Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Obama to meet Pope Francis during March trip

David Jackson, USA TODAY 9:23 a.m. EST January 21, 2014




(Photo: Amit Dabush, AP)


President Obama will meet with Pope Francis on March 27, capping a European trip that will take him to the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy.

"The president looks forward to discussing with Pope Francis their shared commitment to fighting poverty and growing inequality," said a statement from White House press secretary Jay Carney.

During his trip in late March, Obama will participate in a nuclear security summit in the Netherlands and a U.S.-European Union summit in Belgium.

Obama also traveled to Vatican City in 2009 to meet with Pope Benedict XVI.

Carney's statement:

"As part of the United States' ongoing consultations with our allies and partners in Europe and beyond, President Obama will travel to the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy in March 2014. While in the Netherlands on March 24-25, the president will participate in the Nuclear Security Summit, hosted by the Dutch government, where world leaders will highlight progress made to secure nuclear materials and commit to future steps to prevent nuclear terrorism. He will also hold bilateral events with Dutch officials.

"From the Netherlands, the president will travel to Brussels on March 26 for a U.S.-EU Summit with the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission. This will be President Obama's first visit to the EU institutions. While in Belgium, the president will also hold bilateral events with Belgian Government officials and with the NATO Secretary General.

"The president will continue on to Vatican City on March 27 to meet with His Holiness, Pope Francis. The president looks forward to discussing with Pope Francis their shared commitment to fighting poverty and growing inequality. In Rome, the president will meet with President (Giorgio) Napolitano and Prime Minister (Enrico) Letta."


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Saturday, January 18, 2014

Happy Sabbath Brethren!


By these solemn warnings the people will be stirred.,

 Former Vatican Chief Prosecutor of Clerical Sexual Abuse Charles Scicluna, appearing at the U.N.'s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, on Thursday. 
 Martial Trezzini/EPA/Landov


The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not. While the observance of the false sabbath in compliance with the law of the state, contrary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God's law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God.

Heretofore those who presented the truths of the third angel's message have often been regarded as mere alarmists. Their predictions that religious intolerance would gain control in the United States, that church and state would unite to persecute those who keep the commandments of God, have been pronounced groundless and absurd. It has been confidently declared that this land could never become other than what it has been--the defender of religious freedom. But as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated, the event so long doubted and disbelieved is seen to be approaching, and the third message will produce an effect which it could not have had before.

In every generation God has sent His servants to rebuke sin, both in the world and in the church. But the people desire smooth things spoken to them, and the pure, unvarnished truth is not acceptable. Many reformers, in entering upon their work, determined to exercise great prudence in attacking the sins of the church and the nation. They hoped, by the example of a pure Christian life, to lead the people back to the doctrines of the Bible. But the Spirit of God came upon them as it came upon Elijah, moving him to rebuke the sins of a wicked king and an apostate people; they could not refrain from preaching the plain utterances of the Bible-- doctrines which they had been reluctant to present. They were impelled to zealously declare the truth and the danger which threatened souls. The words which the Lord gave them they uttered, fearless of consequences, and the people were compelled to hear the warning.

Thus the message of the third angel will be proclaimed. As the time comes for it to be given with greatest power, the Lord will work through humble instruments, leading the minds of those who consecrate themselves to His service. The laborers will be qualified rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the training of literary institutions. Men of faith and prayer will be constrained to go forth with holy zeal, declaring the words which God gives them. The sins of Babylon will be laid open. The fearful results of enforcing the observances of the church by civil authority, the inroads of spiritualism, the stealthy but rapid progress of the papal power--all will be unmasked. By these solemn warnings the people will be stirred. Thousands upon thousands will listen who have never heard words like these. In amazement they hear the testimony that Babylon is the church, fallen because of her errors and sins, because of her rejection of the truth sent to her from heaven. As the people go to their former teachers with the eager inquiry, Are these things so? the ministers present fables, prophesy smooth things, to soothe their fears and quiet the awakened conscience. But since many refuse to be satisfied with the mere authority of men and demand a plain "Thus saith the Lord," the popular ministry, like the Pharisees of old, filled with anger as their authority is questioned, will denounce the message as of Satan and stir up the sin-loving multitudes to revile and persecute those who proclaim it.

As the controversy extends into new fields and the minds of the people are called to God's downtrodden law, Satan is astir. The power attending the message will only madden those who oppose it. The clergy will put forth almost superhuman efforts to shut away the light lest it should shine upon their flocks. By every means at their command they will endeavor to suppress the discussion of these vital questions. The church appeals to the strong arm of civil power, and, in this work, papists and Protestants unite. As the movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked against commandment keepers. They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages, as inducements to renounce their faith. But their steadfast answer is: "Show us from the word of God our error"--the same plea that was made by Luther under similar circumstances. Those who are arraigned before the courts make a strong vindication of the truth, and some who hear them are led to take their stand to keep all the commandments of God. Thus light will be brought before thousands who otherwise would know nothing of these truths.
 
The Great Controversy, pp.605-607
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Thursday, January 16, 2014

Archdiocese: Relocating priests after sex abuse allegation ‘a mistake’




BY FRANCINE KNOWLES
Religion Reporter January 15, 2014 8:33AM



Article Extras



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Updated: January 16, 2014 2:31AM



In the past, priests from the Archdiocese of Chicago with substantiated allegations of child sex abuse were sometimes relocated to another parish, but that wasn’t a cover-up, an archdiocese representative said Wednesday — the same day local church officials released documents to attorneys detailing accusations against dozens of priests.

The relocations happened “after” the priests underwent therapy, Bishop Francis Kane, vicar general of the archdiocese, told reporters at the archdiocese’s Near North Side offices. “You wouldn’t do that today. That’s something we learned.

“One of the things that we’ve learned is that we sent people off for evaluation and we got reports back saying. . .it’s safe to put them back in ministry” with monitoring, Kane said. “We found out that isn’t true. That was a mistake. We didn’t realize the depth of this terrible, terrible sin and crime . . . child sex abuse.”

The documents released to attorneys representing those who filed sex abuse lawsuits won’t be made public for at least a week, but Kane told reporters on Wednesday what the public can expect, including details about priest relocations.

The lawsuits triggered an agreement for the archdiocese to turn the documents over to attorneys representing those who filed sex abuse lawsuits against clergy.

In the thousands of pages of documents being released are allegations involving 30 archdiocesan priests. To date, 14 of those priests are dead and the remaining are no longer in ministry. About 95 percent of the reported incidents occurred prior to 1988 and none after 1996; all of the cases were reported to civil authorities.

But plaintiffs’ attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents sexual abuse victims and received the documents on their behalf, took issue with the mistake label and said the archdiocese’s actions put children at risk.

“We see this as a long-standing pattern of top officials of the archdiocese making conscious choices to protect their reputation and to protect the offenders,” he said. “That means conscious choices were made to imperil the children over the years.”

He said to the extent that there’s accountability and transparency through the revealing of the documents, “that is to the credit of the courageous survivors with whom we’ve been working. [It is] our hope that children will be safer . . . by revealing the past because it makes it less likely to be repeated and brings healing to the survivors who can know that they have done something to protect other kids . . . and let the truth be known.”

To date the archdiocese has paid out about $100 million to victims of sexual abuse, and the money has come from the sale of land, not from collections, Kane said.

Of the past “mistakes” made, “I don’t think that any of them were intended to promote or allow child abuse to continue, and how we treated people back then is different than what we do today,” Kane said.

He added, “There was no intention of covering up.”

But representatives of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests say the archdiocese should be doing more, including publishing the names of priests accused of sexual abuse who belong to religious orders.

“If Cardinal George is going to profess to be accountable and transparent, he must stop hiding any information he has regarding any child abuse, order priests or not order priests … for the best interest not of his best interest not of the best interest of the church or the archdiocese [but] for the best interest of children,” SNAP spokeswoman Kate Bochte said at a news conference outside the archdiocese Wednesday.

Archdiocese representatives said they don’t publish the names of priests who belong to religious orders because they are under the jurisdiction of their respective orders that alone have the documents related to their service.

“Any priest that is now assigned to Chicago, we have the assurance of their . . . superior that they are people that have gone through background checks that they are safe to be assigned to a ministry in Chicago,” Kane said.

The archdiocese website lists 65 priests with allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor who are no longer in ministry, because the allegations were substantiated by the archdiocese’s review process. The list includes substantiated allegations since 1950.

The archdiocese has said it will provide more detailed information on the remaining priests, but Wednesday could not specify when.

Email: fknowles@suntimes.com

Twitter: @KnowlesFran


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Vietnamese Jesuits mark 400 years of mission with a solemn Mass


01/11/2014 10:01
VIETNAM


The Holy Year ends on 18 January 2015, exactly four centuries after the Jesuits set foot in the country for the first time. In order to mark the occasion, they set up a website listing all major events associated with the anniversary. One of the aims of the commemoration is the spiritual renewal of the members of the Society of Jesus and those who have adopted its charism.




Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews/EDA) - Vietnamese Jesuits are planning to start the Holy Year, on 18 January, to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Jesuit missionaries in the Asian country. On 18 January 1615, the first members of the Society of Jesus reached Vietnam on ships that docked in the port of Hoi An as part of a delegation of Japanese Christians who had fled their homeland because of an ongoing campaign of persecution against them.

Although not the first missionaries in the country - others had already brought the message of the Gospel to the country - the Jesuits' arrival was a milestone in the history of Vietnam's evangelisation. In order to honour the event, the local chapter of the Society of Jesus is sponsoring a number of activities, including a webpage listing all the events that will take place during the yearlong celebration. The first will be a solemn Mass celebrated at the Cathedral of Our Lady in Saigon by Mgr Paul Bui Von Doc.

One of the first aims of the Holy Year will be to foster spiritual renewal of the members of the Society, and all those who have adopted the charism of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The goal will be to strengthen the missionary spirit in the country and help Christians know (and teach) the history of evangelisation in Vietnam and the contribution of Christianity to its development. Jesuit missionaries settled in the country gradually, starting in January 1615. The first two members of the Society to set foot in Vietnam were Fr François Busomi and Fr Diego Carvalho, accompanied by three Japanese Christians. Other Jesuits followed, making a great contribution in the fields of religion and culture.

One of them, Alexandre de Rhodes, developed the existing writing system of the Vietnamese language (Quoc Ngu) and drafted a version of the catechism for Vietnamese Catholics. Vietnam has a population of 87 million, 48 per cent Buddhists, more than 7 per cent Catholics, 5.6 per cent syncretistic in their religious practice and 20 per cent atheist. As a small, albeit significant minority, the Christian community is particularly active in education, health and social affairs. Conversely, religious freedom has been steadily eroded. Under Decree 92, more controls and restrictions have been imposed on religious practice, increasingly subordinated to the Communist Party and the one-party state.


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Priest dismissed from Society of Jesus had 'lost his way'


By Carl Bunderson


Priests. Credit: Jefrey Bruno/CNA.

Baltimore, Md., Jan 16, 2014 / 12:03 am (CNA).- Father John Dear, a longtime activist for peace and nonviolence who has been dismissed from the Jesuits, is impassioned yet wayward according to a source long familiar with the Society of Jesus.

Fr. Dear was recently dismissed from the order for disobedience, after failing to respond to a request from his superior to reside in Baltimore.

“I'm not unsympathetic, but…when you join the Jesuits, or any religious order, it presupposes availability to mission…it's a very important thing in the Jesuits, and Dear isn't available for anything except what he wants to do,” a source who has been close to the society for several decades told CNA.

Fr. James Shea, head of the Maryland province of the Society, to which Fr. Dear belonged, said, “Fr. John Dear's dismissal from the Society of Jesus” was “following an extended period of dialogue between the leadership of the Maryland Province and John regarding his ministerial assignment and time he requested to discern his vocation.”

“The process was initiated in the fall of 2012 after John declined to return to his Province to live in a Jesuit community while continuing his ministry of peace and social justice, including lecturing and writing.”

Fr. Dear, who remains a priest yet has not been granted faculties by the bishop of his place of residence, entered the Society of Jesus in 1982 and was ordained a priest in 1993. He has led protests against nuclear weapons at Los Alamos, N.M., and the Jesuits' cooperation with such programs as ROTC, was involved in efforts against apartheid, and is dedicated to his vision of “the nonviolent Jesus.”

He has been arrested several times for civil disobedience in connection with his protests against weaponry and the military, and has written numerous books on nonviolence and peace.

Fr. Dear made his dismissal public in a Jan. 7 blog post at the National Catholic Reporter, weeks after it took effect on Dec. 20, 2013.

According to the Reporter, a notification of his dismissal, signed by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Adolfo Nicolas Pachon, said the priest had been “obstinately disobedient to the lawful order of Superiors in a grave matter,” and “was duly informed ... that his failure to obey the command that he return to the specified house of the Order by a specified date would be cause for his dismissal from the Society of Jesus.”

Fr. Dear told CNA Jan. 9 that his parting of ways with the Jesuits followed a realization that “I didn't think I would be able to continue my life's work to continue to work for peace, justice” in the society, and claimed to have “always been obedient,” while saying that “the order has radically changed” since the time he entered.

“I've known other Jesuits who have been very active publicly for justice and peace who went to their deaths very bitter,” and “I didn't want to do that.”

The priest believes that to follow Jesus means “to work to end killing and poverty, and to promote peace, love, and nonviolence, and justice, as he teaches in the Sermon on the Mount.”

“Was Jesus violence or nonviolent?” he asked. “If he's nonviolent, then we have to be nonviolent, or we're not like him; we're not following him, and it's all a big game.”

Fr. Dear acknowledged that “ultimately, you could say that what happened to me is a question of theology. I'm arguing that Jesus and God are nonviolent,” he said, while “the bishops and the Jesuit leaders” hold to theories which allow for war and violence under certain circumstances.

The source who spoke with CNA said that one can suspect that Fr. Dear “has a very unique take on nonviolence, on who Christ is,” and “obsesses that Jesus is all about nothing but the notion of peace, and, as far as I can tell, the peace that the world gives; not the dynamic peace of Christ.”

The source characterized Fr. Dear as “taking something that is a truth, and trying to turn it into all truth…he's really gotten into this particular subculture” rooted in the late 1960s and the vision of Fr. Daniel Berrigan, a Jesuit who protested against the Vietnam war and destroyed draft files.

“John Dear didn't just drop from the sky, he's a creation of the 1970s of the Jesuits” and does “reflect the spirit of the 32nd General Congregation of the Jesuits…he's taken the ball and run with it to incredible lengths.”

Fr. Dear “was formed in a certain way of being a Jesuit in the 1980s, and that has all changed,” the source affirmed. “He was formed…in a different vision” in which there “was a lot of good,” yet was “defective” in some ways.

“When you join the Jesuits, or any religious order, it presupposes availability to mission … that's a key word, availability for mission. Are you available for missioning?”

Fr. Dear “made a choice,” the source said, commenting that obedience and availability for mission are in a sense identical.

“I think the big issue is one of obedience. When the provincial asks you, or tells you, to come back to province, you obey him…a lot of the Jesuit identity is to be sent on mission: and so you're missioned to whatever you're doing by the provincial.”

The source acknowledged “a certain sympathy” with Fr. Dear, calling him a man of “tremendous vision, and dedication.”

“But he lost his way.”


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The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be


The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:9
 
<^>

“It is a fearful thing to treat lightly the truth which has convinced our understanding and touched our hearts. We cannot with impunity reject the warnings which God in mercy sends us. A message was sent from heaven to the world in Noah’s day, and the salvation of men depended upon the manner in which they treated that message. Because they rejected the warning, the Spirit of God was withdrawn from the sinful race, and they perished in the waters of the flood. In the time of Abraham, mercy ceased to plead with the guilty inhabitants of Sodom, and all but Lot with his wife and two daughters were consumed by the fire sent down from heaven. So in the days of Christ. The Son of God declared to the unbelieving Jews of that generation, ‘Your house is left unto you desolate.’ Looking down to the last days, the same infinite power declares, concerning those who ‘received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved,’ ‘For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.’ As they reject the teachings of His Word, God withdraws His Spirit, and leaves them to the deceptions which they love.”]
 

Early Writings, p.45
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Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Gates: Obama Made Solid Decisions, But Was Swayed By Factious Staff



by Eyder Peralta and Mark Memmott
January 13, 201412:01 AM




Robert Gates in June 2011, his last month as secretary of defense. Alex Brandon/AP


This is Part I of Morning Edition's interview with Robert Gates. Part II and a link to the complete transcript are below.



Listen to the Story
Morning Edition
9 min 0 sec



Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says his criticism of President Obama is more nuanced than , Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War, would have you believe.

In a long and surprisingly frank interview with Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep, Gates talked about his relationship with the commander in chief and his rivalry with Vice President Joe Biden, and described a deep rift between the approaches of senior military leadership and Obama's young Cabinet.


Part II of the 'Morning Edition' conversation with Robert Gates





Gates, the only secretary of defense in U.S. history to keep his job with a newly elected president, said Obama was always kind to him personally and that Obama always made "decisions based on what he thought was in the best interest of U.S. national security."

However, he said, he always felt Obama thought the military was trying to force his hand on certain decisions. Gates explained that early in Obama's first term, generals and other high-ranking officials were making public statements essentially saying their strategy was the only one that would work, leaving the impression that Obama had no other choices. The suspicion that resulted, Gates said, was only fueled by the president's Cabinet.




An example of that, Gates said, was the surge in Afghanistan. , that's the part of Gates' book that has stirred the most controversy, because he implied that Obama lacked passion and approved the 2009 troop surge "believing the strategy would fail."

Gates said Obama didn't go into the surge believing it would fail; instead he was led to that belief by his Cabinet and especially by Biden.

That's when Steve asked Gates about perhaps the most explosive statement in his book: that Biden has been wrong about every foreign policy issue for 40 years.

Gates explained:


"First of all, I think it's fair to say that particularly on Afghanistan, the vice president was my — he and I were on opposite sides of the fence on this issue.

"And he was in there advising the president every day. He was, I think, stoking the president's suspicion of the military. But the other side of it is, frankly, I believe it. The vice president, when he was a senator — a very new senator — voted against the aid package for South Vietnam, and the — that was part of the deal when we pulled out of South Vietnam to try and help them survive. He said that when the, when the Shah fell in Iran in 2009 — 1979, rather — that that was a step forward for progress toward human rights in Iran. He opposed virtually every element of President Reagan's defense buildup. He voted against the B-1, the B-2, the MX and so on. He voted against the first Gulf War. So on a number of these major issues, I just — I, frankly, over a long period of time, felt that he had been on the wrong — he'd been — I think he had been wrong."

Perhaps one of the more insightful parts of the interview was when Gates talked about the young members of Obama's National Security Council.

He described a clash of cultures in which those young members eschewed the chain of command. Gates, and whose service dates back to 1966 when he joined the CIA, said he had a "different world outlook and a different experience."

Here's part of the exchange:


INSKEEP: You seem considerably less respectful of the president's staff than you were of the president himself.

GATES: Well, I had a lot of battles with those folks. And, frankly, my attitudes were shaped by the fact that I worked in the White House on the National Security Council staff and as deputy national security adviser for nearly nine years under four presidents. And I had certain ideas about how the national security staff and how the White House staff ought to comport themselves in discussions on national security and military issues. And let's just say that the way it worked under — in the Obama White House — was not anything like I had seen before.

I had worked for probably three of the most significant and toughest national security advisers in our history: Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scowcroft. And there were things that went on in the Obama White House that, under those three guys, I am confident would have been a firing offense, such as direct calls from NSC staff members to four-star generals and so on. That just wouldn't have been allowed.

INSKEEP: Oh, they should have gone through the chain of command, you think, or through the hierarchy?

GATES: Absolutely — absolutely.

INSKEEP: And they were effectively giving orders or going around their own nominal bosses on the staff? That's what you're saying?

GATES: Well, I think the key is what you said. They were going outside the chain of command. It's not appropriate for somebody on the National Security Council staff to be in direct contact with combatant commanders.

Gates did not lay all the blame on Obama and his Cabinet. He also talked about his failures.

"At the end of the book, I also point out that I think we all did a disservice to President Obama, because the debate on Afghanistan became so divisive that the opportunities to reach across those differences I think were missed," Gates said.


"I fault myself for not reaching out more to the vice president to see where we could find common ground, because at the end of the day, in a number of important respects, I don't think our positions were that far apart. But because of the environment, because of the suspicion, because of the — just the flavor of the debate and the difficulty between the Department of Defense and the National Security Council staff, I think that those edges were sharper than they needed to be, and that's partly my responsibility."

Much more of Steve's interview with Gates is on Monday's Morning Edition. to find a local NPR member station that carries the program. We'll also post the as-aired version of the interview on this post. .

Update at 9:55 a.m. ET, Jan. 13: Now that the audio of Morning Edition's as-broadcast conversation with Gates is available, we've added it — in two parts, as they did on the radio. To simplify our layout, we've removed the small clips from the conversation that we posted earlier. Those moments are included in the Morning Edition clips.

Meanwhile, we've added a related post: Gates Says He Wept Each Evening Over Troops' Deaths.

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NSA implanted software on 100,000 computers: Report




AP Photo: Patrick Semansky, File A sign outside the National Security Administration campus in Fort Meade, Md., in a June 6, 2013, file photo.


  4 hr ago By Associated Press




The New York Times reported that the NSA has implanted software in nearly 100,000 computers outside the U.S. to conduct surveillance on those machines.

WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency has implanted software in nearly 100,000 computers around the world — but not in the United States — that allows the U.S. to conduct surveillance on those machines, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

The Times cited NSA documents, computer experts and U.S. officials in its report about the use of secret technology using radio waves to gain access to computers that other countries have tried to protect from spying or cyberattacks. The software network could also create a digital highway for launching cyberattacks, the Times reported.

Related: NSA reportedly intercepts computer deliveries

The Times reported that the technology, used by the agency for several years, relies on radio waves that can be transmitted from tiny circuit boards and USB cards inserted covertly into the computers. The NSA calls the effort an "active defense" and has used the technology to monitor units of China's army, the Russian military, drug cartels, trade institutions inside the European Union, and sometime U.S. partners against terrorism like Saudi Arabia, India and Pakistan, the Times reported.

Among the most frequent targets of the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command, the Times reported, has been China's army. The United States has accused China's army of launching regular attacks on American industrial and military targets, often to steal secrets or intellectual property. When Chinese attackers have placed similar software on computer systems of American companies or government agencies, American officials have protested, the newspaper reported.

The NSA says the technology has not been used in computers in the U.S.

"NSA's activities are focused and specifically deployed against — and only against — valid foreign intelligence targets in response to intelligence requirements," Vanee Vines, an agency spokeswoman, said in a statement to the Times. "We do not use foreign intelligence capabilities to steal the trade secrets of foreign companies on behalf of — or give intelligence we collect to — U.S. companies to enhance their international competitiveness or increase their bottom line."

Parts of the program have been disclosed in documents leaked by Edward Snowden, the former NSA systems analyst, the Times reported. A Dutch newspaper published the map showing where the United States has inserted spy software, sometimes with the help of local authorities. Der Spiegel, a German newsmagazine, published information about the NSA's hardware products that can secretly transmit and receive signals from computers, according to the Times.

The Times said that it withheld some of those details, at the request of U.S. intelligence officials, when it reported in summer 2012 on American cyberattacks on Iran.

Hong Lei, a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, said Thursday that the U.S. "on one hand has been playing up the cyber threats from other countries, and on the other hand has been implementing cyber surveillance endangering the sovereignty, security and public privacy of other countries."

Hong called on the U.S. to "work with the international community to create international regulations and build a peaceful, safe, open and cooperative cyberspace."

At New Delhi's Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses, cybersecurity expert Cherian Samuel said, "If it had been any other country doing this kind of thing, the U.S. would have come down on them like a ton of bricks with punitive sanctions."

Associated Press researcher Yu Bing in Beijing and writer Nirmala George in New Delhi contributed to this report


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Adventist News Network + Eutelsat—Five Years And Access To A Wider Audience

Satnews Daily
January 15th, 2014

Adventist News Network + Eutelsat—Five Years And Access To A Wider Audience (SatBroadcasting™—Content)




[SatNews] A new satellite contract for the Seventh-day Adventist television channel in Beirut significantly expands the footprint of church media in Northern Africa and the Middle East.

Hope Channel Al Waad this month entered a five-year contract with satellite Eutelsat 7 West A, a move network officials say introduces a message of hope to a wider audience of Arabic, Turkish and Farsi speakers in the region.The French-based satellite provider Eutelsat operates Eutelsat 7 West A in close cooperation with the Egyptian satellite provider Nilesat, the largest satellite provider in the Middle East. The 2011 launch of Eutelsat 7 West A marked part of the provider’s efforts to boost broadcasting in the Middle East, Gulf States, North Africa and Northwest Africa.

Viewers using the Nilesat satellite can now reset their channel lineup to receive Adventist television in their homes. Satellite is the most common broadcast distribution method in the Middle East.

“We have been praying for this development for many years,” said Al Waad Director Amir Ghali, adding that the channel’s “peaceful, non-partisan programming” has been well received in the region since its launch in 2010.

Al Waad programs address topics such as health, education and family. The channel derives its name from the Arabic word for “promise,” offering what Ghali called “the promise of hope” to the region.

The Adventist Church infosite is located at: http://www.adventist.org/en/


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Statement to the Diplomatic Corps

pope benedict


Statement to the Diplomatic Corps

Vatican City, January 13, 2014 (Zenit.org)

…I wish to mention another threat to peace, which arises from the greedy exploitation of  environmental resources. Even if ‘nature is at our disposition’, all too often we do not ‘respect it or consider it a gracious gift which we must care for and set at the service of our brothers and sisters, including future generations’. Here too what is crucial is responsibility on the part of all in pursuing, in a spirit of fraternity, policies respectful of this earth which is our common home. I recall a popular saying: ‘God always forgives, we sometimes forgive, but when nature – creation – is mistreated, she never forgives!’. We have also witnessed the devastating effects of several recent natural disasters. In particular, I would mention once more the numerous victims and the great devastation caused in the Philippines and other countries of South-East Asia as a result of typhoon Haiyan.
 

Read more
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U.S Secretary John Kerry thinks Pope can intervene in Middle East peace process



2014-01-14



Msgr. Pietro Parolin welcomed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for a very brief meeting at the Vatican.


Now, I'm headed to Kuwait to do a major conference for Syrian refugees.

The short visit underscores the pivotal role Pope Francis has gained in international affairs since taking office.

John Kerry made the pit stop in Rome to discuss the peace process between Israel and Palestine. In the past months, he pushed for negotiations, but with no success so far.

Thank you so much for arranging this, and thank you so much for doing this on short notice.

With Pope Francis visiting the Holy Land in May, the United States sees the Pope as a key ally in pushing both sides to the negotiating table.


The meeting lasted an hour and forty minutes. Both two secretaries also talked about Syria, South Sudan, and the healthcare reform in the U.S., a big sticking point between the government and American bishops.

Before saying goodbye, Kerry introduced some of his staff. His assistant secretary of state had special words for Msgr. Parolin about the Pope.

I would like to say that Pope Francis is exciting for non-Catholics as well.

That is very good news. Thank you.




RCA
CTV
JM
-PR
Up: KLH


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Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Jesuit Order - United States Under Siege - Vatican Nazis





ReligiousMatrix

Published on Jan 11, 2014

http://religiousmatrix.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Metro.Angels...

The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu, S.J., SJ or SI) is a Christian male religious congregation of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits. The society is engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 nations on six continents. Jesuits work in education (founding schools, colleges, universities and seminaries), intellectual research, and cultural pursuits. Jesuits also give retreats, minister in hospitals and parishes and promote social justice and ecumenical dialogue.

Ignatius of Loyola founded the society after being wounded in battle and experiencing a religious conversion. He composed the Spiritual Exercises to help others follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. In 1534, Ignatius and six other young men, including Francis Xavier and Peter Faber, gathered and professed vows of poverty, chastity, and later obedience, including a special vow of obedience to the Pope. Rule 13 of Ignatius's Rules for Thinking with the Church said: "That we may be altogether of the same mind and in conformity ... if [the Church] shall have defined anything to be black which to our eyes appears to be white, we ought in like manner to pronounce it to be black."[2] Ignatius's plan of the order's organization was approved by Pope Paul III in 1540 by the bull containing the "Formula of the Institute".

Because of the military background of Ignatius and the members' willingness to accept orders anywhere in the world and to live in extreme conditions where required, the opening lines of this founding document would declare that the Society of Jesus was founded for "whoever desires to serve as a soldier of God"[3] (Spanish: "todo el que quiera militar para Dios"),[4] "to strive especially for the defense and propagation of the faith and for the progress of souls in Christian life and doctrine."[5] Therefore Jesuits are sometimes referred to colloquially as "God's Soldiers"[6] or "God's Marines".[7] The Society participated in the Counter-Reformation and later in the implementation of the Second Vatican Council in the Catholic Church.

The prophecy of Revelation 13 declares that the power represented by the beast with lamblike horns shall cause "the earth and them which dwell therein" to worship the papacy—there symbolized by the beast "like unto a leopard." The beast with two horns is also to say "to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast;" and, furthermore, it is to command all, "both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond," to receive the mark of the beast. Revelation 13:11-16. It has been shown that the United States is the power represented by the beast with lamblike horns, and that this prophecy will be fulfilled when the United States shall enforce Sunday observance, which Rome claims as the special acknowledgment of her supremacy. But in this homage to the papacy the United States will not be alone.

The influence of Rome in the countries that once acknowledged her dominion is still far from being destroyed. And prophecy foretells a restoration of her power. "I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast." Verse 3. The infliction of the deadly wound points to the downfall of the papacy in 1798. After this, says the prophet, "his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast." Paul states plainly that the "man of sin" will continue until the second advent. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8. To the very close of time he will carry forward the work of deception. And the revelator declares, also referring to the papacy: "All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life." Revelation 13:8. In both the Old and the New World, the papacy will receive homage in the honor paid to the Sunday institution, that rests solely upon the authority of the Roman Church. Since the middle of the nineteenth century, students of prophecy in the United States have presented this testimony to the world. In the events now taking place is seen a rapid advance toward the fulfillment of the prediction.

With Protestant teachers there is the same claim of divine authority for Sunday keeping, and the same lack of Scriptural evidence, as with the papal leaders who fabricated miracles to supply the place of a command from God. The assertion that God's judgments are visited upon men for their violation of the Sunday-Sabbath, will be repeated; already it is beginning to be urged. And a movement to enforce Sunday observance is fast gaining ground. Mark of the Beast Sunday Law
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Obama: This is 'year of action'



The Oval David Jackson, USA TODAY 12:55 p.m. EST January 14, 2014



(Photo: Carolyn Kaster, AP)


President Obama again declared Tuesday that 2014 will be "a year of action," and he is willing to take executive action to push it along.

"We are not just going to be waiting for (congressional) legislation in order to make sure that we're providing Americans the kind of help that they need," Obama said before a Cabinet meeting.

Outlining an agenda that includes immigration, education assistance, manufacturing help, and a new budget plan, Obama said that "I've got a pen and I've got a phone" to get things done.

The pen can be used "to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward," Obama said.

The phone "allows me to convene Americans from every walk of life -- non-profits, businesses, the private sector, universities -- to try to bring more and more Americans together around what I think is a unifying theme," he said. "Making sure that this is a country where if you work hard, you can make it."


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US Secretary of State John Kerry Visits Vatican



Lengthy Meeting With Archbishop Pietro Parolin Focuses on Middle East, US Healthcare Reform


Vatican City, January 14, 2014 (Zenit.org)



Ahead of the upcoming Geneva II Conference, US Secretary of State John Kerry met this morning with his Vatican counterpart, Archbishop Pietro Parolin.


According to Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, the meeting lasted roughly an hour and 40 minutes. Also present at the meeting were Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States, and Kenneth Hackett, the US Ambassador to the Holy See.

The main subject for discussion was "naturally the question of the Middle East and in particular, the Syrian situation, as well as the Peace Conference in Geneva which is scheduled for the month of January,” Fr. Lombardi said in a statement.

Archbishop Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, reiterated several concerns expressed by Pope Francis during yesterday’s audience with the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See.

“It is unacceptable that unarmed civilians, especially children, become targets,” the Holy Father said of Syria during his address. “I also encourage all parties to promote and ensure in every way possible the provision of urgently-needed aid to much of the population, without overlooking the praiseworthy effort of those countries – especially Lebanon and Jordan – which have generously welcomed to their territory numerous refugees from Syria.”

The two also discussed the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. The Pope expressed his hope for a lasting solution yesterday and recently announced that he would embark on a “pilgrimage of peace” to the Holy Land in May.

Fr. Lombardi said Archbishop Parolin made known to Mr. Kerry concerns of the Holy See and US Bishops regarding healthcare reform in relation to religious freedom and conscientious objection in the United States. Debate continues to rage in the US over the administration's Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate which requires employers to cover contraception, abortifacients and sterilization in their insurance plans.

Although the Obama administration has made several concessions to religious institutions, employers who are Catholic are still compelled by law to cover contraceptives against their conscience.

Fr. Lombardi noted that the meeting was conducted in a positive and constructive atmosphere. The duration of the meeting, he said, “manifests the significance that it had.” (J.A.E.)
(January 14, 2014) © Innovative Media Inc.


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 Photo (Courtesy) http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-visits-papal-diplomat-talk-mideast-peace-153626045--politics.html


Remarks of US Secretary of State John Kerry on Vatican Meeting

"A very comprehensive, very, very interesting conversation."




Rome, January 14, 2014 (Zenit.org)
Here below are remarks made by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry after meeting Vatican officials today:


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Villa Richardson, Rome, 14 Jan. 2014

"Well, let me just say that it was a privilege for me as the first Catholic Secretary of State in about 32 or 33 years to have the privilege of going to the Vatican today to talk with the new secretary of state there about the broad array of issues that we face together across the world. And on a personal level, it was a thrill for me to be able to do that, as an altar boy, as a young kid, I would never have imagined that I would have been crossing the threshold of the Vatican to meet, as Secretary of State, with the Secretary of State of the Holy See.

And it was a very comprehensive, very, very interesting conversation. We touched on just about every major issue that we are both working on, that are issues of concern to all of us. First of all, we talked at great length about Syria, and I was particularly appreciative for the Archbishop’s raising this issue, and equally grateful for the Holy Father’s comments – the Pope’s comments yesterday regarding his support for the Geneva II process. We welcome that support. It is very important to have broad support, and I know that the Pope is particularly concerned about the massive numbers of displaced human beings and the violence that has taken over 130,000 lives.

In addition, the Secretary – Archbishop Parolin asked me for a solid briefing with respect to the Middle East peace process. Pope Francis will be going to Israel and the Palestinian territories and to Jordan in May, and so we agreed, after I gave a briefing, that we would stay in touch in order to keep him abreast of what we’re doing and then what progress there may be in the peace process. But obviously, there are issues of enormous concern to the Holy See, not just about peace, but also about the freedom of access for religious worship in Jerusalem for all religions and appropriate resolution with respect to Jerusalem that respects that going forward.

We also talked about Africa, the challenge of Sudan, where there are particular interests. There is a large Catholic population in South Sudan. President Kiir, himself, is Catholic, and I think that our efforts over the last days could be augmented by the efforts of the Holy See with respect to trying to end the violence and bring about a peaceful resolution. I think the Secretary of State of the Holy See was very interested in what he and they could do in order to try to assist in that process.

We talked also about Cuba and the need for respect for freedom of religion and freedom of – and respect for human rights. I raised the issue of Alan Gross and his captivity, and we hope very much that there might be able to be assistance with respect to that issue. And similarly, the Holy Father yesterday in his speech raised the responsibility that we all have for the climate, for responsibility for planet Earth, which is our common home, as he said. And we share the responsibilities with respect to that.

We talked about the common interest of Pope Francis and President Obama in addressing poverty and extreme poverty on a global basis. The United States of America is deeply involved in efforts in Africa and in other parts of the world – in Asia, South Central Asia – to address this poverty, as is the Catholic Church. And so we have a huge common interest in dealing with this issue of poverty, which in many cases is the root cause of terrorism or even the root cause of the disenfranchisement of millions of people on this planet.

So this was as comprehensive a conversation as I’ve had with any secretary of state or foreign minister in the course of my tenure, and I think, happily, we agreed on an enormous amount of things that we can cooperate on. That’s what’s important. We need to find all of the voices that are prepared to fight for anti-poverty or peace or for reconciliation among peoples, to bring religions together, to bring people together, and to make peace. I am very mindful of the fact that in his first Urbi et Orbi speech or address, the Holy Father did speak about the importance of peace and the importance of all people on Earth being peacemakers.
So I’m grateful for the conversation we had today. I know that the Holy Father is anticipating the visit of President Obama here, and the President is looking forward to coming here to meet with him. So much was agreed on as a mutual agenda this morning, and I’m particularly pleased to know that the Holy Father and the Secretary of State in the Holy See will continue to speak out about peace in the Middle East, continue to try to bring the parties together, continue to help address some of the most pressing concerns that are challenging failed states and failing states in too many parts of the world.

It is good to know that we will have this common enterprise together, and I was very grateful to the archbishop who I had the pleasure of congratulating on his elevation to cardinal, which will take place in February. So it was an all-in-all very helpful meeting, and I’m confident that the groundwork and agreement that we reached with respect to the peace process, as well as a number of other urgent priorities, will help us as we go forward in the next days and months."


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On ZENIT's webpage:

US Secretary of State John Kerry Visits Vatican
(January 14, 2014) © Innovative Media Inc.


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ISIS car bomb kills 8 rebels at Syria checkpoint











Free Syrian Army fighters carry mortar shells before launching them towards forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad that are camped in the Valley of Al-Dayf and Al-hamdeh, in Idlib 


January 11, 2014. REUTERS/Fadi Mashan





BEIRUT: At least eight Syrian rebels were killed overnight when jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria detonated a car bomb in Syria's Idlib province, activists said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the car bomb targeted a rebel checkpoint near Ram Hamdan, northeast of Idlib city.

"Eight fighters from Islamist and other rebel brigades died after a huge bombing carried out by ISIS fighters," the Observatory said.

Clashes between coalitions of Islamist and moderate rebels, who are fighting to topple President Bashar Assad's regime, and their erstwhile allies ISIS erupted nearly two weeks ago, after a spate of accusations of abuses by the jihadist group.

Among those battling ISIS is the Islamic Front, a coalition of Islamist battalions, which issued the group an ultimatum late Monday night.

"We are setting ISIS a deadline of no more than 24 hours to stop its abuses, free the prisoners and hand over its weapons," the statement said.

If the group failed to heed the warning, the Front said it would "deal with ISIS's presence and actions the same way as with the Assad regime."

Rebel groups have set ISIS similar deadlines in areas where the fighting in taking place, which the jihadist group has ignored.

The clashes were continuing on Tuesday, the Observatory said, including in Raqqa, a stronghold of ISIS and the only regional capital to fall from regime hands.

The World Health Organisation and UN Children's Fund UNICEF said on Monday that the fighting there had interrupted a polio vaccination campaign launched after 17 cases of the disease were reported in Syria.

Elsewhere, the Observatory said 18 people had been killed in the Ghouta neighbourhood of Homs city in central Syria by shelling.

Fighting between the Syrian regime and rebels has continuing alongside the battles between opposition fighters and ISIS.

More than 130,000 people have been killed in Syria since conflict broke out in the country in March 2011.


Source: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-14/244006-isis-car-bomb-kills-8-rebels-at-syria-checkpoint.ashx#ixzz2qOl1fQC0

(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)
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Hospital: 2 students critical after Roswell school shooting



Updated: 01/14/2014 10:39 AM | Created: 01/14/2014 8:27 AM
By: Elizabeth Reed, KOB.com

ROSWELL, N.M. -- A 14-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl have been airlifted to a Texas hospital in critical condition after a school shooting in Roswell, according to a University Medical Center spokesperson.

A Roswell hospital confirmed at least two students were hospitalized from Berrendo Middle School after the shooting. It is not clear if those two students were the victims airlifted to Lubbock.

The school remains on lockdown after the shooting on Tuesday morning.

New Mexico State Police officials said local authorities were dispatched to the school just after 8 a.m. According to the Roswell Police Department Facebook page, the shooter has been apprehended.

Watch: Buses take students away from Berrendo Middle School after shooting


   



Parents have been instructed to pick up their students at the Roswell Mall. Officials at the mall said the school is still conducting a head count. Once buses arrive, police will take parents in groups of five inside to find their children.

"It was scary, it was freaky," Kathy Sigala told KOB Eyewitness News 4's reporter at the scene. "I didn't understand. I got a call from where I work and I was at home. I just got in my car and my daughter came with the other kids... And I just came here and we heard from police… But we're just grateful for Roswell, RPD, for their fast reaction in getting there and taking care of what they have to take of… We just can't believe that it would happen here."

State police are expected to release more information about the shooting at a press conference at 1 p.m.

KOB has a crew at the scene and in the sky. Stick with KOB.com for updates.


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6 evangelical church members shot to death by suspected gang members in rural El Salvador



Published January 12, 2014
Associated Press


SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Officials in El Salvador say six members of an evangelical church were shot to death in a rural western province by suspected gang members.

The federal prosecutor's office says the victims, ranging in age from 16 to 54, were riddled with bullets Saturday night in Ahuachapan state near the border with Guatemala. There are no details on why they were targeted.

Heavily armed gangs control much of El Salvador and are blamed for the Central American country's high murder rate.

Three members of the 18th Street Gang were killed in a separate incident in central El Salvador over the weekend.

The 18th Street and the Mara Salvatrucha are the country's the two biggest gangs. They signed a truce in March 2012 designed to cut the violence.

 
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Monday, January 13, 2014

Presidential Candidates are shaping up for 2016

Republican New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie (Humpty Dumpty)


Chris Christie 'Bridgegate' Scandal


Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king governor's horses and all the king governor's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again.


The epitome of a politically ambitious family:

Democrat Ex-Secretary of State, First Female, Hillary Clinton and family; the Out of Towners.*
*Chicago, Little Rock- Arkansas, Washington D.C., and recently Chappaqua, New York..








These two bureaucrats is what we are looking forward to in 2016! 

As the old saying goes:
The same difference! 

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 Arsenio.


Don’t Destroy This Family



January 13, 2014 4:00 AM
Germany persecutes homeschoolers, with an assist from the Obama administration.

By Kevin D. Williamson




The Romeike family




 
Kevin D. Williamson



Ronald Reagan electrified the world when he demanded that the Berlin Wall be torn down. Barack Obama is helping to build a new one, even as the German government begins rounding up members of a despised religious minority.

The Romeike family was granted asylum in the United States because the German government was intent on wresting away the children and putting the parents in cages for the crime of homeschooling their children, which is verboten in Germany, a legacy of the country’s totalitarian past. The Obama administration, which in other notable areas of immigration law has enacted a policy of “discretion” regarding deportations, took the Romeike family to court to have its asylum protections revoked, and succeeded in doing so. The family has appealed to the Supreme Court, which has ordered the Obama administration to respond to the Romeikes’ petition, but the administration has so far refused to do so.

As the Romeikes’ story unfolds, another German family is being held in the country against their will, also for the crime of homeschooling their children — or intending to do so, at least. The Wunderlich family had their children kidnapped by the German government — the agents of which came crashing through their door with battering rams — as retaliation for their homeschooling. They complied with the government’s demands regarding their children’s education and, understandably enough, began the process of relocating to France, where attitudes toward family life are more civilized. The Germans responded by refusing to reinstate their custody of their children, with a judge determining that the desire to homeschool presents an “endangerment” to the children.

That is the environment into which the Obama administration intends to send the Romeike family.

Why?


The institutional Left hates homeschooling, hates it with a remarkable intensity, even though homeschooling recently has come into vogue with a certain subset of Park Slope–style progressives. Robin West of Georgetown’s law school has written admiringly of the suppression of homeschooling and regimes under which “parents who did so were criminals.” She writes that homeschoolers are dangerous precisely because of the fact that, far from being docile sheep, homeschoolers are as adults more likely to be politically engaged, which Professor West worries might “undermine, limit, or destroy state functions that interfere with family and parental rights.” For good measure, she notes that many homeschoolers were enthusiastic about George W. Bush in 2000 — quelle horreur. Many others on the left argue that homeschooling should be either banned outright or effectively regulated out of existence.

Homeschooling terrifies the Left because the Left is at its core totalitarian, seeking to bring political discipline to every aspect of life — and control of education is essential to that project. The public school is in miniature what the Left believes the world should look like: Everybody arranged in orderly rows and moving about on an orderly schedule punctuated by bells, being taught about diversity and climate change by nice union ladies who also lead them to their federally subsidized lunches. If you can say “no” to that, you can say no to any part of the Left’s vision. Homeschooling is an existential threat to the privileged position of the institutional Left. The schools are the factory in which it manufactures its future clients.

Of course it doesn’t help that homeschooling is associated in the public mind with a particular strain of evangelical Christianity, as in the case of the Romeike family. It is distasteful, but it should not be a surprise that the Obama administration has no objection to the political and religious suppression of such unruly Christians — the Obama administration is doing the same thing to the Little Sisters of the Poor and other Christian groups that it finds inconvenient.

In the case of the Romeike family, a judge already had seen fit to offer them asylum, but the Obama administration wants to hand them over to the Germans. In the case of the Wunderlich family, a fundamental human right — the right to move away, which is enshrined in German law — is being grossly violated. The Germans, of all people, should appreciate that walling in people who want to leave is uncivilized. The Obama administration has an opportunity to make a statement on both cases by dropping its assault on the Romeikes. Don’t let’s be beastly to the Germans.

— Kevin D. Williamson is a roving correspondent for National Review.


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The Catholic Supreme Court’s War on Women


Jamie Stiehm


By Jamie Stiehm January 7, 2014



Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor just dropped the ball on American women and girls.


Et tu, Justice Sonia Sotomayor? Really, we can't trust you on women's health and human rights? The lady from the Bronx just dropped the ball on American women and girls as surely as she did the sparkling ball at midnight on New Year's Eve in Times Square. Or maybe she's just a good Catholic girl.

The Supreme Court is now best understood as the Extreme Court. One big reason why is that six out of nine Justices are Catholic. Let's be forthright about that. (The other three are Jewish.) Sotomayor, appointed by President Obama, is a Catholic who put her religion ahead of her jurisprudence. What a surprise, but that is no small thing.

In a stay orde
r applying to an appeal by a Colorado nunnery, the Little Sisters of the Poor, Justice Sotomayor undermined the new Affordable Care Act's sensible policy on contraception. She blocked the most simple of rules – lenient rules – that required the Little Sisters to affirm their religious beliefs against making contraception available to its members. They objected to filling out a one-page form. What could be easier than nuns claiming they don't believe in contraception?

[See a collection of political cartoons on the Catholic contraception controversy.]

Sotomayor's blow brings us to confront an uncomfortable reality. More than WASPS, Methodists, Jews, Quakers or Baptists, Catholics often try to impose their beliefs on you, me, public discourse and institutions. Especially if "you" are female. This is not true of all Catholics – just look at House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. But right now, the climate is so cold when it comes to defending our settled legal ground that Sotomayor's stay is tantamount to selling out the sisterhood. And sisterhood is not as powerful as it used to be, ladies.

Catholics in high places of power have the most trouble, I've noticed, practicing the separation of church and state. The pugnacious Catholic Justice, Antonin Scalia, is the most aggressive offender on the Court, but not the only one. Of course, we can't know for sure what Sotomayor was thinking, but it seems she has joined the ranks of the five Republican Catholic men on the John Roberts Court in showing a clear religious bias when it comes to women's rights and liberties. We can no longer be silent about this. Thomas Jefferson, the principal champion of the separation between state and church, was thinking particularly of pernicious Rome in his writings. He deeply distrusted the narrowness of Vatican hegemony.

The seemingly innocent Little Sisters likely were likely not acting alone in their trouble-making. Their big brothers, the meddlesome American Roman Catholic Archbishops are bound to be involved. They seek and wield tremendous power and influence in the political sphere. Big city mayors know their penchant for control all too well. Their principal target for years on end has been squelching women and girls – even when they should have focused on their own men and boys.

[Check out 2013: The Year in Cartoons.]

In one stroke with ominous implications, there's no such thing as Catholic justice or mercy for women on the Supreme Court, not even from a woman. The rock of Rome refuses to budge on women's reproductive rights and the Supreme Court is getting good and ready to strike down Roe v. Wade, which became the law of the land 40 years ago. President Clinton had it exactly right in his formulation: abortion should be safe, legal and rare.

Meanwhile, the forces arrayed against women's right to self-determination have been busy taking their campaign to the statehouses. In roughly half of them, women's human rights have been eroded. On the airwaves, the anti-woman conspiracy goes on, with Rush Limbaugh leading the pack of thousands of men. He uses the Obamacare contraception mandate to say, just about every workaday, that young women are just using the government to get sex, or some such thing. He wins the prize for virulently infecting the public dis-coarse.

With friends like Sonia, we don't need opponents like Rush.


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When The Right To Religion Conflicts With A Changing Society

 
 
7 min 37 sec
 
 
Little Sisters of the Poor runs the Mullen Home for the Aged in Denver, Colo. The group is seeking exemption from an Affordable Care Act requirement.
Little Sisters of the Poor runs the Mullen Home for the Aged in Denver, Colo. The group is seeking exemption from an Affordable Care Act requirement.
Brennan Linsley/AP
 
 
As the White House continues dealing with well-publicized problems with the HealthCare.gov website, there's at least one big question related to the Affordable Care Act that's outside the president's control: Can employers with religious objections be compelled to provide access to contraception coverage for their workers?

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has granted a temporary injunction while she considers a challenge to the contraception requirement by a group of nuns called the Little Sisters of the Poor. The Catholic organization serves the poor elderly.

But the case raises questions that reverberate beyond health coverage: How do you protect religious freedom when the beliefs of individuals come into conflict with those of churches or businesses?

The Issue Of A Signature

The Justice Department that the nuns' group is already exempt from providing birth control under the ACA, as long as it certifies its standing as a religious nonprofit. But the Little Sisters of the Poor, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, argues that documentation simply condones employees getting the coverage elsewhere.


"The sisters, under the new Health and Human Services mandate, are being forced by the government to either sign a form allowing a third party to provide contraceptives and abortion-causing drugs to their employees, or they're being threatened with fines," says Becket Fund director Kristina Arriaga.
Critics are asking, what's the big deal about signing a form? The form is there expressly for church-affiliated groups like that of the nuns, so they can register that they're opting out of contraception coverage. But Arriaga tells NPR's Arun Rath the provision doesn't do enough to protect religious liberty.

"Little Sisters of the Poor feel that whether they provide the [coverage] to their employees or they make someone else do it, it's the same thing. It's a sin," she says. "They cannot in good conscience sign that form, and their conscientious objection should absolutely be respected by the government."
This gets us to the core questions: Who has the right to religious liberty? And what does it mean to exercise that right?

Refusing To Make A Cake

Jay Michaelson, a fellow at the liberal Political Research Associates, on "redefining religious liberty."
"I think we'd all agree that a church shouldn't be compelled to perform a ceremony that it doesn't want to perform," he says. "Then the next level up is religious organizations. So Catholic hospitals, Catholic charities — do they have to obey the same laws as everyone else, or do they have a separate set of laws that applies only to them?"

And what about religious liberty for people who bring their religious beliefs outside of the church and into their businesses?

Jack Phillips' Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colo., makes specialty cakes, cookies and brownies. He's owned the shop for 20 years.


Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, was sued after he refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding.
Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, was sued after he refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding.
Lindsay Pierce/Denver Post via Getty Images
 
"I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, and so I try in every aspect of my life to reflect that," he says. "In every way I want to have integrity in my life and honesty and love for my fellow man and do everything to the best of my ability to honor Him."

Phillips says his faith affects everything he does, including how he runs his business. Last September, that became a problem. Two men came to the shop and asked for a cake for their wedding.

Phillips told them he would make cakes for their birthdays and sell them cookies or brownies, but that he wouldn't make a cake for a same-sex wedding.

"At which point they both stormed out of the shop," he says. "I just didn't feel that as a Christian that I would want to participate in a same-sex wedding by providing the cake and my talents and my business for that event."

A few weeks later, Phillips got a notice from the state. The American Civil Liberties Union had filed a lawsuit on behalf of the two men, alleging Phillips' refusal is illegal discrimination. Phillips says he is protected by his First Amendment right to live according to his religious beliefs.

In December, a judge sided with the ACLU and ordered Phillips to provide the cakes for same-sex ceremonies. Phillips has appealed.

His case is just one of many like it. In Washington, another baker and a florist were sued, and an Oregon bakery is under investigation for refusing to bake a cake for a gay couple. Arriaga of the Becket Fund says devout business owners have a right to refuse.

"Many of these bakers and service-providers for weddings feel that by participating in the wedding ceremony itself, they're acknowledging in some way that these are valid marriages and their religion tells them otherwise," she says.

Changes

As for the rights of those who want to wed, Arriaga says the Becket Fund believes they have a right to do so in states that allow it. "However, they should not be forcing individuals who do not agree with their marriage to participate in this ceremony," she says. "They should seek out parties that share their religious beliefs."

Michaelson believes that the legal battles reflect a cultural shift in America.

"There are a number of people who really believe that we've lost our moral center when it comes to matters of sexuality and gender," he says. "And they have pretty good reasons for that — I just think the cure is not abridging people's freedom, but coming to a more expansive understanding of what being in a civil democracy is about."

At Masterpiece Cakeshop, the fight continues. Phillips has appealed his case on religious-liberty grounds. But what if he loses and the courts say he must provide cakes for same-sex ceremonies?
"I won't provide the service. It goes against my core beliefs, and I can't be forced to do something against my will, regardless of what the law says," Phillips says.

He knows he could face fines or even lose his business license, but he says, "That's a small price to pay for my faith and for my citizenship."


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