CovenantNews.com

The Separation of Church and Churches

Chris Ortiz / Chalcedon Blog:
Institutionalism is often the obstruction of spiritual growth. The modern church in America especially lacks the mobility and effectiveness of the early puritan and awakening movements. Today, there are great theological minds wrapped up in the ivory towers of academia. There are great leaders tied up in the administration of buildings, facilities, and personnel that make up the cares of the modern denomination. And the families that comprise the church are investing a good portion of their time and money perpetuating the institutional church. To make matters worse, the contemporary Christianity has all but lost its identity as a community of faith and become an electoral bloc.

Supreme Court Eyes Faith-Based Initiative

The Associated Press is reporting that the White House is turning to the Supreme Court for help as it defends its Un-constitutional support of "hog trough faith groups" with federal taxpayer dollars. Instead of Christians challenging President Bush's illegal entanglement of the State in the traditional areas of "the work of the Church," the lawsuit was filed by atheists (damned fools) addressing the issue of the State giving an inside track on federal grants to religious groups. The Supreme Court is being asked whether or not the atheists have legal standing to file such a lawsuit. Bypassing Congress, and public debate concerning his "criminal usurpation of the Constitution," Bush issued executive orders to create the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in 10 federal agencies during his first term.

Flashback: March 10, 2006
Hog Trough Faith: Bush Touts Grants To Religious Charities
President Bush said yesterday that the federal government gave more than $2.1 billion in grants to religious charities last year -- a 7 percent increase from the prior year and proof, he said, that his administration has made it easier for faith-based groups to obtain taxpayer funds.

Spurious Tales of the Crypts

Gary DeMar / American Vision:
James Cameron is best known for movie blockbusters like Terminator and Titanic. But lately he’s been putting his influence behind taking pot shots at the Bible. He first went after the Exodus miracles. The 90-minute documentary “The Exodus Decoded”1 that was shown on the History Channel sank without a trace. While the TV special actually supports much of the biblical record regarding the Exodus events, the “miracles” are presented in such a way that they are given naturalistic explanations. Even so, the viewer comes away with a new-found appreciation of the biblical record.

'Lost Tomb of Jesus' Claim Called a Stunt

Alan Cooperman / The Washington Post:
Leading archaeologists in Israel and the United States yesterday denounced the purported discovery of the tomb of Jesus as a publicity stunt. Scorn for the Discovery Channel's claim to have found the burial place of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and -- most explosively -- their possible son came not just from Christian scholars but also from Jewish and secular experts who said their judgments were unaffected by any desire to uphold Christian orthodoxy.

Bush Pushes Immigration 'Reform'

The Associated Press:
President Bush, in a meeting with Salvadoran President Tony Saca, pushed for immigration reform and nudged Congress to pass a guest worker program that would allow immigrants to seek temporary work visas. Bush, who is traveling to Latin America next week, said Saca reminded him that Temporary Protected Status, extended to many Salvadorans, expires in September. Temporary Protected Status is granted to people from countries where armed conflict, natural disaster or other extraordinary conditions make it temporarily unsafe to return, but it doesn't lead to permanent residency.

A Review of Hand of God

Lee Duigon / The Chalcedon Foundation:
Is the Roman Catholic Church an evil empire, a safe haven for pedophiles? This disturbing Frontline film says “yes.” It’s the story of filmmaker Joe Cultrera’s brother, Paul Cultrera, Jr.—his abuse at the hands of a pedophile priest, the shambles it made of his life, his partial recovery, and his ongoing quest for closure and restitution from the Roman Catholic Church. Hand of God is not an easy viewing experience. Unless you’re like the priest who tells Cultrera, “It’s all in your head, sir. You’re a sad little man,” you’ll believe the story and be strongly moved by it—to anger, to pity, to outrage, and to deep disgust. That the film is also a work of cinematic art adds to its power. Its tone is one of menace, decay, and corruption.

Bush Spent Much of 1993 Alone With A Homosexual

Michael A. Hoffman II / On the Contrary:
"Israel Hernandez was a fresh-faced college graduate from the Texas border town of Eagle Pass in the summer of 1993 when he landed a job in Dallas as the personal aide to the part-owner of the Texas Rangers George W. Bush. Together, they spent months driving the dusty back roads of the Lone Star State to promote the team, Mr. Hernandez behind the wheel of Mr. Bush's Lincoln Town Car."

Patriotic Conservative

Aaron D. Wolf / Chronicles Magazine:
One large faction of the Republican Party, the Christian Right, has swallowed the Managerial Agenda hook, line, and sinker, even though Big Government and the cultural elite that feeds it are the source of the widespread moral degeneration the Christian Right so passionately resists. Thus, even if they were to see a federal ban on all abortion, the Christian Right would have done absolutely nothing to strip the federal government of the power it has seized throughout this century, restore a proper understanding and enforcement of the Constitution and of republican government, prevent the inundation of the country by anti-Western immigrants, stop the cultural and racial dispossession of the historic American people, or resist the absorption of the American nation into a multicultural and multiracialist globalist regime.

Rushdoony on Statism & Christian Government

Chris Ortiz / Chalcedon Blog:
The historic Christian concept of government is the self-government of the Christian man under God and in terms of His law. This is set over against the top-heavy centralization of post-Enlightenment statism. The only cure for totalitarianism is the restoration of Christian government.

A Study in North American Union

Kelly Taylor / The New American:
Just when you thought you had a grip on the NAU (North American Union) and its scope, more disturbing news arrives indicating that this horrendous project isn't half-baked, but ready to be forked. For those readers who are still completely in the dark about the NAU, it is, simply put, the transformation of NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) into a full-blown economic and political merger of Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The advocates of the NAU are using an accelerated model of the deceptive process used to merge the countries of Europe into the European Union.

Mexican Trucks Travel Freely In U.S.

Judicial Watch / Corruption Chronicles:
Substandard trucks driven by low-paid, unqualified Mexican drivers that will threaten national security and endanger American motorists will travel freely throughout the United States under a new Bush Administration pilot project. The program will lift the current restrictions in place for Mexican truck companies that deliver goods into the U.S. and must remain within the 25-mile commercial zone along the Southwest border. In about 60 days Mexican truck companies will be free to travel from Mexico throughout the United States and back.

Free Trade and Funny Math

Patrick J. Buchanan / VDARE.com:
To the devout libertarian, free trade is not a policy option to be debated, but a dogma to be defended. Nowhere is this more true than at that lamasery of libertarianism, the Cato Institute. But with America running the worst trade deficits in history, the monks are having a hellish time of it. Hence, like the neocons who cherry-picked the intel to stovepipe to Scooter to bamboozle us into believing national survival hung on invading Iraq, they feed us irrelevant truths and deny us the whole truth.

New England Town Circulates Its Own Currency

Stephanie Sy / ABC News:
Several communities across the U.S., Canada and Europe have developed similar programs, but only Berkshares are fully-backed by the U.S. dollar. Several banks in Southern Berkshire have agreed to exchange Berkshares for dollars.

The Lost Tomb of Jesus Fails to Make the Grade

Chris Rosebrough / Extreme Theology:
Academy Award winning director James Cameron and Emmy Award winning investigative journalist Simcha Jacobovici have joined forces and produced a documentary film claiming to have identified the tomb and physical remains of Jesus of Nazareth. The show is entitled “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” and it airs on March 4, 2007 on the Discovery channel. Although the film hasn’t aired, there is enough ‘evidence’ posted on the internet already to begin drawing conclusions. Here is what we know so far.

Trial Set April 9 for Pastor's Wife

Charles Montaldo / About.com:
The trial of Mary Winkler, charged with the first-degree murder of her minister husband, has been scheduled for April 9, a date agreed upon both prosecutors and defense attorneys. "I think everyone is ready to get this tried," said Winkler's defense attorney, Steve Farese Sr. Defense attorneys plan to show at trial that Mary Winkler was physically, sexually, mentally and verbally abused by her minister husband, Matthew Winkler and she just "snapped" when she shot him in the back with his shotgun.

Defining Terms: Theocracy

Gary DeMar / American Vision:
I received an email from a “library specialist” who responded to the following statement made by me: “Theocracy is an inescapable concept. The rejection of one theocratic government leads to the choice of another theocratic government.” She offered the following objection.

Hope Springs Eternal

Al Cronkrite / Ether Zone:
We recently watched a football movie called “Facing the Giants”. It was the story of a losing high school football coach who let go, let God, and found himself winning the state championship, getting his barren wife pregnant, and finding financial success. I loved the movie. I know God can produce winning football teams and can bless the lives of His servants. There was no profanity in the movie. Sony pictures was actually able to produce an entire motion picture without inserting the “f” word. Nevertheless, it left me with mixed emotions.

Thoughts on Abortion and War

Lee Shelton / The Backwater Report:
What is the difference between “murdering” and “killing”? Is state-sanctioned killing always justified? Does the mere legality of the taking of a life negate one’s culpability in such an act? In an age when the sanctity of life seems to be an antiquated notion, I think we need to seriously consider these questions. Take abortion, for instance. Since the Roe v. Wade decision, abortion on demand has been considered legal in the United States. Therefore, any woman seeking to murder her…sorry, terminate her pregnancy has been given full license to do so. Does that make it right? Absolutely not. Those of us who think abortion is murder realize that the Supreme Court overstepped its authority. We know that the Constitution does not allow judges to legislate from the bench. We also know that even if there were no constitutional conflict, abortion would still be murder in the eyes of God. We can conclude, then, that not all killing done under the authority of government is right. So, what about the war in Iraq?

The Beginning of a North American Union

Tom DeWeese / NewsWithViews.com:
On March 23, 2005 President Bush met with Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin in what was officially described as a "Summit." The three leaders then announced the signing of an agreement to create common policies concerning various economic and security issues among the three nations. The initiative is called the Security and Prosperity Partnership or the SPP. [S]ince that Summit in 2005, at least 20 working groups have been organized under the SPP to produce memorandums of understanding and trilateral declarations of agreement covering nearly every issue affecting our daily lives.

Surrendering Our Sovereignty

Cliff Kincaid / NewsWithViews.com:
It might be difficult to compete with the remains of Anna Nicole Smith, but the “Security and Prosperity Partnership Ministerial Meeting” in Canada on Friday is a subject worthy of some attention from our major media. It springs from a process, set in motion by President Bush about two years ago, involving what many conservatives see as surrender of U.S. sovereignty to a trilateral entity that could assume the form of a North American Union, much like the European Union that now dictates to the citizens of 27 European states.

Judge Orders 'Gay' Agenda Taught to Children

Bob Unruh / WorldNetDaily.com:
A federal judge in Massachusetts has ordered the "gay" agenda taught to Christians who attend a public school in Massachusetts, finding that they need the teachings to be "engaged and productive citizens." U.S. District Judge Mark L. Wolf yesterday dismissed a civil rights lawsuit brought by David Parker, ordering that it is reasonable, indeed there is an obligation, for public schools to teach young children to accept and endorse homosexuality.

Pastor: Homosexuality is Sick, Wicked and Abomination

Amber Allen / The White County News:
A pastor said he and his followers will continue to make their presence felt through protests in Cleveland, Georgia. Pastor Billy Ball of Faith Baptist Church said the citations he and other church members have received from Cleveland police will not stop them from protesting within the city. Ball's group began protesting last month in response to a recent U.S. District Court settlement that the White County Board of Education re-instate non-curricular clubs on campus, pay $158,000 in legal fees and $10,000 in damages to students who created White County High School's gay-straight alliance in 2005. Ball said in a previous White County News story that his group came to preach the Gospel and to rebuke what he calls Sodomite sympathizers.

'Special Rights' for Sodomites Likely in Congress

The Associated Press is reporting that some people believe that at least two deviant-sex bills will win Congressional approval this year: a federal hate-crimes law that would force U.S. citizens to accept the depraved sexual behavior of homosexuality, and a measure that would "outlaw workplace discrimination" against sex perverts.

Judge: Children Must Attend 'Gay' Indoctrination Classes

The Associated Press is reporting that a federal judge threw out a lawsuit filed by parents who do not want their children attending homosexual indoctrination classes, ruling that Massachusetts public schools have the right to dictate curriculum to children without parental concent. According to The Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf said federal courts have decided in other cases that the constitutional right of parents does not include the right to restrict public schools from teaching children whatever they want to teach them. According to The Associated Press, those earlier rulings also have held that teachings, that contradict a parent's religious beliefs, do not violate their First Amendment right to exercise their religion, Wolf said.

In other words, the Massachusetts public school system can teach children to blaspheme the LORD your God, and according to The Associated Press, there is nothing parents can do about it.

'Gay' Republican On The Loose

Mark Foley is not in custody but crisscrossing the country.
Amie Parnes / TCPalm.com:
Mark Foley has been crisscrossing the country in recent days as he tries to get his post-congressional life in order. Last week, the former congressman resurfaced in Washington to pack up his Capitol Hill townhouse, which he sold on Monday, a source told Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. The mustard-colored, two-story historic home on D Street sold in just one week to an undisclosed buyer for $899,000, DC property records show. Now, five months after resigning from Congress, Foley is back in Florida, readjusting to life there, the source said.

Foley, 52, resigned from Congress in late September after reports surfaced that he exchanged a series of sexually explicit online messages with a teenage congressional page. Since then, law enforcement agencies have launched investigations into Foley's [deviant behavior]. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is in the process of conducting a full-fledged criminal investigation into Foley's reported communications with the teenage boys. Meanwhile, the FBI is still conducting a preliminary investigation into the matter. "We're still pressing on," said Deb Weirman, an FBI spokeswoman. "We're investigating this on a daily basis. It's not a dormant process."

Red Carpet For Illegals

Chuck Baldwin / Chuck Baldwin Live:
Since George W. Bush became President of the United States in 2001, the number of illegal aliens residing in this country has risen exponentially. Even a blind person can see what is happening. America is being sold out and betrayed by its very own political and corporate leaders.

More Americans Killed By Illegals Than Iraq War

Jim Brown / OneNewsNow.com:
Illegal aliens are killing more Americans than the Iraq war, says a new report from Family Security Matters that estimates some 2,158 murders are committed every year by illegal aliens in the U.S. The group says that number is more than 15 percent of all the murders reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the U.S. and about three times the representation of illegal aliens in the general population.

Did the FBI Direct the Oklahoma City Bombing?

Chris Ortiz / Chalcedon Blog:
That's what Terry Nichols says in a new affidavit filed in Utah that accuses a high-level FBI official of directing Timothy McVeigh in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Nichols was the only other conspirator convicted in the bombing. McVeigh suffered death by injection for his involvement while Nichols is serving a life sentence.

North American Union 'Conspiracy' Exposed

Cliff Kincaid / NewsWithViews.com:
A top Democrat Party foreign policy specialist said that a "very small group" of conservatives is unfairly accusing him of being at the center of a "vast conspiracy" to implement the idea of a "North American Union" by "stealth." He called the charges "absurd." But Robert Pastor, a former official of the Carter Administration and director of the Center for North American Studies at American University (CNAS), made the remarks at an all-day February 16 conference devoted to the development of a North American legal system.

Billboards Advertising Trans Texas Corridor

Infowars.net:
These rather fetching billboards have apparently already been removed but prove that plans to build a huge toll road between Texas and Mexico known as the 'Trans-Texas Corridor" are well underway. We have long been reporting that the corridor is the lynchpin of the North American Union, yet we are still called conspiracy theorists by those who refuse to accept the reality in front of their faces.

Global Warming: The Cold, Hard Facts?

Dr. Timothy Ball / Canada Free Press:
Global Warming, as we think we know it, doesn't exist. And I am not the only one trying to make people open up their eyes and see the truth. But few listen, despite the fact that I was one of the first Canadian Ph.Ds. in Climatology and I have an extensive background in climatology, especially the reconstruction of past climates and the impact of climate change on human history and the human condition. Few listen, even though I have a Ph.D, (Doctor of Science) from the University of London, England and was a climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg. For some reason (actually for many), the World is not listening. Here is why.

South Seas tribe worships Prince Philip as a god

Nick Squires / Telegraph.co.uk:
At the base of a banyan tree, an elderly village chief held his most prized possession between bony fingers. "Philip sent this to us," he said. "Now we have three of them." A signed portrait of Prince Philip is an incongruous sight in a South Pacific jungle, but for the people of this remote village, in the island state of Vanuatu, the picture is an integral part of their lives. As unlikely as it sounds, the people of Yaohnanen and surrounding villages worship 85-year-old Prince Philip as a god. They believe him to be the son of an ancient spirit who inhabits a nearby mountain, on the island of Tanna. Determining exactly how these people came to believe in the prince's divinity is very difficult. It appears that at some point in the 1950s, they melded Christian beliefs in a returning messiah with the respect accorded His Royal Highness by the British authorities in what was then the colony of New Hebrides.

U.S. Bans Book Sales By Missionary

Bob Unruh / WorldNetDaily.com:
The U.S. government proclaims on its visa information website that America is a "free and open society" and citizens from around the world are "welcome" to conduct business and work temporarily. But there are exceptions -- such as Christian missionaries selling books.

Are You a Missionary?

David Alan Black / The Covenant News:
Here’s a thought. If every Christian is called to be a witness, and if every church has a global mission at its door, why are only certain people called “missionaries,” and why do boards and agencies try to do the work of the local church? There is not a single hint in the New Testament that the early Christians saw evangelism as the responsibility of certain professionals. Of course, people and agencies that work with and through the local church may be said to be fulfilling their mission responsibility. But in reality, every one of us ought to be a “North American Missionary.” Weighty dissertations have been written by theologians on the “call of God” to missions, but every believer is called to missions – full time, I might add.

Hollywood & Christians

Doug Phillips / Vision Forum Blog:
God blessed Stephen Kendrick because he committed to do God’s work, God’s way. This independent Christian filmmaker is part of the great work of hope which the Lord is birthing. Students attending this year’s Christian Filmmakers Academy October 22-24 will be able to interact and learn from Stephen and a faculty of visionaries in the area of filmmaking.

Confounding the Mighty

Rev. R.J. Rushdoony / The Chalcedon Foundation:
St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:27 declares, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” The meaning of the word “confound” is very important to this verse. It is kataischuno in the Greek, and it means to confound and put to shame, to bring down to defeat and dishonor. Paul tells the early church (and us) that the ungodly regard us as foolish and weak. They see themselves as the elite, and as both mighty and wise. It is their self-appointed duty to rule the world and us for our own good.

Beware of Politicians Courting the Christian Vote

Gary DeMar / American Vision:
Once again, the religious vote is being courted by presidential wannabes. Beware of politicians and their religious rhetoric. Jimmy Carter ran as a “born-again Christian” in 1976. It was the first time in a national election that evangelicals were recognized as an identifiable voting block that could impact an election. The media did not know how to evaluate Carter’s religious rhetoric. Kenneth Briggs, who was chief religion reporter for the New York Times, recalled that, early in the primary campaign he casually mentioned that he was an evangelical and a “born again” Christian.

Debit Bank Cards For Illegal Immigrants

Judicial Watch / Corruption Chronicles:
Many of the nonprofit work centers that assist illegal immigrants nationwide are now offering a special debit card for those who lack the identification papers required to open bank accounts in the United States. The first-of-its-kind program was launched a few months ago by a nonprofit immigrant work center in New Jersey called New Labor and several others have followed its lead. The New Jersey center alone has distributed 300 cards and similar establishments in Southern California and Chicago have initiated the program and vowed to make it available to thousands of illegal aliens.

Nichols Fingers FBI Agent

Paul Joseph Watson & Alex Jones / Prison Planet:
A newspaper reported the name of the FBI agent fingered by Terry Nichols as having led Timothy McVeigh in carrying out the Oklahoma City bombing before a Utah court order sealed documents pertaining to the testimony. Though subsequent reports do not mention the accused agent by name, the Deseret Morning News identified the individual as Larry Potts, who was the lead FBI agent during the Ruby Ridge confrontation in 1992 and was also involved in the 51-day siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas in 1993.

Sodomites Formalize Civil Unions In N.J.

The Associated Press:
Sodomites across New Jersey began claiming the same legal rights as married couples early Thursday in ceremonies that formalized their deviant behavior as civil unions. The state law establishing civil unions for the lewd malefactors took effect Monday. But because there is a 72-hour waiting period after applying for a license, most abomination had to wait until Thursday to hold civil union ceremonies. New Jersey is the third state in the nation to make a man's wife equal to a cankered sodomite, by giving homosexuals the protections and benefits of marriage. Vermont and Connecticut also offer civil unions, and California offers domestic partnerships with similar benefits. Massachusetts is the only state to allow sodomite 'marriages'.

Barna: Billy Graham Tops Religious Leaders

The Barna Update - February 19, 2007:
Born again Christians differ from other people regarding their religious beliefs, but their awareness of cultural icons and their feelings about most celebrities are indistinguishable from those of the population at-large. These are among the findings from new survey data released by The Barna Group regarding celebrity awareness and likeability. Barna also pointed out that born again adults seem capable of compartmentalizing their faith. "The perceptions that born again adults have of public figures is nearly identical to that of people who are not born again. That suggests that their faith in Christ has little influence upon their decision-making, which explains why surveys find few distinctives in their lifestyle and values."

Readers Share Their Lists Of 'Most Influential'

Chuck Baldwin / Chuck Baldwin Live:
I listed 50 people that I wished could be regarded as "most influential" in our country. In that column, I invited readers to share the names of people that they feel are deserving of that recognition. Boy, did they! Scores of readers responded. Not surprising, I suppose, is that most of the responders repeated several names. Many of the names I know; some I do not. Nevertheless, here are the names of people that readers said they would like to see regarded as America's "most influential" leaders.

Church Outlines 'Dark Side' In Haggard's Cover-Up?

Eric Gorski / The Denver Post:
The Rev. Ted Haggard's former congregation was told Sunday that while an investigation uncovered new evidence the influential evangelical leader engaged in "sordid conversation" and "improper relationships," the church can heal its wounds. More than 100 days after Haggard's firing amid a gay-sex scandal, 14,000-member New Life Church received a progress report from its board of overseers, an outside panel of pastors. The Rev. Larry Stockstill of Baton Rouge, La., an overseer, read a letter describing results of "extensive fact-finding" into Haggard's claim that he had long struggled with a "dark side." Although church leaders have stayed positive, attendance has declined between 8 percent and 10 percent since the scandal, said another overseer.

Christianity Shrinking in Europe

Ruth Gledhill / The Times Online:
Thousands of churches face closure, demolition or conversion in the next decade with experts warning of the imminent demise of some branches of the Christian religion in Europe. Britain today. More than seven out of ten of the population, 42 million people, count themselves Christian. It sounds a lot. But behind the figures lies a story of apparently irreversible decline in the country’s established religion. Just one-tenth of the nation’s Christians actually goes to Church, a trend that is seeing churches are closing at a rate even faster than new mosques are opening. Latest figures show that practising Muslims will in a few decades outnumber practising Christians if current trends continue.

German Bible Goes Politically Correct

Deutsche Welle:
A new German translation of the Bible is aimed at ridding the Holy Scriptures of their misogynist and anti-Semitic traits as well as flashing out the relationship between the poor and the privileged. A new German translation of the Holy Scriptures, entitled "The Bible in Fair Language," will be published this fall, in time for the international book fair in Frankfurt. A team of 42 women and 10 men worked on the translation for five years in an attempt to render the 2,400 pages of biblical texts in an easy-to-follow, contemporary language.

Talk2Action vs. Christian Dominion

Chris Ortiz / Chalcedon Blog:
Contemporary critics of Christian Reconstruction abound. There's simply no reason to make the effort in responding to them all. And with the advent of the internet, the proliferation of wrong information is multiplied incalculably as armchair theocracy experts repeat the misconstrued concept of Biblical dominion. However, I would like to make mention of the most recent example brought to my attention, because this particular post addresses the Chalcedon blog, and demonstrates the odd reluctance of some bloggers to research.

Athlete Interview Reveals More Hatred

Bret McAtee / The Backwater Report:
Ten time ABA All Star and four time ABA MVP, Tom Fadeaway (no relation to Tim Hardaway) said in an interview on WSL Chicago Sports radio that he hated people who had sex with animals. Radio personality Barry Lirds was talking to Fadeaway about his formative years in the farming country of North Dakota, when the conversation turned to some underground literature on bestiality that Fadeaway had come across during his time at UNDLT. Though the interview played in prime radio time and was picked up by all the major news services, the reaction to Fadeaway’s comments, unlike the reaction to Hardaway’s comments from last week, has been scant.

Terrorists Chip In

William Norman Grigg / The American Conservative:
Implanting radio ID tags in U.S. passports
makes stealing personal data easier than ever.
Information-security expert Lukas Grunwald is not reluctant to share his opinion of the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology that is now a mandatory security feature of American passports. “This whole design is totally brain damaged,” Grunwald told Wired magazine. “From my point of view all of these RFID passports are a huge waste of money. They’re not increasing security at all.”

Girl Fights - Women Turn More Violent

Diann Burns / CBS News:
Risky Behavior By Hollywood Starlets Is
Helping Feed Sharp Increase In Assaults
They graduated from pushing and shoving and name-calling to straight up duking it out. Now a furious debate is on over the reasons girls are fighting and how we can stop it. As CBS 2's Diann Burns reports, the urgency is underscored by the millions of references and thousands of videos of violent fights on the Internet. The beatings are punishing – fists flying, hair pulling and kicking. This is how more and more girls these days handle disputes. “Me or my friend bumped into a girl in the lunch line and I didn't say sorry,” said Amber Taylor-Hart, a high school senior. “She came at me. We started fighting.”

Teen 'Sport Killings'

Ashley Fantz / CNN.com:
A National Coalition for the Homeless report says last year, there were 122 attacks and 20 murders against the homeless, the most attacks in nearly a decade. Criminologists call these wilding sprees "sport killing," -- largely middle-class teens, with no criminal records, assaulting the homeless with bats, golf clubs, paintball guns. "It's disturbing to know that young people would literally kick someone when they're already down on their luck," said Michael Stoops, the executive director of the Washington-based National Coalition for the Homeless. "We recognize that this isn't every teenager, but for some this passes as amusement."

President George W. Hamilton

David Alan Black / Dave Black Online:
I believe we find ourselves, at the time of growing American imperialism, in a climate of thought strangely reminiscent of Alexander Hamilton, for it was he who played the most active role in speeding up the process that led from a financially impotent federation to a financially functioning central government. It was also Hamilton who seized upon the “broad” interpretation of the Constitution to stretch its vulnerable clauses as protection for the growth of federal power.

US Will Be Safe For Those That Control It

Bob Strodtbeck / Ether Zone:
There is a certain despair that comes with being pushed to the fringes of the political norm by those who stake a claim to the “mainstream”; even though we see possible consequences to policy decisions that may seem popular at the time, we are easily discounted with any number of character assassinations from alarmist to xenophobic. Unfortunately, by the time the consequences become publicly apparent, those who are in the position to correct the problems (or could have prevented them in the first place) face too much political pressure from the new “mainstream” to deal with them appropriately. William Lind is one of those “alarmists” who used his understanding of fourth generation warfare to warn of coming turmoil from the US invasion of Iraq. Now that we are embroiled in a conflict with an undefinable purpose and for which our leaders cannot identify the standards for success, Lind is discounted as little more than an unpatriotic threat to the safety of “the troops” and, worse, someone who “emboldens the terrorists”.

Another Reason NOT to 'Support Our Troops'

AFP/Getty Images:
An army that dresses women like men and then places them in harm's way, is an army of cowards, and 'abomination unto the LORD thy God'. Full story...

"The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God." Deuteronomy 22:5

The Vindication of Joseph

Rev. R.J. Rushdoony / The Chalcedon Foundation:
The story of Joseph is one of the most moving accounts in all of history. He went from the status of the favored son to that of a slave, to that of prime minister of all Egypt. In between, he was two years in prison for a crime he did not commit (Gen. 39:7–20, 41:1). There is no record that his false imprisonment conviction was ever reversed; Pharaoh was interested in what Joseph could do for Egypt, not in Joseph’s past. This is a familiar story. So many wrongs and evils done to us and to others go unrighted in history. Our Lord requires us to devote ourselves to His service, not to our vindication. In the end, He, as the great Judge of all men and nations, will right every wrong and close all books with justice.

A Sodomite Bible with 'God's New Law'

Gay-Bible.com / Press Release Web:
"This is a new version of the Holy Bible that includes the New Testament, along with a new book entitled God's New Law, which was introduced in the year 2000. This book contains testimony of prophecy fulfilled, prophecy to be, and the decommissioning of traditional religion so that God may dwell with all those who believe. God's New Law is meant to be the last book of the Bible and to herald the birth of God's religion without doctrine."

Mardi Gras Revellers Feel Call of Ancient Deity?

Thomas R. Horn / NewsWithViews.com:
Reuters reported that as New Orleans got ready for the final bead-throwing bacchanalia of Mardi Gras, ugly reminders of the violence gripping the storm-shattered city continues as two people were killed and seven others were wounded in two shootings ahead of the stream of parades scheduled to start Friday night and run through Fat Tuesday. This is the second Carnival season since Katrina devastated the city in 2005, killing 1,300 people.

Hillary gets no support from The South

Jim Davenport / The Associated Press:
Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that South Carolina should remove the Confederate flag from its Statehouse grounds, in part because the nation should unite under one banner while at war. "I personally would like to see it removed from the Statehouse grounds," the New York senator said during her first trip to the early voting state since announcing her White House bid.

The Vengeance of God

Rev. R.J. Rushdoony / The Chalcedon Foundation:
In 2 Thessalonians 1:8, we are told that the Lord will come “[i]n flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The word “taking” is in the Greek didontos, from didomi, which most commonly means “give.” In other words, the vengeance of the Lord is not something brought in as an imposition on sin but as a necessary consequence of sin.

Are You Growing Weary?

Gary DeMar / American Vision:
Druid Hills Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, is dealing with the issue of homosexual clergy. The Evangelical Lutheran Church must come to a conclusion on whether practicing homosexual pastor Bradley E. Schmeling of St. John’s Lutheran Church should be relieved of his pastorate because he admits that he is in a sexual relationship with another man. As one member of the Druid Hills church laments, “A lot of time and energy is being spent by governing bodies and individual churches over this issue. . . . The time should be devoted to the real mission of the church: helping the poor, the homeless, [and] the community at large.” Liberals know that conservatives grow weary fighting spiritual battles. In time, they throw up their hands and say that there are more important “spiritual things” to do. They don’t want to fight anymore, because they believe that divisions divide churches and hurt the ministry of the gospel. In reality, not to deal with these clear moral issues makes the gospel irrelevant. If sin is no longer sin, then there is no need for the cross.

Cloning the American Mind & 'Gays'

Devvy Kidd / NewsWithViews.com:
Political Correctness: The Cloning of the American Mind is a short but very precise book published back in 1992 by David Thibodaux, Ph.D., English professor, University of South-western Louisiana. Dr. Thibodaux hit it right on the mark. In a relatively few pages (212), he succinctly chronicled the foundations of the disease called "political correctness," how it will destroy America's moral foundation, educational excellence in this country and how it can be corrected. One of the most obvious issues for cloning the American mind is promoting sodomy and other deviant sexual behavior. The American people have been under a barrage of the most sophisticated propaganda and brainwashing techniques ever seen outside Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

Once Again, A Gun Saved Lives

Chuck Baldwin / The Covenant News:
This past Monday night, a gunman walked into a popular Salt Lake City mall and opened fire with a shotgun. The trench coat-clad gunman was heavily armed and intended to kill as many people as he could. He killed five people before being challenged by an armed off-duty police officer. Once again, a gun saved lives.

Codependent No More!

David Alan Black / Dave Black Online:
When Jesus was on earth He gathered His disciples together and taught them personally. Into these men and women He poured His life and truth. Nothing has changed today except that Jesus now continues His teaching ministry through the Holy Spirit and through the Word of God. He still desires to speak to us personally, and as we grow in our personal knowledge of the Lord Jesus we learn to walk in a manner pleasing to Him.

The Certainty of War with Iran

Chris Ortiz / Chalcedon Blog:
It should be clear to the American people by now that a "faction" within the U.S. government is steering our foreign policy. The only difference is that in the U.S. it matters little if the orders are coming from the White House. Since John F. Kennedy, no sitting U.S. president has actually wielded any real power. Mr. Bush is not much more than a salesman. His job is to represent the interests of the Military-Industrial Complex by selling war to Congress and the American people. As President Eisenhower made clear, our greatest threat is not a foreign invader, but an enemy from within.

Denial on Iraq and at Home

Ed Henry / Ether Zone:
President Bush talks about making Iraq a shining example of democracy in the Middle East. But, at the same time, he and his gang deny the fact that the Kurds, the very same people who helped us temporarily defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan, have already beat Bush to the punch by peacefully setting up their own democracy without any help from us. Google “Kurdistan” if you want to read about this new nation with its own currency, protected borders, and democratically elected President. Of course, Kurdistan is in the northern sector of Iraq where we recently raided an Iranian office that we claim was a front for terrorism. Kurdistan also has oil that we want.

The Glorification Of Sluts

Coach Dave Daubenmire / NewsWithViews.com:
There was a day Anna Nicole Smith would have been written off as the harlot that she was. Instead, details of her whoredom elicit around-the-clock coverage of her sex-capades all over cable news. Watching Greta Van Susteren glory in the details of a decadent life gives me the willies. We have become a nation of window-peepers. What father in his right mind would want his daughter to turn out like Anna Nicole? And have you noticed, in all of the voyeurism, her dad has never been mentioned?

'Give Me a Break!'

Chris Ortiz / Chalcedon Blog:
That's what male prostitute, Mike Jones, said in response to Ted Haggard's recent claim that after a few weeks of intense counseling he is heterosexual. Haggard engaged in a three-year sexual relationship with Mike Jones, paying him for homosexual encounters while also taking Crystal Meth to both enhance and prolong the experiences. Mike Jones exposed Haggard on a local radio show after realizing who Haggard was and that he was leading the charge against gay marriage in Colorado. Haggard had been using the alias "Art" when interacting with Jones.

Our World Today

R. J. Rushdoony / Chalcedon Position Paper:
Recently, I was in an eastern state as an expert witness in a freedom of speech and freedom of religion trial. Two street preachers were on trial and had been arrested and imprisoned earlier. The judge in this case, unlike so many, was courteous and conducted the trial with dignity; however, he readily admitted hearsay evidence against the two preachers. The city brought to the trial a zeal which would have been more appropriate for a case involving rape or murder.

No Tipping Fee - Dumping The Indigent

Al Cronkrite / The Covenant News:
A recent article in the Los Angeles Times exposed the growing practice of hospitals using skid row as a place to get rid of indigent, handicapped patients. Yes, you read that correctly; the hospitals actually dump these moneyless, homeless patients who require extensive care out of vehicles onto some of the worst streets in town.

Forget The 'E-Word' - Let's Save The 'C-Word'

Paul Proctor / NewsWithViews.com:
USA Today recently did a story on the deterioration of the word "evangelical" in an article entitled, "Can The 'E' Word Be Saved?" bringing to light the way many such terms are inappropriately used and abused these days for an assortment of unrighteous reasons, causing them to lose all real meaning and value in, not only secular society, but the Church as well.

The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine

Steven F. Hotze, M.D. / American Vision:
Well, Governor Perry is at it again! First it was the Perry Business Income Tax, then his reversal on immigration and now his mandating the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine. Why did Governor Rick Perry reverse his pre–election position and issue an outrageous executive order mandating that all girls in the sixth grade receive the HPV vaccine? He says that it is about saving the lives of women. If this were his true motives, then why did he issue his press release late on the Friday afternoon preceding the Super Bowl? Why didn’t he hold a huge news conference with fanfare, boasting of his efforts?

50 Americans I Wish Were Most Influential

Chuck Baldwin / Chuck Baldwin Live:
The Church Report recently announced this year's list of its "50 Most Influential Christians in America." The list's top 10 are Joel Osteen, Billy Graham, Bill Hybels, T.D. Jakes, James Dobson, Paul Crouch, Joyce Meyer, Leonard Sweet, John Piper, and Rob Bell. Other notables making the top 50 include President Bush, Robert Schuller, Franklin Graham, Rick Warren, Chuck Colson, Andy Stanley, Joni Eareckson Tada, Jay Sekulow, Chuck Swindoll, Jack Hayford, Richard Land, Charles Stanley, Max Lucado, John Hagee, D. James Kennedy, George Barna, Rod Parsley, Jerry Falwell, Sam Brownback, John MacArthur, Frank Page, and Creflo Dollar. What strikes me most about the above list are the names of people I wish were listed but were not.

Bush's 'No Child' Commission Presents Ambitious Plan

Amit R. Paley / The Washington Post:
A commission proposed a wide-reaching expansion of the No Child Left Behind law yesterday that would for the first time require schools to ensure that all seniors are proficient in reading and math and hold schools accountable for raising test scores in science by 2014. The 230-page bipartisan report, perhaps the most detailed blueprint sent to Congress thus far as it considers renewal of the federal education law, also proposes sanctions for teachers with poorly performing students and the creation of new national standards and tests. Full story...

Hate Crimes Legislation Back

John Tiffany / American Free Press:
On Jan. 5, Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (DTexas) reintroduced so-called “hate crimes” legislation in Congress. The bill is numbered H.R. 254. hate crimes laws would add additional criminal penalties upon anyone convicted of a crime against an individual when that crime, according to the proposed legislation, is “motivated by the actual or perceived race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or disability of the victim.”

Haggard and the Gay Debate

Chris Ortiz / Chalcedon Blog:
Reuters claims "Evangelist's therapy fuels 'gay debate.'" They are referring to the recent emergence of Ted Haggard from a few weeks of counseling to declare himself a heterosexual. Apparently his three-year engagement in anal sex with a male prostitute was merely an "acting out," and was by no means "a constant thing," said one of his assigned counselors. I wonder what then defines "constant?" I don't know that there is any genuine "debate" - at least no debate of any significance. Especially when compared with the scandals of yesteryear involving Jim and Tammy Baker, Jimmy Swaggart, Robert Tilton, and Larry Lea. For some odd reason the scandal surrounding Ted Haggard is relatively quiet. You have to wonder why.

New Life Church To Hold 'Day Of Hope'

The Associated Press:
New Life Church members still reeling from the ouster of founder and popular minister Ted Haggard over sex and drug allegations will hear from church officials Feb. 18 in what's billed as "a day of hope." Haggard resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and was forced out as senior pastor at the 14,000-member New Life Church last year after a Denver man made sex and drug allegations against him. Haggard publicly admitted to "sexual immorality." A board of overseers who dismissed Haggard in November will address the church about the scandal.

'Global Warming' Is Politics Not Science

John Bender / Ether Zone:
On Friday, February 2, 2007 the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a document titled: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis, Summary for Policymakers. This is a political document. It is not the supposedly scientific document which is titled: IPCC Working Group I Contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. The “scientific” document is still being edited and will not be issued for several months. Yet the buggy whip media is using the political document to gin up hysteria among the gullible masses. None of the fear mongers in the buggy whip press are bothering to mention the fact that the political document says right in the beginning that the “scientific” document is being edited to conform to the already released summary. That’s right. The U.N. politicians and bureaucrats wrote and released a summary of a report that isn’t written yet and is being edited to conform to their political summary. Full story...

The Creeping Fascism of Global Warming Hysteria

Paul Joseph Watson / Prison Planet:
The hoax of the doctrine of man-made global warming that is being foisted upon the world by decree, and the junk science that is manipulated to support it, represents a creeping fascism whose agenda to stifle open debate betrays the fact that climate change hysteria is a farce intended to crush freedoms and further centralize global power.

Human Chipping Company Omits Salient Risks

Liz McIntyre & Katherine Albrecht / NewsWithViews.com:
VeriChip Corporation, the much-hated purveyor of the VeriChip human ID implant, is airing its dirty laundry this week. This is not by choice, mind you, but because the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) required the company to disclose its "risk factors" prior to launching its initial public offering of stock (IPO) Friday. "Potential investors should be told how a hacker can simply walk by a chipped person and clone his or her VeriChip signal, a threat demonstrated by security researcher Jonathan Westhues months ago," says Liz McIntyre, CASPIAN privacy advocate, who is a former federal bank examiner.

Traitor or American Hero?

Clyde Wilson / LewRockwell.com:
This year is Robert E. Lee’s bicentennial – the 200th anniversary of his birth. Nothing better illustrates the swift and vicious descent of Political Correctness upon American history and symbols than the shadow that has, in just the last few years, been thrown over a man regarded (rightly) for well over a century as among the greatest of Americans. Even before the War to Prevent Southern Independence had ended, his Northern enemies were claiming Lee as a prized exhibit of America’s contribution to the world. (As they also were claiming his great lieutenant, "Stonewall" Jackson.) Such a claim could hardly be avoided since the entirety of the civilized world, watching the American bloodbath with interest, had already made that judgment. The British military commentator, Viscount Wolsely, expressed much international opinion when he wrote of Lee: "He is stamped upon my memory as being apart and superior to all others in every way."

The Proposed Iranian Oil Bourse

Krassimir Petrov / Energy Bulletin:
A nation-state taxes its own citizens, while an empire taxes other nation-states. The history of empires, from Greek and Roman, to Ottoman and British, teaches that the economic foundation of every single empire is the taxation of other nations. The imperial ability to tax has always rested on a better and stronger economy, and as a consequence, a better and stronger military. One part of the subject taxes went to improve the living standards of the empire; the other part went to strengthen the military dominance necessary to enforce the collection of those taxes.

Iran: The War Begins

John Pilger / NewStatesman.com:
The United States is planning what will be a catastrophic attack on Iran. For the Bush cabal, the attack will be a way of "buying time" for its dis aster in Iraq. In announcing what he called a "surge" of American troops in Iraq, George W Bush identified Iran as his real target. "We will interrupt the flow of support [to the insurgency in Iraq] from Iran and Syria," he said. "And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq."

Interview with John Lofton on Politics and Culture

The Chalcedon Foundation PodCast:
Chris Ortiz and John Lofton discuss Rushdoony, The Constitution Party implosion, and the failure of "Christian" conservative politics.

Abortion Exceptions?

Jo Scott / The Covenant News:
The pro-life movement may be on the brink of throwing away one of its strongest arguments against abortion. There is an opinion within the movement that if we give up on the rape and incest babies we’ll be able to save the others and then we’ll go back later for the rape babies.

Asking The Right Questions

Michael Butler / First Word:
"Christendom in its current state cannot stand unified around the true solution to the current crisis, partly because it has too quickly accepted its enemies’ way of putting the question, and partly because it is not practiced at turning issues inside out and looking at them a different way. Much of what goes on today in the “culture wars” is futile. Great effort is exerted by our Kulturführers and their followers, but their engine is almost always running in idle."

Toploftiness - The Pathetic Assumptions Of Men

Al Cronkrite / The Covenant News:
When Christian leaders allow church growth and a desire for peace to override the confrontational nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they allow a fatal blight to overcome their ministry and the fruit God intends them to produce never ripens. Leadership in the service of Christ Jesus must involve an exclusive commitment to confronting God’s entire creation with the Gospel. When efforts are made to make preaching seeker friendly, the Christian message is badly distorted and the minions of evil become victorious.

Haggard's Overseers to Speak at New Life Church

Colorado Springs Gazette:
The four ministers who fired the Rev. Ted Haggard from New Life Church will speak to its members during two morning services Feb. 18, according to a church-wide e-mail sent out Wednesday night by Interim Senior Pastor Ross Parsley. New Life’s overseer board includes the Rev. Larry Stockstill of Bethany World Prayer Center in Baker, La.; the Rev. Tim Ralph of New Covenant Fellowship in Larkspur; the Rev. Michael Ware of Victory Church in Westminster; and the Rev. Mark Cowart of Church for All Nations in Colorado Springs. “They will provide any necessary clarification of the restoration process and give us a report on the New Life staff,” Parsley said in the e-mail.

Evangelical Lutherans Defrock Sodomite 'Pastor'

The Christian Post:
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America said Thursday it is removing from the clergy a gay minister from Atlanta who announced he has a partner. The Rev. Bradley Schmeling, who has led St. John's, Atlanta's oldest Lutheran church, since 2000, will be removed from the roster effective Aug. 15, according to a report from the ELCA's disciplinary committee.

The American View's John Lofton Admitted to Hospital

The American View:
John Lofton was admitted into the hospital early this week and an emergency surgery was performed. He is doing well, but we don’t know when he’ll return to The American View. Prayers for his quick recovery would be appreciated.

Businessman Excommunicated Over Clinic Rental

Catholic News:
An Austrian bishop says that a Catholic businessman who rented space in his shopping mall to an abortion clinic has incurred automatic excommunication for formally cooperating in the killing of unborn children. Editor's note: When are Catholic bishops going to start excommunicating Catholic federal employees for working for a civil government that promotes and maintains abortion? Isn't working for such an employer "cooperating in the killing of unborn children"? It would most certainly seem so. In fact, with the slaughter of over 4,500 babies daily, under the protection and administration of the federal FACE Act, Catholic federal employees are guilty of "formally cooperating" in the murder of more babies by abortion than a businessman that rents property to only one abortion business.

This Is Why We Excommunicate!

Chris Ortiz / Chalcedon Blog:
Ted Haggard, the former pastor of New Life Church in Colorado, and former head of the NEA, has emerged from three weeks of "intensive" counseling convinced that he is "completely heterosexual." That's right, folks. After three years of monthly visitations to Denver to engage in anal sex with a male prostitute -- while taking crystal meth -- Ted Haggard is NOT gay! Recently, I was speaking with a dear friend about the Haggard situation and he said, "I feel so bad for him and his family, and the church." I said, "Does anybody feel bad for another stain smeared upon the glory of God? Does anyone feel revulsion at the fact that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ has once again been dragged through the mud by a false minister?"

'Temple Prostitute' Doubts Haggard’s Restoration

Bill Reed / Colorado Springs Gazette:
Mike Jones said Wednesday he was surprised when he read media reports of Ted Haggard’s claims that he is “completely heterosexual.” Jones is the former male prostitute in Denver whose allegations of a three-year sexual relationship with Haggard brought about the firing in November of the founder of the 14,000-member New Life Church, based in Colorado Springs. Haggard admitted to “sexual immorality” and buying methamphetamine. Haggard recently emerged from an intensive three-week spiritual-restoration program in Phoenix and said he is straight, according to comments New Life Church overseer the Rev. Tim Ralph made to The Denver Post. “Give me a break,” Jones said Wednesday. “He’s been performing oral sex on me for three years. You don’t change that in three weeks.”

Haggard Agrees Not To Discuss Scandal Publicly

Agreement includes a financial settlement with New Life Church.
TheDenverChannel.com:
Ted Haggard and the mega church he founded in Colorado Springs have signed an agreement that bars him from speaking publicly about the scandal that led to his departure from the church, co-pastor Rob Brendle said Wednesday. The agreement included a financial settlement -- and a stipulation that neither the church nor Haggard would disclose the amount.

Men Without Chests—A World Without Morality

Gary DeMar / American Vision:
I like free books. So I was excited when I opened a package that contained a book that I had not ordered. Apparently, I’m on someone’s list of notables, because Alfred A. Knopf thought I should have a copy of Sam Harris’ Letter to a Christian Nation. And since I had received an unsolicited copy, surely there were others who were equally blessed with a free copy. I can’t believe that anyone at Knopf thought I would be persuaded by it, so I’m assuming that an enterprising marketer saw it as a way to get some free publicity. It worked! And we are grateful. American Vision will have a response to the book in about four weeks written by Douglas Wilson with the title Letter from a Christian Citizen.

Two Gideons arrested in Florida

WorldNetDaily.com:
Two men who are members of Gideons International, the Christian organization that is famous for, among other ministries, placing Bibles in motels and giving them to children, have been arrested after trying to hand out Bibles on a public sidewalk in Florida, according to a law firm. The arrest happened Jan. 19, when Anthony Mirto and Ernest Simpson were on the sidewalk outside of Key Largo School in Key Largo, Fla., and were distributing copies of the Bible to those interested.

Nancy Pelosi Demands Big Private Jet

Judicial Watch - Corruption Chronicles:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants taxpayers to finance a lavish private jet large enough to ferry her and her entourage—including family members-- from coast-to-coast without stopping. Like all members of Congress, House speakers use commercial flights to travel but Pelosi claims she needs a private U.S. Air Force jet for security reasons, even during personal travel with her family and supporters. After the 2001 terrorist attacks, the House speaker was authorized to use a military jet for security reasons and former Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois used a small aircraft with 12 seats and five crew members.

The Breeding Ground of Tyranny

William L. Anderson / LewRockwell.com:
When the New York Times recently reported that the Bush administration was routinely tracking international and domestic financial transactions, the president said he was doing these things under emergency powers granted to him by Congress. While many commentators have openly questioned the legality of Bush’s actions, there are deeper questions to be asked than simply “Is this legal?”

Texas HPV Vaccination: Parents Can Opt Out

Devvy Kidd / NewsWithViews.com:
On February 2, 2007, Governor Rick Perry (R-TX) announced his newest edict via executive order: "NOW THEREFORE, I, RICK PERRY, Governor of Texas, by virtue of the power and authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of Texas as the Chief Executive Officer, do hereby order the following: "Vaccine. The Department of State Health Services shall make the HPV vaccine available through the Texas Vaccines for Children program for eligible young females up to age 18, and the Health and Human Services Commission shall make the vaccine available to Medicaid-eligible young females from age 19 to 21." This immediately set off a firestorm on the Internet and talk radio. Those of us who live in Texas know Rick Perry for the corporate lackey he is and how he has sold out this state with the Texas-Trans Corridor (1) to foreign interests and is a proponent of the SPP (Security & Prosperity Partnership), although he will deny it, his actions prove otherwise.

Deputies Arrest Fugitive Clinic Owner

Cold-blooded baby killer had been wanted since August.
Miami Herald:
Belkis Gonzalez, co-owner of a Miramar abortion clinic, has been arrested by the Broward Sheriff's Office fugitive squad on charges of running the facility with unlicensed employees. Miramar police issued a warrant for Gonzalez's arrest in August. Deputies arrested her Friday. Patients interviewed admitted they had abortions performed by two clinic employees who were not licensed healthcare professionals, according to the arrest report. Gonzalez was also involved last year with a Hialeah clinic where a witness said a fetus was hidden on the roof when investigators searched the site.

Flashback: August 10, 2006

Abortion Clinic Shut Down By City in Florida

Update to Your Story: Dead Baby Found Abortion Clinic Closed

Senate Sneaks Send Amnesty Bill To House

John Bender / Ether Zone:
On Thursday February 1, 2007, the Senate passed a “minimum wage” bill. Unnoticed and unreported in the old media they included Amendment 187. There was no big announcement or press coverage of this amendment passing because Amendment 187 is essentially McCain-Kennedy-Bush amnesty that most of the country is against. The idea was to sneak this past the American people.

Rejecting the Republican Party is Not Apathy

Michael Butler / First Word:
A few people have accused me of being apathetic about current politcal affairs. I do not consider myself apathetic. About ten years ago I came to realize that the Republican party is what it has always been – a warmongering establishment party that serves the interests of the elite. Sure there are a number of good grassroots Republicans, but these seldom get elected and when they do they typically sell out to Central Command. Christian Republicans especially.

Pigs at the Public Trough

Charles H. Featherstone / LewRockwell.com:
Without a public debate or formal policy decision, contractors have become a virtual fourth branch of government. On the rise for decades, spending on federal contracts has soared during the Bush administration, to about $400 billion last year from $207 billion in 2000. ... Contracting also creates whole "businesses" completely dependent on taxpayer dollars – legal theft and lawful coercion – businesses that then specialize not in the making and selling of products, but in lobbying legislators for ever more business. Businesses that specialize in taking from you and me. According to the New York Times piece, Lockheed Martin is the biggest federal contractor, making more from contracts than the federal budget allocates to either the Departments of Justice or Energy. Can any of us walk into a Wal-Mart and buy something – anything – made by Lockheed Martin?

The Other Statist Robert Reich

Bret McAtee / The Backwater Report:
Recently, I posted a quote from Dr. Robert Reich and analyzed it in my commentary. It seems that Dr. Reich is an Assistant Professor of Political Science, Ethics in Society, and, by courtesy, Education, at Stanford University. Somehow Dr. Reich read my piece critiquing his quote and was apparently a bit miffed. First, I had accidentally identified him as the former Labor Secretary in the Clinton administration. I hope Dr. Reich can forgive me for attributing his quote to a man with whom he shares a name. Second, in his e-mail to me Dr. Reich implied that I had failed to do the intellectually honest thing by not actually learning what his arguments are, and he complained directly that I had extrapolated what he considered ‘an entire worldview’ from a two- or three-sentence quote.

'Masses Are Being Fed A Bunch Of Hooey'

Carmon Friedrich / Buried Treasure:
“Soylent Green…it’s people!” shouted Charlton Heston at the end of the movie, as he was dragged away to be turned into food for the masses. Now the masses are being fed a bunch of hooey, being told…”It’s people!” It’s people, according to a U.N. panel, which blames global warming “caused by man’s burning of fossil fuels” for the imminent demise of the planet if draconian measures are not undertaken to immediately stop it. The California state legislature is full of bright ideas, calling for a ban on incandescent light bulbs as a bold move to lead the nation in a reduction of “greenhouse gases” (no jokes about dim bulbs, please.)

Court Blocks Dismissal of Christian Navy Chaplain

Chad Groening / OneNewsNow.com:
After a long battle over his right to pray in Jesus' name while in uniform, Navy chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, who was supposed to be discharged from the service on January 31 got a last-minute reprieve from a three-judge federal panel, allowing him additional time to appeal his termination. "This was an 11th-hour miracle," the lieutenant contends. "My career was dangling by a thread; but thanks be to God, that thread has not yet been cut," he says. "I was supposed to be kicked out of the Navy on Wednesday. That was going to be my last day of my 15-and-a-half-year career."

Illegals Beat Up Jailed Border Patrol Agent

Judicial Watch:
One of the U.S. Border Patrol agents sentenced to prison for intercepting a Mexican drug smuggler has been severely beaten in jail by a group of illegal immigrant inmates. Ignacio Ramos, imprisoned along with fellow Border Patrol agent Jose Campeon, was violently assaulted by a gang of illegal alien convicts who yelled in Spanish “maten a la migra” (kill the Border Patrol agent) as they delivered multiple blows to his body.

Caleb North, R.I.P.

Dr. Gary North / American Vision:
My son, the youngest of my four children, age 24, died sometime last week. His body was found on Sunday, February 4 in his apartment, which is 250 miles from my home. He died of natural causes—very strange natural causes. If anyone you know suffers from the following symptoms, that person should take this very seriously.

Haggard Now Completely Heterosexual?

The Associated Press:
One of four ministers who oversaw three weeks of intensive counseling for the Rev. Ted Haggard said the disgraced minister emerged convinced that he is "completely heterosexual." Haggard also said his sexual contact with men was limited to the former male prostitute who came forward with sexual allegations, the Rev. Tim Ralph of Larkspur told The Denver Post for a story in Tuesday's edition. "He is completely heterosexual," Ralph said. "That is something he discovered. It was the acting-out situations where things took place. It wasn't a constant thing."

Editor's note: The Bible does not make a distinction between "heterosexual" and "homosexual" as Rev. Tim Ralph of Larkspur implies. The Bible simply says, "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." (Lev.20:13) Notice where it says "...their blood shall be upon them"? Through the administration of Justice, Ted Haggard, along with his "temple prostitute", should be put to death to cut off the curse of their abomination that is on us all as a nation of people.

State Initiative Dictates to God When to Open Womb

The Associated Press is reporting that a Washington state initiative filed by supporters of sodomite 'marriage' want to tell God when to 'open the womb' by requiring married couples to have children within three years or else have their marriage annulled. In other words, "what therefore God hath joined together" sex offenders want the State of Washington to "put asunder." Gregory Gadow, organizer for the Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance says “for many years, social conservatives have claimed that marriage exists solely for the purpose of procreation ... The time has come for these conservatives to be dosed with their own medicine. If same-sex couples should be barred from marriage because they can not have children together (sic), it follows that all couples who cannot or will not have children together should equally be barred from marriage."

Forced Vaccination Without Representation

Barbara Simpson / WorldNetDaily.com:
Merck & Co., the huge drug company, hit the jackpot. Sure, it's the spreading nanny government and – surprise, surprise, it's fueled by money! As always – follow the money – but it's more than that. The lives and safety of our children are at stake no matter what the PR says. Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed an executive order Feb. 2, requiring all girls entering 6th grade in Texas be vaccinated against some of the viruses that cause cervical cancer. The vaccine in question is new, approved by the FDA on June 8, 2006 and added to the regular childhood immunization schedule on June 29. Talk about fast track! It's Gardasil, made only by Merck, which says three shots over six months are necessary. Cost? $360 or more, depending on the physician.

Failed States: The US and Israel

Paul Craig Roberts / VDARE.com:
Growing references by the US and Israel to the Muslim Middle East as a collection of failed states are part of the propaganda campaign to strip legitimacy from Muslim states and set them up for attack. These accusations spring from the hubris of many Israelis, who see themselves as "God’s Chosen People," a guarantee of immunity instead of a call to responsibility, and many Americans, who regard their country as "a city upon a hill" that is "the light of the world." But do the US and Israel fit the profile of successful states - or are they failed states themselves?

Ferocious Times

Rev. R.J. Rushdoony / The Chalcedon Foundation:
Again and again, the apostles use the expression “last days” or “last times,” and what is usually meant is the era from Christ’s first coming to His return. These are the last times, says Peter (1 Pet. 1:20) and also John (1 John 2:18), for example. This helps us to understand what Paul means in 1 Timothy 4:1, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” This is to explain to Timothy why two notable leaders, Hymenaeus and Alexander, had left the faith (1 Tim. 1:20, 4:1). With the coming of Christ, the battle between good and evil has intensified, and men are now “[w]ithout natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,” and given to every evil (2 Tim. 3:3), and in these “last days perilous times shall come” (2 Tim. 3:1).

Foley's Money Keeps Flowing

Jeremy Wallace / Sarasota Herald-Tribune:
Former Congressman Mark Foley may be out of office and facing possible criminal charges, but that isn't stopping him from spending money intended for his now-defunct re-election campaign. Since resigning in late September amid allegations that he made inappropriate advances toward teenage interns, Foley has paid his sister more than $14,000 to run his campaign, almost $2,000 to lease a Volkswagen for the bygone campaign and an additional $50,000 to hire prominent criminal defense attorneys. And there is still a lot more money to spend.

Giuliani Nearing GOP Candidacy

Liz Sidoti / The Associated Press:
Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who became a national hero for his response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, suggested Monday that a formal presidential announcement was a matter of when, not if. "Today we just took another step toward running for president," the Republican said, hours after filing a so-called "statement of candidacy" with the Federal Election Commission. Despite being immensely popular in national polls, Giuliani faces hurdles to securing the Republican nomination state by state. His moderate stances on issues such as gun control, abortion and gay rights do not sit well with hard-core social conservatives who are a crucial voting group in the nominating contests. His two divorces could be obstacles as well.

Devlin Faces 69 Counts of Sodomy

Charles Montaldo / About.com:
The Missouri pizzaman in whose apartment two kidnapped boys were found by police last month has now been charged with 69 counts of forcible sodomy and two counts of kidnapping. All charges are felonies each carrying a possible life in prison sentence. Prosecutor Robert McCullough said 18 of the counts against Michael J. Devlin relate to 13-year-old Ben Ownby, who disappeared Jan. 8 and was found Jan. 12. The other 51 charges are related to Shawn Hornbeck, now 15, who was abducted when he was 11 years old.

About Online Christian Bookstores

Paul Proctor / NewsWithViews.com:
The purpose of our efforts to reveal some of the unfortunate items being offered for sale in many of today's online Christian bookstores is not to condemn their owners or operators but rather to raise awareness of an old and reoccurring problem in the industry itself and in the process, warn unsuspecting Christians of the dangers lurking within these seemingly innocent outlets before they or their children find out by accident.

Why I Love WMU Sunday

David Alan Black / Dave Black Online:
I always enjoy WMU Sunday. And Baptist Men’s Day. And Youth Sunday. Don’t you? But I have a question. Why couldn’t every Sunday be member-participation Sunday? This may seem like a radical step to you, but I believe it is thoroughly biblical. It is a mark of a church’s failure, not success, when a few hired professionals do all the work of the church. Shame on us for even implying that the only ones who can do anything in the church are those who have been to Bible College or seminary. God’s will is for every believer to do his or her part.

Possible Mistrial In Kopp's Show Trial?

Kopp juror who wept tells of her distress.
Michael Beebe / The Buffalo News:
Nancy Woltz voted with fellow jurors to convict James C. Kopp on federal charges related to his killing of Dr. Barnett A. Slepian, a conviction that could mean Kopp will spend the rest of his life in prison. But that doesn't mean she thinks Kopp meant to kill Slepian. Woltz is juror No. 4, who wept when Kopp asked that the jury be polled after it reached its verdict Jan. 25. She seemed unable to answer when a court clerk asked her whether she voted guilty. She nodded yes. Kopp cited her reaction and that of an unnamed juror Wednesday when he asked U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to declare a mistrial or bring back jurors to see whether any of them had felt intimidated. Arcara ordered a hearing March 5 to consider Kopp's requests and told prosecutors to respond to Kopp's motion by Feb. 15.

The Coming Darkness...

Marxism, Zionism, And The One World Order
by Al Cronkrite / The Covenant News:
Christians who are aghast at the blatant attacks on Christianity prevalent today are guilty of a delayed reaction. When Hitler drove Frankfort School Jewish intellectuals Herbert Marcuse, Eric Fromm, Theodor Adorno, and Max Horkheimer out of Germany they migrated to the United States where they became key sources for the ensuing deterioration of our culture. Charles Reich wrote of their intentions "There is a revolution coming. It will not be like revolutions of the past. It will originate with the individual and the culture, and it will change the political structure as its final act. It will not require violence to succeed, and it cannot be successfully resisted by violence. This is the revolution of the New Generation." The results of this movement can be seen clearly in the Women’s Movement and the continual depiction of Christian leaders, fathers, and authority figures as bumbling idiots.

'Global Warming'

True or Just A Lot of Hot Air?
The American View Radio:
“The American View” discusses “global warming” with Dr. S. Fred Singer, President of the “Science And Environmental Policy Project.” And we discuss how the battle over the environment is really a religious war featuring people like neo-Druid pantheist Al Gore who believes, arrogantly, that humans can destroy the world versus those who believe God is sovereign, the earth is the Lord’s and, by His grace, it is being renewed and will not be destroyed.

Haggards to leave Colo. Springs

Eric Gorski / The Denver Post:
Three months after being ousted in a drugs and gay-sex scandal, the Rev. Ted Haggard is telling friends that counseling has given him hope, and he and his wife plan to leave Colorado Springs and pursue psychology degrees. Haggard shared the couple's still-evolving plans for their next chapter in an e-mail response to members of his former congregation who had contacted him, said Rob Brendle, an associate pastor at New Life Church.

What Do Christians Believe About Adultery?

Abu Atallah / JohnAnkerberg.org:
Despite what we see on the movies, which come primarily from the West, about sex and violence, it is by no means representative of the Christian view. There are many people in the West who do not believe in the Bible or Christianity. They might have Christian names, but they do not adhere to the Bible teachings and moral codes.

The Effects of Sexual Cultism

Gary DeMar / American Vision:
On Friday, February 2, 2007, ABC’s “20/20” broadcast a show on the sex-cult “The Family of Love,” known today simply as “The Family.” Prior to its new designation, it was known as The Children of God (COG), a cult founded by David (Moses David) Berg, who used sex as an intoxicant to keep the cult together. Berg once said: “I practice what I preach! And I preach sex, boys and girls.” Homosexuality, lesbianism, incest, and group sex were all legitimized by the COG cult. Berg’s daughter, Deborah (Linda Berg) Davis writes in The Children of God: The Inside Story how her father justified his perverted view of sex because he first perverted Scripture.

The Life of the Church

R.J. Rushdoony / The Covenant News:
The church in Scripture is essentially the family of God in Christ; it is not a Roman-style court and government. It is a family, and, while there is government in a family, it is mainly through loving care and teaching. The church must thus function essentially as God's family. If there are young men and young women in the church, as yet unmarried, they are to be regarded as the children of the church and given the loving care of all members.

The Importance of Mentoring

David Alan Black / Dave Black Online:
The older we get, the more important it is for us to mentor younger Christians. Personal conversion is just the first step in a very long journey. There is a special joy and benefit when “two walk together,” and often one of the two will be a bit further down the road. I recall my sojourn in Basel when I studied under Prof. Bo Reicke. I will never forget the encouragement it was to be able to meet with him and the example he provided of the wise Christian scholar at work. Paul wrote to his friends in Corinth, “Though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I have become your father in Christ through the Gospel” (1 Cor. 4:15). Where would I be today without my Doktorvater’s guidance and care? We all need a mentor, a “father” who is willing to give time to encourage a younger brother or sister.

The End Of America As We Know It

Greg Evensen / NewsWithViews.com:
The United States of America and its citizenry has been assessed, warned, plotted against, and sold out by internationalists in government, business, and the banking industry. Its workforce has been decimated, its standard of living shredded and its working people made financial slaves through unjust taxation, socialist government practices, rules and regulations at all levels in society that would make any communist dictator grin with envy.

An Iron Curtain is Descending

Pariah / Counter Punch:
"Why are you travelling so often to Canada?" the tough U.S. border guard barked. I was on Amtrak, going from New York to Montreal, as I'd done dozen of times before over several decades. This was my first experience (summer 2006) of the increasingly standard and intrusive "U.S. Exit Interviews" on trains crossing the border. I've been hassled on every train crossing since then, most recently January 2007. The U.S. now has a combined FBI-compiled file of all arrests and charges at all government levels for millions of Americans, and this is instantly viewable by police in many jurisdictions, including border officials of the U.S. and most other countries.

Feds Set to Begin Expansion of DNA Database

Julia Preston / The New York Times:
The Justice Department is completing rules to allow the collection of DNA from most people arrested or detained by federal authorities, a vast expansion of DNA gathering that will include hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. The new forensic DNA sampling was authorized by Congress in a little-noticed amendment to a January 2006 renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, which provides protections and assistance for victims of sexual crimes. The amendment permits DNA collecting from anyone under criminal arrest by federal authorities, and also from illegal immigrants detained by federal agents.

Youth Pastor Guilty of Capital Murder

Guillermo Contreras / Express-News:
After being reminded by prosecutors that a pregnant 17-year-old Stephanie Sanchez bled to death as her assailant went to the gym and shopping, jurors took just 75 minutes Friday to convict the former youth pastor of capital murder. Adrian Estrada, 24, showed no emotion when the court announced the guilty verdict, which also took into account the death of the unborn child. During Friday's proceedings, Estrada mostly stared at the defense table, but looked up to watch the jury present its verdict.

Seventeen-year-old Stephanie Sanchez had been impregnated for the third time by Adrian Estrada, her youth pastor, when she was strangled and stabbed, prosecutor Scott Simpson told jurors Tuesday in Estrada's capital murder trial. Estrada had held Bible studies and ministered to Sanchez in his role as youth pastor at El Sendero Assembly of God church, Simpson said in opening statements. And in December 2004, when she was 16 and he was 21, he took her to abort her first pregnancy.

Prosecutors in the trial, which began Tuesday, played the 911 recording of the family's call for help, as well as most of Estrada's DVD recorded interview by detectives. In Estrada's statement, he admitted to choking and stabbing Sanchez, but also claimed she had attacked him with a knife.

Murder Trial Puts Focus on Land Rights

Meg Kinnard / The Associated Press:
Bullet holes still pepper a small house on the outskirts of town where two police officers died in a gunbattle over a patch of land the state wanted to take for a highway project. Property rights advocates will be watching closely Monday as jury selection begins for the murder trial of Steven Bixby, 39. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Bixby in the 2003 killings of Abbeville County sheriff's Sgt. Danny Wilson and state constable Donnie Ouzts. Bixby's father, Arthur, also is charged with murder but is to be tried separately. In the confrontation at the Bixby home, Wilson was the first to die. He had gone there to discuss the family's anger over the road and was shot on the front porch, his body then dragged inside, according to authorities. A statement Steven Bixby gave after his arrest said the deputy reached for his gun. A judge said last month the statement could be used at his trial.

Interview With Navy Chaplain Lt. Klingenschmitt

Chuck Baldwin / The Covenant News:
Readers should know that my fine staff has recently uploaded my radio interview with Navy chaplain Lt. Gordon James Klingenschmitt. As you may or may not know, this is the man who was court-martialed and then forced out of the U.S. Navy because he prayed in Jesus' name in uniform outside a chapel setting.

Christian Store's X-Rated Troubles Traced to Amazon

Bob Unruh / WorldNetDaily.com:
The troubles that allowed customers at an online Christian bookstore to call up X-rated books and movies have been traced back to Amazon.com, the Internet behemoth that has in the past implemented a series of distinctly anti-Christian policies. The latest issue arose when NewsWithViews.com writer Paul Proctor noted that a company maintaining the Christian Heritage Bookstore website, was selling 14-karat gold cross earrings along with the X-rated "Playboy: X Mates, Vol. 1 – BMX/Wakeboards," and an adult 4-pack of "classics" titled "Debbie Does Dallas," "Deep Throat," "Behind the Green Door," and "The Devil in Miss Jones."

Postmodern Propositions

Eric Rauch / American Vision:
Truth is the very heart of the Christian faith. Jesus told his first-century hearers: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matt. 7:24). He also declared Himself as “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). While the Bible never claims to give us exhaustive knowledge, it does claim to give us sufficient knowledge. The truth that the Bible contains will be enough for our finite minds to ponder for a thousand lifetimes.

The 'Rapture-Ready' Christian

Bill Barnwell / LewRockwell.com:
When the subject of the "end-times" comes up, many Christians and non-Christians don’t want to talk about it. Some Christians, annoyed with all the competing theories and terminology just say, "What difference does it make? Jesus is coming back and I just need to be ready." Non-Christians just assume that since Christianity isn’t true, then the whole issue doesn’t matter. Well, actually, it does matter. I will submit that the popular doctrines of the Left Behind series pose very real threats not only to Christianity, but also to the wider culture.

A Sucker Born Every Minute

Niki Raapana / NewsWithViews.com:
Americans are the biggest suckers for the con, and the loudest cheerleaders for their own national demise. Whereas in Europe and the Middle East many people have identified the scam for what it is, most of us here in the "land of the free and home of the brave" are so immersed in the con (and so afraid of the new laws) we will defend the con leadership unto death.

State Bill Classifies Patriots As 'Domestic Terrorists'

Douglas J. Hagmann / Northeast Intelligence Network:
Arizona House of Representative Kyrsten Sinema (District 15, Phoenix) is proposing legislation that would revise an Arizona criminal statute that would make felons out of patriots, and classify groups such as the Minutemen, Guardian Angels or anyone daring to voluntarily identify and report illegal activity in her state as "domestic terrorists" and worthy of a 6-month minimum stint in prison.

Why America Doesn't Get It

Nancy Levant / The Sierra Times:
Small/independent media has been solely responsible for the truthful dissemination of “globalization” facts. However, many with access to independent media have ignored the “big picture” while picking and choosing favored concerns of the global mission. Unfortunately for the public at large, many have failed to educate the listening public in any logical or sensible manner.

Baptist Megachurch Pastor Resigns Over Controversy

Lillian Kwon / The Christian Post:
On Sunday, a Southern Baptist megachurch in Daytona Beach, Fla., will have an empty pulpit. Instead, a videotape of the church's former pastor will be playing for the congregants as the church currently stands without a senior pastor. Less than five months into his senior pastorship at First Baptist Church, David Cox resigned Wednesday as he read a prepared statement to more than 500 church members.

FBI Ignored Its Own Advice in Gay Republican Affair

McClatchy-Tribune News Service:
In refusing last summer to investigate the e-mails that former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley sent to a former congressional page, the FBI ignored its own child-safety guidelines, says a report from the Justice Department's inspector general. The Foley e-mails given to the FBI in July 2006 by a whistleblower group didn't contain sexually explicit references, but their language indicated behavior that the FBI warns about in "A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety" on its Web site. The agency should review how it handles complaints about public officials.

House Leaders Eye Outside Ethics Panel

Jim Abrams / The Associated Press:
House leaders announced a task force to examine whether an outside panel should investigate ethics problems involving House members. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement that she and the House Republican leader, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, had agreed that the task force would report by May 1. Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., will lead the eight-member task force, which has four lawmakers from each party.

Jerusalem Officials Register Sodomite 'Marriage'

Ruth Eglash / The Jerusalem Post:
Jerusalem officially registered its first homosexual couple as "married," three months after a ruling by the High Court of Justice paved the way for sodomites to be listed in the Interior Ministry's Population Registry. Binyamin and Avi Rose "married" on June 28 in Toronto, Canada, but immediately returned to Jerusalem to start building their life together. Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabene Haddad confirmed that the Roses were the first sodomites to be registered at the ministry's Jerusalem branch.

Christian Bookstores Offer Porn

Paul Proctor / NewsWithViews.com:
Friends, we've got a serious problem in the online Christian bookstore industry. In fact, someone really needs to ask the question: Just what is a Christian Bookstore? You would think that a Christian bookstore is a place where only biblically sound materials are sold. If you take the scriptures literally, like for instance: "Abstain from all appearance of evil." - 1st Thessalonians 5:22 - and in your heart, believe them to be the inspired and inerrant Word of God, then anything that contradicts it cannot legitimately be considered "Christian." But, that doesn't seem to matter anymore, does it?

Republican Reconstruction

Thomas J. DiLorenzo / LewRockwell.com:
Last year I read of how Princeton University "Civil War" and Lincoln scholar James McPherson was on the government payroll to advise the Republican Party on how to "reconstruct" Iraq. My first thought was, well, if he uses the Republican Party during the 1865–1877 "reconstruction" of the South as his model, as he most likely would, then the results will be perfectly predictable: Little or nothing will be rebuilt or reconstructed despite spending billions of dollars; scores of Republican Party hacks, hangers on, and contractors will pocket most of the money; this will generate deep resentment among the Iraqis; and the whole disaster will be used as an excuse to throw even more taxpayer dollars down this Godforsaken rathole.

National Guard Running Away From Illegals

Alicia A. Caldwell /The Associated Press:
Six to eight gunmen - possibly heading for Mexico with drug money - approached a group of Tennessee National Guard troops at an overnight observation post Jan. 3 on the U.S. side of the Arizona-Mexico border. No one fired a shot, and the confrontation ended when American troops retreated to contact the Border Patrol. The gunmen then fled into Mexico. But the incident made some National Guard commanders nervous enough to move up training dates for handling hostage situations. And some lawmakers have questioned why the rules prohibit soldiers from opening fire unless they are fired upon. "Why would this be allowed to happen?" Republican Arizona state Rep. Warde Nichols said. "Why do we have National Guard running from illegals on the border?"

State's Rights and the Feds' REAL ID

Thomas Andrew Olson / LewRockwell.com:
Last Friday, I watched Lou Dobbs, and his handmaiden, Kitty Pilgrim, get all hot, bothered, and appalled by the Maine state legislature voting overwhelmingly to refuse to enforce any provisions of the REAL ID act, an unfunded mandate passed by Congress in 2005, and which is supposed to go into force in May of next year. REAL ID is the complex workaround to Congress’ failure to sell a national ID card outright, to a frightened public, in the wake of 9/11. Instead they now insist the states individually comply with precise federal standards (standards yet to be fully developed by the Dept. of Homeland Security) for driver licensing.

Sodomite Legislator Censured But Not Jailed

Chet Brokaw / The Associated Press:
The South Dakota Senate refused to expel a lawmaker accused of fondling an 18-year-old legislative page in a motel bed, but voted to censure him instead. Democrat Sen. Dan Sutton had admitted sharing a bed with the page last winter but denied groping him. The censure amounts to a public reprimand that has no effect on Sutton's legislative powers. The motion to expel Sutton failed 14-20, and the censure vote was 32-2. Sutton left the chamber when the debate began over his future, and he was the only senator not voting. Austin Wiese, now 19, testified that Sutton, a longtime family friend, touched him inappropriately while the two shared a king-size bed at a motel last February. Wiese was 18 at the time.

Wyoming's Sodomite 'Marriage' Ban Clears Senate

Joan Barron / Jackson Hole Star-Tribune:
The Wyoming Senate voted 21-8 in favor of a bill to deny recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other states. Senate File 13 now goes to the House. Wednesday's Casper Star-Tribune gave incorrect information about what must happen before the measure goes to the desk of Gov. Dave Freudenthal. No one in the Senate spoke for the bill when it came up for the third and final Senate vote. Speaking afterward, some of those who voted for it said the state shouldn't be forced to recognize outside marriages that couldn't be performed here.

Put Homosexuals To The Sword
Jim Rudd / The Covenant News:
America is a cursed nation (John.7:49) and "defending marriage" does nothing to cut off the curse. The marriage amendment does nothing to protect the people of the United States from the wrath to come-because of homosexuality. The word of God commands that sodomites are to be executed, and God gives our civil officials the sword to do the job. Until our civil officials turn from their wicked way by administering Justice, we can only be judged with the most depraved pagan nations in history:

"Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude 1:7).

'All Flesh' or 'All Kinds of Flesh'?

Gary DeMar / American Vision:
The following argument appears in “An Apologetic on Preterism (and) Partial Preterism.” While the article covers other points, I wanted to deal with the author’s claim that the use of “all flesh” means every human being in the world at a given time. After reading the entire article, I’ve come to the conclusion that the author is reading an already developed prophetic system into the Bible and not allowing the Bible to speak for itself.

Gary North on an Inexpensive College Education

Chris Ortiz / Chalcedon Blog:
Dr. Gary North is now a permanent fixture on the YouTube video community. He's doing what he does best: laying out practical advice on how to maximize life's resources. For years I've heard him both speak and write along the lines of securing an inexpensive route to higher education. This is important for Christian families who don't want to send their kids off to far away places, or cannot afford a college education. This is also practical advice for those who desire to increase their value in the marketplace. Check it out! Click here to watch Gary North.