Arab journalist: Gaza's problem is not Israel
A journalist for Egypt's Al-Ahram daily newspaper confirmed what a small handful of Western reporters have had the integrity to reveal of late: that Gaza really isn't under siege, and that any oppression felt by local Palestinians is caused by fellow Arabs, and not Israel.
In stark contrast to regular Western media reports of widespread deprivation and destitution in Gaza, Ashraf Abu al-Houl reported that "a sense of absolute prosperity prevails, as manifested by the grand resorts along and near Gaza's coast."
Al-Houl also wrote that "the sight of the merchandise and luxuries filling Gaza shops amazed me." Not only that, but al-Houl quickly discovered that most goods can be bought in Gaza for much cheaper than in Egypt because in Gaza "supply is much greater than demand."
As a select few Western journalists have dared to report, that fact brought al-Houl to the realization that Israel's limited embargo against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip "is formal or political, not economic." In other words, Israel is not causing an economic or humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
However, there is widespread poverty in Gaza, but it is the product of corruption and a wide gap between the "haves" and "have-nots."
Al-Houl interviewed political activist Mustafa Ibrahim, who noted that around 20 percent of Gazans control nearly all the wealth in the territory, and nearly all of them are affiliated closely with the ruling Hamas movement. The wealthy Gazans invest heavily in the leisure industry and spend lavishly, while charging outrageous fees for basic luxuries like visiting local beaches.
Among the rest of the population, unemployment is approximately 45 percent, and those are the Gazans constantly featured by the Western media as the products of so-called "Israeli oppression."
The world's reaction to those media reports is to flood Gaza with even more humanitarian aid, which goes through the hands of the wealthy, and ultimately just makes them richer, while the poor get poorer.
Israeli officials have alluded to this situation in the past when they warned that while there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza today, the international community may actually create one by playing into the hands of the territory's corrupt elite class.
Translation of the article was provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Saturday, July 31, 2010
AUL
Dear Friend of Life,
It has begun. Under the guise of "health care," states are paving the way to receive taxpayer funding that can be used for abortions, including late-term abortions!
Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Maryland applied to the Obama Administration for—and received approval for—taxpayer money to set up new high-risk insurance pools that can be used for abortions up to six months into a pregnancy - including abortion coverage for almost any reason! Several other states are preparing their applications now.
AUL's early analysis of the health care law found nothing that comprehensively prevents the use of our tax dollars in paying for abortions. The Obama Administration and these states continue to offer us assurances in press releases, but there is no legal barrier in place to stop them from using our tax money for abortion procedures.
Our analysis has now been confirmed by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a highly respected and independent organization affiliated with Congress. A new report just released by CRS states that the law does not "specifically prohibit the use of federal funds" for abortion.
In response, AUL has been working with pro-life members of Congress, governors, state attorneys general and state legislators to make sure we are fighting taxpayer-funded abortion at every opportunity. We have made tremendous gains in state governments, but we have a long way to go.
We need your urgent support to help us re-double our efforts to prevent taxpayer-funded abortion. Will you please make your tax-deductible contribution of $50, $100, $250, or more to Americans United for Life now?
To permanently block this latest round of "health care" funding for abortion and prevent the administration from using another loophole in the law to fund abortion, we are working with pro-life Representatives Joe Pitts (R–PA), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) and Chris Smith (R-NJ). They have written bills that would stop our tax dollars from being used for abortion as a part of this latest round of "health care" funding.
False assurances and press releases from government bureaucrats are not a replacement for the force of law. We will work until the Obama Administration's claims of not using our tax dollars for abortion is signed into law - not simply issued in another press release.
Will you please stand with us against taxpayer-funded abortion by making an urgent, tax-deductible contribution of $50, $100, $250, or more?
State government bureaucrats are submitting proposals to obtain our tax money from the federal government. Several states are claiming abortions as "covered benefits," thereby using the law to steer your tax dollars to pay for abortions. The states that have already been approved for taxpayer money could use our tax money to pay for abortions as late as six months into a pregnancy - including abortion coverage for almost any reason! This is not only unacceptable, it is horrific to consider.
Planned Parenthood and their army of pro-abortion lobbyists are fanning out across America, pursuing their radical agenda and our tax money in every state. New laws are needed to end taxpayer-funded abortion, but we need your immediate help to continue our work to prevent tax dollars from paying for late-term abortions.
Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Maryland are merely the first states in this new battle against taxpayer-funded abortion. Is your state next? The number of fronts in this war grows by the day. We need the resources to fight back against taxpayer-funded abortion—we need your help.
As always, I am so grateful for your support and your efforts on behalf of protecting life. Thank you again.
Yours for Life,
Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Americans United for Life
P.S. A new, independent report confirms that our tax dollars can be used for abortion. Despite the false assurances of the pro-abortion majority in Congress, they have begun the largest expansion of abortion in America since Roe v. Wade and are using our tax money to do it. Please stand with Americans United for Life today and hold the line against taxpayer-funded abortions by making an urgent, tax-deductible contribution of $50, $100, $250, or more. -- Charmaine
It has begun. Under the guise of "health care," states are paving the way to receive taxpayer funding that can be used for abortions, including late-term abortions!
Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Maryland applied to the Obama Administration for—and received approval for—taxpayer money to set up new high-risk insurance pools that can be used for abortions up to six months into a pregnancy - including abortion coverage for almost any reason! Several other states are preparing their applications now.
AUL's early analysis of the health care law found nothing that comprehensively prevents the use of our tax dollars in paying for abortions. The Obama Administration and these states continue to offer us assurances in press releases, but there is no legal barrier in place to stop them from using our tax money for abortion procedures.
Our analysis has now been confirmed by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a highly respected and independent organization affiliated with Congress. A new report just released by CRS states that the law does not "specifically prohibit the use of federal funds" for abortion.
In response, AUL has been working with pro-life members of Congress, governors, state attorneys general and state legislators to make sure we are fighting taxpayer-funded abortion at every opportunity. We have made tremendous gains in state governments, but we have a long way to go.
We need your urgent support to help us re-double our efforts to prevent taxpayer-funded abortion. Will you please make your tax-deductible contribution of $50, $100, $250, or more to Americans United for Life now?
To permanently block this latest round of "health care" funding for abortion and prevent the administration from using another loophole in the law to fund abortion, we are working with pro-life Representatives Joe Pitts (R–PA), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) and Chris Smith (R-NJ). They have written bills that would stop our tax dollars from being used for abortion as a part of this latest round of "health care" funding.
False assurances and press releases from government bureaucrats are not a replacement for the force of law. We will work until the Obama Administration's claims of not using our tax dollars for abortion is signed into law - not simply issued in another press release.
Will you please stand with us against taxpayer-funded abortion by making an urgent, tax-deductible contribution of $50, $100, $250, or more?
State government bureaucrats are submitting proposals to obtain our tax money from the federal government. Several states are claiming abortions as "covered benefits," thereby using the law to steer your tax dollars to pay for abortions. The states that have already been approved for taxpayer money could use our tax money to pay for abortions as late as six months into a pregnancy - including abortion coverage for almost any reason! This is not only unacceptable, it is horrific to consider.
Planned Parenthood and their army of pro-abortion lobbyists are fanning out across America, pursuing their radical agenda and our tax money in every state. New laws are needed to end taxpayer-funded abortion, but we need your immediate help to continue our work to prevent tax dollars from paying for late-term abortions.
Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Maryland are merely the first states in this new battle against taxpayer-funded abortion. Is your state next? The number of fronts in this war grows by the day. We need the resources to fight back against taxpayer-funded abortion—we need your help.
As always, I am so grateful for your support and your efforts on behalf of protecting life. Thank you again.
Yours for Life,
Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Americans United for Life
P.S. A new, independent report confirms that our tax dollars can be used for abortion. Despite the false assurances of the pro-abortion majority in Congress, they have begun the largest expansion of abortion in America since Roe v. Wade and are using our tax money to do it. Please stand with Americans United for Life today and hold the line against taxpayer-funded abortions by making an urgent, tax-deductible contribution of $50, $100, $250, or more. -- Charmaine
Friday, July 30, 2010
PRAYER REQUEST
I KNOW I TOLD YOU I WOULDN'T PLACE ANYTHING ESLE ON PTLTHIS BLOG TODAY.
I AM REQUESTING PRAYER REQUEST FOR JOHN H. ANDERSON, HE FOUND OUT TODAY THAT HE HAS CANCER IN HIS TONSIL CLOSE TO HIS BRAIN. HE WILL START KEMO ON MONDAY 8/2/2010. PLEASE, AGREE WITH ME ON HIS HEALING OF THIS CANCER, THAT GOD WILL KNOCK IT OUT OF HIS BODY.
THANK YOU,
IN CHRIST JESUS WE PRAY THIS REQUEST. JOHN IS VERY CLOSE TO ME. HE'S MY LITTLE BROTHER.
PTL FOR ANSWERED PRAYER.
REV. LONDA
I AM REQUESTING PRAYER REQUEST FOR JOHN H. ANDERSON, HE FOUND OUT TODAY THAT HE HAS CANCER IN HIS TONSIL CLOSE TO HIS BRAIN. HE WILL START KEMO ON MONDAY 8/2/2010. PLEASE, AGREE WITH ME ON HIS HEALING OF THIS CANCER, THAT GOD WILL KNOCK IT OUT OF HIS BODY.
THANK YOU,
IN CHRIST JESUS WE PRAY THIS REQUEST. JOHN IS VERY CLOSE TO ME. HE'S MY LITTLE BROTHER.
PTL FOR ANSWERED PRAYER.
REV. LONDA
Wonderful Story
MAY GOD BLESS THIS AIRLINE CAPTAIN:
He writes:
My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We have an H.R.
on this flight." (H.R. stands for human remains.) "Are they military?"
I asked.
'Yes', she said.
'Is there an escort?' I asked.
'Yes, I already assigned him a seat'.
'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board
him early," I said..
A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck.
He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced
himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these
fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still
with us.
'My soldier is on his way back to Virginia ,' he said. He proceeded
to answer my questions, but offered no words.
I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no.
I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I
appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen
soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his
hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.
We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an
uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a
call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I just found out
the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', she said.
She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year
old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The
family was upset because they were unable to see the container that
the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub
at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting
flight home to Virginia .
The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his
son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see
him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the
flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow
them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by
the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane.. I
could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when she
asked me if there was anything I could do.. 'I'm on it', I said. I
told her that I would get back to her.
Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form
of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact
my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio
operator in the operations control center who connects you to the
telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the
dispatcher.. I explained the situation I had on board with the
family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and
that he would get back to me.
Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were
going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family.
I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return
message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:
'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is
policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your
arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team
will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be
used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The
family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the
terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private
area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the
family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the
remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here
in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to
the family. Thanks.'
I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job.
I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to
pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful
and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.'
Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing.
After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area.
The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is
always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter
and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp
controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us.
'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told. It
looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we
turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and
delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our
gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going
to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers.
He did that and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.'
I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the
public address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your
Captain speaking I have stopped short of our gate to make a special
announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and
respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost
his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold.
Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are
his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is
asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the
family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.'
We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our
shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit
door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something
you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every
passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the
family to exit the aircraft.
When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly
started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in
and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of 'God Bless
You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were
uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out
of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be
with their loved one.
Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement
I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them
over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave
soldier.
I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the
sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure
our freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA .
Foot note:
As a Viet Nam Veteran I can only think of all the veterans including
the ones that rode below the deck on their way home and how they were
treated. When I read things like this I am proud that our country has
not turned their backs on our soldiers returning from the various war
zones today and give them the respect they so deserve.
I know every one who has served their country who reads this will have
tears in their eyes, including me.
Prayer chain for our Military... Don't break it!
Please send this on after a short prayer.. Prayer for our soldiers
Don't break it!
Prayer:
'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they
protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they
perform for us in our time of need. Amen..'
Prayer Request: When you receive this, please stop for a moment and
say a prayer for our troops around the world.
There is nothing attached. Just send this to people in your address
book. Do not let it stop with you. Of all the gifts you could give a
Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Airman, & others deployed in harm's way,
prayer is the very best one.
GOD BLESS YOU!!!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
This was e-mailed to me. Author unknown.
Today nothing else will be posted out of respect for the soldier.
God Bless & Please, say the prayer for our boys that are deployed & all who isn't.
In Christ Jesus Name,
AMEN AMEN
Rev. Londa
He writes:
My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We have an H.R.
on this flight." (H.R. stands for human remains.) "Are they military?"
I asked.
'Yes', she said.
'Is there an escort?' I asked.
'Yes, I already assigned him a seat'.
'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board
him early," I said..
A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck.
He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced
himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these
fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still
with us.
'My soldier is on his way back to Virginia ,' he said. He proceeded
to answer my questions, but offered no words.
I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no.
I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I
appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen
soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his
hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.
We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an
uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a
call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I just found out
the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', she said.
She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year
old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The
family was upset because they were unable to see the container that
the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub
at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting
flight home to Virginia .
The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his
son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see
him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the
flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow
them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by
the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane.. I
could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when she
asked me if there was anything I could do.. 'I'm on it', I said. I
told her that I would get back to her.
Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form
of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact
my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio
operator in the operations control center who connects you to the
telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the
dispatcher.. I explained the situation I had on board with the
family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and
that he would get back to me.
Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were
going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family.
I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return
message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:
'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is
policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your
arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team
will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be
used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The
family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the
terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private
area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the
family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the
remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here
in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to
the family. Thanks.'
I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job.
I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to
pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful
and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.'
Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing.
After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area.
The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is
always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter
and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp
controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us.
'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told. It
looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we
turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and
delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our
gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going
to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers.
He did that and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.'
I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the
public address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your
Captain speaking I have stopped short of our gate to make a special
announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and
respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost
his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold.
Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are
his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is
asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the
family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.'
We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our
shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit
door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something
you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every
passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the
family to exit the aircraft.
When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly
started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in
and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of 'God Bless
You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were
uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out
of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be
with their loved one.
Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement
I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them
over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave
soldier.
I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the
sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure
our freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA .
Foot note:
As a Viet Nam Veteran I can only think of all the veterans including
the ones that rode below the deck on their way home and how they were
treated. When I read things like this I am proud that our country has
not turned their backs on our soldiers returning from the various war
zones today and give them the respect they so deserve.
I know every one who has served their country who reads this will have
tears in their eyes, including me.
Prayer chain for our Military... Don't break it!
Please send this on after a short prayer.. Prayer for our soldiers
Don't break it!
Prayer:
'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they
protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they
perform for us in our time of need. Amen..'
Prayer Request: When you receive this, please stop for a moment and
say a prayer for our troops around the world.
There is nothing attached. Just send this to people in your address
book. Do not let it stop with you. Of all the gifts you could give a
Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Airman, & others deployed in harm's way,
prayer is the very best one.
GOD BLESS YOU!!!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
This was e-mailed to me. Author unknown.
Today nothing else will be posted out of respect for the soldier.
God Bless & Please, say the prayer for our boys that are deployed & all who isn't.
In Christ Jesus Name,
AMEN AMEN
Rev. Londa
Thursday, July 29, 2010
ROBIN WILLIAMS
"THE STATUE OF LIBERTY IS NO LONGER SAYING
'GIVE ME YOUR POOR, YOUR TIRED, YOUR HUDDLED MASSES'.
SHE'S GOT A BASEBALL BAT & SHE'S YELLING 'YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME?
-- ROBIN WILLIAMS MARCH, 2003
VERIFIED BY SNOPES.COM
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Robin Williams didn't write "THE PLAN". I verified this with snopes.com
'GIVE ME YOUR POOR, YOUR TIRED, YOUR HUDDLED MASSES'.
SHE'S GOT A BASEBALL BAT & SHE'S YELLING 'YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME?
-- ROBIN WILLIAMS MARCH, 2003
VERIFIED BY SNOPES.COM
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Robin Williams didn't write "THE PLAN". I verified this with snopes.com
FROM AFA/ONE NEWS NOW
Court sides with university, ADF to appeal
Melonie Manning - OneNewsNow - 7/28/2010 2:00:00 PMAlliance Defense Fund (ADF) will appeal the federal court decision that allows Eastern Michigan University to expel Christian student Julea Ward from the counseling program for not affirming homosexual behavior as morally acceptable.
David French, senior counsel for ADF, argued last month before the U.S. District Court that "Christian students shouldn't be expelled for holding to and abiding by their beliefs."
However, when Ward did not agree to undergo a "remediation program" that would help her "see the error of her ways" and change her "belief system," she was dismissed from the program -- a decision made by the EMU faculty and upheld by the dean of EMU College of Education.
ADF notes a school policy that prohibits "discrimination based on...sexual orientation" and prohibits students from condoning what the university describes as discrimination. Another guideline permits the counseling department to discipline students for failing to "tolerate different points of view."
French explains that the appeal will be made in hopes that the Sixth Circuit "will understand the constitutional issues involved in the case."
Melonie Manning - OneNewsNow - 7/28/2010 2:00:00 PMAlliance Defense Fund (ADF) will appeal the federal court decision that allows Eastern Michigan University to expel Christian student Julea Ward from the counseling program for not affirming homosexual behavior as morally acceptable.
David French, senior counsel for ADF, argued last month before the U.S. District Court that "Christian students shouldn't be expelled for holding to and abiding by their beliefs."
However, when Ward did not agree to undergo a "remediation program" that would help her "see the error of her ways" and change her "belief system," she was dismissed from the program -- a decision made by the EMU faculty and upheld by the dean of EMU College of Education.
ADF notes a school policy that prohibits "discrimination based on...sexual orientation" and prohibits students from condoning what the university describes as discrimination. Another guideline permits the counseling department to discipline students for failing to "tolerate different points of view."
French explains that the appeal will be made in hopes that the Sixth Circuit "will understand the constitutional issues involved in the case."
FROM ONE NEWS NOW/AFA
Democratic senators feel free to disagree with their churches
Associated Press - 7/29/2010 7:55:00 AM
WASHINGTON - Some Democratic senators say they don't feel a need to accept all of their churches' teachings.
Dick Durbin of Illinois, who's Catholic, told reporters that he believes it's more important to follow his conscience than church doctrines on issues like abortion and birth control.
Durbin and New Mexico Senator Tom Udall, who's Mormon, both say they're comfortable remaining members of their churches despite doctrines they don't believe and would like to change.
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, says he supports his denomination's acceptance of partnered homosexual clergy, but acknowledges it will drive some Lutherans to more conservative churches.
Wednesday's press briefing was organized by the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee.
Weekly prayer breakfasts
A leader of the U.S. Senate's weekly prayer breakfasts says they're often attended by 20 or more senators from both parties.
Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota says each week a senator talks about his or her faith, life, and prayer needs. The chaplain then leads prayers, often followed by questions and discussion.
Klobuchar, who leads the prayer meetings with Republican Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia, says lawmakers' different religious convictions obviously lead them to different policy conclusions. But she says the gatherings help senators better understand what motivates colleagues and see them as more than just political rivals.
Associated Press - 7/29/2010 7:55:00 AM
WASHINGTON - Some Democratic senators say they don't feel a need to accept all of their churches' teachings.
Dick Durbin of Illinois, who's Catholic, told reporters that he believes it's more important to follow his conscience than church doctrines on issues like abortion and birth control.
Durbin and New Mexico Senator Tom Udall, who's Mormon, both say they're comfortable remaining members of their churches despite doctrines they don't believe and would like to change.
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, says he supports his denomination's acceptance of partnered homosexual clergy, but acknowledges it will drive some Lutherans to more conservative churches.
Wednesday's press briefing was organized by the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee.
Weekly prayer breakfasts
A leader of the U.S. Senate's weekly prayer breakfasts says they're often attended by 20 or more senators from both parties.
Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota says each week a senator talks about his or her faith, life, and prayer needs. The chaplain then leads prayers, often followed by questions and discussion.
Klobuchar, who leads the prayer meetings with Republican Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia, says lawmakers' different religious convictions obviously lead them to different policy conclusions. But she says the gatherings help senators better understand what motivates colleagues and see them as more than just political rivals.
FROM AFA/ONE NEWS NOW
Dozens arrested in protests of AZ immigration law
Bob Christie - Associated Press Writer - 7/29/2010 2:40:00 PMPHOENIX - Opponents of Arizona's immigration crackdown went ahead with protests Thursday despite a judge's ruling that delayed enforcement of most the law, and dozens of people in Phoenix were arrested after peacefully confronting officers in riot gear.
Gov. Jan Brewer called U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton's Wednesday's decision halting the law "a bump in the road," and her spokesman said they'd appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco later Thursday.
Outside the state Capitol, hundreds of protesters began marching at dawn, gathering in front of the federal courthouse where Bolton issued her ruling on Wednesday. They marched on to the office of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has made a crackdown on illegal immigration one of his signature issues.
At least eight protesters approached a police line and allowed themselves to be arrested. A group of about two dozen protesters then sat down in the middle of the street or refused to leave, and police arrested them as well.
Earlier, three people were detained at the courthouse after apparently entering a closed-off area. Former state Sen. Alfredo Gutierrez, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2002, was among them.
Marchers chanted "Sheriff Joe, we are here, we will not live in fear," and among the crowd was a drummer wearing a papier-mache Sheriff Joe head and dressed in prison garb.
Arpaio vowed to go ahead with a crime sweep targeting illegal immigrants. It was Phoenix police who made most the early arrests, but other protests were planned later in front of a county jail.
"My deputies will arrest them and put them in pink underwear," Arpaio said, referring to one of his odd methods of punishment for prisoners. "Count on it."
Arizona is the nation's epicenter of illegal immigration, with more than 400,000 undocumented residents. The state's border with Mexico is awash with smugglers and drugs that funnel narcotics and immigrants throughout the U.S., and supporters of the new law say the influx of illegal migrants drains vast sums of money from hospitals, education and other services.
The ruling was anxiously awaited in the U.S. and beyond. About 100 protesters in Mexico City who had gathered at the U.S. Embassy broke into applause when they learned of the ruling via a laptop computer. Mariana Rivera, a 36-year-old from Zacatecas, Mexico, who is living in Phoenix on a work permit, said she heard about the ruling on a Spanish-language news program.
"I was waiting to hear because we're all very worried about everything that's happening," said Rivera, who phoned friends and family with the news. "Even those with papers, we don't go out at night at certain times there's so much fear (of police). You can't just sit back and relax."
In New York City, about 300 immigrant advocates gathered Thursday near the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan.
New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams, a first-generation Caribbean-American, told the crowd: "We won a slight battle in Arizona, we've got to continue with the war."
In Los Angeles, about 200 protesters invaded a busy intersection west of downtown Los Angeles.
Police shut down the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Highland Avenue and diverted traffic away after demonstrators moved into the street and sat down at about 10 a.m. Thursday.
The protesters chanted, "These are our streets" during the raucous demonstration. Police say there have been no arrests.
Bolton indicated the government has a good chance at succeeding in its argument that federal immigration law trumps state law. But the key sponsor of Arizona's law, Republican Rep. Russell Pearce, said the judge was wrong and predicted the state would ultimately win the case.
In her temporary injunction, Bolton delayed the most contentious provisions of the law, including a section that required officers to check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws. She also barred enforcement of parts requiring immigrants to carry their papers and banned illegal immigrants from soliciting employment in public places - a move aimed at day laborers that congregate in large numbers in parking lots across Arizona. The judge also blocked officers from making warrantless arrests of suspected illegal immigrants.
"Requiring Arizona law enforcement officials and agencies to determine the immigration status of every person who is arrested burdens lawfully present aliens because their liberty will be restricted while their status is checked," said Bolton, a Clinton administration appointee who was assigned the seven lawsuits filed against Arizona over the law.
Other provisions that were less contentious were allowed to take effect Thursday, including a section that bars cities in Arizona from disregarding federal immigration laws.
Kris Kobach, the University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor who helped write the law and train Arizona police officers in immigration law, conceded the ruling weakens the force of Arizona's efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants. He said it will likely be a year before a federal Appeals court decides the case.
"It's a temporary setback," Kobach said. "The bottom line is that every lawyer in Judge Bolton's court knows this is just the first pitch in a very long baseball game."
Opponents of the law said the ruling sends a strong message to other states hoping to replicate the law. Lawmakers or candidates in as many as 18 states say they want to push similar measures when their legislative sessions start up again in 2011.
"Surely it's going to make states pause and consider how they're drafting legislation and how it fits in a constitutional framework," Dennis Burke, the U.S. attorney for Arizona, told The Associated Press. "The proponents of this went into court saying there was no question that this was constitutional, and now you have a federal judge who's said, 'Hold on, there's major issues with this bill.'"
But a lawmaker in Utah said the state will likely take up a similar laws anyway.
"The ruling ... should not be a reason for Utah to not move forward," said Utah state Rep. Carl Wimmer, a Republican from Herriman City, who said he plans to co-sponsor a bill similar to Arizona's next year and wasn't surprised it was blocked. "For too long the states have cowered in the corner because of one ruling by one federal judge."
Bob Christie - Associated Press Writer - 7/29/2010 2:40:00 PMPHOENIX - Opponents of Arizona's immigration crackdown went ahead with protests Thursday despite a judge's ruling that delayed enforcement of most the law, and dozens of people in Phoenix were arrested after peacefully confronting officers in riot gear.
Gov. Jan Brewer called U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton's Wednesday's decision halting the law "a bump in the road," and her spokesman said they'd appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco later Thursday.
Outside the state Capitol, hundreds of protesters began marching at dawn, gathering in front of the federal courthouse where Bolton issued her ruling on Wednesday. They marched on to the office of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has made a crackdown on illegal immigration one of his signature issues.
At least eight protesters approached a police line and allowed themselves to be arrested. A group of about two dozen protesters then sat down in the middle of the street or refused to leave, and police arrested them as well.
Earlier, three people were detained at the courthouse after apparently entering a closed-off area. Former state Sen. Alfredo Gutierrez, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2002, was among them.
Marchers chanted "Sheriff Joe, we are here, we will not live in fear," and among the crowd was a drummer wearing a papier-mache Sheriff Joe head and dressed in prison garb.
Arpaio vowed to go ahead with a crime sweep targeting illegal immigrants. It was Phoenix police who made most the early arrests, but other protests were planned later in front of a county jail.
"My deputies will arrest them and put them in pink underwear," Arpaio said, referring to one of his odd methods of punishment for prisoners. "Count on it."
Arizona is the nation's epicenter of illegal immigration, with more than 400,000 undocumented residents. The state's border with Mexico is awash with smugglers and drugs that funnel narcotics and immigrants throughout the U.S., and supporters of the new law say the influx of illegal migrants drains vast sums of money from hospitals, education and other services.
The ruling was anxiously awaited in the U.S. and beyond. About 100 protesters in Mexico City who had gathered at the U.S. Embassy broke into applause when they learned of the ruling via a laptop computer. Mariana Rivera, a 36-year-old from Zacatecas, Mexico, who is living in Phoenix on a work permit, said she heard about the ruling on a Spanish-language news program.
"I was waiting to hear because we're all very worried about everything that's happening," said Rivera, who phoned friends and family with the news. "Even those with papers, we don't go out at night at certain times there's so much fear (of police). You can't just sit back and relax."
In New York City, about 300 immigrant advocates gathered Thursday near the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan.
New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams, a first-generation Caribbean-American, told the crowd: "We won a slight battle in Arizona, we've got to continue with the war."
In Los Angeles, about 200 protesters invaded a busy intersection west of downtown Los Angeles.
Police shut down the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Highland Avenue and diverted traffic away after demonstrators moved into the street and sat down at about 10 a.m. Thursday.
The protesters chanted, "These are our streets" during the raucous demonstration. Police say there have been no arrests.
Bolton indicated the government has a good chance at succeeding in its argument that federal immigration law trumps state law. But the key sponsor of Arizona's law, Republican Rep. Russell Pearce, said the judge was wrong and predicted the state would ultimately win the case.
In her temporary injunction, Bolton delayed the most contentious provisions of the law, including a section that required officers to check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws. She also barred enforcement of parts requiring immigrants to carry their papers and banned illegal immigrants from soliciting employment in public places - a move aimed at day laborers that congregate in large numbers in parking lots across Arizona. The judge also blocked officers from making warrantless arrests of suspected illegal immigrants.
"Requiring Arizona law enforcement officials and agencies to determine the immigration status of every person who is arrested burdens lawfully present aliens because their liberty will be restricted while their status is checked," said Bolton, a Clinton administration appointee who was assigned the seven lawsuits filed against Arizona over the law.
Other provisions that were less contentious were allowed to take effect Thursday, including a section that bars cities in Arizona from disregarding federal immigration laws.
Kris Kobach, the University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor who helped write the law and train Arizona police officers in immigration law, conceded the ruling weakens the force of Arizona's efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants. He said it will likely be a year before a federal Appeals court decides the case.
"It's a temporary setback," Kobach said. "The bottom line is that every lawyer in Judge Bolton's court knows this is just the first pitch in a very long baseball game."
Opponents of the law said the ruling sends a strong message to other states hoping to replicate the law. Lawmakers or candidates in as many as 18 states say they want to push similar measures when their legislative sessions start up again in 2011.
"Surely it's going to make states pause and consider how they're drafting legislation and how it fits in a constitutional framework," Dennis Burke, the U.S. attorney for Arizona, told The Associated Press. "The proponents of this went into court saying there was no question that this was constitutional, and now you have a federal judge who's said, 'Hold on, there's major issues with this bill.'"
But a lawmaker in Utah said the state will likely take up a similar laws anyway.
"The ruling ... should not be a reason for Utah to not move forward," said Utah state Rep. Carl Wimmer, a Republican from Herriman City, who said he plans to co-sponsor a bill similar to Arizona's next year and wasn't surprised it was blocked. "For too long the states have cowered in the corner because of one ruling by one federal judge."
July 29, 2010
Ms. Londa Picard
63 Hackberry Rd
Mapleton, KS 66754-9118
Dear Ms. Picard:
Thank you for your letter regarding immigration. I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts.
I appreciate the points you make. Recently, the Governor of Arizona signed into law the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act. I respect that the Legislature and Governor of Arizona thought that this legislation was the best way to address such a complex issue for the well-being of the people in their state.
On the federal level, the first step to immigration reform is border security. In addition, I do not support granting amnesty to illegal immigrants. It is clear that we must focus on border security to end the influx of illegal immigrants entering the United States. We must ensure that the Department of Homeland Security has adequate resources to strengthen the security of our border. With this in mind, Congress passed and the president signed H.R. 2892, the 2010 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-83). I supported this bill that provides $800 million in funding for border security fencing, infrastructure, and technology. It also provides $3.59 billion in funding for border security and control between ports of entry.
Rest assured, I will continue to support legislation that strengths border security and reduces illegal immigration. Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. If you would like more information on issues before the Senate, please visit my website at http://roberts.senate.gov. You may also sign up on my home page for a monthly electronic newsletter that will provide additional updates on my work for Kansas.
With every best wish,
Sincerely,
Pat Roberts
PR:rm
Ms. Londa Picard
63 Hackberry Rd
Mapleton, KS 66754-9118
Dear Ms. Picard:
Thank you for your letter regarding immigration. I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts.
I appreciate the points you make. Recently, the Governor of Arizona signed into law the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act. I respect that the Legislature and Governor of Arizona thought that this legislation was the best way to address such a complex issue for the well-being of the people in their state.
On the federal level, the first step to immigration reform is border security. In addition, I do not support granting amnesty to illegal immigrants. It is clear that we must focus on border security to end the influx of illegal immigrants entering the United States. We must ensure that the Department of Homeland Security has adequate resources to strengthen the security of our border. With this in mind, Congress passed and the president signed H.R. 2892, the 2010 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-83). I supported this bill that provides $800 million in funding for border security fencing, infrastructure, and technology. It also provides $3.59 billion in funding for border security and control between ports of entry.
Rest assured, I will continue to support legislation that strengths border security and reduces illegal immigration. Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. If you would like more information on issues before the Senate, please visit my website at http://roberts.senate.gov. You may also sign up on my home page for a monthly electronic newsletter that will provide additional updates on my work for Kansas.
With every best wish,
Sincerely,
Pat Roberts
PR:rm
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
THE BOYS OF IWO JIMA - BY MICHAEL T. POWERS
The Boys of Iwo Jima
(From the book: Heart Touchers "Life-Changing Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter")
by Michael T. Powers
Each year my video production company is hired to go to Washington, D.C. with the eighth grade class from Clinton, Wisconsin where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.
On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave men raising the American flag at the top of Mount Surabachi on the Island of Iwo Jima, Japan during WW II. Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, "What's your name and where are you guys from?
I told him that my name was Michael Powers and that we were from Clinton, Wisconsin.
"Hey, I'm a Cheesehead, too! Come gather around Cheeseheads, and I will tell you a story."
James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, D.C. to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good-night to his dad, who had previously passed away, but whose image is part of the statue. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington, D.C. but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night. When all had gathered around he reverently began to speak. Here are his words from that night:
"My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called Flags of Our Fathers which is #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list right now. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me. Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game, a game called "War." But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of twenty-one, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out; I say that because there are generals who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen years old.
(He pointed to the statue)
You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken, and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph. A photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection, because he was scared. He was eighteen years old. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys. Not old men.
The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man" because he was so old. He was already twenty-four. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, "Let's go kill the enemy" or "Let's die for our country." He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, "You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers."
The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, "You're a hero." He told reporters, "How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only twenty-seven of us walked off alive?"
So you take your class at school. 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only twenty-seven of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes died dead drunk, face down at the age of thirty-two, ten years after this picture was taken.
The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky, a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, "Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epson salts. Those cows crapped all night."
Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of nineteen. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. The neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.
The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers, or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say, "No, I'm sorry sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back."
My dad never fished or even went to Canada. Usually he was sitting right there at the table eating his Campbell's soup, but we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press. You see, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died, and when boys died in Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed in pain.
When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, "I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. DID NOT come back."
So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time."
Suddenly the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero in his own eyes, but a hero nonetheless.
Michael T. Powers
HeartTouchers@aol.com
Copyright © 2000 by Michael T. Powers
Write Michael and let him know your thoughts on this story!
Michael T. Powers, the founder of HeartTouchers.com and Heart4Teens.com, is the youth minister at Faith Community Church in Janesville, Wisconsin. He is happily married to his high school sweetheart Kristi and proud father of three young rambunctious boys.
He is also an author with stories in 29 inspirational books including many in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and his own entitled: Heart Touchers "Life-Changing Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter." To preview his book or to join the thousands of world wide readers on his inspirational e-mail list, visit: http://www.hearttouchers.com
Most importantly, Michael believes that life is not about religion, but about a relationship -- a relationship with Jesus Christ.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is a very moving story!! I hope all of you enjoyed this, as I have.
In Christ Jesus,
Rev. Londa
(From the book: Heart Touchers "Life-Changing Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter")
by Michael T. Powers
Each year my video production company is hired to go to Washington, D.C. with the eighth grade class from Clinton, Wisconsin where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.
On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave men raising the American flag at the top of Mount Surabachi on the Island of Iwo Jima, Japan during WW II. Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, "What's your name and where are you guys from?
I told him that my name was Michael Powers and that we were from Clinton, Wisconsin.
"Hey, I'm a Cheesehead, too! Come gather around Cheeseheads, and I will tell you a story."
James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, D.C. to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good-night to his dad, who had previously passed away, but whose image is part of the statue. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington, D.C. but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night. When all had gathered around he reverently began to speak. Here are his words from that night:
"My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called Flags of Our Fathers which is #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list right now. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me. Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game, a game called "War." But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of twenty-one, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out; I say that because there are generals who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen years old.
(He pointed to the statue)
You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken, and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph. A photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection, because he was scared. He was eighteen years old. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys. Not old men.
The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man" because he was so old. He was already twenty-four. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, "Let's go kill the enemy" or "Let's die for our country." He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, "You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers."
The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, "You're a hero." He told reporters, "How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only twenty-seven of us walked off alive?"
So you take your class at school. 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only twenty-seven of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes died dead drunk, face down at the age of thirty-two, ten years after this picture was taken.
The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky, a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, "Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epson salts. Those cows crapped all night."
Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of nineteen. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. The neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.
The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers, or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say, "No, I'm sorry sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back."
My dad never fished or even went to Canada. Usually he was sitting right there at the table eating his Campbell's soup, but we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press. You see, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died, and when boys died in Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed in pain.
When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, "I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. DID NOT come back."
So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time."
Suddenly the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero in his own eyes, but a hero nonetheless.
Michael T. Powers
HeartTouchers@aol.com
Copyright © 2000 by Michael T. Powers
Write Michael and let him know your thoughts on this story!
Michael T. Powers, the founder of HeartTouchers.com and Heart4Teens.com, is the youth minister at Faith Community Church in Janesville, Wisconsin. He is happily married to his high school sweetheart Kristi and proud father of three young rambunctious boys.
He is also an author with stories in 29 inspirational books including many in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and his own entitled: Heart Touchers "Life-Changing Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter." To preview his book or to join the thousands of world wide readers on his inspirational e-mail list, visit: http://www.hearttouchers.com
Most importantly, Michael believes that life is not about religion, but about a relationship -- a relationship with Jesus Christ.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is a very moving story!! I hope all of you enjoyed this, as I have.
In Christ Jesus,
Rev. Londa
FROM ONE NEWS NOW/AFA
Hide-and-seek hypocrites on the Hill
Michelle Malkin - Syndicated Columnist - 7/28/2010 6:45:00 AM
You know when a politician starts a sentence with "frankly," he's about to lie to your face. The same principle applies to campaign finance legislation dubbed the "DISCLOSE Act." The voter's instinctive reaction should be: What are they trying to hide now? Drafted out of public view with left-wing lobbyists and rammed through Congress after bypassing committee hearings, this bum bill would have been better named the CLOSEDDOOR Act.
At a Rose Garden press conference on Monday, President Obama decried the influence of "shadow groups" on elections and urged the Senate to pass the "reform" sponsored by NY Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer. But the loophole-ridden package exempts large nonprofits with 500,000 or more members. Behemoth labor unions get preferential treatment. Bradley Smith, former Federal Elections Commission chairman, noted that the law places radical speech-squelching restrictions on companies' ability to run independent political ads: "(I)f you're a company with a government contract of over $10 million (like more than half of the top 50 U.S. companies) or if you're a company with more than 20 percent foreign shareholders, you can't even mention a candidate in an ad for up to a full year before the election....There are no similar prohibitions for unions representing government contractors or unions with foreign membership."
GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell put it more starkly during Tuesday's debate before the Senate cloture vote on the bill: The DISCLOSE Act, he said, is a "transparent attempt to rig the fall elections." At bottom, McConnell diagnosed correctly, this is a jobs-protection bill for entrenched incumbents more interested in protecting their hides than protecting the Constitution. While the cloture vote fell three votes short of the needed 60 on Tuesday, Schumer vowed to resurrect the issue "again and again and again until we pass it."
In attacking Republicans who oppose this campaign finance Kabuki, Obama audaciously feigned alarm over the proliferation of fake grassroots groups with innocuous-sounding names. Special interests, he complained, "can hide behind a name like 'Citizens for a Better Future,' even if a more accurate name would be 'Companies for Weaker Oversight.'" Let me supply some more examples that won't appear on Obama's teleprompter anytime soon:
How about "Consumers Organized for Reliable Electricity"? That's the front group White House senior adviser David Axelrod formed to shill for a massive utility tax hike championed by Commonwealth Edison in Chicago.
Or how about "Americans for Stable Quality Care"? That was the government healthcare takeover-promoting special interest coalition funded by Big Pharma, the AARP, AMA and the Service Employees International Union. The group pitched in $150 million for pro-Obama healthcare ads to create the illusion of grassroots support.
Or how about "Health Care for America Now"? That's the 1825 K Street-based "grassroots" lobbying conglomerate funded by radical liberal sugar daddy George Soros and the brass-knuckled, purple-shirted bosses of the SEIU.
Or how about "American Rights at Work"? That's the far-left, pro-Big Labor lobbying group that Obama's labor secretary, Hilda Solis, served as treasurer for while a congresswoman -- a position she failed to disclose while lobbying for the Big Labor card-check bill she was sponsoring at the same time.
Or how about the "American Public Policy Committee"? That's the umbrella group for Beltway-based union and progressive lobbyists run by DC money-shuffler Craig Varoga, who is now harnessing Washington bucks to attack tea party activists.
It's the president's biggest donors and advisers who perfected the art of Astroturf. Don't be so modest, man.
Team Obama and their allies on Capitol Hill have some nerve gnashing their teeth about transparency after two years of backdoor kickbacks, secret Big Labor deals, C-SPAN camera evasion, White House disclosure-ducking coffeehouse meetings, and sunlight-shirking holiday and midnight floor votes. And while they preached about America's right to know and posed as crusaders for open access, Democratic leaders in both the House and Senate continued to stonewall on public hearings for healthcare rationing czar Donald Berwick -- Obama's recess-appointed head of Medicare and Medicaid.
A White House spokesman called the battle over the DISCLOSE Act a "defining moment for the public." Nah. It's just another example of the Democratic majority's endless hide-and-seek hypocrisy.
COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
Michelle Malkin - Syndicated Columnist - 7/28/2010 6:45:00 AM
You know when a politician starts a sentence with "frankly," he's about to lie to your face. The same principle applies to campaign finance legislation dubbed the "DISCLOSE Act." The voter's instinctive reaction should be: What are they trying to hide now? Drafted out of public view with left-wing lobbyists and rammed through Congress after bypassing committee hearings, this bum bill would have been better named the CLOSEDDOOR Act.
At a Rose Garden press conference on Monday, President Obama decried the influence of "shadow groups" on elections and urged the Senate to pass the "reform" sponsored by NY Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer. But the loophole-ridden package exempts large nonprofits with 500,000 or more members. Behemoth labor unions get preferential treatment. Bradley Smith, former Federal Elections Commission chairman, noted that the law places radical speech-squelching restrictions on companies' ability to run independent political ads: "(I)f you're a company with a government contract of over $10 million (like more than half of the top 50 U.S. companies) or if you're a company with more than 20 percent foreign shareholders, you can't even mention a candidate in an ad for up to a full year before the election....There are no similar prohibitions for unions representing government contractors or unions with foreign membership."
GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell put it more starkly during Tuesday's debate before the Senate cloture vote on the bill: The DISCLOSE Act, he said, is a "transparent attempt to rig the fall elections." At bottom, McConnell diagnosed correctly, this is a jobs-protection bill for entrenched incumbents more interested in protecting their hides than protecting the Constitution. While the cloture vote fell three votes short of the needed 60 on Tuesday, Schumer vowed to resurrect the issue "again and again and again until we pass it."
In attacking Republicans who oppose this campaign finance Kabuki, Obama audaciously feigned alarm over the proliferation of fake grassroots groups with innocuous-sounding names. Special interests, he complained, "can hide behind a name like 'Citizens for a Better Future,' even if a more accurate name would be 'Companies for Weaker Oversight.'" Let me supply some more examples that won't appear on Obama's teleprompter anytime soon:
How about "Consumers Organized for Reliable Electricity"? That's the front group White House senior adviser David Axelrod formed to shill for a massive utility tax hike championed by Commonwealth Edison in Chicago.
Or how about "Americans for Stable Quality Care"? That was the government healthcare takeover-promoting special interest coalition funded by Big Pharma, the AARP, AMA and the Service Employees International Union. The group pitched in $150 million for pro-Obama healthcare ads to create the illusion of grassroots support.
Or how about "Health Care for America Now"? That's the 1825 K Street-based "grassroots" lobbying conglomerate funded by radical liberal sugar daddy George Soros and the brass-knuckled, purple-shirted bosses of the SEIU.
Or how about "American Rights at Work"? That's the far-left, pro-Big Labor lobbying group that Obama's labor secretary, Hilda Solis, served as treasurer for while a congresswoman -- a position she failed to disclose while lobbying for the Big Labor card-check bill she was sponsoring at the same time.
Or how about the "American Public Policy Committee"? That's the umbrella group for Beltway-based union and progressive lobbyists run by DC money-shuffler Craig Varoga, who is now harnessing Washington bucks to attack tea party activists.
It's the president's biggest donors and advisers who perfected the art of Astroturf. Don't be so modest, man.
Team Obama and their allies on Capitol Hill have some nerve gnashing their teeth about transparency after two years of backdoor kickbacks, secret Big Labor deals, C-SPAN camera evasion, White House disclosure-ducking coffeehouse meetings, and sunlight-shirking holiday and midnight floor votes. And while they preached about America's right to know and posed as crusaders for open access, Democratic leaders in both the House and Senate continued to stonewall on public hearings for healthcare rationing czar Donald Berwick -- Obama's recess-appointed head of Medicare and Medicaid.
A White House spokesman called the battle over the DISCLOSE Act a "defining moment for the public." Nah. It's just another example of the Democratic majority's endless hide-and-seek hypocrisy.
COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
FROM AUL
Dozens of Groups Join Call for Kagan Probe
More than 30 respected national and state organizations representing concerned citizens from across the nation joined Americans United for Life Action, AUL’s sister organization, in sending a group letter to all 100 U.S. senators. The letter calls for a “thorough investigation” into Elena Kagan’s role in the 1996-97 partial-birth abortion debate.
President & CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest said, “A nominee to the highest court in the land must meet our nation’s absolute highest standards of integrity and impartiality. With serious outstanding questions clouding Ms. Kagan’s nomination, we are leading a united effort to ask that the Senate investigate discrepancies between her Senate testimony and the written record on partial-birth abortion before proceeding to a floor vote.”
To see the open letter, AUL Action’s 54-page report examining Kagan’s role in manipulating the medical statements of two major organizations on partial-birth abortion, and former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop’s letter urging the Senate to reject the Kagan nomination, click here.
On The Docket
New Efforts in Congress Could Help End Taxpayer-Funded Abortion
A new post at the AUL Blog looks at two proposed pieces of federal legislation that would help prohibit federal funding for elective abortions established in the health care reform bill that passed earlier this year.
The “Protect Life Act” - introduced by Congressman Joe Pitts (R-PA) - would ensure that no federal funds authorized under the health care reform law are used to pay for abortions or subsidize insurance plans that cover abortions, prevent any part of the federal government from forcing insurance plans to cover abortions, and codify strong conscience protections. Another bill, which is expected to be introduced soon by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), is even more comprehensive because it will establish a permanent government-wide prohibition on taxpayer subsidies for abortion and abortion coverage. Learn more about these important pieces of proposed legislation at the AUL Blog.
AUL Opposes New Pro-Abortion Constitution in Kenya
On August 4, Kenyans will vote in a national referendum whether or not to accept a constitution that would change Kenyan law from one that protects the right to life to one that enshrines abortion-on-demand as a constitutional right. AUL has joined pro-life leaders around the world in signing a petition declaring “our solidarity with those Kenyans who are standing up for the most vulnerable among us – the unborn child and his or her mother,” and urging a “no” vote on the proposed new constitution because of its pro-abortion provisions. Read more at the AUL Blog.
Bioethics Students Gain Legal Insights at AUL Expert’s Pro-Life Law Course
Students came from as far away as California last week to attend AUL Staff Counsel Mailee Smith’s seminar on pro-life law at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill., sponsored by the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity as a follow-up to its conference “Beyond Therapy: Exploring Enhancement and Human Futures.” The seminar, which included guest lectures by AUL Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs William Saunders, covered developments in federal and state laws on abortion, biotechnologies, and end-of-life issues.
Smith told Bench Briefs that the students asked excellent questions. “Although most of the attendees were bioethics students, and so were familiar with some of the issues we discussed, I could tell that much of the legal information was new to them.”
More than 30 respected national and state organizations representing concerned citizens from across the nation joined Americans United for Life Action, AUL’s sister organization, in sending a group letter to all 100 U.S. senators. The letter calls for a “thorough investigation” into Elena Kagan’s role in the 1996-97 partial-birth abortion debate.
President & CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest said, “A nominee to the highest court in the land must meet our nation’s absolute highest standards of integrity and impartiality. With serious outstanding questions clouding Ms. Kagan’s nomination, we are leading a united effort to ask that the Senate investigate discrepancies between her Senate testimony and the written record on partial-birth abortion before proceeding to a floor vote.”
To see the open letter, AUL Action’s 54-page report examining Kagan’s role in manipulating the medical statements of two major organizations on partial-birth abortion, and former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop’s letter urging the Senate to reject the Kagan nomination, click here.
On The Docket
New Efforts in Congress Could Help End Taxpayer-Funded Abortion
A new post at the AUL Blog looks at two proposed pieces of federal legislation that would help prohibit federal funding for elective abortions established in the health care reform bill that passed earlier this year.
The “Protect Life Act” - introduced by Congressman Joe Pitts (R-PA) - would ensure that no federal funds authorized under the health care reform law are used to pay for abortions or subsidize insurance plans that cover abortions, prevent any part of the federal government from forcing insurance plans to cover abortions, and codify strong conscience protections. Another bill, which is expected to be introduced soon by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), is even more comprehensive because it will establish a permanent government-wide prohibition on taxpayer subsidies for abortion and abortion coverage. Learn more about these important pieces of proposed legislation at the AUL Blog.
AUL Opposes New Pro-Abortion Constitution in Kenya
On August 4, Kenyans will vote in a national referendum whether or not to accept a constitution that would change Kenyan law from one that protects the right to life to one that enshrines abortion-on-demand as a constitutional right. AUL has joined pro-life leaders around the world in signing a petition declaring “our solidarity with those Kenyans who are standing up for the most vulnerable among us – the unborn child and his or her mother,” and urging a “no” vote on the proposed new constitution because of its pro-abortion provisions. Read more at the AUL Blog.
Bioethics Students Gain Legal Insights at AUL Expert’s Pro-Life Law Course
Students came from as far away as California last week to attend AUL Staff Counsel Mailee Smith’s seminar on pro-life law at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill., sponsored by the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity as a follow-up to its conference “Beyond Therapy: Exploring Enhancement and Human Futures.” The seminar, which included guest lectures by AUL Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs William Saunders, covered developments in federal and state laws on abortion, biotechnologies, and end-of-life issues.
Smith told Bench Briefs that the students asked excellent questions. “Although most of the attendees were bioethics students, and so were familiar with some of the issues we discussed, I could tell that much of the legal information was new to them.”
AUL
Yoest on New CRS Memo: Congress must explicitly prohibit taxpayer-funded abortionShareThisBy AUL Action
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
“The new Memorandum from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service affirms Americans United for Life’s legal analysis – nothing in the new health care reform law, the President’s executive order, or any existing laws comprehensively prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars for abortions. It is time for Congress to do what they should have done in March – pass a law that explicitly prohibits the use of all federal taxpayer dollars for abortion.”
– Dr. Charmaine Yoest, President & CEO of Americans United for Life Action
BACKGROUND
On July 23, 2010, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a memorandum addressing whether the new health care reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), prohibits states from using federal funds for abortions in new pre-existing condition insurance plans also known as high risk pools. The memorandum also addresses whether the President’s March 24, 2010 Executive Order or other Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) documents prohibit the use of these funds for abortions. Finally, the memorandum addresses whether other existing laws, such as the Hyde Amendment, would prohibit such funding.
The CRS reached the same conclusion that Americans United for Life reached both during and after the health care reform debate: nothing in the PPACA, the Executive Order, or other law prohibits the use of federal tax dollars for abortions through the high risk pools.
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
“The new Memorandum from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service affirms Americans United for Life’s legal analysis – nothing in the new health care reform law, the President’s executive order, or any existing laws comprehensively prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars for abortions. It is time for Congress to do what they should have done in March – pass a law that explicitly prohibits the use of all federal taxpayer dollars for abortion.”
– Dr. Charmaine Yoest, President & CEO of Americans United for Life Action
BACKGROUND
On July 23, 2010, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a memorandum addressing whether the new health care reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), prohibits states from using federal funds for abortions in new pre-existing condition insurance plans also known as high risk pools. The memorandum also addresses whether the President’s March 24, 2010 Executive Order or other Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) documents prohibit the use of these funds for abortions. Finally, the memorandum addresses whether other existing laws, such as the Hyde Amendment, would prohibit such funding.
The CRS reached the same conclusion that Americans United for Life reached both during and after the health care reform debate: nothing in the PPACA, the Executive Order, or other law prohibits the use of federal tax dollars for abortions through the high risk pools.
FROM ISREAL TODAY
Headline News
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 Israel Today Staff
Obama threatens to drop support for Palestinian state
The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that it is in possession of details of a secret memo from US President Barack Obama to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas threatening to drop support for a Palestinian state if the latter does not agree to direct peace talks with Israel.
The memo was delivered to Abbas by US Middle East envoy George Mitchell. The AP acquired a copy of a Palestinian document referring to the American memo.
It revealed that the Obama Administration is aware that Abbas is under heavy pressure from the Arab world to not conduct direct negotiations with Israel, and that doing so would end his political career. Nevertheless, the memo warned Abbas "to accept direct talks now if he wants President Obama’s help in facilitating statehood."
Obama and Mitchell both conveyed to Abbas that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn't going anywhere, and enjoys strong political support in Israel. Therefore, waiting for a more malleable Israeli prime minister will set back Obama's Middle East peace agenda too far.
The Palestinian document noted that Abbas and his aides are in favor of rejecting the American ultimatum. They are likely confident that Obama will not follow through on his threats and risk forfeiting the diplomatic achievement of overseeing a Middle East peace agreement. Traditionally, American presidents have eventually caved in the face of Palestinian intransigence and instead refocused their pressure on Israel.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 Israel Today Staff
Obama threatens to drop support for Palestinian state
The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that it is in possession of details of a secret memo from US President Barack Obama to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas threatening to drop support for a Palestinian state if the latter does not agree to direct peace talks with Israel.
The memo was delivered to Abbas by US Middle East envoy George Mitchell. The AP acquired a copy of a Palestinian document referring to the American memo.
It revealed that the Obama Administration is aware that Abbas is under heavy pressure from the Arab world to not conduct direct negotiations with Israel, and that doing so would end his political career. Nevertheless, the memo warned Abbas "to accept direct talks now if he wants President Obama’s help in facilitating statehood."
Obama and Mitchell both conveyed to Abbas that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn't going anywhere, and enjoys strong political support in Israel. Therefore, waiting for a more malleable Israeli prime minister will set back Obama's Middle East peace agenda too far.
The Palestinian document noted that Abbas and his aides are in favor of rejecting the American ultimatum. They are likely confident that Obama will not follow through on his threats and risk forfeiting the diplomatic achievement of overseeing a Middle East peace agreement. Traditionally, American presidents have eventually caved in the face of Palestinian intransigence and instead refocused their pressure on Israel.
FROM ISREAL TODAY
Headline News
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 Israel Today Staff
Israel's first female Arab combat soldier
Cpl. Elinor Joseph, a young Christian Arab woman from northern Israel, has won herself a place in a respected infantry unit, making her Israel's first ever female Arab combat soldier.
Joseph will serve as a combat medic in the Karakal Battalion, after more than a year of battling misconceptions that she was too weak for such a position.
Joseph originally did not plan to enlist in the IDF. Arab citizens of Israel are not required to enlist due to the societal difficulties that serving in the Jewish state's army can cause. But some choose to enlist anyway. Joseph's father was one of them, and she remembered the great sense of pride and accomplishment that his years as an Israeli paratrooper had given him and the whole family.
So, despite the fierce objections of her friends and many others in her local community, Joseph decided to enlist. "I believe in what I am doing," she told the IDF Spokesman's Unit. "My parents also are very proud of me, maybe a little bit too much."
Although she had always intended to be a combat soldier, the recruitment officer she first met with told Joseph she was too small and frail to be in such a unit. Upset, but not discouraged, Joseph aced a medic's course and was then deployed to one of the many checkpoints between Samaria (the so-called "West Bank") and Israel proper.
While there, Joseph earned the respect of her Jewish comrades. She also rebuffed international accusations that Palestinian Arabs are routinely abused at such checkpoints, noting that the treatment of Palestinians by the soldiers she was stationed with was "always full of respect."
After a year of proving herself at the checkpoint, Joseph applied to join Karakal and was accepted.
She said it can be surreal serving in such an intense position as an Arab in the army of the Jewish state, especially during training and briefings that so heavily emphasize Jewish morals and methods.
"I know I am part of the Jewish State's army, and therefore, when we speak about that, I listen and learn. I got used to it and I respect it, although I do not delve too much into the country’s identity. I have my own identity and I will respect that of the country."
That attitude has been mutual. Despite being "different" than most of the soldiers around her, Joseph says she has "always been respected - not just me, but also my customs and my religion."
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 Israel Today Staff
Israel's first female Arab combat soldier
Cpl. Elinor Joseph, a young Christian Arab woman from northern Israel, has won herself a place in a respected infantry unit, making her Israel's first ever female Arab combat soldier.
Joseph will serve as a combat medic in the Karakal Battalion, after more than a year of battling misconceptions that she was too weak for such a position.
Joseph originally did not plan to enlist in the IDF. Arab citizens of Israel are not required to enlist due to the societal difficulties that serving in the Jewish state's army can cause. But some choose to enlist anyway. Joseph's father was one of them, and she remembered the great sense of pride and accomplishment that his years as an Israeli paratrooper had given him and the whole family.
So, despite the fierce objections of her friends and many others in her local community, Joseph decided to enlist. "I believe in what I am doing," she told the IDF Spokesman's Unit. "My parents also are very proud of me, maybe a little bit too much."
Although she had always intended to be a combat soldier, the recruitment officer she first met with told Joseph she was too small and frail to be in such a unit. Upset, but not discouraged, Joseph aced a medic's course and was then deployed to one of the many checkpoints between Samaria (the so-called "West Bank") and Israel proper.
While there, Joseph earned the respect of her Jewish comrades. She also rebuffed international accusations that Palestinian Arabs are routinely abused at such checkpoints, noting that the treatment of Palestinians by the soldiers she was stationed with was "always full of respect."
After a year of proving herself at the checkpoint, Joseph applied to join Karakal and was accepted.
She said it can be surreal serving in such an intense position as an Arab in the army of the Jewish state, especially during training and briefings that so heavily emphasize Jewish morals and methods.
"I know I am part of the Jewish State's army, and therefore, when we speak about that, I listen and learn. I got used to it and I respect it, although I do not delve too much into the country’s identity. I have my own identity and I will respect that of the country."
That attitude has been mutual. Despite being "different" than most of the soldiers around her, Joseph says she has "always been respected - not just me, but also my customs and my religion."
FROM ONE NEWS NOW/AFA
Public university threatens to throw out student for her Christian beliefs
Your AFA is immediately donating $5,000 toward Jennifer's legal efforts against the school.
July 28, 2010
Dear Londa,
A counseling student has filed suit against a university in Georgia because she claims the school is forcing her to abandon her Christian beliefs in order to receive a degree.
Jennifer Keeton, 24, is pursuing her master's degree in counseling at Augusta State University. But after her professors learned of her biblical beliefs -- specifically her views on homosexual conduct -- from both classroom discussions and private conversations with other students, the school imposed a "remediation plan."
And unless she completes this "remediation plan" to their satisfaction, then she can be thrown out of the school's counseling program.
David French, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, told OneNewsNow there are some absurd elements to the plan. "Such as admonishing her to go to a 'gay-pride parade' and write about her feelings after she's been," he describes. "In other words, [the school's plan would be] deliberately exposing her to behavior that she finds immoral in the hope that she'll accept it. It's ridiculous."
"Jennifer is not interested in being indoctrinated, she wants to be educated," states the attorney. "She wants to learn about the counseling profession, she wants to be a good counselor -- but being a good counselor does not require that one surrender their most fundamental religious beliefs."
They've turned this school into nothing more than a re-education camp. If we don't stop them here, a campus near you may be next.
Take Action
Tell the Augusta State University president and the Georgia Board of Regents to stop their religious discrimination against student Jennifer Keeton.
1. Pray for Jennifer and the Alliance Defense Fund staff representing her.
2. Instantly send an email to Augusta State University President William Bloodworth and the Georgia Board of Regents.
3. AFA is immediately giving $5,000 towards Jennifer's legal efforts. Please consider making a small donation to assist AFA in defending Jennifer's religious freedom.
Instantly send an email to Augusta State University President William Bloodworth and the Georgia Board of Regents.
It is very important that you forward this alert to your friends and family members.
Sincerely,
Tim Wildmon, President
American Family Association Help us Financially
Donate Online to AFA
One-Time Monthly
Your AFA is immediately donating $5,000 toward Jennifer's legal efforts against the school.
July 28, 2010
Dear Londa,
A counseling student has filed suit against a university in Georgia because she claims the school is forcing her to abandon her Christian beliefs in order to receive a degree.
Jennifer Keeton, 24, is pursuing her master's degree in counseling at Augusta State University. But after her professors learned of her biblical beliefs -- specifically her views on homosexual conduct -- from both classroom discussions and private conversations with other students, the school imposed a "remediation plan."
And unless she completes this "remediation plan" to their satisfaction, then she can be thrown out of the school's counseling program.
David French, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, told OneNewsNow there are some absurd elements to the plan. "Such as admonishing her to go to a 'gay-pride parade' and write about her feelings after she's been," he describes. "In other words, [the school's plan would be] deliberately exposing her to behavior that she finds immoral in the hope that she'll accept it. It's ridiculous."
"Jennifer is not interested in being indoctrinated, she wants to be educated," states the attorney. "She wants to learn about the counseling profession, she wants to be a good counselor -- but being a good counselor does not require that one surrender their most fundamental religious beliefs."
They've turned this school into nothing more than a re-education camp. If we don't stop them here, a campus near you may be next.
Take Action
Tell the Augusta State University president and the Georgia Board of Regents to stop their religious discrimination against student Jennifer Keeton.
1. Pray for Jennifer and the Alliance Defense Fund staff representing her.
2. Instantly send an email to Augusta State University President William Bloodworth and the Georgia Board of Regents.
3. AFA is immediately giving $5,000 towards Jennifer's legal efforts. Please consider making a small donation to assist AFA in defending Jennifer's religious freedom.
Instantly send an email to Augusta State University President William Bloodworth and the Georgia Board of Regents.
It is very important that you forward this alert to your friends and family members.
Sincerely,
Tim Wildmon, President
American Family Association Help us Financially
Donate Online to AFA
One-Time Monthly
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
FROM ONE NEWS NOW/AFA
Praying pro-lifers see positive results
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 7/27/2010 4:40:00 AMPro-lifers who prayed at a well-publicized abortion clinic in Rockford, Illinois, are claiming success after a number of women chose life over abortion.
The clinic is nationally known for the verbal attacks initiated by the landlord against God and Christians, and also for that owner's degrading attacks against pro-life prayer warriors. Residents from the city recently surrounded the clinic, along with Roman Catholic priests and Protestants, and silently prayed for the unborn who were scheduled to be aborted.
"Lo and behold, a short time later, a mother comes out. She talks with a sidewalk counselor; she chose life," reports pro-lifer Kevin Rilott. "Another two women came out and didn't speak to us, but they left before the abortionist arrived, so they could not have had abortions. And then another mother came out, and she joyfully told us that she chose life."
He believes a total of four babies' lives were saved by mothers who spared themselves the possible physical and emotional consequences of abortion. "We saw the effects of what happens when the people of God come together in love for Christ and love for each other, and we pray," the pro-lifers shares.
To a visibly upset clinic owner, the praying group potentially cost the clinic several thousand dollars in the day's business. Rilott feels the success should serve as motivation for pro-lifers throughout the country who pray for the same results in their city.
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 7/27/2010 4:40:00 AMPro-lifers who prayed at a well-publicized abortion clinic in Rockford, Illinois, are claiming success after a number of women chose life over abortion.
The clinic is nationally known for the verbal attacks initiated by the landlord against God and Christians, and also for that owner's degrading attacks against pro-life prayer warriors. Residents from the city recently surrounded the clinic, along with Roman Catholic priests and Protestants, and silently prayed for the unborn who were scheduled to be aborted.
"Lo and behold, a short time later, a mother comes out. She talks with a sidewalk counselor; she chose life," reports pro-lifer Kevin Rilott. "Another two women came out and didn't speak to us, but they left before the abortionist arrived, so they could not have had abortions. And then another mother came out, and she joyfully told us that she chose life."
He believes a total of four babies' lives were saved by mothers who spared themselves the possible physical and emotional consequences of abortion. "We saw the effects of what happens when the people of God come together in love for Christ and love for each other, and we pray," the pro-lifers shares.
To a visibly upset clinic owner, the praying group potentially cost the clinic several thousand dollars in the day's business. Rilott feels the success should serve as motivation for pro-lifers throughout the country who pray for the same results in their city.
CONGRESS JOHN FLEMING M.D.
FLEMING HEALTH CARE REPEAL UPDATE
IT'S BAAAAAACK - The Public Option is Being Considered in Congress Again
“We're going to have a public option….It's just a question of when.”
–Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, July 2010.
If you thought the worst of the health care debate was behind us, think again. Earlier this week, 128 liberal Democrats joined California Democrat, Lynn Woolsey on a new bill, H.R. 5808, that would amend the new health care reform bill to create a public option in the new health insurance exchanges. While there are a few minor changes in this new bill, this public-option model is nearly identical to the original government health care plan we fought so hard against and defeated just 6 months ago.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: This new public option is being presented by Woolsey and her liberal colleagues under the ruse of reducing the deficit. That’s right—they want to grow the public welfare state and have you think it will reduce government spending. Can you say, ludicrous? This ploy of theirs won’t stop as long as Nancy Pelosi is Speaker.
THE DOCTOR'S DIAGNOSIS: America must continue to provide the best health care services while providing affordable access to that care. Although still in its infancy, we are already seeing some of the devastating impacts of the new health care reform law. Companies are already making plans to lay off employees and some businesses are closing as a direct result of that legislation. If the current Majority moves our country further toward a public option, we will end up with a health care system like the NHS, which we know subjects British citizens to long lines, rationing and preventable deaths.
Early in this debate, in response to the insistence by many in the majority that health reform contain a public option, I offered a resolution, H. Res. 615, to require Members of Congress to put their money where their mouth is, and urge colleagues who vote for legislation creating a government-run health care plan to lead by example and enroll themselves in the same public plan. Nearly 4 million Americans from all 50 states contacted my office to offer their support for H. Res 615.
As this process unfolds, I will continue to work to repeal what I firmly believe to be an onerous and unconstitutional health care reform law which passed last March and find market-based solutions to our health care needs.
Sincerely,
JOHN FLEMING, M.D.
Member of Congress
P.S. If you’d like more information, please take a minute to visit my newly redesigned website at www.fleming.house.gov or follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/repjohnfleming or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/repfleming
IT'S BAAAAAACK - The Public Option is Being Considered in Congress Again
“We're going to have a public option….It's just a question of when.”
–Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, July 2010.
If you thought the worst of the health care debate was behind us, think again. Earlier this week, 128 liberal Democrats joined California Democrat, Lynn Woolsey on a new bill, H.R. 5808, that would amend the new health care reform bill to create a public option in the new health insurance exchanges. While there are a few minor changes in this new bill, this public-option model is nearly identical to the original government health care plan we fought so hard against and defeated just 6 months ago.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: This new public option is being presented by Woolsey and her liberal colleagues under the ruse of reducing the deficit. That’s right—they want to grow the public welfare state and have you think it will reduce government spending. Can you say, ludicrous? This ploy of theirs won’t stop as long as Nancy Pelosi is Speaker.
THE DOCTOR'S DIAGNOSIS: America must continue to provide the best health care services while providing affordable access to that care. Although still in its infancy, we are already seeing some of the devastating impacts of the new health care reform law. Companies are already making plans to lay off employees and some businesses are closing as a direct result of that legislation. If the current Majority moves our country further toward a public option, we will end up with a health care system like the NHS, which we know subjects British citizens to long lines, rationing and preventable deaths.
Early in this debate, in response to the insistence by many in the majority that health reform contain a public option, I offered a resolution, H. Res. 615, to require Members of Congress to put their money where their mouth is, and urge colleagues who vote for legislation creating a government-run health care plan to lead by example and enroll themselves in the same public plan. Nearly 4 million Americans from all 50 states contacted my office to offer their support for H. Res 615.
As this process unfolds, I will continue to work to repeal what I firmly believe to be an onerous and unconstitutional health care reform law which passed last March and find market-based solutions to our health care needs.
Sincerely,
JOHN FLEMING, M.D.
Member of Congress
P.S. If you’d like more information, please take a minute to visit my newly redesigned website at www.fleming.house.gov or follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/repjohnfleming or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/repfleming
FROM ONE NEWS NOW/AFA
Pornography and women
Marcia Segelstein - OneNewsNow Columnist - 7/27/2010 8:00:00 AM
"Pornography is the drug of the millennium and more addictive than crack cocaine." So says Donna Rice Hughes, president of Enough is Enough, a nonprofit organization working to keep the Internet safe for children and families.
And while most people may think of men when they picture purveyors of pornography, women are joining their ranks in droves. A big part of the problem – for both men and women – is the easy accessibility of porn. Thanks to the Internet, it's not even necessary to leave your house. Anonymity feeds temptation.
A survey conducted in 2003 by Today's Christian Woman found that one out of every six women, including Christians, admits struggling with an addiction to pornography.
According to a 2006 poll by Internet Filter Review, every month 9.4 million women access adult websites, many of them doing so while at work.
Douglas Weiss is the executive director of Heart to Heart Counseling Center in Colorado Springs, and works with people addicted to pornography. One of the dangers of viewing such material on a regular basis is that people, according to Weiss, "will actually attach to sex as object relationships as opposed to intimate relationships. So they will actually hunger for object relationships, creating over time what we call intimacy anorexia." Object sex replaces relational sex. And when people become no more than objects, relationships naturally suffer. Healthy marriages are put at risk.
For resources, including faith-based ministries, on overcoming pornography addiction, check out the website for Enough is Enough.
Writing for Salvo magazine, Alexander Jech, a lecturer at the University of Virginia, discusses another way pornography impacts women and girls. "It is common for Christians to say that pornography is a form of idolatry. What is less well appreciated is how pornography, as a form of idolatry, affects the dignity that women hold in society." Instead of seeing themselves in the image of God, women begin to emulate the female images that saturate the culture.
Those images – seen in actresses, TV news anchors, pop stars, models – are often highly sexualized creatures. Whether it's Miley Cyrus's transformation from wholesome girl to Lady Gaga imitator, or the cleavage and short skirts exhibited by cable TV anchors, or everyday TV commercials, females flaunting their sexuality are hard to miss. By today's standards, Marilyn Monroe posing in her two-piece bathing suit seems almost prudish. Jech cites the book Female Chauvinist Pigs, by Ariel Levy, regarding how what Levy calls our "raunch culture" affects women and teenage girls. Levy believes that girls – in their dress and demeanor – have begun to emulate porn stars. They present to the world a "hyper-sexed image of themselves." They make sex objects of themselves.
By doing so, from a Christian perspective, women grow further and further away from the image of God. Jech writes: "Even as she gains power, she resembles God less and less, while this resemblance is the very basis of her dignity. She wills to become something she would never desire to be except under our present conditions of degradation."
I believe Jech is absolutely right. Dignity is not a quality most girls value. It's not a quality they see held in high regard, or modeled by our female cultural icons. To quote child expert and author Penelope Leach: children are apprentice people. Children and adolescents learn how to be adults by imitating them. A look at the role models most teenage girls come across on a regular basis is sobering. Jech writes that communities of faith must "provide a counter-cultural image of what it is to be a woman."
Looking at the website of the church friends of mine have recently started attending, I noticed a club for girls there called Handmaids of the Altar. They meet on a regular basis and, among other things, learn flower arranging and sewing for the church altar. The club's stated goal is to "try to develop an authentic femininity based on the special gifts that God has entrusted women. The stories of women in the Bible show how woman, in her deepest and original being, exists 'for the other.'"
Now that's counter-cultural! And it sounds like a good place to start.
COPYRIGHT AMERICAN FAMILY NEWS NETWORK 2010
Marcia Segelstein - OneNewsNow Columnist - 7/27/2010 8:00:00 AM
"Pornography is the drug of the millennium and more addictive than crack cocaine." So says Donna Rice Hughes, president of Enough is Enough, a nonprofit organization working to keep the Internet safe for children and families.
And while most people may think of men when they picture purveyors of pornography, women are joining their ranks in droves. A big part of the problem – for both men and women – is the easy accessibility of porn. Thanks to the Internet, it's not even necessary to leave your house. Anonymity feeds temptation.
A survey conducted in 2003 by Today's Christian Woman found that one out of every six women, including Christians, admits struggling with an addiction to pornography.
According to a 2006 poll by Internet Filter Review, every month 9.4 million women access adult websites, many of them doing so while at work.
Douglas Weiss is the executive director of Heart to Heart Counseling Center in Colorado Springs, and works with people addicted to pornography. One of the dangers of viewing such material on a regular basis is that people, according to Weiss, "will actually attach to sex as object relationships as opposed to intimate relationships. So they will actually hunger for object relationships, creating over time what we call intimacy anorexia." Object sex replaces relational sex. And when people become no more than objects, relationships naturally suffer. Healthy marriages are put at risk.
For resources, including faith-based ministries, on overcoming pornography addiction, check out the website for Enough is Enough.
Writing for Salvo magazine, Alexander Jech, a lecturer at the University of Virginia, discusses another way pornography impacts women and girls. "It is common for Christians to say that pornography is a form of idolatry. What is less well appreciated is how pornography, as a form of idolatry, affects the dignity that women hold in society." Instead of seeing themselves in the image of God, women begin to emulate the female images that saturate the culture.
Those images – seen in actresses, TV news anchors, pop stars, models – are often highly sexualized creatures. Whether it's Miley Cyrus's transformation from wholesome girl to Lady Gaga imitator, or the cleavage and short skirts exhibited by cable TV anchors, or everyday TV commercials, females flaunting their sexuality are hard to miss. By today's standards, Marilyn Monroe posing in her two-piece bathing suit seems almost prudish. Jech cites the book Female Chauvinist Pigs, by Ariel Levy, regarding how what Levy calls our "raunch culture" affects women and teenage girls. Levy believes that girls – in their dress and demeanor – have begun to emulate porn stars. They present to the world a "hyper-sexed image of themselves." They make sex objects of themselves.
By doing so, from a Christian perspective, women grow further and further away from the image of God. Jech writes: "Even as she gains power, she resembles God less and less, while this resemblance is the very basis of her dignity. She wills to become something she would never desire to be except under our present conditions of degradation."
I believe Jech is absolutely right. Dignity is not a quality most girls value. It's not a quality they see held in high regard, or modeled by our female cultural icons. To quote child expert and author Penelope Leach: children are apprentice people. Children and adolescents learn how to be adults by imitating them. A look at the role models most teenage girls come across on a regular basis is sobering. Jech writes that communities of faith must "provide a counter-cultural image of what it is to be a woman."
Looking at the website of the church friends of mine have recently started attending, I noticed a club for girls there called Handmaids of the Altar. They meet on a regular basis and, among other things, learn flower arranging and sewing for the church altar. The club's stated goal is to "try to develop an authentic femininity based on the special gifts that God has entrusted women. The stories of women in the Bible show how woman, in her deepest and original being, exists 'for the other.'"
Now that's counter-cultural! And it sounds like a good place to start.
COPYRIGHT AMERICAN FAMILY NEWS NETWORK 2010
FROM ONE NEWS NOW/AFA
AZ law simply good business practice
Chad Groening - OneNewsNow - 7/27/2010 5:00:00 AM
An immigration reform activist says Arizona Governor Jan Brewer hit the nail on the head recently when she called the owner of the Phoenix Suns basketball team to task for his opposition to the state's tough immigration enforcement bill.
Governor Jan Brewer has been attacked from various groups inside and outside her state for boldly standing up for SB 1070, which is scheduled to take effect on Thursday (July 29) but is facing court challenges from the Obama administration and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Among those who have criticized the bill is Robert Sarver, the owner of the NBA's Phoenix Suns. In a May 2010 interview with ESPN, Sarver said the law calls into question "our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law" and will cause Arizona's economy to suffer setbacks at a time when the state is already in economic distress.
But Governor Brewer recently crafted a response to the basketball mogul, asking him what would happen if (1) hordes of gate-crashers sneaked into Suns' games without paying and (2) the team could not ask for ticket stubs but would have to provide those people free food and drinks at the game and even be forced to provide free medical care if they were injured at the game.
Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform says the governor was right on the money.
"It's a perfect metaphor for what has been taking place in this country for a long, long time," he remarks. "If this was happening to a private enterprise like the Phoenix Suns, the ownership simply wouldn't tolerate it -- and for very good reason: it is money out of their own pockets."
"...There is no reason why we as a nation should be treated any differently than Mr. Sarver is in his money-making enterprise," Mehlman concludes.
The National Basketball Association is made up of 30 franchises. In December 2009 the Suns were ranked as the ninth most-valuable team with a value of $429 million. Sarver himself is among the wealthiest individuals who live in San Diego.
Chad Groening - OneNewsNow - 7/27/2010 5:00:00 AM
An immigration reform activist says Arizona Governor Jan Brewer hit the nail on the head recently when she called the owner of the Phoenix Suns basketball team to task for his opposition to the state's tough immigration enforcement bill.
Governor Jan Brewer has been attacked from various groups inside and outside her state for boldly standing up for SB 1070, which is scheduled to take effect on Thursday (July 29) but is facing court challenges from the Obama administration and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Among those who have criticized the bill is Robert Sarver, the owner of the NBA's Phoenix Suns. In a May 2010 interview with ESPN, Sarver said the law calls into question "our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law" and will cause Arizona's economy to suffer setbacks at a time when the state is already in economic distress.
But Governor Brewer recently crafted a response to the basketball mogul, asking him what would happen if (1) hordes of gate-crashers sneaked into Suns' games without paying and (2) the team could not ask for ticket stubs but would have to provide those people free food and drinks at the game and even be forced to provide free medical care if they were injured at the game.
Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform says the governor was right on the money.
"It's a perfect metaphor for what has been taking place in this country for a long, long time," he remarks. "If this was happening to a private enterprise like the Phoenix Suns, the ownership simply wouldn't tolerate it -- and for very good reason: it is money out of their own pockets."
"...There is no reason why we as a nation should be treated any differently than Mr. Sarver is in his money-making enterprise," Mehlman concludes.
The National Basketball Association is made up of 30 franchises. In December 2009 the Suns were ranked as the ninth most-valuable team with a value of $429 million. Sarver himself is among the wealthiest individuals who live in San Diego.
THE PLAN
SUBJECT: Robin Williams' The Plan
HAVE TO LOVE HIM....A MUST READ...READ THIS!
The Plan!
Robin Williams, wearing a shirt that says 'I love New York ' in Arabic.
You gotta love Robin Williams........Even if he's nuts! Leave it to Robin Williams to come up with the perfect plan. What we need now is for our UN Ambassador to stand up and repeat this message.
Robin Williams' plan...(Hard to argue with this logic!)
'I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, here's one plan.'
1) 'The US, UK , CANADA and AUSTRALIA will apologize to the world for our 'interference' in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those 'good 'ole' boys', we will never 'interfere' again.
2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany , South Korea , the Middle East , and the Philippines . They don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes in the fence.
3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of whom or where they are from. They're illegal!!! France will welcome them.
4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers.
5) No foreign 'students' over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a 'D' and it's back home baby.
6) The US, UK , CANADA and AUSTRALIA will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing nonpolluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while
7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else. They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.)
8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not 'interfere.' They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides most of what we give them is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything.
9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.
10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us 'Ugly Americans' any longer. The Language we speak is ENGLISH..learn it...or LEAVE...Now, isn't that a winner of a plan?
'The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.' She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece of me?' '
If you agree with the above, forward it to friends...If not, and I would be amazed if you DELETED it!!
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sorry the Picture of Robin Williams wearing the t-shirt, would not down-load. Sorry. This was E-Mailed to me. In Christ, Rev. Londa
HAVE TO LOVE HIM....A MUST READ...READ THIS!
The Plan!
Robin Williams, wearing a shirt that says 'I love New York ' in Arabic.
You gotta love Robin Williams........Even if he's nuts! Leave it to Robin Williams to come up with the perfect plan. What we need now is for our UN Ambassador to stand up and repeat this message.
Robin Williams' plan...(Hard to argue with this logic!)
'I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, here's one plan.'
1) 'The US, UK , CANADA and AUSTRALIA will apologize to the world for our 'interference' in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those 'good 'ole' boys', we will never 'interfere' again.
2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany , South Korea , the Middle East , and the Philippines . They don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes in the fence.
3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of whom or where they are from. They're illegal!!! France will welcome them.
4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers.
5) No foreign 'students' over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a 'D' and it's back home baby.
6) The US, UK , CANADA and AUSTRALIA will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing nonpolluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while
7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else. They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.)
8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not 'interfere.' They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides most of what we give them is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything.
9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.
10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us 'Ugly Americans' any longer. The Language we speak is ENGLISH..learn it...or LEAVE...Now, isn't that a winner of a plan?
'The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.' She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece of me?' '
If you agree with the above, forward it to friends...If not, and I would be amazed if you DELETED it!!
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sorry the Picture of Robin Williams wearing the t-shirt, would not down-load. Sorry. This was E-Mailed to me. In Christ, Rev. Londa
BRAZILIAN CHURCH TO REBUILD SOLOMON'S TEMPLE
Headline News
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 Israel Today Staff
Brazilian church to rebuild Solomon's Temple
A church in Sao Paulo, Brazil is planning to recreate Israel's First Temple, which was built by the biblical King Solomon some three thousand years ago and destroyed by the Babylonians 400 years later.
The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God announced that the $113 million project will follow the biblical specifications for the First Temple, even down to the particular method that was proscribed for cutting the building stones.
The 12-floor main building will have a capacity of 10,000.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 Israel Today Staff
Brazilian church to rebuild Solomon's Temple
A church in Sao Paulo, Brazil is planning to recreate Israel's First Temple, which was built by the biblical King Solomon some three thousand years ago and destroyed by the Babylonians 400 years later.
The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God announced that the $113 million project will follow the biblical specifications for the First Temple, even down to the particular method that was proscribed for cutting the building stones.
The 12-floor main building will have a capacity of 10,000.
Monday, July 26, 2010
November
If there were ever anything worth putting on your refrigerator door to daily remind us of
what we have to do come November, this is it...
Subject:
Retribution is less than 5 months away!
Take a look at this and just remember elections in November 2010.
U..S. House & Senate have voted themselves $4,700 and $5,300 raises.
They voted to NOT give you a S.S. Cost of living raise in 2010 and 2011.
Your Medicare premiums will go up $285.60 for the 2-years
You will not get the 3% COLA: $660/yr.
Your total 2-yr loss and cost is -$1,600 or -$3,200 for husband and wife.
Over these same 2-years each Congress person will get $10,000
Do you feel used?
Will they have your cost of drugs - doctor fees - local taxes - food, etc, decrease?
NO WAY.
Congress received a raise and has better health and retirement benefits than you or I.
Why should they care about you?
You never did anything about it in the past.
Send the message to these individuals --- “YOU'RE FIRED!”
In 2010 you will have a chance to get rid of the sitting Congress: up to 1/3 of the Senate and 100% of the House!
Make sure you're still mad in November 2010 and remind their replacements not to screw-up..
It is ok to forward this to your sphere of influence if you are finally tired of the abuse. Maybe it's time for Amendment 28 to the Constitution.
"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States ."
Let's get this passed around, folks - these people in Washington have brought this upon themselves! It's time for retribution. Let's take back America ..
If you don't forward this to all your friends you're just part of the problem of national apathy.
_____________________________________________________________________________
e=mailed to me
what we have to do come November, this is it...
Subject:
Retribution is less than 5 months away!
Take a look at this and just remember elections in November 2010.
U..S. House & Senate have voted themselves $4,700 and $5,300 raises.
They voted to NOT give you a S.S. Cost of living raise in 2010 and 2011.
Your Medicare premiums will go up $285.60 for the 2-years
You will not get the 3% COLA: $660/yr.
Your total 2-yr loss and cost is -$1,600 or -$3,200 for husband and wife.
Over these same 2-years each Congress person will get $10,000
Do you feel used?
Will they have your cost of drugs - doctor fees - local taxes - food, etc, decrease?
NO WAY.
Congress received a raise and has better health and retirement benefits than you or I.
Why should they care about you?
You never did anything about it in the past.
Send the message to these individuals --- “YOU'RE FIRED!”
In 2010 you will have a chance to get rid of the sitting Congress: up to 1/3 of the Senate and 100% of the House!
Make sure you're still mad in November 2010 and remind their replacements not to screw-up..
It is ok to forward this to your sphere of influence if you are finally tired of the abuse. Maybe it's time for Amendment 28 to the Constitution.
"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States ."
Let's get this passed around, folks - these people in Washington have brought this upon themselves! It's time for retribution. Let's take back America ..
If you don't forward this to all your friends you're just part of the problem of national apathy.
_____________________________________________________________________________
e=mailed to me
Sunday, July 25, 2010
PRAYER REQUEST!! ONE NEWS NOW/AFA
PLEASE, PRAY FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS FAMILIES THAT WERE KILLED IN ACTION. ALSO PRAY FOR THE FELLOW FIREFIGHTERS THAT WORKED WITH THE BOTH OF THEM.
IN JESUS NAME, Rev. Londa
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Flags lowered for 2 Conn. firefighters who died
- 7/25/2010 8:52:44 PM
Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell has ordered flags at half-staff in honor of two Bridgeport firefighters who died battling a house fire.
Forty-year-old Lt. Steven Velasquez and 49-year-old Michel (MIHCH' ul) Baik were dispatched Saturday to the third floor of the residence to rip down the ceiling, reach hot spots and search for anyone trapped. City fire officials say the two men were found unconscious after they sent out mayday calls. They were pronounced dead at hospitals.
Fire Captain Ed McCann told The Hartford Courant that smoke inhalation may have caused the deaths. Autopsies are to be performed. No residents of the house were injured.
The governor said Sunday that flags will remain lowered until sundown on the day of the firefighters' funerals, which have not yet been set.
IN JESUS NAME, Rev. Londa
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Flags lowered for 2 Conn. firefighters who died
- 7/25/2010 8:52:44 PM
Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell has ordered flags at half-staff in honor of two Bridgeport firefighters who died battling a house fire.
Forty-year-old Lt. Steven Velasquez and 49-year-old Michel (MIHCH' ul) Baik were dispatched Saturday to the third floor of the residence to rip down the ceiling, reach hot spots and search for anyone trapped. City fire officials say the two men were found unconscious after they sent out mayday calls. They were pronounced dead at hospitals.
Fire Captain Ed McCann told The Hartford Courant that smoke inhalation may have caused the deaths. Autopsies are to be performed. No residents of the house were injured.
The governor said Sunday that flags will remain lowered until sundown on the day of the firefighters' funerals, which have not yet been set.
PRAYER REQUEST!! ONE NEWS NOW/AFA
PLEASE, PRAY FOR THE 2 MISSING SAILOR IN AMKABUL, AFGHANISTAN. PRAY THAT THE BOYS WILL BE FOUND SAFE & SOUND. PLEASE PRAY TO BE WITH THEIR FAMILIES. ALSO, PRAY FOR THE FAMILY OF THE SOLDIER THAT WAS KILLED WHEN THE THREE CAME UNDER FIRE.
Taliban: 1 missing US trooper dead, other captured
Rahim Faiez - Associated Press Writer - 7/25/2010 6:40:00 AMKABUL, Afghanistan - The Taliban have offered to exchange the body of a U.S. Navy member they said was killed in an ambush two days ago in exchange for insurgent prisoners, an Afghan official said Sunday.
U.S. and NATO officials confirmed that two American Navy personnel went missing Friday in the eastern province of Logar, after an armored sports utility vehicle was seen driving into a Taliban-held area.
In a telephone interview Sunday with The Associated Press, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the pair drove into an area under insurgent control, prompting a brief gunfight in which one American was killed and the other was captured. He said both were taken to a "safe area" and "are in the hands of the Taliban."
Mujahid made no mention of any offer to exchange the pair for Taliban prisoners. A local Afghan officials said the Taliban sent a message through intermediaries offering to hand over the body in exchange for jailed insurgents.
Abdul Wali, the head of the provincial governing council, said local authorities responded by saying, "Let's talk about the one that is still alive." The insurgents said they would have to talk to superiors before making any deal.
Hundreds of posters of the two missing sailors have been hung at checkpoints throughout Logar province where NATO troops are stopping vehicles, searching people, peering inside windows and searching trunks.
The posters, with photographs of the missing sailors, state: "This American troop is missing. He was last seen in a white Land Cruiser vehicle. If you have any information about this solider, kindly contact the Logar Joint Coordination Center," run by coalition and Afghan forces. A phone number is listed along with information about a $20,000 reward being offered for information leading to their location.
The photographs show one clean-shaven sailor wearing a soft cap and another with short-cropped hair, wearing a blue civilian shirt and a white undershirt.
"Last night coalition helicopters were flying patrols," said Din Mohammed Darkish, spokesman for the provincial governor of Logar. "Our latest, accurate information reports are that they are still in the area."
He said the governor's office was upset because the two Americans left their base without notifying Afghan security forces in Logar.
"Normally, when Americans are leaving, they inform our security forces. This was an abnormal situation," Darwesh said.
Earlier Sunday, Muhajid, the Taliban spokesman, told the AP that he had no information about U.S. sailors in Taliban hands. He said he would look into the reports. He claimed responsibility in a subsequent conversation.
That suggested that the Friday attack was a spur-of-the-moment move and that the militants are trying to figure out what to do about it.
The two sailors left their compound in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in a vehicle Friday afternoon, but never returned, NATO said in a statement.
A NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the event, confirmed the two were Navy personnel, but would not identify their unit to avoid jeopardizing search operations. The official said it was unclear what the two were doing or what would lead them to leave their compound. The official would not say whether the two were on official business.
Samer Gul, the chief of Logar's Charkh district, said a four-wheel drive armored sports utility vehicle was seen Friday night by a guard working for the district chief's office. The guard tried to flag down the vehicle, carrying a driver and a passenger, but it kept going, Gul said.
"They stopped in the main bazaar of Charkh district. The Taliban saw them in the bazaar," Gul said. "They didn't touch them in the bazaar, but notified other Taliban that a four-wheel vehicle was coming their way."
The second group of Taliban tried to stop the vehicle, but when it didn't, insurgents opened fire and the occupants in the vehicle shot back, he said.
Gul said there is a well-paved road that leads into the Taliban area and suggested the Americans may have mistaken that for the main highway _ which is much older and more dilapidated
The only U.S. service member known to be in Taliban captivity is Spc. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, who disappeared June 30, 2009, in neighboring Paktika province, an area heavily infiltrated by the Haqqani network, which has deep links to al-Qaida. He has since appeared on videos posted on Taliban websites confirming his captivity.
New York Times reporter David Rohde was also kidnapped in Logar province while trying to make contact with a Taliban commander. He and an Afghan colleague escaped in June 2009 after seven months in captivity, most of it spent in Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan.
Also, Saturday night in Logar, Afghan and coalition security forces detained two suspected insurgents in a clearing operation, NATO said Sunday. It was unclear whether the operation was directly tied to the search for the two missing sailors.
In the northeast, meanwhile, insurgents recaptured a remote district of Nuristan province that has bounced between government and Taliban control in recent months.
Afghan police retreated from Barg-e-Matal before dawn Sunday after days of heavy fighting in which at least five officers were killed, said Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary.
"The pressure of the attack was heavy on them," Bashary said. He said they pulled back in order to prevent further casualties and were planning a counteroffensive from an area close to the district.
Taliban: 1 missing US trooper dead, other captured
Rahim Faiez - Associated Press Writer - 7/25/2010 6:40:00 AMKABUL, Afghanistan - The Taliban have offered to exchange the body of a U.S. Navy member they said was killed in an ambush two days ago in exchange for insurgent prisoners, an Afghan official said Sunday.
U.S. and NATO officials confirmed that two American Navy personnel went missing Friday in the eastern province of Logar, after an armored sports utility vehicle was seen driving into a Taliban-held area.
In a telephone interview Sunday with The Associated Press, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the pair drove into an area under insurgent control, prompting a brief gunfight in which one American was killed and the other was captured. He said both were taken to a "safe area" and "are in the hands of the Taliban."
Mujahid made no mention of any offer to exchange the pair for Taliban prisoners. A local Afghan officials said the Taliban sent a message through intermediaries offering to hand over the body in exchange for jailed insurgents.
Abdul Wali, the head of the provincial governing council, said local authorities responded by saying, "Let's talk about the one that is still alive." The insurgents said they would have to talk to superiors before making any deal.
Hundreds of posters of the two missing sailors have been hung at checkpoints throughout Logar province where NATO troops are stopping vehicles, searching people, peering inside windows and searching trunks.
The posters, with photographs of the missing sailors, state: "This American troop is missing. He was last seen in a white Land Cruiser vehicle. If you have any information about this solider, kindly contact the Logar Joint Coordination Center," run by coalition and Afghan forces. A phone number is listed along with information about a $20,000 reward being offered for information leading to their location.
The photographs show one clean-shaven sailor wearing a soft cap and another with short-cropped hair, wearing a blue civilian shirt and a white undershirt.
"Last night coalition helicopters were flying patrols," said Din Mohammed Darkish, spokesman for the provincial governor of Logar. "Our latest, accurate information reports are that they are still in the area."
He said the governor's office was upset because the two Americans left their base without notifying Afghan security forces in Logar.
"Normally, when Americans are leaving, they inform our security forces. This was an abnormal situation," Darwesh said.
Earlier Sunday, Muhajid, the Taliban spokesman, told the AP that he had no information about U.S. sailors in Taliban hands. He said he would look into the reports. He claimed responsibility in a subsequent conversation.
That suggested that the Friday attack was a spur-of-the-moment move and that the militants are trying to figure out what to do about it.
The two sailors left their compound in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in a vehicle Friday afternoon, but never returned, NATO said in a statement.
A NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the event, confirmed the two were Navy personnel, but would not identify their unit to avoid jeopardizing search operations. The official said it was unclear what the two were doing or what would lead them to leave their compound. The official would not say whether the two were on official business.
Samer Gul, the chief of Logar's Charkh district, said a four-wheel drive armored sports utility vehicle was seen Friday night by a guard working for the district chief's office. The guard tried to flag down the vehicle, carrying a driver and a passenger, but it kept going, Gul said.
"They stopped in the main bazaar of Charkh district. The Taliban saw them in the bazaar," Gul said. "They didn't touch them in the bazaar, but notified other Taliban that a four-wheel vehicle was coming their way."
The second group of Taliban tried to stop the vehicle, but when it didn't, insurgents opened fire and the occupants in the vehicle shot back, he said.
Gul said there is a well-paved road that leads into the Taliban area and suggested the Americans may have mistaken that for the main highway _ which is much older and more dilapidated
The only U.S. service member known to be in Taliban captivity is Spc. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, who disappeared June 30, 2009, in neighboring Paktika province, an area heavily infiltrated by the Haqqani network, which has deep links to al-Qaida. He has since appeared on videos posted on Taliban websites confirming his captivity.
New York Times reporter David Rohde was also kidnapped in Logar province while trying to make contact with a Taliban commander. He and an Afghan colleague escaped in June 2009 after seven months in captivity, most of it spent in Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan.
Also, Saturday night in Logar, Afghan and coalition security forces detained two suspected insurgents in a clearing operation, NATO said Sunday. It was unclear whether the operation was directly tied to the search for the two missing sailors.
In the northeast, meanwhile, insurgents recaptured a remote district of Nuristan province that has bounced between government and Taliban control in recent months.
Afghan police retreated from Barg-e-Matal before dawn Sunday after days of heavy fighting in which at least five officers were killed, said Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary.
"The pressure of the attack was heavy on them," Bashary said. He said they pulled back in order to prevent further casualties and were planning a counteroffensive from an area close to the district.
FROM ONE NEWS NOW/AFA
House Church: Skip the sermon, worship at home
Linda Stewart Ball - Associated Press Writer - 7/25/2010 6:20:00 AMDALLAS - To get to church on a recent Sunday morning, the Yeldell family walked no farther than their own living room to greet fellow worshippers.
The members of this "house church" are part of what experts say is a fundamental shift in the way U.S. Christians think about church. Skip the sermons, costly church buildings and large, faceless crowds, they say. House church is about relationships forged in small faith communities.
In general, house churches consist of 12 to 15 people who share what's going on in their lives, often turning to Scriptures for guidance. They rely on the Holy Spirit or spontaneity to lead the direction of their weekly gatherings.
"I think part of the appeal for some in the house church movement is the desire to return to a simpler expression of church," said Ed Stetzer, a seminary professor and president of Lifeway Research, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. "For many, church has become too much (like a) business while they just want to live like the Bible."
House church proponents claim their small groups are sort of a throwback to the early Christian church in that they have no clergy and everyone is expected to contribute to the teaching, singing and praying.
They are more commonly seen in countries where Christianity is not the dominant religion. Organizers say they're just starting to take off in the U.S.
A study by the Barna Group, a firm specializing in data on religion and society, estimates that 6 million to 12 million Americans attend house churches. A survey last year by the Pew Forum found that 9 percent of American Protestants only attended home services.
"The only consistent thing about house church is that each one is different," said Robin Yeldell, who, in 2006, left a traditional church where he was a missions committee chairman.
The gathering at the Yeldell's home is a lively, sometimes chaotic event, with noisy and mostly happy young children flitting about.
After a time of fellowship, everyone gravitates to the kitchen table to observe the Eucharist with prayer, pinched-off pieces of sourdough bread and red wine in plastic cups. There's grape juice for the kids.
The celebration continues with a potluck meal. When they return to the living room, one member picks up a guitar to strum praise-and-worship songs that others softly sing.
Sparked by a previous discussion about whether they should start collecting an offering for the needy, Yeldell shares a Power Point presentation he created about "corporate giving" on his big screen TV.
The majority seems averse to a regular offering, preferring to take up a collection only when a need or charitable cause arises.
As if on cue, Sean Allen, a laid-off welder who is now homeless with health issues, joined their gathering late. The soft-spoken 39-year-old said he had been sick and struggling to pay some bills.
"I'm just here," Allen told fellow worshippers. "Do what you want. Let the Lord lead your heart."
Allen, who recently converted to Christianity from Islam, said a friend at a traditional church introduced him to the house church, which he prefers and occasionally attends because "they're more down to earth."
A few people agreed to write checks directly to the companies Allen owes while some debated whether money is the best way to help the man. A couple with five young children told him they couldn't afford to assist financially but he was always welcome to join them in their home for meals.
"I'd say the vast majority of house churches we know are Christians honestly trying to live 24-7 for Jesus," said Tony Dale of Austin. He and his wife, Felicity, are pioneers in the American house church movement which is also referred to as home church, organic church or simple church.
There aren't any signs out front so house churches are difficult to find. Prospective worshippers usually locate them by searching the Internet or through word of mouth.
Members rotate the services from house to house and take turns facilitating the gatherings. Anything more than about 15 people and the small group loses its ability to interact with each person, churchgoers say.
When they get too large, they divide and multiply.
"We view it as natural to grow, flourish and disband into three or four new ones," Dale said. "Not everything multiplies. Sometimes it shrinks and dies."
Sometimes congregations with diverse religious backgrounds break up over doctrinal issues or personality conflicts, moving on until they find or create a better fit.
In Texas, home to several megachurches, the house church movement is beginning to catch on, judging from the chatter on social networking sites and interest in a national house church conference organized by House2House Ministries held in the Dallas area in recent years.
"Often when you see a trend (like the growing number of megachurches) you see a counter-trend, like the proliferation of micro-churches," Stetzer said.
The Dales are among those actively working to bring mega- and micro-churches together.
Tony Dale cites the Apex Community Church in Dayton, Ohio, and The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin as examples of the complementary approach. They operate a network of dozens of small house churches, which can band together to become big.
Some who embrace the concept "have become kind of disillusioned, maybe bored with what's going on in traditional church and looking for a way to be more passionate in church," said Dale, who co-founded House2House magazine.
Bill Benninghoff of Arlington, a former pastor of charismatic churches in Texas and North Carolina, has been attending house churches exclusively since 2005.
"You get to know people in their good and bad times," said Benninghoff, a software engineer. "You get to pray with one another and have an incredible sense of camaraderie and community."
Benninghoff said he and his wife "felt lost in the big church on Sunday."
Reggie McNeal, a church leadership consultant based in South Carolina, said many people experimenting with house church have been doing so "under the radar," especially in Bible Belt states.
"It's kind of seen as an alternative or radical kind or approach," he said. "An increasing number of people are saying that they don't want to go to (any) church so there better be a way for church to just be where people already are."
Although house churches emphasize shared leadership and lack hierarchy, there doesn't seem to be a backlash from accredited seminaries devoted to training clergy to take leadership roles in traditional churches.
Dr. Nancy Ramsay, executive vice president and dean of Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth said interpreting Scripture for people of faith is an important responsibility but they respect those who see it differently.
"I wouldn't want to say that we feel threatened by that," Ramsay said. "We are concerned."
She stressed that a greater challenge for various denominations is being able to financially support a full-time religious leader during these tough economic times.
House church advocates say that's not an issue for them because they don't have paid professional leaders.
"You don't have to be dependent upon someone you hear at church to translate for you," said author Neil Cole, who directs Church Multiplication Associates in Southern California, which has helped start hundreds of organic churches in the U.S. and abroad.
"God is capable of speaking your language and talking to you where you live and I think that's attractive to people," Cole said.
Linda Stewart Ball - Associated Press Writer - 7/25/2010 6:20:00 AMDALLAS - To get to church on a recent Sunday morning, the Yeldell family walked no farther than their own living room to greet fellow worshippers.
The members of this "house church" are part of what experts say is a fundamental shift in the way U.S. Christians think about church. Skip the sermons, costly church buildings and large, faceless crowds, they say. House church is about relationships forged in small faith communities.
In general, house churches consist of 12 to 15 people who share what's going on in their lives, often turning to Scriptures for guidance. They rely on the Holy Spirit or spontaneity to lead the direction of their weekly gatherings.
"I think part of the appeal for some in the house church movement is the desire to return to a simpler expression of church," said Ed Stetzer, a seminary professor and president of Lifeway Research, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. "For many, church has become too much (like a) business while they just want to live like the Bible."
House church proponents claim their small groups are sort of a throwback to the early Christian church in that they have no clergy and everyone is expected to contribute to the teaching, singing and praying.
They are more commonly seen in countries where Christianity is not the dominant religion. Organizers say they're just starting to take off in the U.S.
A study by the Barna Group, a firm specializing in data on religion and society, estimates that 6 million to 12 million Americans attend house churches. A survey last year by the Pew Forum found that 9 percent of American Protestants only attended home services.
"The only consistent thing about house church is that each one is different," said Robin Yeldell, who, in 2006, left a traditional church where he was a missions committee chairman.
The gathering at the Yeldell's home is a lively, sometimes chaotic event, with noisy and mostly happy young children flitting about.
After a time of fellowship, everyone gravitates to the kitchen table to observe the Eucharist with prayer, pinched-off pieces of sourdough bread and red wine in plastic cups. There's grape juice for the kids.
The celebration continues with a potluck meal. When they return to the living room, one member picks up a guitar to strum praise-and-worship songs that others softly sing.
Sparked by a previous discussion about whether they should start collecting an offering for the needy, Yeldell shares a Power Point presentation he created about "corporate giving" on his big screen TV.
The majority seems averse to a regular offering, preferring to take up a collection only when a need or charitable cause arises.
As if on cue, Sean Allen, a laid-off welder who is now homeless with health issues, joined their gathering late. The soft-spoken 39-year-old said he had been sick and struggling to pay some bills.
"I'm just here," Allen told fellow worshippers. "Do what you want. Let the Lord lead your heart."
Allen, who recently converted to Christianity from Islam, said a friend at a traditional church introduced him to the house church, which he prefers and occasionally attends because "they're more down to earth."
A few people agreed to write checks directly to the companies Allen owes while some debated whether money is the best way to help the man. A couple with five young children told him they couldn't afford to assist financially but he was always welcome to join them in their home for meals.
"I'd say the vast majority of house churches we know are Christians honestly trying to live 24-7 for Jesus," said Tony Dale of Austin. He and his wife, Felicity, are pioneers in the American house church movement which is also referred to as home church, organic church or simple church.
There aren't any signs out front so house churches are difficult to find. Prospective worshippers usually locate them by searching the Internet or through word of mouth.
Members rotate the services from house to house and take turns facilitating the gatherings. Anything more than about 15 people and the small group loses its ability to interact with each person, churchgoers say.
When they get too large, they divide and multiply.
"We view it as natural to grow, flourish and disband into three or four new ones," Dale said. "Not everything multiplies. Sometimes it shrinks and dies."
Sometimes congregations with diverse religious backgrounds break up over doctrinal issues or personality conflicts, moving on until they find or create a better fit.
In Texas, home to several megachurches, the house church movement is beginning to catch on, judging from the chatter on social networking sites and interest in a national house church conference organized by House2House Ministries held in the Dallas area in recent years.
"Often when you see a trend (like the growing number of megachurches) you see a counter-trend, like the proliferation of micro-churches," Stetzer said.
The Dales are among those actively working to bring mega- and micro-churches together.
Tony Dale cites the Apex Community Church in Dayton, Ohio, and The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin as examples of the complementary approach. They operate a network of dozens of small house churches, which can band together to become big.
Some who embrace the concept "have become kind of disillusioned, maybe bored with what's going on in traditional church and looking for a way to be more passionate in church," said Dale, who co-founded House2House magazine.
Bill Benninghoff of Arlington, a former pastor of charismatic churches in Texas and North Carolina, has been attending house churches exclusively since 2005.
"You get to know people in their good and bad times," said Benninghoff, a software engineer. "You get to pray with one another and have an incredible sense of camaraderie and community."
Benninghoff said he and his wife "felt lost in the big church on Sunday."
Reggie McNeal, a church leadership consultant based in South Carolina, said many people experimenting with house church have been doing so "under the radar," especially in Bible Belt states.
"It's kind of seen as an alternative or radical kind or approach," he said. "An increasing number of people are saying that they don't want to go to (any) church so there better be a way for church to just be where people already are."
Although house churches emphasize shared leadership and lack hierarchy, there doesn't seem to be a backlash from accredited seminaries devoted to training clergy to take leadership roles in traditional churches.
Dr. Nancy Ramsay, executive vice president and dean of Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth said interpreting Scripture for people of faith is an important responsibility but they respect those who see it differently.
"I wouldn't want to say that we feel threatened by that," Ramsay said. "We are concerned."
She stressed that a greater challenge for various denominations is being able to financially support a full-time religious leader during these tough economic times.
House church advocates say that's not an issue for them because they don't have paid professional leaders.
"You don't have to be dependent upon someone you hear at church to translate for you," said author Neil Cole, who directs Church Multiplication Associates in Southern California, which has helped start hundreds of organic churches in the U.S. and abroad.
"God is capable of speaking your language and talking to you where you live and I think that's attractive to people," Cole said.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
COMMENT
This is a comment I got when I posted What Prophecy is & isn't From Stand For Isreal. I copied it as I had received it. I did NOT check this out. It was a comment left.
Rev. Londa
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Anonymous said...
OBAMA AVOIDS BIBLE VERSES
Here are some Bible verses that Pres. Obama avoids:
Proverbs 19:10 (NIV): "It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury - how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!"
Also Proverbs 30:22 (NIV) which says that the earth cannot bear up under "a servant who becomes king."
And Ecclesiastes 5:2-3 (KJV) advises: "let thy words be few...a fool's voice is known by multitude of words."
Although Obama is not descended from slaves, he may feel that he's destined to become a black-slavery avenger.
Or maybe an enslaver of all free citizens!
For the brain-dead, pro-murder politicians in Washington DeCeased who fix Social Security by voting to abort millions who otherwise could be paying into SS (!), I have two pro-life slogans I thought up:
"Unborn babies should have the right to keep and bear arms - and legs and ears and eyes etc.!" and "Unborn babies should have the same right to be born alive that abortionists had!"
For more insights, Google "Obama Supports Public Depravity" and "Mayor 'Napoleon' Bloomberg." Also Google "Pretrib Rapture Secrecy" and "Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty."
[Read the above on the net - Ruth]
Rev. Londa
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Anonymous said...
OBAMA AVOIDS BIBLE VERSES
Here are some Bible verses that Pres. Obama avoids:
Proverbs 19:10 (NIV): "It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury - how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!"
Also Proverbs 30:22 (NIV) which says that the earth cannot bear up under "a servant who becomes king."
And Ecclesiastes 5:2-3 (KJV) advises: "let thy words be few...a fool's voice is known by multitude of words."
Although Obama is not descended from slaves, he may feel that he's destined to become a black-slavery avenger.
Or maybe an enslaver of all free citizens!
For the brain-dead, pro-murder politicians in Washington DeCeased who fix Social Security by voting to abort millions who otherwise could be paying into SS (!), I have two pro-life slogans I thought up:
"Unborn babies should have the right to keep and bear arms - and legs and ears and eyes etc.!" and "Unborn babies should have the same right to be born alive that abortionists had!"
For more insights, Google "Obama Supports Public Depravity" and "Mayor 'Napoleon' Bloomberg." Also Google "Pretrib Rapture Secrecy" and "Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty."
[Read the above on the net - Ruth]
Rick Mathes - author
This is a true story and the author, Rick Mathes,
is a well-known leader in prison ministry.
The man who walks with God always gets to his destination. If you have a pulse you have a purpose. The Muslim religion is the fastest growing religion per capita in the United States, especially in the minority races!!
Last month I attended my annual training session
that's required for maintaining my state prison security clearance. During the training session there was a presentation by three speakers representing the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim faiths, who explained each of their beliefs. I was particularly interested in what the Islamic had to say.
The Muslim gave a great representation of the basics of Islam, complete with a video. After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers. When it was my turn, I directed my question to the Muslim and asked: 'Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Imams and clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against the infidels of the world and, that by killing an infidel, (which is a command to all Muslims) they are assured of a place in heaven. If that's the case, can you give me the definition of an infidel?' There was no disagreement with my statements and, without hesitation, he replied, 'Non-believers!'
I responded, 'So, let me make sure I have this straight. All followers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can have a place in heaven. Is that correct?' The expression on his face changed from one of authority and command to that of a little boy who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.' He sheepishly replied, 'Yes.'
I then stated, 'Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine Pope John Paul commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Dr. Stanley ordering all Protestants to do the same in order to guarantee them a place in heaven!' The Muslim was speechless! I continued, 'I also have a problem with being your friend when you and your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me!
Let me ask you a question: Would you rather have your Allah, who tells you to kill me in order for you to go to heaven, or my Jesus who tells me to love you because I am going to heaven and He wants you to be there with me?'
You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame. Needless to say, the organizers and/or promoters of the 'Diversification' training seminar were not happy with my way of dealing with the Islamic Imam, and exposing the truth about the Muslims' beliefs.
In twenty years there will be enough Muslim voters in the U.S. to elect the President! I think everyone in the U.S. should be required to read this, but with the ACLU, there is no way this will be widely publicized, unless each of us send it on! This is your chance to make a difference...
FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! SEND THIS ON . . . .. . ..
is a well-known leader in prison ministry.
The man who walks with God always gets to his destination. If you have a pulse you have a purpose. The Muslim religion is the fastest growing religion per capita in the United States, especially in the minority races!!
Last month I attended my annual training session
that's required for maintaining my state prison security clearance. During the training session there was a presentation by three speakers representing the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim faiths, who explained each of their beliefs. I was particularly interested in what the Islamic had to say.
The Muslim gave a great representation of the basics of Islam, complete with a video. After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers. When it was my turn, I directed my question to the Muslim and asked: 'Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Imams and clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against the infidels of the world and, that by killing an infidel, (which is a command to all Muslims) they are assured of a place in heaven. If that's the case, can you give me the definition of an infidel?' There was no disagreement with my statements and, without hesitation, he replied, 'Non-believers!'
I responded, 'So, let me make sure I have this straight. All followers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can have a place in heaven. Is that correct?' The expression on his face changed from one of authority and command to that of a little boy who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.' He sheepishly replied, 'Yes.'
I then stated, 'Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine Pope John Paul commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Dr. Stanley ordering all Protestants to do the same in order to guarantee them a place in heaven!' The Muslim was speechless! I continued, 'I also have a problem with being your friend when you and your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me!
Let me ask you a question: Would you rather have your Allah, who tells you to kill me in order for you to go to heaven, or my Jesus who tells me to love you because I am going to heaven and He wants you to be there with me?'
You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame. Needless to say, the organizers and/or promoters of the 'Diversification' training seminar were not happy with my way of dealing with the Islamic Imam, and exposing the truth about the Muslims' beliefs.
In twenty years there will be enough Muslim voters in the U.S. to elect the President! I think everyone in the U.S. should be required to read this, but with the ACLU, there is no way this will be widely publicized, unless each of us send it on! This is your chance to make a difference...
FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! SEND THIS ON . . . .. . ..
PSALMS 8
008:001 O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
008:002 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
008:003 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
008:004 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
008:005 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
008:006 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
008:007 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
008:008 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
008:009 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
That is really something when you think how excellent is His name. And He gave us that Name to use. That Jesus put everything under His feet. Psalms 8:6 does say ALL not some but all things!! So yes His Name is excellent! That is a praise toward our God!! Thank you God for making Your name excellent.
In Jesus Name,
Rev. Londa
008:002 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
008:003 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
008:004 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
008:005 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
008:006 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
008:007 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
008:008 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
008:009 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
That is really something when you think how excellent is His name. And He gave us that Name to use. That Jesus put everything under His feet. Psalms 8:6 does say ALL not some but all things!! So yes His Name is excellent! That is a praise toward our God!! Thank you God for making Your name excellent.
In Jesus Name,
Rev. Londa
Senator Roberts of Kansas
July 23, 2010
July Roberts Report
Berwick Nomination
Senator Roberts continues to be critical of the President’s controversial recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to be the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) primarily due to his views on rationing of health care. During the July 4th congressional recess, the President appointed Dr. Berwick to be Administrator of CMS without a hearing or Senate approval. Roberts has called for public hearings on Dr. Berwick’s confirmation and urged the president to reconsider his recess appointment.
Senator Roberts expressed deep disappointment that President Obama bypassed the Senate and installed Dr. Berwick as Administrator of CMS before the Senate could hold a hearing. Dr. Berwick has made multiple controversial statements in support of the British National Health System and government rationing of health care that warrant further scrutiny. Because this post administers the Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Programs, it represents one-third of health care spending and touches virtually every senior in America.
Senator Roberts said, “Once again, the Obama Administration went behind closed doors out of fear the American people will learn that Dr. Berwick plans to use rationing as a cost cutting tool to achieve the half-a-trillion in cuts to Medicare called for in the health care reform bill. It is very troubling to me that the American people will not get to hear Dr. Berwick's explanation for his comments including: 'I am romantic about the NHS. I love it,' and, 'Most people who have serious pain do not need advanced methods; they just need the morphine and counseling that have been around for centuries.'
“While Republicans welcomed debate on Dr. Berwick's nomination, the majority has the power to schedule a hearing. The Senate Finance Committee was in the midst of the vetting process of Dr. Berwick’s nomination when President Obama recess appointed Dr. Berwick. Suggestions that Republicans were the source of delay on Dr. Berwick's nomination are laughable.”
Last week, Senator Roberts delivered the Weekly Republican Address focusing on the Berwick appointment. To view, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttGMACRUbYw or click on:
Senator Roberts and his fellow Senate Finance Committee Republican Members have called for a public hearing to allow the American people to examine Dr. Donald Berwick and his ability to be the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) despite his recess appointment to the position.
Senator Roberts recently wrote an op-ed published in the The Hill, “Dr. Berwick, we hardly know you.” To read this op-ed, go to: http://thehill.com/special-reports/healthcare-july-2010/108581-dr-berwick-we-hardly-know-you .
Senator Roberts continues to work to repeal the new health care law and replace it with a plan that lowers costs and increases access to affordable health care, while urging reconsideration of Berwick’s behind closed doors appointment. To read Senator Roberts’ op-ed piece in the Kansas City Star, go to:
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/20/2031634/congress-must-repeal-obamas-health.html .
Unsustainable National Debt
The national debt has reached an all-time high of more than $13 trillion and on June 30, the United States debt increased by $166 billion in one day, which is more than the total budget deficit for 2007.
Senator Roberts said, “The growing debt is unacceptable and a direct result of increased government spending and the creation of more government programs that our country cannot afford. From the failed stimulus program to the newly enacted health care reform law that creates more government, we must stop this rampant and unsustainable federal spending. I hear from Kansans across the state who are angry and frustrated with out of control federal spending and the burden that is being passed on to future generations. Kansans live within their means and they expect government to do the same. In January, I voted against irresponsible policies to raise the debt limit - I’m sorry to say my colleagues on the other side of the aisle successfully raised the debt limit to over $14 trillion on a party line vote. This vote to increase the federal debt rather than control spending highlights the disconnect between my colleagues across the aisle and the American people. We need to institute fiscally responsible policies to get our country back on track.”
To follow the national debt through the United States Treasury Department’s website, go to: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np . Senator Roberts is also a cosponsor of S.J. Res. 20, an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to enact a balanced budget each year.
WTO Ruling Affecting Tanker Competition
The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) final decision found the European Union (EU) unfairly subsidized their aircraft industry, a victory for Kansas and the U.S. aviation industry. As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction on trade matters, Senator Roberts said, “This decision in itself is an important step in what has been a long and difficult challenge with the EU and our competing commercial aviation industries. Every instance of launch aid provided by European countries over the past four decades was found to cause harm and distort the global market. It confirms a long held view that the U.S. aviation industry was put at a competitive disadvantage and suffered economic harm due to the illegal subsidies. I wholeheartedly disagree with the decision by the U.S. Air Force to completely ignore the WTO's decision in the final request for proposals in the procurement process for a new aerial refueling tanker. When one competitor faces an obvious advantage, it should be reflected in the competitive process, because disregarding it creates an unfair playing field. I continue to support USTR’s efforts to pursue a level playing field in the commercial aviation market as well as in our own defense acquisition process.”
To watch Senator Roberts remarks on the WTO decision at a recent bipartisan press conference, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaWdRRFWObc . Roberts has long fought to replace the nation’s aging tanker fleet to give men and women in uniform the safest and best plane to complete their mission. A final decision from the Air Force on the tanker competition is expected this November.
Colombia Free Trade Would Benefit Kansas Economy
Senator Roberts and Senator Sam Brownback urged United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk to support the United States - Colombia Free Trade Agreement as Kansas wheat growers and the Kansas economy would greatly benefit from the United States - Colombia FTA.
The Senators wrote to Ambassador Kirk saying, “We are pleased to hear of the President’s support for the United States - Colombia FTA. We agree with the President that this agreement should be submitted to Congress for approval as soon as possible. Kansas is the largest wheat producing state, on average, producing nearly one-fifth of the nation’s wheat production. As the largest exporter, Kansas is referred to as, "the Breadbasket of the World." The proposed trade agreement with Colombia is critical to wheat growers in our state. Agricultural exports play a key role in the Kansas economy. The recent election of Juan Manuel Santos is an encouraging development in moving this trade agreement forward. A graduate of the University of Kansas, President-Elect Santos has made increased trade with the United States a key priority of his upcoming administration.
“Recently, the Canadian parliament ratified a trade agreement with Colombia, allowing Canadian wheat to be imported duty-free by Colombia. As our primary competitor in wheat production, this trade agreement gives Canadian growers a significant competitive advantage in this growing market. The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) estimate the United States stands to lose $70 million in sales to Colombia, which totaled $330 million in 2008. Kansas wheat producers can no longer afford to miss out, nor be replaced by our competitors in this important market.”
Senators Roberts and Brownback continue to work to open markets for Kansas' agricultural products.
On the Passing of Senator Robert C. Byrd
Senator Roberts made the following statement on the passing of Senator Byrd: “One of the first privileges I had as a new Senator was to attend a not just required, but mandatory visit, lecture and sermon from Senator Robert C. Byrd. Freshman Senators learned more in that several hour session than they did in the first two years of service. He was gracious, kind and took the time to get to know me as a person and to know my wife and family. He had the keenest of legislative minds and was the keeper of the Institution of the Senate’s flame. He held it high and will be missed.”
Census Winding Down
As the door-to-door phase of the 2010 U.S. Census winds down, Kansans who have not received a census form in the mail can call 866-872-6868 to speak with a representative who can take census information by telephone. On July 31, this number will be shut down as the 2010 census tracking will end and a report will be issued by the United States Census Bureau by the end of the year.
Mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the United States Census Bureau counts every resident in the United States every 10 years. Forms were mailed out in March, and the Census Bureau has followed up with residences by going door-to-door. The information collected by the Census Bureau is used strictly for statistical purposes. By law, personal information cannot be shared with anyone including other government agencies. Kansas had a 75 percent mail participation rate while the national mail participation rate was 72 percent. For general information from the Census Bureau, visit: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/ .
To follow Senator Roberts on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SenPatRoberts . To watch Senator Roberts on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SenPatRoberts .
July Roberts Report
Berwick Nomination
Senator Roberts continues to be critical of the President’s controversial recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to be the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) primarily due to his views on rationing of health care. During the July 4th congressional recess, the President appointed Dr. Berwick to be Administrator of CMS without a hearing or Senate approval. Roberts has called for public hearings on Dr. Berwick’s confirmation and urged the president to reconsider his recess appointment.
Senator Roberts expressed deep disappointment that President Obama bypassed the Senate and installed Dr. Berwick as Administrator of CMS before the Senate could hold a hearing. Dr. Berwick has made multiple controversial statements in support of the British National Health System and government rationing of health care that warrant further scrutiny. Because this post administers the Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Programs, it represents one-third of health care spending and touches virtually every senior in America.
Senator Roberts said, “Once again, the Obama Administration went behind closed doors out of fear the American people will learn that Dr. Berwick plans to use rationing as a cost cutting tool to achieve the half-a-trillion in cuts to Medicare called for in the health care reform bill. It is very troubling to me that the American people will not get to hear Dr. Berwick's explanation for his comments including: 'I am romantic about the NHS. I love it,' and, 'Most people who have serious pain do not need advanced methods; they just need the morphine and counseling that have been around for centuries.'
“While Republicans welcomed debate on Dr. Berwick's nomination, the majority has the power to schedule a hearing. The Senate Finance Committee was in the midst of the vetting process of Dr. Berwick’s nomination when President Obama recess appointed Dr. Berwick. Suggestions that Republicans were the source of delay on Dr. Berwick's nomination are laughable.”
Last week, Senator Roberts delivered the Weekly Republican Address focusing on the Berwick appointment. To view, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttGMACRUbYw or click on:
Senator Roberts and his fellow Senate Finance Committee Republican Members have called for a public hearing to allow the American people to examine Dr. Donald Berwick and his ability to be the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) despite his recess appointment to the position.
Senator Roberts recently wrote an op-ed published in the The Hill, “Dr. Berwick, we hardly know you.” To read this op-ed, go to: http://thehill.com/special-reports/healthcare-july-2010/108581-dr-berwick-we-hardly-know-you .
Senator Roberts continues to work to repeal the new health care law and replace it with a plan that lowers costs and increases access to affordable health care, while urging reconsideration of Berwick’s behind closed doors appointment. To read Senator Roberts’ op-ed piece in the Kansas City Star, go to:
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/20/2031634/congress-must-repeal-obamas-health.html .
Unsustainable National Debt
The national debt has reached an all-time high of more than $13 trillion and on June 30, the United States debt increased by $166 billion in one day, which is more than the total budget deficit for 2007.
Senator Roberts said, “The growing debt is unacceptable and a direct result of increased government spending and the creation of more government programs that our country cannot afford. From the failed stimulus program to the newly enacted health care reform law that creates more government, we must stop this rampant and unsustainable federal spending. I hear from Kansans across the state who are angry and frustrated with out of control federal spending and the burden that is being passed on to future generations. Kansans live within their means and they expect government to do the same. In January, I voted against irresponsible policies to raise the debt limit - I’m sorry to say my colleagues on the other side of the aisle successfully raised the debt limit to over $14 trillion on a party line vote. This vote to increase the federal debt rather than control spending highlights the disconnect between my colleagues across the aisle and the American people. We need to institute fiscally responsible policies to get our country back on track.”
To follow the national debt through the United States Treasury Department’s website, go to: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np . Senator Roberts is also a cosponsor of S.J. Res. 20, an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to enact a balanced budget each year.
WTO Ruling Affecting Tanker Competition
The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) final decision found the European Union (EU) unfairly subsidized their aircraft industry, a victory for Kansas and the U.S. aviation industry. As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction on trade matters, Senator Roberts said, “This decision in itself is an important step in what has been a long and difficult challenge with the EU and our competing commercial aviation industries. Every instance of launch aid provided by European countries over the past four decades was found to cause harm and distort the global market. It confirms a long held view that the U.S. aviation industry was put at a competitive disadvantage and suffered economic harm due to the illegal subsidies. I wholeheartedly disagree with the decision by the U.S. Air Force to completely ignore the WTO's decision in the final request for proposals in the procurement process for a new aerial refueling tanker. When one competitor faces an obvious advantage, it should be reflected in the competitive process, because disregarding it creates an unfair playing field. I continue to support USTR’s efforts to pursue a level playing field in the commercial aviation market as well as in our own defense acquisition process.”
To watch Senator Roberts remarks on the WTO decision at a recent bipartisan press conference, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaWdRRFWObc . Roberts has long fought to replace the nation’s aging tanker fleet to give men and women in uniform the safest and best plane to complete their mission. A final decision from the Air Force on the tanker competition is expected this November.
Colombia Free Trade Would Benefit Kansas Economy
Senator Roberts and Senator Sam Brownback urged United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk to support the United States - Colombia Free Trade Agreement as Kansas wheat growers and the Kansas economy would greatly benefit from the United States - Colombia FTA.
The Senators wrote to Ambassador Kirk saying, “We are pleased to hear of the President’s support for the United States - Colombia FTA. We agree with the President that this agreement should be submitted to Congress for approval as soon as possible. Kansas is the largest wheat producing state, on average, producing nearly one-fifth of the nation’s wheat production. As the largest exporter, Kansas is referred to as, "the Breadbasket of the World." The proposed trade agreement with Colombia is critical to wheat growers in our state. Agricultural exports play a key role in the Kansas economy. The recent election of Juan Manuel Santos is an encouraging development in moving this trade agreement forward. A graduate of the University of Kansas, President-Elect Santos has made increased trade with the United States a key priority of his upcoming administration.
“Recently, the Canadian parliament ratified a trade agreement with Colombia, allowing Canadian wheat to be imported duty-free by Colombia. As our primary competitor in wheat production, this trade agreement gives Canadian growers a significant competitive advantage in this growing market. The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) estimate the United States stands to lose $70 million in sales to Colombia, which totaled $330 million in 2008. Kansas wheat producers can no longer afford to miss out, nor be replaced by our competitors in this important market.”
Senators Roberts and Brownback continue to work to open markets for Kansas' agricultural products.
On the Passing of Senator Robert C. Byrd
Senator Roberts made the following statement on the passing of Senator Byrd: “One of the first privileges I had as a new Senator was to attend a not just required, but mandatory visit, lecture and sermon from Senator Robert C. Byrd. Freshman Senators learned more in that several hour session than they did in the first two years of service. He was gracious, kind and took the time to get to know me as a person and to know my wife and family. He had the keenest of legislative minds and was the keeper of the Institution of the Senate’s flame. He held it high and will be missed.”
Census Winding Down
As the door-to-door phase of the 2010 U.S. Census winds down, Kansans who have not received a census form in the mail can call 866-872-6868 to speak with a representative who can take census information by telephone. On July 31, this number will be shut down as the 2010 census tracking will end and a report will be issued by the United States Census Bureau by the end of the year.
Mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the United States Census Bureau counts every resident in the United States every 10 years. Forms were mailed out in March, and the Census Bureau has followed up with residences by going door-to-door. The information collected by the Census Bureau is used strictly for statistical purposes. By law, personal information cannot be shared with anyone including other government agencies. Kansas had a 75 percent mail participation rate while the national mail participation rate was 72 percent. For general information from the Census Bureau, visit: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/ .
To follow Senator Roberts on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SenPatRoberts . To watch Senator Roberts on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SenPatRoberts .
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