January 31, 2009
More On The New World Order
Chuck Baldwin / The Covenant News:In my last column, I attempted to wake up my fellow Americans, who are either currently slumbering through the collapse of our constitutional republic or in a protracted state of denial regarding a very real--and very dangerous--burgeoning New World Order. The information that I need to disseminate on this matter is so plentiful that it is extremely difficult to condense into one column. Therefore, I must at least attempt to provide a little more information on this subject. I will use this column to do just that.
Posted by Editor at 07:10 AM
Framer of the Framers
John Eidsmoe / The New American:John Witherspoon was not only a Founding Father, but in his roles as preacher and professor he taught and influenced many of the great men of the Founding era. On November 15, 1794, a 72-year-old Presbyterian preacher lay dying on his farm near Princeton, New Jersey. In some ways he may have welcomed death. His wife had died five years earlier, and for over two years he had been blind, so his associates had to lead him into the pulpit, where he still preached with his usual earnestness and perhaps with more than his usual solemnity and animation. Even though his bodily infirmities increased, his mind remained active to the end, and he continued to exercise his duties as pastor and college president until the end.
Posted by Editor at 07:07 AM
Yes, We Get The Land
Bret McAtee / The Backwater Report:In the Old Testament a significant element of God's covenant of grace was the promise of land. In Genesis 12:7, 13:14-17, 15:18-21 God explicitly promises to give Abraham and his descendants the promised land. The idea of the land hence was always significant to God's people since the land was God's covenantal grant as the Suzerain to his people. ... In the New Testament the promise of land might seem to recede into the background, but a more careful reading suggests that land was still an important element in how the new and better covenant is the full bloom of the covenant of grace.
Posted by Editor at 07:02 AM
Servants-in-Training
David Alan Black / Dave Black Online:This weekend I'm having my Greek students read my study of the discourse structure of Philippians. Philippians is not a very difficult letter to understand, either in Greek or in English. At the same time it's one of the most significant writings in the entire Pauline corpus when it comes to the importance of missions and evangelism. This theme is touched upon even in the first 11 verses of the letter (the so-called "letter opening" and "body opening"). Especially obvious is the note of servanthood: Paul and Timothy are bondservants of Jesus Christ, owing Him absolute allegiance.
Posted by Editor at 07:01 AM
Chalcedon Interviews Dr. Charles Roberts
Law & Liberty Podcast:Chris Ortiz and Andrea Schwartz begin a multi-part series of interviews and the Present and Future State of America. In this interview, they are joined by Dr. Charles Roberts to discuss the way in which the Kingdom of God must respond during times of national upheaval.
Posted by Editor at 07:00 AM
If Deflation Is Coming, Sell Your Gold
Gary North / LewRockwell.com:The debate over inflation versus deflation has been going on in hard money circles since about 1973. The debate has gone on within academic circles for well over a century. The economists are as confused as the general public, but they are confused in a far more sophisticated way. They turn confusion into a science. I follow the Austrian School of economics on monetary theory. The most important study of the theory of money within the Austrian School camp was published in 1912, The Theory of Money and Credit, written by Ludwig von Mises. You can download it for free here. More popular and more readable books have been written on this by his disciple, Murray Rothbard. His book, What Has Government Done to Our Money? is the clearest exposition ever written.
Glenn Beck: U.S. Dollars in Circulation Skyrocketing
The amount of U.S. dollars in circulation is skyrocketing. What does it mean for you?
Posted by Editor at 06:59 AM
Faith in Free Markets According to Bernanke
Matthew J. Novak / Mises.org:Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke considers it to be time for more fund transfers to the coffers of struggling financial institutions here in the United States. The details seem to be basically more of the same proposed solutions from the fall of 2008. In short, while speaking in London recently, he cautioned that the proposed funds for the economic stimulus plan — supported by the robbing of American citizens— are "unlikely to promote a lasting recovery unless they are accompanied by strong measures to further stabilize and strengthen the financial system." This means he is priming for a request for more government funds in exchange for government equity positions in the banks.
Posted by Editor at 06:58 AM
Federal Reserve as Corporate Overlord
Thomas R. Eddlem / The New American:Congress is considering granting the Federal Reserve Bank dramatic new powers by this spring, according to the Washington Post for January 26. According to the Post, under draft legislation written by Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the Fed would “likely be given the power to gather information about the inner workings of banks, investment firms, insurance companies, hedge funds and any other entity big enough or so intertwined with other companies that it creates the risk of a systemic collapse."
Posted by Editor at 06:55 AM
Misinformation Campaign Against Tom DeWeese
Tom DeWeese / NewsWithViews.com:For the past few weeks I have basically been stalked by a guy named Bill Walker, promoting himself as an expert on the Constitution, specifically on the issue of a Constitutional Convention. Walker has attacked my position on the Con Con, specifically my premise that once such a convention has been called and the delegates are meeting there is no way to control the agenda. In making that point, I an other opponents to a Con Con have cited a letter written by Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Berger, in which he says, as we do, that the agenda of a Con Con cannot be controlled.
Posted by Editor at 05:53 AM
Congress Sued To Remove Obama From Office
WorldNetDaily:A new lawsuit is challenging Barack Obama's eligibility to be president, and this one targets Congress as a defendant for its "failure" to uphold the constitutional demand to make sure Obama qualified before approving the Electoral College vote that actually designated him as the occupant of the Oval Office. The new case raises many of the same arguments as dozens of other cases that have flooded into courtrooms around the nation since the November election.
Posted by Editor at 04:09 AM
Senate's $57.8 Billion Health Plan Covers Illegals
The Washington Post:Where is this in the Constitution? The Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation to provide health insurance to 11 million low-income children, a bill that would for the first time spend federal taxpayer money to cover children and pregnant women who are legal immigrants (and undocumented immigrants). The State Children's Health Insurance Program, which is aimed at families earning too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private insurance, currently covers close to 7 million youngsters at a cost of $25 billion. Lawmakers voted 66 to 32, largely along party lines, to renew the joint state-federal program and spend an additional $32.8 billion to expand coverage to 4 million more children. The expansion would be paid for by raising the cigarette tax from 39 cents a pack to $1.
CNN.com: The House passed a similar bill earlier this month, but the Senate bill includes a change involving physician-owned hospitals. A House Democrat aide says a decision has not yet been made on whether the House will pick up the Senate bill or whether it will go to a conference committee. Opponents argued that, among other things, it will allow undocumented immigrants (Illegals) to access taxpayer-financed health care illegally and is insufficiently funded.
Wikipedia: At its creation in 1997, State Children's Health Insurance Program was the largest expansion of taxpayer-funded health insurance coverage for children in the U.S. since Medicaid began in the 1960s. The statutory authority for SCHIP is under title XXI of the Social Security Act. It was sponsored by Senator Ted Kennedy in a partnership with Senator Orrin Hatch with support coming from Hillary Rodham Clinton during the Clinton administration.
Posted by Editor at 03:38 AM
E-Verify Contractor Rule Delayed Again
Gautham Nagesh / Nextgov:Obama administration has postponed until May a rule that would require federal contractors to check if newly hired employees are not undocumented immigrants (Illegals). The announcement comes at a time when lawmakers are pressing for requirements for companies receiving funds through the economic stimulus bill to check the citizenship of workers they hire. The House passed its stimulus bill on Wednesday. A notice in the Friday-edition of the Federal Register announced that the rule, which would require government contractors to use the Homeland Security Department's E-Verify system to check the immigration status of all employees on projects exceeding $100,000 and on subcontracts that exceed $3,000, will not take effect until May 21. The rule originally was scheduled to become effective on Jan. 15, but five business interest groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, filed suit to delay implementation until Feb. 20.
Posted by Editor at 03:37 AM
Shoe Throwing Inspired Art
The Associated Press:When an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at George W. Bush last month at a Baghdad press conference, the attack spawned a flood of Web quips, political satire and street rallies across the world. Now it's inspired a work of art. A sofa-sized sculpture -- a single copper-coated shoe on a stand carved to resemble flowing cloth -- was formally unveiled to the public Thursday in the hometown of the late Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein. Officials and visitors walked around the outdoor sculpture during the brief ceremony, pondering on its eccentricities -- such as a tree poking up from the shoe's interior.
Posted by Editor at 02:46 AM
ORU Names Mark Rutland As New President
Cary McMullen / The Ledger:Mark Rutland said it is 'heart-rending' for him to leave Southeastern University, where he has been president for the past 10 years. A $10 million gift to Southeastern eased the pain. On Wednesday, the board of trustees of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., announced they unanimously elected Rutland to lead the troubled school out of debt and scandal. Rutland, who oversaw a transformation of Southeastern during his tenure here, will assume his new post in July.
Posted by Editor at 01:25 AM
January 30, 2009
The 'Stimulus' Scam
Michael Peroutka & John Lofton / The American View Radio:The "Stimulus" Scam; The Big Lie That Government "Creates Jobs;" John Boehner's preposterous statements; New feature (from Dabney) "Respectable Growling." On this program, Michael and John discuss: The unGodly, unConstitutional "stimulus package;" Republican cowardice; several things said by House Minority "Leader" Rep. John Boehner; the government-creates-jobs Big Lie; and you'll hear the new "Respectable Growling" feature based on some of what R.L. Dabney said about secular conservatism."
Posted by Editor at 05:22 AM
Obama to Expand Bush's 'Faith-Based' Hog Trough
Laurie Goodstein / The New York Times:Obama plans to name Joshua DuBois, a 26-year-old Pentecostal pastor and political strategist who handled religious outreach for the Obama campaign, to direct a revamped office of faith-based initiatives, according to religious leaders who have been informed about the choice. The office, created by President George W. Bush by executive order at the start of his first term, is likely to have an even broader mandate in the Obama White House, said the religious leaders, who requested anonymity because the appointment has yet to be announced. Renamed the Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the office will not merely oversee the distribution of grants to religious and community groups, but will also look for other ways to involve those groups in working on pressing social problems (Read The Marxist Roots of Black Liberation Theology by Dr. Anthony B. Bradley Ph.D.)
Posted by Editor at 05:19 AM
Popular Culture as a Worldview Wedge
Gary DeMar / The American Vision:The roads in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, are always in need of repair. In fact, anyone living in a city that gets large amounts of snow fall and encounters daily thaws and nightly freezes knows what I’m talking about. The snow falls and afternoon temperatures rise just enough to melt the snow. The water seeps into tiny cracks and crevices in the road surfaces. Then the inevitable happens. Nighttime temperatures drop, freezing the water and expanding the nearly invisible hairline breaks. The next day, the cracks are a little larger. The process repeats itself until the foundation of the road bed is compromised. By spring, the cracks have become automobile-consuming pot holes. Similar to the way potholes develop, shifts in worldviews occur below the surface with a persistent gradualism until the foundation stones are broken apart.
Posted by Editor at 05:18 AM
America Needs A Spiritual Bailout
Coach Dave Daubenmire / NewsWithViews.com:With all of the talk of a financial bailout in America I thought it might be appropriate to broach the subject that perhaps America is in greater need of a Spiritual bailout. With such thievery emanating from Washington DC, Wall Street, et al, perhaps it is time for God's people to get serious. America's problems are Spiritual folks, not financial. The obedience of God’s people holds the key to our nation's future.
Posted by Editor at 05:01 AM
Stimulate the Payoff of Personal Debt
Jeff Snyder / LewRockwell.com:Hey Feds, here's a free policy recommendation to help fix the economy: enact a three to four year program permitting people to prepay their debts with pretax dollars that would otherwise be used to make their tax-exempt 401(k) contributions. Current annual 401(k) contribution limits are $16,500 per person age 49 and under, and $22,000 per person age 50 and older ($33,000 and $44,000 total, for a husband and wife). On a national scale, the potential amount of debt that can be eliminated is enormous, particularly if the program continues for several years.
Posted by Editor at 04:51 AM
Lawsuit Challenges Hillary's Appointment
Judicial Watch:Judicial Watch has filed a lawsuit against newly sworn-in Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on behalf of U.S. Foreign Service Officer and State Department employee David C. Rodearmel, (Rodearmel v. Clinton, et al., (D. District of Columbia)). The lawsuit maintains that Mrs. Clinton is constitutionally ineligible to serve as Secretary of State and that Mr. Rodearmel cannot be forced to serve under the former U.S. Senator, as it would violate the oath he took as a Foreign Service Officer in 1991 to "support and defend" and "bear true faith and allegiance" to the Constitution of the United States.
Posted by Editor at 04:36 AM
Story Behind The Global Warming Scam
John Coleman / KUSI News.com:The key players are now all in place in Washington and in state governments across America to officially label carbon dioxide as a pollutant and enact laws that tax we citizens for our carbon footprints. Only two details stand in the way, the faltering economic times and a dramatic turn toward a colder climate. The last two bitter winters have lead to a rise in public awareness that CO2 is not a pollutant and is not a significant greenhouse gas that is triggering runaway global warming. How did we ever get to this point where bad science is driving big government?
Posted by Editor at 12:59 AM
Hill Republican: Stimulus Aids Illegal Aliens
The Associated Press:The $800 billion-plus economic stimulus measure making its way through Congress could steer government checks to illegal immigrants, a top Republican congressional official asserted Thursday. The legislation, which would send tax credits of $500 per worker and $1,000 per couple, expressly disqualifies nonresident aliens, but it would allow people who don't have Social Security numbers to be eligible for the checks.
Posted by Editor at 12:16 AM
Homeland Secretary Wants 'Criminal Aliens' Out
The Associated Press:If you're a criminal and you're not entitled to be in the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano wants you out of the country (But what if aliens are merely in the country illegally? What does Homeland Security considered illegal aliens' status to be? "Non-Criminal Illegal Aliens" and therefore are no concern to the Homeland Secretary?). Napolitano wants what she calls "criminal aliens" off American streets. Napolitano said she wants to improve data-sharing among local, state and federal facilities. So far, there are jails in 26 counties across the country with computer systems that can talk instantly with immigration systems. The goal, Napolitano said, is for federal immigration officials to know whether an inmate is in the country illegally immediately after he is processed into a detention facility. After the criminal serves his or her sentence, immigration officials can be ready to deport that person right away.
Posted by Editor at 12:14 AM
January 29, 2009
Kleptocrats of the World, Unite!
William Norman Grigg / Pro Libertate:Perhaps the only commendable thing newly installed Economic Dictator (and Barton Fink lookalike) Tim Geithner has done in a public career otherwise devoted to serving the Power Elite was to "cheat" on his taxes. Given that taxation is theft, "cheating" the taxman is bit like refusing to disclose every hidden pocket of household wealth to an armed robber.
Posted by Editor at 05:04 AM
Paging Dr. Paul
Chris Ortiz / Chalcedon Blog:Ron Paul has been burning up the airwaves since the economic downturn has positioned him as the "go to" politician for how we got into this mess, and how we can get out of it. Notice that nobody is interviewing Giuliani, Romney, McCain, Huckabee, Thompson, Tancredo, et al. I guess America's greatest threat was not the enclave of skinny arabs hiding in a cave in Afghanistan. America laughed, ridiculed, and mocked Ron Paul. Now, they need him. Too late.
Posted by Editor at 05:03 AM
Obama to Press Reset Button on Pro-Life Movement
American Right to Life:Freedom of Choice Act to Kill Faulty Pro-life Strategy. President Barack Obama promised Planned Parenthood that, "The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA). If he keeps this promise, American Right To Life president Brian Rohrbough said, "President Obama will press the reset button on the pro-life movement and reverse decades of legislation, regulations not built on the firm foundation of personhood, but misguided laws built on sand shifting in the political wind." Catholic Bishops are warning that FOCA would regulate even pro-life medical facilities, pushing Catholic hospitals toward aborting children. "These bishops actually opposed valid personhood bills," said Rohrbough, "while supporting the immoral strategy of regulating child killing; they may be forced to take their own medicine, and become the target of further regulation, or close their hospitals."
Posted by Editor at 04:53 AM
Inaugural Worship Service
Pastor Bret McAtee / Iron Ink:Well this morning, I came across the Inaugural worship service that was held in the Washington Cathedral on 21 January 2009. A few observations, 1.) It was an 86 minute service. Inclusive of all the songs and liturgy the name of Jesus Christ was mentioned one time by Rev. Andy Stanley. I'd like to give Andy points but to be honest you don't get any points for being part of a ecumenical service where the gods are implicitly being given equal time and equal credence.
Posted by Editor at 04:42 AM
Faith And Freedom: The Calvinist Connection
Dave Kopel / The American View:Many modern libertarians assume that religion and liberty are necessarily in opposition. Many modern people in general assume that religion and revolution are opposed. At times, of course, they are, but the history of the American Revolution indicates that more care is required in making this kind of judgment.
Posted by Editor at 03:31 AM
Character, Guns, and Criminals
Michael Gaddy / LewRockwell.com:Yesterday, I stopped by the County Court House to renew the license tags on my pick-ups. I arrived approximately 10 minutes before the Motor Vehicle Department office opened. I walked over to the large bulletin board to while away the time until the office opened. I noticed at least three business cards for local firearms dealers posted there and several ads by private individuals who were seeking to sell a number of different firearms. It would appear the powers that inhabit our courthouse have no fear of armed citizens and even have a bulletin board to facilitate the sale and purchase of these tools of liberty.
Posted by Editor at 02:26 AM
Congress Seeks to Authorize FEMA Camps
Lee Rogers / RogueGovernment.com:A new bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives called the National Emergency Centers Act or HR 645. This bill if passed into law will direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish national emergency centers otherwise known as FEMA camp facilities on military installations. This is an incredibly disturbing piece of legislation considering that the powers that have already set in motion an agenda to setup a nationwide marital law apparatus through U.S. Northern Command and the Department of Homeland Security.
Posted by Editor at 12:06 AM
Obama Has `Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen'
The Associated Press:Barack Obama is building a White House staff so loaded with big names and overlapping duties that it could collapse into chaos. It's an administration that seems "addicted to czars," says one longtime observer of government organization. The economic team is perhaps the most multilayered and ego-driven of all. Former college professor Christina Romer heads Obama's Council of Economic Advisers. Timothy Geithner, a former top Federal Reserve official, is treasury secretary. Former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker is heading the newly formed Economic Recovery Advisory Board. And Peter Orszag, former head of the Congressional Budget Office, is the budget director. Obama also has three powerful senior advisers in the West Wing with him. And still other top aides fill familiar roles such as chief of staff, domestic policy adviser and national security adviser.
Posted by Editor at 12:05 AM
January 28, 2009
House OKs $819 Billion Stimulus Bill
Brian Faler / Bloomberg:The U.S. House passed Barack Obama's $819 billion stimulus package, aimed at lifting the economy out of recession through tax cuts and more than a half-trillion dollars in new spending. The 244-188 vote sends the measure to the Senate where Republicans, who want more tax cuts and less spending, will have more power to demand changes. No Republicans voted for the House plan, and 11 Democrats joined them in opposition. Obama today urged lawmakers to work out their differences in the next few weeks, saying delay would only cost more people their jobs.
Posted by Editor at 06:57 PM
Why We Lost The War
Al Cronkrite / The Covenant News:This week I listened to a televised sermon from the pastor of one of the largest churches in our town. The title of the sermon was "Sin". Sin is seldom spoken about from United States pulpits so the title gained my immediate attention. When half-an-hour had elapsed and the sermon was complete the audience learned that sin robs Christians of joy and should be confessed to God so that one's joy can be restored (Humanism). The subtitle of the sermon was "The Joy Factor". Sin was never specifically defined...
Posted by Editor at 05:09 AM
Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before God
Bret McAtee / The Chalcedon Foundation:"Every child entering school at the age of five is insane because he comes to school with certain allegiances to our founding fathers, toward our elected officials, toward his parents, toward a belief in a supernatural being, and toward the sovereignty of this nation as a separate entity. It’s up to you as teachers to make all these sick children well-by creating the international child of the future." --psychiatrist Chester M. Pierce, addressing 1973 Childhood International Education Seminar
Despite the pagan educator's explicit intent to indoctrinate children into a worship of the state, Christians continue to send their children to government schools.
Posted by Editor at 05:08 AM
Returning Evangelism to the Local Church
David Alan Black / Dave Black Online:One of the major lessons taught in the New Testament is the biblical centrality of the local church. Each and every congregation is to be an evangelistic, witnessing community. "The Lord's message rang out from you," wrote Paul to the Thessalonian church (1 Thess. 1:8), implying that when a church receives the Good News of salvation it has an obligation to pass it on. Our God is a missionary God, and our Lord Jesus Christ commands us to be His witnesses in the entire world, beginning with our own "Jerusalem" (Acts 1:8).
Posted by Editor at 05:07 AM
Ron Paul: Stimulus for Who?
Ron Paul / Texas Straight Talk:This week the House is expected to pass an $825 billion economic stimulus package. In reality, this bill is just an escalation of a government-created economic mess. As before, a sense of urgency and impending doom is being used to extract mountains of money from Congress with minimal debate. So much for change. This is deja vu. We are again being promised that its passage will help employment, help homeowners, help the environment, etc. These promises are worthless. This time around especially, Congress should know better than to pass anything of this magnitude without first reading the fine print. There a many red flags that I have found in this bill.
Posted by Editor at 04:24 AM
Ben Bernanke's Wild Ride (and Ours)
Gary North / LewRockwell.com:I begin with a video. It is the most persuasive low-cost, home-brew video that I can remember. If you do nothing else today, watch this video. I wish I had produced it. Conceptually, it is a stroke of genius. It sets forth the current banking crisis admirably. The remainder of my report rests on this video. If you watched it, you now know the nature of the problem, as well as its magnitude. To say that we are in uncharted waters does not begin to get across the idea of the magnitude of our current situation. America is in a canoe, floating down a river that has never been explored. Most of the passengers are trying to listen to the tour guide. But there is a noise that interferes. It is the sound of a waterfall ahead. The noise is getting louder.
Posted by Editor at 04:24 AM
Speaking Truth Is Career-ending Event
Paul Craig Roberts / VDARE.com:"The evidence is sitting on the table. There is no avoiding the fact that this was torture." These are the words of Manfred Nowak, the UN official appointed by the Commission on Human Rights to examine cases of torture. Nowak has concluded that President Obama is legally obligated to prosecute former President George W. Bush and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. [UN Rapporteur: Initiate criminal proceedings against Bush and Rumsfeld now, By Scott Horton, Harper's Magazine, January 21, 2009] If President Obama’s bankster economic team finishes off what remains of the US economy, Obama, to deflect the public’s attention from his own failures and Americans’ growing hardships, might fulfill his responsibility to prosecute Bush and Rumsfeld. But for now the interesting question is why did the US military succumb to illegal orders?
Posted by Editor at 03:27 AM
The Torture State Endures
William Norman Grigg / Pro Libertate:The institutions of the Imperial Executive remain intact. And although the Soviet- and Nazi-inspired "enhanced interrogation techniques" ("verscharfte verernehmung," in the original German) have been put on the shelf, there is every reason to expect that they will quietly be pulled back down when the Anointed One, the Last Son of Krypton, He Who Will Bring Balance to the Force, even Barack the Blessed, considers them necessary.
Posted by Editor at 02:38 AM
Homosexuals Brainwashing Little Children
MassResistance.org:Extremely slick propaganda directed at the youngest of children! The videos below are from It's Elementary, a 78-minute feature film produced by homosexual activists. These are actual scenes from elementary schools in Massachusetts and New York. It's Elementary is meant to be a training video for homosexual activist teachers across the country. In addition, the film itself has been shown to schoolchildren in public schools in Massachusetts and elsewhere.
Posted by Editor at 01:13 AM
Baptist Foundation Loses Money With Madoff
Bob Allen / Associated Baptist Press:At least one Baptist group lost money as part of Bernard Madoff's alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme. The Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma said it lost $1.4 million, less than 1 percent of its assets, when third-party money managers invested in two of Madoff's allegedly fraudulent hedge funds. Robert Kellogg, president and CEF of the Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma, said his organization, which manages investment funds for Southern Baptist ministries, did not make any direct investments with Madoff, but learned in mid-December from its investment consultant that one of its managers gave the foundation "nominal exposure" to allegedly fraudulent management by Madoff. Kellogg said total losses amounted to about $1.4 million out of a total of $234 million in assents managed by the foundation.
Posted by Editor at 12:45 AM
Financial 'Missionaries' Preach Smart Money
Religion & Values - Miami Herald:In tough times, churches that once focused on saving souls are now sending in money missionaries to help their flocks with saving the "almighty dollar". On a recent Saturday morning, Kevin Cross looked out at a sea of people filling the pews of a Fort Lauderdale church, and greeted the crowd of several hundred with a hearty ``amen!'' But instead of delivering the gospel, Cross spent an entire day lecturing and instructing the crowd at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale on . . . personal finances. Cross is a ''financial missionary.'' His calling: to spread the message of faith-based financial management.
Posted by Editor at 12:15 AM
January 27, 2009
A Very Real New World Order
Chuck Baldwin / The Covenant News:It is hard to believe, but a majority of Americans (including Christians and conservatives) seem oblivious to the fact that there is a very real, very legitimate New World Order (NWO) unfolding. In the face of overwhelming evidence, most Americans not only seem totally unaware of this reality, they seem unwilling to even remotely entertain the notion.
Posted by Editor at 05:41 AM
Ask An Obamaniac A Question
Mary Starrett / NewsWithViews.com:The messiah of the disordered new world is now president of the United States. With eyes wide shut Americans elected Barack Hussein Obama even though it's doubtful he was even eligible for the office; even though he promised bona fide socialism; even though virtually every "change'" his supporters thought they were voting for likely won't transpire; and even though changes that probably will take place will be horrifying.
Posted by Editor at 05:41 AM
The Showdown Has Finally Arrived
Gary North / LewRockwell.com:Dear Joe Salerno: We have arrived at what I would call the economic point of no return. We have waited for this moment for at least 35 years. The crisis is upon us. For the first time, the mainstream academic world perceives that the economic world can really face a crisis of monumental proportions. This gives us an opportunity to get a hearing. I suppose I should say, this gives you an opportunity to get a hearing.
Posted by Editor at 05:40 AM
A Poor Substitute for Success
Jerry Bowyer / American Vision:On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals will square off against one another in Super Bowl XLIII. If there ever was a time to crow about the wonders of rebuilding a city around a professional sports team, this would be it. Three of the four teams that were in the play-offs hail from cities—Baltimore, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh—that in recent years spent billions rebuilding their downtowns around pro sports facilities and other community "anchors." Except that there's a problem. The teams might be competitive, but the cities definitely are not. All three continue to shrink in population, and have stagnant job markets and crumbling public schools.
Posted by Editor at 05:40 AM
Leader Worship Gets Worse
J.H. Huebert / The LRC Bolg:That Obama pledge video people have been linking to is creepy and disturbing. Too bad it's only the tip of the iceberg. Today's USA Today featured an article about schools and streets already being named after Obama, including one government school on Long Island that became Barack Obama Elementary School shortly after the election. Especially scary is this quote from the school's principal: "The children take such pride over the name being changed and knowing they represent such a strong individual."
Posted by Editor at 05:21 AM
Sadism, Not Substance, Behind Torture Advocacy
Alan Bock / Antiwar.com:It is hard for me to imagine the staffs of National Review, the Weekly Standard, and the Wall Street Journal editorial page actually, personally, physically torturing somebody, though a few might overcome their inherent wussiness and be able to do it. Whether they would be able to do it themselves or not, however, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that they strongly believe that some people need to be abused. It's also difficult to credit the notion that this belief does not involve a certain degree of sadism, if only vicarious.
Posted by Editor at 03:14 AM
Why a Military Draft Is Unconstitutional
Terry L. Mitchell / The American Chronicle:When and if the U.S. returns to the use of a military draft, it would be clearly unconstitutional. It is a violation of the Fifth Amendment which forbids the government from depriving anyone of "life, liberty, or property without due process of law." Being forced into the military has the potential to deprive someone of all three.
Posted by Editor at 12:33 AM
'Environmental Religion' Taught In Public Schools
G. Jeffrey MacDonald / USA TODAY:Environmental education is pushing into new territory next week as educators urge children and families to lead more eco-friendly lives outside school. Starting Monday, 700 elementary and secondary schools will take part in the first National Green Week as teachers infuse "green" living lessons into their classes. Students at most of the schools will shun disposable snack containers for the week and opt for reusable ones to reduce waste. Critics, however, say activists and educators are going too far in trying to shape how families live. Next week's initiatives add up to pressuring children to practice "an environmental religion," says Angela Logomasini, director of risk and environmental policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a free-market advocacy organization in Washington, D.C.
Posted by Editor at 12:14 AM
January 26, 2009
'Change' Like We Have Never Seen Before
Rev. Paul Michael Raymond / The Covenant News:The promise of "Change" from the Obama administration is certainly off to a running start. To begin with, we will see a 'change' as a result of the administration's several radical and extreme executive orders. Within the first week of Obama's presidency he has made possible the lifting of the ban on the funding of foreign abortions with taxpayer money, the restructuring of military policy promoting the gay agenda which also signals the signing off, without exception, every demand of the extremist homosexual and transsexual lobbyists, the expansion of the federal hate crimes statutes to include extra punishment for crimes that are deemed to be motivated by bias against one's sexual orientation or gender identity, the dreaded support for homosexual civil unions, and the expanded adoption rights for homosexuals.
Posted by Editor at 06:04 AM
Taxation, Liberty, and the Bible
Martin G. Selbrede / The Covenant News:The Puritans and America's founding fathers understood that there is a biblical place for taxation, and that Scripture lays out its purpose and amount. When the state expands beyond biblical limits, the cost of supporting that bloat becomes an oppressive burden that robs the people of their productivity.
Posted by Editor at 03:42 AM
Thank God It's Finished
Laurence M. Vance / LewRockwell.com:The Republican Revolution has been gasping for breath since the Democrat Party won the congressional midterm elections in 2006. After the Republicans were soundly defeated in the 2008 elections, the Revolution was in its death throes until noon on January 20 when George Bush's second term as president ceased and the Republican Revolution officially came to an end. Thank God it's finished.
Posted by Editor at 03:40 AM
How Bad Is the Crash?
Gary North / LewRockwell.com:So, you want to know how bad this crash will get. Fine. Spend 30 seconds to see the magnitude of what it is today. It's going to get much worse. The Manchester Guardian published 13 photos from around the world that show the extent of the disaster. Spend just 3 seconds per photo. (You won't see these on Tout TV.) I have never seen anything like these scenes. Yet we are in only the early stage of the crash. The British banking system is close to collapse. There is serious talk at the highest levels of the nationalization of all British banks. The currency markets are acting as though this is likely.
Posted by Editor at 03:39 AM
The World Won't Buy Unlimited U.S. Debt
Peter Schiff / The Wall Street Journal:Barack Obama has spoken often of sacrifice. And as recently as a week ago, he said that to stave off the deepening recession Americans should be prepared to face "trillion dollar deficits for years to come." But apart from a stirring call for volunteerism in his inaugural address, the only specific sacrifices the president has outlined thus far include lower taxes, millions of federally funded jobs, expanded corporate bailouts, and direct stimulus checks to consumers. Could this be described as sacrificial?
Posted by Editor at 03:39 AM
More Fright-Peddling, More Bailouts
William F. Jasper / The New American:Round two of the economic crime of the century has begun. On January 12, Lawrence Summers, President Obama's designee to become director of his National Economic Council, sent a letter to congressional majority and minority leaders seeking the second half of the $750 billion approved by Congress last October.
Posted by Editor at 03:38 AM
Lobbyists Skirt Obama's Earmark Ban
The Associated Press:President Barack Obama's ban on earmarks in the $825 billion economic stimulus bill doesn't mean interest groups, lobbyists and lawmakers won't be able to funnel money to pet projects. They're just working around it - and perhaps inadvertently making the process more secretive. The result, as The Associated Press learned in interviews with more than a dozen lawmakers, lobbyists and state and local officials, is a shadowy lobbying effort that may make it difficult to discern how hundreds of billions in federal money will be parceled out.
Posted by Editor at 03:17 AM
The New Black Regiment
Dr. Richard A. Jones / American Vision:On the homeschooling front there's some hot-off-the-presses good news from the Department of Education. I'm guessing it was news that went down hard for bureaucrats in residence at the DOE. Since 1999, homeschooling in the U.S. has grown by a significant 74% with total numbers of children estimated to be in the 2.5 million range. The key incentives that convinced parents to pass up government education were desire for religious and moral instruction, poor school environments, negative peer pressure, safety, drugs and dissatisfaction with academics. On standardized academic tests, U.S. and Canadian research show homeschoolers scoring at the 65th to 80th percentile achievement level as compared to a public school average of 50.
Posted by Editor at 03:08 AM
Battle To Stop Constitutional Convention
Tom DeWeese / NewsWithViews.com:The phone call came to my home late on Tuesday night telling me that the next morning the Ohio House of Representatives would be holding hearings on a resolution to call for a Constitutional Convention. We knew this was not good news. But the news was even worse. To our shock, records indicated that if Ohio were to pass such a resolution, it would be state number thirty-three. Only thirty-four states are needed to officially kick the convention apparatus into gear. We were only two states away! And we had only 18 hours to prepare for battle.
Posted by Editor at 03:02 AM
Homosexual to Recruit Obama Appointees
Washington Blade - Sodomite Publication:Barack Obama has a selected a homosexual for a key White House role that focuses on recruiting federal employees, according to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. Mark Perriello is slated to start his job Monday as a director in the Office of Presidential Personnel, which recruits candidates for appointments to federal departments and agencies. Perriello served as head of the Presidential Appointments Project, an effort by 12 national homosexual groups to identify homosexual candidates to serve in the Obama administration.
Posted by Editor at 02:09 AM
Church Tried To Hide The Truth About Haggard
Mark Barna / The Gazette:New Life Church tried to head off the fallout that has embroiled the congregation in its second homosex scandal involving Ted Haggard, the Rev. Brady Boyd said Saturday. Boyd asked the church's disgraced former pastor in December to postpone the release of the HBO documentary "The Trials of Ted Haggard," saying that it could motivate a second man to go public with sexual allegations against him. Three weeks ago, Boyd told the New Life volunteer not to go public about his relationship with Haggard, which occurred before the evangelical leader was fired from the church in November 2006.
Posted by Editor at 02:05 AM
January 25, 2009
Obama's Sermon on the Steps
David Alan Black / The Covenant News:This week we witnessed a historic event in U.S. history as Barack Hussein Obama became our forty-fourth president. To me, the most interesting moment of Mr. Obama's inaugural address was when he quoted Scripture, not (refreshingly) in support of American imperialism, but rather to suggest that America needs to grow up and "set aside childish things" (1 Cor. 13:11). "The greatness of our nation," he told us, "is never a given. It must be earned."
Posted by Editor at 04:01 PM
January 24, 2009
The Bush Presidency
Paul Proctor / NewsWithViews.com:I wrote an article about George W. Bush the week he was first sworn into office back in January of 2001 titled, Choices - The Real Truth Detector. In it, I asked some hard questions that offended a lot of Christians and Republicans who voted for the "compassionate conservative" - implying that things probably wouldn’t change all that much under his administration in spite of his platform, party affiliation and Christian testimony. It cost me some readers and some friends. But, the point of the piece was too important to be drowned out by evangelical elation and inaugural pomp – something conservatives are currently struggling with now in their criticisms of liberal democrat, Barack Obama.
Posted by Editor at 05:56 AM
Obama Oks Funding for Overseas Abortions
Yahoo! Xtra:Barack Obama on Friday overturned a ban on US government funding for family planning organizations which carry out or facilitate abortions overseas, a White House official said. Obama signed an executive order cancelling out the restrictions, on the third full day of his presidency, spokesman Bill Burton said. Obama signed the order without the kind of fanfare or photo-opportunity he employed to sign similar documents ordering the closure of Guantanamo Bay and other "war on terror" tactics on Thursday (because murdering children by abortion IS an act of terrorism).
Posted by Editor at 01:50 AM
Rick Warren, There's Blood on Your Hands
Ingrid Schlueter / Slice Of Laodicea:Fox News reports that one day after the 36th Anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that has resulted in 50 million dead children, murdered in their mother's wombs, the Angel of Death, Barack Obama, will sign an Executive Order forcing taxpayers to support this murder overseas as well. There is blood on Barack Obama's hands. There is blood on the hands of every evangelical sycophant who promoted him as America’s answer. Shame, shame on Rick Warren for his betrayal of the babies and for his blasphemy in asking God to bless a President who is so blood thirsty that he does this in his first week in the Oval Office. Abortion enthusiasts, Fox News reports, are "jubilant."
Posted by Editor at 01:42 AM
Haggard Faces More Homosex-Accusations
TV-9 News Colorado:Disgraced evangelical leader Ted Haggard's former church disclosed Friday that the homosex scandal that caused his downfall extends to a young male church volunteer who reported having a sexual relationship with Haggard - a revelation that comes as Haggard tries to repair his public image. Brady Boyd, who succeeded Haggard as senior pastor of the 10,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, told The Associated Press that the man came forward to church officials in late 2006 shortly after a Denver male prostitute, Mike Jones, claimed to have had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with Haggard. Jones also clamed Haggard did methamphetamine.
Posted by Editor at 01:22 AM
January 23, 2009
Obama Has 'Murder in His Heart'
Yahoo! News Service AFP:Barack Obama on Thursday said he backed a woman's "right to choose" on the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. "On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters," Obama said in a written statement. "I remain committed to protecting a woman's right to choose."
"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man..." (Matthew 15:19-20)
"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man." (Mark 7:21-23)
Murderers "shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:21). "Murderers... shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Rev.21:8).
Related:
Obama Restates His Commitment To Abortion Rights
The Associated Press:
WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama renewed his commitment to abortions rights on Thursday, saying the nation needs to find common ground in the contentious abortion debate so "our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons." Marking the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Obama said in a statement that the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion represented a broader principle that government should not intrude on private family matters.
Posted by Editor at 06:01 AM
The Church's Mission to the State
Chris Ortiz / Chalcedon Blog:"Thus the true church in every age has a mission to the state, to proclaim the fall of Babylon, to declare to the state that civil government can endure only under God and in obedience to His word, that every attempt of civil government to become as god, to be the purveyor of grace and of paradise, is damned and doomed. The cleansing of civil government and the indictment of it by the word must be the task of the church in every age." ~ R. J. Rushdoony, Thy Kingdom Come, 178.
Posted by Editor at 05:32 AM
'Get Out The Duct Tape!'
John Lofton & Pastor David Whitney / The American View Radio:Obama's Inaugural Address, Rick Warren's Invocation: analysis and commentary on President Obama's inaugural address and how that "pick yourself up, dust yourself off" bit sounded soooooo familiar; and Rick Warren's Invocation... Get Out The Duct Tape!
Posted by Editor at 05:31 AM
Obama's '450 Prophets of Baal'
Julia Duin / The Washington Times:(Where is a fire tested Elijah when you need one?) A bevy of religious leaders, including the first woman to preach at an inaugural prayer service, gave newly sworn-in President Obama plenty of spiritual advice Wednesday. On his first full morning in office, Mr. Obama mostly stood with his hands clasped before him during prayer times at the National Prayer Service at the Washington Cathedral. He and his wife, Michelle, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his wife, Jill, and former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, occupied the front row. Facing them were about two dozen clergy from several denominations gathered for 90 minutes of prayers, reflections, readings and traditional American hymns all with the same theme of asking the Almighty to bless the country and its new chief executive.
Posted by Editor at 05:27 AM
At Uncle Sam's Service
Patrick Krey / The New American:National service is often associated with patriotism, but the degree to which it becomes compulsory is the same degree to which it becomes involuntary servitude. Proponents of universal national service claim that it will bring this nation together and teach younger generations about what it means to be an American. Sadly, many Americans seem to believe those claims. Even with information that the program will be virtually mandatory and might lead to a new version of the draft, some Americans might shrug their shoulders and say "so what?" Well, there is much more wrong with national service than is immediately apparent.
Posted by Editor at 05:26 AM
Can Obama Stimulate Something With Nothing?
Frank Shostak / Mises.org:Most experts hold that on account of the economic slump and the consequent underutilization of resources, economic output in the next two years will be strongly below the potential output. For 2009 and 2010, the production loss is estimated to be in excess of $2 trillion (the gap between the potential GDP and the actual GDP). Therefore they believe that the effective way to close the gap between the potential output and the actual output is through the fiscal stimulus package — a large increase in government outlays. Given the possibility that the gap could exceed the $2 trillion mark it seems that the Obama's fiscal stimulus plan of around $800 billion is not going to "do the trick."
Posted by Editor at 05:12 AM
Obama: The Emperor Has No Clothes
Gerald Warner / London Telegraph:This will end in tears. The Obama hysteria is not merely embarrassing to witness, it is itself contributory to the scale of the disaster that is coming. What we are experiencing, in the deepening days of a global depression, is the desperate suspension of disbelief by people of intelligence - la trahison des clercs - in a pathetic effort to hypnotise themselves into the delusion that it will be all right on the night. It will not be all right.
Posted by Editor at 05:10 AM
Another Real Estate Crisis Is About To Hit
Paul Craig Roberts / VDARE.com:For a picture of the US real estate crisis, imagine New Orleans wrecked by Hurricane Katrina, and before the waters even begin to recede, a second Katrina hits. The 1,120,000 lost US retail jobs in 2008 are a signal that the second stage of the real estate bust is about to hit the economy. This time it will be commercial real estate—shopping malls, strip malls, warehouses, and office buildings. As businesses close and rents decline, the ability to service the mortgages on the over-built commercial real estate disappears.
Posted by Editor at 03:45 AM
Obama Broke All Spending Records
Gordon Bishop / Ether Zone:Only the most corrupt city in America -- the Chicago home of Barack Obama -- could create a Hollywood `cardboard cutout' and sell it to Americans as the next President of the United States of America. That's how I feel right now on Martin Luther King's holiday, writing this column about "Obamamania," the most expensive political campaign ($668 million) in American history to buy the White House, and then spending more than $175 million for the most expensive inauguration in U.S. history -- not to mention the most expensive Cadillac stretch limousine in the history of American Presidents. . . of course, Obama’s! Where did all this money come from? If it came from out of the United States, such money is illegal in political campaigns. Who cares, any more?
Posted by Editor at 03:44 AM
Change Gaza Can Believe In
Tom Engelhardt and Tony Karon / LewRockwell.com:Yes, we now know the ever grimmer statistics: more than 1,400 dead Gazans (and rising as bodies are dug out of the rubble); 5,500 wounded; hundreds of children killed; 4,000 to 5,000 homes destroyed and 20,000 damaged – 14% of all buildings in Gaza; 50,000 or more homeless; 400,000 without water; 50 U.N. facilities, 21 medical facilities, 1,500 factories and workshops, and 20 mosques reportedly damaged or destroyed; the smashed schools and university structures; the obliterated government buildings; the estimated almost two billion dollars in damage; all taking place on a blockaded strip of land 25 miles long and 4 to 7.5 miles wide that is home to a staggering 1.4 million people.
Posted by Editor at 02:10 AM
January 22, 2009
No Real 'Change' Until Governments Obey God
Michael Peroutka & John Lofton / The American View Radio:On this program, the morning of Barack Obama's inauguration, before he was sworn in and spoke, Michael and John discuss: How there will be no real, effective "change" until we have Godly/Constitutional government. Also discussed: Some things said by George Washington and John Adams in their respective Inaugural Addresses; praying in the Name of Jesus; the irrelevance of race; how, by one count, Obama has made 510 promises (not counting his Inaugural Address).
Posted by Editor at 05:56 AM
'Best Practices' for Bible Teachers (Part IX)
Buddy Hanson / The Covenant News:Remind Your Learners of Who They Are! In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is not an unusual reaction to view our attendance at a Bible study or a worship service as a welcomed break from our daily, fast-paced lifestyle. It's a great time to relax and enjoy the fellowship of people whose view of the world is similar to ours. Yet, what happens in the lives of your learners between Bible studies, and/or worship services? Do they get caught up in the ebb and flow of life so that they are reacting as best they can? Or, do they approach each day with the mindset of proactively presenting a distinctive testimony for Christ's Kingdom with the enthusiasm they had as a new Christian?
Posted by Editor at 05:56 AM
The Gathering Storm
Michael Gaddy / LewRockwell.com:Critical decisions, based purely on emotions, at the expense of reason, are at the very least, dangerous in the extreme. The emotional hysteria involving the coronation of our new president is frightening indeed and should be seen by those who truly believe in the Bill of Rights, especially the Second Amendment (2A), as a gathering storm. This type of intense worship and adulation for a statist leader has not been witnessed since the 1930s in Europe. The deck is stacked against liberty and personal freedom: the President is anti-gun, the Vice-President is anti-gun, the Speaker of the House of Representatives is anti-gun, the Senate Majority leader is anti-gun, the Attorney General is anti-gun, as is the majority of congress.
Posted by Editor at 05:55 AM
White House Announces Radical Homosexual Agenda
LifeSiteNews.com:The Obama Administration has posted its plans to implement the most radical homosexualist policy agenda in the nation's history on the White House's official website. Many otherwise conservative voters have also suggested that Obama's goal of finding "common ground" and "reaching across the aisle" would ensure that he would not be as anti-family or anti-life as many pro-life and pro-family activists were saying he would be. Now that Obama is elected, however, it has been made abundantly clear that he intends on pursuing a radical social agenda the likes of which the United States has never before seen.
Posted by Editor at 05:54 AM
Any Volunteers for National Service?
Patrick Krey / The New American:Barack Obama's national-service plan purports to be voluntary, yet nonparticipating schools would lose funding, and uncooperative individuals would be denied tax credits. In 2007, Richard Stengel, former speechwriter for liberal senator/presidential candidate Bill Bradley and managing editor for Time magazine, wrote an article entitled "A Time to Serve," promoting "Universal National Service" for all Americans. Constitutionalists would find themselves irritated. Stengel book-ended his piece with quotes from the Founders and disingenuously implied that such national service would have been warmly received by the promoters of laissez faire who fought for our independence.
Posted by Editor at 05:47 AM
Nation Tottering Close to Political Idolatry
Frederick Meekins / Ether Zone:It has been my contention that if Obama is not the Anti-Christ, he is certainly a stand in for the dress rehearsal as Satan works out the kinks. A plot element central to the narrative of the Book of Revelation is something known as the "Mark of the Beast" that all dwelling upon the earth must receive as a sign of loyalty to this tyrannical regime. Interestingly, Obama worshipers are not without their own version as a story on Fox and Friends on 1/18/08 chronicled someone disfiguring their body with an Obama tattoo.
Posted by Editor at 05:10 AM
NAIS: Bad For America, Opt Out
Devvy Kidd / NewsWithViews.com:The circus out in Washington, DC., for the unlawful swearing in of the impostor president, Barack Hussein Obama aka Barry Soetoro and so forth, is now over. All the gushing and slobbering over the trashy looking rag worn by the militant Michelle Obama, has faded into the night. I wonder how many of the mindless mouth pieces giving their commentary about the "wonderful, smart First Lady," know that in 1993, Michelle Obama, was ordered by the Illinois Supreme Court to stop practicing law?
Posted by Editor at 04:30 AM
Obama Retakes Oath Of Office
WorldNetDaily:Barack Obama has retaken the oath of office that was administered by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts at the ceremonial inauguration yesterday. Legal experts had suggested the move because of the multiple stumbles and flubs at the original event. Obama ended up transposing the word "faithfully" during his inauguration in Washington. When he should have said he would "faithfully execute the office of president of the United States," he instead said he will "execute the office of president of the United States faithfully." The Associated Press reports, "The president said he did not have his Bible with him [for the second oath], but that the oath was binding anyway."
Posted by Editor at 01:17 AM
Obama Supporters Trash National Mall
WBAL TV.com Baltimore: As Barack Obama supporters cleared the city Tuesday, 130+ tons of trash covered the National Mall and Washington Monument grounds after the inauguration. They threw on the ground cans, plastic bottles, newspapers, food wrappers and "American flags" they had been waving. Trash bins overflowed with items people tossed. Trash was also strewn throughout the Metro subways and other avenues of transportation. Crews began the cleanup effort across the city overnight as people emptied Washington. On Wednesday, crews from Don's Johns began hauling 6,400 portable toilets off the National Mall. Workers also began removing miles of security barriers, picking up trash and dismantling bleachers and reviewing stands.
Posted by Editor at 12:18 AM
January 21, 2009
White House Website Now 'Sodomite Publication'
WhiteHouse.gov Sodomite Publication:Editor's note: The White House policies published on its new website confirms that Barack H. Obama intends to use his office to promote and maintain the sexual deviant criminal behavior of homosexuality (with malice aforethought). I said this before and I'll say it again: Civil officials who approve of homosexuality, make the civil government a vile cesspool from which the abominations vomit out across the land. By displaying such a contempt for the administration of Justice by promoting this criminal behavior, "such civil officials are not only the source of the defilement, they are the criminals, and a hostile enemy authorizing the destruction of the society in which we live."
As soon as Obama begins to implement these homosexual, murderous "policies," he will defile himself, abrogate his authority as President of the Untied States and turn his administration into an abomination before God and man. At that time, all Christians employed in any branch of the "Obama administration" will need to resign from their employment (including the military). For how can any Christian work for such a wicked employer? It is simply impossible to remain a Christian and work for such evil. --Jim Rudd, Editor of The Covenant News
Obama's homosex-policies from WhiteHouse.gov website January 20, 2009
- Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. President Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, President Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.
- Fight Workplace Discrimination: President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. The President also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
- Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.
- Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.
- Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.
- Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, President Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. The President will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. President Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.
- Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. President Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.
- Supports a Woman's Right to Choose: President Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority in his Adminstration. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case.
- Preventing Unintended Pregnancy: President Obama was an original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception, health information, and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims.
Posted by Editor at 05:33 AM
Spiritually Dead And Condemned
Sheriff Jim R. Schwiesow, Ret. / The Covenant News:It occurs to me that at least ninety percent of the people of the United States actually believe the following myths and fairy tales: That George W. Bush is a Christian, that Barack Obama is a Christian and the savior who will deliver the people and the nation from the effects of a half century and more of morally corrupt behavior, that Rick Warren is a Christian...
Posted by Editor at 05:31 AM
We Have A New President Now
Paul Proctor / NewsWithViews.com:One of my wife's friends told her on Tuesday that someone she knew had been renting a house to a single African-American woman for several years. The lady had apparently never missed a payment or even been late with one. But, for some strange reason, immediately after Barack Obama was elected to office last November, the woman reportedly stopped paying rent. When politely questioned about it, she told her landlord: "We have a new president now and some things are going to change." He replied: "Well, that’s fine, but you still have to pay your rent," to which she reiterated: "No, we have a new president now – and some things are going to change." From what I understand, the rent has yet to be paid.
Posted by Editor at 05:29 AM
A Deadly 'Stimulus' Plan
Dom Armentano / LewRockwell.com:President Barack Obama and his economic team will soon attempt to convince Congress that spending upwards of $1 trillion tax dollars (more or less) will shorten the recession. A good part of the spending will be on public works and infrastructure projects that aim to create (or save) many millions of jobs. Some of the spending will be in the form of grants to state governments to prevent cutbacks in education and medical services. And a smaller (and laudable) part of the program provides tax relief to some individuals and corporations.
Posted by Editor at 05:28 AM
Obamanomics Will Fail
Michael S. Rozeff / LewRockwell.com:Obamanomics, the economic program of the Obama administration, will fail to help the U.S. economy. Instead it will undermine the economy. It will fail to help the American people as a whole, although it will benefit some. It will succeed in augmenting the government.
Posted by Editor at 05:28 AM
Expect More Foreign War Under Obama
Thomas R. Eddlem / The New American:The Obama administration plans to increase overall troop commitments abroad this year, according to the Washington Post. The Obama administration has reportedly signed on to a Pentagon plan to increase U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan by 30,000 this year. It would essentially be a “surge” for Afghanistan. The additional troop strength is designed to reverse the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan have increased annually since the invasion in 2001, with the 155 U.S. military casualties last year being the highest since the occupation began.
Posted by Editor at 05:25 AM
It'll Never Happen Here
Kirby Ferris / Constitution Party:Gun owners now face what appears to be the seeming inevitability of nationwide gun registration and ammunition registration. Many longtime pro-gun advocates, even in their most fitful dreams, had not foreseen the immensely somber showdown we are confronting. One writer (Bob Unruh in World Net Daily) appropriately used the phrase "perfect storm" to describe what American gun owners face at this moment in history. All the elemental societal and political forces seem to have conjoined to form an immense "low pressure" zone of impending anti-gun legislation. The goal: Confiscation.
Posted by Editor at 05:25 AM
'Three Fires, and You Are Free!'
Becky Akers / The New American:Three shots from his inexperienced militia -- followed by their hasty retreat -- was exactly what Daniel Morgan needed to win the day at the fateful Battle of Cowpens. It usually pastures cattle on their way to market. But on a frigid January morning in 1781, this "open woods" near the Carolinas' border fields a ragtag band of Patriots.
Posted by Editor at 05:23 AM
They Never Said It
Gary DeMar / American Vision:For years Christian writers have attributed the following quotation to James Madison (1751-1836), the fourth president of the United States, in hopes of supporting the often repeated claim that the Ten Commandments were the foundational law system of the early colonial constitutions, law codes, and Federal Constitution.
Posted by Editor at 04:52 AM
Obama Rides `The Beast'
National Geographic:Rumor has it that the new U.S. presidential limousine is sturdy enough to withstand a direct hit from an asteroid. Even if not, Barack Obama's fully customized Cadillac, which debuts on Inauguration Day, is still the place to be when disaster strikes. Specs weren't released, but experts say the limo's body probably sits on the chassis of a GM commercial truck and has a similarly hefty engine. "The Beast," as the Secret Service calls it, likely has heavy armor, five-inch-thick (12.7-centimeter-thick) bombproof glass, tough-as-nails tires, and a sealed interior that's invulnerable to chemical attack. One thing it's not is green: No car this mammoth will sport good gas mileage.
Posted by Editor at 12:32 AM
Stocks Slide in Worst Inauguration Day Drop
Bloomberg:U.S. stocks sank, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average to its worst Inauguration Day decline [in histroy], as speculation banks must raise more capital sent financial shares to an almost 14-year low. Barack Obama became the 44th U.S. president today, inheriting the most severe economic crisis since Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in 76 years ago. The turmoil has dragged the world’s largest economies into recession, caused more than $1 trillion of losses at financial institutions and prompted a sell-off in global stock markets.
Posted by Editor at 12:29 AM
January 20, 2009
Fantasy Land - Anti-Conspiracy Nuts
Al Cronkrite / The Covenant News:"There are those who remain convinced that those in the inner circle of the "establishment," specifically the members of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Tri-Lateral Commission, are part of a deep, evil international conspiracy aimed at the creation of one-world government. My late friend Larry Abraham co-authored the 1970s best-seller None Dare Call it Conspiracy, which purported to show how this "conspiracy" worked. He remained convinced of its existence until the end of his life."
Posted by Editor at 05:36 AM
Ramos And Compean Are Going Home
Chuck Baldwin / The Covenant News:After tens of thousands of phone calls and emails, after the combined efforts of columnists such as myself and radio and television talk show hosts such as Lou Dobbs, and even after persistent appeals by congressmen such as Dana Rohrabacher, former Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean finally received a commutation of their 10-plus year prison sentences from outgoing President George W. Bush and will soon be going home. It's about time! What took Mr. Bush so long?
Posted by Editor at 05:35 AM
Christ's Kingdom Here Now
John Lofton / The American View:Christ's Kingdom Here NOW, And Growing, As He Reigns And Rules Until All Enemies Are Put Beneath His Blessed Feet. In the 1971 book by Dr. John Wesley White titled "Re-Entry: Striking Parallels Between Today's News Events And Christ's Second Coming" (Worldwide Publications), White says: "From time immemorial, man has longed for a combination on this earth of law and order; peace and prosperity; freedom and fulfillment; health and happiness; godliness and longevity of life. It will happen when Christ comes again to this earth to set up His Kingdom."
Posted by Editor at 05:34 AM
The Audacity of Hype
Gary North / LewRockwell.com:Today is inauguration day. George W. Bush will officially depart as soon as Barack H. Obama is sworn in. The Audacity of Hope is the title of Obama's campaign book. As with Bill Clinton's A Man from Hope video, the accent is on the positive. To campaign on hope is a tried-and-true tradition. Like second marriages, this is hope triumphing over experience. Also like second marriages, the honeymoons are shorter.
Posted by Editor at 05:33 AM
Fools Rush In...
Dr. Edwin Vieira, Jr. / NewsWithViews.com:Now is the time for "the good People of these Colonies" (as the Declaration of Independence styled patriots in those days) to embrace prudence ahead of all other virtues. Because if "the good People" of "the several States" make a mistake at this critical juncture in the course of human events, they may never have another chance. The Internet has been awash with outrage and verbally violent attacks on the General Government's and the Federal Reserve System's various bail-outs of special interests sinking under loads of unmanageable debt.
Posted by Editor at 05:32 AM
The Mystic Chords of Thuggery
Bob Higgs / The LRC Blog:I listened today to Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidential inaugural speech. No, not the famous one given in 1933, in which he assured Americans that they had nothing to fear but fear itself, but the one he gave in 1941, as he began his third term as president. It's a good speech, as such speeches go. Roosevelt's voice was strong, he articulated his words clearly, and he spoke with suitable emphasis and emotion at the right places. He was obviously not yet the frail, dying man he would be when he gave his next inaugural speech in 1945.
Posted by Editor at 05:31 AM
House Resolution to Establish Dictatorship
Lee Rogers / Rogue Government:A series of insane pieces of legislation are being introduced by the Democrat lead Congress that has the potential to seriously undermine any freedom and liberty that is left in this country. One such piece of legislation is House Joint Resolution 5 which calls for the abolishment of the Twenty-Second Amendment which places a limitation on the amount of terms a President can serve.
Posted by Editor at 05:03 AM
Inaugural Inanity
Becky Akers / LewRockwell.com:Ten thousand National Guardsmen, 7,500 active-duty soldiers, 25,000 cops from "99 federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies." A city "honeycombed" with "communication command centers" spying on supposedly free Americans with 5,265 surveillance cameras. And, as if we aren’t already up to our eyeballs in goons, an entire brigade of the US Army on call. The cost for this hyperbolic hysteria? Hundreds of millions at a time when many taxpayers can’t scrape together the next month’s mortgage. All for an inauguration that has attracted no "specific threats."
Posted by Editor at 04:32 AM
In Praise of Paul Blart
William Norman Grigg / Pro Libertate:When tyrants rule, jesters often boldly tell truths that falter on the lips of fear-plagued philosophers. Perhaps this explains why, amid the consolidation of a totalitarian Homeland Security State, it fell to Kevin James, gifted comic actor, mixed martial arts fan, and cinematic role model for economy-sized American men, to put into play the notion that we would be better off doing away with government police forces outright, and entrusting security to private citizens and entrepreneurs.
Posted by Editor at 03:29 AM
Humanists Urge Obama To Undermine Boy Scouts
News Wire Service:The American Humanist Association's current newsletter urges Barack Obama to "Say No To The Boy Scouts." In their, "We The People Alert," AHA members are instructed to contact and urge Barack Obama "to take a stand against discrimination and decline the title and role of 'Honorary President of The Boy Scouts of America," which is customary for all sitting presidents.
Posted by Editor at 02:39 AM
The $170 Million Coronation Ceremony
ABC News:The country is in the middle of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, which isn't stopping the government from spending $170 million, or more, on the inauguration of Barack Obama. The actual swearing-in ceremony will cost taxpayers $1.24 million, according to Carole Florman, spokeswoman for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. It's the security, parties and countless Porta-a-Potty rentals that really run up the bill.
Posted by Editor at 01:51 AM
Obama to 'Solemnly Swear' on Lincoln's Bible
USA TODAY:The Bible Barack Hussein Obama will use at Tuesday's swearing-in ceremony was used by Abraham Lincoln at his first inauguration in 1861. For Lincoln, this Bible was an accident of history. Lincoln's family Bible was unavailable for the swearing-in, most likely packed with belongings being shipped from his home in Springfield, Ill., to the White House. Instead, the clerk of the Supreme Court, William Thomas Carroll, provided a Bible. The Bible was probably one of several Carroll kept for such ceremonies, says Clark Evans, a Lincoln expert at the Library of Congress. The Bible used during the inauguration of President James Buchanan in 1857 is nearly identical and also bears Carroll's signature, Evans says.
Posted by Editor at 01:04 AM
Rick Warren Will Pray in Jesus' Name
Church Solutions Magazine:Amid intense criticism of his presence at the inauguration, Rick Warren told his congregation at Saddleback Church that he intends to pray in Jesus' name when he delivers the invocation at the inauguration of Barack Obama. Warren has come under fire from liberal and conservative groups alike. Some are upset that Warren would agree to appear at a celebration for a [baby killing pro-homosexual] candidate.
"He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." (Proverbs 28: 9)
Posted by Editor at 12:27 AM
Bush Pardons Border Agents Ramos, Compean
The Associated Press:In his final acts of clemency, President George W. Bush on Monday granted early prison releases to two former U.S. Border Patrol agents whose convictions for shooting a Mexican drug dealer fueled the national debate over illegal immigration. Bush, responding to heavy pressure from Republican and Democrat lawmakers alike, commuted the prison sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean. The two guards from El Paso, Texas, each were sentenced to more than 10 years for the shooting, which they tried to cover up. They will be released within two months. Opposition to their convictions, sentencing and firings has simmered ever since the shooting occurred in 2005.
Posted by Editor at 12:25 AM
January 19, 2009
Exclusive Interview With Peter LaBarbera
John Lofton / The American View Radio:Exclusive Interview: Peter LaBarbera is president of Americans For Truth, a group dedicated to exposing the homosexual activist agenda. Founded as a part-time venture in 1996 but newly reorganized in August 2006, AFTAH seeks to apply the same single-minded determination to opposing the radical homosexual agenda and standing for God-ordained sexuality and the natural family as countless homosexual groups do in promoting their harmful agenda.
Related:
Supreme Court Of Alabama - D.H. vs. H.H.
D.H. vs. H.H. [Jefferson Circuit Court,
DR-99-1301; Court of Civil Appeals, 2991129]
October Term, 2001-2002
scroll down to "MOORE, Chief Justice (concurring specially)"
Posted by Editor at 07:11 AM
Celebrating General Lee's 202nd Birthday
News Wire Service:Calvin E. Johnson, Jr. / Dawson Times:
Sir Winston Churchill called General Robert E. Lee `one of the noblest Americans who ever lived.' Please let me call to your attention that Monday, January 19, 2009, is the 202nd birthday of Robert E. Lee, whose memory is still dear in the hearts of many Southerners. Why is this man so honored in the South and respected in the North? Lee was even respected by the soldiers of Union blue who fought against him during the War Between the States. What is your community doing to commemorate the birthday of this great American?
Posted by Editor at 05:43 AM
None Dare Call It Phariseeism
Martin G. Selbrede / The Chalcedon Foundation:In Matthew 15, a well-known collision between the Pharisees and the Lord is precipitated by a question over table manners. Christ's disciples didn't wash their hands prior to eating bread. To fail to wash hands was to "transgress the tradition of the elders" (v. 2). This transgression of the received tradition ignited and shaped the criticism leveled against Christ and His disciples. In response, Christ indicted the scribes and Pharisees, saying, “Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition” (v. 6), or as it stands elsewhere, you make "the word of God of none effect through your tradition" (Mark 7:13). In effect, "they have made void thy law" (Ps. 119:126).
Posted by Editor at 05:03 AM
George W. Bush: War Criminal in Chief
Laurence M. Vance / LewRockwell.com:George Bush is worried about his legacy. At his last press conference, he acknowledged that he made mistakes and suffered disappointments. "I think it’s a good, strong record," he said of his eight years in office. The most disgusting thing about Bush’s last press conference was how he aggressively defended his baby, the war in Iraq. But because Bush’s war is aggressive, unnecessary, unconstitutional, senseless, immoral, unjust, and even worse, his legacy, at least for those of us who treasure liberty and peace, will be that of a war criminal in chief.
Posted by Editor at 04:45 AM
Abraham Delano Messiah Obama?
Thomas J. DiLorenzo / LewRockwell.com:The political Left (which includes almost all journalists in America) just can't make up its mind over whether Barack Obama most resembles Lincoln, FDR, Jesus Christ -- or some combination thereof. All during his campaign many of his supporters kept referring to him as "The Messiah"; there is much talk of how he will immediately propose the re-adoption of many of FDR's government interventions (that only made the Great Depression worse); and we are told (constantly) that he intends to make use of Lincoln’s rhetoric, especially in his first inaugural address. He has been studying Lincoln’s speeches, we are told by his handlers. If so, we are in for a lot of doubletalk and lies bordering on the psychotic.
Posted by Editor at 04:36 AM
Uncelebrate King 2009
Alan Stang / NewsWithViews.com:One of the many symptoms of the decline and fall of American civilization is its confusion about heroes. We have sports "heroes," men who are paid lots of money to play games. We have movie "heroes," who are paid even more money to pretend to be someone else. Our newest "hero" is an illegal alien whose real name we don't know, whose total qualifications are a beautiful, black preacher voice, who will be coronated tomorrow as Emperor Also Known As the First.
Posted by Editor at 04:33 AM
TX., D.O.T. Plays Opossum Over TTC
Tom DeWeese / NewsWithViews.com:On January 6, 2009, The Dallas Morning News carried a headline which read "Trans Texas Corridor is dead, TxDot says." The article went on to report, "The Texas Department of Transportation announced this morning that it has officially killed the Trans Texas Corridor, saying that despite the project’s visionary aspects, it is clearly not the choice of Texans." The fact that TxDot is taking this action to disown the Trans Texas Corridor is testimony to the incredible job by grassroots activists who have opposed the TTC and the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP). We have made life miserable for these officials who have tried to force such policy on us in virtual secrecy. They’ve been caught and so they have bailed out.
Posted by Editor at 02:55 AM
Bush Has Been Worse Than Clinton
Ross Nelson / Campaign for Liberty:My inaugural column for The Forum was a highly critical look at the Bill Clinton years. What a mess they were: lying under oath, sex in the White House (yes, see the Starr Report), granting permission for Loral to give the Chinese highly sophisticated rocketry data while Loral's chairman gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Democratic National Committee, the confidential FBI files floating around in the Clinton living room, gratuitous (and therefore criminal) war on Serbia, and on and on. Although there was little conservative about George W. Bush, I thought he surely had to be an improvement on Clinton.
Posted by Editor at 02:53 AM
Republicans for Hillary
Laurence Vance / The LRC Blog:They aren't even acting like Republicans when they are out of power. When Clinton was president, some Republicans acted like the conservatives they claimed to be. Then, when Bush was elected and they enjoyed an absolute majority for much of his terms, the Republicans showed their true colors--big government statists just like the Democrats. Since the day her husband became the president, the personification of evil according to all Republicans has been Hillary Clinton. So, what did the Republicans do when Mrs. Clinton appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to receive the first vote toward her confirmation as secretary of state?
Posted by Editor at 02:40 AM
Prosperity Gospel on Skid Row
Bobby Ross Jr. / Christianity Today:Some of the high-flying icons of the prosperity gospel-the belief that God rewards signs of faith with wealth, health, and happiness-have run into financial turbulence. Not all of their troubles can be blamed on the nation's economic crisis, say critics of the name-it-and-claim-it theology found in some charismatic churches. "I believe the charismatic movement, of which I am a part, is in the midst of a dramatic overhaul," said J. Lee Grady, editor of Charisma magazine. "God is shaking us." Grady predicts the movement will look much different in a few years as it refocuses on evangelism and overcoming what he calls the distraction of "materialism, flashy self-promotion, and foolish carnality."
Posted by Editor at 12:04 AM
The Darwinization Of Law In America
Pastor David Whitney / Institute on the Constitution:Through a series of corrupt and prejudiced judges Michael Schiavo finally accomplished the end he has sought for years, the end of his wife’s life. What has become of the law in America? How is it that our court system can now be manipulated by a husband to accomplish the execution his wife? The answer lies in what I am calling the Darwinization of Law in America. This act of judicial murder has puzzled many Americans. How have we come to a position in America where the "law" is used by an adulterous husband to have the court starve and dehydrate his wife with impunity?
Posted by Editor at 12:03 AM
Darwin = Junk Science
Robert Owens / Campaign for Liberty:Darwin's theory of evolution is a scientifically barren myth perpetuated by humanists who refuse the sovereignty of God. In order for a single cell to self generate from a "primordial soup" and evolve into invertebrates, then to fish and finally into human form, Darwin stated that "the number of intermediate and transitional links...must have been inconceivably great." Even leading evolutionists such as Stephen Jay Gould will admit that among the millions and millions of fossils discovered in the annals of history, not a single transitional link has ever been discovered.
Posted by Editor at 12:02 AM
January 18, 2009
The Real Reason for Our National Debt
Chris Ortiz / Chalcedon Blog:For your friends, associates, and loved ones that don't understand why you're always complaining about the Federal Reserve System. Leave it up to a Charismatic preacher to put it in a way everybody can both understand and from which they can repent.
Posted by Editor at 07:13 AM
January 17, 2009
Praise For Lee And Jackson
Chuck Baldwin / The Covenant News:January is often referred to as "Generals Month" since no less than four famous Confederate Generals claimed January as their birth month: James Longstreet (Jan. 8, 1821), Robert E. Lee (Jan. 19, 1807), Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (Jan. 21, 1824), and George Pickett (Jan. 28, 1825). Two of these men, Lee and Jackson, are particularly noteworthy. Without question, Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson were two of the greatest military leaders of all time. Even more, many military historians regard the Lee and Jackson tandem as perhaps the greatest battlefield duo in the history of warfare. If Jackson had survived the battle of Chancellorsville, it is very possible that the South would have prevailed at Gettysburg and perhaps would even have won the War Between the States.
Posted by Editor at 03:10 AM
Walk-By-Sight False Prophet Pat Robertson
John Lofton / The American View:Like Energizer Bunnies From Hell, the False Prophets (FPs) who walk by sight and not by faith, when things flare up in the Middle East, begin to babble, again, about "The End Times," Ezekiel 38, and the coming attack by Russia on Israel. So, it was no surprise to see on Pat Robertson’s "700 Club" recently FPs Robertson and Benny Hinn discussing, one more time, The End Times, Ezekiel 38 and the supposed coming attack on Israel by Russia. The fact that Robertson has outed himself as a false prophet on this very issue in no way deters him from speaking again on this subject. He is a man without shame. On the Israel-Russia issue he is like the dog who returns to his own vomit (Proverbs 26:11.)
Posted by Editor at 03:10 AM
Developing a Biblical Ecclesiology
David Alan Black / Dave Black Online:One thing you will notice, I think, in countries in which Christianity has been present for at least three generations is the development of traditionalism and formula thinking. The first generation of Christians is aflame for Christ and zealous for evangelism and good works. The second generation is somewhat less zealous, and the third is even less so. There are two reasons, I believe, for this retrogressive pattern. First, creedalism becomes a substitute for living faith; and secondly, the Scriptures are no longer mined for truth as they once were. Of course, not every evangelical movement has demonstrated this pattern, but many have.
Posted by Editor at 03:09 AM
A Defense of Dispensationalism
Gary DeMar / American Vision:John MacArthur is preaching series on eschatology that is being broadcast on WLQV, a Detroit, Michigan, radio station this week. Some of this material was published in his 1999 book The Second Coming: Signs of Christ's Return and the End of the Age. Using a debater's trick, MacArthur begins his analysis of non-dispensational eschatology by attacking full-preterism. Full-preterists believe that all the New Testament prophetic passages were fulfilled in A.D. 70. Thus, there is no future bodily return of Christ. The resurrection is also given a non-traditional interpretation. Of course, I have no problem with someone debating the merits of full-preterism or partial preterism, the belief that a majority or even most of the prophetic passages in the New Testament refer to events that were fulfilled in events leading up to and including the destruction of Jerusalem that took place in A.D. 70.
Posted by Editor at 03:08 AM
Obama's Un-Godly Agenda
Repent America:On January 20th, the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joseph Biden will usher in a new political system of sentiments and policies that drift increasingly further from the Biblical beliefs and principles adhered to by our nation's Founding Fathers and away from God. As a prelude of what is to come, the planned inaugural festivities, which begin on Sunday, will demonstrate the intended course of action of the incoming administration.
Posted by Editor at 03:05 AM
The Regnant Follies
Pastor Bret McAtee's Blog - Iron Ink:Rev. Rick Warren has given his imprimatur to the Rt. Rev. Gene "The Sodomite" Robinson praying at one of Obama's more important soirees. It seems that the reasoning goes something like this a.)Obama is President of all the people - (Perhaps better put, Obama is President over all the people.) b.)Therefore all the people ought to have a representative of their praying. Honestly, this is what we should expect in a country controlled by religious pluralism. In this pluralistic country the God is the State and it is up to the God to determine how many of the representatives of the lesser gods will be praying for the coronation service where the elected President is invested with the Messianic right to ascend to the god's throne.
Posted by Editor at 03:05 AM
Judge Orders Prayer Stopped At Schools
Carmen Paige / Pensacola News Journal:A federal judge has ordered the Santa Rosa County School District to stop promoting religion and prayer in the classroom and at school events. U.S. District Court Judge Casey Rodgers ruled after school officials admitted allegations in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Posted by Editor at 03:04 AM
Judge Won't Block Obama's Oath to God
The Associated Press:A federal judge on Thursday refused to order the words "so help me God" taken out of Barack Obama's oath of office next week or to prevent ministers from praying at the inauguration celebration. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton turned down a request from a group of atheists and agnostics to force Chief Justice John Roberts not to add those words to the 35-word inaugural oath outlined in the Constitution. The presidential oath of office dictated by the Constitution is 35 words long and reads: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Posted by Editor at 03:00 AM
Judicial Watch: Reject Holder Appointment
Judicial Watch:Judicial Watch announced its opposition to Barack Obama's appointment of Eric Holder to serve as Attorney General in the incoming Obama administration. The nonprofit watchdog organization sent a letter to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and published a full-page advertisement in The Washington Times raising questions about Holder's corrupt record in the Clinton administration's Justice Department. Holder's confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday, January 15th.
Who Will Ask the Tough Questions of Eric Holder?
Judicial Watch:
As acting Attorney General under President Bill Clinton, Attorney General-designate Eric Holder violated established Justice Department procedures and fast-tracked a series of scandalous presidential pardons in the final hours of the Clinton administration. But who on the Senate Judiciary Committee will ask the tough questions at his confirmation hearing?
Posted by Editor at 01:58 AM
Mark Rutland to Be New President of ORU
Cary McMullen / The Ledger:Never let it be said that Mark Rutland doesn't enjoy a challenge. The Southeastern University president, who turned a small, run-down college into a polished, expanding university, announced Wednesday that he has been offered the presidency of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. Rutland indicated he would accept the position, which would become effective July 1, pending approval by the school's board of trustees Jan. 28. At a news conference Wednesday, Rutland said the new position represented "a fresh opportunity and a fresh challenge."
Posted by Editor at 12:09 AM
January 16, 2009
When Government Becomes Godless
Michael Peroutka & John Lofton / The American View Radio:When Government Becomes Godless, "American View" Is Abandoned, We Become Murderers, Torturers And Much More That's Evil. On this program, Michael and John discuss war crimes that were undoubtedly approved by Bush, Cheney and others in the Bush Administration. Point-to-ponder: If Bush is a Christian, wouldn't his faith have told him something about the right and wrong way to treat prisoners who are also human beings? Of course. And why, if Bush is a Christian, would he have relied solely on intelligence "professionals" to tell him what was "legal" and what constituted "torture" - as he clearly did?
Posted by Editor at 06:38 AM
Warren Applauds Obama's Homosexual Inclinations
Brian Burke / The Voice Magazine:Rick Warren (the "pastor" who the major media loves to call a "conservative Evangelical leader") compliments Barack Obama's invitation to openly gay activist Bishop "Vicky" Gene Robinson to pray at his inauguration on Sunday. "President-elect Obama has again demonstrated his genuine commitment to bringing all Americans of goodwill together in search of common ground," Warren said in a statement to Christianity Today. "I applaud his desire to be the president of every citizen."
Posted by Editor at 06:37 AM
Sodomite Bishop Prepares 'Non-Christian' Prayer
Ingrid Schlueter / Slice Of Laodicea:"I am very clear," he said, "that this will not be a Christian prayer, and I won't be quoting Scripture or anything like that. The texts that I hold as sacred are not sacred texts for all Americans, and I want all people to feel that this is their prayer." Bishop Robinson said he might address the prayer to "the God of our many understandings," language that he said he learned from the 12-step program he attended for his alcohol addiction.
Posted by Editor at 06:36 AM
When Hypocrisy Matters
Anthony Gregory / Campaign for Liberty:Questions as to whether Timothy Geithner, Obama's pick for Treasury Secretary, has paid all his taxes or followed immigration law concerning his housekeeper raise an interesting point. The scrutiny surrounding confirmation hearings presents one of the only opportunities politicians get to see what it is like to be harassed like a normal American citizen. Only during scandals like these are government officials given a taste of their own medicine, and it is such a bitter taste that the more humane among us might sympathize even with our would-be rulers as their lives and finances become open to inspection and public criticism.
Posted by Editor at 06:35 AM
The Bipartisan Homeland Security State
William Norman Grigg / Pro Libertate:For two years, Bart McIntyre was deeply involved in the insignificant, thinly populated white supremacist movement. Though it may be difficult to believe, this actually represented something of an improvement in McIntyre's social circle, since his paying job was a position in one of our country's most repellent criminal syndicates, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, and Persecution of Unsanctioned Political and Religious Minorities (or ATF, for the sake of convenience).
Posted by Editor at 06:33 AM
Political Prisoners Not Being Freed
Andy Worthington / LewRockwell.com:On the seventh anniversary of the opening of the "war on terror" prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (on January 11, 2002), this is perhaps a rather bleak title, given that Barack Obama has pledged to close the prison, but recent events in a U.S. District Court - largely overlooked in the mainstream media - have demonstrated how difficult it will be to deliver justice to the remaining prisoners, because of the veneer of legitimacy that covers the Bush administration's self-declared right to seize anyone the president regards as an "enemy combatant" and hold him indefinitely without charge or trial.
Posted by Editor at 06:32 AM
GOA Opposes Attorney General Nominee
Gun Owners of America:Barack Obama is wasting no time poking a sharp stick in the eyes of gun owners. The incoming President's choice for U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, is an anti-gun extremist who has assailed gun owners since his days in the Bill Clinton administration. Holder, who served as Deputy Attorney General from 1997-2001, supports a 3-day waiting period for handgun purchases, one-gun-a-month rationing, licensing and registration of all gun owners, mandatory so-called smart gun technology, a lifetime gun ban for certain juvenile offenses and regulating gun shows out of existence.
Posted by Editor at 06:10 AM
Bill to Reinstate Draft In 'Faggot Military'?
Susan Crabtree / The Hill:Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) likely will introduce his legislation to reinstate the draft again this year, but he will wait until after the economic stimulus package is passed. Asked if he plans to introduce the legislation again in 2009, Rangel last week said, "Probably ... yes. I don't want to do anything this early to distract from the issue of the economic stimulus." With the Iraq war off the front page and the economic crisis taking center stage, nerves are not as raw on the topic of strain on the military as they were a few years ago, so Rangel's legislation may not make as many waves this time around.
Related:
Obama to Sodomize the U.S. Military
FOX News:
Barack Obama will allow homosexuals to serve openly in the military by overturning the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy that marred President Clinton's first days in office, according to incoming White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. The startling pronouncement, which could re-open a dormant battle in the culture wars and distract from other elements of Obama's agenda, came during a Gibbs exchange with members of the public who sent in questions that were answered on YouTube. The Obama transition team declined to elaborate on that one-word answer when asked by FOX News on Wednesday about a timetable for repealing the policy, which was enacted by Clinton after a protracted public debate. Obama officials also would not explain which lawmakers or Pentagon officials would attempt to repeal "don't ask, don't tell."
Posted by Editor at 06:01 AM
Court Rules In Favor of Illegal Wiretaps
The Washington Post:A special federal appeals court yesterday released a rare declassified opinion that backed the government's authority to intercept international phone conversations and e-mails from U.S. soil without a judicial warrant, even those involving Americans, if a significant purpose is to collect foreign intelligence. The ruling, which was issued in August but not made public until now, responded to an unnamed telecommunications firm's complaint that the Bush administration in 2007 improperly demanded information on its clients, violating constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. The company complied with the demand while the case was pending.
Related:
Amendment IV to The Bill of Rights
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Posted by Editor at 04:01 AM
Obama to Defend Illegal Domestic Spying
David Kravets / Wired.com:The incoming Obama administration will vigorously defend congressional legislation immunizing U.S. telecommunication companies from lawsuits about their participation in the Bush administration's domestic spy program. That was the assessment Thursday by Eric Holder, Barack Obama's choice for attorney general, who made the statement during his confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. A court challenge questioning the legality of the legislation is pending in U.S. District Court in San Francisco -- where the judge in the case wanted to know what the Obama administration's position was.
Posted by Editor at 03:58 AM
Congress OKs Release of Final $350B of Bailout
The Associated Press:Congress laid the foundation for Barack Obama's economic recovery plan on Thursday with remarkable speed, clearing the way for a new infusion of bailout cash for the financial industry while majority Democrats proposed spending increases and tax cuts totaling a whopping $825 billion. Two days after Obama personally lobbied for release of $350 billion in bailout funds, the Senate narrowly turned aside a bid to block the money.
Posted by Editor at 12:37 AM
Where Does the Buck Stop?
Coach Dave Daubenmire / Pass the Salt:"Passing the buck" is the art of transferring responsibility or blame to another person. If, at the end of the day, you cannot point your finger at the one who made the decision, there was never really anyone in charge to begin with. That's why I love football. It is full of accountability. First and ten, second and eight, fourth and goal, punt or grunt all require a decision maker. The average football play takes about 3.5 seconds to complete. Whether it was a gain, or a loss, a good call or a bad one, the effects of the decision are immediate and obvious. That is why we have score boards...to measure the effectiveness of the leadership and the decisions they have made.
Posted by Editor at 12:35 AM
January 15, 2009
Authority: Who Rules?
Rev. Paul Michael Raymond / The Covenant News:Government, Law and Public Policy deal fundamentally with questions of authority. By what authority does a government enact laws, or a President govern? By what legislative standard of authority does a community, state or nation formulate, enact and enforce law? These are essential questions of importance, since they determine what type of culture we will live in; whether we will be free or slaves, prosperous and blessed, or impoverish and destroyed. If the standard of authority is derived from the mind of man, who has often shown himself to be wrong, bias, self consumed, tyrannical and wicked (ironically proving the Biblical Doctrine of man’s depravity), then that authority will be oppressive at best and despotically destructive at its worst. Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines authority as "Legal power or right to command or act."
Posted by Editor at 06:05 AM
'Best Practices' for Bible Teachers (Part VIII)
Buddy Hanson / The Covenant News:Teacher, Teach Yourself! To present biblical truths without the context of God's overarching concepts is to be an announcer for God, not a teacher. Think back to those occasions when you are sitting in a class, instead of teaching it, and I'm sure you will agree that the most effective teachers are those that go to great lengths to connect the new material to material that is already familiar to you. No topic, including God's Word, should be taught in isolation of related concepts. So, by connecting the information in each particular message to an overarching concept.
Posted by Editor at 06:03 AM
Most U.S. Christians Define Own Theology
Jane Lampman / The Christian Science Monitor:A sizable majority of the country's faithful no longer hew closely to orthodox teachings, and look more to themselves than to churches or denominations to define their religious convictions, according to two recent surveys. More than half of all Christians also believe that some non-Christians can get into heaven. "Growing numbers of people now serve as their own theologian-in-residence," said George Barna, president of Barna Group, on releasing findings of one of the polls on Jan. 12.
Posted by Editor at 05:47 AM
Should America Be A Theocracy?
Dr. Patrick Johnston / The Covenant News:Whenever I have brought the Holy Bible to bear upon the duty and role of government, inevitably the criticism arises, "America's not a theocracy!" As if that were a coup de' grace of some sort that proved that we should be a godless nation. Since Jesus is Lord of all, as individuals and as nations we have only one of two choices: submission or rebellion. We will be ruled by sinful man or we will be ruled by God.
Posted by Editor at 03:55 AM
Conservative Judges Also Godless In Legal Philosophy
The American View:From an article titled "The Higher Law And 'Original Intent': The Challenge For Conservatism" by Charles R. Kesler, in the Spring 1987 "The Intercollegiate Review." Kesler, at the time, was an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Associate Director of the Henry Salvatori Center at Claremont McKenna College. Making the point that supposedly different conservative judges are, in reality, no different from liberal judges in that both reject any notion of a higher law.
Posted by Editor at 02:52 AM
Obama to Sodomize U.S. Military
FOX News:Barack Obama will allow homosexuals to serve openly in the military by overturning the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that marred President Clinton's first days in office, according to incoming White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. The startling pronouncement, which could re-open a dormant battle in the culture wars and distract from other elements of Obama's agenda, came during a Gibbs exchange with members of the public who sent in questions that were answered on YouTube. The Obama transition team declined to elaborate on that one-word answer when asked by FOX News on Wednesday about a timetable for repealing the policy, which was enacted by Clinton after a protracted public debate. Obama officials also would not explain which lawmakers or Pentagon officials would attempt to repeal "don't ask, don't tell."
Posted by Editor at 12:10 AM
Homosexuality Is A Crime
Jim Rudd / The Covenant News:Homosexuality is not a light or transient crime. It is an abomination (Lev. 18:22). It is the culmination of man's apostasy and hostility toward God and His Church (Rom. 1:18-32). For civil officials and judges to approve of homosexuality brings eternal damnation upon themselves (Rom. 13:2) and God's righteous judgment of death on the society as a whole (Gen. 19:24, II Pet. 2:6). Therefore, such officials and judges are not only anti-Christian by approving of homosexuality, they make the civil government a vile cesspool from which the abominations vomit out across the land. By displaying such a contempt for the administration of Justice, such civil officials are not only the source of the defilement (Lev.18:24-25), they are the criminals (Rom.1:32), and a hostile enemy authorizing the destruction of the society in which we live (Jude 1: 7).
Posted by Editor at 12:09 AM
Put Homosexuals To The Sword
Jim Rudd / The Covenant News:Civil officials have a God ordained duty to execute sodomites. The word of God commands, "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). This sodomite defilement brings eternal damnation upon all who approve of homosexuality (Rom.1:32, 13:2) and brings God's righteous judgment of punishment and death on the society as a whole (Gen.19:24-25, II Pet.2:6).
Posted by Editor at 12:08 AM
January 14, 2009
Bailouts, Marriages, & Atheists
The Gary DeMar Radio Show / American Vision:Gary examines the recent bailouts in light of their infringements in a free market. Gary notes recent newspapers reporting banks are not disclosing what they are doing with the money. Gary also covers recent developments in global warming, homosexual marriage, the evangelical church, 'Fred the atheist,' and more.
Posted by Editor at 05:30 AM
The Cats Are Out Of The Bag
Phil Brennan / Ether Zone:Excuse me while I gloat but it's fun to say I told you so. Americans are surprised to learn that President-elect Obama's choice to be his global warming Czar, one Carol Browner, was listed as one of 14 leaders of a socialist group's Commission for a Sustainable World Society, which calls for "global governance" and says rich countries must shrink their economies to address climate change, according to the Washington Times. A Global Warming militant a socialist? How can that be? Well, it can be because the whole purpose of the AGW scam is nothing less that a covert movement to create a world socialist order.
Posted by Editor at 05:29 AM
Another Massacre?
Mary Starrett / NewsWithViews.com:Those who have been paying attention know that Barack Obama's stated plans include unprecedented battering of the 2nd Amendment. That is in addition to what critics have called a "tax rampage" that will add a crushing blow to Americans already reeling from the effects of government's meddling in the economy. Under Obama, the redistribution of wealth that both Republicans and Democrats have implemented for decades will kick into overdrive. That will prove lethal to our way of life. Get ready to see some Americans paying tax rates of over 50%. We will become like the Canadians who now have access to the best health care - right across the border in the U.S.
Posted by Editor at 05:29 AM
Blood in the Streets? Nope. Red Ink.
Gary North / LewRockwell.com:The phrase, "blood in the streets," refers to economic panic. Wise investors say they will buy stocks when there is blood in the streets. This means panic. It refers to a final sell-off, when fear trumps greed. We are nowhere near that stage today. What about a bull market? The Dow Jones Industrial Average peaked at 14,000 in October 2007. How long will we have to wait for (say) Dow 17,000 – twice what it is today? Let me review a long-forgotten time period. On February 6, 1966, the Dow Jones Industrial Average exceeded 1,000 briefly and closed just below 1,000. It then started down. It closed at 777 on August 13, 1982. During that time, consumer prices tripled. So, the comparable Dow figure was about 260.
Posted by Editor at 05:28 AM
Premises of the New Deal
Michael S. Rozeff / LewRockwell.com:Some of the New Deal's programs were quickly discarded, but the New Deal survived. It lives on to this day. Every American president who followed FDR has strengthened the New Deal, and every new president will continue to do so. Once we spell out the basic premises of the New Deal, we can see why this is and why matters will not change without deep changes in thinking.
Posted by Editor at 05:27 AM
Bush Grants Federal Aid For Obama Inauguration
Chelsea Schilling / WorldNetDaily:President Bush declared a state of emergency in the District of Columbia and ordered the use of federal funds for Barack Obama's inauguration. "An emergency exists in the District of Columbia," White House press secretary Dana Perino said in a statement. In the next week, as many as 2 million people are expected to travel to the area from all over the world to see Obama become the 44th president of the United States.
Posted by Editor at 05:27 AM
The Humiliation of America
Paul Craig Roberts / VDARE.com:"Let me see if I understand this," wrote a friend in response to news reports that Israeli Prime Minister Olmert ordered President Bush from the podium where he was giving a speech to receive Israel's instructions about how the United States had to vote on the UN resolution. "On September 11th, President Bush is interrupted while reading a story to school children and told the World Trade Center had been hit--and he went on reading. Now, Olmert calls about a UN resolution when Bush is giving a speech and Bush leaves the stage to take the call. There exists no greater example of a master-servant relationship."
Posted by Editor at 04:39 AM
Christian Film Festival Award Winners
Vision Forum Ministries:More than 2,400 participants representing states from Alaska to New York and foreign cities from Cairo to Shanghai were on hand for the presentation of the Jubilee Awards during closing ceremonies at the fifth annual San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival, held at the Lila Cockrell Theatre in downtown San Antonio this last weekend.
Posted by Editor at 02:12 AM
Church Shooting Suspect Tries To Kill Self
The Associated Press:Authorities say a man charged with killing his estranged wife, whom he married in India, and another person in a church service shooting has attempted to commit suicide in jail by overdosing on drugs. Passaic County Sheriff's Department spokesman William Maer said Joseph Pallipurath was hospitalized in stable condition Tuesday.
Posted by Editor at 12:29 AM
January 13, 2009
Stimulating Our Way to Rock Bottom
Ron Paul / Texas Straight Talk:With attention turning to the next big economic stimulus package, questions are still swirling about our economic troubles. How did we get here? How do we get out? As usual, Washington has all the wrong answers. According to many politicians, we got here by not spending enough, not consuming enough, and not regulating enough. Now government, like some mythical white knight, is going to ride in to save the day by blanketing the economy with dollars, hiring an army of new bureaucrats, creating make-work jobs, and sending everyone some form of a bailout check. The debate seems to focus on whether this will cost enough to save the economy, or if this is just a “down payment” with much more government spending to come. Talk like that would be comical, if the results weren’t going to be so tragic.
Posted by Editor at 07:37 AM
Virginia State Takes Con. Con. Stage
Chuck Baldwin / The Covenant News:As I noted in this column a few weeks ago, proponents of assembling a new Constitutional Convention are a scant two states away from achieving that monstrous reality. At that time, the state of Ohio was in the crosshairs. Fortunately, enough people from that good state inundated their state representatives with objections, and the matter was tabled (for how long, no one knows). Now it appears that the Commonwealth of Virginia is going to be the next battleground state.
Posted by Editor at 06:21 AM
Reigning Through Suffering
Christopher J. Ortiz / The Chalcedon Foundation:The kingdom of darkness utilizes a two-fold strategy to undermine the Kingdom of Light: neutralizing righteousness while advancing wickedness. We typically think of Satan as only increasing wickedness, but he is successful because he also neutralizes our ability to advance righteousness. In other words, he looks to weaken his opponent’s ability to fight while beating him to the ground.
Posted by Editor at 06:20 AM
Frank Schaeffer Wrong About God
John Lofton / The American View:In my interview of Frank Schaeffer, re: Deuteronomy 21:18-21, he said, more than once, or seemed to say -- it wasn't always clear what he was saying, to put it charitably -- that there was indeed a time in OT history when a Father was authorized by God to execute a stubborn/rebellious son. This, supposedly, he said, was a time when there was no civil government such as is mentioned in Romans 13. But, re-reading, after said interview, what I wrote on this subject more than 12 years ago, what does seem clear is that Schaeffer is wrong, that the elders mentioned in Deuteronomy 21:18-21 functioned as a de facto civil government. In any event, in this Scripture, there is no authorization of the Father to execute the son. I know of no Scripture where execution-by-Father is authorized. And Schaeffer cited no such Scripture.
Posted by Editor at 06:18 AM
Revival of the Blacklist
Gary DeMar / American Vision:During the 1940s and 1950s, Hollywood producers, directors, and actors were being scrutinized for their political beliefs. The period of "red hysteria" put people's jobs in the film industry in jeopardy. "Artists were barred from work on the basis of their alleged membership in or sympathy toward the American Communist Party, involvement in liberal or humanitarian political causes that enforcers of the blacklist associated with communism, and/or refusal to assist federal investigations into Communist Party activities; some were blacklisted merely because their names came up at the wrong place and time."
Posted by Editor at 06:17 AM
Ask The Pastor -- What Of Psychology?
Pastor Bret McAtee's Blog - Iron Ink:Hi Pastor Bret!
I'm being forced to take a General Psychology class and for our first assignment we are supposed to ask 5 different types of people these two questions:
1. What do you think Psychology is?
2. What do you think Psychologists study?
I was wondering if you would mind volunteering by answering these questions briefly? If so, would you mind telling me your educational level and age?
Posted by Editor at 06:01 AM
Does 'Depression Economics' Change the Rules?
Robert P. Murphy / Mises.org:Wily competitors have known for ages that if you can't win the game, you can simply change the rules. Now, during normal economic times, if somebody recommended that the government borrow a trillion dollars and spend it on anything that moves, most economists (as well as common sense) would say, "That's nuts." So one would think that especially in the middle of a severe recession, in which the American public has to recover from misguided overconsumption (fueled by Fed policies), such massive deficit spending would be all the more ludicrous. Ah, enter the wily academics.
Posted by Editor at 05:01 AM
Henry Kissinger: A Chance For A New World Order
Wire Service:As the new U.S. administration prepares to take office amid grave financial and international crises, it may seem counterintuitive to argue that the very unsettled nature of the international system generates a unique opportunity for creative diplomacy.
Posted by Editor at 04:32 AM
The New World Order Is Almost In Place
Lee Rogers / RogueGovernment.com:The New World Order is for the most part already here. This might be a horrible fact for most to accept but unfortunately it is a reality. For many years we have had international institutions like the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization and many others actively working towards global government. Phony free trade deals like NAFTA, CAFTA and others have been utilized to tear down borders between nations and usher in a new age of globalization.
Posted by Editor at 04:28 AM
Obama 'Studying' How FDR Did It
Adam Nagourney / The New York Times:It is still a week before he takes office, yet Barack Obama is everywhere: on the Sunday talk shows, on radio and YouTube, on Capitol Hill, drawing on the techniques he employed during the campaign and lessons from predecessors as he seeks to shape public attitudes about the economic downturn. His aides said Mr. Obama had studied the way Franklin D. Roosevelt approached the first 100 days of his presidency, and in particular had seized on the notion of Roosevelt having a “conversation with the American public” to try to prepare it for a difficult time. He has, aides said, even looked at the words Roosevelt used and the tone he struck.
Posted by Editor at 04:05 AM
50 Most Loathsome People In America, 2008
The Buffalo Beast:50. Barack Obama - Charges: Beyond a few token acts of bipartisan marketing, Barry's major duty in the Senate was to avoid legislating, so he could pretend Washington-outsider status and nullify attacks on his non-existent policy positions. That's the thing about Obama and his candidacy: He was a blank slate, the pinnacle of vapid public relations-onto which the benighted masses may project their sincerest, yet unfounded, hopes in the wake of the worst administration in history.
Posted by Editor at 03:30 AM
Obama Picks Homosexual to Kick Off Inauguration
The Associated Press:A homosexual Episcopal bishop will say a prayer at the Lincoln Memorial for one of Barack Obama's first inauguration events. New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop V. Genie Robinson will deliver the invocation at an event on Sunday to kick off inauguration festivities. Presidential Inaugural Committee spokeswoman Linda Douglass said Robinson is one of several religious speakers who reflects Obama's commitment to diversity throughout the inaugural festivities. "Rev. Robinson was selected on his own merit because he is a man [sic] who preaches tolerance and inclusivity, all very important values that he shares with the president-elect," Douglass said.
Posted by Editor at 03:13 AM
Christianity No Longer Americans' Default Faith
The Barna Group:For much of America's history, the assumption was that if you were born in America, you would affiliate with the Christian faith. A new nationwide survey by The Barna Group, however, indicates that people’s views have changed. The survey shows half of Americans believe the Christian faith no longer has a lock on people’s hearts. Overall, 50% of the adults interviewed agreed that Christianity is no longer the faith that Americans automatically accept as their personal faith, while just 44% disagreed and 6% were not sure.
Posted by Editor at 02:22 AM
January 12, 2009
Christians without Borders
David Alan Black / The Covenant News:The relationship between church and state continues to be a subject of great interest and importance to me, particularly the dangers of statism and its inevitable by-product, nation-worship. For example, I think the flying of the American flag in our churches is a bad idea. In my opinion, it sends all the wrong messages. For one thing, it confuses the kingdom of God with the kingdom of man. We wonder, “Where does America stop and Christianity begin?” For another thing, Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. It transcends tribe and nationality. And it is God’s primary agent of activity in the world. Because of this, the nation-state is always seeking to usurp Christ’s kingdom authority. Allegiance to the nation replaces (or at least actively competes with) allegiance to Christ.
Posted by Editor at 03:50 AM
Should America Be a Theocracy?
Dr. Patrick Johnston / RightRemedy.org:Whenever I have brought the Holy Bible to bear upon the duty and role of government, inevitably the criticism arises, "America's not a theocracy!" As if that were a coup de' grace of some sort that proved that we should be a godless nation. Since Jesus is Lord of all, as individuals and as nations we have only one of two choices: submission or rebellion. We will be ruled by sinful man or we will be ruled by God.
Posted by Editor at 03:41 AM
Where Dominion Starts
Pastor Bret McAtee's Blog - Iron Ink:"It must be stressed, however, that the road to dominion does not lie primarily through political action. While the political sphere, like every other aspect of life is a valid and necessary area of Christian activity and eventual dominance, we must shun the perennial temptation to grasp for political power. Dominion in civil government cannot be obtained before we have attained maturity and wisdom – the results of generations of Christian self-government." David Chilton - Days Of Vengeance – pg. 511
Posted by Editor at 03:40 AM
The Hell With Bipartianship
Devvy / NewsWithViews.com:Forgive the cuss word, but is anyone else fed up with "bipartianship" politics destroying this country? I continue to get emails from the herd who say Barack Hussein Obama aka Barry Obama or whatever his real name might be, is now the president and we should support him. Support a Marxist? Support an impostor who is constitutionally ineligible to serve as president? I don't think so. You see, for me the U.S. Constitution matters, as well as all the sacrifices and blood spilled on the battle field to birth this republic.
Posted by Editor at 03:40 AM
Fraud, Free Markets, and the S & Ls
Michael S. Rozeff / LewRockwell.com:The savings and loan (S & L) industry was a creation of the New Deal, regulated by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation. By 1980 the industry as a whole was insolvent. The government did not want to close down these institutions as the insurer (FSLIC) didn’t have enough money. It did not want to give up its control, and it did not want to fund a bailout. The "solution" it chose contained several elements, detailed by George Akerlof and Paul Romer in their article Looting: The Economic Underworld of Bankruptcy for Profit. The government changed the accounting rules pertaining to net income and net worth.
Posted by Editor at 03:39 AM
Living Through New Deal II
Lew Rockwell / LewRockwell.com:For years, many of us puzzled about how something so stupid and destructive as the New Deal could have happened. The stock market crashed because it was over-inflated. That's nothing new. History is filled with credit-filled bubbles that pop. Resources are reallocated to reflect economic reality and we move on. The New Deal was different. It actually began under Hoover, who initiated new spending programs and jobs programs, and tried to inflate the money supply and bail out the banks. He was blasted by FDR for his big government policies, and FDR won the election. Once in power, FDR went nuts, instituting a program of central planning that combined features of the Soviet and Fascist models.
Posted by Editor at 03:38 AM
Barack Obama's Polluted Mind
Eric Englund / LewRockwell.com:How far do politicians believe they can push the global-warming scam? We know, after his inauguration, Barack Obama intends to officially classify carbon dioxide as a "dangerous pollutant." After such a declaration, his actions will reveal whether he truly views carbon dioxide as a threat to humanity or whether he is simply using a shameless scare tactic to further consolidate Federal power and to move the U.S. further along the road to socialism. If carbon dioxide is incredibly dangerous as Al Gore and Barack Obama claim it to be, then all options, for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, must be considered.
Posted by Editor at 03:37 AM
Obama Climate Czar Has Socialist Ties
Stephen Dinan / The Washington Times:Until last week, Carol M. Browner, President-elect Barack Obama's pick as global warming czar, was listed as one of 14 leaders of a socialist group's Commission for a Sustainable World Society, which calls for "global governance" and says rich countries must shrink their economies to address climate change.
Posted by Editor at 03:36 AM
Obama Names Woman to Deliver Sermon
Laurie Goodstein / The New York Times:President-elect Barack Obama has selected the Rev. Sharon E. Watkins to deliver the sermon at the national prayer service that is held the day after the inauguration. Ms. Watkins, the first woman ever selected to lead the service, is the president and general minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a small, liberal-leaning Protestant denomination with 3,754 congregations and about 690,000 members in the United States and Canada. Ms. Watkins was elected to the post in 2005, the first woman ever chosen to lead a mainline Protestant denomination. The sermon will be 10 to 15 minutes and will not be vetted by the Obama team, Ms. Watkins said. She added that she would preach in a way that was authentic to her Christian tradition but did not exclude people of other faiths. The service is traditionally attended by the president and vice president; members of the Supreme Court, Congress and the diplomatic corps; and a host of clergy members and dignitaries.
Posted by Editor at 02:09 AM
Obama vs. Constitution (60 Sec. TV Ad)
Currently, there are 16 cases in 12 states contending that Barack Obama is constitutionally ineligible to be sworn in as President of the United States. This video outlines the challenges to his presidency and sheds light on his international upbringing.
Posted by Editor at 01:46 AM
Gideons Mark 100 Years of Giving Out Bibles
The Associated Press:Gideons International is celebrating its 100th anniversary distributing Bibles and has begun efforts to hand out more Scriptures in the U.S. to boost a distribution rate that's remained relatively flat in recent years. Nearly 76.9 million Gideon Scriptures were given out in nearly 85 languages in 187 countries last year. Close to 1.5 billion Scriptures have been distributed since 1908, when the Gideons first began to place Bibles in hotel rooms. Since then, the nondenominational evangelical group run by businessmen has spread its tremendous reach, also giving out free Scriptures at hospitals, schools, prisons and in the military.
Posted by Editor at 12:51 AM
Preaching at UW LaCrosse
Faithful Soldier School of Evangelism:Fall 2008 Faithful Soldier School of Evangelism visited UW LaCrosse, to preach the gospel and to speak against the horrors of abortion. Jason Storms, the director of the school, is seen here in dialogue with several students as a crowd gathers to listen. This type of ministry is extremely effective in opening up the hearts and minds of skeptics and those who are more interested in indulging in sin while in college than in pursuing wisdom, knowledge and truth.
Part 1
Part 2
Faithful Soldier School of Evangelism:
Posted by Editor at 12:43 AM
'Best Practices' for Bible Teachers (Part VII)
Buddy Hanson / The Covenant News:If you had just been named coach of an under performing football team, what would be the first thing you would do? "That's easy," you say, "I would evaluate the players to identify their strengths and begin my planning from there." But what if you had just been named CEO of an under performing corporation? Again, your response would likely be: "That's easy, I would call a meeting of the staff vice presidents and have them evaluate our people, then talk with the marketing people to see how we were positioning our products or service in advertisements, then check our distribution channels, etc., etc., etc. Pretty basic stuff isn't it?
Posted by Editor at 12:43 AM
January 10, 2009
'The American View'
Michael Peroutka & John Lofton / The American View Radio:Harvard honors Ted Kennedy (expelled for cheating when a student there); How the Feds' "ponzi schemes" have stolen tons more $$$$ than the petty thief guy who (allegedly) ripped off only $50 billion; And more.
Posted by Editor at 07:27 AM
How Fast Will Obama Break His Oath to God?
Jim Rudd / The Covenant News:CNN is reporting that Barack Obama wants to invoke the name of God when he "solemnly swears" to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" during the inauguration oath on January 20. Since all evidence suggests that Obama plans to head one of the most un-Constitutional administrations in the history of the United States, rivaling even the Bush administration, the question then is: How soon will Obama break his oath to God? Seeing that he is an unabashed baby-killing pro-homosexual and given over to a reprobate mind, I say he'll break his oath to God within the first 24-hours of taking office. Obama is a slick talking politician who uses religion as a political prop to appease the sheepeople: the pseudo-Christian rabble. When Obama breaks his oath and thereby profanes the name of God, few people will take notice. After all, the "Religious Right" said nothing to George W. Bush for doing the same.
"Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19: 11-12)
"Let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD." (Zechariah 8: 17)
Posted by Editor at 07:26 AM
Returning Biblical Education to Local Churches
David Alan Black / The Covenant News:It has always intrigued me that the early Christians made such unstoppable progress despite their lack of a professionally-trained clergy. Perhaps there are some lessons we can learn from them today. I think, for example, of a church in Hawaii that I was a part of many years ago. It offered classes designed for "laypersons," and many of us eagerly attended them. I can still remember my lessons as well as my teacher, a Mr. Cook. He was a mentor and a model, and not merely a lecturer. The result? An unquenchable appetite to go even deeper in my studies of the Christian life.
Posted by Editor at 07:25 AM
The Beatitudes
Rev. R.J. Rushdoony / The Chalcedon Foundation:Our Lord, seeing the multitudes, went up into the mountain; this mountain is not identified for us, but our Lord's act does give us an identification. God gave the law through Moses on Mount Sinai (Exod. 19); from Mount Ebal, the curse of God upon disobedience to His law was pronounced; and, from Mount Gerizim, His blessing upon faithfulness was declared (Deut. 27:11–28:68). All three mountains are recalled in the Sermon on the Mount, which begins with the blessings of the Beatitudes, and ends with the judgment and curse upon the house not built upon the Rock, Jesus Christ (Matt. 7:26–27). That accursed and fallen house is unbelieving Judah and Israel.
Posted by Editor at 07:24 AM
Israeli 'Colonization'
Anna Baltzer / YouTube.com:Writes David Kramer: "Here's something else you won't see on the front page of the New York Times." (The LRC Blog) Anna Baltzer, a young Jewish American, went to the West Bank to discover the realities of daily life for Palestinians under the occupation. What she found would change her outlook on the conflict forever.
Anna Baltzer at HCEF's 10th Conference
Anna Baltzer / YouTube.com:
Anna Baltzer speaking from HCEF's 10th International Conference in Washington, DC on October 24-25, 2008. The conference theme, "A Decade of Seeking Peace: Pursuing Hope, Security and Human Dignity," reflected on HCEF's ten years of service to Arab Christian communities in the Holy Land -- Palestine, Israel and Jordan.
Posted by Editor at 07:23 AM
Ron Paul on the Gaza Conflict
Campaign for Liberty:Congressman Paul took to the House floor on Friday morning to remind Congress how our interference in Middle Eastern affairs only makes things worse.
Posted by Editor at 07:22 AM
Obama Selects Dirty Trickster To Head CIA
Jim Kouri / NewsWithViews.com:On Tuesday, former Clinton Administration adviser Dick Morris told Fox News Channel that President-elect Barack Obama's motive for his nomination of Leon Panetta to the important post of Director of Central Intelligence is to tear that agency apart. While many conservatives may concur with Morris' assessment, it is hoped that Panetta will be either turned away during his confirmation hearings or his name will be withdrawn altogether. Many political observers believe Panetta is the wrong man at the wrong time for the wrong job. And rather than tear the CIA apart he will rebuild it into a secret police force for his radical boss in the White House.
Posted by Editor at 05:34 AM
Tebow's Faith Takes Center Stage
Baptist Pres:With "John 3:16" written on top of his eye black, Tim Tebow led his Florida Gators to victory Jan. 8 against the Oklahoma Sooners in a 24-14 win in the BCS National Championship. Replacing his trademark "Phil 4:13," Tebow's game face gave yet another indicator of his oft-discussed faith in God. In the secular press and Christian outlets alike, the stories of Tebow's faith have been heard around the world.
Related:
Tebow Makes 'John 3:16' Hottest Google Search
WorldNetDaily:
"John 3:16" has appeared in various forms at nationally televised sporting events over the years, but after University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow inscribed it on his eye black for last night's BCS National Championship game, the biblical reference became the most popular search item on Google.com. Google Trends this morning had "John 3:16" ahead of searches for actress Mary Lynn Rajskub and the Windows 7 beta download. Searches for the Bible verse reached a peak during last night's game.
Posted by Editor at 02:20 AM
THE SHACK, 'Elousia,' & the Black Madonna
Pastor Larry DeBruyn / Deception Bytes:The novel tugs at the emotional strings of its readers, and for just that reason the book has become a bestseller in the fiction category. I am therefore aware that I am about to tread where angels might not dare. This pastor realizes he is about to enter the personal and emotional space of the human heart. People feel very deeply about this book and its author. I ask only, as you read Young’s book with an open heart, that you might also read this theological review of the book with an open mind.
Posted by Editor at 02:11 AM
Bush Prepares Request for More Bailout Funds
David Cho / The Washington Post:Senior Bush administration officials, consulting with the Obama transition team, have prepared a plan to ask lawmakers for the second half of the $700 billion financial rescue package despite intense opposition in Congress, sources familiar with the discussions said. The initiative could create an unusual political scenario straddling the Bush and Obama administrations. If Congress were to vote down the measure, either President Bush or Obama would have to exercise a veto to get the money.
Posted by Editor at 12:31 AM
Obama Officially Elected President
United Press International:(You can now officially call the heathen reprobate: "President Elect") Barack Obama officially was certified Thursday as the next president of the United States. The U.S. House and Senate tallied the Electoral College vote during a joint session, with President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden receiving 365 votes and the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin getting 173 votes, Foxnews.com reported. A total of 270 electoral votes is needed to win.
Posted by Editor at 12:16 AM
January 09, 2009
Recommended Reading For 2009
Chuck Baldwin / The Covenant News:I would like to take the opportunity this column affords for my annual review of some books that I have found to be extremely helpful and that, I believe, would greatly benefit any American who truly loves freedom and constitutional government. The Old Testament prophet warned, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." That adage is as applicable today as it was then. Truly, our country is being destroyed because of a huge ignorance regarding the principles upon which freedom and liberty rest.
Posted by Editor at 06:19 AM
We Need Constitutional, Not Just Economic, Recovery
Paul Craig Roberts / VDARE.com:In 1992 when Roe v. Wade again came before the Supreme Court, 19 years after the Court had found abortion rights in the Constitution, the Justices cast aspersions upon the original decision. Nevertheless, the Court upheld the poor reasoning of its predecessor on the grounds that after so many years women had acquired squatter’s rights to abortions. The plurality opinion found that "an entire generation has come of age free to assume Roe’s concept of liberty in defining the capacity of women to act in society, and to make reproductive decisions."
Posted by Editor at 06:13 AM
Corrupt Chicago Political Machine
Gordon Bishop / Ether Zone:President-elect Barack Obama's corrupt Chicago political machine is finally taking over "America's House" - the wonderful, respectful home for America's presidents. Obama bought the 2008 presidential election with $668 million with money raised in America and around the world. Receiving campaign funds from beyond America's borders is illegal - a blatant violation of our federal election laws. Incredibly, Obama doesn't follow America's laws. He's a "World Citizen" - not an "American Citizen." For example, Obama refuses to release his "List of Donors," which political candidates are required to do. Yes, Obama and his wife Michelle are both practicing lawyers, until he became America’s "elected President" of this once law-abiding country on November 4th of last year.
Posted by Editor at 06:11 AM
Seeking Clemency from a War Criminal
William Norman Grigg / Pro Libertate:Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan, 25, has served roughly one year of a ten-year sentence at the Ft. Leavenworth Military Prison. In November 2007, he was convicted of murdering an Iraqi civilian named Genei Nasir Khudair al-Janabi, whom he killed with a single shot to the head from a 9mm sidearm.
Posted by Editor at 06:04 AM
Feds Approve Homeland Security Complex
Mary Beth Sheridan / The Washington Post:After years of battling historic preservationists, the federal government won approval to build a massive headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security on a 176-acre hilltop site east of the Anacostia River. The $3.4 billion headquarters would be one of the largest construction projects in the Washington area since the Pentagon was built in the 1940s. Advocates say it would generate economic activity in one of the city's poorer corners and provide a secure workplace for 14,000 Homeland Security employees scattered across the Washington area.
Posted by Editor at 05:35 AM
Inevitable Defeat
Ron Shirtz / LewRockwell.com:A black dog stalks me, barking a dire warning of an upcoming military disaster. History not only repeats itself, but it can haunt those who study it. Reflecting on previous military enterprises through the ages by aspiring empires, I predict this year that the US will suffer a significant military defeat in Afghanistan. It will result in the loss or near destruction of a US company size unit; perhaps even up to battalion strength, by local insurgents. Our nation will be shocked and amazed that a ragged band of native guerrillas will have soundly defeated the best-trained and modern-equipped soldiers of the most powerful nation on earth.
Posted by Editor at 05:20 AM
The Case For Doing Nothing
Chris Isidore / CNNMoney.com:Congress will soon debate what kind of economic stimulus package should be passed, but some economists are increasingly wondering whether it's a good idea to approve any stimulus at all. President-elect Obama again called for quick action Thursday on a yet-unspecified economic stimulus plan that could cost as much $800 billion. Yet, some argue that the economy is already poised to rebound on its own. They point to steep rate cuts by the Federal Reserve and trillions of dollars in loans and assistance approved by the government in the past year as enough stimulus to get the economy back on track. In addition, some stimulus skeptics believe that increased government spending will cause more problems than they solve.
Posted by Editor at 05:19 AM
The Real Danger of Global Warming
David Gordon / Mises.org:Those of us who refuse to accept calls from proponents of global warming for drastic restrictions on production often confront objections like this: "You skeptics, blinded by fanatical devotion to the free market, ignore evidence. True enough, you can trot out a few scientists who agree with you. But the overwhelming majority of climate scientists view man-made global warming as a great threat to the world. The course of inaction you urge on us threatens the earth with disaster." Christopher Horner's excellent book provides a convincing response to this all-too-frequent complaint.
Posted by Editor at 05:13 AM
Homeschooler Leads His Team To BCS Championship
Randall Mell / South Florida Sun-Sentinel:This was Tim Tebow's kind of championship in the bitter end. The snapshot from No. 2 Florida's 24-14 victory against No. 1 Oklahoma Thursday night in the BCS National Championship at Dolphin Stadium came with Tebow in tight focus in the decisive closing moments. He delivered the image that will be forever frozen in the minds of folks who witnessed this bare-knuckle slugfest of a football game. Rolling in the left flat, he turned back the clock on college football again. He delivered the kind of jump pass you used to see in those grainy old black-and-white films from the bygone era of the single wing. He awkwardly tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to David Nelson that sealed this hard-fought victory with 3:07 to go.
Posted by Editor at 01:34 AM
January 08, 2009
Who's Watching the Soothsayers?
Gary DeMar / American Vision:For decades, the National Enquirer and other tabloids have published predictions about famous people and events. Few people ever go back to check on their accuracy. People believe or remember only those things that the "prophet" gets right. They don't normally go back to check what predictions failed to come to pass.
Posted by Editor at 03:40 AM
Neoconservatism in the Obama Age
Patrick Krey / The New American:Neoconservatives are elated with Obama's appointments, recognizing that the new guard is very much like the old. Some traditional conservatives were hoping that with Bush leaving office and Obama coming in, the neocons would be put out of power, but sadly, they're not going away that easily. Contrary to the public's perception of President-elect Obama as the peace candidate, he has been extremely hawkish in his appointments. The selection of Joe Biden as a running mate was a sign that the globalist and hawkish wing of the Democratic Party (where the neocons originally hailed from) was going to be strongly represented in an Obama administration.
Posted by Editor at 03:31 AM
Trans-Texas Corridor Dead In Name Only
Ben Wear / American-Statesman:The Trans-Texas Corridor, as a name and as a guiding concept of the state's transportation future, is dead, Texas Department of Transportation Executive Director Amadeo Saenz told an audience of more than a thousand people Tuesday at an Austin hotel. But Saenz acknowledged that all elements of the original plan, including a tollway twin to Interstate 35, could be built as stand-alone projects if and when they are deemed necessary. Gov. Rick Perry in 2002 unveiled with great fanfare the corridor plan as an almost $200 billion blueprint for the state's transportation future and then took withering criticism for it in a tough 2006 re-election race. On Tuesday, he said, "The days of the Trans-Texas Corridor are over."
Posted by Editor at 03:30 AM
Courage and Guns
Michael Gaddy / LewRockwell.com:I was somewhat surprised in the email responses to my article here at the number of inquiries from would be first-time gun purchasers asking for advice on firearm selection, training and concealed carry permits. Obviously there are many in the freedom crowd out there who has yet to arm themselves. I believe that many first-time gun buyers have a tendency to put the cart before the horse. Many long-time gun owners fit in the same category. Before one purchases a firearm for defense of life and property, it is imperative they realize one must first possess the courage to use this tool of liberty, up to and including deadly force. The firearm should never be the source of that courage. An inanimate object is a poor substitute for character.
Posted by Editor at 03:30 AM
Kissinger: Obama's Task - Create A 'New World Order'
Raw Story:"The President-elect is coming into office at a moment when there are upheavals in many part of the world simultaneously. You have India-Pakistan. You have, ah, a jihadist movement." "But," continued Kissinger, "he can give new imputus to American foreign policy, partly because the ascension of him is so extraordinary and admirable. "I think that his task will be to develop an overall strategy for America in this period, when really a "New World Order" can be created. It's a great opportunity. It isn't such a crisis."
Posted by Editor at 03:28 AM
Protecting American Jobs Is A Bad Thing
Devvy Kidd / NewsWithViews.com:"Tell them (the South Carolinians who wanted to nullify the Tariff Act of 1832) that I will hang the first man of them I can get my hands on to the first tree I can find." --President Andy Jackson. Did you know protecting American jobs is a bad thing for the banking cartels? So says one anti-American globalist: "The $17bn bail-out of General Motors and Chrysler last month was already a step across the Rubicon towards a protectionist industrial policy, even if that was not the motive. The EU is exploring a World Trade Organisation complaint over "illegal state aid." But the latest Buy American move is much more explicit.
Posted by Editor at 03:13 AM
There's Something About Harry
Patrick J. Buchanan / VDARE.com:About the appointment by Gov. Rod Blagojevich of Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate, somebody big is lying, big-time. It is either the governor or Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Last week, Reid declared that he would not permit Burris, the African-American elder statesman of Illinois politics, to fill Obama's seat, or even to enter the Senate chamber, though no one had suggested Burris is other than an honorable and able public man.
Related:
Senators Refuse to Seat Burris
The Washington Post
Blocked from claiming a Senate seat, a man who once said his success in politics was the result of "divine intervention" stood outside the Capitol yesterday and declared: "Members of the media, my name is Roland Burris, the junior senator from the state of Illinois." The 71-year-old former state attorney general had pressed his case over the objections of Senate Democrats and the man he would replace, President-elect Barack Obama, but instead found himself holding a news conference on the lawn outside the Capitol just minutes before new senators were sworn in. The man who has already had his own mausoleum constructed in Illinois showed no signs of backing down.
Posted by Editor at 03:11 AM
Judicial Watch Sues Senate For Barring Burris
Judicial Watch:Judicial Watch announced that it has filed a lawsuit on behalf of an Illinois resident against the United States Senate for denying former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris his rightful position as the junior Senator from Illinois. In accordance with the U.S. Constitution and Illinois state law, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed Burris to fill the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama. Nonetheless, at the direction of Senate leaders, Secretary of the Senate Nancy Erikson rejected Mr. Burris' appointment and has denied him entry to the U.S. Senate. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of John Vincent, a longtime Illinois resident. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and names as defendants the United States Senate, and its Secretary and Sergeant At Arms.
Posted by Editor at 03:09 AM
Teen Mom Charged With Drowning Newborn in Toilet
The Associated Press:A 16-year-old mother suspected of drowning an infant boy in a toilet and throwing the body in the trash was charged with murder Wednesday. The girl, of Port Angeles, was charged as an adult with first-degree murder in the death of the infant believed to be her son. She remained jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail with arraignment scheduled Friday. She faces up to life in prison if convicted. The baby's body was found Monday by authorities combing 60 tons of trash at a dump site near Tacoma.
Posted by Editor at 01:27 AM
Interview on Christian Film Festival
Vision Forum Ministries:Crown Ministries recently aired an interview about the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival and Christian Filmmaker's Academy, announcing the special role their ministry will be playing in the event this year. We are delighted to be working with Crown Ministries to premiere their soon-to-be-released film Abraham & Isaac with Dean Jones.
Related:
The 2009 Christian Filmmakers Academy Begins
Doug's Blog:
The 2009 Christian Filmmakers Academy kicked off with introductions from faculty members and special guests Geoff Botkin, Voddie Baucham, Isaac Botkin, and Jim Broyden. From there we launched into a foundational discussion on “Biblical Worldview and the Theology of Christian Filmmaking.”
Posted by Editor at 01:16 AM
Fireproof Becomes Top Grossing Independent Film
Doug's Blog:The timing of this remarkable event could not be better. For the first time in modern film history a distinctively Christian film is the undisputed top grossing independent movie of the year. The Kendrick brothers' film Fireproof takes the #1 spot with $33,063,487 in gross receipts. All this on the advent of the 2009 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival where Fireproof will be competing with fifty other film releases for Best of Festival and the $101,000 grand prize.
Posted by Editor at 01:15 AM
January 07, 2009
Does Anyone Finish The Race Anymore?
Pastor Matt Trewhella / The Covenant News:Ed Dobson, pastor emeritus of the mega-Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is the latest older Christian man I have watched apostatize. This past weekend, on January 4th, 2009, Dobson, with beaming face, proudly told the world on ABC's Good Morning America that he voted for Barack Obama. Dobson said that he voted for Obama because "I felt that he more than any other candidate represented the teachings of Jesus, so I voted for him." Right. Do we really believe a man who publicly calls for the murder of the preborn and openly supports sodomy best represents the teachings of Jesus?
Posted by Editor at 05:06 AM
Moody Radio: The Call to Dunkirk
Paul Butler / Moody Radio Podcast:Dr. Ray Moore and Dr. Richard Land on Prime Time America. Land was interviewed to counter the Exodus Mandate call and readers need to know where he stands...on the wrong side of this issue. ... Over the last few years there have been a number of resolutions presented at both the Southern Baptist and the PCA Conventions regarding Christian children in public schools. In recent weeks, a new initiative has been unveiled, challenging parents to pull their children out of government schools called "The Call to Dunkirk." This report explores both this new initiative and the ongoing debate. Dr. Ray Moore of the Exodus Mandate and Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission are today's guests.
The Call to Dunkirk
Posted by Editor at 05:05 AM
The Bubble of U.S.-Israeli Dominance
William Norman Grigg / Pro Libertate:As is the case whenever Israel conducts a major military campaign, the ongoing IDF assault on Gaza - which has annihilated hundreds of non-combatants, including children -- has flushed the bigots out of the brush. One particularly notorious specimen encapsulated the message sent by Israel's strike against Hamas in terms that should resonate among die-hard anti-Semites: "Do not f**k with the Jews." That sentiment was not put into play by a neo-Nazi or someone else plagued by similar ethnic obsessions. It was Martin Peretz, editor-in-chief of The New Republic, self-appointed authority on matters of ethnic etiquette, and Al Gore’s Harvard-era academic Pygmalion, who blessed the blogosphere with that elegantly phrased insight.
Posted by Editor at 05:00 AM
Good News for 4th Generation Fighters
William S. Lind / LewRockwell.com:The Israeli assault on Hamas in Gaza will succeed physically, prove a mixed bag mentally and fail on the moral level of war. Hamas is militarily a pushover compared to Hezbollah, which makes the David vs. Goliath nature of the conflict all the more evident. The stronger the contrast, the worse the outcome for Goliath. The fact that the timing if not the event is driven by Israeli electoral politics makes the moral picture even grimmer. Add in that absent a deal Hamas’s rocket fire will continue and we see the makings of a debacle for Israel.
Related:
4GW -- Fourth Generation Warfare
John Robb
4GW (fourth generation wafare) is the term used by military thinkers to describe conflict at the end of the 20th century. In general, 4GW is an extremely effective method of warfare that the US and its allies will find very difficult to defeat (a slow burn, rather than complete eradication, may be the best possible outcome). I have outlined the basics of 4GW warfare below to enhance your understanding of the term.
Posted by Editor at 05:00 AM
Think About It
Iron Ink:1.) Recent reports suggest that the Obama stimulus package will create 600,000 government jobs.
2.) Obama, during the campaign, called for a civilian corps that is as every bit as powerful and every bit as effective as the U.S. military.
3.)Rahm Emmanuel, Obama’s chief of staff, has written a book calling for mandatory service for youths between 18-25 years old in a kind of civilian peace corps.
4.) Now, given all this, what quicker way can you think of to employ 600,000 people in government jobs than by creating some kind of draft.
Those of us with children in this age bracket better start doing some hard thinking about how we are going to respond to this potentiality.
Posted by Editor at 04:59 AM
Both Major Parties Brought Police State To America
Mary Starrett / Constitution Party:The word "fascism" has been used for decades to deride political ideaologies of both the right and left. Fact is, fascism has come to America and we have allowed it to happen. Back in 1944 economist and author John Flynn pointed out that we have been laying the basecoat of fascism here in the U.S. in the book As We Go Marching.
Posted by Editor at 04:58 AM
FBI Launches Massive Hiring Blitz
Reuters:Wanted by the FBI: agents, language specialists, computer experts, intelligence analysts and finance experts. The FBI said on Monday it had launched one of the largest hiring blitzes in its 100-year history involving 2,100 professional staff vacancies and 850 special agents aimed at filling its most critical vacancies. The agency, which seeks to protect the United States from terrorist attack, fight crime and catch spies, among other duties, said it currently has more than 12,800 agents and about 18,400 other employees.
Posted by Editor at 04:57 AM
Is Conservatism Dead?
Patrick Krey / The New American:The rise of the neoconservatives within the GOP has not only discredited the Grand Old Party but tarnished the image of conservatism. The Republican party suffered an overwhelming electoral defeat this past November. The establishment media were all too quick to proclaim that conservatism is dead and we're now at the dawn of a liberal age. Peter Beinart, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy for the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), wrote in Time magazine that we are facing the dawn of a "new liberal order." In making this proclamation, Beinart overlooks the fact that the public was not voting for President-elect Obama, but rather against Republicans like John McCain and George W. Bush.
Posted by Editor at 04:57 AM
Krugman's Nanny State
David Gordon / The American Conservative:The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008, Paul Krugman, W.W. Norton, 191 pages. At first sight, Paul Krugman appears to have written exactly the book we need. Cries of recession go up everywhere. Nearly every day brings an account of a fallen financial giant or a major industry facing bankruptcy. Lenin’s famous question—though not, one hopes, his answer—inevitably arises: what is to be done? Krugman seems ideally qualified to answer. He is an economic theorist of great distinction, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2008. Moreover, unlike the vast majority of his fellow theorists, the popular New York Times columnist writes for the public in simple and clear prose. Agree with him or not, you know that Krugman will not try to bamboozle you with jargon.
Posted by Editor at 04:53 AM
The Global Poverty Act: Redistributing Wealth
Jim Kouri / NewsWithViews.com:Are Americans responsible for the welfare of everyone in the world? "Obama and Biden think so!" claim many US conservatives. According to conservative activists, there is a clandestine senate bill that awaits signing by President Barack Obama once he's sitting in the Oval Office. This legislation requires the President of the United States "to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day."
Posted by Editor at 04:24 AM
Trans-Texas Corridor Is Dead Says Texas DOT
Rosanna Ruiz / Houston Chronicle:In response to public outcry, the ambitious proposal to create the Trans-Texas Corridor network has been dropped and will be replaced with a plan to carry out road projects at an incremental, modest pace, a state transportation official announced today. "The Trans-Texas Corridor, as it is known, no longer exists," said Amadeo Saenz Jr., executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation, at the agency's annual forum in Austin.
Posted by Editor at 03:47 AM
Lame Duck Days: Hope Over Experience
Gary North / LewRockwell.com:George W. Bush is the most memorable lame duck President in 75 years. The last lame duck President as lame as Bush was Herbert Hoover. What is a lame duck President? The general definition is this: "A President whose term has ended because he was not re-elected, but who has not yet been replaced by the newly elected President." His period of lameness lasts from election day to inauguration day. I think this definition is inadequate. I define a lame duck President as follows: A President who remains in office after a Presidential election, whose term will end on January 20, and who will be replaced by a President of the rival party.
Posted by Editor at 03:08 AM
Scapegoating Christians: The New Nazism
Gary DeMar / American Vision:John Sack's An Eye for an Eye is a disheartening book. It tells the story of Jewish revenge against their German oppressors in 1945. The book describes how the Russian liberators of the death camps in Poland recruited holocaust survivors to carry out a policy of de-Nazification of the war-torn area. What began as a desire to find, incarcerate, and try their Nazi antagonists, the Jewish survivors became like their tormentors in that they went after noncombatants. The Russians established the Office of State Security and put Jews in charge of the interrogations. "The Office entered German homes and rounded up German men, women, and children--99 percent of them noncombatant, innocent civilians--and took them to cellars, prisons, and 1,255 concentration camps, where inmates subsisted on starvation rations, where typhus ran rampant, and where torture was commonplace. In this brief period, between 60,000 and 80,000 Germans died in the Office's custody."
Posted by Editor at 03:04 AM
Barack Obama And The Threat That Isn't There
Phil Brennan / Ether Zone:"Yesterday upon the stair, I met a man who wasn't there. He wasn't there again today, Oh how I wish he'd go away." "Antigonish" by William Hughes Mearns, 1899. That bit of poesy pretty well sums up Barack Obama's fixation on the threat that isn't there. He appears to have met Global Warming somewhere and it isn't there, and met it again and it's still not there and Oh how he plans to make it go away - no matter what it costs. Anyone with the sense to go indoors when it rains - that's what my sainted father defined as common sense - must realize that the planet is heading into the deep freeze and has been for the last decade. To fail to understand that Global warming is a fiction, is to close one's eyes to reality and the chill climate of the world around them.
Posted by Editor at 02:55 AM
Congress' Plan Would Let AG 'Ban Guns At Will'
Bob Unruh / WorldNetDaily:A perfect storm is developing for Second Amendment opponents that could allow Barack Obama's choice for attorney general -- Eric Holder -- to "ban guns at will" despite the 2008 affirmation from the U.S. Supreme Court that U.S. citizens have a right to bear arms. The situation was described with alarm by Alan Korwin, author of Gun Laws of America, in a recent commentary.
Related:
Holder Nomination to Be a Fight
Civilrights.org
Holder has broad support from the civil rights community as well as law enforcement groups. LCCR's December 18 letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the nomination was signed by more than 20 organizations, including the NAACP, the Human Rights Campaign, and the National Council of La Raza.
Eric Holder's Sixth Amendment Problem
The Foundry:
For more than three years, a diverse coalition from all quarters of the legal community have been pushing Congress to help restore Americans' Sixth Amendment guarantee to assistance of counsel in all criminal prosecutions. This right has been steadily eroded since a Deputy Attorney General issued a memo in 1999 outlining how the Department of Justice should make prosecutorial decisions when investigating possible wrongdoing by companies and their employees. That attorney … Pressident-elect Barack Obama’s Attorney General appointee Eric Holder.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
Posted by Editor at 02:03 AM
Palestinian Christians Demonstrate for Justice
Palestinian News Network:Beit Sahour -- Throughout Palestinian Christian communities services focused today on peace and justice for the Gaza Strip. Christians in Gaza are holding limited organized events as Israeli forces continue to pummel the Strip by both air and land. Beit Sahour, to the east of Bethlehem, hosted a march beginning at the Greek Orthodox Church on Sunday. Walking toward the central market, demonstrators chanted against the Israeli occupation and the massacre on Gaza, the year and a half siege and the ongoing closure. The nonviolent Palestinian resistance movement has been active for decades in Beit Sahour, working against Israeli settlement policy and occupation.
Posted by Editor at 01:41 AM
January 06, 2009
Best And Worst Of 2008
Chuck Baldwin / The Covenant News:With 2008 just concluded, today's column will be my analysis of the best and worst of the year just spent. First, the best: my wife, Connie, and our family. As the Constitution Party candidate for President, I logged more than 30,000 miles and visited more than 30 states. I traveled most of those miles alone--as costs prohibited my wife from traveling with me--and most flights were flown in the coach cabin. In fact, my wife and I were apart more last year than the previous 34 years of married life combined. Needless to say, I am not cut out to be a traveling salesman. The time away from home was extremely difficult.
Posted by Editor at 03:28 AM
Must Evangelicals Be Conservatives?
Laurence M. Vance / LewRockwell.com:Because I am a conservative evangelical, but not an evangelical conservative, I was intrigued by the title of a new book I saw recently on display in the book exhibit hall at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature: How to Be Evangelical without Being Conservative (Zondervan, 2008). Did the author mean conservative in the theological sense or the political sense? Since one of my primary interests is the intersection of religion with politics and economics, I could almost hear the book begging for a review. I was both pleasantly surprised and tremendously disappointed.
Posted by Editor at 03:27 AM
Pat Robertson 'Remarkably Pleased' With Obama
Huffington Post:In an interview with CNN's Suzanne Malveaux, Pat Robertson said he was "remarkably pleased" with President-elect Barack Obama. Malveaux: Are you looking forward to an Obama administration? A change? Robertson: I am remarkably pleased with Obama. I had grave misgivings about him. But so help me, he's come in forcefully, intelligently. He's picked a middle of the road cabinet. And so far, if he continues down this course, he has the makings of a great president. So, I'm very pleased so far.
Flashback - January 28, 2006
$14 Million In Federal Faith-Based Money Goes To Pat Robertson
News Wire Service:
"[T]he federal government has become a major source of money for Operation Blessing ... In two years, the group's annual revenue from government grants has ballooned from $108,000 to $14.4 million," the Virginian-Pilot's Bill Sizemore recently reported. ... Operation Blessing has also received "smaller grants from the (pro-abortion) U.S. Agency for International Development to cover freight costs for humanitarian relief shipments to Guatemala and Romania ... [and] It is also part of a consortium of eight organizations that recently received a (pro-homosexual) USAID grant for HIV/AIDS treatment, care and prevention in 14 countries, mostly in Africa."
Posted by Editor at 03:26 AM
Bailout Mania!
William F. Jasper / The New American:The Treasury Department and Federal Reserve are spending trillions -- and Congress is letting them get away with the biggest theft in history. "Jet-setting CEOs battered and humbled by outraged lawmakers." This, or some similar title, may be affixed to what will undoubtedly become for many people the iconic event of the unfolding economic debacle known as "The Bailout-O-Rama that Grew, and Grew -- and GREW."
Posted by Editor at 03:24 AM
The Problem With Federal Reserve Counterfeiting
James Grant / The Wall Street Journal:The world ran out of trust in 2008 -- but there is no shortage of money because the Fed is printing like mad. It's the wrong approach, with potentially dire consequences: It is a sorry place at which we Americans find ourselves this none-too-festive holiday season. The biggest names on Wall Street have gone to their rewards or into partnership with the U.S. Treasury. Foreigners stare wide-eyed from across the waters. A $50 billion Ponzi scheme (baited with, of all things in this age of excess, the promise of low, spuriously predictable returns)? Interest rates over which tiny Japanese rates fairly tower? Regulatory policy seemingly set by a weather vane? A Federal Reserve that can't make up its mind: Is it in the business of central banking or of central planning? And to think -- our disappointed foreign friends mutter -- all of these enormities taking place under a Republican administration.
Posted by Editor at 03:22 AM
The Great Credit-Crunch Hoax of 2008
Robert Higgs / LewRockwell.com:Remember the credit crunch? Of course, you do. We'd never seen anything like it, or so the highest financial authorities and their lapdogs in the news media told us -- not in a cool, calm, and collected way, either, but in a breathless delivery that suggested imminent economic doom unless the government immediately undertook to "do something." Which it did, of course, on a scale never before witnessed in U.S. history. But, wait, something is terribly wrong in the statistical record! The devastating credit crunch, the greatest threat to this country since the Russians exploded an H-bomb, the most menacing economic event since the stock-market crash of 1929, the . . . (sputter) . . . (sputter) . . . (words fail me in the face of such terrors as it evoked in the minds of government ministers and financial titans of all stripes) . . . . Well, I am rather embarrassed, on behalf of all these giants of the ruling elite, to inform you that in retrospect the Monster from Lack-of-Liquidity Lagoon doesn't really show up as such in the most relevant statistical series.
Posted by Editor at 03:21 AM
Home Schooling Grows
Janice Lloyd / USA TODAY:The ranks of America's home-schooled children have continued a steady climb over the past five years, and new research suggests broader reasons for the appeal. The number of home-schooled kids hit 1.5 million in 2007, up 74% from when the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics started keeping track in 1999, and up 36% since 2003. The percentage of the school-age population that was home-schooled increased from 2.2% in 2003 to 2.9% in 2007. "There's no reason to believe it would not keep going up," says Gail Mulligan, a statistician at the center.
Posted by Editor at 02:25 AM
Richardson Scandal 'The Shape of Things to Come'
News Wire Service:The scandal that led to the withdrawal of Commerce Secretary-designate Bill Richardson may be "just the beginning of a string of scandals unlike anything we've seen in American history," Richard A. Viguerie said. Richardson faces a grand jury investigation into whether he exchanged infrastructure-related state contracts for political contributions. "The federal government is on the verge of handing out hundreds of billions of dollars of so-called 'economic stimulus,'" said Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com. "You can rest assured that big contributors and others with the right political connections will get big chunks of that money, and that a lot of it will never be accounted for.
Flashback - October 03, 2007
Why Christians Are Leaving the GOP
John Lofton / The American View:
Since Richard Viguerie and other so-called Christian/conservative "leaders" are in the news talking about Third Party possibilities, I thought you'd be interested in reading or re-reading this interview of Viguerie by me about a year ago. At the time, he was pushing his book "Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush And Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked The Conservative Cause."
Posted by Editor at 01:57 AM
Bill Richardson - Kissinger-American
Greg Palast / OfficialWire:Bill Richardson is out: Caught with his hand, if not exactly in the cookie jar, at least you could say his sticky finger were near it. I'm not surprised. For years I've been investigating the second-most corrupt state in the USA (after Alaska). I like to check in on the enchanted state with my bud Santiago Juarez. I knew it was not a polite question, but it was really bugging me, so I asked him, "Exactly how does a Mexican get the name William Richardson?" Governor Richardson’s dad, Santiago explained, was a Citibank executive assigned to Mexico City. There he met Governor Bill’s mom, and-milagro!-a Mexican-American was born. Richardson gets big mileage out of his mother's heritage, and that makes him, legitimately, a Mexican-American, a politically useful designation. But it's just as legitimate to say that Richardson is a Citibank-American.
Posted by Editor at 01:54 AM
World's Largest Embassy Opens in Baghdad
Antiwar.com:Three and a Half Years and $700 Million Later, American Diplomats Finally Move Into Embassy. Weeks of moving are finally completed, and the United States has opened its enormous new embassy in Baghdad. Taking over three and a half years to complete and costing in the realm of $700 million, the gargantuan compound is bigger than the Vatican, and the largest and most expensive embassy on the planet. A city within a city, the compound will employ thousands, and features a power station, a water treatment plant, schools, restaurants, and shopping areas. All in a fortress-like environment that will make security even in the Green Zone seem lax.
Related:
U.S. Inaugurates 104 Acre Embassy In Iraq
The Associated Press:
BAGHDAD -- The United States inaugurated its largest embassy ever on Monday, a fortress-like compound in the heart of the Green Zone - and the most visible sign of what U.S. officials call a new chapter in relations between America and a more sovereign Iraq. U.S. Marines raised the American flag over the adobe-colored buildings, which sit on a 104-acre site and has space for 1,000 employees - more than 10 times the size of any other American Embassy in the world.
Posted by Editor at 01:38 AM
Opportunities for Peace and Nonintervention
Ron Paul / Texas Straight Talk:Last week I discussed our worsening economic situation and the fact that there are very few options for the new administration to improve things in the long run. The same is not true on the foreign policy front. Our interventionist foreign policy stands ready to be put on a new course with the new administration. Unfortunately, it seems the new administration is likely to continue the mistakes of the past. I've often discussed interventionist foreign policy and the resulting blowback. The current administration's foreign policy, I'm afraid, has created a huge impetus for blowback against the United States. However, I truly believe much of the world stands ready to look beyond our nation's recent blunders if the new administration proves to be heading in a more reasonable direction.
Posted by Editor at 01:21 AM
Ron Paul Stresses Neutraliy In Gaza
Press TV / YouTube.com:Ron Paul Stresses Neutraliy In Gaza "a Concentration Camp" 01-05-09...Listen closely to what Dr. Paul says Then do your homework. Google: "Arthur James Balfour" and "Balfour Declaration of 1917". Also, know that Israel came into existence through British doctrine fulfilling an "obligation" to Rothschild, and ultimately U.N. intervention. Wherever there was/is British foreign policy and the U.N., there is evil. You MUST read The Fearful Master, by G. Edward Griffin, to fully understand the history and purpose of the U.N.... Join the Campaign ofr Liberty!!!
Posted by Editor at 01:20 AM
And There Lie The Bodies
Gideon Levy / Haaretz:The legend, lest it be a true story, tells of how the late mathematician, Professor Haim Hanani, asked his students at the Technion to draw up a plan for constructing a pipe to transport blood from Haifa to Eilat. The obedient students did as they were told. Using logarithmic rulers, they sketched the design for a sophisticated pipeline. They meticulously planned its route, taking into account the landscape's topography, the possibility of corrosion, the pipe's diameter and the flow calibration. When they presented their final product, the professor rendered his judgment: You failed. None of you asked why we need such a pipe, whose blood will fill it, and why it is flowing in the first place. Regardless of whether this story is legend or true, Israel is now failing its own blood pipeline test. As Israel has been preoccupied with Gaza throughout the entire week, nobody has asked whose blood is being spilled and why.
Posted by Editor at 01:02 AM
'As I Ran I Saw Three Of My Children. All Dead'
The Guardian:The small dead bodies were laid next to one another on the tiled floor of the morgue corridor, the blood drained from their cheeks. One had a bandage still wrapped around his head, another lay with his mouth half-open in his oversized, bloodstained clothes. For a week the Samouni family had taken shelter in their small, single-storey home in Zeitoun, south-east of Gaza City, and there they survived wave after wave of Israeli bombing and artillery strikes. Then came Israel's ground offensive, the next phase in what Israel argues is a necessary and justified battle against the Palestinian militants firing rockets out of Gaza.
Posted by Editor at 12:57 AM
Wounded Gaza Family Lay Bleeding For 20 Hours
Amira Hass / Haaretz:Three hours after the Israel Defense Forces began their ground operation in the Gaza Strip, at about 10:30 P.M. Saturday night, a shell or missile hit the house owned by Hussein al A'aiedy and his brothers. Twenty-one people live in the isolated house, located in an agricultural area east of Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood. Five of them were wounded in the strike: Two women in their eighties (his mother and aunt), his 14-year-old son, his 13-year-old niece and his 10-year-old nephew. Twenty hours later, the wounded were still bleeding in a shed in the courtyard of the house. There was no electricity, no heat, no water. Their relatives were with them, but every time they tried to leave the courtyard to fetch water, the army shot at them.
Posted by Editor at 12:55 AM
January 05, 2009
New Episode of Law and Liberty
Chalcedon Blog / Podcast:Law and Liberty Part II of Interview with Chalcedon Vice-President, Martin Selbrede. In-depth discussion of understanding God's law as a refuge--a refuge from the crises of history. Great interview!
Posted by Editor at 03:24 AM
Michael and John Discuss a Lot of Stuff
Michael Peroutka & John Lofton / The American View Radio:On this program, co-host Michael Anthony Peroutka and John Lofton discuss: The importance of principles; Sam Adams; how separation of church/state is in Russian Constitution; how, in many ways, Democrats & Republicans are Marxist/Communist; Groucho's 7-cent nickel proposal. You'll also hear Ted Turner praise the KGB as an "honorable organization" and there is a guess-which-movie quiz featuring Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal and "Klaatu."
Posted by Editor at 03:21 AM
A Bit Of Nostalgia
Al Cronkrite / The Covenant News:Many successful people have had mentors. They are often religious leaders, parents, teachers, coaches, or business associates. Mine was different. For those saved from hopeless addiction the advent becomes a permanent defining moment. It is as if life began at that transition and what went before was but a terrible nightmare. I am now in my eightieth year but the life I was intended to live began a scant forty-six years ago. Evidence of the reality of my nightmare still remains as a perennial reminder of past perversion.
Posted by Editor at 03:10 AM
One Giant Rez
William Norman Grigg / Pro Libertate:Shortly before the U.S. Army slaughtered hundreds of starving, desperate Sioux who had been herded to the frozen shore of Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota, the Census Bureau announced the disappearance of a contiguous frontier line for the first time in American history. Manifest Destiny had run out of room, and the American Empire – a term used unblushingly in triumphalist literature of the period – now girded the entire North American continent, and its rulers were free to confer the blessings of civilization on untutored masses beyond our shores.
Posted by Editor at 03:07 AM
Buy, Buy, Buy
Michael Gaddy / LewRockwell.com:While we stumble along economically with bailouts, buyouts, and poor sales in almost all sectors, two products in America are seeing dramatic increases in sales: guns and ammo. People who never owned a gun before are buying; people are buying multiples of military style weapons and ammo is being bought by the case instead of by the box. Many explain this away as folks simply worried that Obama will move to ban certain firearms, especially those referred to by the ignorant as "assault weapons," I believe the motivation to buy firearms and ammunition goes much deeper.
Posted by Editor at 03:01 AM
Know Your History, Or Die
Alan Stang / NewsWithViews.com:Recently, I received a complaint from a now happily departed reader. He took issue with a recent piece in which I recalled the history of our centuries-long conflict with Islam. The reader said he has no interest in history. He is only interested in "now." Specifically, he wants to hear about the Jews, nothing else. Happily, he announced that he is no longer with us, so there is no chance that these modest comments could offend his belligerent ignorance.
Posted by Editor at 02:55 AM
What's Happening in Gaza
Eric Margolis / LewRockwell.com:There are two completely different versions of what is currently happening in Gaza. In the Israeli and North American press version, Hamas -- "Islamic terrorists" backed by Iran -- have in an unprovoked attack fired deadly rockets on innocent Israel with the intent of destroying the Jewish state.
Posted by Editor at 02:48 AM
Obama Shares FDR's Arrogant Conceit
John Stossell / Constitution Party:Barack Obama wants to use the recession to remake the U.S. economy. "Painful crisis also provides us with an opportunity to transform our economy to improve the lives of ordinary people," Obama said. His designated chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, is more direct: "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." So they will "transform our economy." Obama’s nearly trillion-dollar plan will not merely repair bridges, fill potholes and fix up schools; it will also impose a utopian vision based on the belief that an economy is a thing to be planned from above. But this is an arrogant conceit.
Posted by Editor at 02:36 AM
Obama Wants 600,000 New Government Employees
Jake Tapper / ABC News.com:In a radio address, Obama uses some new language when discussing what he wants the stimulus package to achieve in terms of jobs. First off, he has a name for the package -- the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan." Obama says he wants to "create three million new jobs" -- this is a change from a few weeks ago, when he said he wanted the plan to create OR SAVE two million jobs. He says the "No. 1 goal of my plan ... is to create three million new jobs, more than 80 percent of them in the private sector.” If you do the math: 20 percent of three million means 600,000 new government employees.
Posted by Editor at 02:35 AM
Impeach Obama?
Devvy Kidd / NewsWithViews.com:Americans all across this country are expressing their doubt as to whether or not Barack Hussein Obama (or whatever his real, legal name might be) is constitutionally (legally) eligible to hold the office of President of the United States. Last month, America Online (AOL) conducted a poll that must have shocked Obots and his attorneys. The question was: Do you think there is any merit to the controversy surrounding Barack Obama's citizenship? A whopping 52% said yes; 42% said no and 6% said not sure. Looks like O'Reilly's flogging of the 'tin foil' kook aid drinkers isn't selling so well out there. Not that the big O would dream of giving any credible coverage to the issue; he's fair and balanced didn't ya know?
Posted by Editor at 02:33 AM
Bail Us Out, Say Madoff Victims
James Doran / The Observer:Lawyers representing the victims of Bernard Madoff's alleged $50bn fraud are calling on the US government to bail them out with billions of taxpayers' dollars. They say the government should bolster the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, which helps creditors of collapsed brokerages.
Posted by Editor at 01:15 AM
Madoff's Ponzi Scheme Victimizes ACLU, Others
John F. McManus / The New American:In a December 23 communication sent to the American Civil Liberties Union's benefactors, administration and finance director Alma Montclair reported that the organization will not receive the sum of $850,000 from two foundations whose contributions were counted on to continue the group's work. The unnamed donors, she stated, have been "forced to close their doors and terminate their grants" because they "have been victimized by the Madoff scandal." Claiming that the ACLU is the nation's leader in the "critical" areas of "national security and reproductive freedom," Monclair, a 23-year veteran ACLU employee, asked for end-of-the-year donations from the group's long-standing supporters to cover the lost contributions.
Posted by Editor at 01:15 AM
Where Have All the Neocons Gone?
Jacob Heilbrunn / The American Conservative:Having wrecked the Right, will neoconservatives revert to their left-wing origins or double down on the GOP? ... As Barack Obama prepares to take the inaugural oath, it almost seems otiose to note that his victory represents a sweeping repudiation of the neoconservative movement. Though neocons such as Randy Scheunemann formed a kind of Praetorian Guard around John McCain during his presidential campaign, their truculent approach to foreign affairs sabotaged rather than strengthened McCain’s electoral appeal. The best that Sarah Palin, a foreign-policy neocon on training wheels, could do was to offer platitudes about standing by Israel. It seems safe to say, then, that the neocon credo is ready to be put out to pasture.
Posted by Editor at 01:14 AM
U.S. Troops Shoot Female TV Producer
Ernesto Londono / The Washington Post:The employer of an Iraqi television producer shot and wounded by U.S. troops on New Year's Day disputed the military's assertion Saturday that she had acted suspiciously and had failed to heed warnings before the troops opened fire. Hadil Imad, who works for the satellite station Beladi TV, was shot on a bridge in central Baghdad as she approached a group of U.S. troops working with Iraqi police. A statement posted Saturday on the station's Web site said Imad was shot "in cold blood" and noted that the incident coincided with the implementation of the security agreement that Iraqi and U.S. officials have exalted as an affirmation of Iraq's sovereignty.
Related:
American Troops Shoot Woman in Baghdad
Campbell Robertson / The New York Times:
BAGHDAD — A woman was shot and badly wounded in Baghdad by American soldiers last week when she failed to respond to repeated warnings, according to a military statement. The military said the woman, who was shot Thursday, had been “acting erratically,” adding that suicide bombers had recently taken aim at the area where the shooting occurred. The woman who was shot, Hadeel Emad, is a 24-year-old editor for the Biladi satellite television channel, said Muhsin Kadem, a spokesman for the channel. She suffered severe internal bleeding and organ damage, Mr. Kadem said, and she was taken by the Iraqi security forces to a hospital, where one of her kidneys was removed. The American military said that it and Iraqi security officials were investigating the shooting.
Posted by Editor at 12:20 AM
January 04, 2009
A Man Named James
David Alan Black / Dave Black Online:I want to tell you about a perfectly astonishing fellow, our translator James. He accompanied Jason and me when we went to the Gujis. I truly believe he was willing to sacrifice his life to go where he felt God was calling him and to stay loyal to brothers whom he had only recently met. And what was the danger? James is a Burji, and Burjis are not very welcome these days among the Gujis. It took courage and Holy Spirit-sized faith to reach out beyond his comfort zone to people who both fear and hate the Burjis.
Posted by Editor at 05:31 PM
January 03, 2009
'Best Practices' for Bible Teachers (Part VI)
Buddy Hanson / The Covenant News:Know How to Get Your Congregation (or small group) to Where You Want Them to Be. We all know how to lose the culture war. We've got lots of practice at it. What we need to do is to begin conforming our worldview and lifestyle to God's Word so it won't be necessary to "tell" someone that we are a Christian. They will "see" it in our lifestyle, because it will be 180-degrees different from the non-Christian lifestyle most of us are conforming to today! As a Bible teacher, it is your calling and accountability to awaken the 21st American church from its self-serving doldrums by instructing your learners in God's will for the earth, and then challenging them to apply the biblical truths they profess to believe into their everyday decision-making. This is the only way to begin winning the culture for Christ.
Posted by Editor at 05:01 PM
The Sovereign King
Rev. Paul Michael Raymond / The Covenant News:As we enter into a New Year, one which is to be most challenging for both the United States and the entire global community, we must reflect back for a moment at the celebration of Christ's Advent festival. What exactly is the meaning of this celebration? What has Western Civilization actually celebrated by recognizing Christ's birth? The Incarnation of God in the person of Jesus is the most astounding and yet, most misunderstood phenomena ever to grace the history of mankind.
Posted by Editor at 03:16 PM
How Are Your Verbs?
David Alan Black / Dave Black Online:My sabbatical officially ends today. On Monday I'll resume my teaching duties at the seminary with my J-term Greek class. I can honestly say that 2008 was a tremendous year in every way. I have learned more about language than ever before - the language of love in particular. I have seen how the intellect is so easily enslaved by bizarre abstractions. Education has become a Utopia for Americans, and becoming a "Christian intellectual" a god.
Posted by Editor at 01:08 PM
One-World Government Biblical?
Gary DeMar / American Vision:Some readers get upset any time I point out how modern-day prophecy writers misrepresent the Bible. My critics don't seem to mind that Hal Lindsey has been wrong over the years in an area of study that has made his reputation and so much of Christendom has embraced as "gospel." I've pointed out a number of these "miscalculations" in previous articles and books. It was amazing to see how people defended Lindsey even though I quoted Lindsey's own words that he would be a "bum" if his 1948–1988 rapture scenario did not come to pass as he claimed it would. In addition to predicting that the rapture would take place before 1988, Lindsey argued the Roman Empire would be revived: "I saw this coming in 1969, as I discussed in my book, 'The Late Great Planet Earth.'"
Posted by Editor at 12:43 PM
Calling Evil Good
Coach Dave Daubenmire / Pass the Salt Ministries:I continue to be amazed at how evil is supported in this nation. Now don't get me wrong. That is exactly the type of behavior that one would expect from those who have not been regenerated by the Spirit of God. What was it Jesus said "You are of your father the devil"? He wouldn't get away with that today, at least not in modern evangelical circles...way to judgmental. Jesus would make American-Christianity look bad. How has America gotten so upside down?
Posted by Editor at 11:11 AM
Atheists File Suit to Block Inaugural Prayer
Daniel Burke / Religion News Service:Led by a California atheist who has tried to remove the phrase "under God" from the pledge of allegiance, a group of atheists filed suit in federal court Tuesday (Dec. 30) to block prayers and mentions of God at President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration on Jan 20. Michael Newdow, joined in his complaint by 11 atheist and humanist groups, filed similar, unsuccessful suits in 2001 and 2005, when President Bush was sworn in. He has also tried to remove the reference to God in the pledge of allegiance, arguing that it constitutes an illegal government endorsement of religion.
Posted by Editor at 10:44 AM
Emergent Church: Down With Sola Scriptura
Pastor Ken Silva / Apprising Ministries:We have been discussing here at Apprising Ministries an escalating rebellion against Sola Scriptura in the Emergent Church. And in Faith House Manhattan: Project of Apostasy by Samir Selmanovic AM has introduced you to self-proclaimed “Presbymergent” Adam Walker Cleveland. Cleveland was a contributor to the recent book An Emergent Manifesto of Hope (EMH) co-edited by the Emergent Church leader Tony Jones and his Emerging Church pastor Doug Pagitt.
Posted by Editor at 09:55 AM
'The Obsolete Man'
Twilight Zone / CBS.com:The State where religion and books have been banned, a librarian is judged obsolete by the Chancellor and sentenced to death.
Posted by Editor at 09:10 AM
January 02, 2009
The Bush Legacy
John Lofton / The American View Radio:The Bush Legacy: Eight years of Un-Godly, Un-Constitutional Government; And what in the world does Mr. Bush mean when he says "we have different routes to getting to the Almighty." Mr. Bush is proud of No Child Left Behind, The Wall Street Bailout (Bush: "I'm a free market guy"), Medicare Prescription Entitlements, The Faith Based Initiatives, Middle East "Freedom Agenda," $50 Billion AIDS Bill and his Compassionate Conservatism; Bush did nothing to outlaw abortion, he gave Planned Parenthood $2.2 Billion (Bush: "If it works fund it.")
Posted by Editor at 09:16 AM
Warren And Obama Walk Hand In Hand
Paul Proctor / NewsWithViews.com:American Family Association's news editor, Ed Vitagliano, ended 2008 with a curious column at their affiliated OneNewsNow.com website titled, Praying for the new president, where he chastised WorldNetDaily.com's founder and editor Joseph Farah for taking Pastor Rick Warren to task for accepting President-elect Barack Obama's invitation to lead the invocation at his upcoming inauguration.
Posted by Editor at 08:23 AM
Review: Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty
Lee Duigon / The Chalcedon Foundation:When the serpent told Eve that she and Adam would be as gods if they disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit, he meant that they would be able to decide for themselves what was good and what was evil. They would, in Justice Kennedy's words, acquire "the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning," etc. One wonders whether it ever occurred to the Supreme Court justice that he was talking just like Satan.
Posted by Editor at 07:12 AM
The Necessity for Biblical Law
Stiles Watson / Chalcedon Blog:According to the rabbinic reckoning, the Torah has 613 laws. In terms of Christian tallies, the number is somewhat less because the ancient rabbinic count sometimes divides a single statement into more than one law. Whichever approach to counting laws is used, a very significant fact emerges. God’s purpose is that all of society, and all men and nations, be governed by His law.
Posted by Editor at 04:12 AM
Eat, Heal, and Tell
David Alan Black / Dave Black Online:We tend to think that evangelism means, first and finally, telling other people about the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We cite such passages as Mark 16:15 (if we believe it is authentic) and Acts 16:31 to justify our approach. And we are not far wrong. But a passage that normally gets less attention from missions-minded Christians is Luke 10:8-9. Perhaps we should look at it again:
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Whenever you go into a city and the people welcome you, eat whatever they serve you. Heal the sick that are there, and tell the people, “The kingdom of God has come near!”
Posted by Editor at 04:01 AM
I Escaped Life in an Auto Plant
Karen De Coster / LewRockwell.com:I was listening to NPR and one of the news hosts made a comment that struck me as being nonsense. She was talking about the unfortunate auto plant workers in Michigan who will be displaced from their high-paying jobs. She said (to paraphrase) "all of those uneducated, unskilled workers..." Whoops, she stopped because she realized it was too un-pc to say "uneducated." Then she corrected herself, mentioning that the plant life is all they've ever known and the only option they've ever had, so, it's really not their fault that they are in such a rotten predicament. What bunk!
Posted by Editor at 03:39 AM
Illegals Living In Public Housing
The Associated Press:Untold thousands of illegals live in public housing at a time when hundreds of thousands of citizens and legal residents are stuck waiting years for a spot. Illegals make up a tiny portion of the 7.1 million people in federal housing, according to government statistics. But authorities may be unaware of thousands more, and critics say no illegal should get housing benefits. The federal government, which funds the lion's share of the nation's public housing, requires only that illegals share a home with at least one family member who is in the country legally and pay their share of the rent.
Posted by Editor at 03:28 AM