Thursday, January 21, 2010

The Adventist Motorcycle Ministry


ADVENTIST MOTORCYCLE
MINISTRY

IS A CHRISTIAN FAMILY CLUB


Our motto is
"UNITED IN CHRIST"


The Adventist Motorcycle Ministry

is a Christian group composed

of Seventh Day Adventist

members that have

a passion for riding motorcycles

and a love for God.



We have decided that this passion

could be used to reach non-believers

as well as fellow Adventist,

and to bring all of us together

to the feet of God Almighty.



The mission is to unify the

Seventh Day Adventist Churches

by creating different

motorcycle events and rides to

strength our faith and love for one

another, and to proclaimed to

all people the everlasting gospel

which compels us to lead others to

accept Jesus as their personal savior.



Our mission is also dedicated

to conduct different projects

and assistance to those in need.



We invite all our Adventists brothers and sisters

around the world to join this ministry.



GOD BLESS


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Runaway Christian Convert Allowed to Live Apart from Parents


SocietyWed, Jan. 20 2010 11:44 PM EDT
By Aaron J. LeichmanChristian Post Reporter


A teenage girl from Ohio who ran away from home after she became Christian can remain free from her Muslim parents, according to the terms of a court settlement.

Though Rifqa Bary’s parents have been fighting to regain custody of her since last August, under the agreement Tuesday, the 17-year-old teen can stay in a foster home under state custody in Columbus until she turns 18. After legally becoming an adult in August, Bary will be free to live where she chooses.

In a statement read in the Franklin County Juvenile Court, Bary’s attorney reported that the girl and her parents – who emigrated from Sri Lanka – love and respect each other and will try to resolve their differences through counseling.

Since last August, Bary has been involved in a legal battle with her parents, claiming that her father had said, "If you have this Jesus in your heart, you are dead to me!" and also added some time later, "I will kill you!"

Bary’s father, Mohamed Bary, however, has vehemently denied ever threatening to kill his daughter for converting to Christianity and accuses the pastors she stayed with in Florida of “brainwashing” his daughter into believing she was in danger of an "honor killing."

Last July, Bary ran away from her home near Columbus by boarding a Greyhound bus and heading to Orlando, where she was taken in by an evangelical pastor couple in Orlando that she met through a Facebook prayer group.

Bary stayed with the pastors for two weeks until Florida authorities discovered her parents had filed her as missing.

She has since been living in foster homes – first in Florida and later in Ohio, where judges from both states eventually agreed jurisdiction in the custody case belonged.

The pastors who sheltered her, meanwhile, have denied having knowingly broke the law by hiding the Muslim-turned-Christian girl from Ohio.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which completed investigation into the Lorenzes’ role in Bar’s case, has yet to come to a decision on whether they will be charged with any wrongdoing.
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P.S. Thank God Almighty that in spite of all the insanity we see all around us there still remains some wisdom in the courts of Ohio.

Justice has been served.

God has truly blessed Rifqa.
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Obama’s EEOC Nominee: Society Should ‘Not Tolerate Private Beliefs’ That ‘Adversely Affect’ Homosexuals

Monday, January 18, 2010
By Matt Cover, Staff Writer


Chai R. Feldblum, a law professor at Georgetown University Law School, has been nominated by President Obama to serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity COmmission. (Photo from Georgetown Law Web site)


(CNSNews.com) - Chai Feldblum, the Georgetown University law professor nominated by President Obama to serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, has written that society should “not tolerate” any “private beliefs,” including religious beliefs, that may negatively affect homosexual “equality.”

Feldblum, whose nomination was advanced in a closed session of the Senate Health Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on December 12, published an article entitled “Moral Conflict and Liberty: Gay Rights and Religion” in the Brooklyn Law Review in 2006.

“Just as we do not tolerate private racial beliefs that adversely affect African-Americans in the commercial arena, even if such beliefs are based on religious views, we should similarly not tolerate private beliefs about sexual orientation and gender identity that adversely affect LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender] people,” the Georgetown law professor argued.

Feldblum’s admittedly “radical” view is based on what she sees as a “zero-sum game” between religious freedom and the homosexual agenda, where “a gain for one side necessarily entails a corresponding loss for the other side.”

“For those who believe that a homosexual or bisexual orientation is not morally neutral, and that an individual who acts on his or her homosexual orientation is acting in a sinful or harmful manner (to himself or herself and to others), it is problematic when the government passes a law that gives such individuals equal access to all societal institutions,” Feldblum wrote.

“Conversely, for those who believe that any sexual orientation, including a homosexual or bisexual orientation, is morally neutral, and that an individual who acts on his or her homosexual or bisexual orientation acts in an honest and good manner, it is problematic when the government fails to pass laws providing equality to such individuals.”

Feldblum argues that in order for “gay rights” to triumph in this “zero-sum game,” the constitutional rights of all Americans should be placed on a “spectrum” so they can be balanced against legitimate government duties.

All beliefs should be equal, regardless of their source, Feldblum says. “A belief derived from a religious faith should be accorded no more weight—and no less weight—than a belief derived from a non-religious source.” According to Feldman, the source of a person’s belief – be it God, spiritual energy, or the five senses – “has no relevance.”

'Identity liberty' versus 'belief liberty'

Feldblum does recognize that elements of the homosexual agenda may infringe on Americans’ religious liberties. However, Feldblum argues that society should “come down on the side” of homosexual equality at the expense of religious liberty. Because the conflict between the two is “irreconcilable,” religious liberty -- which she also calls "belief liberty" -- must be placed second to the “identity liberty” of homosexuals.

“And, in making the decision in this zero sum game, I am convinced society should come down on the side of protecting the liberty of LGBT people,” she wrote.

“Protecting one group’s identity liberty may, at times, require that we burden others’ belief liberty. This is an inherent and irreconcilable reality of our complex society,” Feldblum wrote.

“But in dealing with this conflict, I believe it is essential that we not privilege moral beliefs that are religiously based over other sincerely held core, moral beliefs. Laws passed pursuant to public policies may burden the belief liberty of those who adhere to either religious or secular beliefs.”

The full Senate must now vote on Feldblum's nomination, but a date for that vote has not yet been set.

As an EEOC commissioner, Feldblum would rule on cases involving alleged violations of federal employment law, including gender, age, and race discrimination.
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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Jamaica Shares Same Earthquake Faultline as Haiti

Office of the Prime Minister

Wednesday, January 20, 2010



Head of the Earthquake Unit at the University of the West Indies, Dr. Lyndon Brown, left, speaking at a Think Tank at JIS head office, Kingston,on Wednesday, January 20, 2010. At Right is Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Ronald Jackson.


Jamaica shares the same fault line (a crack or break in the earth's surface) with Haiti, which suffered a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake on January 11.

This was disclosed by the Head of the Earthquake Unit of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Dr. Lyndon Brown, at a JIS Think Tank in Kingston on January 20.

"The fault that created the quake in Haiti runs right across the western end of the Dominican Republic, through Haiti, cuts across the Caribbean Sea into Jamaica and continues more or less into different fault lines across Jamaica: one continuous fault line runs across from Haiti to Jamaica," Dr. Brown stated.

He added that the activities in the region, following the Haiti earthquake, are not unusual, at this time.

"A number of aftershocks have taken place, and this is quite natural. The aftershocks will be more continuous after the large earthquake, but then this will die down and become less frequent," he said. Aftershocks, such as the magnitude 6.1 tremor that occurred in Haiti again on the Wednesday morning (January 20), can be large but will become less frequent over time.

He said, however, that the other earthquakes that have taken place in Guatemala, Venezuela, and El Salvador are happening on the Pacific Plate fault line, which is not the same one on which Haiti and Jamaica is located.

"Right now we do not see the association between the events," he added.

He said that while studies are being done by an American researcher, to see the relationships between the fault lines, none has so far been established, and what is happening is that stresses are being naturally released along respective fault lines.

"Earthquakes are very, very, common. If you look at a map of Jamaica you will see that last year we had about eight felt events (earthquakes) and about 200 that were weak but could just be picked up as earthquakes," he said.

He stated that, on average, there have been about16 earthquakes on an annual basis that are greater that magnitude 7.0 , about 120 around magnitude 6.0 and an innumerable amount at magnitude 5.0 and below.

"What is happening in the region is very interesting. Earthquakes are natural events that happen when stresses that have built up along fault lines are released, creating elastic waves that generate convolutions on the face of the earth," Dr. Brown said.

He added that the destruction wrought by an earthquake is dependent on the location and strength of a building, as well as the strength of the earthquake.
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Voodoo Brings Solace To Grieving Haitians

by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
January 20, 2010
Thony Belizaire/AFP/Getty Images
A Haitian woman observes a moment of silence after putting coffee and beer at the grave of her family during celebrations of the Day of the Dead in November 2006. The two-day celebration honors ancestors by visiting their graves and bringing their favorite foods and drinks.






January 20, 2010

Erol Josue lost more than two dozen friends and extended family in Haiti's devastating earthquake. The Voodoo priest, who lives in New York, says he has spent the past week saying traditional Voodoo prayers.

"We thank God that we are still alive," he says, "but we also pray to give a good route, to give a good path for the people who passed away. And also we pray to ask the question, 'What happened?' "

Spirit Worship And Revelations

Voodoo is playing a central role in helping Haitians cope with their unthinkable tragedy. Outside of Haitian culture, few know what Voodoo is. Elizabeth McAlister, a Voodoo expert at Wesleyan University, says at its core, the philosophy is really pretty simple.

"Voodoo in a nutshell is about the idea that everything material has a spiritual dimension that is more real" than physical reality, she says. "So everything living — but even rocks and the Earth — is considered to have spirit and have a spiritual nature."

McAlister says there is no unified Voodoo religion. There's no "Voodoo Pope" or central authority, no Voodoo scripture or even a core doctrine.



Thony Belizaire/AFP/Getty ImagesVoodoo priest Max Beauvoir (right) and another man pray in December 2008 during a Voodoo demonstration in Port-au-Prince against sectarianism, neocolonialism and the presence of the U.N. in Haiti. Scholars believe that Voodoo is a derivative of African religions thought to be over 10,000 years old.


"It's a religion that really operates through revelation," she says. "So people can receive dreams or visions, and even be possessed by spirits, and that spirit can tell them something, and that's the revelation."

Widespread Below The Surface

And yet, Haitian Voodoo blends many of its rituals and beliefs — which came with the slaves from Africa — with Western Catholicism. For example, Voodoo believers worship Le Grand Maitre, or Grand Master, who is the equivalent of the Christian God.

They pray to loa, or spirits, who then intercede with God on their behalf — just as Catholics pray to saints. Voodoo believers also revere their ancestors, who guide them through their daily difficulties.

On the books, 80 percent of Haitians say they are Catholic. But Josue says Voodoo is widespread — just under the surface.

"Haiti is not a Catholic country," he says. "Haiti is a Voodoo country."

Apparently that's what Pat Robertson thinks as well. Less than a day after the earthquake, the televangelist declared that Haiti has been cursed since 1791 when, he said, Voodoo practitioners "made a pact [with] the devil" to rid themselves of French occupiers.


"They said, 'We will serve you, if you'll get us free from the French,' " Robertson said last week on his Christian Broadcasting Network. "True story. And so the devil said, 'OK, it's a deal.' "

Josue and others say that claim is outrageous. They never made a pact with the devil, and Voodoo does not engage in devil worship. And yet, he says many Haitians are asking why the spirits, who are supposed to protect their country, let so many die. He believes the spirits are angry with how Haitians have denuded the forests and mistreated the Earth.

"Haitians believe Haiti, she's a woman," Josue says. "We believe she's a mother, and [when] that woman got that pain, she [said], 'Enough.' "

Offering Comfort In Death

But even as Haitians mourn the death of tens of thousands of people, Voodoo gives them an eternal perspective, says Max Beauvoir, the supreme servitor of Voodoo, or the highest priest, in Haiti.

"The Haitian people do not get afraid of death," he says. "We are sure that we come back again."

After a person dies, he says, he or she goes underwater for a year and a day, then passes on to the next life.

"We believe that everyone lives 16 times — eight times we live as men, and eight times as women. And the purpose of life is to gather all kinds of experiences," says Beauvoir.

During those 16 lives, a person moves from body to body, country to country, attaining wisdom until he or she merges with God.

To help souls pass easily from death to new life, Voodoo priests like Josue preside over requiem ceremonies with water, candles, coffee and songs. But when death comes unexpectedly, Josue says, it's confusing to the souls. And now the earthquake has yielded another spiritual tragedy: mass graves.

"We have to make sure we bury our ancestors," he says. "We have to show respect to them. And to put them into a mass grave is no respect for our culture, no respect for our ancestors."

So today, Josue prays and sings, to help those souls find their way.
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Michigan's Unemployment Rate Drops to 14.6 Percent


Posted: 1/20/2010



Michigan's unemployment rate has improved for the third straight month.

State officials said Wednesday that the December jobless rate dropped to 14.6 percent, down from a national high of 14.7 percent in November.

State officials said that modest recalls of laid off auto workers and a slower pace of job loss in the service sector helped to stabilize Michigan's jobless rate in the second half of 2009.

The state's jobless rate reached 15.3 percent in September.

The national unemployment rate in December was 10 percent, unchanged from November.

Michigan's jobless rate has exceeded 10 percent since late last year. It has been the nation's highest for much of the past four years.
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Banks to reopen...(in Haiti on "Saturday")




PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A leading banker in Haiti says banks there will reopen on Saturday for the first time since last week's earthquake. It will help restore the flow of money from Haitians abroad, who send home $1.9 billion a year. Several money exchange houses reopened today.



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Dutch MP on trial for 'hate speech'



Geert Wilder's comments against Islam have sparked protests around the world [EPA]


Geert Wilders, a right-wing Dutch MP, has appeared in an Amsterdam court on charges of inciting hatred against Muslims.

The Freedom Party leader is standing trial after a court overruled a decision by the public prosecutor, who had argued Wilders was protected by the right to free speech.

Wilders is being charged over his 2008 film Fitna, which urged Muslims to tear out "hate-filled" passages from the Quran and juxtaposes images of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US with quotations from the text.

Writing on his website before the trial on Wednesday, the MP said he would "remain combative and still convinced that this political process will only lead to an acquittal".

His supporters have staged demonstrations outside the court, holding banners saying "Freedom Yes", arguing that his prosecution would be an assault on freedom of speech.

An anti-racism group has also responded to the trial by placing 100 comments from Wilders online to back up its allegations that the MP is guilty of inciting immigrant hate and discrimination.

'Anti-Islamic'

Fitna is an Arabic word which has numerous meanings including "sedition" and "temptation", and appears in the Quran.

Its release prompted protests in Pakistan, Iran, Indonesia and Afghanistan, while Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary-general, described the film as "offensively anti-Islamic".

Wilders has previously sparked outrage over other anti-Islamic comments in the media, including calling for a ban on the Quran and comparing the book to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.

Wilders has become one of the Netherland's leading politicians, with his party emerging last year as the country's second-largest party in the European Parliament.

Recent polls have also indicated the Freedom Party stands a chance to become the largest in the Dutch Parliament in national elections due in May 2011.

If convicted, Wilders would face a maximum sentence of 15 months.
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Nigeria riot city under control, says army chief


Page last updated at 12:15 GMT, Wednesday, 20 January 2010


At least 200 people are believed to have died in Jos


The Nigerian army says it has regained control of the city of Jos, where fighting between Muslims and Christians in recent days has left scores dead.

Lt Col Shekari Galadima told the BBC the city was "very calm" as the army was enforcing a 24-hour curfew. He insisted there would be no more riots.

But a BBC reporter in the region says the violence has now spread to Pankshin town, 100km (60 miles) from Jos.

Rights groups say at least 200 people are believed to have died since Sunday.

Jos has been blighted by religious violence over the past decade.

At least 200 people were killed in an outbreak of fighting between Muslims and Christians in 2008, while some 1,000 died in a riot in 2001.

Food fears

Col Galadima told the BBC's Network Africa programme that Jos city "has been brought under control tremendously".

"Because of the 24-hour curfew imposed by the government, movement has been restricted so you cannot have any riots or any demonstrations going on," he said.

Buildings and vehicles were set alight during the riots

"Our troops in combination with the police are fully deployed and fully on the ground to check all movements."

The Associated Press reported that soldiers with machine guns were patrolled the streets of Jos in the back of pick-up trucks.

Residents were stopping and raising their hands to show they were not a threat as the trucks passed, according to AP.

The BBC Hausa service's Shehu Saulawa says the violence appears to have spread much further than was previously thought - to the town of Pankshin.

He says reports claim public buildings in the town have been set alight, places of worship have been burnt and locals are appealing for the security forces to intervene.

Roadblocks have been set up on roads leading out of Plateau State and Christian and Muslim leaders have appealed for calm.

'Little faith'

The Red Cross, which was unable to get into Jos on Tuesday, says its workers have begun to treat the wounded.

Rights groups have expressed fears that people are running short of food because they are confined to their homes as part of the 24-hour curfew.

And about 5,000 people have fled the violence and are using army barracks and public buildings as temporary accommodation.

The Jos-based League for Human Rights said people have little faith in the security forces to restore order.

The group's Shamaki Gad told the BBC that no-one had been prosecuted for participating in previous religious and ethnic clashes.

Jos is in Nigeria's volatile Middle Belt - between the mainly Muslim north and the south where the majority is Christian or follow traditional religions.

Football row?

Correspondents say such clashes in Nigeria are often blamed on sectarianism.

However, poverty and access to resources such as land often lie at the root of the violence.

It is unclear what the trigger was for the latest bout of violence.

Plateau State spokesman Dan Manjang told Network Africa there were reports that it may have started after a football match.

But he said it would be surprising if football was the reason.

Reuters quoted residents as saying the violence started after an argument over the rebuilding of homes destroyed in the 2008 clashes.
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Magnitude-6.1 aftershock in Haiti - Update

Posted : Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:09:47 GMT
By : dpa

Port-au-Prince, Haiti - A strong aftershock struck Haiti on Wednesday, a week after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that may have killed up to 200,000 people in the Caribbean nation. The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the 6.1-magnitude tremblor struck at 1103 GMT, with its epicentre some 60 kilometres west of the capital. Its depth was recorded at 9.9 kilometres.

The aftershock was felt in the capital Port-au-Prince. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The aftershock comes as international aid efforts are in full swing in Haiti, one of the world's poorest and most troubled nations.

Some estimates have put the death toll at up to 200,000 people from the initial quake.

USGS scientists have measured dozens of aftershocks since the devastating earthquake, including two that followed within the hour, measuring 5.9 and 5.5 on the Richter scale.

The quake struck at 4:53 pm (2153 GMT) last Tuesday, some 15 kilometres south-west of the city at a depth of 10 kilometres.

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Source:http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/304800,magnitude-61-aftershock-in-haiti--update.html
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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shares soar


But a banking analyst is puzzled by the stock market's reaction after the government in effect gave the mortgage giants blank checks of federal support.

December 29, 2009By Tom Petruno

Speculators poured into shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on Monday, the first day of trading after the Obama administration in effect gave the companies blank checks of federal support.

But exactly how the government's move makes a payoff for Fannie and Freddie shareholders more likely in the long run, rather than less likely, ought to puzzle most investors.

The stock market's reaction mystifies veteran banking analyst Bert Ely at Ely & Co. in Alexandria, Va.

"They're not going to get anything back," he says of any investors who have long-term faith in the mortgage giants' shares.

Of course, "long term" for most people trading these two stocks probably means an hour or so.

Freddie's shares jumped 34 cents, or 27%, to $1.60; Fannie's stock gained 22 cents, or 21%, to $1.27. Trading volume for both was the highest since late October.

The day's action was reminiscent of the speculative frenzy that erupted late last summer, when shares of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae nearly quadrupled from the end of July to Aug. 28. During that four-week period, Freddie's stock rocketed from 62 cents to $2.40, while Fannie's shares soared from 58 cents to $2.04.

The Treasury on Christmas Eve announced that it was removing previously set limits on federal financial aid for the companies, which were seized by the U.S. in September 2008 amid mounting mortgage losses. The restrictions had capped aid at $200 billion for each firm. Freddie so far has tapped $51 billion and Fannie has used $60 billion.

The administration said it was removing the caps to "leave no uncertainty about the Treasury's commitment to support these firms as they continue to play a vital role in the housing market during this current crisis."

But whatever additional federal money flows into Fannie and Freddie would almost certainly come at the expense of shareholders' remaining stake. The government now owns 80% of both firms.

The administration is supposed to announce its long-term strategy for Fannie and Freddie in February. The companies' losses could continue to balloon if, as some analysts expect, the White House were to seek to use the companies to support new mortgage-forgiveness programs that would help struggling homeowners.

Ely points out another reason to doubt that the stocks have any real value: The pay packages the Treasury announced Thursday for the companies' chief executives consisted exclusively of cash compensation; no shares were offered.

In contrast, the Treasury has been requiring top executives of other large-scale recipients of federal aid to accept pay packages made up largely of stock and relatively little cash.

tom.petruno@latimes.com


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P.S. Bolds and Highlights added.ad
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A year of "Yes we can", "Hope", and "Change"





+

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Olympics bid for Chicago? Fail.
NJ for Corzine? Fail.
VA for Deeds? Fail
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Copenhagen for Climate Deal? Fail.
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I detect a pattern.
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2. Posted by sam January 15, 2010 4:09 PM



Source: http://wizbangblog.com/content/2010/01/15/obama-goes-to-massachusetts-to-support-coakley.php
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Enter Scott Brown:

Now on the 366th day (of tenure), it's time to go back to the back-room to huddle with the Democrat Senate and Congress to enact health care overhaul by hook or by crook.

So much for the by the people, for the people, and of the people concept.
They now call that audacity, TRANSPARENCY!

Arsenio.
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A place for Conan


NBC's Conan O'Brien is looking for a new niche.



Why not in the current administration as LGBT Czar?
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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Abp. Hepworth on Traditional Anglican Communion's Coming Full Communion

1/19/2010
Catholic Online (http://www.catholic.org/)

'I will be setting out the steps that must now be taken by the whole College of Bishops, and by each part of our Communion.'


SYDNEY (Catholic Online) - Statement of Archbishop Hepworth on Response from Holy See

"In the past three weeks, each of the Bishops and Vicars General who signed the Petition to the Holy See of October 5th 2007 seeking “corporate reunion with the Holy See” has received a formal response.

"These letters, from the Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, William Cardinal Levada, complete the process of the response of the Holy See to the Petition, and initiate the process of our formal response to the Apostolic Constitution.

"The Cardinal makes the point in his letter that This provision (the Apostolic Constitution with the Norms and Commentary) constitutes the definitive response of the Holy See not only to your original request, but also to the many others of a similar nature which have been submitted over the last years.

"In the Petition, the bishops sought …a communal and ecclesial way of being Anglican Catholics in communion with the Holy See, at once treasuring the full expression of catholic faith and treasuring our tradition within which we have come to this moment.

"In another place, they state that the Traditional Anglican Communion was formed, in part to seek as a body full and visible communion, particularly eucharistic communion, in Christ, with the Roman Catholic Church…

"The Cardinal, in his letter, acknowledges our request that some way might be found to welcome groups of clergy and faithful from the Traditional Anglican Communion into full visible unity with the Catholic Church, in a structure that could offer support and witness to the many evident graces of the Anglican tradition.

"He goes on to add that, in the period since the submission of the Petition, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has completed a long and detailed study with the aim of making available A suitable and viable model of organic unity for your and other such groups.

"In the concluding paragraph of his letter, Cardinal Levada states that I am only too aware of the delicate process of discernment that will no doubt need to be embarked upon by many of our Anglican brothers and sisters, and no less of the many difficult practical issues that will need to be faced.

He sets out the initial steps that must be taken in response.

"I have replied to Cardinal Levada, thanking him once again for the generous pastoral understanding in what he has written to us. I have reiterated my thanks for the groundbreaking and historic nature of the Apostolic Constitution.

"I note that the Holy Father last week acknowledged the work of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the production of the Apostolic Constitution. Pope Benedict told the Congregation that Unity is first and foremost the unity of faith, upheld by the sacred tradition of which Peter’s Successor is the primary custodian and defender…the faithful adherence of these groups (of Anglicans) to the truth received from Christ and presented in the Magisterium of the Church is in no way contrary to the ecumenical movement, it reveals, rather the ultimate scope that consists in reaching the full and visible communion of the disciples of the Lord.

"I stated in my initial comments on the response of the Holy See last October that our obligation was “to be still in prayer and reflection” as a possibility arises that has been unavailable to communities of Anglicans since the cleavage of the Reformation. Our bishops, at my request and that of the Holy See, have maintained their quietness until the whole process of promulgation has been completed.

"Next week, I will be publishing a commentary on the Constitution for members of the Traditional Anglican Communion. Now that a formal response has been received, I am also releasing at the same time the text of the Petition. In my statement, I will be setting out the steps that must now be taken by the whole College of Bishops, and by each part of our Communion.

"I emphasize that this “process of discernment” concerns the primary command of Jesus to His Church. It can neither be hurried nor lightly undertaken. But I also emphasize that a way of achieving unity has been created that is a direct and immediate response to our Petition, and to delay implementing the fullness of communion that we have sought would be in serious defiance of the will of Jesus for His Church.

"Now, above all, we must be sensitive to our Lord, and sensitive to each other. The process we are following is this:

"1. We are already in detailed and fruitful discussion with other Anglican groups mentioned by the Cardinal, and with bishops nominated to liaise with us by Catholic Conferences of Bishops in several parts of the world.

"2. In the next few weeks, in Japan, Central America, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Torres Strait, and a little later in India, Africa and Europe, I will have the opportunity of meeting with many of the clergy and people of our Communion. Regional gatherings of bishops, clergy and people are being organized in each part of our Communion. I look forward very much to being with you.

"3. I will be calling a full meeting of the College of Bishops for Eastertide, 2010. The bishops will make a formal response to the Holy See, which will be followed in due time by canonical steps in the member churches of the Traditional Anglican Communion.

"In the meantime, as we contemplate our response, we do well to read again and again the words of Jesus in the great prayer to His Father for the unity of His followers, and to measure our response with His words. And also we should read with careful attention the opening words of the Constitution, in which Pope Benedict spells out his response to our request:

"In recent times the Holy Spirit has moved groups of Anglicans to petition repeatedly and insistently to be received into full Catholic communion individually as well as corporately. The Apostolic See has responded favorably to such petitions. Indeed, the successor of Peter, mandated by the Lord Jesus to guarantee the unity of the episcopate and to preside over and safeguard the universal communion of all the Churches could not fail to make available the means necessary to bring this holy desire to realization."

+John Hepworth, Primate, January 16th, 2010



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Deacon Keith Fournier asks that you join with us and help in this vital mission by sending this article to your family, friends, and neighbors and adding our link (http://www.catholic.org/) to your own website, blog or social network. Let us broadcast, we are PROUD TO BE CATHOLIC!
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Southern California storm features tornado

Published: Jan. 19, 2010 at 7:19 PM


LOS ANGELES, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- A fast-moving storm came ashore Tuesday in Southern California, drenching the region with rain, increasing the mudslide threat and causing at least one tornado.

Along with the tornado, four water spouts and winds as high as 80 mph accompanied the storm, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"We have everything going today," National Weather Service spokesman Bill Hoffer said.

The storm hit hardest in Long Beach, Seal Beach, San Pedro and Huntington Beach, the newspaper said, flooding roads, damaging homes and bringing hail, ice and lightning to some spots. Piers along some beaches were closed because of heavy surf.

Officials ordered residents of 60 homes south of the area burned by the Station Fire to evacuate, AccuWeather.com reported. Hundreds of evacuations were ordered Monday.

The storm is the second of four expected to hit California this week.

Officials in the Bakersfield area blamed strong winds for the death of a 21-year-old man who was sleeping in his home, the Los Angeles Times said. Officials said the winds toppled a tree onto the structure.

Tuesday's storm is expected to be followed by two storms Wednesday into Thursday, with the second predicted to be the worst for Southern California and Arizona, AccuWeather.com reported.

AccuWeather.com forecasters said, the storms could dump 1 to 2 feet of snow along mountain slopes in California.

Rain could trigger mudslides and flooding in California and Arizona, including the San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix areas, forecasters said.

Storms moving through Southern California Monday prompted evacuations in mudslide-prone areas, knocked out power for tens of thousands of people and flooded streets and highways, the Times reported.
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Source:http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/01/19/Southern-California-storm-features-tornado/UPI-42481263917826/
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Coakley concedes


January 19, 2010
2010
Coakley concedes


The Boston Globe reports that Martha Coakley has called Scott Brown to concede, according to a Brown aide.

Two Democrats confirmed the concession to POLITICO.

Her concession marks the most dramatic political upset in a generation, one that will be plumbed for meaning and spun over the next few days.

Please let me know what you think it means in the comments section, as I figure out what I think it means.

Posted by Ben Smith 09:18 PM
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Polls Close in Competitive Massachusetts Senate Race

Updated January 19, 2010

FOXNews.com

Polls have closed in the Massachusetts special election, an unexpectedly competitive contest that could have significant implications for President Obama's agenda in Washington.



Democrat Martha Coakley, left, and Republican Scott Brown are in a tight race for Senate in Massachusetts. (AP/Reuters Photos)


Polls have closed in the Massachusetts special election, an unexpectedly competitive contest that could have significant implications for President Obama's agenda in Washington.

Republican Scott Brown's late-in-the-game surge in the state has commanded the attention of the Democratic Party establishment, which dispatched top officials over the past week to try to keep the seat formerly held by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy in Democratic hands. Democrat Martha Coakley, the state attorney general, was thought to be a shoo-in for the seat until Brown starting gaining rapidly in the polls.

Early returns were not available. But Rasmussen Reports released some data from its election night survey of 1,000 voters. The survey found Coakley had a slight edge, 47-to-41 percent, among those who decided how they would vote in the past few days. Rasmussen reported she had a "big advantage" among those who decided who to vote for more than a month ago.

Voter interest in the race for U.S. Senate seemed high throughout the day. With the state poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the balance of power in Washington, poll workers reported a steady stream of voters at the ballot box despite the snow.

Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin was predicting turnout could be as high as 50 percent.

The two candidates are far apart on the issues, but even in this heavily Democratic state Brown built an insurgent campaign that started resonating with voters at just the right time.

"This is going to be the most significant special election in modern American history if Scott Brown wins," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. He predicted a Brown win would buoy every other "long-shot" Republican candidate in the country and add fuel to the party's momentum going into the midterms this fall.

More immediately, a Brown win would pose big problems for Obama's agenda items, not the least of which is health care reform. Brown, should he win, would break the Democrats' 60-vote, filibuster-proof majority, sending Democrats into a scramble to pass the health care bill before he arrives.

Though Republicans have occasionally been a political force in state politics, Massachusetts voters have not sent a Republican to represent them in the U.S. Senate since 1972. Every member of the state delegation currently in Washington is a Democrat.

Democrats outnumber Republicans 3-to-1 in the state -- 37 percent of registered voters are Democrats, 12 percent are Republicans and 51 percent are unaffiliated. Obama won the state by 26 percentage points in the 2008 presidential election.

Brown's campaign marked an upset just by being as competitive as it was against Coakley's.

The campaigns have been inundated with help from outside the state. Obama and former President Bill Clinton both came to campaign rallies for Coakley, and Obama appeared in a television ad.

"Every vote matters, every voice matters," Obama said in the ad. "We need you on Tuesday."

Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., pitched in by having his campaign team make phone calls to get people out to the polls. According to one Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee staff member who stayed behind in Washington, it was all hands on deck in the Bay State.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee in Washington also has "emptied out the building" of staff to send nearly everyone to Massachusetts to help Brown get out the vote. The NRSC reportedly quietly shifted $500,000 to help Brown's campaign in the last two weeks.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, contacted his extensive and valuable fundraising lists on behalf of Brown last week. Independent tea party organizations are also offering phone banking support to Brown.

"I came up to help out because of the excitement, we have so many people turning up at our volunteer phone banks we have to turn them away," said one such Republican operative, "Stuff like this is why I got into politics."

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray noted that the race closed its 15-point gap in recent weeks because of the increased attention but Republicans have typically run close races in the state despite a 3-1 Democratic to Republican voter registration gap.

"You can't take any election for granted in Massachusetts, probably, or anywhere around the country these days," he said.

Indeed, the swift rise of Brown, a relatively low-profile Republican state senator, in his race against the state attorney general has spooked Democrats who had considered the seat one of their most reliable.

Kennedy, who died in August, held the post for 47 years.

Brown has tried to turn Democrats' expectation of an easy win to his advantage, proclaiming, "It's not the Kennedy seat, it's the people's seat."

A Suffolk University survey taken Saturday and Sunday showed Brown with double-digit leads in three communities the poll identified as bellwethers: Gardner, Fitchburg and Peabody. But internal statewide polls for both sides showed a dead heat.

A third candidate, Joseph L. Kennedy, a Libertarian running as an independent, said he's been bombarded with e-mails from Brown supporters urging him to drop out and endorse the Republican. Kennedy, who was polling in the single digits and is no relation to the late senator, said he's staying in.

Fox News' Trish Turner, Molly Line and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
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Deaths reported in Virginia shooting

Published: Jan. 19, 2010 at 7:43 PM

APPOMATTOX, Va., Jan. 19 (UPI) -- A suspect has been surrounded after a shooting incident in Appomattox County that left multiple fatalities, Virginia State Police said.

Media General News Service reported that while State Police had confirmed there were fatalities, they were not releasing identities or the exact number killed.

State Police Sgt. Thomas Molnar said officers had set up a perimeter around a wooded area where the suspect was "contained" but not in custody. As of 7 p.m. EST, about 100 officers had converged on the targeted area.

A State Police helicopter was forced to the ground when it began to leak fuel after being hit by gunfire four times, Molnar said. No law enforcement officers were reported hurt.

Police were first alerted to the incident about noon when dispatchers received a call about a man lying in Snapps Mill Road in need off medical help. An officer who arrived at the scene heard shots being fired and the helicopter was fired on about 1:30 p.m.

Cornerstone Christian Academy, located in the vicinity, was locked down as a precaution and students were released to their parents shortly after 3 p.m.

The (Lynchburg, Va.) News & Advance reported officers were brought in from sheriff's offices in Appomattox, Prince Edward, Campbell and Charlotte counties, as well as officers from the Farmville Police Department and the Virginia State Police, including tactical and K-9 units.

The newspaper said officers also had surrounded a small, white farmhouse on a narrow, two-lane road.

Next Story: Southern California storm features tornado
or see all U.S. News stories
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Source:http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/01/19/Deaths-reported-in-Virginia-shooting/UPI-52021263948180/
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P.S. Another Virgina shooting?
I wonder if there are any connections to Virginia Tech? Hmm?
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Cayman Islands Earthquake Shakes Region Still Further




The Cayman Islands were hit by 5.8-magnitude earthquake which struck Tuesday at 9:23 AM EST. The quake's epicenter was 40 miles form the capital, George Town at a depth of 6.2 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The Cayman Islands earthquake is just the latest in the Caribbean Region, which is still recovering from the Haiti earthquake of a week ago.

On Monday, a 6.0 earthquake hit Guatemala and parts of El Salvador. In that earthquake, however, no damage was reported. At this time there have been no reports of more than minor damage or any injuries in the Cayman Island earthquake event.

The Cayman Islands are a three-island chain in the Caribbean. George Town is on the western shore of Grand Cayman Island. The other islands are Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, and they are located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica.

A tsunami alert was briefly issued and then canceled after the Cayman Islands earthquake struck. Prior to this one, the last earthquake to hit the Caymans was on December 14, 2004.

That was a 6.8 magnitude earthquake just three months after the Cayman Islands were devastated by Hurricane Ivan. The 2004 quake itself did little damage, however.

All of these recent quakes have struck on or near the fault which lies between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates. The Cayman Islands earthquake was at the approximate depth as the Haiti quake. However, the fault which affected Haiti runs right through the island. The Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory.


Written by Michael Santo


HULIQ.com

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Magnitude 5.3 - TUCUMAN, ARGENTINA


Magnitude 5.3 - TUCUMAN, ARGENTINA
2010 January 19 17:28:16 UTC
Versión en Español
Details
Summary
Maps
Scientific & Technical

Earthquake Details
Magnitude
5.3
Date-Time
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 17:28:16 UTC
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 02:28:16 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
27.590°S, 65.780°W
Depth
28.6 km (17.8 miles) set by location program
Region
TUCUMAN, ARGENTINA
Distances
95 km (60 miles) N of Catamarca, Argentina100 km (65 miles) SSW of San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina150 km (95 miles) W of Santiago del Estero, Argentina1035 km (640 miles) NW of BUENOS AIRES, Argentina
Location Uncertainty
horizontal +/- 11.4 km (7.1 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters
NST= 43, Nph= 43, Dmin=508.1 km, Rmss=1.18 sec, Gp= 76°,M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=6
Source
USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID
us2010rrbm
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Time Magnitude Location
6 hours ago 5.3 Tucuman, Argentina Map
Yesterday 5.0 Offshore Antofagasta, Chile Map
Yesterday 5.4 San Juan, Argentina Map

earthquake.usgs.gov
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After one year, Obama's approval at 50%

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

by Joe Sudbay (DC) on 1/19/2010 08:27:00 AM

I wanted to get up at least one look at Obama's first year before it becomes completely entangled in the Brown/Coakley race fallout. I have to admit, I'm surprised at the damage done to Obama's presidency over the past year. The Republicans were unrelenting in their attacks. But, the White House brain trust didn't do the President any favors. Remember how Obama kept saying he wanted health care reform done by August? Yet, his staff, led by Rahm Emanuel and Jim Messina, kept letting Max Baucus drag out the process last summer with those useless meetings by the "Gang of Six." It's January and there's no final bill. Let's just say, a lot of us expected a lot more from President Obama.

This is from CBS:

Mr. Obama's job approval rating is now 50 percent, up from last week's all-time low of 46 percent. When he took office a year ago, 62 percent approved.

The recent four-point rise in Mr. Obama's overall job approval rating may reflect the widespread approval of his handling of the U.S. response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti last week; 80 percent approve, and just 8 percent disapprove. Majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents approve on this measure.

But when it comes to overall approval, the president has maintained his early high approval ratings only among Democrats (four in five approve). Only four in 10 independents and a quarter of Republicans now approve. A year ago, 56 percent of independents approved of the job President Obama was doing, as did 36 percent of Republicans.

At 50 percent, Mr. Obama's approval rating is similar to that of Presidents Ronald Reagan (49 percent), Jimmy Carter (51 percent) and Bill Clinton (54 percent) one year into their presidencies. All were plagued by economic troubles – and Mr.
Clinton also attempted to reform health care.


One of the worst results in this poll has to do with banks:
Forty-nine percent say the president has done too much for the banks, and 37 percent think he's done too much for U.S. auto makers. At the same time, 54 percent say he's done too little for the middle class, six in 10 think he's done too little for small businesses and a plurality says he's done too little for homeowners.


A lot of Americans see the banks as big winners in the first year of the Obama administration. All the news about bonuses reinforces that perception. Now, the GOP left the economic mess. But, Obama's economic team appeared to have abetted the banks instead of reining them in.

We can expect more of these polls and much more discussion of Obama's first year for the rest of the week. What happens today in Massachusetts will shape that discussion.
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Source:http://www.americablog.com/2010/01/after-one-year-obamas-approval-at-50.html
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Wyclef Jean Defends His Haiti Charity



Contributor



(Jan. 18) -- Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean is defending his charity following allegations of financial misconduct.
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In a YouTube video posted Friday and again in a tearful news conference held this afternoon in New York, the former Fugee admitted "mistakes" had been made but insisted that money raised for The Wyclef Jean Foundation, also known as Yele Haiti, had not been misused.
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"Have we made mistakes before? Yes," he said. "Did I ever use Yele money for personal benefits? Absolutely not.
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"Yele's books are open and transparent, and we have been a clean bill of heath by an external auditor every year since we started," he said.
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His comments come after the Smoking Gun noted that Yele's tax returns indicated Wyclef and his cousin had not filed on time and had been paid large sums of money from previous donations.
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Jean was initially praised for his role in spearheading charitable giving to Haiti after the Jan. 12 earthquake, but the past days have seen mounting criticism over his charity's handling of the $2 million-plus donations it has received in just one week.
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Although Jean solicited donations for Yele Haiti on Twitter under the guise of providing immediate relief for earthquake victims, the organization's president admitted during Monday's news conference that might not be strictly accurate.
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"Yele Haiti hasn't spent one dollar yet on earthquake relief -- though they have accepted free space on airlifts to deliver in-kind donations of supplies," Gawker noted.
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The Manhattan blog also quoted a source close to the organization as saying that Yele Haiti is "not a disaster relief organization" but rather a charity better at providing the "second-order" aid of rebuilding for the long term.
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P.S. Bolds and Highlights added.
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Monday, January 18, 2010

Buy Gold! Buy Gold!


Buy Gold!
The financial experts, the investment wizards, and the conservative radio talk show hosts are all advising anyone listening to buy gold. They claim that the only reliable investment in an uncertain economic climate is gold. The "experts" say that with sufficient gold anybody can ensure that no matter what happens your well being is certain. Today gold is selling at $1134.00 per ounce, and the economic gurus expect the price to rise even higher; That's why they instruct all that are able to, to invest in gold bullion, in gold coins. These recommendations remind me of what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church of Laodicea in the prophetic book of Revelation of the New Testament:

14And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

18I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

19As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

King James Version (KJV)

Arsenio.

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Clintons & Laurance Rockefeller Photos


Hillary Clinton with Laurance Rockefeller at the JY Ranch, Jackson Hole, WY, August 21, 1995

Hillary Clinton with Laurance Rockefeller at the JY Ranch, Jackson Hole, WY, August 21, 1995


Hillary Clinton with Laurance Rockefeller at the JY Ranch, Jackson Hole, WY, August 21, 1995

President Clinton with Laurance Rockefeller at the White House, May 23, 1995


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Source:http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=36324418
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Martin Luther King, Jr.


“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

- MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.


Martin Luther King, Jr.Civil-Rights Leader, 1929 - 1968

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 at his family home in Atlanta, Georgia. King was an eloquent Baptist minister and leader of the civil-rights movement in America from the Mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. King promoted non-violent means to achieve civil-rights reform and was awarded the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
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King's grandfather was a Baptist preacher. His father was pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church. King earned his own Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozier Theological Seminary in 1951 and earned his Doctor of Philosophy from Boston University in 1955.
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While at seminary King became acquainted with Mohandas Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolent social protest. On a trip to India in 1959 King met with followers of Gandhi. During these discussions he became more convinced than ever that nonviolent resistance was the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom.
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As a pastor of a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama, King lead a Black bus boycott. He and ninety others were arrested and indicted under the provisions of a law making it illegal to conspire to obstruct the operation of a business. King and several others were found guilty, but appealed their case. As the bus boycott dragged on, King was gaining a national reputation. The ultimate success of the Montgomery bus boycott made King a national hero.
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Dr. King's 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail inspired a growing national civil rights movement. In Birmingham, the goal was to completely end the system of segregation in every aspect of public life (stores, no separate bathrooms and drinking fountains, etc.) and in job discrimination. Also in 1963, King led a massive march on Washington DC where he delivered his now famous, I Have A Dream speech. King's tactics of active nonviolence (sit-ins, protest marches) had put civil-rights squarely on the national agenda.
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On April 4, 1968, King was shot by James Earl Ray while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was only 39 at the time of his death. Dr. King was turning his attention to a nationwide campaign to help the poor at the time of his assassination. He had never wavered in his insistence that nonviolence must remain the central tactic of the civil-rights movement, nor in his faith that everyone in America would some day attain equal justice.
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