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Sidebar - a short news story presenting sidelights on a major story.
Cafe - a small on-line restaurant where news and opinions are served.
Specialty - Rabbit trail served with banter.
"My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.- John 4:34 Fair Use Notice |
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The end of the longest recession in recent history got pushed further off last month as employers eliminated nearly a half-million more jobs, unemployment rose to its highest level in 26 years and wage growth came to a standstill. Source
Vol 5, No 596 |
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by William J. Murray
I was one of a very few writers on the national scene to mention that President Obama had declared June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Pride Month. This week when I told a US Senator about the proclamation he was surprised but there has been no rebuke from any political quarter. In a stroke of the pen a President of the United States erased all moral boundaries and there is no outrage; indeed, there is virtually no comment. No one seems to mind that there is a proclamation by the President telling those who commit sodomy to be proud of it, although God destroyed Sodom for such behavior. Obama claims to have a "Christian tradition," whatever that means, but apparently this "tradition" does not include adherence to the Bible.
There is a saying, "You can't legislate morality." Actually that is a lie. Every law legislates morality whether it is about theft or giving welfare and medical care to the poor. The issue at hand is whether the law is determined according to the universal moral laws given by God through the Old and New Testaments, or according to the whims of sinners. If laws are determined by the latter, then the laws will change constantly.
Even today our laws have become wacky. "Hate crimes" legislation punishes people who commit various crimes -- not for the crimes themselves -- but for what was in the minds of the perpetrators while they committed the crimes. As another example, most of those who caused the current financial crisis received bonuses paid for by taxpayers, while others who were responsible will spend the rest of their lives in jail. And now President Obama has nominated a Supreme Court nominee who has openly stated that she will not honor our Constitution unless it adheres to "international norms." What international "norms?" Perhaps the "norm" would be granting welfare payments to the multiple wives of Muslims as is done in the UK. With the last line in the sand erased by the celebration of sodomy, there is no "norm."
Our laws and court decisions from this point on will become more and more irrational as they are based on what Obama's Supreme Court nominee sited as "personal experiences." To quote Judge Sotomayor, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion [as a judge] than a white male who hasn't lived that life." Life experiences, particularly those of non-whites, in her mind trump all else.
Source
Vol 5, No 595 |
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A spiritual gift is a special attribute given by the Holy Spirit to every member of the Body of Christ, according to God’s grace, for use within the context of the Body. – C. Peter Wagner
[Every believer (“You will know them by their fruits.” – Matt. 7:16), as a member of the Body of Christ, has been given a spiritual gift “to use” (I Cor. 12:7) for the common good.]
Vol 5, No 594 |
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Democrats picked up a crucial vote for President Obama's agenda in Congress as the Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously declared challenger Al Franken the winner over incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman in their epic, eight-month legal battle for the Senate's last vacancy. Source
Vol 5, No 592 |
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The Patriot Post
A Tourist walked into a Chinese curio shop in San Francisco. While looking around at the exotic merchandise, he noticed a very lifelike, life-sized, bronze statue of a rat. It had no price tag, but was so incredibly striking the tourist decided he must have it. He took it to the old shop owner and asked, "How much for the bronze rat?"
"Ahhh, you have chosen wisely! It is $12 for the rat, $100 for the story," said the wise old Chinaman. The tourist quickly pulled out twelve dollars. "I'll just take the rat, you can keep the story."
As he walked down the street carrying his bronze rat, the tourist noticed that a few real rats had crawled out of the alleys and sewers and had begun following him down the street. This was a bit disconcerting so he began walking faster.
A couple blocks later he looked behind him and saw to his horror the herd of rats behind him had grown to hundreds, and they began squealing.
Sweating now, the tourist began to trot toward the Bay. Again, after a couple blocks, he looked around only to discover that the rats now numbered in the millions, and were squealing and coming toward him faster and faster.
Terrified, he ran to the edge of the Bay and threw the bronze rat as far as he could into the Bay.
Amazingly, the millions of rats all jumped into the Bay after the bronze rat, and were all drowned.
The man walked back to the curio shop in Chinatown.
"Ahhh," said the owner, "You have come back for story?"
"No sir," said the man, "I came back to see if you have a bronze Democrat."
[I’ll take two please. ]
Vol 5, No 591 |
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by Rick Pedraza
Rush Limbaugh is suggesting that President Barack Obama and his political operatives already are laying the groundwork for a third term.
“You have to wonder if Obama is just trying to lay a foundation for not being a hypocrite when he tries to serve beyond 2016,” Limbaugh told his national radio audience. “I wouldn't be at all surprised if in the next number of years there is a move on the 22nd Amendment.”
Limbaugh has a point.
Upon Obama's taking office, Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., introduced legislation in the House to repeal the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which limits presidents to two consecutive terms or 10 years in office. Serrano’s justification for the bill is that, until 1951, nothing prevented a president from serving more than two terms. Source
Vol 5, No 590 |
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Watch this .
[Wow! I haven’t felt this guilty in a long time.]
Vol 5, No 589 |
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“We believe in a culture that supports and respects the right to life and is dedicated to the protection and preservation of families. Therefore, we cannot support any health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan. We believe that a government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan, should not be used to fund abortion.” Source
Vol 5, No 588 |
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A suppressed EPA study says old U.N. data ignore the decline in global temperatures and other inconvenient truths. Was the report kept under wraps to influence the vote on the cap-and-trade bill? Source
Vol 5, No 587 |
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by Os Hillman
“The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” – Proverbs 12:15
“It's amazing how similar at times the voice of my wife is to the voice of the Holy Spirit,” I said to the Christian audience.
When John Benson decided to make some financial investments in a new business venture, he was very excited about the possibilities for a handsome financial return. His business and financial background had served him well. John felt strongly that his wife Jenny would not understand the complexity of his investment, so he casually mentioned it to her. When she asked a few simple questions, John became defensive and justified his plans for investing in the venture.
A year later, after investing a large sum of money, John received a phone call from the investment company. All the investors who had put money in the company were going to lose their investment with no ability to recoup it.
This story could be retold repeatedly across the world. God's principles for making decisions require input from both spouses, regardless of their level of expertise. I learned this lesson the hard way after making many independent decisions outside the counsel of my wife. Today, whenever I am faced with a major decision, I first consult the Lord, and then I consult my wife. She may disagree totally with something that seems very straightforward to me, but I have learned not to move forward if we are not in agreement.
She does not need to know all the details, nor does she have to have expertise. God has placed in her a "chip" called "intuition." That intuition cannot explain why she feels the way she does, she just knows when something is not right. Conversely, husbands bring a totally different perspective that may give an alternative side to a situation that the wife has never considered. God has called married couples to be one. If we seek to make decisions independently, then we benefit from only 50% of the intended resource God has placed within our grasp. In marriage, this stewardship of decisions requires two people. God blesses this union by honoring the decisions made with the motive of glorifying God and relying on His Spirit to lead in our decision-making process.
Before you make a major decision, get confirmation for your decision from your spouse.
[Amen. Right on.]
Vol 5, No 586 |
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It is our choices that show who we really are more than our abilities." - J.K. Rowling
Vol 5, No 585 |
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Nationwide polls and denominational reports are showing that the next generation is calling it quits on the traditional church. And its not just happening on the nominal fringe; it’s happening at the core of the faith.
In the first scientific study of its kind, the “Beemer Report” reveals startling facts discovered through 20,000 phone calls and detailed surveys of a thousand 20–29 year olds who used to attend evangelical churches on a regular basis, but have since left it behind. Read more .
Vol 5, No 584 |
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(AP) A federal judge has denied an evangelical group's request for permission to hand out Christian literature on sidewalks at an Arab festival in Dearborn, Michigan.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds denied Anaheim, Calif.-based Arabic Christian Perspective's request for a temporary restraining order. The group describes itself in its court filing as "a national ministry established for the purpose of proclaiming the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ to Muslims ...(that) travels around the country attending and distributing Christian literature at Muslim festivals and mosques." Read more .
[It that stands, after an appeal, it means that union thugs cannot hand out union propaganda at a job site.]
Vol 5, No 583 |
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by Charley Reese
(Date of publication unknown)
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of the 235 million - are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. Read more .
Thanks to Kathy Wilmot
Vol 5, No 582 |
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The Mark Sanford saga irks me on two fronts. First he professes to be a believer in Jesus Christ, and secondly, he has so little understanding of the faith in which he professes to believe.
For those who have no stomach for politics or political affairs (literally), a brief review. Mark Sanford, Governor of North Carolina, was purported to be hiking over the Father’s Day weekend. Instead he was with his mistress in South America.
(AP) About an hour after Jenny Sanford talked of her pain and feelings of betrayal, her husband brushed aside any suggestion he might immediately resign, citing the Bible and the story of King David — who continued to lead after sleeping with another man's wife, Bathsheba, having the husband slain, then marrying the widow.
“What I find interesting is the story of David, and the way in which he fell mightily — fell in very, very significant ways, but then picked up the pieces and built from there,” Sanford [said]. Source
His excuse, his defense, his rationalization is but a microcosm of modern Christianity.
They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed. – Titus 1:16
Is Sanford a believer? That is not the issue.
This man has either no understanding of Scripture, or is intentionally twisting it to improve his image. His lack of remorse is stunning.
The incident to which Sanford is referring is found in II Samuel, chapters 11 and 12. David’s infant son died as a result of his sin. Another son committed incest. His beloved son Absalom rebelled against David and was subsequently killed.
David writes in Psalms 32:3,4 “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.”
Has King David “picked up the pieces and built from there?” David (though he repented), and the Hebrews, suffered as a result of his sin with Bathsheba.
Gov. Sanford, you may know of King David, but you’re no David.
Vol 5, No 581 |
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Lila Rose, 20-year-old UCLA student and president of the non-profit Live Action, went undercover at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Birmingham and told a counselor that she was 14-years-old, pregnant by her 31-year-old "boyfriend." Rose said she needed a secret abortion so her parents would not find out about her sexual relationship with the older man. Source
Vol 5, No 580 |
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The answer to post 576 is found in this sentence: Not only does the nation, in the words of President Obama, need to make dropping out of high school not an option, it needs to insure . . .
Insure, as in an insurance policy? That's one way to hold the government schools accountable. If the students do not learn, the school returns the tax money (with interest).
However, ensure means to guarantee or assure. Of course the government is the last entity that could be trusted to enforce accountability.
Yes, it was a trick question. The word "insure" was spelled correctly. The author, or speechwriter, simply did not know the difference between ensure and insure, or "bring" and "take," Or "infer" and "imply."
Just what is so great about government education?
Vol 5, No 579 |
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[With the advent of HD TV, viewers are now able to watch high quality trash. The best medicine to assuage TV angst is to use the TV as a target. The know-it-all federal government now wants to take away all our fun.]
Got an old TV? Don't shoot it! That's the word from federal wilderness officials. The people at the Bureau of Land Management in Utah's west desert are worried some folks might want to use their old sets for target practice. Source
Vol 5, No 578 |
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“On July 14, President Obama will throw out the first pitch at the All-Star Game in St. Louis. Joe Biden will be on hand to commit the first error.” - Jimmy Fallon
Vol 5, No 577 |
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I sent this introductory remark, taken from a speech delivered in a hearing on High School reform, to a home school graduate. I challenged him to see how quickly he could find the spelling error.
If you would like to take the challenge, please leave a comment (anonymously). I am curious how long it will be before someone notices.
Vol 5, No 576 |
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Here is an example of why hiring illegal aliens is not economically productive for the State of California ...
You have two different families..."Joe Legal" and "Jose Illegal.”
Each family is similar in that there are two parents, two children and both live in California.
Joe Legal works in construction, has a Social Security Number, and makes $25.00 per hour with payroll taxes deducted. Jose Illegal also works in construction, has "NO" Social Security Number, and gets paid $15.00 per hour (cash "under the table").
Joe Legal: $25.00 per hour x 40 hours $1000.00 per week, $52,000 per year. Now take 30% away for State & Federal Tax. Joe Legal now has $31,231.00.
Jose Illegal : $15.00 per hour x 40 hours $600.00 per week, $31,200.00 per year.
Jose Illegal pays no taxes. Jose Illegal now has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal pays Medical and Dental Insurance with limited coverage – $1000.00 per month or $12,000.00 per year.
Joe Legal now has $19,231.00.
Jose Illegal has full Medical and Dental coverage through the state and local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00
Joe Legal makes too much money is not eligible for Food Stamps or welfare.
Joe Legal pays for food $1,000.00 per month or $12,000.00 per year.
Joe Legal now has $ 7,231.00.
Jose Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for Food Stamps and Welfare – Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00
Joe Legal pays rent of $1,000.00 per month or $12,000.00 per year
Joe Legal is now in the hole $4,769.00.
Jose Illegal receives a $500 per month Federal rent subsidy.
Jose Illegal pays rent $500.00 per month or $6,000.00 per year.
Jose Illegal still has $25,200.00.
Joe Legal now works overtime on Saturdays or gets a part time job after work.
Jose Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family.
Joe Legal’s and Jose Illegal’s children both attend the same school. Joe Legal pays for his children's lunches while Jose Illegal’s children get a government sponsored lunch.
Jose Illegal’s children have an after school ESL program. Joe Legal’s children go home.
Joe Legal and Jose Illegal both enjoy the same Police and Fire Services, but Joe paid for them and Jose did not pay.
Thanks to Garland Carlson
Vol 5, No 575 |
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Abortionist George Tiller's death brought an outpouring of national media headlines and Congressional condolences to his family by a resolution approved by the US House. Laura Hope Smith's death at the hands of an abortionist was and continues to be ignored and her mother's effort to bring it to the attention of her senator was stonewalled.
"Where was the press when my daughter Laura died at the hands of an abortionist?" asks Eileen Smith, Laura's mother. A media search shows mostly news reports from nonprofit organizations, religious news and other alternative media. Source
Vol 5, No 574 |
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Vol 5, No 573 |
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Vol 5, No 572 |
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Detour
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Jun. 16th, 2009 @ 02:00 pm
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[Closed until after the funeral.]
Details here .
Vol 5, No 571 |
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It's official. The government is going to control the news. Source
Vol 5, No 570 |
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Vol 5, No 569 |
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An election that began with a record number of Iranians peacefully seeking to choose their president ended Saturday in protest demonstrations and a violent crackdown that undermined the legitimacy of the Islamic regime. More here
Vol 5, No 568 |
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Frank Salvato believes that Islamists will “use the tool of immigration and non-assimilation when plausible to create voting blocks in order to elect Islamists to government. In the case of the latter, the pro-open border neo-Marxists play an integral role. Once Islamists attain a working majority in our legislative bodies (...) they will be able to institute, incrementally, elements of Sharia Law from within the constraints of the American system of government.” More here
Vol 5, No 567 |
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(UK) Armed cops patrolling Heathrow Airport have been banned from wearing tiny Union Jack badges in support of British troops.
Top brass claimed the tie-pin badges – with proceeds going to the Help for Heroes charity – were offensive.
Said one cop, “Nobody has put out orders to remove rainbow symbols that [sodomite] officers wear. Why discriminate against us?" More here
Vol 5, No 566 |
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STR
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S - Ask the individual to Smile.
T - Ask the person to Talk and speak a simple sentence (Coherently, i.e. It is sunny out today.)
R - Ask him or her to Raise both arms.
If he or she has trouble with any one of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked,' if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.
Vol 5, No 565 |
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So just what does an 85-year-old former president who's about to jump out of a plane at more than 10,000 feet eat for breakfast?
"You'll find it out there in the ocean," former President George W. Bush joked after his father parachuted to a picture-perfect landing on a tiny strip of land along the rocky Maine coastline.
Strapped to an Army Golden Knights parachutist, the elder Bush floated for seven minutes above the Bay of Maine before landing just to the side of St. Ann's Episcopal Chapel, where he married former first lady Barbara Bush 54 years ago.
"She teased me. She said, 'Look, it's a good thing you're doing it at church, because we won't have far to move you," a clearly exhilarated Mr. Bush said of his wife, who looked relieved that the man 23 grandchildren call "gampy" was back on solid ground.
Mr. Bush, who has had two hip replacements and major surgery on his back, said there were two reasons he decided to jump out of a plane on his 85th birthday: "I can't play golf anymore," he said with a laugh. But more importantly, "it sends a message all around the globe that just because you're an old guy, you don't have to sit around drooling in the corner." More here
Vol 5, No 564 |
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James von Brunn, the man who allegedly shot and killed a guard at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., was a Darwin-lover who hated the Bible and Christians, and defies media efforts to classify him as a stereotypical "right-winger," according to reports.
von Brunn advocated the socialist policies espoused by Adolf Hitler and used Darwinian theory to support his anti-Semitism.
Like those of most "white supremacists", many of von Brunn's political views track "Left" rather than "Right." Clearly, a re-evaluation of these obsolete definitions is long overdue. Source
Vol 5, No 563 |
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Cute?
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Jun. 12th, 2009 @ 04:00 pm
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[This was cute for the first 30 seconds. Ministering and exhorting is a serious responsibility. I do not know the motivation of the parent, but I am not comfortable with what I see.]
Vol 5, No 562 |
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by Michele Malkin
Dear David Letterman,
Will you teach your son to talk about women and girls the way you talk about Sarah Palin and her daughters?
You called the married 45-year-old mother, grandmother and Alaska governor a "slutty flight attendant" on your national TV talk show because she happens to be a tall, beautiful and dynamic public figure who doesn't look, walk or talk the way you think she should.
You joked on national television about Palin's teenage daughter "getting knocked up" by professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez or solicited by the prostitute-addicted former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer because it's acceptable in your social and professional circles to sneer at the children of politicians you despise. Source
Thanks to Susan Church
[A polite letter to a low-life “compassionate liberal.” I might have to watch his show once so that I can say I'm boycotting it.]
Vol 5, No 561 |
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by Gregg Madsen
“To consider persons and events and situations only in the light of their effect upon myself is to live on the doorstep of hell.”
Thomas Merton penned those words, and I believe they are true. I also believe they describe why life was so difficult for Cain, the first older brother in history.
When you read the account of Cain's life in Genesis 4, you find a man who was consumed by how things affected him. After seeing his brother, Abel, receive blessing from God for his offering, Cain pouted because God hadn't shown him approval. After learning how he could change his ways, he chose instead to exact revenge on his brother by killing him. After being confronted by God about murdering his brother, Cain's response is, "Hey, am I supposed to be watching him?" And then, after receiving his punishment from God (which very easily could have been the death penalty) Cain complains that the punishment is too great.
Everything that happened to Cain was considered only in the light of its effect on himself. And Cain lived on the doorstep of Hell.
The apostle John warned us about this kind of thinking in 1 John 3v11-12, "This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous."
What has happened to you this week? And, how have you considered those events? Have you considered those events primarily "in the light of their effect upon" yourself? Whatever has happened and whatever will happen, take time to consider those events in the light of their effect upon others, and not just their effect upon you. You will find yourself living closer to the doorstep of heaven than the doorstep of hell.
Vol 5, No 560 |
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by Rabbi Dr. Morton H. Pomerantz
Our new president did not tell a virulent anti-Semite to travel to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington to kill Jews, but he is most certainly creating a climate of hate against us.
It is no coincidence that we are witnessing this level of hatred toward Jews as President Barack Obama positions America against the Jewish state.
Just days ago Obama traveled to Cairo, Egypt. It was his second trip in a short time to visit Muslim countries. He sent a clear message by not visiting Israel.
But this was code.
In Cairo, Obama said things that pose a grave danger to Jews in Israel, in America and everywhere.
And if his views are not vigorously opposed they will help create a danger as great as that posed by the Nazis to the Jewish people. Read more
Vol 5, No 559 |
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More than four decades after the surgeon general declared smoking a health hazard, the Senate on Thursday cleared the final hurdle to empowering federal officials to regulate cigarettes and other forms of tobacco for the first time. Read more
[(I did not think “prohibition” worked.) Government regulation means less tobacco manufacturing which means more unemployed. Prohibition also means less taxation, which means taxes have to be increased elsewhere. Less smoking will mean less business for both the medical profession and undertakers. Less people dying means more people living means more people exhaling carbon dioxide and the oceans will rise and we will all die. Aahhhhhhhh!!]
Vol 5, No 558 |
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by Andrew Breitbart
The Democratic Party's attitude to elections is admirable: Win. And recent history has shown it will do anything to do so.
When, if not now, will Republicans develop such a fighting spirit?
Democrats invest – with taxpayer money, mind you – in groups like ACORN that, among other sordid tactics, seek out Skid Row bodies and wheel them to polling places. All the Democratic National Committee needs are vans and smelling salts. Pop culture and the "education system" have done the rest, making "D" the default choice on Election Day.
Democrats brazenly take policy positions - think government services and even amnesty for illegal immigrants – not because they are the right thing to do, but because they are time-tested demographic bribes. Forget cigarettes and beer, Democrats would distribute needles, methadone, medical marijuana and biscotti in voter goodie bags if they could get away with it.
( Full story ) Source
Vol 5, No 557 |
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Technology that is legal to buy and sell within the U.S. but is illegal to export because of its potential military applications has been used to build weapons deployed against U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan because of loose export controls, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report issued last week. Source Vol 5, No 556 |
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Between 2000 and 2008, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union gave $23,675,562 to the Democratic Party and its candidates.
In 2008 alone, the UAW gave $4,161,567 to the Democratic Party, including Barack Obama.
In return, the UAW received 55 percent of Chrysler and 17.5 percent of GM, plus billions of dollars.
But nobody’s calling this a scandal. It’s time we start.
2000-2008 UAW Giving: $23.7 million to Democrats. $193,540 to Republicans
The almost $24,000,000 the UAW has given to Democrats since 2000 compares with the $193,540 the union has given to Republicans.
In the 2008 presidential election, President Obama was by far the biggest recipient of UAW contributions, raking in $27,340 compared to the $10,600 given to Hillary Clinton, the No. 2 recipient of UAW money.
And so it was no surprise to the cynical Washington political class when the payback began with the Chrysler bankruptcy. Source
Vol 5, No 555 |
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by Os Hillman
"So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, 'It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared'" (Gen 32:30).
Every believer in Jesus Christ must have a defining moment in their lives. Jacob is about to meet his brother Esau in the desert after years of separation. The last time he saw him was when he manipulated the birthright from him years ago. He assumes Esau is going to try to kill him. He sends gifts ahead as a peace offering. And he spends a restless night in prayer asking God to spare his and his family's life.
Jacob has lived a life of control and manipulation. Yet, there is something in Jacob God finds worthy of redemption. He has a heart that genuinely wants to serve and be used of God. But God must do something in him to chisel away the bad traits in his life.
He sends an angel in the form of a man to wrestle away the striving in Jacob. The only way to remove the striving in Jacob is to injure his physical abilities. "When the angel saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man'" (Gen 32:25-26). Jacob's natural abilities were so great that God literally had to make Jacob a weaker man physically in order for God's power to be manifested in his life. When this happened a turning point took place in Jacob. A new nature was birthed in him that required a total trust in God. His name was changed in recognition of this defining moment. "Then the man said, 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome'" (Gen 32:28).
My friend Bob Mumford once said, "Beware of any Christian leader who does not walk with a limp." If a leader has not wrestled with God over their natural abilities and come to a place of total dependence on God, that leader will live a life of striving and manipulation.
Let go and let God do the work needed in you. When this happens even your enemies will be at peace with you.
Vol 5, No 553 |
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Four men were bragging about how smart their dogs were. One was an engineer, the second man was an accountant, the third man was a chemist, the fourth was a government worker.
To show off, the engineer called to his dog. "T- square, do your stuff." T-square trotted over to a desk, took out some paper and a pen and promptly drew a circle, a square, and a triangle. Everyone agreed that was pretty smart.
But the accountant said his dog could do better. He called to his dog and said, "Spreadsheet, do your stuff." Spreadsheet went out into the kitchen and returned with a dozen cookies. He divided them into 4 equal piles of 3 cookies each. Everyone agreed that was good.
But the chemist said his dog could do better. He called to his dog and said, "Measure, do your stuff." Measure got up, walked over to the fridge, took out a quart of milk, got a 10 ounce glass from the cupboard and poured exactly 8 ounces without spilling a drop. Everyone agreed that was pretty impressive.
Then the three men turned to the government worker and said, "What can your dog do?" The government worker called to his dog and said, "Coffee Break, do your stuff!" Coffee Break jumped to his feet, ate the cookies, drank the milk, pooped on half the paper and half off, sexually assaulted the other three dogs, claimed he injured his back while doing so, filed a grievance report for unsafe working conditions, put in for worker's compensation and went home for the rest of the day on sick leave. They all agreed, that was brilliant.
Vol 5, No 552 |
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I paid $63.00 to fill my truck. The last time I spent that much money on a fill was last October 10th. The price was $3.10 then, compared with $2.65 today. Between then and now the price had dropped to $1.66.
It's time for "change." That's why I got a scooter.
Vol 5, No 551 |
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[I enjoy watching gymnastic competition. I have always wanted to be able to do a back flip. (I still would like to do a back flip.)]
Vol 5, No 550 |
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Democrats tried to stall, storming from the chamber and even turning off the lights.
Republicans regained control of the New York State Senate on Tuesday afternoon, winning support from two dissident Democrats in a surprise power-sharing deal. The sudden coup effectively ended Democratic control of Albany after five months.
The change of power upends the legislative debate in Albany and changes the landscape on any number of issues, from mayoral control of New York City’s schools to [sodomite] marriage. Source
Vol 5, No 549 |
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by William J. Murray
Last November three Black Panthers with billy clubs threatened voters in Philadelphia with violence unless they voted "the right way." The Justice Department had won two cases against the Black Panthers in court; however, when the Obama Administration took over, the Justice Department ordered that the case be dropped. If the three men had been members of the KKK, I am very sure the Obama Justice Department would be seeking life in jail for them. Apparently justice is not blind to race in the Obama Administration. Source
Vol 5, No 548 |
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