Wednesday, February 13, 2013

United States Army Threatened With Lawsuit Over Chaplain’s Prayer to ‘Heavenly Father’



February 9, 2013



Washington, D.C. – The United States Army is being threatened with a lawsuit after a chaplain allegedly prayed to the Heavenly Father during an event at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, which offended an atheist soldier in attendance.

The Huffington Post reports that Staff Sergeant Victoria Gettman is unpleased with the response that she has received from her superiors in regard to complaints that she had lodged over the prayer, which was delivered last September. Gettman and a number of other soldiers were attending a mandatory suicide prevention session, which concluded with a prayer. The prayer itself was voluntary as soldiers were not required to participate.

Gettman states that she became offended because she believed it was obvious that the chaplain was delivering a Christian prayer.

“The chaplain said we have to have something bigger than ourselves. We need, and he stresses need, to have something divine in our life,” she said. “The entire theater was [then] forced into a mass Christian prayer. … I heard him refer to his ‘Heavenly Father’ and ‘Lord.’”


While Gettman acknowledged that the closing prayer was optional, she asserted that some of those in attendance may have been from other faiths and were not aware that they did not have to participate. She filed a complaint last year with the Army’s equal opportunity office and also discussed the matter with her superiors. However, Gettman has not been satisfied with the response she has received.

“After I had that meeting with the EO[A] — and I was so disgusted with the way he treated me that first time, I went to my leadership — I went to my first sergeant — and I told him the whole story,” Gettman told reporters. “A couple days later, he comes back to me and says it was just a miscommunication … I was horrified by that, too. It felt like I was being blown off.”

Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation then contacted the Army and demanded that the chaplain who delivered the prayer be disciplined and that the Army apologize to the soldiers that they had to endure a prayer that was made to the Heavenly Father. However, he was unhappy with the response he received as well.

Now, Weinstein is preparing to file a lawsuit against the Army on behalf of Gettman if he does not receive what he feels is an acceptable response.

The Army denies any wrongdoing.

“The Battalion Chaplain spoke to the companies gathered in the theater and he encouraged the young Soldiers to lean on a higher power in their journey through life,” it wrote in a statement in October of last year. “The chaplain’s prayer had no reference to any specific deity, and ended with the words, ‘through Your holy name.’ This is the same ending offered during each training course, graduation ceremony or other military-sponsored event.”

“The Army is cognizant of our soldiers’ religious freedoms, and would never violate their free exercise of religion or choice not to profess a religious faith,” it added.


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Papal poop-out propels apocalyptoids



Submitted by Bill Weinberg on Wed, 02/13/2013 - 03:17

Watching the Shadows
Vatican


The current apocalyptic zeitgeist was made all too clear by the recent hoopla over the turning of the Maya calendar, so it was inevitable that the morbidly paranoid would glom on to the papal resignation—just as they did the Vatican's opening of the Knights Templar archives a few years back. The Irish Central on Feb. 11 provides some fodder, recalling the prophecies of Saint Malachy, a 12th century bishop of Armagh, who supposedly predicted the names of all future popes—accurate up to this point, supposedly. And after Benedict, he wrote: "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End." Gee, thanks.



Bill Weinberg's blog

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We are Being Pulled Into the Matrix Like Never Before


Old-Thinker News | Feb 8, 2013

By Daniel Taylor

Technology has enabled modern mankind to enjoy a lifestyle that our ancestors could only dream of. Countless numbers of science fiction writers have warned for decades about the negative side to our advancing technology. Every new technology invented has the capacity to be used for the benefit or destruction of mankind. Even technologies originally intended for good can be misused.

Could many of our society’s ills be connected to our over dependency on technology? Is the answer, as transhumanist leader Ray Kurzweil says, to simply merge with it? If we do, will our humanity still be in-tact?

Let’s take a look at some statistics.

According to a 2010 LA Times report, young people spend on average 53 hours a week watching TV, playing video games, and sitting at the computer.

Facebook users spend about 15 hours a month on the social networking site.

People are walking – and driving – blindly while texting, sometimes walking into fountains and even falling off cliffs.



A literal matrix is being built around us. It hasn’t snatched all of us up yet, but there are warning signs everywhere. The food we eat is increasingly synthetic. Much of the news we watch has been shown to be a total fabrication. The virtual world offers endless hours of entertainment, pressing buttons in our brains to make us come back for more even when we don’t want to. It even offers virtual mates that some men end up finding more pleasurable than their real partners.

We are paying a high price for misusing technology. A recent study from Harvard found that sperm counts in men who watched around 20 hours of TV a week were 44 percent lower than normal.

Other technologies are also impacting our bodies. A UCLA study has shown that the internet is in fact re-wiring our brains. Dr. Gary Small, director of UCLA’s Memory and Aging Research Center stated that, “A young person’s brain, which is still developing, is particularly sensitive. … It’s also the kind of brain that is most exposed to the new technology.”

The New Atlantis publication has called our technological society an “age of egocasting.” Personalized entertainment, and even personalized search engine results, are enabling us to engineer our information and entertainment environments to our liking. An endless Pandora’s box of entertainment is at our finger tips.

Within the digital world a new gold mine has been discovered by marketing firms and advertisers. Data is the new oil of the 21st century. They rely on internet browsers and cooperating websites to track users activity to create detailed psychological profiles. Google has announced that it will use microphones in personal computers and cell phones to listen for ambient background noise. AI programs will target them with specialized ads based on what it hears.

Futurist Gerd Leonhard spoke to technology and business leaders in Paris last year. He warned them not to “kill the golden goose” that is the general public willingly providing personal data. He warned that they should not make them think that “…they are always watched by us” or they will “kick us out.” The question is, how many people are willing to sacrifice “convenience” for privacy? What will we do when we can “sell” our data in the form of a retinal scan or other biometric information into our TV for free content?

We have a great challenge ahead of us during this era of unprecedented technological advancement. Increasingly, those who “opt out” of this matrix will find it more difficult to function in society. A 2010 report from the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense touched on this subject. Ultimately, as stated in the paper, it may become difficult to “turn the outside world off,” and “…Even amongst those who make an explicit life-style choice to remain detached, choosing to be disconnected may be considered suspicious behaviour.” Already, employers are making it clear that those without Facebook profiles are to be deemed “suspicious.”

By 2040 – and likely before then – many futurists and scientists are projecting that technology will have advanced exponentially, bringing the much anticipated “singularity” closer. The MoD hints at some of these possible developments, including the emergence of an internet of things, radical life extension technology, and surveillance of personnel via mood sensing devices.

Computing will become pervasive everywhere in the environment. According to the report, “The virtual networks will consist of communications servers linkingindividuals and objects, many of which will be networked through individual Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.”

Will humanity survive?


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A look at Ash Wednesday

The first day of Lent, the season of preparation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.















GLENN B. DETTMAN.
The Rev. Ed Gretchko of St. Mary's Catholic Church burns palm leaves that were blessed on Palm Sunday of 2012 to be used at the Ash Wednesday service. No Published Caption


By Staff reports


IndeOnline.com staff report

Posted Feb 12, 2013 @ 11:23 PM

MASSILLON — Here are some facts about Ash Wednesday, as observed today in Western Christianity. Ash Wednesday takes place 40 days prior to Easter Sunday — Sundays are not included in the count — and serves as the beginning of Christians’ spiritual preparation for the sacred holiday.

Palm-burning ceremony

Earlier this week, palm branches that were blessed and distributed to parishioners on Palm Sunday a year ago were burned by area churches in preparation for Ash Wednesday.

“They (palm branches) have been blessed and carried in procession,” said the Rev. Edward Gretchko of St. Mary Catholic Church in Massillon. “Usually, most people put (palm branches) in their homes over a crucifix or pictures of the saints as a constant reminder that Christ is King.”

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday, which follows Shrove Tuesday and features Mardi Gras celebrations, signals the beginning of the 40-day period of spiritual reflection and preparation known as Lent — a word derived from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, meaning “spring” — that culminates with Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday. Ashes from the burned palm branches will be used today during services at area churches. Pastors will spread ashes on the foreheads of their parishioners in the sign of a cross.

Symbolism

The ashes are representative of the mortality of the human race and repentance of sins.

“Ashes are put on the forehead as a sign that one day we will return to dust. Primarily, it’s a sign of our mortality. Secondly, it’s a sign of our penance. ... Basically, it’s about the conversion of the heart and controlling the passions,” Gretchko said. “By turning our heart away from the things of earth, we enter into his passion and suffering and death. ... It highlights something we must always be doing, but it gives us renewed vigor.”

Spiritual renewal

Lent is viewed as a time of purification and enlightenment for those preparing for baptism and a time of repentance and spiritual renewal for those who already have been baptized, according to the Rev. Thomas Cebula of St. Barbara Catholic Church in Massillon.

“Those who are not baptized are preparing and those who already have been baptized are going through a renewal of baptismal vows,” Cebula said. “It’s a 40-day period of spiritual reconditioning. It’s a time of prayer, fasting and works of mercy.”


Ash Wednesday services in Massillon

◦St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 206 Cherry Road NE, 8:15 a.m., 12:10 p.m. and 7 p.m.

◦St. Joseph Catholic Church, 322 Third St. SE, 8:30 a.m., 12:10 p.m. and 7 p.m.

◦St. Barbara Catholic Church, 2813 Lincoln Way W., 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

◦Central Presbyterian Church, 47 Second St. NE, 7 p.m.

◦St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 127 Cherry Road NE, 7 p.m.

◦First United Methodist Church, Epworth United Methodist and Wesley United Methodist (combined service at Epworth, 3061 Lincoln Way W), 7 p.m.

◦St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 226 Third St. SE, 12:10 p.m., 7:30 p.m.


Source

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Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Culture of Corruption


THE MAGAZINE



FEB 18, 2013, VOL. 18, NO. 22 • BY MATTHEW CONTINETTI



Caribbean-based company ICSSI had seen its lucrative contract to X-ray the cargo entering the Dominican Republic languish for years when, in 2011, it began searching for an investor with political pull. Perhaps someone with the right connections would be able to pressure the Dominicans into enforcing the contract, which was valued at somewhere between $500 million and $1 billion over 20 years. And that special someone, it seemed, was Salomon E. Melgen, a Dominican-born ophthalmologist and businessman in South Florida, who had acquired a reputation as a powerful and expansive donor to Democratic politicians de los Estados Unidos. Melgen bought a controlling stake in ICSSI. Maybe he could succeed where others had failed.



NEWSCOM

Last year, in the middle of the presidential election, Melgen’s medical practice donated some $700,000 to Majority PAC, a “super” political action committee founded by former staffers to Senate majority leader Harry Reid. As a super-PAC, Majority PAC is allowed under federal law to accept unlimited contributions for “independent expenditures” not coordinated with candidates or campaigns.

The particular expenditures Majority PAC was interested in making independently were on behalf of Democratic Senate candidates, including $582,000 in support of New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez, who was facing a rather inconsequential, don’t-worry-be-happy challenge from Republican state senator Joe Kyrillos. And who happened to be a longtime pal of Dr. Salomon E. Melgen. And who suddenly developed an active and vocal interest in contract law.

Wasn’t it a problem, Menendez asked during a July 31, 2012, hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, that Latin American and Caribbean nations were not fulfilling legally binding obligations? There was, for instance, one “company that has American investors that is seeking to—has a contract actually given to it by the—kind of ratified by the Dominican Congress—to do X-ray of all of the cargo that goes through the ports, which have been problematic and for which in the past narcotics have been included in those cargo. And they don’t want to live by that contract either.” So what was the United States government going to do about it?

Menendez raised similar concerns in conversations with State Department officials. What the U.S. government ended up doing about it, however, was probably not what he’d intended. For what the U.S. government, in the form of FBI and Department of Health and Human Services personnel, ended up doing was raiding the West Palm Beach offices of Dr. Melgen over the course of two days during the final week of January 2013. These federal personnel, according to reports, left with some 30 boxes of evidence. And that evidence would seem to pertain, also according to reports, to not one but two ongoing investigations. One involves allegations of Medicare fraud. The other involves allegations of public corruption.

This is bad news for Menendez. Melgen and his family, having contributed during the 2010 cycle more than $30,000 to Menendez, and more than $60,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which Menendez chaired at the time, are some of the senator’s biggest donors. But Melgen is more than that. He also seems to have assumed an unofficial and unpaid position as Menendez’s travel agent, ferrying the New Jersey Democrat to and from exclusive properties in the Dominican Republic on his private jet.

We know, for example, of three trips the friends made to the Caribbean in 2010. And we know that, up until about, oh, a month ago, Menendez had disclosed payment for only one of them: $5,380 for a trip in May 2010. Reimbursement for the other trips, the senator told reporters last week, sort of “fell through the cracks.” After all, Bob Menendez is a very, very busy man. “I was in a big travel schedule in 2010.”

It took two years, and the filing of an ethics complaint, for Menendez to acknowledge the remaining trips. He did this by writing a personal check to Melgen for the hefty amount of $58,500, suggesting the eye doctor charges payday-loan levels of interest. The senator and his office argue that the reimbursement settles the question of whether the previous nondisclosure violated ethics rules. And they are all too happy to reject and denounce accusations that Menendez and Melgen hired prostitutes, which is legal in the Dominican Republic, on their foreign trips. You know how it is: What happens in Casa de Campo .  .  .

But these are dodges. The inquiry into Salomon Melgen and his relationship with Bob Menendez, it seems to us, is only just beginning. Last week brought news that a longtime aide to Menendez was due to be hired by one of Melgen’s companies. Melgen’s claim of association with Harvard and Yale has also come under question. The similarities to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, in which a Republican congressman and congressional aides went to prison for illegally accepting gifts and travel, are striking. With one critical difference: Throughout the Abramoff scandal, which contributed to the GOP’s loss of Congress in 2006, Democrats and their allies in the press denounced in blistering terms the “culture of corruption” of insidious relationships between lawmakers, staff, and influence peddlers in Washington.

So far, though, Republican officials have been rather silent on the Menendez issue. No need to be shy. Who will be the first to speak up? Who will be the first to call for an end to the culture of corruption in Harry Reid’s Senate?


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Precedents for Papal Resignation

Pedro Arrupe and Peter-Hans Kolvenbach

In the light of the Vatican's press release that Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) will step down from the papal throne on March 28, 2013;  We wonder if there is a precedent for such a resignation in recent history?
There haven't been any papal resignations per se in quite a while.  However, if we take into account the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, which is also known as the Black Pope?  There have been two previous modern resignations.

1. Arrupe's resignation was accepted on September 3, 1983
Pedro Arrupe, S.J. the 28th Superior General of the Society of Jesus (1965–83):  
On August 7, 1981, after a long and tiring trip throughout the Far East, Fr. Arrupe suffered a stroke just after his aeroplane landed at Rome's Fiumicino Airport. He was paralysed on his right side and was able to speak only a few words. This ability gradually deteriorated until he was completely mute. From that time on he lived in the infirmary at the Jesuit Motherhouse. He was the first Jesuit Superior-General to resign instead of remaining in office until his death. Pope John Paul II appointed Fr. Paolo Dezza as his personal delegate and interim Father General of the Society, passing over Fr. Arrupe’ s own choice of vicar general. There was a wave of resentment in the Society as this was seen as unwarranted papal interference in Jesuit affairs. For his part, Fr. Arrupe never expressed any disagreement or resentment.[10] In 1983, Fr. Dezza called the thirty-third General Congregation to deal with the resignation of Arrupe and the election of a successor. Fr. Arrupe's resignation was accepted on September 3, 1983 during the Congregation and it proceeded to elect Fr. Peter Hans Kolvenbach as Father General. During the opening Session of the Congregation Fr. Arrupe was wheeled into the hall, and a prayer which he had written was read out.1

And more recently: 

2. Kolvenbach's resignation was accepted on 14 January 2008  
Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, SJ, was the 29th Superior General of the Society of Jesus (1983 to 2008):
In February, 2006, Kolvenbach informed the members of the Society of Jesus of his intention, with the consent of Pope Benedict XVI, to step down in 2008. His resignation was accepted at the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus. When asked about his plans for retirement, Kolvenbach stated his hope that he could join the Jesuits in the Near East to be a help in that war-torn region.2

On 2 February 2006, Fr. Kolvenbach informed the members of the Society of Jesus that, with the consent of Pope Benedict XVI, he intended to step down in 2008, the year he would turn 80. As the superior general is elected for life, Kolvenbach was only the second to resign the office.The 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus convened on 5 January 2008 in Rome. On 14 January it accepted Kolvenbach's resignation and elected Adolfo Nicolás as his successor.[citation needed]3


Since the pope is infallible, I guess even quitting his job can be considered a righteous act.


Resources


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The Future of God’s People


Our people have been regarded as too insignificant to be worthy of notice, but a change will come; the movements are now being made. The Christian world is now making movements which will necessarily bring the commandment-keeping people to notice. There is a daily suppression of God’s truth for the theories and false doctrines of human origin. There are plans and movements being set on foot to enslave the consciences of those who would be loyal to God. The law-making powers will be against God’s people. Every soul will be tested. O that we would as a people be wise for ourselves and by precept and example impart that wisdom to our children! Every position of our faith will be searched into, and if we are not thorough Bible students, established, strengthened, settled, the wisdom of the world’s great men will be too much for us.—Letter 12, 1886. {2SM 386.2}


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Obama Extends Thanks, Prayers to Departing Pope


ABC OTUS News – 22 hrs ago


President Barack Obama is sending his thanks and prayers to Pope Benedict XVI, who announced Monday that he will step down this month.

Obama says he and first lady Michelle Obama have warm memories of their 2009 visit with the pope. Obama is offering best wishes to the cardinals who will gather in mid-March to choose his successor, and says Catholics play a key role in the U.S. and abroad.

Benedict became the first pontiff to step down in 600 years when he declared he would resign Feb. 28, citing a lack of strength to do the job. When he was elected in 2005, he was 78 — the oldest pope chosen in nearly 300 years.



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Doctor slams debt, health care in front of president





Dr. Ben Carson on Obama's reaction

Duration 7:59

Date Feb 11, 2013


http://video.foxnews.com/v/2157865088001/

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Monday, February 11, 2013

SEAL sniper Chris Kyle gets public farewell at Cowboys Stadium

Chris Kyle's widow, Taya, speaks at his memorial at Cowboys Stadium.
By Matt Pearce

February 11, 2013, 2:43 p.m.



Thousands of well-wishers, including dozens of Navy SEALS, descended on Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Monday to remember the life of a famed Navy SEAL sniper killed at a nearby gun range on Feb. 2.

The body of Chris Kyle, author of "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History" -- an account of Kyle's four tours in Iraq, where he said he killed at least 160 enemy combatants -- lay in state on the Cowboys' silver and blue star logo at the 50-yard line, with an American flag draped over his coffin.

The stadium, designed for the fidgety loudness of an NFL game day, instead swallowed the echoes of tributes, scripture readings and country songs dedicated to Kyle, as well as the mournful silences between.

An estimated 7,000 people attended, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry issued a statement that said, in part, “Chris Kyle was the public face of an anonymous breed of American warrior who are handed the hardest missions and assume the largest risks. Chris was among the very best at what he did, and he saved countless American lives in the process. Our state and our nation suffered a profound loss with his passing."

Although no politician spoke at the service, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was in Dallas on Monday and posted on her Facebook page that she would attend the memorial. "I find it sad to see that flags aren't flying at half staff for this American hero," Palin wrote on the page.

According to police, Kyle, 38, and a friend, Chad Littlefield, 35, were shot to death by a fellow Iraq veteran who had been struggling with mental health problems and who they had taken to the gun range for a kind of shooting therapy.

Eddie Ray Routh, a 25-year-old Marine reservist, had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and had been hospitalized multiple times, his family said.

Kyle left behind a wife, Taya, and attendees tweeted photos of the goodbye notes from his two children that were printed on the back of the service's program: "I love you Dad. You are the best dad ever. I never wanted you to die. I will miss your heart. I will love you even if you died. Love you forever, Baby Girl." The other, signed "Bubba," said, "Dad, I miss you a lot. One of the best things that has happened to me is you. I love you Dad. I always will."

The service blended the unusual mix of the public and the clandestine that swirled through the final years of Kyle's life; whether friends or comrades in arms, speakers rarely gave their names when remembering the highly decorated veteran who ascended out of the anonymity of service and into the public spotlight.

Country music stars, including Randy Travis and Joe Nichols, didn't announce themselves before performing the music Kyle liked, nor did the Navy SEAL officials who spoke of Kyle's service in some of the most fevered encounters of the Iraq war theater over the past decade.

One SEAL official related an account of Kyle staying on his scope after his position came under heavy fire in Ramadi, and another of rescuing a stranded Marine in Fallujah.

But far more commonly throughout the memorial service, friends and co-workers recalled an ornery Texas boy who liked to "choke out" friends and celebrities alike with his forceful brand of horseplay, who was a slob at camp in contrast to the neatness of his shooting, and who loved his fallen comrades so much that he could hardly bear their deaths.

Debbie Lee -- the mother of Marc Allen Lee, the first SEAL to die in Iraq -- recalled that Kyle "adopted" her after her son died and earmarked earnings from his book sales for her family.

"Chris didn’t publish that book for an income or to be famous," Lee said. "He hated the spotlight. Chris did that for his teammates" and to show the country what his experience had been like. She added that he didn't take a salary from the nonprofit foundation he helped start for veterans.

"He didn’t give out of abundance.… He trusted that God would provide for him and his family," she said.

The service largely skirted the darker portions of Kyle's life after war, which he had detailed in his book -- problems with drinking and depression and a likely case of PTSD. His marriage too had fallen under strain.

Kyle's wife, Taya, however, in an emotional and frank recollection of her husband, credited Littlefield with helping Kyle get back in shape after he returned home from duty. She said Littlefield -- who has received much less attention in the aftermath of the shooting -- was the anchor that helped Kyle right himself.

Speaking only a few yards from her husband's coffin, Taya recalled a man she fought with and loved endlessly.

“You taught me innocent, reckless love without abandon," she said. "You taught me how to turn a life full of fear into a life full of faith. You taught me that I could be more independent than I ever wanted to be. You taught me how to raise children with love and softness and proved it could be done with a high standard of respect and old-fashioned values.”

Before the trumpeter began to play taps for her husband, she said, “I love you, Chris. I love you.”


Source
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Adventist University Names New Center for Alleged 'Notorious Abortionist'



February 4, 2013



(Updated) La Sierra University's names new economics center after Edward C. Allred, whose medical clinics perform abortions.

Melissa Steffan



Update (Feb. 4): La Sierra University has issued a press release regarding its decision to name its new center after Allred. Full text at bottom of post.

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A prominent Seventh-day Adventist university in California is under fire for its decision to name its new economics center after Edward C. Allred, a well-known alumnus who was also a physician who supported and performed abortions.

Although the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists permits abortions “for the most serious reasons,” ADvindicate—an organization that previously has accused La Sierra University of failing to remain true to Adventist teachings—is lambasting the school for collaborating with a "notorious abortionist."

According to ADvindicate, Allred "made a fortune owning a chain of abortion clinics, personally aborting hundreds of thousands of fetuses" (based on a 1980 interview Allred gave to the San Diego Union-Tribune). LifeSiteNews expanded on the story, reporting that "the center's abortionist namesake founded the Family Planning Associates Medical Group in 1969, a chain of abortion clinics that reportedly makes $70 million in revenue and $5 million in profit annually." The medical group describes itself as "pioneers in family planning."

Adventist Today, an independent magazine not affiliated with the denomination, countered with its own article, noting that Allred "had a practice in obstetrics and gynecology for many years and he started Family Planning Associates Medical Group," which always operated in accordance with state and federal law. It also questions critics' characterization of Allred's 1980 interview, noting "some statements that seem, on their face, to be unlikely. For example, that Dr. Allred 'personally' aborted 'hundreds of thousands of fetuses.' That would translate to at least 200,000 abortions and over 40 years that is 5,000 per year or 14 per day, assuming he operated 365 days a year."

The article has sparked a lengthy comments thread.

The university noted in a press release (full text at bottom) that "each proposal is considered on its own merits," as well as that Allred "remains active in the Seventh-day Adventist Church" and "La Sierra University is one of many Seventh-day Adventist institutions and church organizations throughout North America that have benefited from his philanthropic giving."

La Sierra named the center in Allred's honor after he donated funds to establish it in 2010. According to the school's website, the Edward C. Allred Center for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship "exists to promote free market economics." The website also states that Allred is both an alumnus of the school and "the owner, president, and CEO of Los Alamitos Race Course, Los Alamitos, California," but does not mention Allred's previous work as a physician.

La Sierra also is under fire from ADvindicate for hiring an evolutionary biologist as a member of its science faculty. The school briefly was put on probation in October 2012 for unfaithfulness to church doctrine of creation, but the Adventist Accreditation Association (AAA) granted the school an extension to realign itself.

CT has regularly reported on Seventh-day Adventism, including how 'Two and a Half Men' star Angus T. Jones became a 'paid hypocrite' after converting to Adventism, and how an Australian cereal company owned by the church recently lost its attempt to trademark granola.

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Press release from Larry Becker, La Sierra University's executive director of university relations:
La Sierra University Financial Literacy Center’s relationship with Dr. Edward Allred

Dr. Edward Allred has a longstanding belief that young people need better preparation to meet the world's economic challenges through development of personal financial management skills. This belief led him to provide financial support for a new Center for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship at La Sierra University.

This gift reflects Dr. Allred’s support for the quality of education offered through the School of Business. The donation has enabled School of Business faculty members to develop an online curriculum and host on-campus business camps and workshops for teachers and students. The Center was established in 2010.

Dr. Allred is an alumnus of La Sierra, and has continued to follow the University's activities through the years. He remains active in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. La Sierra University is one of many Seventh-day Adventist institutions and church organizations throughout North America that have benefited from his philanthropic giving.

The University's Naming Policy says, "Naming Opportunities provide a means to honor personal contributions, service, and achievement of the honoree as well as their contribution of resources to support the University." Each proposal is considered on its own merits. To respect each donor's right to privacy, the documentation and discussions relating to each proposal are confidential. Dr. Allred’s gift establishing the Center is one of many contributions he has made to Adventist educational institutions and church organizations across North America.

La Sierra University benefits from the generosity of a wide variety of donors—Adventist and non-Adventist. The University values each gift as a donor’s expression of support for its efforts to provide the best possible Adventist education to our students.



posted by Melissa Steffan


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In health freedom for all


Bishops of the United States on healthcare reform


“To assure that healthcare for all does not mean freedom for few”: this was stressed by bishops of the United States in a note by which they rejected as insufficient new government proposals to modify the health care mandate regarding religious institutions and organizations. Thursdayy in the note signed by the President of the Bishops' Conference, the Cardinal Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan, explains that the government's draft continues to maintain an excessively restricted” distinction between religious institutions and organizations that would be wholly exempt from beingobligedd to cover abortive services and contraception in their insurance, even if they rely third parties. The bishops judge, therefore, the new proposals as incapable of responding to the “concerns” about the violation of freedom of conscience of employers and their employees. The bishops observe, for example, that certain institutions and organizations would be left out of exemptions, such as those affiliated with congregations or religious orders like hospitals, clinics, universities and charitable structures that are “an integral part of the mission of the Church”.

February 9, 2013


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The foundation stone of religious freedom


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"The Next Pope is John Paul II, Again" Watch the Video produced by World's Last Chance (2007)




And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.


Revelation 17:9-11

We recognize that the Papacy is the first Beast of Revelation 17.  But, we can not know who will be the last pope unless we rely on another source, not the Holy Scriptures. 

Let's take a look again at an un-Biblical prophecy spread on the internet 6 years ago supposedly based on the verses above: 


According to World's Last Chance, the prophecy explains that an evil angel disguised as the 'resurrected' John Paul II will claim to have a message from heaven. He will assert that the continually increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters - which will be multiple times worse than the catastrophic tornadoes that raked across central Florida recently, or even Hurricane Katrina - are due to God's displeasure for disregarding Sunday as His Sabbath day. As a result, all those who insist on keeping God's true Sabbath (Saturday) will be regarded as the cause of the fearful convulsions of nature, strife and bloodshed among men that are filling the earth with unrivaled pain and suffering. 
Under the influence of the Papacy's 'resurrected' prodigy and the Protestants of the United States, the USA will enforce National Sunday Laws. Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected. All people will be obliged to observe the false Sabbath (Sunday). All who refuse compliance will be visited with escalating civil penalties until it will finally be declared that they are deserving of death.

To watch the video on how John Paul II impersonated will be the next pope, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUH4fu4NheQ, or here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3069268071095400057&hl=en.
For an in-depth study that unlocks the keys to this prophecy and reveals more details on the secret agenda of John Paul II impersonated, click here: http://www.worldslastchance.com/next_and_last_pope.php



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10, 11, 12.



  • Yesterday the 10th of February was the Lunar New Year (Chinese year of the Water Snake), 
  • Today the 11thJoseph Ratzinger aka Benedict 16 announced that he will step down as the head of the Roman Catholic Church at the end of the month; 
  • And tomorrow the 12th, Barack Obama gives his first State of the Union Address after his reelection and his new term in office.   
  • Meanwhile, Hugo Chavez is still recovering in Cuba...


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CIA admits full monitoring of Facebook, Google, Youtube and other social networks




menacetosicksocietys·


Published on Aug 9, 2012


http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/22...

Known "Disinformation Agents" and "Propaganda Pushers" on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MisterTho...
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheCaptai...
http://www.youtube.com/user/CivilRigh...
http://www.youtube.com/user/Obnoxious...
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAmazin...
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheLawGiv...
http://www.youtube.com/user/mrx00666
http://www.youtube.com/user/MimicaWan...
http://www.youtube.com/user/SENTIENTMIND
http://www.youtube.com/user/thumminxy
http://www.youtube.com/user/iwanttocr...
http://www.youtube.com/user/RonaldoDe...
http://www.youtube.com/user/Nemisis99
http://www.youtube.com/user/Kennykpz1979
http://www.youtube.com/user/Kennykpz1984
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMajorM...
http://www.youtube.com/user/AquiredCents
http://www.youtube.com/user/AgentShill
http://www.youtube.com/user/imaredhea...

Infiltration methods used on the internet. How to recognize fake bloggers, disinfo agents, misdirection and all those passing themselves off as ordinary net surfers. A common disinformation tactic is to mix some truth and observation with false conclusions and lies, or to reveal part of the truth while presenting it as the whole." ( in order to mislead, confuse and misdirect)

Original credit: Killuminati

http://www.scribd.com/doc/66281284/Fr...

I. Introduction
Social media platforms are changing the way organizations are communicating to the public Conversations are happening all the time and everywhere.
There is need for the Communications Group to be timely and proactively aware of the reactions and opinions expressed by the general public as it relates to the Federal Reserve and its actions on a variety of subjects.

II. Social Listening Platforms
Social media listening platforms are solutions that gather data from various social media outlets and news sources. They monitor billions of conversations and generate text analytics based on predefined criteria. They can also determine the sentiment of a speaker or writer with respect to some topic or document.
The information gathered can guide the organizations public relations group in assessing the effectiveness of communication strategies.

Here are some of the services it can offer:
o Track reach and spread of your messages and press releases
o Handle crisis situations
o Continuously monitor conversations
o Identify and reach out to key bloggers and influencers
o Spot emerging trends, discussions themes and topics

A. Geographic scope of social media sites
The solution must support content coming from different countries and geographical regions. It should also support multiple languages.

B. Content and Data Types
The solution must be able to gather data from the primary social media platforms --Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Forums and YouTube. It should also be able to aggregate data from various media outlets such as: CNN, WSJ, Factiva etc.

C. Reports and Metrics
The solution must provide real-time monitoring of relevant conversations. It should provide sentiment analysis (positive, negative or neutral) around key conversational topics. It must be able to provide summaries or high level overviews of a specific set of topics. It should have a configurable dashboard that can easily be accessed by internal analysts or management. The dashboard must support customization by user or group access. The solution should provide an alerting mechanism that automatically sends out reports or notifications based a predefined trigger.

D. FRBNY Technology Integration
The solution must be able to integrate with existing FRBNY technologies such as: Google Search appliance, Lotus notes suite and web trends.It must have support for single sign on or windows integrated authentication.

E. Cost Structure
The solution should offer a flexible pricing structure that can support multiple user licensing. It should also have the option to base pricing on content volume and usage. Supplier acknowledges an understanding of and agrees to comply with the above minimum solutions requirements.

COINTELPRO Online Mission Statement:
-Clutter Search Engines
-Spread Disinformation
-Discredit Truthers and activists
-Scare/mislead newcomers
-Incite distrust
-Incite racial/religious tension
-Espionage
-Pose as Conspiracy theorist

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Ratzinger - Bishop of Rome To Resign



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/pope-benedict-to-resign-citing-age-and-waning-energy/2013/02/11/f9e90aa6-743b-11e2-8f84-3e4b513b1a13_story.html

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Sunday, February 10, 2013

The Running Man ~ True Lies



They can't make this stuff up!

Or, can they?

 Anything is possible now a days.
False Flag Operations?

I've recently been thinking about the current rouge cop from California on the run having shot and killed cops and civillians. 

As I write/wrote these words down -

Newsflash:  The City of Los Angeles just announced a 1 Million Dollars ($1,000,000) reward for the arrest or the body of Chris Dorner (Drone-R).

As I considered many of the details (ex-cop, Naval Special Operations, and SWAT Teams) about the fugitive, I am reminded of Arnold Schwarzenegger's string of movie roles, specifically THE RUNNING MAN.  The general location where the assailant went on a rampage, a killing spree and current manhunt is near HOLLYWOOD, California: the home of the entertainment industry (lala-land) where most of the GOVERNATOR'S movies were filmed.  
This situation also reminds me of Predator, Commando, and the Terminator series. While we are speaking of Schwarzenegger films, I believe the case is going on The 6th Day and the Last Action Hero may soon reach 'his' End of Days

Does this look like the script of The Running Man?

Is this like a crime version of the Bull Run of Pamplona Spain?

Are all these incidents just True Lies


llllllllllllllllllllll


Some of Schwarzenegger's movies:


The Terminator 1984 The Terminator/T-800

Commando 1985 John Matrix

Predator 1987 Major Alan "Dutch" Schaeffer

The Running Man 1987 Ben Richards 

Total Recall 1990 Douglas Quaid/Hauser

Kindergarten Cop 1990 Detective John Kimble

Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991 The Terminator/T-800

Last Action Hero 1993 Jack Slater/Himself 

True Lies 1994 Harry Tasker

Eraser 1996 U.S. Marshal John 'The Eraser' Kruger

End of Days 1999 Jericho Cane

The 6th Day 2000 Adam Gibson/Adam Gibson Clone

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines 2003 The Terminator/T-850







Have Pastors Forsaken America?






HAVE PASTORS FORSAKEN AMERICA?
PART 1



By Pastor Roger Anghis
February 10, 2013
NewsWithViews.com

As we watch America spiraling down into oblivion we have to ask how this happened. How did we let America be turned into a nation of people who demand that government take care of them instead of the nation of hard working, independent and self reliant people that founded this nation?

To answer this we have to look at what influenced the Founders and what influences today's society. Let's begin with what influenced the Founders. During the education years of the Founders there was only one major influence in the lives of the Founders and that was the Pastors. In the 1600's and early 1700's the pastors were the most influential person in the community. These pastors were more than simple people who gave a cute sermon on Sunday mornings. They were the leaders of the community. They were the teachers. They carried so much influence in the community that the British labeled them The Black Regiment for the color of the robes that they wore.[1] These pastors did not beat around the bush with their interpretation of scripture. They used the Bible for their foundation of morals.

These men were men of honor and integrity. They preached that Christians should live in the fullness of God’s Word. There were sermons on the deity of Christ, on Christmas, on Easter, but there were also sermons on other varied topics that you would not hear preached today such as sermons on bridges [architecture], earthquakes, taxes, elections, even executions. Whatever was in the forefront of the people’s daily lives, the pastors would address it from a Biblical perspective. They were always out front in the fight for freedom. They helped write state constitutions, were the founders of most of our colleges and universities such as Yale, Harvard, Columbia [Kings College], Princeton, William and Mary, Dartmouth, and Rutgers University.[2]

Church historian Charles Galloway regarded the pastors of the Founding era to be the pillars of the community. He declared: Mighty men they were, of iron nerve and strong hand and unblanched cheek and heart of flame. God needed not reeds shaken by the wind, not men clothed in soft raiment [Matthew 11:7-8], but heroes of hardihood and lofty courage. . . . And such were the sons of the mighty who responded to the Divine call.[3]

Today's pastors, for the most part, do not have iron nerve nor a strong hand and unblanched cheek and their hearts are cold. They stay as far away from politics as they can. As proof of this in 2005 I assembled a meeting for pastors to help them understand the church's proper role in the political arena. I invited 200 pastors and had a sitting U.S. Congressman as the keynote speaker and a local State Senator also spoke. Of the 200 pastors invited only one showed up. Several lay people did attend but only one pastor. In speaking with some pastors most has no problem with the way the government had regulated the church's out of the political arena. The pastors today covet the 501 (c) 3 more than they fear God. Today's pastors won't preach against sin or even call sin a sin any more. I heard one very prominent TV preacher say that the "Worst thing a preacher can do is remind the people of their sin." He even fired his son for preaching from the Bible.

The pastors of the Founding era taught morality. The morality found in the Bible. They were the teachers that reminded the people that they were a free people and that they were to resist any type of tyranny. In 1676 Christian minister William Penn wrote the governing document for West Jersey and stated concerning the type of government that had been established:

We lay a foundation for after ages to understand their liberty . . . that they may not be brought in bondage but by their own consent, for we put the power in the people.[4]

The pastors today have no grounding in this type of teaching. They stay away from anything that looks political including abortion and same-sex marriage issues. They have come to believe that these issues are political and not just a moral issue.

Daniel Webster, the great Defender of the Constitution, stated his belief of the role that the pastors played in developing the representative type of government that has made America the greatest nation on earth:

[T]o the free and universal reading of the Bible in that time men were much indebted for right views of civil liberty.[5]

The Christian ministers of the late 1600’s and early 1700’s were not weak preachers that we see today. They stood their ground under all conditions unrelenting in their fight for justice and resisting encroachments on the civil and religious liberties that they had helped secure.

As an example of their willingness to fight for the rights and liberties that they helped establish an instance arose where the crown appointed Governor Edmund Andros attempted to seize the charters of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, revoke the representative government and force the establishment of the British Anglican Church. Opposition to this attempt to revoke the freedoms and liberties they believed was the God ordained government they were to live by was led by the leaders of the church, the Revs. Samuel Willard, Increase Mather, and especially the Rev. John Wise.[6]

Reverend Wise was so instrumental in that opposition that he was imprisoned by Governor Andros. Even then he refused to back away from his stand for freedom that, even while imprisoned, in 1710 and 1717 two documents declaring that democracy was God’s ordained government in both church and State.[7] These documents gave reason for historians to refer to Reverend Wise as ‘The Father of American Democracy.”[8]

Too many of today's pastors preach a mamby pamby message and don't have the guts to stand for anything. After the Revolutionary War the pastors stood strong on legal immigration. Today we see pastors calling for amnesty for all those that have broken our laws and some even call for open borders. No nation has been able to sustain an open border policy. A prosperous nation is brought to its knees allowing that because the economy cannot sustain an unrestrained influx of people. We are seeing that today. We have refused to close our borders since the 1960's and now we have way too many people coming to enjoy the prosperity of America. Most are coming illegally and we, the church, foolishly encourage it.

Our pastors used to fight for what is right, now they fight for what is popular. Pastors used to teach godly morals and principles but now they sway to and fro with the winds of public opinion. the Bible says in Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;. The pastors of America has lost their zeal for the things of God. Some never really had it to begin with. We are allowing the government to tell us what we can and cannot do. This is a sign of a church with no backbone.

Today's kids are influenced by MTV and video games and soft to hard porn on TV. They aren't allowed to learn America's real history but they can learn about islam. When they get to college most of the professors are liberals that tear down America instead of teaching the great attributes of America that made her the greatest nation the world has ever seen. Bibles are no longer allowed in schools so what influenced our Founders does not influenced today's generation. Nothing of substance is put before the eyes of today's youth. They are not taught about patriotism, honor, morality or personal responsibility. They are taught that they are victims instead of champions. Our future is in the hands of uninformed, uneducated and irresponsible people who don't know who they really are. Ignorant of their real heritage and believing the lies of the liberal left.

© 2013 Roger Anghis - All Rights Reserved

Footnotes:

1. Boston Gazette, December 7, 1772, article by "Israelite," and Boston Weekly Newsletter, January 11, 1776, article by Peter Oliver, British official. See also Peter Oliver, Peter Oliver's Origin & Progress of the American Rebellion, Douglas Adair and John A. Schutz, editors (San Marino California: The Huntington Library, 1961), pp. 29, 41-45; Carl Bridenbaugh, Mitre and Sceptre (New York: Oxford University Press, 1962), p. 334; and Alice M. Baldwin, The New England Clergy and the American Revolution (New York: Frederick Ungar, 1958), pp. 98, 155.
2. Pastor Roger Anghis, Defining America's Exceptionalism, (WestBow Press 2012) p.127
3. Charles B. Galloway, Christianity and the American Commonwealth (Nashville, TN: Publishing House Methodist Episcopal Church, 1898), p. 77.
4. Ernest Sutherland Bates, American Faith (New York: W. W. Norton & Company Inc., 1940), pp. 186-187.
5. Daniel Webster, Address Delivered at Bunker Hill, June 17, 1843, on the Completion of the Monument (Boston: T. R. Marvin, 1843), p. 31.
6. John Fiske, The Beginnings of New England (Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1898), pp. 267-272.
7. John Wise, A Vindication of the Government of New- England Churches(Boston: John Boyles, 1772), p. 45.
8. "Top Ipswich Patriots by Thomas Franklin Waters & Mrs. Eunice Whitney Farley Felten," Lord Family Album, 1927




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310,000 still without power in the Northeast


Posted on Sunday, 02.10.13


THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


BOSTON -- More than 310,000 homes and businesses remain without electricity following the massive snowstorm that swept across the Northeast, with most outages in hard-hit Massachusetts.

Utilities in Massachusetts are reporting more than 234,000 of their power customers still in the dark Sunday afternoon, down from more than 400,000.

The storm started Friday night and dumped up to 3 feet of snow and knocked out power to more than 650,000 homes and businesses in eight states, from Maine to Pennsylvania.

About 55,580 customers in Rhode Island and more than 16,000 in Connecticut still were without power Sunday afternoon.

Power still had not been restored to 3,800 customers in New York, down from nearly 12,000.


Source
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Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/10/3226953/310000-still-without-power-in.html#storylink=cpy

5 dead in cruise ship lifeboat drill in Spain

News: World

February 10, 2013 | Modified: February 10, 2013 at 2:45 pm


An orange rescue boat docks by a capsized lifeboat, obscured behind, from the British-operated cruise ship Thomson Majesty in Santa Cruz port of the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain, Sunday Feb. 10, 2013. A lifeboat from the Thomson Majesty fell into the sea at port in Spain’s Canary Islands, killing five people and injuring three others Sunday, officials said. Rescue personnel were called to the dockside after a lifeboat with occupants had fallen overboard from a cruise ship. Spanish national broadcaster RTVE said an emergency training drill was taking place at the time of the accident. (AP Photo/Manuel Gonzalez)

AP Staff WriterThe Associated Press



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LA PALMA, Canary Islands (AP) — A lifeboat from a British-operated cruise ship fell upside down into the sea at port in Spain's Canary Islands during a safety drill, killing five crew members and injuring three others Sunday, officials said. About 1,400 passengers were on board, but none were involved in the accident.

Thomson Cruises confirmed the incident involving the Thomson Majesty ship on the island of La Palma, saying "there have sadly been five crew fatalities and three crew injuries." One of the three injured was discharged from a hospital, and the other two were also expected to be allowed to leave the medical facility.

Investigators were trying to determine what caused the lifeboat to plummet into the water.

Rescue personnel were called to the dockside at 1205 GMT (7:05 a.m. EST) after "a lifeboat with occupants had fallen overboard from a cruise ship docked at the pier of Santa Cruz port in La Palma," a regional government statement said.

A small, white two-hulled lifeboat could be seen capsized beside the large ship. Around 1,400 passengers were aboard at the time of the Thomson Majesty ship, but were not in any way involved in the accident, authorities said.

The ship had been due to sail Sunday afternoon to the Portuguese port of Funchal on the mid-Atlantic island of Madeira.

Three of the dead were Indonesian men, one was a Filipino man and another was a man from Ghana, authorities said. The injured were all men, two aged 30 and another, a Greek national, was 32. They were taken by ambulance to the general hospital of La Palma.

The local authorities of La Palma canceled Carnival festivities that had been due to be held on the island Sunday, but said they would go ahead as planned on Monday.

___

Associated Press writers Harold Heckle in Madrid, and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.



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Short Cipher R Drone


Christopher Dorner


Short Cipher R Drone (Anagram)


Manhunt for ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner drags on in the California mountains

CBS News ‎- 1 hour ago
Christopher Dorner remains at large and dangerous on 4th day of hunt; officials from Mexico border to Las Vegas on alert.

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Be Singular—for Christ’s Sake




Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment. Exodus 23:2.


To be singular for singularity’s sake is positively detestable, below the dignity of a Christian, but to be singular because it is necessary to be so as the result of worshipping God and Him only, places Heaven’s dignity upon man. We must not be afraid of being singular when duty requires us to be thus to exalt and honor God.... 

Do not court singularity for the sake of being odd, but for the sake of avoiding sin and dishonor to God. And in this case we are not to mind even the multitude who are against us. “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.” 

Because the law of God is made void in our world, does it make it a virtue to transgress that law? It may appear to the world a very small matter for the Christian to be in harmony with the world by just the act of keeping Sunday for the Sabbath in the place of the seventh day, but God’s Word says the seventh day is My holy day. The man of sin says, “I make a Sabbath for you and you must keep the first day of the week.” ...

God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment, neither is it the various denominations; it is the people who love God and keep His commandments. “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). Where Christ is even among the humble few, this is Christ’s church, for the presence of the High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity can alone constitute a church.

Where two or three are present who love and obey the commandments of God, Jesus there presides, let it be in the desolate place of the earth, in the wilderness, in the city enclosed in prison walls. The glory of God has penetrated the prison walls, flooding with glorious beams of heavenly light the darkest dungeon. His saints may suffer, but their sufferings will, like the apostles of old, spread their faith and win souls to Christ and glorify His holy name. The bitterest opposition expressed by those who hate God’s great moral standard of righteousness should not and will not shake the steadfast soul who trusts fully in God.... 

They that will be doers of the word are building securely, and the tempest and storm of persecution will not shake their foundation, because their souls are rooted to the eternal Rock.—Letter 108, October 28, 1886, to her older sister and her husband who had not accepted the Sabbath truth. 


The Upward Look,  p.315
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Let no man deceive you by any means



1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.


5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.


11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.


13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,

17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

2 Thessalonians 
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Saturday, February 09, 2013

Vatican celebrates Knights of Malta's 900 years



7:55a.m. EST February 9, 2013


(Photo: AP)



VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Knights of Malta, one of the most peculiar organizations in the world, marked its 900th birthday Saturday with a colorful procession through St. Peter's Square, a Mass in the basilica and an audience with Pope Benedict XVI, himself a member of the onetime chivalrous order drawn from Europe's nobility.

The Knights are at once a Roman Catholic religious order, an aid group that runs soup kitchens, hospitals and ambulance services around the globe, and a sovereign entity that prints its own passports and enjoys diplomatic relations with 104 countries — yet has no country to call its own.

Some 4,000 people — volunteers in neon orange civil protection suits, children in red berets and members each draped in a black cloak with a white, eight-pointed Maltese Cross on the front — processed through St. Peter's Square and into the basilica for the Mass marking the 900th anniversary of the order's recognition by the Holy See.

After the Mass, which was celebrated by the Vatican No. 2, Benedict came to the basilica for an audience during which he thanked the order for its service and urged it to continue providing health care for the world's neediest while staying true to its Christian ideals.

The order's work, he said, "is not mere philanthropy but an effective expression and a living testimony of evangelical love."

The order traces its history to an 11th century infirmary in Jerusalem set up by a monk to care for pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. During the Crusades, as the order's humanitarian efforts spread, it took on a military role to protect pilgrims and Christendom as a whole from Muslim attacks. In February 1113 Pope Paschal II recognized the order with a papal bull establishing its sovereign status by saying it was independent of both lay and other religious authorities.

During its heyday, would-be members had to prove nobility through all eight great-grandparents. Such requirements are now largely relaxed except in some European countries. Still, the order's members are drawn from some of the world's wealthiest Catholics, who fund its health clinics, homeless shelters and old folks' homes in 120 countries and rally for special appeals when disasters strike.

Sixty of the 13,500 members are so-called "professed knights," who make vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and live like monks, albeit without being ordained priests.

The order's international legal status is entirely unique, a sovereign entity that prints its own stamps, coins, license plates and passports, yet has no territory over which it rules. Its forces once occupied Cyprus, Rhodes and Malta, but Napoleon expelled the order from Malta in 1798, depriving it of the final patch of land it ruled.

Nevertheless, the order still enjoys many of the trappings of a small country: U.N. observer status and diplomatic relations with 104 countries, most of them in the developing world where such ties can smooth the delivery of humanitarian aid. But the United States, for one, has no relations, precisely because it's a stateless state.

In his speech Saturday, Benedict affirmed the sovereign status that the order enjoys. He acknowledged its peculiar nature, saying the order's guiding spirit "aims not to exercise power and influence of a worldly character, but in complete freedom to accomplish its own mission for the integral good of man, spirit and body ... with special regard for those whose need of hope and love is greater."


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UROKO


UROKO (full length)


Ahijab

Published on Nov 22, 2011


Uroko is the Japanese word for 'scale', as in the scale of a fish or serpent. The Japanese expression "uroko ga me kara ochiru", or, "scales fall from one's eyes" is the English equivalent of "waking up to the truth". Uroko is an attempt to strip away the fairy tales we have been told since birth, exposing the true nature of the world we live in.



In part 1: 'Bank Wars', Uroko begins to unravel the history of the establishment of the Federal Reserve system, starting with the American Revolution, the war of 1812 and the rise of the Rothschild banking dynasty.

In part 2, 'Bank Wars' continues as we learn about stockholders of the 2nd National Bank of the US such as John Jacob Astor, how Andrew Jackson killed the bank, the rise of National City Bank and the power of the bankers culminating in the assassination of Lincoln. The story continues with 'The Robber Barons', touching on the roots of the Morgan banking dynasty.

Part 3 delves into alliances between European bankers and the American industrialists they supported such as J.D. Rockefeller and E. H. Harriman, ending with a brief history of the Spanish American war.

Part 4 deals with the events leading up to passage of the Federal Reserve Act in 1913 including Roosevelt's trust-busting, the panic of 1907 and the meeting of banking house representatives at Jeckyll Island.

Part 5 looks at WWI and its true causes.

Part 6 presents excerpts from G. Edward Griffin's interview with Norman Dodd, where Dodd reveals the true nature of the tax-exempt foundations.

Part 7 deals firstly with the Council on Foreign Relations and its part in the forming of the Central Intelligence Agency, and secondly with the money trust's role in the Bolshevik Revolution and the militarization of Japan.

In Part 8 the story of the Bolsheviks concludes with the fall of Czarist Russia, followed by a foray into the true roots of the ruling elite. Topics addressed include the Dutch and British East India Companies, Freemasonry and the Templar Knights.

Part 9 continues to explore the significance of the Templar Knights and their relationship to the modern ruling elite, as well as the partnership between the hiers and descendants of the Templars and Jewish financiers in Spain and Portugal up until the Spanish Inquisition and a mirror of that relationship in Holland and England beginning in the 17th century.

Part 10 briefly addresses the Khazarian roots which connect the Jewish financiers of Europe to various ruling houses, including the Stewarts, the Hohens and the Drummond clan of Scotland. This section ends by tying the Templars to the Russells and the Skull and Bones fraternity at Yale University.

Part 11 picks up with the Skull and Bones fraternity, the Bush-Harriman-Rockefeller connection and the Brown Brothers Harriman merger. From there Brown Brothers Harriman and the Dulles Brothers' involvement in Nazi funding is touched on and the 3rd architect of the Defense Act of 1947 is named. Finally, the CIA's true reason d'etre is explained and a brief history of its involvement in coups and interventions around the world is told.

http://www.youtube.com/user/urokomovie
http://www.urokomovie.com

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