Wednesday, July 04, 2012

America The Beautiful



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America The Beautiful Lyrics:

America the Beautiful
Words by Katharine Lee Bates,
Melody by Samuel Ward


O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for halcyon skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!

O beautiful for pilgrims feet,
Whose stem impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through
wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!

O beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife
When once and twice,
for man's avail
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!

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"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The words are written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward. Bates originally wrote the words as a poem, Pikes Peak, first published in the July 4th edition of the church periodical The Congregationalist in 1895. The poem was titled America for publication. Ward had originally written the music, Materna, for the 1600s hymn O Mother dear, Jerusalem in 1882. Ward's music combined with the Bates poem was first published in 1910 and titled America the Beautiful. The song is one of the most beloved and popular of the many American patriotic songs. From time to time it has been proposed as a replacement for The Star-Spangled Banner as the National Anthem..

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What Really Happened With Fast And Furious



Monday, July 2, 2012 at 10:00 AM

What really happened with guns and agents on the Arizona border? A big investigative report looks again at “Fast and Furious.”


Attorney General Eric Holder listens to Rep. Darryl Issa, R-Calif., on video screen, while testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011, before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on Operation Fast and Furious. The House voted to find Holder in contempt on June 28, 2012. (AP)
Attorney General Eric Holder listens to Rep. Darryl Issa, R-Calif., on video screen, while testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011, before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on Operation Fast and Furious. The House voted to find Holder in contempt on June 28, 2012. (AP)


Attorney General Eric Holder was voted in contempt of Congress by the House last week. First time in history Congress has done that. The story behind the vote goes back to Operation Fast and Furious. Holder’s critics describe it as an outrage of botched “gun walking” to Mexico.

A big new investigative report in Fortune magazine says the case for outrage is based on distortions, partial truths and outright lies. We’ll hear from the reporter. And from a top Republican investigator who says the fury is well-aimed.

This hour, On Point: looking again at Fast and Furious.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests

Katherine Eban, an investigative reporter who wrote a big story on the Fast and Furious scandal for Fortune.

Jason Foster, chief investigative counsel for Republican Senator Chuck Grassley on his Senate Judiciary Committee staff. [NOTE: Here are some additional comments from Foster about Fast and Furious, made after the program aired today.]

From Tom’s Reading List

Fortune “A Fortune investigation reveals that the ATF never intentionally allowed guns to fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. How the world came to believe just the opposite is a tale of rivalry, murder, and political bloodlust.”

Washington Post “But in the eyes of the man who started and oversaw Fast and ­Furious, the operation remains an example of smart law enforcement — an approach that has simply been misunderstood.”

Weekly Standard “Last Thursday, Attorney General Eric Holder was called to testify before Congress. His attitude toward  his questioners was by any measure unbecoming of his office. At one point he actually demanded he be “given some credit” for his performance as attorney general. Though, bad as that outburst was, it was slightly less petulant than the earlier insinuation that his critics are racist.”





Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

File:Coat of arms of the Holy See.svg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Holy Office as part of the Roman Curia. For Holy Office as prayer, please see Liturgy of the Hours.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) (Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei), previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition (wherefrom arose the names Roman Inquisition or Holy Inquisition popularly used in reference to the 16th century tribunals against witchcraft and heresy), and after 1904 called the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, is the oldest of the nine congregations of the Roman Curia. Among the most active of the congregations, it oversees Catholic Church doctrine. Its offices are housed at the Palace of the Holy Office at the Vatican.




Pope taps German theologian to head orthodoxy post

July 02, 2012|Nicole Winfield, Associated Press

The pope named Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Mueller to head the Vatican’s all-important orthodoxy office Monday, tapping a German theologian like himself to head the congregation he presided over for nearly a quarter-century enforcing Catholic doctrine.

The 64-year-old Regensburg bishop replaces American Cardinal William Levada, who turned 76 last month and is retiring after seven years at the helm of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the former Holy Office.

While Mueller is considered a staunchly orthodox, conservative theologian — he has penned some 400 academic articles and founded an institute to publish all the pope’s writings — some of his positions have raised eyebrows in Rome and abroad.

Chief among them is his friendship with the Rev. Gustavo Gutierrez, the Peruvian priest considered the founder of liberation theology, the Marxist-influenced theology advocating for the poor.

Pope Benedict XVI, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, spent much of his tenure at the congregation battling liberation theology, arguing that it misinterpreted Jesus’ preference for the poor into a call for rebellion.

Mueller was a student of Gutierrez, wrote a book with him on liberation theology in 2004 and in 2008 was given an honorary degree at the Pontifical University of Lima, where he delivered a speech “My experiences with Liberation Theology.’’

He has also served on several ecumenical committees, including being named the chief Catholic negotiator in theological talks with Lutherans.

None of this has endeared him to traditionalist, archconservative Catholics, who have for the most part championed Benedict’s conservative line and raised questions about Mueller’s appointment, which has been rumored for months.

In addition to handling clerical sex abuse cases, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is responsible for negotiating with a group of traditionalist Catholics, the Society of St. Pius X, which split from Rome over the liberalizing reforms of the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council.

Among other things, Vatican II called for outreach with other Christians, something the society rejects.

Benedict has made numerous concessions to try to reconcile with the society, and just last month offered its members a special legal status within the church if they were to come into full communion with Rome. But the superior, Bishop Bernard Fellay, has said more talks are necessary and that things were at a “dead end.’’

In a bid to nudge the negotiations forward — and perhaps blunt any negative reaction to a Mueller appointment — Benedict last week tapped a trusted colleague to be the congregation’s No. 2 negotiator with the society.




Tuesday, July 03, 2012

The EU’s ‘very odd’ atheist and freemason summits


Bertrand Russell. (Not in attendance at the summits)

In 2010, under pressure to balance the EU’s treaty-required regular consultations with religious leaders with those without faith, Brussels launched an annual summit between the three Roman Catholic presidents of the EU and representatives of atheist organisations. Oh, and freemasons too.

I first broke the story in ahead of the first summit and have followed the issue since in a series of three articles so far.

Full text of the three articles follows these links to the original texts:

EU to hold atheist and freemason summit

EU atheist-freemason summit ‘very odd’, says Europe’s chief unbeliever

Atheists say EU privileging religious leaders over non-believers



Source


Related

EU Religious leaders summit meeting


Comece Agenda
EU Religious leaders summit meeting
12 July in Berlaymont (Brussels)

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Young people from Cologne have compiled a website on activites for a Sunday

unknownWe, the people, our personalities and our relationships, shall be at the centre of society. However, relationships cannot be sustained without caring for them. The Sunday is dedicated to this, it is the day of promise and recovery for our week”. This statement is part of a declaration in favour of a work-free Sunday, which the young people of Kolpingverband Cologne have recently drawn up to demonstrate their commitment to the European Sunday Alliance. Yet, their declaration is just one part of a creative compilation of song texts, team games, and recommendations for spare-time activities for a Sunday.


Labelled as “Kolping Youth is making Sunday” (“Kolpingjugend macht Sonntag”), the participating adolescents compiled awebsite to share their ideas for a perfect day at the end of the week. Subdivided into the following three categories “Sunday through faith and church”, “Sunday for you and me”, and “Sunday for the society and politics” interested youth groups can find useful background information, such as several citations of German laws on Sunday protection, but also creative drawings from a painting contest as well as concepts for youth Masses and group meetings on a Sunday. The aim of the young people is to highlight the importance of Sunday as the weekly day of rest for society while at the same time providing youth groups with creative and inspiring input for their meetings.


As Kolping Europe is part of the European Sunday Alliance, Kolping Youth is not willing to give over the Sunday to more shopping hours. In their opinion, it would scarcely increase the volume of sales, but rather lead to a shift in takings at the expense of the employees and of small and medium-scale commercial enterprises.


Joining together to promote a work-free Sunday and decent working hours, the European Sunday Alliance is a committed network of national Sunday Alliances, trade unions, civil society organisations and religious communities. As set out in the Founding Statement, the Europe-wide initiative aims at raising awareness of the unique value of synchronised free time for European societies.




Source

Monday, July 02, 2012

A Collision Course With Sudden Destruction!

Last Trumpet Newsletter

Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Fax: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org

A Collision Course With Sudden Destruction!

"For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."

I Thessalonians 5:3


"And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows."

Mark 13:7-8


"They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, we will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, we will not hearken."

Jeremiah 6:14-17


In this issue of the Last Trumpet, we will focus on the dangerous collision course of our present world and the actions of mankind which will soon face judgment. Since the earliest days of human existence, men have fought wars with other men out of spite, anger, envy, jealousy, and fear. There have been many calls for "world peace" throughout the ages. Yet we live in a time when the whole world is at risk of descending into a state of chaos and all-out war. The "wars and rumours of wars" which Jesus warned us about in Mark 13:7 are now coming to pass, and each new day seems to bring reports of conflict and strife around the world. We are living in a time when prophecy is rapidly being fulfilled, and I firmly believe that it will not be much longer before our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, returns.

In recent months we have heard much discussion about the potential for a war between Iran and Israel. The contempt between each nation became even more evident in May 2012 when Iranian Major General Hassan Firouzabadi issued a statement saying, "The Iranian nation is standing for its cause and that is the full annihilation of Israel." (1) In a similar statement during a recent speech, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, proclaimed, "In light of the realization of the divine promise by almighty God, the Zionists and the Great Satan [America] will soon be defeated." (2)

While speculation abounds over whether or not a war with Iran will break out, most people fail to realize that the United States and Israel are already waging a covert war with Iran. According to a recent report, former American President George W. Bush, with the assistance of Israel, launched secret computer attacks against Iran, and Barack Obama has only accelerated the program since he took office. The action, which was code-named "Olympic Games," involved the use of a computer worm known as Stuxnet to disable nuclear facilities in Iran. (3) Although waging cyber warfare through computer systems may seem like a safer way to carry out attacks against other nations, there is growing concern that the United States could face a catastrophic scenario if Iran or other nations decided to retaliate by launching a counter cyber-attack. United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta expressed grave concern over the vulnerability of the American infrastructure at a hearing held by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense in June 2012. "There are a lot of capabilities that are being developed in this area. I'm very concerned that the potential in cyber to be able to cripple our power grid, to be able to cripple our government systems, to be able to cripple our financial system would virtually paralyze this country. And, as far as I'm concerned, that represents the potential for another Pearl Harbor as far as the kind of attack that we could be the target of using cyber," stated Panetta in his testimony. (4) Regarding the possibility that the world may soon experience widespread cyber-attacks, computer security expert Eugene Kaspersky made an alarming statement during a conference at Tel Aviv University. "It's not cyber war, it's cyber terrorism, and I'm afraid the game is just beginning. Very soon, many countries around the world will know it beyond a shadow of a doubt. I'm afraid it will be the end of the world as we know it. I'm scared; believe me," Kaspersky said. (5)

Meanwhile, violence in Syria has continued to escalate despite the presence of observers from the United Nations who were sent to the Middle Eastern nation in an attempt to quell the uprising and broker a peace deal. An estimated 13,000 lives have been lost since the unrest began in January 2011. (6) To date, all attempts by the United Nations to restrain Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have been stymied by Russia and China who are allies with the Syrian regime. A summit held in June 2012 between leaders of the Western world and Russian President Vladimir Putin has failed to convince Russia to withdraw its support for Syria. "We believe that nobody has the right to decide for other nations who should be brought to power, who should be removed from power," Putin told reporters following the summit. (7) Regarding the talks, Barack Obama made the following statement, "I wouldn't suggest that at this point the United States and the rest of the international community are aligned with Russia and China in their positions, but I do think they recognize the grave dangers of an all-out civil war." (8) According to the Foreign Minister of France, Laurent Fabius, the nation of Syria is already in the throes of a civil war. "If you can't call it a civil war, then there are no words to describe it," Fabius declared. (9)

Reports have surfaced stating that Russia has continued to provide the Assad regime with weapons to carry out attacks against the Syrian rebels. "On a daily basis, on an hourly basis, we are seeing Russian and Soviet-made weaponry used against civilians in towns all across Syria," stated Victoria Nuland, a spokesperson for the State Department of the United States. (10) It has also been reported that Russia has now deployed two warships with a contingent of Marines to Syria in an effort to protect its assets on a military base in Tartus. (11)

This world is becoming increasingly volatile, and a state of conflict could soon engulf many nations around the globe. When we consider the alliances between Iran, Syria, Russia, and China, it becomes easy to see how any attacks against those nations could eventually lead to World War III. This widespread strife exists today despite the formation of such organizations as the United Nations, which was supposedly created to bring about world peace. Here let it be noted that there have been over two hundred and forty wars since the formation of the United Nations in 1945. (12) Furthermore, a cursory examination of the United Nations' website will reveal that they have an entire section under the heading "Peace and Security." (13) That phrase is eerily reminiscent of the words "peace and safety," which were used by the Apostle Paul in I Thessalonians 5:3 when he wrote, "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them…" The truth is that this world will never attain lasting peace as long as the majority of the people continue to reject the Prince of Peace. The good news is that you as an individual can reach out to God, and in doing so, attain lasting peace within your heart. If you have not yet fully given your life to God, I encourage you to do so now. With the presence of our Saviour in your life, you can truly embrace his words "be ye not troubled" even though this world faces new threats, wars, and rumours of wars each and every day.

Scientists Predict The End Of The World!

This year has already been a busy one for alarmist scientists who fear the effects of climate change, global warming, and overpopulation. Yet another report has surfaced on the topic, and this time the scientists involved are claiming it could lead to the end of the world. The study was written by a group of twenty-two biologists and ecologists and published in the June 7, 2012, issue of the journal known as Nature. (14) Professor James Brown of the University of New Mexico, and one of the co-authors of the report was quoted as saying, "We have created a bubble of human population and economy… that is totally unsustainable and is either going to have to deflate gradually or is going to burst. If it's going to burst, the consequences are really going to be grim for people as well as biodiversity and the rest of the planet." (15) The report's lead author, Professor Anthony Barnosky of the biology department at the University of California-Berkeley, stated, "The net effect of what we're causing could actually be the equivalent to an asteroid striking the Earth in a worst-case scenario." (16) Another co-author of the report claims that it may already be too late. "We may have already passed the tipping point or we may not get an early warning," said Alan Hastings, an ecologist at the University of California-Davis. (17) Finally, Arne Mooers, a biodiversity professor at Simon Fraser University, offered this brief summary of the study's conclusions, "Society globally has to collectively decide that we need to drastically lower our population very quickly. More of us need to move to optimal areas at higher density and let parts of the planet recover. Folks like us have to be forced to be materially poorer, at least in the short-term. We also need to invest a lot more in creating technologies to produce and distribute food without eating up more land and wild species. It's a very tall order." (18)

According to New York Times writer James Gillis, the authors of the report are predicting that the world as we know it may end "within a few human generations, if not sooner." (19) Although this group of scientists may be correct regarding the timeframe of the earth's destruction, they are incorrect regarding the cause of the destruction. It has always been sin which has caused the world to grow progressively worse throughout history, and that is a trend which will continue until the end of time. I believe the recent barrage of reports from the scientific community warning of the earth's demise is an attempt to condition the masses to accept the harsh sacrifices which the rising antichrist system will claim to be necessary to "save the planet." After all, people are much easier to control if they are told that the very existence of the human race is at stake.

Surveillance In The Skies!

In recent weeks the development and deployment of unmanned drones has received a lot of coverage in the mainstream news media. Many Americans have grown increasingly worried about the possibility that this technology will be used to keep the people under constant surveillance. "There is a distrust amongst the people who have come and discussed this issue with me about our government. It's raising an alarm with the American public," said Jeff Landry, a Republican congressman from Louisiana. (20) Numerous police departments across the United States are already using drones, and in a May 2012 radio interview, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell expressed support for increased usage of the technology. "I think we ought to be using technology to make law enforcement more productive; it cuts down on manpower in the air - and more safe. That's why we use it on the battlefield," McDonnell declared. (21) McDonnell's statement raised the ire of John Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia. "America is not a battlefield, and the citizens of this nation are not insurgents in need of vanquishing," Whitehead said. (22) In response to the controversy, Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has introduced legislation entitled "Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act of 2012." Explaining his rationale for introducing the act, Paul wrote the following, "I do not want a drone monitoring where I go, what I do and for how long I do whatever it is that I'm doing. I do not want a nanny state watching over my every move. We should not be treated like criminals or terrorists while we are simply conducting our everyday lives. We should not have our rights infringed upon by unwarranted police-state tactics." Paul further went on to write, "If the warrant is not obtained, this act would allow any person to sue the government. This act also specifies that no evidence obtained or collected in violation of this act can be admissible as evidence in a criminal, civil or regulatory action." (23)

Although backlash against the deployment of drones has been building with the American public, it seems unlikely to dissuade the government from implementing the technology. Instead, they may simply use smaller drones which are much harder to detect. In fact, reports of strange flying objects hovering over group gatherings speculated that the United States government was using insect-like drones to spy on antiwar protests as far back as 2007. While it may not be possible to prove one way or another if the speculation was true, it was revealed in 2008 that the U.S. Air Force had developed miniature drones, also known as "micro air vehicles," which were the size of bumblebees. According to reports, these tiny drones have the capability to "photograph, record, and even attack insurgents and terrorists." (24) In a further development, the University of Pennsylvania has produced drones which have the ability to swarm together and fly in synchronized formations. Those who are responsible for the project are hopeful that their drones may someday be able to operate "with little or no direct human supervision." (25)

The Erosion Of Religious Freedom In America!

The United States of America is a nation that has been historically known for its religious freedom. Yet, in recent years we have seen the right to practice one's religion, particularly Christianity, being slowly stripped away. One shocking case recently occurred in the state of Wisconsin when a pastor from the village of Black Earth was sentenced to two years in prison for teaching his congregation to enact corporal punishment on their children when they misbehaved. What is truly remarkable and frightening about this case is that the pastor had not spanked any child himself and was therefore essentially imprisoned for his speech. Not only that, but the pastor was stripped of his church, and he has been forbidden to have any interaction with the congregation even after his prison sentence has been fulfilled. (26) This nation once prided itself on the guarantee of free speech, but it seems in this modern era, free speech is no longer guaranteed.

Another incident recently occurred in Buffalo, New York, wherein a Christian was ordered by police officers to cease the distribution of Christian tracts and was told that if he failed to comply he would be arrested. At one point during the dispute, a police officer snatched the tracts out of the man's hand and said, "I'm not playing. If you hand out one more tract, you're going to jail." (27) The Alliance Defense Fund or ADF has filed a lawsuit against the city of Buffalo in response to the events that transpired. "Exercising your constitutionally protected free speech rights is not a crime," said ADF lawyer Jonathan Scruggs. (28)

There also seems to be an effort to stifle the prayers of Christians in the United States. For example, a volunteer police chaplain at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has been told by his superiors that he would no longer be allowed to pray "in the name of Jesus" at public events. "I was told chaplains can no longer invoke the name of Jesus on government property," said chaplain Terry Sartain. He later went on to say, "I'm very sad about it. I'm a pastor and Jesus is the only thing I have to offer to bless people - his life and his person. It brings about a very real concern about where we are heading as a nation." (29)

Sadly, incidents of religious repression against Christians also sometimes occur in Canada. This became poignantly clear in May 2012 when a student at Forest Heights Community School in Nova Scotia was suspended for a week after he wore a t-shirt to school with a message that said, "Life is wasted without Jesus." The student was told that if he tried to wear the shirt to school again, he would be suspended for the remainder of the year. "I've been told by my principal that it is hate talk and is disrespectful to other people's religions. She said it (the shirt) cannot be in school because people would get offended," the student recounted. (30)

The efforts we are now seeing to restrain the Christian faith are likely only the first stirrings of persecution that will only intensify as we draw closer to the return of our Saviour. In Matthew 24:9-10 Jesus warns, "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another." Thankfully, we know that those who stand up for their Christian beliefs will be greatly rewarded in the end. For as Jesus said in Matthew 5:10-12, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

Obama's Gay Pride Month!

On June 1, 2012, Barack Obama issued a proclamation declaring the month of June to be "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month." An excerpt of his proclamation is as follows, "The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community has written a proud chapter in this fundamentally American story. From brave men and women who came out and spoke out, to union and faith leaders who rallied for equality, to activists and advocates who challenged unjust laws and marched on Washington, LGBT Americans and allies have achieved what once seemed inconceivable. This month, we reflect on their enduring legacy, celebrate the movement that has made progress possible, and recommit to securing the fullest blessings of freedom for all Americans." (31) Obama's proclamation is another indicator that the attitudes of the government and the general population have now shifted in favor of homosexuality. In addition to his proclamation, Obama also hosted a reception at the White House on June 15, 2012 to celebrate "Gay Pride Month." (32) In his remarks at the reception, Obama told those involved in homosexuality that they have "every right to push, loudly and forcefully, for equality." He also reiterated his support for same-sex marriage in his speech. "Americans may be still evolving when it comes to marriage equality but as I've indicated personally, Michelle and I have made up our minds on this issue," Obama insisted. (33)

Furthermore, Barack Obama is seeking to enact legislation known as the "Employment Non-Discrimination Act," or ENDA, which could potentially force religious organizations to employ homosexuals. "Congress needs to pass that legislation, so that no American is ever fired simply for being gay or transgender," Obama said. However, Craig Parshall, the senior vice president of the National Religious Broadcasters Association did not hesitate to voice his displeasure over the measure. "ENDA would impose a stunningly heavy constitutional burden on religious organizations and would interfere with their ability to pursue their mission," Parshall stated. (34)

Other prominent figures in American government have also expressed their strong support for homosexuality, including Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary Hilda Solis of the Department of Labor, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. (35) In a salute to gay members of the United States military, Panetta praised the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a policy which disallowed openly gay men and women to serve in the armed forces. "Now you can be proud of serving your country, and be proud of who you are," Panetta declared. (36) It was also announced that the Pentagon would host a gay pride celebration on June 26, 2012. (37)

As Christians, we understand that we cannot support the homosexual lifestyle. While Barack Obama may believe that the opinions of Americans are "still evolving," God does not change, and His opinions do not evolve. Sadly, many young people in the United States are now forsaking their Christian beliefs, and according to a recent news article, the prevalence and acceptance of homosexuality may be partly to blame for the falling away. "Younger Christians are turned off by attacks on gays and lesbians," declared Stephanie Mencimer, a writer at the liberal magazine known as Mother Jones. (38) Another writer at a journal known as Outside the Beltway by the name of James Joyner wrote, "Younger folks are simply more likely to figure that, if their religion is teaching them things that they believe to be silly - such as that homosexuality is wrong - then their religion must be silly too." (39) With so much disdain now being expressed for the Christian faith, it's no wonder that Jesus asked in Luke 18:8, "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"

The Crisis In Europe Continues!

Following the election in Greece on June 17, 2012, many were relieved that the conservative pro-austerity party, known as the New Democracy Party, won the election. As a result, it seems likely that Greece will continue to use the euro as its currency for the time being at least. However, the crisis in Greece is far from over. The European nation, which has now been in recession for five straight years, is seeking to renegotiate their bailout terms with the European Union in an effort to help alleviate the suffering of the people under the harsh austerity measures now in place. "The unity government's goal is to tackle the crisis, open the road to growth and revise terms of the bailout without putting at risk the country's European course, nor its euro zone membership," stated a policy document written by the new government. However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that there will be no significant renegotiations of the bailout terms. (40)

Meanwhile, the European nation of Spain has now become the fourth nation in Europe to receive a bailout in order to prop up its ailing economy and rescue its failing banks. An ABC News report indicates that the bailout may be as much 100 billion euros or 125 billion dollars. (41) The crisis in Europe is already having an impact on the global economy. On June 21, 2012, it was reported that credit rating Moody's has downgraded their rating on fifteen financial institutions, including such large banks as Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and JPMorgan. Bank of America and Citigroup now have a credit rating of only two notches above junk status. Exposure to the crisis in Europe was one of the reasons cited by Moody's for the rating downgrade. (42)

In closing, for those of us who continue to watch and pray as we await the return of our Saviour, we can see that this entire world is now on a collision course with sudden destruction. Thankfully, we do not have to go the same direction as the majority of the people now attempting to navigate their lives through these confusing days of turmoil. It is my hope and prayer that this newsletter will touch the hearts of as many people as possible and encourage everyone who reads it to draw closer to our Almighty God. Please accept my heartfelt thanks to all who so generously support this ministry. As always, if you have any prayers please feel welcomed to pass them on to us. Our intercessors always give each request individual attention as we seek God's guidance on your behalf. I'm also pleased to announce that I will be marrying my fiancée, Leah, in just a few weeks. We graciously ask that you would keep us in prayer as we start our life together and strive to wholly serve our God. Grace and peace be unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acknowledgements

01. The Daily Caller, May 21, 2012, By Reza Kahlili, http://news.yahoo.com.
02. Ibid.
03. Yahoo News, June 1, 2012, By Ron Recinto, http://news.yahoo.com.
04. CNS News, June 13, 2012, By Edwin Mora, http://cnsnews.com.
05. Russia Times, June 6, 2012, By Russia Times, http://rt.com.
06. Yahoo News, June 12, 2012, By Dylan Stableford, http://news.yahoo.com.
07. The Telegraph, June 20, 2012, By The Telegraph, http://telegraph.co.uk.
08. Ibid.
09. Associated Press, June 13, 2012, By Associated Press, Paris, France.
10. The Telegraph, June 13, 2012, By Amy Willis, http://telegraph.co.uk.
11. Los Angeles Times, June 18, 2012, By Los Angeles Times, Beirut, Lebanon.
12. Wikipedia, http://wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_wars.
13. United Nations Official Website, http://un.org.
14. Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2012, By Bettina Boxall, http://latimes.com.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid.
18. Terra Daily, June 11, 2012, By Staff Writers, Burnaby, Canada, http://terradaily.com.
19. The Atlantic, June 7, 2012, By Alexander Abad-Santos, http://theatlanticwire.com.
20. Associated Press, June 19, 2012, By Joan Lowy, Washington, D.C.
21. The Huffington Post, May 29, 2012, By Melissa Jeltsen, http://huffpost.com.
22. Associated Press, June 19, 2012, By Joan Lowy, Washington, D.C.
23. The Christian Science Monitor, June 16, 2012, By Brad Knickerbocker, http://csmonitor.com.
24. The Daily Mail. June 19, 2012, By Daily Mail Reporter, http://dailymail.co.uk.
25. Ibid.
26. Wisconsin State Journal, May 25, 2012, By Ed Treleven, http://madison.com.
27. World Net Daily, May 13, 2012, By Bob Unruh, http://wnd.com.
28. Ibid.
29. Fox News, June 20, 2012, By Todd Starnes, http://foxnews.com.
30. Fox News, May 4, 2012, By Todd Starnes, http://foxnews.com.
31. Official Presidential Proclamation, June 1, 2012, By Barack Obama, http://whitehouse.gov.
32. Associated Press, June 15, 2012, By Associated Press, Washington, D.C.
33. Christian Post, June 16, 2012, By Audrey Barrick, http://christianpost.com.
34. Ibid.
35. Official White House Press Release, June 19, 2012, By Gautam Raghavan, http://whitehouse.gov.
36. Associated Press, June 15, 2012, By Pauline Jelinek, Washington, D.C.
37. Ibid.
38. The Week, June 14, 2012, By The Week Editorial Staff, http://theweek.com.
39. Ibid.
40. Reuters News Service, June 22, 2012, By Lefteris Papadimas and Greg Roumeliotis, Athens, Greece.
41. Associated Press, June 9, 2012, By Daniel Woolls, Madrid, Spain.
42. CNN, June 21, 2012, By James O'Toole, New York, NY.

Special Note: A new tribute website for Pastor David J. Meyer can now be accessed at http://pastormeyer.org.

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Peña Nieto Wins Mexican Presidential Election


Presidential candidate Enrique Pena Nieto speaks to supporters at his party's headquarters in Mexico City, Mexico, July 2, 2012

VOA News
Voters in Mexico have chosen to bring the country's once dominant political party back into power by electing Enrique Pena Nieto as their next president.

According to the preliminary results that still must be validated, Pena Nieto had 38 percent of Sunday's vote to beat former Mexico City mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who had 31 percent.

On Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama called Pena Nieto to congratulate him and offer U.S. support in meeting mutual goals.

Who is Enrique Peña Nieto?

  • A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional, PRI) since 1984
  • Drew national attention as governor of the State of Mexico from 2005 to 2011
  • Built his reputation by making "pledges" to the State of Mexico, focusing on public works and infrastructure improvement
  • Ranked among country's most handsome politicians
  • Married Televisa soap star Angelica Rivera in 2010
  • Admitted that he had affairs and fathered two children during his first marriage to Monica Pretelini Saenz
​​Pena Nieto said in an address to his supporters that Mexicans have voted for a change in direction, but he vowed to keep pressure on drug cartels.

"The fight against crime will continue with a new strategy to reduce violence and protect the lives of Mexicans," he said. "Let it be clear, with organized crime there will be no pacts or truce."

Lopez Obrador said he was not ready to concede.

"We have to represent them as they deserve to be represented, the citizens that have confided in us," he said. "We will not, in any way, act in an irresponsible way, we will have all of the information. And when it is the right time, we will inform the people of Mexico about the result of this election."

Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) ruled Mexico for 71 years until 2000, when voters elected National Action Party (PAN) candidate Vicente Fox. Outgoing President Felipe Calderon, also from PAN, followed in 2006, but his tenure has been plagued by economic stagnation and rampant drug violence.

Calderon deployed the military to fight the drug cartels shortly after he took office. More than 50,000 people have been killed in drug violence since then.

The PAN candidate in this year's election, Josefina Vazquez Mota, finished third in the voting.






Related

  • On September 19, 2011, he announced his candidacy for president in the 2012 Mexican presidential election to succeed Felipe Calderón,[1] and formally registered his candidacy on November 27, 2011.[2]
  • Peña Nieto holds a Bachelor's degree from Universidad Panamericana and a Master's in Business from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM). Peña Nieto has said that he participated in his first political exercise as a high school junior, when he represented his class during public ceremonies.[6]
  • Universidad Panamericana:
  • UP was founded in 1967 as a business school. A group of wealthy businessmen and academics gave life to the Panamerican Institute for High Business Direction (Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresas), later they promoted the creation of a university. The Panamerican Institute of Humanities (Instituto Panamericano de Humanidades- IPH), founded in 1968, merged with the IPADE and created the Panamerican University. It was all done under the spiritual direction of Opus Dei, a personal prelature of the Catholic Church.
Source: Wikipedia.

.

Chief Justice Roberts: A more nuanced view after healthcare ruling

Had Roberts gone the other way, the court would have wiped away the entire health care overhaul, which is the outcome embraced by dissenting Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Kennedy.

By Mark Sherman, Associated Press / July 2, 2012


In this 2008 photo, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., is seen in Providence, R.I.
Stephan Savoia/AP/File


WASHINGTON

Chief Justice John Roberts could have taken down the entire, massive health care law that his fellow Republicans deride as "Obamacare." He could have prevented the Supreme Court decision that largely disabled the most disputed aspects of Arizona's crackdown on illegal immigrants.

He didn't do either, and in the process surprised (or dismayed) longtime court observers of every political stripe.

Those two outcomes in the finals days of his seventh year on the court offer some clues for reassessing what kind of chief justice Roberts is and intends to be. Is he no longer the rock-ribbed conservative loved by supporters and jeered by opponents? Has he become a pragmatic leader mindful of the court's place in history? Is he more canny, but still solidly conservative?


The measure of a justice is best taken after decades of service, rather than a few years. At age 57, Roberts could lead the court for another quarter-century.

But at the very least, the end of the Roberts Court's most consequential term already is leading to revised, and in some cases more nuanced, appraisals of his leadership.

Erwin Chemerinsky, a liberal scholar who is dean of the law school at the University of California at Irvine, announced that the era of the Roberts Court had begun. "He authored the opinion in the most important case in his seven years on the court, and did so against what was expected," Chemerinsky said.

In truth, Roberts' vote to uphold President Barack Obama's health care law was not so much a surprise.

He long had been counted among the possible votes to uphold the law. But it was widely assumed that ifRoberts ultimately voted for it, so too would Anthony Kennedy, most often the decisive vote in closely fought cases. It was only the second time in his tenure that Roberts provided the deciding vote for the side favored by the court's liberals.

Up until now, it had been the Kennedy Court, Chemerinsky said, "This year, it was the Roberts Court."

Had Roberts gone the other way, the court would have wiped away the entire health care overhaul, which is the outcome embraced by dissenting Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Kennedy.

Instead, he said the individual insurance requirement at the heart of the law could be upheld as a tax. At the same time, he rejected administration arguments that the mandate was justified by the Constitution's clause giving Congress power over interstate commerce, which has been the authority for most federal programs since the New Deal.

Some legal scholars suggest Roberts produced an essentially conservative opinion with a liberal outcome.

Neal Katyal, the former acting solicitor general who argued the Obama administration's side in the health care cases in several appeals courts, said that Roberts' majority opinion opened the door to potentially important changes in the law that could restrict federal power as it has been understood since the New Deal.

Ilya Somin, a George Mason University law professor, said on the Volokh Conspiracy legal blog that the health care case "gives supporters of limits on federal power some useful ammunition, despite also dealing us a painful defeat."

In addition, Roberts' ruling has helped refocus the public debate over the law and gave Republican opponents ammunition for calling it a big tax increase they would try to repeal.

Just three days earlier, Roberts, joined by Kennedy this time, sided with three liberal justices in the Arizona immigration case. Justice Elena Kagan, one of the court's liberals, did not take part because of her previous involvement as solicitor general, when she was the Obama administration's top Supreme Court lawyer.

Roberts joined in every word of Kennedy's majority opinion that struck down three contentious provisions of the law, but allowed one to go forward — the requirement that police check the immigration status of people they stop for other reasons.

Roberts could have sided with the conservatives who favored allowing other provisions to take effect, but that would have left the court divided 4-4, a distasteful outcome because it amounts to a waste of the justices' time.

What's more, Roberts might have reasoned that Kagan probably would side with

the other liberal justices and Kennedy in some future immigration case over similar state laws that she could take part in. Such a case down the road probably would produce an outcome similar to what the court achieved last week in the Arizona case. But if Roberts stuck with the conservative justices, that scenario would have deprived him of a chance to try to influence the majority opinion.

Yet as the court followed its usual practice of issuing a torrent of opinions just days before the justices scatter for the summer, Roberts did not exactly abandon his frequent allies on the right.

He wrote a sharp dissent from Kagan's majority opinion barring mandatory sentences of life without possibility of parole for people younger than 18. The chief justice and the other conservatives rebuffed pleas from supporters of campaign spending limits and from liberal justices to take a fresh look at the 2-year-old Citizens United decision, perhaps the most politically unpopular decision of Roberts' tenure.

The court struck down Montana's limits on corporate campaign spending because the majority, includingRoberts, said the state law conflicted with the Citizens United decision.

Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock called the court just "another political body." Liberal groups bemoaned the loss of a chance to carve out state exceptions to the Citizens United ruling that unleashed a tidal wave of big money contributions during this election year.

Roberts has called for consensus in judicial decisions since he arrived at the court in September 2005. He has advocated judicial modesty, though his critics insist he himself cast that aspiration aside in Citizens United and other high-profile cases involving abortion rights, race and gun rights.

Other predictions of furious discord among the ideologically divided justices in big cases were sometimes proved wrong. The justices avoided a major confrontation over the landmark civil-rights-era Voting Rights Act in an 8-1 decision that resolved the case without reaching disputed constitutional issues.

When the court heard a dispute over congressional redistricting maps in Texas that essentially pitted Republicans against Latinos and African-Americans who argued for greater representation, the court seemed headed for its typical conservative-liberal split. Instead, 11 days after hearing arguments, the court returned a consensus, unsigned opinion that gave both sides some of what they wanted.

Paul Clement, who argued the health care, immigration and redistricting cases, said the Texas case was a remarkable accomplishment for Roberts. "It was not foreordained as a unanimous decision. One has to assume it was largely due to the leadership of the chief justice," Clement said.

So what does the future hold?

The court already has agreed to hear a challenge to the University of Texas' affirmative action program. A new case involving the Voting Rights Act and challenges to restrictions on gay marriage are close behind.

Roberts has voiced serious reservations about racial preferences in government programs. In 2007, he declared in ruling against public school system programs to promote integration that "the way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race."

Ben Wittes, a legal scholar at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington, cautioned against grand re-evaluations of Roberts because of the health care case.

"Roberts is, to be sure, no shrinking violet about ideologically divided opinions when, in his view, the law compels them, but he apparently has a more flexible view than do his conservative colleagues concerning the difference for constitutional purposes between a penalty and a tax," Wittes said. "In other words, don't be too surprised if Roberts next terms looks like a conservative again. He actually did not stray very far from where the other four conservatives ended up in this case — just over a consequential line."

Roberts repeated his desire to have the court adhere to judicial modesty Thursday at the start of his health care opinion.

"We do not consider whether the act embodies sound policies. That judgment is entrusted to the nation's elected leaders. We ask only whether Congress has the power under the Constitution to enact the challenged provisions," he wrote.

Thursday's dissenters accused Roberts of "vast judicial overreaching." Several years ago, Justice Stephen Breyer said of Roberts and the other conservatives at the end of an especially contentious term with an unusually high number of 5-4 decisions that "never have so few done so much" in so little time.

Roberts has been mocked for comparing a justice to a baseball umpire calling balls and strikes.

But umpires often take it as a compliment when both teams are griping about their rulings.