Mary Poppins - Trend Setter

My daughter was watching MaryPoppins on TV last night, and I would pop in occasionally to catch a glimpse of what was happening. After all, I was seven when it came out, and I got the rare treat to go see it in the theatre.

But what caught my attention this time was Bert's (Dick Van Dyke) dance with the penguins. It was funny when I first saw it - how ridiculous he was when he stretched his pants down to mimic the penguins. Then it hit me, this was a trendsetting moment, in 1964! It took forty years to catch on, it was so far ahead of it's time, but the young folks embraced it.

Who would have thought Mary Poppins could have bridged the fashion gap as initiating the baggy pants style?

Hezbollah, using the public as a shield

Watch these videos of captured Hezbollah terrorists discussing their tactics that included using civilian buildings to hide in, store munitions in, and using the civilian population as a shield.

Video 1
Video 2
Video 3

The media used images of destroyed family dwellings to indicate how terrible things were in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon, yet these terrorists admit that they used civilian housing to launch missiles from, in order to attract Israeli tanks, and the destruction of the home. One terrorist said that 90% of the civilian population in one city had sent keys to their homes to Hezbollah for their use! 90%!

This puts a different light on organizations like the UN Refugee Agency, aka UNHCR, which is asking for donations to rebuild these same "donated" homes. A BBC article contains a quote from a Lebanese citizen, which says "I feel very bad to see what Israel has done here - ever since 1948 they have done evil to civilians on our side." But now there's an admission from a Hezbollah member that Hezbollah used the citizens for their own twisted purposes, which made Israel look like the bad guy.

But, truth will prevail. Hezbollah is not the savior it wants the world to think it is.

Thirteen days since...

Okay, it's been thirteen days since Democrats have won a major replacement race in the US government. What does this mean for US citizens?

So far, not much. There's some feather fluffing going on, such as calls to increase the income tax, and to bring back the draft. Some Democrats are seeing this as an opportunity to push through their long repressed desires, while others are taking a more cautious, patient, approach.

Looking outside the US will give us some idea of what the recent election means:

"Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday called U.S. President George W. Bush's defeat in congressional elections a victory for Iran."

Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, praised the American people for handing victory to the Democrats, saying: "They voted for something reasonable in the last elections."

It's obvious how terrorists feel about the election results, which I can only hope sends a clear message to the Democratic majority in congress, just as the election results hopefully sent a clear message to Republicans.

An Israeli commentator said this of the results: "Women in the US that voted for a Democrat might as well go out and buy a burka, because that's what the end result will become."

I hope not. But looking at past Democratic attitudes, it may be a true statement;

1. Which party has defined the war on terror as a “law enforcement” issue to be handled by U.S. courts and law enforcement?
2. Which party would work to outlaw NSA wiretapping, aggressive interrogations of terrorist detainees, and other intelligence tools vital to preventing a repeat of 9/11 or worse?
3. Which party would work full time to obstruct U.S. intelligence agencies, and the U.S. military in their efforts to win the war on terror?
4. Which party would withdraw (“cut and run”) from Iraq, thereby handing Jihadists a major victory, both strategically and psychologically as Clinton did in Somalia?
5. Which party has constantly compared the war in Iraq to Vietnam in an attempt to further weaken the resolve of the American people?
6. Which party has continued to devastate U.S. troop morale by declaring that America cannot win in Iraq, or by accusing American soldiers of terrorist acts against Iraqi civilians?
7. Which party has compared conditions at Guantanamo Bay to Nazi prison camps during World War II, and accused the Bush administration of violating the Geneva Convention?
8. Which party has persisted in their attempts to give captured terrorists and enemy combatants trials in our federal court system rather than under military tribunals?
9. Which party has blamed American foreign policy for 9/11 and the war on terror in general?
10. Which party has opposed the strategic missile defense system initiative?
11. Which party has historically opposed and cut military and intelligence spending?
12. Which party opposes military recruitment on college campuses?
13. Which party has a history of appeasement of our enemies rather than confrontation?
14. Which party has stated that we are creating terrorists and implied that if we withdraw (“cut and run”) from Iraq, the terrorists will leave us alone and not attack us anymore?
    

The answer to all these questions is Democrats. The same group which is now in power.

What do we have to look forward to in 2007? We shall see. Like him or not, we have NOT had a repeat of 9/11 under this President, or the Republican dominated congress. Will we be able to say the same under a Democratic congress, or after 2008?

The human condition

As I was doing some housekeeping on my pc, I came a cross an old link, one I hadn't visited in a while. It's a shame, because this site is one of the best I've seen that really shows the human condition, culture, and society.

The site I'm talking about is FOUND.

FOUND is essentially a database of stuff. Stuff that's been discarded, lost, or forgotten, and once again found - but not by the original owner, or recipient. This rediscovered stuff - notes, letters, pictures, signs, etc. - are sent in by the finder, sometimes with a comment. The website allows viewers to leave their comments and observations.

You never know what you'll see next, and often the language is vulgar. At one time, this type of language wasn't socially, or publicly acceptable. Today it's tolerated, and in a lot of cases, accepted as proper expression.

Sometimes sad, sometimes funny, it makes a good study of who we are. FOUND is a look in the mirror of society.

The human condition.

"Infringed" VeggieTales on NBC

Deleting swearing, sex and violence from films on DVD or VHS violates copyright laws, a U.S. judge has ruled. "Their (movie producers) objective ... is to stop the infringement because of its irreparable injury to the creative artistic expression in the copyrighted movies," the judge wrote. "There is a public interest in providing such protection."

"Creative, artistic, expression,.......a public interest in providing such protection."

But when this "creative artistic expression " involves God, it's okay to edit. Evidently there isn't "a public interest in providing such protection" in this case. Where's the producers ( Steven Spielberg, Robert Redford and Martin Scorsese, and thirteen others ) standing up against the editing of this content? Where's U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch, the judge who made this ruling?

"These films carry our name and reflect our reputations. So we have great passion about protecting our work ... against unauthorized editing" stated Michael Apted, the president of the Directors Guild of America. So if editing the objectionable content from a piece of work is "...irreparable injury to the creative artistic expression," then how could any producer "authorize" the editing of their work?

Easy. It's called money, something that's paid to the copyright owner for use of their product. Your probably thinking that YOU paid for the DVD you have at home, therefore YOU own it. That's wrong thinking. You paid for the material, labor, and right to have a copy of the movie at home to view. You don't have the right to alter it. In today's world where movie production can be done on the home computer, you could easily edit your personal version of a movie. But don't get caught. It's not really yours.

On September 9th, 2006, the CG show "VeggieTales" appeared for the first time on NBC Saturday morning cartoon programming. But this isn't the same VeggieTales you would find when you purchase the DVD or the VHS, no, this is a version that's been edited to meet the requirements of NBC. What are those requirements? Well, "God," "Jesus," and Bible verses must be removed. They aren't acceptable subjects for children to be exposed to, like, say, violence, sex, and swearing.

NBC could have placed a warning on the cartoon, like "PG-G", for "Parental Guidance required due to "God" content." But no, it's easier to require the removal of the "religious" content, to impose "irreparable injury to the creative artistic expression" of VeggieTales.

The one hope, as expressed by creator Phil Vischer, is that people will enjoy the NBC aired cartoon enough to go out and buy a local copy, the uncut copy, at Walmart, or any Bible store.

VeggieTales on NBC's Saturday cartoon lineup: It's Judge Matsch's "infringement" in reverse. Or is it religious intolerance? Maybe secular bias?


http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/07/09/film-scrubbing-ruling.html

http://www.philvischer.com/index.php/?p=18

http://townhall.com/Columnists/BrentBozellIII/2006/09/08/nbc_slices_and_dices_veggie_tales

Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig are free; Gilad Shalit isn't

Journalists Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig have been freed from their Palestinian captors. They were taken captive while in Gaza, and remained captives for thirteen days.

What were they doing in Gaza? Reporting for Fox News! They weren't trying to blow themselves up in a marketplace, or plant a bomb.

Gilad Shalit wasn't doing any of that either. He was peacefully going about his duty as an IDF soldier, on Israeli soil, when Palestinian terrorists tunneled through Israeli soil, killed two IDF Soldiers, wounded one, and kidnapped Cpl. Shalit.

Now the release of the two Fox News reporters places the Palestinian Terrorist government with a positive public facade. But what about Cpl. Shalit?

Well, of course, the Cpl. Shalit situation is different. He is after all, a Jew. And the Palestinian leadership has started to implement their desire to eliminate Jews.

Of course, the UN is as effective as usual, with Annan sitting back and saying "stop that, don't do that, you're not a nice person" like the powerless wimp he is.

So what's the answer? Well, first, Israel needs a government with a spine, one that can commit itself to use it's military to do the job they are capable of. Then, turn that fine IDF loose. Forget what the world thinks, go get your kidnapped people.

Israel - God's promised land!

Hamdaniyah trial - a USMC fastrack CYA?

Same action, different name.

I've experienced this form of reactionary response while an active duty Marine at Camp Pendleton (1978-1980).

While still proud of my service in the Corps, I remember the dark moment in my tour when the Corps unceremoniously accused me of drug abuse, sent me to drug counseling, and laughed when I employed my Request Mast right for this false accusation. The evidence was obviously against the Corps, and in my favor, but it was never allowed to progress.

I suspect this is the same thing that's going on with the Hamdaniyah/Marine issue. The Marine Corps is trying to save face, instead of standing behind these Marines, and the Corpsman, they are willingly going to sacrifice them for the "good of the Corps."

But, it appears this is going to backfire. At the moment, the Corps is reactivating reservists due to low enlistment. The lack of the Corps to show support for it's people can only hurt it. It's willingness to rush into public condemnation of it's personnel can only be demoralizing - it was for me. I was considering re-enlistment prior to the false accusation, but following the dissapointment of the Request Mass debacle, I decided this was not the Marine Corps I thought it was.

My Marine Corps pride was tarnished. In Boot Camp, you are taught that Marines take care of Marines, and if you are wrongly accused, you can find absolution through Request Mast. It sounds great, but it doesn't work.

If these Marines did what they are being accused of, then where is their commanding officer. Why isn't he being keel-hauled for failure to control his men? Obviously he failed his command.

So, it appears the Marine Corps is playing political games, instead of rallying behind it's personnel. And this is a sad statement.

The Marine Corps hymn has a line that says: " First to fight for right and freedom, And to keep our honor clean." Is this public event an attempt to keep their "honor clean," or to find scapegoats for public appeasement?

For me, it's a matter of trust.

Be careful what you post in your area - but only if God's involved.

Okay, so I work for a large US company. This company has embraced an attitude of tolerance, inclusion, and acceptance. To a point.

This morning, I walked by a cubicle, which has an 8" x 11" poster prominently displayed promoting a men's "re-education" group, who's intent is to make men more accountable, and instill integrity. So, I looked up "The Mankind Project" to see what they were about.

As far as I can tell, they have very honorable intentions. This is a positive, acceptable organization.

Back in the late 1990's, I worked in a group of technicians, and our office space was setup in an open, "farm" type manner. All technicians shared office space regardless of gender - I make mention of this because it's key to this subject.

One day, a female technician taped up a full page newspaper article about the group "PromiseKeepers" because her husband had attended one of their meetings, and she saw a positive change in him, so she was all for it.

I've never been to one of their meetings, but I was aware of what they promoted. The article was near my desk, and I had no issue with it, I agreed with their premise that men need to be more accountable, and to have integrity. Sound familiar?

A problem arose from this article. I shared a desk with a young lady who worked the shift after me. For several days, I would come in and find the article taken down, and watch as the female tech on my shift taped it back up. Then one day the article was missing, and I was called to my managers desk.

It turned out that the woman I shared my desk with was a lesbian, and she took issue with the article - she found PromiseKeepers to be offensive to her, and her lifestyle. She was mad that the article kept getting put back up, and assumed I was responsible. She turned the article in to her manager with a complaint. This was passed on to my manager, since I was the suspected "offender."

My manager took a laminated, rolled item of her bookshelf, unrolled it, placed it in front of me and asked me if I recognized it. Well, it was the PromiseKeepers article, so of course I told her I did. She then explained about how someone was offended by it, and the whole story about it being taken down and put back up. I realized what was going on, and let her continue with her accusation, feeling very confident in my situation, since it was another woman that was posting it.

When she was done, I informed her that it wasn't my article, and that another person, a female, was responsible for it. After learning about this she realized the mistake, but instead of an apology for a false accusation that could have easily cost me my job, I was reprimanded for not stopping this "offense," since I was a senior tech in that area.

The female tech I shared my desk with was unapologetic, yet accepted a transfer to another state shortly after this.

The point here is that no one has complained about this "Mankind" poster. Why? It's because of the difference between the two. Both endeavor to bring men to an understanding and acceptance of their responsibilities to family, friends, and community. But PromiseKeepers adds one more level of accountability - to God. And that's the rub.

Kofi Annan - "apparently deliberate" kickbacks

"U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, speaking in Rome on Tuesday, said that an Israeli attack was an "apparently deliberate targeting" of the UNIFIL post. The victims included observers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland."

This was, of course, a terrible thing to happen, but it was far from deliberate. The UN observers were in a combat area, and these things happen in combat areas. Israel issued an apology for this event - Israel has too much integrity to apologize for something they know they were right about.

Now, let's look at who made this comment.

July 26, 2006 "STOCKHOLM, Sweden - The Swedish government knew in 2000 that
Saddam Hussein's government demanded kickbacks from companies participating in the U.N. Oil-for-Food Program, officials and news reports said Tuesday.

Anders Kruse, head of the (Swedish) Foreign Ministry's legal division, said Sweden had forwarded the information to the U.N. committee in charge of sanctions and was told the extra fees were widely known."

This proves that the UN, and Koffi Annan, knew what was going on. So, here we have a corrupt leader, of a corrupt organization, accusing Israel of purposely targeting some of it's people, while trying to protect itself from continued attacks by terrorists.

Kofi Annan needs to look in a mirror, point his finger, and say "You are guilty of apparently deliberate targeting of Iraqi citizens, for greed."

History by television: The dumbing of America

Yesterday, while standing in the checkout line of the grocery store, I overheard the conversation between the checker, and the young guy in front of me. The checker was commenting on how everyone that had passed through her stand had banana's.

She and the young man chuckled over the trend, and then the young man shared some information he had just learned. He told her about how he had watched the Three Stooges the previous night, and that in one scene they noticed some bananas, and were perplexed over this odd yellow fruit.

He went on to tell her that their interest was because nobody had really seen bananas before, they were new to the US.

At this point, I was intrigued that this young man confused farcical with factual. And I decided to look into this a little more, since I knew his statement was just a little, well, wrong.

In 1871, a railroad across Costa Rica was built by a Brooklynite named Minor Keith. He planted banana trees as he built his railroad, and imported bananas into the US. By 1898, Americans were consuming 16 million bunches a year.

The Three Stooges act started in the 1920's, nearly fifty years after bananas made their appearance in the US. So they would have been well aware of the banana.

It was a sad moment, to see that someone was deriving his history from a tv show, and one that was designed for silliness, at that. It was more disturbing that he felt so sure of his deduction that he shared it as fact publicly. If the checker has any sense, she'll question his info, and do the research. If not, she'll share it with others, who'll share it with others, and so on, until it becomes folklore.

And maybe one day we'll find it entered in Snopes.

Egypt promotes anti-Semitism and child martyrdom

"Egyptian cleric Sheik Muhammad Sharaf Al-Din appeared on a children's program on Al-Nas television on June 21, 2006, and told a story from Islamic tradition in which a Jewish woman tried to poison Muhammad.

After telling the story, in which the prophet of Islam is miraculously spared, the sheikh took a call from a child viewer. "Ruqaya, what did you learn from today's show?" the sheikh, Muhammad Sharaf Al-Din, asked the child. "I learned that the Jews are the people of treachery and betrayal...."Sheikh Al-Din interrupted the caller, shouting, "Allah Akbar!" Turning to the children in the studio, he instructed:

Say Allah Akbar! What did Ruqiya say? The Jews are the people of treachery and betrayal. May Allah give you success. We want mothers who teach their sons Jihad, the love of Allah and His messenger, sacrifice for the sake of Islam, and love for the countries of the Muslims. Loving the country of the Muslims. May Allah bless you, Ruqaya. That is the most beautiful thing I have heard - that the Jews are the people of treachery, betrayal, and vileness." http://www.memritv.org/default.asp

"An earlier episode (June 15, 2006) of the program for children on the same television station promoted death in the course of Jihad against "infidels." The host of the program, Egyptian Sheikh Muhammad Nassar, of the Egyptian ministry of religious endowment, invited the children to "listen to a very beautiful story to learn about the courage of a child, and how, when a child is brought up in a good home, and receives proper education in faith, he loves martyrdom, which becomes like an instinct for him. He can never give it up.""

Egypt. One of the countries already boycotting Israel, seems to be joining extremist Muslims in their attacks against Israel. Egyptian President Mubarrak exudes a world view as a caring, honest person, yet allows this type of promotion to occur in his country. What kind of people would encourage their children to do what adults should be doing? What kind of people would send their children into battle?

Well, we saw the communists do it in Viet Nam. We saw Hitler forming ranks of young people in Germany. Now we see extremist Muslims doing it - not all Muslims, just those bent on world domination.

"A Hamas spokesmen responded publicly with hysteria (about the Israeli action). "This is a revolution against human and democratic values," Hamas spokesman Mushir Al-Masri told Al-Jazeera. "This is an international crime and an open declaration of war against the Palestinian nation [sic]... The international community must speak out. Where are the Arab and Moslem countries? The arrrest of the ministers and legislators is not just a blow agains the Palestinian Authority, but against the sovereignty of the parliaments and governments of all the Arab, Moslem and free nations.""

Well, it's very obvious that Hamas is a victim. I mean, all they did was attack an Israeli tank crew of four, killing two, and seriously wounding another, then kidnapped an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. Oh, and there's that matter of the daily kassam missiles being sent into Israel from Gaza.

And then there's France. They've condemned the arrests of the Hamas leaders. Naturally. They're probably supplying the kassam missiles. Did I mention that Gilad Shalit is a french citizen?

They should feel grateful that Israel has shown the restraint that it has.

"No WMD's in Iraq!"

I don't kow about you, but I get really tired of hearing talking heads exclaiming the there were "No WMD's in Iraq!"

This is a blatantly false statement, whether they know it or not. But what if they did know it? I suspect that this misinformation is more about establishing or retaining a following than providing the truth.

After all, it's always easier to accept and believe what you want to, regardless of the facts.

Read this FAX about the WMD's (you'll need Adobe reader).

"We will rule the nations"

“We will rule the nations, by Allah’s will, the USA will be conquered, Israel will be conquered, Rome and Britain will be conquered…” pronounces a reclining Ghalban in the video, promising to “crush the Jews and expel them from our country Palestine.” He adds, “Just as the Jews ran from Gaza, the Americans will run from Iraq and Afghanistan…"

"The video was produced by the Al-Qassam Brigades terrorist group, the military wing of Hamas. In addition to the Hamas clip, a video from the Al-Qaeda international terrorist organization is posted on the PMW site, featuring pictures of dead and injured American soldiers with English-language captions, including “They Are Coming.”"

The U.S. Senate voted on Friday to block aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, even as the European Union announced it would provide more than $100 million in aid to PA Arabs.

Watch for senators to start back-pedaling on their votes for this blockage of support. They're a wishy-washy bunch. As for the EU....well, what would you expect?

"Frog in the pot" freedom

We've all heard the parable about the frog that's placed in a pot of cold water, and then the water temperature is slowly raised, so that the frog doesn't notice - until it's too late, and then he's cooked.

So it is with our freedom. Our fore-fathers enjoyed freedoms that we know nothing about today. Our grandparents did too. And our parents. But with each generation, some freedom was lost, but since the new generation never had that freedom, they have no basis for comparison, and therefore no reason to complain.

Consider the income tax. The United States didn't collect an income tax until 1862, in order to finance the Civil War. The civil war came about mainly because each state was considered sovereign, while agreeing to be a part of a united group of states. This sovereignty was slowly being challenged in the slavery arena, over a period of years. The "northern" states were passing laws against slavery, which allowed for the freedom of escaped slaves in their territory, while the southern states contested the legality of this based on the constitution.

The slow process of passing laws which opposed the constitution was gradually accepted by the people, and those that didn't accept it, the southern states, were forced to accept it. The issue over slavery was a sign to the South Carolinians that if this could be taken from them, then eventually their sovereignty could be taken altogether (See "December 24, 1860 South Carolina "Causes of Secession" document").

I'm not advocating slavery, I'm only using this as an example. So how much freedom has been taken from us over the years by our ignorance? I can't say for sure, but you only have to look at what the government; local, county, state, and federal, have control over.

They can dictate how businesses will run, they control how and where your home is built - on your property. Try to add on to your home, and you'll find that the government has it's hands in that, too. You must have their permission. If you own land, and someone wants to put a mall on it, or a housing complex, all they have to do is work with the city, and the city government can condemn your property, then take it away from you. The city of Keizer, OR. did just that.

How much freedom will you see disappear by the time the next generation comes along?

Just like water heating up slowly......

At Odds: The Media, and Reality

The Media:
Reuters, June 10th, 2006
"...five family members were among seven Palestinians who died when an explosion tore through the beach in northern Gaza on Friday as Israeli artillery shelled the coastal area used by militants to fire rockets into Israel. ....Armed militants, firing in the air, vowed revenge."We will kill 10 Jews for every one of the Ghalya family martyrs," one gunmen shouted through a loudspeaker."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(June 13, 2006) The Reality:
"Despite hasty condemnation of Israel, IDF finds that the Arab family decimated on a Gaza beach was not hit by IDF artillery. The only other option: A Hamas mine placed there against Israel.

According to the findings, shrapnel taken from two wounded Palestinians who were evacuated to Israeli hospitals showed that the explosives were not made in Israel, the officials said.
In addition, the last Israeli shell fired toward Palestinian rocket launchers who operate in the area was seven minutes before the blast and landed 250 metres away from the scene, the officials said.
Also, after the blast, Israeli military viewed Hamas militants collecting the shrapnel from the area, in an apparent effort to prevent authorities from revealing that the explosion was caused by explosives it had laid, the officials said."

A short comment on politicians.....

I just wanted to make a short political statement......

Just as Massachusetts has Ted Kennedy, so New York has Hillary Clinton.

You can make your own decision on this paradigm.

PA - Our Friends?

The picture to the left is from the Hamas Weekly, a publication from Gaza. It depicts a Palestinian boy urinating on the Statue of Liberty, specifically the book she's holding, which is titled "Democracy."

Of course, this isn't the only such cartoon they've carried. Check out http://www.pmw.org.il/ for others.

What's interesting here, is if this picture depicted a young American boy urinating on the quran, there would be world-wide protests.

So, you have to ask yourself, is this government trying to be our friend, or is the U. S. on it's list with Israel to be destroyed from existence? The U. S. must remain strong in it's resolve to fight terrorism.

The U. S. must remain a strong ally of Israel. Israel is a sovereign nation, and should not be dividing it's country up to terrorists, or subjugating itself to others. The U. S. should not condone this divvying up of Israel.

Israel has made three agreements to work with these people, the Oslo Agreement, an agreement in 1993 with Yasser Arafat, and the Gaza withdrawal. Every time Israel is the one that has had to make concessions. All the PA wants to do is continue to cause problems, like a spoiled child that keeps stamping it's foot until it gets what it wants. And they will continue to do this as long as they can get away with it, as long as they have sympathizers.

Or at least until Christ returns.......

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008442

Da Vinci Code - What, me worry?

The Da Vinci code. This is causing quite a stir these days, and I'm not sure why.

I remember several years ago, stopping at the Borders bookstore at Oakway Center in Eugene, on my way home from church. As I wandered around, waiting for my daughter to pick out a book, I noticed a new book on display called "The da Vinci Code." I was intrigued, because there was also a stir caused by the Michael Drosnin book "The Bible Code." As I started to flip through it, I realized it wasn't what I thought, and that it was a fictional thriller. Even the advertisments around it claimed it as such. I set it back down, no longer interested.

Fast forward to today. This fictional book is now a movie, and causing a stir. But who seems to be stirred up? It appears to be Christians. I haven't met one person who's thrown this book in my face and proclaimed it as proof that my faith is unfounded. I do believe that the author of this book is seeing a new interest in his book, and that people are now accepting it as a fact.

But what's the deal? There's now a flurry of activity within the Christian community around this book, and movie. All kinds of material is now available to refute the "claims" of this book, and resubstantiate the Bible. I don't believe this is necessary, but I do believe that it's important to be informed.

According to the Word of God, there's a way to handle this. Not by arguing with them. Not by defending yourself. But by keeping quiet and continuing to do the good works God has called you to do. Look at Jesus' example when he was highly criticized by the religious establishment of His day. He never fought back. Instead, Acts 10:38 says He simply went about doing good.

Acts 10:38
"..how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."

This will aggravate the devil because his primary purpose is to make you ineffective for the kingdom of God. He wants you to get wrapped up in the criticism. He wants to distract you, to get your mind off the job God has given you. He really wants you to quit. Don't do it! Instead, follow the instructions in 2 Timothy 3:14 and "continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of." Silence the ignorant criticisms of men by continuing to do good and by continuing to live by faith. And when all their foolish words have faded away, you'll still be standing strong.

The Da Vinci Code is a distraction!

RU-486 - The Human Pesticide

RU-486 - Leave an Advanced Directive

The dream pill. Have your fun, pop a pill, and all your worries can be flushed away! An idea as great as the hangover pill.

Or is it?

"Seven women have died during the past five years, including four in California, after taking the abortion pill RU-486. On May 11th, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health gathered in Atlanta, Georgia, partly to discuss the dangers of this pill, and whether women taking it are more susceptible to deadly infection.

Researchers believe that a bacterium, Clostridium sordellii, and not the RU-486 drug, directly caused these women's deaths. However, Dr. Ralph Miech, a pharmacology professor at Brown University, has another idea. He suggests that the abortion pill negatively affects the immune system. He believes that these women died after taking the RU-486 pill because their bodies could no longer keep the dangerous bacterium in check.

The women died from toxic shock caused by a Clostridium sordellii bacterium infection. C. sordellii exists in the vaginas of about one in every 1000 women without causing much harm.

Several doctors argued that the danger from the drug is relatively low, and that it only has a death risk of about 1 in 100,000." This seems like pretty bad odds for something thats completely voluntary, and avoidable. According to the 2000 census, there were 143.4 million women in the U. S. at that time. According to the above doctors, that would mean that 1,433 women that used RU-486 wiould die. And this appears to be acceptable to them, as they feel that this is a relatively low number. But who's going to decide who those women will be?

I think it would be a novel idea to require pharmacies to include a Personal Will & Advanced Directive Kit with each prescription of RU-486. This is a convenience pill, and not a pill required for a health problem. You should get informed about it, and any medication you take. Make an informed decision, not an emotional one.

For a personal story of this pill's use, go here:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?B2B35612D

Cruise control - Dateline NBC - MSNBC.com

Cruise control - Dateline NBC - MSNBC.com
I watched this story, not because of TC, or his cult, but because I wanted to see how it would be handled. Okay, so Hoda Kotb asked some mildly pointed questions, maybe even irritating to the scientology crowd. What I was hoping for, and didn't happen, was for the story to look into some of the cults' activities. They seemed to focus on the "Celebrity" center. But what about the curious compound near Hemet, CA, which Gilman Springs Road, just SE of Highway 79, runs through? I used to travel this route, when servicing an account in Hemet. It was always a little unnerving, like some kind of retraining compound or prison. I would see uniformed para-militaristic individuals walking back and forth across the road, sometimes hearding bewildered looking people in plain jumpsuit-like outfits, back and forth. I've heard that they've built a tunnel under the road now, so it's probably not as noticeable.

You could see large, hanger-style buildings in the background, and what appeared to be dormitories. One would think that this was some kind of training, or retraining, center. My mind would go racing with thoughts of what might have been going on inside those fences. What were these folks being put through?

Years before, I had the "opportunity' to visit the scientology center in Riverside, CA. It wasn't a voluntary visit. My brother's girlfriend had been visited by some scientologists, who asked her if she would like to be more self-assured, more confident. They eventually convinced her to take a self-help class - for a fee. As a devout LDS, once she realized what had happened, she tried to get her money back. That's where I got involved.

I was home for the weekend from Camp Pendleton, and my brother told me what had happened. He said they were heading over to the Riverside center to get her money back. I said I'd tag along, as I didn't have any plans, and maybe we could hit In-n-Out on our way back home. No such luck.

We arrived at the center, and went in through the entrance, where we were greeted, and asked how we could be helped. When my brother explained the situation, and mentioned that his girlfriend wanted her money back, things immediately changed. We were ushered back into some other part of the building, and my brother and his girlfriend were taken into a room with a "counselor," who promptly locked the door. According to my brother, the counselor asked a lot of questions about why she changed her mind, and if my brother coerced her. then he had her hold some metal pipes, which were connected to a meter, and asked her more questions. He said that according to the machine's responses, she didn't really know what she wanted, and was being controlled by my brother. They came out after a bit, and the counselor left, telling us he'd be back. I peeked in the room, and saw the "machine." as an Electronics Tech, I recognized the "machine' as a simple lie detector. I'm talking Radio Shack here. I've posted a schematic of one here, in case you want to start your own scientology counseling center.

Anyway, this went on for some time, the counselor would come back, they would go into the room, lock the door, and continue with the questioning. I stood in the hallway. at one point, I heard the counselor yelling, and stepped closer to the door to listen. He was shouting obscenities! Good job, bud. He left again, and my brother and his grilfriend came out. She looked like she'd been crying. I told my brother I could hear the guy yelling, and that he should allow that to happen. So the next time he let the guy know that was not acceptable.

By this time I was getting pretty fired up. No body should talk to a woman that way, and why couldn't they just give her the money back? And.......In-n-Out was going to close soon.

Well, they wouldn't give her the money back until she had undergone the "counseling," because they knew that she really did want to take their classes.

So, to make a long story short, this whole thing took about two hours, and finally, we were ushered into an office with some guy that spoke very quietly, very controlled, and she was given her money back. Of course, he told us they would always welcome us back, should we change our mind. Yeah, right.

Of course, Tom Cruise is a real poster child for this group.

Corvallis City Council enacted a tax on cell phones

Politicians and money. They're always trying to find ways to get more, and never looking for ways to reduce their expenses - or operate within the budget, like the citizens they burden.

The difference here is that they aren't just imposing a tax on the citizens of Corvallis, They're also taxing non-citizens.

Taxation without representation? For those that don't live in Corvallis, but work there and have cell phones, they will have the privilege of paying into this too.

The city says "Without the new revenue, the City Council would have to reduce other property tax-funded services, such as the library, police and fire departments and parks and recreation..." So if out-of-towners are going to pay taxes to support these services, does that mean they can all expect a library card? I would assume so. Just walk into the library after July 1st, show them your cell phone bill with the tax on it, and ask for your card. Why not!

The sad statement here is that the city passed a tax without letting the people vote on it, not that that would make it any more acceptable. I'm sure there are places they could cut, but are too ethically challenged to do so. Many of the folks in this city are employed by local companies and businesses that have frozen, or delayed pay raises for some time now. Everyone except the city bureaucracy.

Personally, I think it's time for a tea party in Corvallis. Corvallisites - your city council needs to be tarred & feathered, then run out of town. You voted them in to make intelligent, informed, and wise decisions.

They've failed you.

Miserably.

Immigration, the Mexico way

Since May 1st, we should all be aware that there are a number of illegal immigrants living in the United States, and the majority are from Mexico.

They want the U. S. to reform our immigration law so they can be absorbed into our country without going through the present legal method.

So, what does Mexico's immigration law look like? In the April 24th issue of the Providence Journal, J. Michael Wallert provides this information;

"Mexico has a single, streamlined law, seeking to ensure that foreign visitors and immigrants are:

1. In the country legally.
2. Have the means to sustain themselves economically.
3. Not destined to be burdens on society.
4. Of economic and social benefit to society.
5. Of good character, with no criminal record.

The law also seeks to ensure that:
6. Immigration authorities have a record of each foreign visitor.
7. Foreign visitors do not violate their visa status.
8. Foreign visitors are banned from interfering in the country's internal politics.
9. Foreign visitors who enter under false pretenses are imprisoned or deported.
10. Foreign visitors violating terms of their entry are imprisoned or deported.
11. Anyone who aids in illegal immigration is imprisoned."

He goes on to show;

"Mexico's main immigration law welcomes only foreigners deemed useful to Mexican society:

12. Foreigners are admitted into Mexico "according to their possibilities of contributing to national progress." (Article 32)
13. Immigration officials must "ensure (that) immigrants will be useful elements for the country and that they have the necessary funds for their sustenance" and that of their dependents. (Article 34)
14. Foreigners may be barred from the country if their presence has upset "the equilibrium of the national demographics," if they are deemed detrimental to "economic or national interests," if they are not good citizens in their own country, if they have broken Mexican laws, or if "they are not found to be physically or mentally healthy." (Article 37)
15. The secretary of governance may "suspend or prohibit the admission of foreigners when he determines it to be in the national interest." (Article 38)

Mexican authorities keep track of every person in the country:

16. Federal, local and municipal police must cooperate with federal immigration authorities upon request: i.e., help in the arrest of illegal immigrants. (Article 73)
17. A National Population Registry tracks every "individual who comprises (sic) the population of the country," verifying each individual's identity. (Articles 85 and 86)
18. A national Catalogue of Foreigners tracks foreign tourists and immigrants (Article 87), assigning each a tracking number. (Article 91)

Foreigners with fake papers or who enter the country under false pretenses may be imprisoned:

19. Foreigners with fake immigration papers may be fined or imprisoned.
(Article 116)
20. Foreigners who sign government documents "with a signature that is false or different from that which he normally uses" are subject to fine and imprisonment. (Article 116)

Foreigners who fail to obey the rules will be fined, deported, and/or imprisoned as felons:

21. Foreigners who fail to obey a deportation order are to be punished. (Article 117)
22. Deported foreigners who try to re-enter Mexico without authorization can be imprisoned for up to 10 years. (Article 118)
23. Foreigners who violate terms of their visa may be sentenced for up to six years in prison. (Articles 119, 120, and 121)
24. Foreigners who misrepresent the terms of their visa (as by working without a permit) can also be imprisoned.

Under Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony. The General Law on Population says:

25. "A penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine of 300 to 5,000 pesos will be imposed on the foreigner who enters the country illegally." (Article 123)
26. Foreigners with immigration problems may be deported, rather than imprisoned. (Article 125)
27. Foreigners who "(make attempts) against national sovereignty or security" will be deported. (Article 126)

Mexicans who help illegal aliens enter the country are considered criminals:

28. A Mexican who marries a foreigner with the sole objective of helping the foreigner live in the country is subject to up to five years in prison. (Article 127)
29. Shipping and airline companies that bring undocumented foreigners into Mexico will be fined. (Article 132)

(J. Michael Waller is a professor of international communication at the Institute of World Politics in Washington.)"

Maybe the U. S. should adopt Mexico's Immigration law. But then, laws only keep the honest person honest. The dis-honest person just ignores them.

Walk out? What walk out?

On May 1st, 2006, large numbers of illegal aliens and their supporters did not show up for work, and agreed not to buy anything in order to send a message to the people of the United States about their relevance here. I wonder if they also refused any social or medical services that day - probably not, as that would have sent the wrong positive message.

There was little affect, as far as I can tell. Life went on. I saw some news comments about it, but otherwise, it was just another day for Joe American.

One guy, who owned a company that was building a multifloor building, said he couldn't get much work done on Monday because a lot of his workers didn't show up. He was convinced that the lost time could be made up with overtime, putting him back on schedule. Hopefully, he won't have to pay for that overtime, since his employees were the ones that decided not to come to work. Or maybe he could fire them, and hire new employees in their place.

If you're still uncertain about the effect illegals have on our country, check out the information at About.com.

I can relate personally from this. Growing up in Southern California as the citrus industry in the area was starting it's decline, I remember a lot of illegals living in the area. Some would live under the canopy of the orange tree, while they were picking. When they left, they also left their mess - empty cans, bottles, boxes, clothing, and blankets. There is a flood control channel that runs along the back of what was one of my parents' orange groves (recently converted to condo's). Illegals would come across the channel at night, and pick oranges. The next day they would bag them up, and sell them at street corners. Now, you might say, "So what's a few oranges?" Unfortunately, it wasn't just a "few oranges," it was several trees worth. When you make just enough to pay the property taxes and upkeep costs for the groves from the citrus harvested, then every orange is valuable.

The other experience is medical care. I've experienced long wait times in Emergency rooms due to the extra load of illegals seeking "free" medical care. My brother is a doctor in a border town, and he's mentioned that his clinic experiences this problem, and the local hospital's Emergency room wait time is a typical 3 hours. They are inundated with non-citizens crossing the border for medical care. And the hospital is required to provide basic care for everyone, by the Federal government. This requirement should be changed to "anyone in the country legally."

This problem is bigger than the individual, because it affects the entire country. It affects our laws, and bending them is not the answer. These people should be trying to make a change in their home countries, and not attempting to force the U.S. to do their will.

If you want to be a part of this country, there is a legal way to do it. Period. No discussion needed.

Supporting Illegal aliens -- not!

Illegal aliens, regardless of what country, are here, well, illegally. They are NOT "undocumented," they are ILLEGAL. Our prisons are not full of people that performed "undocumented" acts, they are full of people that performed illegal acts. And they are not "immigrants." They are aliens.

Illegal is illegal. It is not changed by using different terminology. Employers that have hired employees which are here illegally have broken the law, our law. And they should be prosecuted for that. Employers that allow employees time off to participate in today's activity should be ashamed of supporting this. I understand that people (legal citizens) have the right to be involved, and if they want to use personal time, or vacation time, fine. But if the company is providing them with specific paid time off to attend one of these events, then they are aiding in this activity, when they should be neutral.

Today's walkout by illegal aliens, and those that support their illegal activity, are showing their real lack of patriotism to our country, and it's laws. They are hurting themselves, and their employers. Hopefully, INS will use this event to round up those that are breaking our laws - and enforce our laws.

I have to wonder, if the illegal aliens think that this will have such a profound effect on the U.S., garnering support in their favor, then why aren't they doing this in their home countries, to bring about the changes necessary for reform and better the lives there, rather than here. Obviously, they aren't doing this to make the U.S. a better place, because they are breaking, not supporting, our laws.

Matthew 24:12, 2 Timothy 3:1-8, and 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 talk of lawlessness in the end times. Today, we are seeing a portion of this. It is a sad day in U.S. history, when people take advantage of the freedoms fought for by our citizens, both on the battlefield, and the courtroom, freedoms that today are being abused by non-citizens who want to take advantage of the "American dream" by side-stepping the laws set forth by this great country.

Some say they have rights. Yes, in their own countries. But here in the U.S., they do not have rights, because those are for U. S. citizens. Our Bill of Rights does not provide for illegal aliens. They have their own country for that.

And what about churches? There are churches that are supporting this activity - promoting the breaking of the law. They should know better, and one day will answer for this.

Some of those companies supporting this dissidence are:

Tyson Foods (TSN)
-"An Equal Opportunity Employer, M/F/D/V "

Maybe Tyson should add an "I" to their EEO statement, to include "Illegal" status.
"An Equal and Illegal Opportunity Employer, M/F/D/V/I"

Swift & Co.
-"Swift & Company® is an equal-opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace, ..."

It appears that Swift's "equal-opportunities" and "diversity" here in the U.S. apply to illegal aliens too. Where's the equality in that?

Cargill Inc.
-"If you want to fulfill your potential and are looking for a company that thrives on innovation, values diversity and rewards performance, consider a career with Cargill."

Again, Cargill is following with the mantra - diversity. The pattern set by this, and the previous company's is that diversity includes illegal aliens. I wonder what other laws they're breaking - in the production of foods and elsewhere.

ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG)
-ConAgra claims "At ConAgra Foods, recruiting qualified, passionate people to join our team ..."

Does "qualified" include a legal status? Evidently not.

Pilgrim's Pride

Well, they make no claims. They just give the impression from the website that they are all- American. I guess they're also illegal-alien.

This is only a glimpse of the companies that are supporting this activity. It's a sad thing. Very sad.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew 24:12 And the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity,
2 Timothy 3:1-7 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.

We progress, right?

Well, not really. Look at King Solomon.

Solomon saw injustice to the poor (Eccl 4:1-3), crooked politics (Eccl 5:8), incompetent leaders (Eccl 10:6-7), guilty people allowed to commit more crimes (Eccl 8:11), materialism (Eccl 5:10), and a desire for "the good old days (Eccl 7:10). And he ends with "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity (Eccl 12:8)."

Have we progressed? Maybe in technology. But as a people, we are that same as we were in Solomon's day. Isn't it sad that after thousands of years, nothing has really changed?

Congress Nears Deal on Illegal Immigrants - Forbes.com

"As outlined, the measure would ...... offer legalized status to the millions of men, women and children in the country unlawfully. "

So what message is Congress sending out? They're letting everyone know that "You will be rewarded for breaking the law." What will our kids think if they are arrested and put in jail for breaking the law, when Congress sends the message that it's not only okay, but you can also be rewarded for it! And the President supports this!!

Not all approve of this action. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, and Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia, all criticize the measure.

It's time we take back our country from these "politicians" who are willfully ruining it. This hasn't been approved yet, so there time. If you think finding a job now is difficult, wait 'til this apostasy is passed. Email or phone your Senator, and tell him/her to vote against this measure!

Mrs. Clinton Says G.O.P.'s Immigration Plan Is at Odds With the Bible - New York Times

"Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton invoked the Bible yesterday to criticize a stringent border security measure that, among other things, would make it a federal crime to offer aid to illegal immigrants. "

"It is hard to believe that a Republican leadership that is constantly talking about values and about faith would put forth such a mean-spirited piece of legislation," she said of the measure, "It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of the Scripture because this bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself," she said. "We need to sound the alarm about what is being done in the Congress."

Hmmm. Her knowledge of the Bible doesn't seem too good. Or maybe it's her usage. She whips out the Bible at this time, but ignores it other times? That shows her conviction of the Bible. It's either all, or nothing, as we see in Rev 3:16. But what else can we see of her intimacy with the Bible?

"I am and always have been pro-choice, ..." (Source: New York Times, pg.A11 Jan 22, 2000)
"[Our] core beliefs and values can guide us in reaching our goal of keeping abortion safe, legal and rare into the next century." (Source: Remarks to NARAL, Washington DC Jan 22, 1999)

The Bible is clear on human life - it is sacred. And the Bible clearly identifies the developing child in the womb as a CHILD. So, the best verse to tie this together is Prov 6:16 - 17 "These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him: ...... hands that shed innocent blood,..." What is an unborn child guilty of? Nothing, so it's innocent.

So we see that Hillary's Bible knowledge is very selective, she only pulls it out when it meets her needs, but ignores it when it's a hindrance, as with abortion.

Let's look at her other claims:
"..would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself.."

What she's talking about is a part in the security measure that "would make it a federal crime to offer aid to illegal immigrants. "

First things first. The good Samaritan was legally in the country. The man he helped was legally in the country. Jesus was legally in the country, and so were the people he helped.

Next. It would be "a federal crime to help illegal immigrants." That statement in itself should be explanatory, but let's look at it anyway. An "Illegal Immigrant" is an immigrant, someone who belongs to one country, but has come to another country. Illegal means "not legal." So an Illegal Immigrant is someone that is in a country against it's established laws. So they are breaking the law, they are a criminal.

What is it called when someone helps a criminal? It's "Aiding and abetting a criminal," which is a felony/misdemeanor.

Aiding and abetting a criminal
1. A criminal offense had been committed;
-(Coming into the country ILLEGALLY)
2. The defendant knowingly associated with the person who committed the crime;
3. The defendant participated in the crime as something he or she wished to bring about;
4. The defendant intended by his or her actions to make the crime succeed.

So, the measure that has Sen. Clinton upset, and inappropriately using the Bible is only making it clear of what is already taking place. People are coming into this country illegally, and other folks, including Local, State and Federal governments, are aiding and abetting them.

Now, I'm not against providing the basic human necessity to these folks, but they should be returned immediately to their own country, and discouraged from coming back unless it is legal. And their country should bear the cost of this activity, not the the offended country.

Finally, a comment from Dick Morris.

"Morris says there was more to Hillary Clinton's bible-themed immigration critique on Wednesday than meets the eye.

Blasting a GOP bill that would make illegal immigration a felony, Mrs. Clinton complained:
"It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of the Scriptures. This bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself."

Morris tells NewsMax: "The woman who said that she was 'adamantly against' illegal aliens now compares them to Jesus.""

Blasphemy?

Hamas; Offense, or Defense?

Speaking at a gathering marking 40 days since the death of the head of the Palestinian National Council, (the leader of the Hamas) Khaled Mash’al emphasized the importance of the “Palestinian spirit” in winning the historic battle against Zionism.

In his speech, he said “The liberation [of Palestine] will come with the help of Allah, until it is attained by the last soldier, woman, and child, despite resistance by Israel and the United States… Jerusalem will become Arab and Muslim again, including all the places holy to Islam and Christianity.”

“We and the Zionists have been brought together by destiny. If they want a fight, we’ll be there; if they want a war we’re ready; if they want a conflict we’ll be there however long it takes."

“We have more determination that Israel…We’ll defeat it, with the help of Allah, and we’ll liberate the land.”

He is willing to scrifice every one of his people to fight Israel. But he also has his threats mixed up. He implies Israel is the aggressor, yet Israel has only responded to the aggression shown by the Palestinian terrorists. Not one Israeli has walked into a Palestinian market or restaurant and blown themselves up. Not one Israeli missle has been fired in offense, only defense.

And there's one more point he's missing. God has singled Israel out as his chosen people, and has a covenant with them. He will not allow them to be defeated. Hamas is not going against Israel, they are going against the God of Israel.

I believe we'll see this in our lifetime.

It's not the truth you see in a mirror, it's your personal conviction.

"In a March 4, 2006 article in the PA sponsored newspaper, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Editor-in-Chief Hafez Barghuthi equates Western institutions with the Gestapo of HitlerÂ’s Third Reich."There is a new ideological Nazism which has started to dominate the West. It doesn't speak openly about its totalitarian Nazism, but carries it out in practice. I see in many minor and senior Western officials copies of Hitler. Many of the western institutions are as if they are managed by the Gestapo and the S.S. "While the Jews suppose they are safe from this Nazism which is directed towards the people of the third-world and Latinos, they are mistaken. It is not possible that the wolfish Nazi feelings will not eventually turn against them, because the neo-conservative idea is derived from the remnants of the Nazi idea. It is an Aryan supremacy doctrine with new terminology."According to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), the frequent hatred expressed towards the United States by the PA has significant impact on public opinion amidst its constituents. A recent European poll found that 65 percent of PA Arabs "support Al-Qaeda actions in the USA and Europe." [Fafo - Norwegian-based NGO, in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, December 23, 2005] PMW Director Itamar Marcus notes that the strong support of violent anti-American support comes in spite of hundreds of millions of dollars in annual US aid to the PA. Marcus asserts that the hatred was documented well before the US announced a freeze in funding, following JanuaryÂ’s sweeping victory by Hamas in the Palestinian Legislative Council."

(The FAFO website refers to Israel as "Occupied Palestinian Territory.")

In a recent action, S. Con. Res. 79 was approved by the Senate on February 1st and by the House on February 15th. This stops any US Aid to the Palestinian Authority as long as they have a position that calls for the destruction of Israel. The House vote was 418-1, and the Senate vote was unanimous. Hawaii's Representative Neil Abercrombie was the only "No" vote. I wonder why?

Anyway, like most of the folks that hate the US, they are always willing to take our money, and our aid, while trying to destroy us. It seems to me, that it's kind of like trying to blow up the Homeless Shelter that's giving you food and clothes.

An interesting side note, in 2003 the uber liberal Senator Dianne Feinstein of Kalifornia introduced a resolution that the US has a sovereign right to persue and prosecute any person that commits a crime IN the US, and then flees to Mexico. Wow, she must have had a conservative moment. I'm sure she went straight to church for absolution.

Getting back to my title. Have you ever known somebody that looked in the mirror, and saw something other than what was there? Like a woman that sees her reflection as overweight. It's not that they are, it's just that they have convinced themselves of it. And so, it is the same with Hamas, except they see a righteous reflection.

Go figure.

Hamas, today's Gestapo?

In the Hamas website for children, one page contains an overhead shot of a corpse, draped in a Palestinian flag, being carried on a stretcher. The webpage continues on with a list of all the "martyrs" that have died as a result of "Zionist" (Israeli) attacks.

Odd that it never mentions that the attacks were in response to Qassam missiles that were fired into Israel, or the Israeli gas station owner who was shot to death by two Palestinians, or other unprovoked attacks.

On the UN day of Solidarity with Palestine, authorities displayed a "map of Palestine," with the Palestinian flag in the upper left corner. This is actually the map of Israel.

Hamas has claimed it will destroy Israel. Sounds like genocide. I believe Hitler attempted this, and look where it got him. Hamas is expending so much energy hating and attacking Israel, it's a shame that same energy isn't being used to better the lives of these people.

In Genesis 17:7-8, God deeds the land of Canaan (modern Israel) to Abraham, and his descendants. In approx. the 1200 - 1100 BC timeframe, Israel took possession of Canaan. This was long before the Palestinians.

The Palestinian Media Watch website contains many of the Hamas anti-Israeli statements. Check it out for more disturbing info on Hamas.

The U. S. needs to stand strong with Israel.

Why should immigrants learn English in the US?

Maybe these examples of immigrants to the U. S. will shed some light on why it would be a good idea for an immigrant to America to learn English:

Charles Atlas, Italy, Bodybuilding
Mikhail Baryshnikov, Soviet Union, Dance
Irving Berlin, Russia, Music
Frank Capra, Italy, Film
Claudette Colbert, France, Film/Theater
Xavier Cugat, Spain/Cuba, Music
Karl Dane, Denmark, Film
Albert Einstein, Germany, Science
Gloria Estefan, Cuba, Music
Felix Frankfurter, Austria, Law
Andy Garcia, Cuba, Acting
Marcus Garvey, Jamaica, Politics
Kahlil Gibran, Lebanon, Literature
Arshile Gorky, Armenia, Art
Sol Hurok, Ukraine, Theater
Al Jolson, Lithuania, Show Business
Elia Kazan, Turkey, Film/Theater
Henry A. Kissinger, Germany, Advisor
John Kluge, Germany, Business
Alfred Levitt, Belarus, Art
Bela Lugosi, Hungary, Film/Theater
Zubin Mehta, India, Music
Hakeem Olajuwon, Nigeria, Sports
Hyman G. Rickover, Russia, Science
Edward G. Robinson, Romania, Film
Knute Rockne, Norway, Sports
Arthur Rubinstein, Poland, Music
Carlos Santana, Mexico, Music
Arnold Schwarzeneger, Austria, Bodybuilding/Acting
Igor Sikorsky, Russia, Aeronautics/Helicopter
Gene Simmons, Israel, Music
Lee Strasberg, Austria, Theater
Arthur Tracy, Russia, Music/Film
Rudolph Valentino, Italy, Film
Baron von Trapp & Family, Austria, Music
An Wang, China, Technology

Did you figure it out? Each one of the above immigrants had to learn enough English to be successful in the United States.

There's a story in the Bible about this issue with language. It's about a place called Babel, where many people were living. God wanted them to go abroad on the earth, but they weren't. He realized that they all spoke the same language, which gave them a great advantage, as they could communicate unencumbered. As a result, they started to build a great tower. So God said, "Look, they're one people and they have one language; this is only the beginning of what they will do, now whatever they can imagine will be possible for them."

Wow! God's saying, because everyone speaks the same language, they'll be able to do whatever they can imagine. So what happens next? God fiddles with everybody's speech, so that now there are groups of people speaking the same language, but each group's speech is different from the other. So they pack up and head out in different directions. They divided. The differences in speech resulted in division, not unity.

For the U. S. , I'd like to see more unity. Think of what we could accomplish!

Ref.: Genesis 11

HillaryCare

Hillarycare (Socialized Medicine), it's baaaack.

PIHOM Hillary Clinton is again raising her ideals about putting our medical care under government control, so that 'everyone ' can have healthcare.

She claims; "There are now over 45 million uninsured Americans. There are over 13 million uninsured children . . . Premiums are rising at over twice the rate of inflation and the number of employers offering coverage is dropping." Okay, if this is true, then putting healthcare under the government would only degrade the qulity and availability of the service. What would be a better fix, rather than handing out 'free' healthcare, would be to improve the environment for businesses so more folks could be empolyed, and businesses would be more willing to provide a healthcare benefit.

Yet another in another comment she states; "This is a national crisis and a flat-out moral failing." Really? Well, the New Orleans disaster graphically displays the government's ability to respond to a crisis, and why is she imposing her morality on the rest of the nation?

She continues with "We need to make sure all Americans and their representatives know the truth about how our present health care policies are impacting you and your family." Good idea. And how about sharing the truth about how Hillarycare would impact you and your family? Just look at the Fraser Institute's report to the Canadian government on the state of their 'free' healthcare.

in 2004, Hillary Clinton said: "Many of you are well enough off that ... the [Bush] tax cuts may have helped you ... We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good." And that pretty much sums up her healthcare plan, too.

"What matters in the liberal-socialist world-view is the structure of the state. Social justice comes, not from individual morality, but from centralized government control that forces equal distribution of income and property." This is where Mrs. Clinton wants to take us, where she, as 'the government,' can tells us, 'the people,' what is right, and what is wrong. This form of tyranny is exactly what our founding fathers wanted to escape.

Freedom doesn't come from the government controlling the people, it comes from the people controlling the government.

Suicide, Murder; It's all okay.....?

1. The movie “Paradise Now” tells a tale of two Palestinians which are recruited to become suicide bombers. Hollywood named it this year’s best foreign language film at the Golden Globe Awards. Personally, I consider these folks to be Homicide bombers -- their purpose is to kill others folks.
2. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Tuesday that (Oregon) doctors could legally prescribe overdoses to patients who wanted to kill themselves.

These are sad commentaries of our world's condition today. Life is so cheap.

The problem is that in one case murder is commited out of hate. The second case has legalized murder by a doctor upon request, due to sickness. Both of these are related.

Death and sickness were never a part of the original creation. They were introduced into this world through the disobedience of Adam. Christ delivered us from these curses, yet people still want to claim the unnatural, rather than the natural.

Why? because they're still doing what Adam did, listening to Satan. John 10:10 tells us that Satan came to kill, steal, and destroy; Christ came that we might have life, and life so full that it can't be contained.

Praise God.

Socialized Medicine, or "Hillarycare, Take Two"

Hillarycare, that "oh, so good" sounding promise of "free" healthcare for everyone, is again looming on the horizon. At least in Oregon, since the Federal government already instituted Medicare, in 1972, which is a socialized medicine for older folks.

Well, now our ex-governor, Dr. John Kitzhaber, is trying to re-work the "free" Oregon Health Plan imposed on the citizens of this state in the 1980's. now, he wants to re-work the plan. Why? Well, probably because he didn't do a good job designing it in the beginning. Or, maybe he wants to be governor again. Either way, Oregonians would lose.

His idea is that "all Oregonians would receive at least basic health care coverage under a sweeping reform plan.." and how would this dream get paid for? Well, naturally, he would use the state money already going to the OHP from taxes. But, he wants to go further, and create more dependency on his program by taxing what ".. the state currently forgoes because employers are allowed to deduct what they spend on employee health insurance. " This will effectively remove the incentive for employers to provide a healthcare benefit to their employees, and at the very least it would cause the cost of this employee benefit to increase beyond the point of affordability. Then you may not have a choice but to use the "new' OHP.

Canada's free healthcare system, according to a report from the Fraser Institute for the government, is nearing bankruptcy. By 2022, they expect the taxes required to support this system to be 50% of a working person's income. It will require 100% of income almost ten years later. Besides the cost, there's the wait time. Canada just released it's report on health care wait times, they say waiting up to 26 weeks for by-pass surgery is acceptable. How many heart patients will die while they're waiting?

The abuse of the OHP is rampant. It's free to those who qualify, and the qualification process is fraught with loopholes. One such case I'm personally aware of involves a young lady. She hired in to an office, and had a choice of taking the employer's health insurance, or OHP. Why did she qualify for OHP? Well, this person happened to belong to a particular ethnic group. That's it, that's all it took! She took the OHP because it was free.

How many illegal aliens are taking advantage of the OHP, but not reporting their wages, which would be taxed.

"Free" healthcare isn't really free. Somebody has to pay for it. And the cost to provide it will continue to increase, just as the system will continue to be abused. The Fraser Report recommends that the Canadian government start charging a copay for service, and allow citizens to purchase private insurance. By doing this it's assumed that the abuse of the system will be reduced to a managable level.

Kitzhaber likened his plan to the public school system. People have a choice to send their kids to public school, or to pay for private schools. Well, either way, a parent pays. In case you didn't notice, public schools are funded and controlled by the government. Kitzhaber wants our healthcare to be under the same control. What do we hear every year from our public school system? "We need more money." We'll hear that from the OHP too. How much money does it take to make something work properly? Well, when it comes to the government, there's never enough money.

Nothing in this world is free. Not even the air you breathe (ever heard of the EPA? They are a government -- aka taxpayer supported -- department).

For a related blog, see: Tuesday, November 15, 2005, "Socialized Medicine in the US, aka HillaryCare"