditioned the people of the country that they are unable to recognize what has been done to them. Victory for the Jesuits seems very near. The Jesuits are like a cancer that has pervaded nearly every fiber of the society of the United States. We are being defeated by the enemy within.

For many years the Jesuits have prevented the United States from developing additional sources of energy within its own territory. Exploiting the vast oilfields on the Alaskan north slope, that probably contain more oil than the entire middle east, is forbidden. New nuclear power plants, the safest source of electric energy ever discovered, are not permitted. There is no end to the lies people have been made to believe about Nuclear energy. The environment is used as the club to subdue the people of the country into going along with this idiocy. Modern technology is able to develop these sources of power without any damage to the environment. Needless to say, without sufficient energy, the United States will not be able to defend itself. All the papacy has to do is cut off the oil supply from the middle east.

The United States is now starting to feel the pinch of the energy shortage the Jesuits have created. People have experienced blackouts over large areas as power is shut off to stay within the limits of generating capacity. Today, instead of constructing additional nuclear power plants, some of these plants are being dismantled! Will the people of the United States be able to wake up in time to prevent the coming national tragedy?

Not only in the United States is this treachery being perpetrated by the papacy, but they are secretly at work all over the world to subvert all the nations of the world, as we read earlier from Charles Chiniquy’s book.

The papacy’s slaughter of Christians continues to this day. Since the papacy is a small country with little military capability, they always beguile other nations to do their fighting for them. Today the United States is their favorite bully. Thus, they are never directly involved, and people do not realize who is behind the wars, the trouble, and the terrorism. Avro Manhattan’s book, The Vatican’s Holocaust, describes in detail the papacy’s continuing slaughter of millions of Christians in the 20th century. At the time of this writing, the complete text of The Vatican’s Holocaust is available on the internet for downloading. A link for this book is provided at the bottom of this page.

The slaughter in Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, Croatia and others is a direct result of the Vatican’s involvement in this area, but you will never hear about it because the Jesuit-controlled news media not only refuse to mention it but they lie about the situation to keep the papacy from being suspected of her true involvement.

The Jesuits seem to have a code that guides their every action. That code is: “Call your enemy what you are and always tell the exact opposite of the truth.” This makes it very difficult to counter their lies and explain clearly and understandably what they are actually doing.
And now the world has terrorism to a degree that was unimaginable before the destruction of the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York City where nearly 4,000 people lost their lives. This terrorism is part of the plan the Jesuits are implementing to scare the American people into giving up their freedoms, and it is working. The Bible says in Revelation 18:24 that the papacy is responsible for “… the blood of … all that were slain upon the earth.” Evidence strongly indicates that Muslims highjacked the airliners and flew them into the towers. Thus we have rather strong evidence that the papacy’s Jesuits have even been able to infiltrate the Muslims. Remember that the papacy and the Jesuits have been at this business for many hundreds of years. Remember, also, that we saw that no disguise is too difficult for them to assume.

Let us now consider some of the tactics the papacy is using to subvert the United States. Just because they call themselves a church does not mean that they are honest or honorable. Remember that Satan, the devil, gave the papacy their power and great authority [Revelation 13:2]. The Catholics, through their Jesuits, are working to accomplish the exact opposite from what the Catholic Church claims they stand for. For instance, the church claims to be against abortion, but their Jesuits, working in secrecy and masquerading as regular citizens in the government, work to pass laws and make judicial rulings permitting abortion. They have their right hand fighting their left hand to thoroughly confuse the people of the United States and to keep the people from ever connecting this evil conspiracy with them. Here is another example. The pope gets on television and, acting very piously, prays for peace, while his Jesuits are behind the scenes stirring up all kinds of wars, conflicts and terrorism in the world.

The Jesuits are making a dedicated effort in the United States to degrade the morality of the people of the country, to destroy family life, and to destroy all the traditional values that made this country the greatest nation in the world. This is being done by the abominable subjects being taught in government schools and colleges. It is being done by history courses that teach from revisionist history books containing many more lies than the truth. It is being done with pornographic sex education courses in the schools. It is being done with the destruction of religious values and the law of God, the Ten Commandments. It is being done by television programs, where entertainment is watching people break God’s law. The natural result is a drastic increase in crime. Acts of the most abominable and shocking character are daily perpetrated within this country. The murder of one and a half million unborn babies in this country each year is one result of the demoralization of this nation.

The Jesuits are also flooding the United States with aliens, most of which are Catholic. Not only are we being defeated by the Jesuit enemy within, we are constantly being invaded by an army of aliens from without. These aliens dilute the traditional American society that understands our Constitution and how it works. This makes it much easier for the Jesuits in congress to pass the unconstitutional laws so damaging to the United States. And, of course, along with these aliens come the people who actually blow up the buildings.

Many of the illegal aliens coming into this country are members of militia organizations, and are awaiting orders to attack targets in the United States.

There is talk in Washington of giving illegal aliens amnesty again, and also of converting our southern border into a “regional power block” where the area within 100 miles on either side of the border between Mexico and the United States would be administered jointly by Mexico and the U.S. The Jesuits are working to “eradicate the borders that separate Canada, Mexico, and the United States as part of a larger design to create a regional political and economic bloc duplicating the European Union.” - The New Americn, October 8, 2001.

There is also talk of putting Mexican citizens in Mexico on United States' Social Security payments. The purpose of this, along with all the wars and police-keeping actions the U.S. military is into and all the welfare the government pays for, is to completely bankrupt the United States and cause massive, runaway inflation.

“Pushed by the Mexican government, the Bush administration is working on a Social Security accord that would put tens of thousands of Mexicans [in Mexico] onto the Social Security roster and send hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits south of the border.” — Jonathan Weisman, The Washington Post, Dec. 19, 2002.

Since the Jesuits beguiled the United States into giving the Panama Canal to the Red Chinese, there are now over 200,000 Red Chinese in the Canal Zone. This portends extremely serious problems for both the United States and Panama. A large percentage of Panamanian citizens want the U.S. to come back and restore the Canal Zone as before. Incidentally, the treaty giving the canal to Panama was never properly ratified. There were two versions of the treaty: an English version and a Spanish version. These two versions were not the same. The Senate ratified one version and the Panamanians ratified the other version. And the treason goes on and on.

When America was young, it was the envy of the entire world. In it’s youth, America was kind, gracious, and gentle. America was a country of great religious and political liberty available to all under the United States Constitution. America was a nation without a king and it had a church without a pope. On American money the message of her trust in God was proclaimed, and the great blessing of God rested upon this country.

“Alexis de Tocqueville, a young French philosopher of the last century, came to our shores to discover what magical quality enabled a handful of people to defeat the mighty British Empire twice in 35 years. He looked for the greatness of America in her fertile soil, her limitless forests and natural resources. He examined America’s schools, her Congress and her unique Constitution without fully understanding the source of America’s strength.

“It was not, he said later, until he went to the churches of America and found congregations aflame with righteousness, that he began to comprehend the secret of this power. Upon his return to France, de Tocqueville wrote: "America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” — Des Griffin, Descent into Slavery?, Emissary Publications, PMB: 1776, 9205 SE Clackamas Rd., Clackamas, Oregon 97015, 1980, p. 267.

The United States was the champion of liberty and freedom throughout the world. Before this time no nation in history ever had a written constitution that guaranteed the liberty and freedom of its people. But the glorious beginning of this country was to be corrupted in later years. The gentle, gracious, freedom-loving character of the United States in its youth was later used as a facade to hide the character that this country subsequently developed. This facade has successfully kept hidden, even from most of its own citizens, the real character the United States developed in these last days as a result of Jesuit infiltration and subversion.

When the Jesuits are successful in taking over the United States and converting it into a ruthless police state, the people of the country will begin to realize what has happened to them. But then, of course, it will be too late to do anything about it.

The papacy has made colossal fools of untold millions of people down through history, and it is still doing so today.

Please order the book, The Secret Terrorists, to get the whole history of how the Jesuits have been responsible for nearly all the tragedies that have happened to the United States. If enough people understand the contents of this astounding book, it might be possible to defeat the Jesuits before they can complete their destruction of the United States. This book is sent free within the United States. Order your book from:

TRUTH TRIUMPHANT MINISTRIESP. O. Box 1417Eustis, FL 32727USA

Our books Earth’s Final Hours,
The Secret Terrorists,
and When the United States Passes the National Sunday Law as Predicted in the Bible tell the heartbreaking story of the death of America as it is described in Bible prophecy. Complete texts of these books are available for downloading from these web pages.

We also offer these books in printed form. Write for your copy today.
HOW TO OBTAIN THESE BOOKS

Read The Vatican’s Holocaust by Avro Manhattan here:
http://www.reformation.org/holocaus.html


.Source: http://www.pacinst.com/america.htm

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