Tuesday, December 06, 2011

U.S. to Use Foreign Aid to Promote Gay Rights Abroad

Anja Niedringhaus/Associated Press
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, after her speech on human rights issues at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday.


By HELENE COOPER and BRIAN KNOWLTON
Published: December 6, 2011


WASHINGTON — The United States will begin using American foreign aid to promote gay rights abroad, Obama administration officials said on Tuesday.

President Obama issued a memorandum directing American agencies to look for ways to combat efforts by foreign governments to criminalize homosexuality.

The new initiative holds the potential to irritate relations with some close American allies that ban homosexuality, including Saudi Arabia.

But Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton underscored Mr. Obama’s remarks, in a speech delivered in Geneva in connection with International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10.

“I am not saying that gay people can’t or don’t commit crimes,” she said. “They can and they do. Just like straight people. And when they do, they should be held accountable. But it should never be a crime to be gay.”

The directive comes after the Parliament in Uganda decided to reopen a debate on a controversial bill that seeks to outlaw homosexuality, a move that could be expanded to include the death penalty for gay men and lesbians. That bill had been shelved earlier this year amid widespread international condemnation.

“I am deeply concerned by the violence and discrimination targeting L.G.B.T. persons around the world,” Mr. Obama said in the memorandum, referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, “whether it is passing laws that criminalize L.G.B.T. status, beating citizens simply for joining peaceful L.G.B.T. pride celebrations, or killing men, women and children for their perceived sexual orientation.”

Specifically, Mr. Obama said in the memorandum that the State Department would lead other federal agencies to help ensure that the government provides a “swift and meaningful response to serious incidents that threaten the human rights” of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people abroad.

It was not immediately clear whether that would mean a cut-off of American aid to countries that target the gay community, but it suggests that American agencies will have expanded tools to press foreign countries that are found to abuse the rights of gays, lesbians and others.

Based on findings in the State Department’s latest annual human rights report, several countries, including several vital American allies, could face increased pressure over their treatment of gays and others.

The report said that in Saudi Arabia, under Sharia law as interpreted in the country, “sexual activity between two persons of the same gender is punishable by death or flogging. It is illegal for men ‘to behave like women’ or to wear women’s clothes and vice versa.”

The law in Afghanistan “criminalizes homosexual activity, but authorities only sporadically enforced the prohibition,” the report said. And in Pakistan, homosexual intercourse is a criminal offense, though rarely prosecuted.

Homosexuality is accepted in most of Europe. In India, the law permits consensual sexual activities between adults. In China, according to the report, “no laws criminalize private homosexual activity between consenting adults,” and “homosexuality was decriminalized in 1997 and removed from the official list of mental disorders in 2001.”

The annual State Department rights reports already provide one tool for influencing foreign treatment of gays and lesbians, through the “shaming” function of those reports. Mr. Obama’s memorandum called for similar, separate annual reports on treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

With the 2012 presidential campaign already under way, Mr. Obama’s action was bound to be viewed through a political lens, and it drew fire almost immediately from one Republican candidate, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. Saying he had seen news reports that the Obama administration “wants to make foreign aid decisions based on gay rights,” Mr. Perry said in a statement, “This administration’s war on traditional American values must stop.”

He added: “President Obama has again mistaken America’s tolerance for different lifestyles with an endorsement of those lifestyles. I will not make that mistake.”

Gay people tend to vote Democratic more than Republican, and have generally been supportive of Mr. Obama, with many praising his move to repeal the ban on gay people serving openly in the military. But he has faced criticism for failing to clearly support a right of same-sex couples to marry.

The presidential memorandum said that federal agencies engaged abroad had been directed to “combat the criminalization of L.G.B.T. status or conduct abroad; protect vulnerable L.G.B.T. refugees and asylum seekers; leverage foreign assistance to protect human rights and advance nondiscrimination; ensure swift and meaningful U.S. response to human rights abuses of L.G.B.T. persons abroad; engage international organizations in the fight against L.G.B.T. discrimination.”

Mr. Obama has frequently made use of presidential directives to protect the rights of gays and lesbians, particularly when political sensitivities might have made legislative action impractical.

Brian Knowlton contributed reporting.






Joe Biden assures PM of US solidarity


US Vice President Joe Biden, on a visit to Athens on Monday, emphasized Washington’s “solidarity” with Greece in the latter’s efforts to emerge from a debt crisis, stressing that a Greek recovery was “overwhelmingly in the interest” of the US.

In comments before talks with Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, Biden said the US was prepared to help Greece “in any way we can.”

“We stand by you in solidarity as you meet some very difficult requirements from the IMF and European Union,” Biden said, referring to the Washington-based International Monetary Fund, which on Monday approved its share of an 8-billion-euro aid package for Greece.

“It is overwhelmingly in the interest of the United States that Greece work its way through this financial crisis and that it remain a strong and vital part of the European Union,” Biden said.

Papademos said US support for Athens had been “significant and consistent.”

Biden, who arrived in Athens late on Sunday after visiting Iraq and Turkey, also discussed with Papademos issues of regional concern including the Cyprus problem and developments in the Balkans. Another topic broached in talks, sources said, was yesterday’s ruling by the International Court of Justice according to which Greece was wrong to veto the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia from accession talks with NATO in 2008 because of a dispute over the Balkan state’s name.

According to sources, Biden said the ruling would not change Washington’s stance, namely that Athens and Skopje resolve the name row.

Biden also met President Karolos Papoulias, socialist PASOK leader and former PM George Papandreou and conservative New Democracy chief Antonis Samaras.



ekathimerini.com , Monday December 5, 2011 (22:32)



Source

U.S. Agents Launder Mexican Profits of Drug Cartels

Josue Gonzalez/Reuters

A crime scene in Monterrey, Mexico, last week. Drug-related violence has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people since late 2006, Mexican officials say.

By GINGER THOMPSON

Published: December 3, 2011


WASHINGTON — Undercover American narcotics agents have laundered or smuggled millions of dollars in drug proceeds as part of Washington’s expanding role in Mexico’s fight against drug cartels, according to current and former federal law enforcement officials.

The agents, primarily with the Drug Enforcement Administration, have handled shipments of hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal cash across borders, those officials said, to identify how criminal organizations move their money, where they keep their assets and, most important, who their leaders are.

They said agents had deposited the drug proceeds in accounts designated by traffickers, or in shell accounts set up by agents.

The officials said that while the D.E.A. conducted such operations in other countries, it began doing so in Mexico only in the past few years. The high-risk activities raise delicate questions about the agency’s effectiveness in bringing down drug kingpins, underscore diplomatic concerns about Mexican sovereignty, and blur the line between surveillance and facilitating crime. As it launders drug money, the agency often allows cartels to continue their operations over months or even years before making seizures or arrests.

Agency officials declined to publicly discuss details of their work, citing concerns about compromising their investigations. But Michael S. Vigil, a former senior agency official who is currently working for a private contracting company called Mission Essential Personnel, said, “We tried to make sure there was always close supervision of these operations so that we were accomplishing our objectives, and agents weren’t laundering money for the sake of laundering money.”

Another former agency official, who asked not to be identified speaking publicly about delicate operations, said, “My rule was that if we are going to launder money, we better show results. Otherwise, the D.E.A. could wind up being the largest money launderer in the business, and that money results in violence and deaths.”

Those are precisely the kinds of concerns members of Congress have raised about a gun-smuggling operation known as Fast and Furious, in which agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowed people suspected of being low-level smugglers to buy and transport guns across the border in the hope that they would lead to higher-level operatives working for Mexican cartels. After the agency lost track of hundreds of weapons, some later turned up in Mexico; two were found on the United States side of the border where an American Border Patrol agent had been shot to death.

Former D.E.A. officials rejected comparisons between letting guns and money walk away. Money, they said, poses far less of a threat to public safety. And unlike guns, it can lead more directly to the top ranks of criminal organizations.

“These are not the people whose faces are known on the street,” said Robert Mazur, a former D.E.A. agent and the author of a book about his years as an undercover agent inside the Medellín cartel in Colombia. “They are super-insulated. And the only way to get to them is to follow their money.”

Another former drug agency official offered this explanation for the laundering operations: “Building up the evidence to connect the cash to drugs, and connect the first cash pickup to a cartel’s command and control, is a very time consuming process. These people aren’t running a drugstore in downtown L.A. that we can go and lock the doors and place a seizure sticker on the window. These are sophisticated, international operations that practice very tight security. And as far as the Mexican cartels go, they operate in a corrupt country, from cities that the cops can’t even go into.”

The laundering operations that the United States conducts elsewhere — about 50 so-called Attorney General Exempt Operations are under way around the world — had been forbidden in Mexico after American customs agents conducted a cross-border sting without notifying Mexican authorities in 1998, which was how most American undercover work was conducted there up to that point.

But that changed in recent years after President Felipe Calderón declared war against the country’s drug cartels and enlisted the United States to play a leading role in fighting them because of concerns that his security forces had little experience and long histories of corruption.

Today, in operations supervised by the Justice Department and orchestrated to get around sovereignty restrictions, the United States is running numerous undercover laundering investigations against Mexico’s most powerful cartels. One D.E.A. official said it was not unusual for American agents to pick up two or three loads of Mexican drug money each week. A second official said that as Mexican cartels extended their operations from Latin America to Africa, Europe and the Middle East, the reach of the operations had grown as well. When asked how much money had been laundered as a part of the operations, the official would only say, “A lot.”

“If you’re going to get into the business of laundering money,” the official added, “then you have to be able to launder money.”

Former counternarcotics officials, who also would speak only on the condition of anonymity about clandestine operations, offered a clearer glimpse of their scale and how they worked. In some cases, the officials said, Mexican agents, posing as smugglers and accompanied by American authorities, pick up traffickers’ cash in Mexico. American agents transport the cash on government flights to the United States, where it is deposited into traffickers’ accounts, and then wired to companies that provide goods and services to the cartel.

In other cases, D.E.A. agents, posing as launderers, pick up drug proceeds in the United States, deposit them in banks in this country and then wire them to the traffickers in Mexico.

The former officials said that the drug agency tried to seize as much money as it laundered — partly in the fees the operatives charged traffickers for their services and another part in carefully choreographed arrests at pickup points identified by their undercover operatives.

And the former officials said that federal law enforcement agencies had to seek Justice Department approval to launder amounts greater than $10 million in any single operation. But they said that the cap was treated more as a guideline than a rule, and that it had been waived on many occasions to attract the interest of high-value targets.

“They tell you they’re bringing you $250,000, and they bring you a million,” one former agent said of the traffickers. “What’s the agent supposed to do then, tell them no, he can’t do it? They’ll kill him.”

It is not clear whether such operations are worth the risks. So far there are few signs that following the money has disrupted the cartels’ operations, and little evidence that Mexican drug traffickers are feeling any serious financial pain. Last year, the D.E.A. seized about $1 billion in cash and drug assets, while Mexico seized an estimated $26 million in money laundering investigations, a tiny fraction of the estimated $18 billion to $39 billion in drug money that flows between the countries each year.

Mexico has tightened restrictions on large cash purchases and on bank deposits in dollars in the past five years. But a proposed overhaul of the Mexican attorney general’s office has stalled, its architects said, as have proposed laws that would crack down on money laundered through big corporations and retail chains.

“Mexico still thinks the best way to seize dirty money is to arrest a trafficker, then turn him upside down to see how much change falls out of his pockets,” said Sergio Ferragut, a professor at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico and the author of a book on money laundering, which he said was “still a sensitive subject for Mexican authorities.”

Mr. Calderón boasts that his government’s efforts — deploying the military across the country — have fractured many of the country’s powerful cartels and led to the arrests of about two dozen high-level and midlevel traffickers.

But there has been no significant dip in the volume of drugs moving across the country. Reports of human rights violations by police officers and soldiers have soared. And drug-related violence has left more than 40,000 people dead since Mr. Calderón took office in December 2006.

The death toll is greater than in any period since Mexico’s revolution a century ago, and the policy of close cooperation with Washington may not survive.

“We need to concentrate all our efforts on combating violence and crime that affects people, instead of concentrating on the drug issue,” said a former foreign minister, Jorge G. Castañeda, at a conference hosted last month by the Cato Institute in Washington. “It makes absolutely no sense for us to put up 50,000 body bags to stop drugs from entering the United States.”




A version of this article appeared in print on December 4, 2011, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: D.E.A. Launders Mexican Profits of Drug Cartels
.
.
.

Monday, December 05, 2011

Panetta’s Advice for Mideast Peace Talks: ‘Just Get to the Damn Table’


By Luis Martinez
@LMartinezABC

Dec 2, 2011 10:21pm


Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is known for his colorful language, and he had some advice tonight for restarting the stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians: “Just get to the damn table.”

Panetta was speaking at a Brookings Institution forum on the Middle East when during a question and answer session, he was asked what steps Israel should take to get talks under way again.

A frustrated Panetta replied to applause: “Just get to the damn table, just get to the table,” adding, “the problem right now is we can’t get them to the same table … to at least sit down and begin to discuss their differences.”

He said the obstacles to a potential agreement are known, but if both sides were to “sit at a table and work through those concerns, then the U.S. would assist them in a process that could eventually lead to a peace agreement.”

But “if they aren’t at the table, this will never happen,” he said. ” So, first and foremost, get to the damn table.”

The comments were reminiscent of Panetta’s colorful advice to Iraq’s leaders this past summer when he famously told them: ”Dammit, make a decision.” At the time Panetta was visiting Iraq, he was frustrated with Iraqi leaders for not deciding whether they wanted the U.S. to remain in Iraq beyond this year’s troop withdrawal deadline.

In his prepared remarks at Friday night’s forum, Panetta urged Israel to address its growing isolation with its neighbors. ”Unfortunately, over the past year we’ve seen Israel’s isolation from its traditional security partners in the region grow, and the pursuit of a comprehensive Middle East peace has effectively been put on hold,” he said.

Panetta also reaffirmed the administration’s worries about the threat that a nuclear armed Iran would pose, and that the U.S. was doing all it could to prevent that from happening. He worried that it might lead to a regional nuclear arms race or even worse, a regional conflict.

Combined with this week’s storming of the British Embassy, Iran was continuing to isolate itself from the rest of the international community, making itself a “pariah in that region.” Panetta believes that the combination of economic and diplomatic sanctions are the best way to ultimately weaken Iran. He said they were having an impact noting that Iran’s leadership was “off-balance” when it came to trying to establish civility within Iran.

Panetta sounded much like his predecessor, Robert Gates, when he said tonight that an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would only delay its nuclear-weapons efforts by a year or two.

And as Gates did, Panetta also warned about the unintended consequences of a strike on Iran that might lead it to regain regional support and potentially lead to attacks on U.S. ships and military bases .

Touching on the turmoil in Syria, Panetta expressed confidence that international pressure exerted on Syria was having an effect and that it was ”a matter of time” before Syrian President Basher al-Assad stepped down. But for that to happen Panetta said the international community needed to keep the pressure on Assad’s government.



Source

Obama Off to Hawaii for 17 Day Vacation

December 03, 2011




AP Graphics


Daily Mail

While most Americans are lucky to get a few weeks of holiday every year, it seems the country’s leader gets a little more freedom in the matter.

President Barack Obama has announced his Christmas vacation to Hawaii – for a staggering 17-day trip.

Obama, who visited the island just two weeks ago for an economic summit, will head to Honolulu on Saturday December 17 until Monday January 2.

Read more at Daily Mail


20 Things You Should Know About the Bill That Could Ruin America

Dec 5, 2011 12:30 PM
By Lauri Apple

Last week the U.S. Senate passed 93-7 a version of the National Defense Authorization Act that includes provisions giving the military the right to detain you forever and without charge if they think you're some kind of terrorist. Consider it an early holiday present! There is no exchange policy, sorry.

President Barack Obama can get rid of the Act's indefinite detention provisions by using his veto powers. He says he might do just that, so there is hope. But Hopey could also change his mind at the last minute and let the language become law. Civil libertarians from all sides of the political spectrum are very anxious about the final call he'll make.

Even though you can't do much to prevent the provisions from taking effect, here's a list of 20 details about them. Maybe the info will come in handy when you finally flee to Saudi Arabia ISO political refugee status and have to explain how your country was oppressing you:
1. The provisions were passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)—enacted for the last 48 years or so to provide funding for the military and all our wars. (The act for fiscal year 2012 awarded $662 billion for defense spending.) Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Carl Levin (D-MI) took the lead in promoting them, making passage a bipartisan effort/failure.
2. Initially the provisions passed in a closed-door committee meeting, without a single hearing. The Senate didn't want to spoil the surprise for everybody.
3. Because of the provisions, the NDAA now says the military can detain anyone deemed to be "a part of" or deemed to have "substantially supported" Al Qaeda, the Taliban, or "associated forces." You can be on the battlefield, or you can be PayPaling money to your local terrorist cell while sipping your latte at a Starbucks—doesn't matter. Even though we captured Saddam, Osama, and Anwar al-Awlaki, these powers are still necessary. Don't question.
4. The bill grants power to the military to arrest U.S. citizens on American soil and detain them in military prisons forever without offering them the right to legal counsel or even a trial. This isn't a totally new thing: "dirty bomb" plotter Jose Padilla spent three-and-a-half years as an "enemy combatant" until he was finally charged. But Padilla's detention was unusual and sparked a huge outcry; the new provisions would standardize his treatment and enable us all to become Jose Padillas.
5. Some people are trying to say that language regarding indefinite detention (Section 1031) doesn't apply to American citizens, but it does. However, the mandatory detention requirement (Section 1032) includes an exemption for American citizens, which means the military doesn't have to imprison you forever and ever "unless ordered to do so" by the president. You better remove that Nobama bumper sticker from your truck.
6. The provisions could last as long as fruitcake lasts. We covered this earlier.
7. Many important people oppose the provisions, including FBI Director Robert Mueller, the CIA, the military, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, the head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, the Director of National Intelligence, and your mom (unless she's a U.S. senator).
8. A group of 26 retired generals and admirals wrote a letter to the Senate saying the provisions "reduce the options available to our Commander-in-Chief to incapacitate terrorists," and will "do more harm than good." The Senate obviously ignored them.
9. According to Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who opposes indefinite detention of U.S. citizens, an American can be deemed a "terrorist" after just one hearing. Finally, the government promises to work efficiently on something.
10. Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) tried to kill the provision on indefinite detention with an amendment that required Congressional review of these brand-new military detention powers, but his effort failed 60 votes to 38.
11. All the Republican senators supported the provisions except for Paul and Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL).
12. Former Vice President Dick Cheney was in attendance for the vote on behalf of the waterboarding lobby. Every time he heard the words "indefinite detention," he got an erection.
13. None of this stuff will ever affect people who are innocent of terrorism-related crimes, unless the government wrongly accuses them.
14. As pointed out by Salon columnist Glenn Greenwald, the provision dispenses with Article 3, Section 3 of the Constitution, which provides that nobody can be punished for treason without heightened due process requirements being met." Goodbye, Art. 3 Sec. 3! Send our regards to the 4th, 8th, and 14th Amendments.
15. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of the provisions' most vocal supporters, put it this way to the New York Times: "Citizens who are suspected of joining Al Qaeda are opening themselves up 'to imprisonment and death ... And when they say, "I want my lawyer," you tell them: "Shut up. You don't get a lawyer. You are an enemy combatant, and we are going to talk to you about why you joined Al Qaeda."'" Shut up, fool! Lindsey Graham hates it when you talk.
16. Some of the senators who passed this shit don't really know what they are talking about when they talk about "enemy combatants" and their status under existing law.
17. President Barack Obama has stated he'll veto the provisions because they would "raise serious and unsettled legal questions and would be inconsistent with the fundamental American principle that our military does not patrol our streets." They're also confusing.
18. The provisions will militarize America even further and—in Graham's words—"basically say[s] in law for the first time that the homeland is part of the battlefield." Your backyard is a microcosm of the war on terror. Just think of that every time you host a barbecue.
19. They could disappear from the NDAA if the House and Senate conferees who meet in conference committee this week decide to get rid of them.
20. Texas Republicans have somehow worked sex with animals into all this.

Now for the good news: Greenwald at Salon says none of this indefinite detention without a lawyer stuff changes the status quo that much. It only codifies what's already been happening in the U.S. for the past few years. So you've been living under these conditions for a while now, but look—you're still not in jail. Just be more careful about what sorts of opinions on the government you post on Twitter, and don't say anything nice about Al Qaeda, and you'll be fine.

[Image of Guantanamo via AP]
.

Steve Cokely exposes Boule Society - 1 of 3



Uploaded by on Jan 23, 2010

Sigma Pi Phi is generally considered to be the first African-American Greek- lettered organization.

Sigma Pi Phi was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 1904. The fraternity quickly established chapters (referred to as "member boules") in Chicago, IL and then Baltimore, MD. [1] The founders included two doctors, a dentist and a physician [2]. When Sigma Pi Phi was founded, black professionals were not offered participation in the professional and cultural associations organized by the white community. [3] Sigma Pi Phi has over 5,000 members and 112 chapters throughout the United States and the West Indies.[1]



Morals and Dogma


The book is composed of Pike’s ruminations and essays on the Degrees of the Scottish Rite, from the 1st to the 32nd. It is intended as a guidebook for people entering the Scottish Rite, and explains Pike’s understanding of the symbolism and allegory in the degrees he wrote. However, it is a truly imposing tome. There are 861 pages of text and a 218 page index; the book itself is over two inches thick. There are thirty-two chapters, each discussing the philosophical symbolism of a degree of Freemasonry in extensive detail. In the Preface to the 1950 Edition, the editors wrote about Pike thus:

“In preparing this work, the Grand Commander has been about equally Author and Compiler; since he has extracted quite half of its contents from the works of the best writers and most philosophic or eloquent thinkers. Perhaps it would have been better and more acceptable if he had extracted more and written less.”

Table of Contents
SHORT BIOGRAPHY
TITLES OF DEGREES
1º – Apprentice
2º – Fellow-craft
3º – Master
4º – Secret Master
5º – Perfect Master
6º – Intimate Secretary
7º – Provost and Judge
8º – Intendant of the Building
9º – Elu of the Nine
10º – Elu of the Fifteen
11º – Elu of the Twelve
12º – Master Architect
13º – Royal Arch of Solomon
14º – Perfect Elu
15º – Knight of the East
16º – Prince of Jerusalem
17º – Knight of the East and West
18º – Knight Rose Croix
19º – Pontiff
20º – Master of the Symbolic Lodge
21º – Noachite or Prussian Knight
22º – Knight of the Royal Axe or Prince of Libanus
23º – Chief of the Tabernacle
24º – Prince of the Tabernacle
25º – Knight of the Brazen Serpent
26º – Prince of Mercy
27º – Knight Commander of the Temple
28º – Knight of the Sun or Prince Adept ( Part 1 )
28º – Knight of the Sun or Prince Adept ( Part 2 )
28º – Knight of the Sun or Prince Adept ( Part 3 )
28º – Knight of the Sun or Prince Adept ( Part 4 )
30º – Knight Kadosh
31º – Inspector Inquistor
32º – Master of the Royal Secret

Rate This Book
Rating: 7.8/10 (56 votes cast)
Pages: 574 | Published: 1871 | Language: English

Egypt: missionary predicts disenchantment with Islamist rule

December 05, 2011

An Italian missionary in Cairo predicts that Egyptians, in time, will become disenchanted with Islamist rule. According to provisional election results, the Muslim Brotherhood received 40% of the vote in November 28 elections, while the even more radical Salafis received 20%.

“Although it will take some years,” said Father Luciano Verdoscia, “ultimately people will prevail in the disenchantment of the formula presented by the political ideology of Islamic parties.”

“In Tahrir Square a liberal core has been created because in fact the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis have sided with the army in the fighting in past days,” he added.




What is Militia of the Immaculata?

What is Militia of the Immaculata?
The Militia of the Immaculata (MI) is a worldwide evangelization movement founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe in 1917 that encourages total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary as a means of spiritual renewal for individuals and society.

The MI movement is open to all Catholics. It employs prayer as the main weapon in the spiritual battle with evil. MIs also immerse themselves in apostolic initiatives throughout society, either individually or in groups, to deepen the knowledge of the Gospel and our Catholic Faith in themselves and in others.

Marian consecration is a formal act of self-giving that does not stop at Mary, but is Christ-directed. It is really consecration to Jesus. The MI's mission is "To Lead Every Individual With Mary to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus."

By joining the MI, members become willing instruments of Our Lady, the woman foreshadowed in Genesis 3:15. She leads them to personal sanctification, the conversion of Church opponents and ultimately the universal reign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Founding of the MI
The Knights of the Immaculata
The Making of a Knight

The Militia of the Immaculata began on October 16, 1917, around a table at the Conventual Franciscan seminary in Rome. Maximilian Kolbe gathered together six like-minded young friars before a statue of the Blessed Virgin and drafted a charter that would establish one of the most influential Marian apostolates ever. The charter still serves as a blueprint of spiritual progress for MI members today.

Since these humble beginnings, the MI has spread throughout the world and is today present on five continents and in forty-six nations. Official membership now nears four million.


"Membership in the Militia means complete dedication to the Kingdom
of God and to the salvation of souls through Mary Immaculate." Pope John Paul II

mosaic
Founding of the MI, 1917


In 1922, the Movement was canonically established as a Pious Union of the Faithful and in 1926 Pope Pius XI elevated it to the status of a Primary Union. Today, the MI falls under the direction of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Laity and has been highly endorsed by Pope John Paul II. In 1981 the Holy Father noted that "membership in the MI means complete dedication to the Kingdom of God and to the salvation of souls through Mary Immaculate."

With the approval by the Pontifical Council for the Laity on October 16, 1997, of the MI's updated International Governing Statutes, the MI was given the privilege of status as an "international public association" - a status shared by only three other Catholic organizations.

During his lifetime St. Maximilian Kolbe founded Cities of the Immaculata in Poland and Japan to serve as centers of Marian-Franciscan evangelization for the Movement. He employed the mass media, especially the printed word, to spread the ideals of the MI and to encourage others to consecrate themselves to Our Lady. Despite his death as a martyr of charity in 1941, the Movement continues to expand and several religious communities and institutes have sprung from the spiritual legacy initiated in 1917.



The National Defense Authorization Act: Is US learning from autocratic nations


December 5, 2011 | Filed under: National | Posted by: admin

The National Defense Authorization Act is a blot on nation’s face. Is US learning from autocratic nations of Middle East like Syria and Saudi Arabia?

The National Defense Authorization Act has been approved by the Senate with an overwhelming majority. But does it reflect the will of the people? An overwhelming number of people are against this barbaric act that aims to curb the freedom of its own people. The great nation of America seems to be learning a few lessons or two from its friends in the Middle East.

A law that summarily takes away the freedom of its own nationals without giving them a chance to defend themselves in courts of law, was feasible in Syria or Saudi Arabia or for that matter Muammar Qaddafi’s Libya, but not United States that prided in personal freedom and liberty.

This is antithesis of what America stood for and what our forefathers dreamt of making the US. This bill that is called The National Defense Authorization Act would take away all the civil liberties that are given to individuals in the US and would take away the US citizens’ right to fair trial if they are even remotely suspected of being terrorists. This law would allow the agencies and the armed forces to keep them under detention indefinitely without allowing them to approach the courts of law.

People are largely opposed to this draconian law being imposed upon the citizens. Edward Sott says, “This act is ridiculous. It even will have negative impact on musicians and the musical scene as well. What ever happened to the first amendment, the second amendment, hell even The Constitution itself. It’s basically forced FASCISM. Obama better veto this act before the GOVT decides to butt the US under Martial Law so they can enforce this. This is insane.”

Another reader Joe Blow says, “I always made fun of everyone who was talking about NWO but this is actually pretty scary. I’ve been trying to read up a lot on this legislation but I can’t find any benefits of this act. So what are their reasons for passing this? Anyone?”

Meanwhile Luay says, “Nothing strange here, this have been ongoing for the past 10 years or so, and now its time to legalize it in order to protect the people who perpetrate it from prosecution. We all know the extent of damage the Bush administration has befallen onto our beliefs and principles in the name of fight against terror. I knew then and I feel it now… America is no more the country that lead by reason. We are a runaway train, that is driven by morons who are paid not to think….but obey. Who ? We all know, but we dare not say …..”

Another reader says, “McCain and Levin are traitors and deserve to be hung in a public square. Make no mistake, if Abraham Lincoln were here, he would have seen to it that they were arrested, given a fair trial, and then sentenced to death by hanging. McCain and Levin are the internal terrorists. If this law passes, they should be arrested by the military for terrorism and put away indefinitely without trial, charges, or an attorney. Their own law should backfire on them.”

American Civil Liberties Union official Christopher Anders while summing up the adverse impact of the legislation says, “This bill puts military detention authority on steroids and makes it permanent…If it becomes law, American citizens and others are at real risk of being locked away by the military without charge or trial.”




Sunday, December 04, 2011

The Pope's Three Banks In America


by Sherman H. Skolnick
July 12, 1999

from SkolnicksReport Website

Franklin National Bank

Continental Bank of Chicago

Bank of America


At one time the Pope owned three major banks in America, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.

In New York, St. Peter's banker Michael Sindona, ran the Franklin National Bank as a huge gambling device and money laundry. The bank collapsed in 1974 and was taken over by a group of European banks with the Vatican losing supposedly part of their grip.

Sindona was sent to an American prison for fraudulent banking. Later, he was extradited to Italy on more charges. He began talking too much. The Pope silenced him in an Italian jail - murdered with a poisoned cup of coffee. [See: "St. Peter's Banker", by Luigi DiFonzo.]

By the way, the same method they used to murder Chicago's first black Mayor, Harold Washington, 1987 and replaced him as Mayor with the Vatican's "man of trust", Richie Daley, son of late Richard J. Daley who had been mayor for some 21 years. Harold when re-elected in 1987 said he was going to take over Commonwealth Edison, the local electric monopoly owned principally by the Vatican, and run it as municipal electricity at a very cheap price to Chicago residents.

That was one of several motives to poison Harold Washington. We were the only ones publicizing it through our Cable TV Show later on.

Sindona and his confederate successors also ran, for the Pope, the Continental Bank of Chicago [by about 1996 merged with the Pope's Bank of America]. All the Catholic Churches of the Western Hemisphere run their money through THAT bank.

After all, the Archbishop of Chicago is also the Treasurer, for the Church, for ALL OF,

  • NORTH AMERICA

  • CENTRAL AMERICA

  • SOUTH AMERICA

In the early 1980s, Continental Bank, through their holding company owed some 20 Billion Dollars to the Japanese including their mafia, the Yakuza who had put in flight capital [hot money]. Continental could not repay, so the Japanese in May, 1984, started a run on the bank and its holding company, Continental Illinois.

Result?

A consortium of banks, headed by J.P. Morgan and Company, took over - with the Pope losing part but not all of his control. [I was the first to publicly estimate the amount of the bank run, which turned out to be quite accurate.]

The Morgan banks are the front for British Royalty and the Queen, who for over 100 prior years always had a director sitting to supervise Continental. Through Continental Bank, however, the Vatican continued to oversee Panama's General Noriega, and his joint secret business deals with George Herbert Walker Bush. So, when the U.S. invaded Panama,1989, Noriega naturally sought refuge in the Vatican papal office and branch of the Vatican Bank in Panama.

The U.S. Military used psychological warfare, including super hard-rock music, to drive Noriega out.


[In his book entitled "In God's Name", David Yallop tells how Italian newspaper editors criticized the Pope for doing nothing about Continental Bank and their links to the mafia. Yallop documents how the previous Pontiff, Pope John Paul 1st,opposing the mafia, was murdered after 33 days in office.]


The Justice Department's record-grabbers have descended on Continental Bank, seeking to destroy incriminating records that would put President Bush in the same jail cell with his CIA business partner, General Noriega.

By the way, Panama, under General Noriega, was the ONLY country in the Western Hemisphere run by a dark-skinned person. Noriega was popular with the bulk of those in Panama, who are people of color. It was only the small, white aristocracy there that wanted him removed. They used the branches of worldwide banks there to skim-off loot from dope and gun running. Noriega was really just a small-time, semi-independent tyrant.

Helping supervise Continental Bank has been the Vatican's "man of trust" [trusted to keep their business secrets], Chicago Federal Appeals Judge Walter J. Cummings, Jr. [he died about 1999].

For many years Cummings was chief judge of that Court made up primarily of banker-judges. Judge Cummings steered cases on to his fellow banker-judges who do NOT disqualify themselves in cases involving their financial interests.

Guess who wins in their crooked court? [Cummings was replaced as Chief Judge by Richard A. Posner. See our story, "Chief Crook Enters Microsoft Mess".]

For many years the major owners of Bank of America and their holding company, Bank America, were the Jesuits and the Vatican, and their long-time cronies, the Rothschilds. Like Continental Bank up to 1984, they owed tens of Billions of Dollars to the Japanese mafia, the Yakuza who own most of the other sizeable banks in California.

In the late 1980s, Bank of America was faced with a run, so they have quietly given over most of the control to the Japanese Yakuza.

Although the Pope has lost much of the control of the three banks in America, the Pontiff continues as the major owner in nuclear power utility firms in the U.S., including Commonwealth Edison and Florida Power [through a Dutch front for the Vatican, called Robeco.]

Under the Atomic Energy Act, it is illegal for a FOREIGN entity, such as the Vatican, to own nuclear facilities in America.

The law is not enforced. See: my story "The Electric Scandal".



Fuente


CHOOSING AND USING YOUR WOOD STOVE

copyright 1992, CONEG Policy Research Center - Reprinted with permission.

Table of Contents

Wood is Good Again.
Which Wood Stove is right for me?
“Cat” and “non-cat” - two different breeds.
What to look for in a stove with a catalytic combustor.
What to look for in a noncatalytic stove.
Shop around for the best stove.
Installing your Wood Stove.
Clearances are extremly important.
Ten Steps to maximum woodburning efficiency.
Call the Chimney Sweep!
The last word on wood

Wood is Good Again.

image
  Intrepid Stove


A growing awareness of the environmental impact of fossil fuels (such as natural gas, oil and coal) along with the desire to be more energy independent have encouraged a renewed interest in heating with wood. Not too long ago, even the best wood stoves weren’t terribly efficient. In fact, the haze they produced was a sign that homeowners’ hard earned heating money was literally going up in smoke. A lot has changed since 1990. That was when the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandated strict particle emissions standards for stove manufacturers. Today, all new wood stoves are EPA-certified. And that means they are much more efficient, and friendlier to the environment as well. But doesn’t burning wood produce pollutants just like coal or oil? Well, the answer is yes…and no. When fossil fuels are taken out of the earth and burned, they produce an overload of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. And since these fuels are produced far from where they will ultimately be consumed, mishaps such as oil spills cause other problems. Once burned, fossil fuels are gone forever. Wood is different. As all plants grow, they absorb carbon dioxide from the air and convert it to fiber. The carbon dioxide is released after they die, whether they are burned, or simply left to rot in the forest. This process is part of nature’s cycle. Heating with wood can be both satisfying and economical. But it requires special care right from the beginning.

Which Wood Stove is right for me?

When choosing a wood stove, there’s a lot to consider. Start by locating the sticker pictured on this page. It will tell you that the stove is EPA- certified (a permanent notice is also on the back of the stove). It will also tell you the Btu rating. This is a measure of heat output which will help you find a stove

This information that supplies an adequate amount of heat where you want it and no more. One common error people sometimes make is to purchase too powerful a stove for their home. An oversized stove is a potential fire hazard, because it’s often operated in an extremely “slow fired” condition, which leads to creosote buildup. And that increases the risk of chimney fires. So before you go stove shopping, ask yourself two questions. How much heat should it supply enough for one room, or the whole house? Where do you want to install it? Common types of woodburning appliances are free- standing wood stoves, fireplaces, and fireplace inserts. And besides the living room or family room, these days they’re likely to be chugging away in bedrooms, kitchens, and even bathrooms.


Obadiahs - talk to the wood stove experts about your situation and we’ll work with you to build a package to fit your needs. Visit our web site at www.discountstoves.net

“Cat” and “non-cat” - two different breeds.

This refers to the two methods employed in new stoves to keep them running clean and efficiently. “Cats” use catalytic combustors, and “noncats” recirculate the smoke and reburn it. Normally, smoke isn’t completely consumed in the burning process, because some wood gases require temperatures as high as 1,200F to burn wood efficiently. A catalytic combustor lowers this required temperature to 600F, achieving a long, slow, controlled combustion that burns off the smoke that otherwise would leave the chimney as dirty, wasted fuel. The catalytic combustor needs minimal cleaning. If ash collects on the face of the com- bustor it can be cleaned with a soft brush. The internal “honeycomb” portion should never be cleaned with anything. It needs to be replaced after two to three years of normal use. Sluggish stove operation, creosote build-up and excessive smoke coming out of the chimney signal the need for a new combustor. Noncatalytic (recirculating) stoves use a heavily insulated firebox. This insulation keeps the heat in, creating a hot environment that encourages more complete combustion, with a secondary combustion chamber to burn off more gases and soot particles. “Noncats” don’t need as much attention as “cats,” primarily because they don’t have a combustor to maintain. Due to the new regulations, both types should provide comparable long-term performance.

What to look for in a stove with a catalytic combustor.

Materials and construction can affect how clean and efficiently your new stove will operate over the years ahead. Look for a stove whose body is made from cast iron or plate steel. The main body should be at least 1/4-inch thick. Because cast iron stoves have corners sealed with gaskets and cement, they may require a bit more maintenance. If the stove is catalytic, locate the bypass plate. It should be at least 5/16-inch thick. Test it by closing the plate on a dollar bill, which should grip it tightly. One of the most important things to look for is some sort of “flame impingement” mechanism designed to protect the combustor from direct flame, and thus from degrading prematurely. Some stoves have a flame shield in front of the catalytic combustor. Others use a series of chambers, or place the combustor to the rear of the stove.

What to look for in a noncatalytic stove.

Look for a stove whose body is at least 1/4-inch plate steel or cast iron, the two most commonly used materials. Inside, the most critical area is the baffle, in the roof of the main fire chamber. To resist warping, the baffle should be at least 5/16-inch plate steel, with v-shaped support beams. Note: the use of dry wood is much more important in a noncatalytic stove studies show that emissions can be three times as high when wet wood is used! Because the new “non-cats” are designed to pollute less at a lower burn rate, their fireboxes can be smaller than those in “cats.” This means they may require more frequent loading.

Shop around for the best stove.

Your stove will be part of your life for a long time, so it’s smart to get the best stove you can afford. Ask dealers about the points mentioned above, in relation to both their own products and the competition. Most important: talk to one or more chimney sweeps about the brands you’re interested in, and get recommendations from them. There’s no substitute for a third- party opinion based on practical experience.

image
  HearthStone Stove

Installing your Wood Stove.

Once you’ve chosen your new stove, your best bet is to have it installed professionally, for safety reasons. The record is not good on self- installations. Above all, don’t install your stove in confined spaces. Proper clearances, and professional installation, are vital elements in the safe, efficient operation of your stove. The installation guide included with your new wood stove will contain precise information about safety measures for that particular model. To insure a safe installation, call your local fire department and ask for an inspection.

Clearances are extremeley important.

When heat radiates into nearby combustible materials (the woodbox, magazine racks, furniture, draperies, wood paneling, flooring- even the studs behind plaster or sheetrock), it causes invisible changes in their composition, lowering the temperature at which they can burst into flames. Proper clearances can eliminate this danger The installation guide included with your new wood stove will contain precise information about the proper clearances for your appliance as well as instructions on how to connect the wood stove into an existing fireplace, and much more. To be sure, call your local fire department and ask for an inspection.

Ten Steps to maximum wood burning efficiency.

Wood smoke is caused by the incomplete combustion of wood. This can pollute the air indoors and outdoors as well as contribute to higher heating costs. Fortunately, the cure for cutting down on pollution and waste also cuts the costs by burning wood with safety and efficiency.

1. Burn seasoned wood. Up to 50% of the weight of green wood can be moisture, which has to be burned off before heat can be released into your house. Seasoned wood burns hotter and more efficiently, helps decrease the amount of creosote buildup in your stovepipe, and . you money.

2. Make your fires small and hot. This burns volatile gases more quickly, producing fewer safety hazards and air quality problems than a fire that is over-damped. Smaller, hotter fires mean more frequent loading and tending the stove…but the improved efficiency and air quality are worth the effort.

3. Install a stack thermometer on the stove flue. This will help you monitor the temperature of the gases as they leave the stove. Optimum range for most efficiency and least pollution: about 300 to 400 F.

4. Remove excess ashes. Too much can clog your stove’s air-intake vents and cut down on the amount of oxygen needed for woodburning.

5. Tighten up your house. Insulation, weather stripping, storm windows and caulking~ can all reduce the amount of wood required to heat your home, which in turn helps decrease the amount of air pollution.

6. Check your “smokestack.” Burn your stove at different rates, then go outside and check the emissions. The absence of smoke indicates that your stove is burning cleanly and effectively.

7. Inspect your stove. Once or twice a year, depending on how often it’s used, your entire stove and chimney should be inspected. Look for warping, check the baffle to make sure there are no gaps, check for creosote. Your dealer can make regular inspections, and so can a chimney sweep.

8. Choose the proper size stove. A properly sized wood stove will do its job efficiently even on the coldest days. One that’s too big needs to be damped down, which increases creosote production. The insulation in your home is a factor as well. To be sure you select the right-size stove, take along to your dealer the number of square feet to be heated, and the amount of insulation surrounding the area to be heated.

9. Buy the most efficient design you can afford. It’ll pay for itself in the long run. Research has made great strides in designing fireboxes, drafts, catalytic combustors and other devices that improve combustion and reduce smoke. Maybe it’s time to retire that old “smoker” and modernize.

10. Burn only the fuel your stove was, designed for. Don’t burn coal in a wood stove, for example, unless your stove was designed to handle both wood and coal. Trash shouldn’t be burned in your stove eitherbesides increasing the chance of starting a chimney fire, some plastics and other trash emit harmful gases, and can ruin your catalytic combustor. Driftwood, treated wood, artificial logs, or anything containing plastics, lead, zinc or sulfur will damage your catalytic combustor.

Call the Chimney Sweep!

There are two main reasons for keeping your chimney and stovepipe clean: to reduce the possibility of fire and to maintain the efficiency of your wood stove. You can do your part by operating your stove correctly, and by brushing or vacuuming the catalytic combustor gently. But for serious cleaning and preventive maintenance, you should develop a relationship with a good chimney sweep. This professional will make sure your chimney is in good repair, check the stove for leaks or cracks in the housing, and look over the catalytic combustor for signs of damage or deterioration.

The last word on wood

Different types of wood have different heating values. You should expect to pay more for a cord of mixed wood containing a lot of seasoned hickory, for example, than an equivalent measure with mostly aspen or hemlock. Generally speaking, you’ll get much more heat from hardwood than from softer, lighter wood. Most firewood you purchase will be green and have a fair amount of water in it. It takes at least six months of air drying for wood to be considered seasoned and ready for burning. When selecting wood, also take into consideration ease of splitting, ease of ignition and burning, how much smoke it produces and its “coaling” qualities. “Coaling” refers to the ability of a species of wood to form a long- lasting bed of hot coals when burned. Coaling qualities improve with higher density.




Source

Sunday Law Warning



Uploaded by on Sep 25, 2010

The National Sunday law will begin in the United States Of America, it will then be enforced in the rest of the world. This is the Mark 666. The Mark of the Beast. Be warned.





Saturday, December 03, 2011

Herman Cain drops White House bid

December 3, 2011 1:49 PM

By Corbett B. Daly




UPDATED 3:27 p.m. ET

Embattled White House hopeful Herman Cain effectively ended his presidential bid Saturday after support dried up in the wake of accusations from a string of women that he had engaged in sexual impropriety.

Cain said he was technically "suspending" the campaign and vowed to press on with his unique blend of conservatism through a new website, thecainsolution.com.

"I am not going to be silenced and I am not going away," he said with his wife Gloria at his side, vowing to continue to be "a voice for the people."

"As of today, with a lot of prayer and soul searching, I am suspending my presidential campaign," Cain said at a rally that was originally planned to be the grand opening of his national campaign headquarters in Atlanta.

"I am suspending my presidential campaign because of the continued distraction, the continued hurt caused on me and my family. Not because we are not fighters," he said.
The announcement to begin what he called "Plan B" comes less than a week after a woman he characterized as a friend said she and the Georgia businessman had been carrying on a sexual affair for more than a decade. Ginger White said it was not a love affair, but Cain showered her with gifts and offered financial assistance for her monthly living expenses. Cain called the relationship a friendship as he acknowledged that his wife of more than four decades had no knowledge of White prior to Monday.

Cain thanked his supporters for their support as he blamed the media for forcing his hand.

"I am disappointed that it came to this point, that we had to make this decision," Cain said.

"These false and untrue allegations continue to be spinned in the media, and in the court of public opinion so as to create a cloud of doubt over me and this campaign and my family. That spin hurts. It hurts my wife. It hurts my family. It hurts me. And it hurts the American people, because you are being denied solutions to our problems," Cain said.

Full CBS News coverage of Herman Cain's campaign

Cain was already under pressure after revelations several other women had accused him of sexual harassment and inappropriate sexual advances in the 1990s while he was the head of the National Restaurant Association.

Cain has acknowledged that financial contributions fell sharply after news of the long-term affair broke and several high-profile supporters, including two key New Hampshire backers, have defected to back former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Just eight percent of likely Republican voters at the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses support Cain, according to a poll released Friday by the Des Moines Register. That is about a third of the 23 percent support Cain had just over a month ago.

The former CEO of Godfather's Pizza began his campaign in relative obscurity in May. He shot to the top of the polls in September on the strength of his personal charisma and the unexpected popularity among conservatives for his signature 9-9-9 tax plan to eliminate the current tax code in favor of a nine percent income tax, a nine percent corporate tax and nine percent sales tax.

Cain said he was "at peace" with his decision.

"So one of declarations I want to make to you today is that I am at peace with my God. I am at peace with my wife, and she is at peace with me. And I am at peace with my family and at peace with myself," Cain said.

Despite being forced out of the race amid accusations of unseemly and inappropriate sexual behavior, his White House bid and surprising rise in the polls have likely boosted his earning power.

Cain called at least some of Republican rivals ahead of his rally. His former rivals were flattering in their public statements about Cain as the race for his endorsement begins.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said before the formal announcement that he wishes Cain well.

Gingrich, who many observers expect to benefit most from Cain's exit, praised the unconventional candidate for raising bold ideas and promoting them effectively.

"Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan got our country talking about the critical issue of how to reform our tax code and he elevated the dialogue of the Republican presidential primary in the process," Gingrich said in a written statement after Cain made his decision official.

"I am proud to know Herman Cain and consider him a friend. I know from having worked with him for more than a decade he will continue to be a powerful voice in the conservative movement for years to come," the former Georgia lawmaker said.