McCain: 'I am deeply moved'
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/342048.aspx
JERUSALEM, Israel - In the visitors' book at Jerusalem's Yad VaShem Holocaust Memorial, presidential hopeful Senator John McCain wrote, "I am deeply moved; never again."
McCain, accompanied by U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-S.C.), arrived Tuesday for a two-day visit, which began at Yad VaShem.
Afterward, the senators met with Israeli President Shimon Peres.
"Iran is not solely Israel's problem," Peres told the delegation. "The combination of terror, nuclear capabilities and irresponsible leadership poses a danger to the entire world," he said.
Later in the day, McCain shared his views on the region's Islamic terror groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, with The Jerusalem Post.
"If Hamas Hezbollah succeed here, they are going to succeed everywhere -- not only in the Middle East, but everywhere. Israel isn't the only enemy," said McCain.
"They are dedicated to the extinction of everything that the US, Israel and the West believe and stand for," he said.
The Republican senator from Arizona said he doesn't believe the US should dictate policy to Israel, but he is personally against speaking with Hamas.
"Someone is going to have to answer the question to me of how you're going to negotiate with an organization dedicated to your extinction," McCain said.
"I really think we should understand that the US and Israel are partners, Israel is not a client of the United States. If you're partners, then you don't dictate what you think the terms of the survival of a nation should be," he said.
Palestinian Rocket Fire
Speaking about Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel, McCain said he doesn't have a solution, but he respects Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak as "one of the great military people" he has known.
"I can tell you that I believe if rocket attacks came across the border of the United States of America, the American people would probably demand pretty vigorous actions in response. I think I know my constituency in the state of Arizona," McCain said. "They would be pretty exercised if rockets came across the southern border," he said.
Iran's Nuclear Arms Program
Regarding Iran, McCain said the Islamic regime was undoubtedly pursuing a nuclear armament program.
"I think Iran is a threat to the region," he said, pointing out that the Iranians were arming and training terrorists and sending them to Iraq and supporting Hezbollah.
"At the end of the day, we can still not afford to have Iran with nuclear weapons," he said. "We know they have ambitions not just aimed at the State of Israel," but at the "destabilization of the entire region upon which the United States' national security interests rest."
The Gaza Strip
In a meeting Tuesday with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, McCain said the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip makes a peace agreement impossible.
Senator Lieberman told Livni that US senators were committed to America's alliance with Israel.
"We are all targets of those extremists," Lieberman said.
Obama Defends Rev. Wright, Blasts Imus
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_wright_imus/2008/03/19/81557.html
It took Barack Obama more than a year to repudiate his former pastor's racially charged anti-American tirades, but when it came to denouncing Don Imus for his racial slurs against the Rutgers girls basketball team, it took Obama only a week to demand the shock jock be fired, Fox News notes.
In a major speech Tuesday, Obama condemned the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's shocking verbal assaults against the U.S. dating back to 2001.
But in April of last year, Obama was quick to demand Imus' ouster for making a racially insensitive remark.
“There’s nobody on my staff who would still be working for me if they made a comment like that about anybody of any ethnic group. And I would hope that NBC ends up having that same attitude,” Obama told ABC News in an April 11 interview demanding Imus' resignation.
Obama told ABC in the interview he would never appear again on Imus’ show after Imus set off a firestorm of outrage when he called members of the women’s basketball team at Rutgers University “nappy-headed hos” on his popular morning talk show.
“He didn’t just cross the line,” Obama raged then. “He fed into some of the worst stereotypes that my two young daughters are having to deal with today in America.”
Obama has downplayed Wright for Wright's insensitive remarks, saying he has done good work with the poor and AIDS victims. Yet Obama did not afford the same respect to Imus, who has devoted considerable energy to helping children with cancer, wounded war veterans, and others.
Obama's pastor has blamed the government for HIV, cast the country as institutionally racist, and said God should damn the United States.
But Obama, who Fox recalled has had a 20-year relationship with Wright, claimed in his speech Tuesday that he had no idea Wright had ever expressed such incendiary remarks.
When some of Wright’s remarks were publicized last year, Obama rescinded an invitation for Wright to speak at his Feb. 10, 2007, presidential announcement, but had failed to fully address the matter until Tuesday's speech.
When Fox News asked about the different responses to his pastor and to Imus, Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor questioned the premise of the comparison and defended Obama’s response in each case. “He spoke out both times, so it’s entirely consistent,” he told Foxnews.com Tuesday. While Obama didn’t condemn Wright’s views outright until last Friday, Vietor said Obama had started putting the issue to rest long before now.
“He denounced specific comments months ago and he gave a thoughtful speech today,” Vietor told Fox News Tuesday.
Obama, Trinity Church ‘Airbrush’ Web Sites
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_wright_website/2008/03/18/81279.html
Barack Obama has been publicly defending his longtime relationship with the controversial former pastor of his Chicago church, but his campaign is taking steps to quietly remove any mention of his pastor from the campaign’s Web site.
But the efforts to “airbrush” the Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church from the campaign’s site, www.barackobama.com, have been uncovered by bloggers who have conducted searches of the site in Web archives.
For example, Wright had been prominently featured on the Obama site as the first person listed in the “Testimonials” section.
Next to a large picture, Wright was quoted as saying: “I support Barack because of his incarnated faith — his faith made alive in the flesh. He reaches across all faith communities and even to those who have no faith at all.” But Wright’s testimonial has now vanished from Obama’s site and been replaced by a statement from “Danielle S.,” a Ph.D. student in educational policy.
Video clips emerged last week of speeches in which Wright, calls for God to damn the Unites States and makes reference to the country as the "U.S. of K.K.K.A." Wright also insisted that the United States brought the Sept. 11 attacks upon itself because of its corrupt foreign policy.
Obama’s campaign has not been alone in doing some Internet doctoring, as Wright’s church has also done some online tinkering, removing a racially-charged section on the “Black Value System” from the church’s Web site (www.tucc.org) and its “About Us” page, the Little Green Footballs blog discovered.
Among the points in the Black Value System are “adherence to the black work ethic,” “pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System,” “pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the Black Community,” and “disavowal of the pursuit of ‘Middleclassness.’”
However, the church’s Web masters apparently neglected to remove a link to the Black Value System at the bottom of its home page.
Little Green Footballs followed that link and found a shocking elaboration on “disavowal of the pursuit of ‘Middleclassness’” that seemingly identifies white Americans as “captors” and African-Americans as “captives”:
“Classic methodology on control of captives teaches that captors must keep the captive ignorant educationally, but trained sufficiently well to serve the system. Also, the captors must be able to identify the ‘talented tenth’ of those subjugated, especially those who show promise of providing the kind of leadership that might threaten the captor’s control.
“Those so identified as [sic] separated from the rest of the people by:
"Killing them off directly, and/or fostering a social system that encourages them to kill off one another.
"Placing them in concentration camps, and/or structuring an economic environment that induces captive youth to fill the jails and prisons.
"Seducing them into a socioeconomic class system which while training them to earn more dollars, hypnotizes them into believing they are better than others and teaches them to think in terms of ‘we’ and ‘they’ instead of ‘us.’”
O'Reilly: Media Burying Obama Pastor Story
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/oreilly_wright_obama/2008/03/18/81249.html
It is a major scandal that threatens to derail Barack Obama's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, but the mainstream media is treating it as a minor political scuffle, says Fox's Bill O'Reilly.
In his talking points memo Monday night, O'Reilly played tapes of the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright's (Obama's former pastor's) rants against the United States and then said that all clear-thinking Americans including Sen. Obama are appalled by what he called "those hateful words."
Noting that Obama said that the picture being painted of Wright is not accurate, O'Reilly wanted to know what about it was inaccurate and added, "Americans also don't know very much about Barack Obama. And so he has some explaining to do — and not with soft-ball interviewers either."
"How," O'Reilly asked "can you have a close association with an American hater for 20 years? Surely Senator Obama knew how Wright felt even though he might not have heard the exact words. Also, what kind of judgment allows a sitting senator to attend a church that radical?"
O'Reilly noted that the latest Rasmussen poll shows Obama losing support across the country — his favorability rating is down five points in three days, and the Wright controversy is the force driving them.
"The folks don't want leadership that is associated with that kind of hatred," O'Reilly said. "At this point, the story tells us more about the media than Senator Obama. And remember the very liberal New York Times attacked John McCain for associating with a lobbyist nobody ever heard of."
"The Times," he recalled, "put the story on page one and the liberal media ran with it. The McCain story was about association and judgment and what's the Obama story about? Association and judgment. But The New York Times buried the pastor story — the paper must think its readers are stupid.
"Likewise, the nightly network news programs have downplayed the situation. On Friday, ABC News ignored it and NBC News gave it 20 seconds."
Had his "O'Reilly Factor" not broken the story wide last Thursday night, he said, "it would have likely died which is exactly what the leftist media wants.
"Finally Barack Obama says he deplored the racial aspect of the story, but who is really pushing race?" O'Reilly asked, adding, "I believe that would be [Obama's] former pastor and far-left zealots like Media Matters and Jesse Jackson. They are the chief race baiters in America."
"The Wright story," O'Reilly said, "is here to stay. Voters aren't going to forget it. Senator Obama should realize that and confront the issues on programs like this one where millions would see him, and he would get a fair hearing. If he does not fully explain his association with Pastor Wright he will not be elected president."
Israel Braces for Revenge Attacks
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/341200.aspx
JERUSALEM, Israel - Israel is bracing for a new round of possible terror attacks from the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. Forty days of mourning for their slain terrorist leader will soon end, and Hezbollah has vowed to take revenge against Israel for his assassination.
In recent weeks, Israel has had its hands full trying to deal with rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip and riots in the West Bank. But the biggest worry for Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak may be to the north in Lebanon, where Iran's proxy, the radical Hezbollah terror organization, is loaded with weapons and bent on revenge.
Hezbollah and Iran blame Israel for the February killing of one of the world's most-wanted terrorists, Imad Mughniyeh. The 40-day Muslim mourning period for him ends March 22, and Israel is on alert for possible reprisals -- not only in Israel itself, but at Israeli embassies and Jewish centers around the world.
At another funeral in Bethlehem last week, the bodies of Islamic Jihad leaders killed by Israel in a counter-terror operation were wrapped in Hezbollah flags, another sign of Iran's growing influence in the West Bank and Gaza.
Israeli intelligence estimates that Hezbollah has rebuilt its rocket arsenal from the Second Lebanon war in 2006 and now has 20,000 rockets aimed at Israel.
Iran's regime is almost certain to help Hezbollah avenge the death of its leader. And the goal will be a high casualty count. The questions of who, when and where they might attack is a concern not only in Israel, but for leaders on every continent.
It is a circumstance that best-selling author and geo-political analyst Joel Rosenberg is very well aware of.
His first book, The Last Jihad, launched a series of novels centered in the Middle East whose storylines ended up in the headlines.
That prompted some to dub him a modern-day Nostradamus.
Such insights have made him a noted speaker and consultant to leaders around the world.
His latest book, released for sale today, is Dead Heat, a story that Rosenberg says he hopes does not end up in the headlines.
Israel Still Building in East Jerusalem
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jD4YSkDPlclqd9dHvg2f0Ij18zEgD8VFCLDO4
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday he will keep building in parts of the West Bank and Jerusalem that Israel wants to keep in a future peace deal, angering the chief Palestinian negotiator.
Olmert's public stance on continuing construction in disputed areas threatened to further weaken moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is in a power struggle with the militant Islamic Hamas group that governs Gaza.
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks resumed Monday in Jerusalem after a break of several weeks because of a spike in violence, but the session ended in discord. Ahmed Qureia, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said he downgraded the meeting to unofficial to protest Israeli construction plans.
"We completely reject the building, not only one room, but also one brick in any of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem," Qureia told The Associated Press.
The two-hour meeting was attended by Qureia and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
Olmert and Abbas agreed to restart the talks at a Mideast conference called by President Bush last November, pledging to try for a peace treaty by the end of this year.
At the center of the current dispute is Har Homa, a new Jewish neighborhood in east Jerusalem, which both sides claim.
Olmert said whatever the terms of a peace treaty, Israel plans to keep Har Homa and older neighborhoods built in east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 war. About 180,000 Israelis live in east Jerusalem.
"Everyone knows that there is no chance that the state of Israel will give up a neighborhood like ... Har Homa," Olmert said in a joint news conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Palestinians object to all such construction. Peace talks were resumed on the basis of the "road map" plan, which aims for establishment of a Palestinian state through several stages. In the first stage, Israel is supposed to halt all settlement construction, while the Palestinians dismantle militant groups like Hamas that attack Israel. Neither side fulfilled those initial obligations.
Merkel noted that stopping settlement construction is part of the road map.
"We agree that all sides should try as much as possible to keep their obligations, and I've pointed out that both sides have things left to do," she said.
While presenting a hard line on Palestinian demands, Olmert offered renewed peace talks to Syria if it stops its support of Israel's enemies — the Lebanese Hezbollah and radical Palestinian groups, an official in Olmert's office said.
The offer came during the closed meeting of the Israeli and German Cabinets, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with Cabinet rules.
Israel-Syria peace talks broke down in 2000 with an Israeli offer on the table to withdraw from the Golan Heights — a strategic plateau that Syria lost to Israel in the 1967 Middle East War.
Temple Institute Prepares Linen Garments
http://www.templeinstitute.org/garment_manufacture.htm
"For Aaron's sons, make tunics and sashes. Also make them hats that are both dignified and beautiful. Place these [vestments] on Aaron and his sons. Then anoint them, and install them, sanctifying them to be priests to Me. Also make linen pants to cover their nakedness, reaching from their waists to their thighs. [All these vestments] must be worn by Aaron and his sons whenever they enter the Communion Tent or offer sacrifice on the altar, performing the divine service in the sanctuary; otherwise they will have committed a sin and they will die. This shall be a law for [Aaron] and his descendants after him for all time." (Exodus 28:40-43)
"They made the tunics for Aaron and his sons by weaving them out of fine linen. [They made] the linen turban, the fine linen hats, and the line pants, [all out of] twined linen. [They made] the belt, embroidered out of twined linen, and sky-blue, dark red and crimson wool." (Exodus 39:28-29)
The Temple Institute is Pleased to Announce that Production of 120 Sets of Linen Garments for Lay Priests is Presently Underway
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1,938 years the linen garments of the lay priests are being produced in preparation for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the renewal of the Divine service. The last priestly garments to have been worn were those worn by the priests who were martyred by the Roman legions who brutally invaded and destroyed the Holy Temple on the ninth day of the month of Av, in the year 70 CE.
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE HAS SPARED NO EFFORT in procuring the necessary materials for the performing of this Torah commandment, and once again has enlisted 21st century technology in order to do so in a manner befitting the Torah injunction that these priestly garments be "both dignified and beautiful". (Exodus 28:40)
SPECIALLY PREPARED FLAXEN THREAD, wound into six-ply strands, according to the Torah prescribed requirement, ("twined linen - shesh mushzar"), has been imported from India. These individual spools of thread are presently being spun into larger 1.7 meter long spindles in order to accomodate the next step: the weaving of bolts of fabric 1.7 meters wide. Before commencing this process, (known in Hebrew as hashtayah), of creating the 1.7 meter spindles, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, founder of the Temple Institute made the traditional shechechiyanu blessing expressing gratitute to G-d " ...for keeping us alive and preserving us and permitting us to behold this day." In addition, before every step of the manufacturing process, a special statement of intent must be uttered in Hebrew: "L'shem mitzvat assei assiyat bigdei hakehuna: for the sake of the positive commandment to make the priestly garments."
THE PREPARED SPINDLES are then being transported from the textile factory in the town of Gedera to a second factory in the city of Tel Aviv. There they will be woven into kilometer (3,280 foot) long bolts. The weaving process, (known in Hebrew as arigah), creates the checkerboard pattern described in Torah, (ibid 28:39).
THE FINAL STAGES of the manufacture of the garments involves the cutting, sewing and embroidering of the woven fabric, creating the tunic (ketonet), pants (michnasayim), turban (mitznefet) and belt (avnet). The turban (mitznefet) is eight meters (26 feet) in length, and is wrapped around the priest's head. Each belt (avnet) requires a sixteen meter (52 feet) length of linen, which is wrapped around the priest's waist. (During the time of the Second Temple, when preparing to serve in the Holy Temple, the priests dressed in the chamber known as the chamber of Pinchas the Wardrober, and each priest was assisted by a fellow priest with the turban and belt.)
AS ALWAYS, IN RECREATING TEMPLE-READY VESSELS AND GARMENTS, the Temple Institute research department initiates the process with intensive research, assuring in this case that the priestly garments will be created in strict accordance to the halachic requirements as described in Torah and in the unbroken oral tradition received at Sinai and preserved by Jewish sages throughout the generations.
EACH SET OF PRIESTLY GARMENTS will be tailored to fit its individual purchaser. The garments being created are not museum pieces or collector's items. Their cost is 2,500 shekel, (approximately $695). They will be sold only to true decendants of the High Priest Aharon, who aspire to be fully prepared for the day when they can once again perform the Divine service in the Holy Temple, may we merit to rebuild it soon!
INCREDIBLY, this is our first public announcement of the production of the priestly garments and we have already registered our first orders. A second production run is already being planned to accomodate the anticipated demand. In these very difficult and trying times we witness the enemies of the G-d of Israel arrayed to the north and to the south and to the east and to the west of the land of Israel, shamelessly boasting of their wicked intentions, and even Israel's friends are calling upon her to relinquish control over the Temple Mount, the one place chosen on earth by G-d for His presence to dwell, and for all mankind to be seen in His service. The demand by the descendents of Aharon for the garments that they will wear while tending to their daily responsibilites in the Holy Temple can only be understood as an expression of unshakable faith in the unfolding trajectory of Jewish history and in G-d's promise for all mankind: "And My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." (Isaiah 56:7)
Bush: Retreat From Iraq Would Embolden Iran, Fund Terrorists
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,339108,00.html
WASHINGTON — Five years after launching the U.S. invasion of Iraq, President Bush is making some of his most expansive claims of success in the fighting there. Bush said last year's troop buildup has turned Iraq around and produced "the first large-scale Arab uprising against Usama bin Laden."
"The challenge in the period ahead is to consolidate the gains we have made and seal the extremists' defeat," he said in excerpts the White House released Tuesday night. "We have learned through hard experience what happens when we pull our forces back too fast — the terrorists and extremists step in, fill the vacuum, establish safe havens and use them to spread chaos and carnage."
Bush added: "The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable, yet some in Washington still call for retreat."
Democrats took a different view.
"On this grim milestone, it is worth remembering how we got into this situation, and thinking about how best we can get out," said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich. "The tasks that remain in Iraq — to bring an end to sectarian conflict, to devise a way to share political power and to create a functioning government that is capable of providing for the needs of the Iraqi people — are tasks that only the Iraqis can complete."
Massive anti-war demonstrations were planned in downtown Washington to mark the beginning of the war, which has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 U.S. troops. Across the river at the Pentagon, Bush was to give a speech to warn that backsliding in recent progress fueled by the increase of 30,000 troops he ordered more than a year ago cannot be allowed.
The president's address sought to shift the nation's focus from economic ills to the security gains in Iraq, part of a series of events the White House planned around the anniversary and an upcoming report from the top U.S. figures in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker.
Vice President Dick Cheney just completed a two-day visit to view Iraq developments in person. Expected GOP presidential nominee John McCain also went to Iraq this week.
Cheney, asked during an ABC interview about strong opposition in the United States to the continuing war, said he wasn't worried about that.
"I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls," he said in a segment of the interview broadcast Wednesday on "Good Morning America."
Cheney added: "Think about what would have happened if Abraham Lincoln had paid attention to polls, if they had had polls during the Civil War. He never would have succceeded if he hadn't had a clear objective, a vision for where he wanted to go, and he was willing to withstand the slings and arrows of the political wars in order to get there."
Before top Pentagon officials and hundreds of others, Bush planned to trace the war's "high cost in lives and treasure" and thank those who have fought in, planned and assisted the U.S. military effort. In the excerpts, he defended the war as necessary at first, now, and for an undefined future until Iraq is stable enough to stand on its own.
"The surge has done more than turn the situation in Iraq around — it has opened the door to a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror," the president said.
"For the terrorists, Iraq was supposed to be the place where Al Qaeda rallied Arab masses to drive America out. Instead, Iraq has become the place where Arabs joined with Americans to drive Al Qaeda out. In Iraq, we are witnessing the first large-scale Arab uprising against Usama bin Laden, his grim ideology, and his terror network. And the significance of this development cannot be overstated."
Bush appeared to be referring to recent cooperation by local Iraqis with the U.S. military against the group known as Al Qaeda in Iraq, a mostly homegrown, Sunni-based insurgency. Experts question how closely — or even whether — the group is connected to the international Al Qaeda network. As for bin Laden, he is rarely heard from and is believed to be hiding in Pakistan.
Iraq no longer dominates the public debate and tops voters' concerns. With the economy taking a tumble, things improving by some measures in Iraq and much attention riveted on the 2008 presidential race, Iraq has faded from the front burner.
Bush has successfully defied efforts by the Democratic-led Congress to force troop withdrawals or set deadlines for pullouts. The U.S. has about 158,000 troops in Iraq. That number is expected to drop to 140,000 by summer in drawdowns meant to erase all but about 8,000 troops from last year's increase.
It is widely believed that Bush will in April endorse a recommendation from Petraeus for no additional troop reductions, beyond those already scheduled, until at least September. This so-called pause in drawdowns would be designed to assess the impact of this round of withdrawals before allowing more that could jeopardize the gains.
The surge was meant to tamp down sectarian violence in Iraq so that the country's leaders would have space to advance legislation considered key to reconciliation between rival Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities. The idea is that such political progress would weaken or even end the still-potent insurgency.
But the gains on the battlefield have not been matched by political progress, and violence may be increasing again. The Iraqis do not yet have a law for sharing the nation's oil wealth. Also unfinished is a plan for new provincial elections.
As of Monday, at least 3,990 members of the U.S. military have died in Iraq. More than 29,000 U.S. service members have been injured in the war, which has cost the U.S. roughly $500 billion.
Slavery and The Liberating Gospel
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/341672.aspx
Although the Bible was used in the past by some to justify slavery, it was the true power of the Gospel that led millions of slaves in America to pursue freedom and equality.
"Because of that liberating aspect of the Gospel that they heard and recognized and got played out in real form in that they had everything in common," Dr. A.G. Miller said.
Miller, religion professor with Oberlin University, talked with CBN News about the difficulties of reconciling Christianity and its role during slavery.
"Slaves didn't get treated any different than free people, and they all had a say in how this community was going to emerge and evolve. That was the power of Christianity that shook the Roman empire," Miller said.
Issues regarding slavery and the role that religion played conjure up a myriad of feelings for many people. These raw emotions are still very painful -- even in 2008.
"There was the general sentiment that slavery was a sin and people had to respond to this issue of slavery," Miller said. "This is a complicated formula because it's not just only a theological issue, but it's also an economic reality that people are having to struggle with."
In many instances, slaves were taught the Gospel as a way of keeping them in submissive roles.
"They take for instance the passage in Galatians. what the Biblical scholars call the 'household codes' -- children obey your parent, wives obey your husbands, slaves obey your master."
But as Miller explained, many slaves who learned to read and write, also learned the passages in the Bible that talk about liberation.
In 1822 , "you had congregations, some say between 2,000 and 3,000 slaves and freed blacks. worshipping in their own Methodist congregation," Miller said.
That message of liberation continues to this day in many Black churches.
Read below:
They began to exegete those passages in the Gospel that talked about the liberating power of the Gospel and then began to exegete out those passages that don't make much sense to them and the way the turned the Gospel text into their own experience… gravitate quickly to Moses.
They find a way, as these stories are told and as they begin to read themselves and they're able to interpret these text for themselves. They begin to find in it that experience which allows them the ability to find their own agency. And so I am convinced that most of the folk who begin to convert, they saw it particularly in the first and second great awakening, that experience of both black and white people being converted together.
There's this notion of brotherhood, this notion of fellowship that drew people together. I think they picked up on all of that and began to incorporate that into their lives. Far more than they incorporated those other things. Those things had to be forced upon them by their white slave masters, but if you left them to their own devices, they picked up other stuff in the Gospel that they found gave them hope. That gave them a vision for the future, that gave them vision for freedom that understood God as a God of liberation
Slaves flocked to this movement, why?
Because of that liberating aspect of the Gospel that they heard and recognized and got played out in real form in that they had everything in common. Slaves didn't get treated any different than free people, and they all had a say in how this community was going to emerge and evolve. That was the power of Christianity that shook the Roman empire.
Why the BBC thinks Christ did not die this way
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/16/nrowan216.xml
With his arms outstretched, his legs straight and his hands nailed to the cross, it is the image of Jesus's crucifixion held dear by Christians for centuries.
But now the producers of a BBC drama about Christ's final days have challenged the traditional representation, saying they believe Jesus probably did not die that way.
Instead of portraying Christ with his arms out wide and his legs straight down, The Passion will show him nailed to the cross in a foetal position, with his arms above his head and nails through his arms - the way, the producers claim, he may well have been crucified by the Romans.
Leading theologians accused the BBC of "misleading" the public and said it was ignoring the Biblical account of the crucifixion. But the makers of The Passion insist their ideas are based on new historical evidence.
Simon Elliott, the production designer, claimed that they had tried to make the drama as "historically accurate" as possible.
"The Victorian image of Jesus doesn't tie in with the historical evidence," he said.
The BBC's alternative crucifixion position
"He was probably put on a crude wooden gibbet and made to stand in a loose, foetal position. It was fiendishly designed."
While acknowledging that his ideas are likely to upset Christians, Mr Elliott argued that the position so familiar to churchgoers was only one of a range of methods used by the Romans in crucifixions.
"It is a minefield, as everyone has such strong feelings about it. Our portrayal is based on lengthy research." In particular, he said they had been influenced by the discovery of a crucified skeleton, which was found near Jerusalem in 1968 and is the only such archaeological find.
This led them to believe that Christ could well have been crucified on a T-shaped gibbet, with his arms above his head and his legs tucked up and under him so that his chest was crushed and he died of asphyxiation. Instead of having nails through his hands, they could have been driven through his arms.
The Passion has already proved controversial for appearing to exonerate Judas and Pontius Pilate for their roles in the Christ's death.
But Mark Goodacre, associate professor of religion at Duke University, who advised the producers, defended the decision to put forward an alternative representation of the crucifixion. "The Romans used a number of ways to crucify people and this was one of the most common and effective methods," he said.
"The makers wanted something that wasn't the typical image that would surprise the viewers. This is not an attempt to be iconoclastic, but to get people to look again at the events surrounding his death." He added that he thought the Bible did not actually explain in any detail the form of crucifixion employed.
Paula Gooder, a New Testament scholar, said that the traditional image had become important to Christians in understanding what the crucifixion was about.
"They have clearly decided to go for this option because it's unusual and will jolt viewers and challenge them about their assumptions," she said.
"Their portrayal causes a problem as it seems to ignore what the Bible says."
In the Book of John, Jesus says to Thomas: "Put your finger here; see my hands."
Dr Gooder, canon theologian at Birmingham Cathedral, said that the BBC's version would change the image of Jesus "throwing his arms out in a symbol of love".
She added: "There's a lot of significance attached to the traditional image that has been lost in this version and is likely to upset those who don't like a move away from what they're used to."
The Reverend George Curry, who is the chairman of the Church Society, said: "They are misleading people by distorting the facts.
"That's a serious and dangerous thing to do, but sadly utterly predictable and regrettable. Jesus's nails went through his hands, not his forearms. We should be true to history and the events that occurred."
The Passion begins tonight on BBC1. The programme is to be broadcast in four episodes, culminating on Easter Sunday with the Resurrection.
Is Atheism Getting a Free Pass?
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/341539.aspx
Does broadcast and print media give atheism the same degree of scrutiny as Christianity and other religious faiths?
The Media Research Center's Culture and Media Institute says no.
The Institute examined the apparent "rise in atheism," subject covered in broadcast news programs, three leading weekly news magazines, and four programs on taxpayer-funded National Public Radio, all shown during 2007.
Gospel of Godlessness
Although only eight percent of Americans call themselves atheists, the report found that not only is the news media hostile toward religion, particularly Christianity, but the media may be spreading a "Gospel of Godlessness" on the American public.
"Whether deliberately or not, the news media did not subject atheism or atheists to the same skepticism to which they subject Christians and Christianity," the report said. "Journalists who look at America's majority religion through a skeptical prism should equally apply their critical faculties to atheism."
In their report, CMI details their discovery of imbalances in the media's coverage of the religion. Among the findings:
- Eighty percent of feature stories about atheism or atheists had a positive tone, 20 percent were neutral. No feature stories were negative.
- Atheists were used to challenge religious viewpoints more than journalists used religious viewpoints to challenge atheism. Fifty-four percent of atheist-themed stories included a religious counterpoint, but 71 percent of the Christian-themed stories included atheist counterpoints or were written from an atheistic perspective.
Double Standard
"By airing unchallenged interviews and reporting predominantly positive-toned features, the news organizations in this study effectively promoted atheism and held it in higher regard than other religions," the report said. "While the media are not obligated to treat all religions and belief systems equally, their failure to subject atheism to the levels of skepticism directed at Christianity and other religions suggests a deplorable double standard.
The study also found that atheism stories or commentaries by atheists were present in 51 percent of the issues of Newsweek, and 35 percent of the issues of Time. This included features, mentions in stories on other issues, and groupings of letters to the editor from atheists. In contrast, only one issue of U.S. News and World Report referred to atheism.
Of all of the broadcast networks, the Institute found that ABC provided the most enthusiastic television network coverage of atheism. The network ran features on an atheist Web site called Blasphemy Challenge and an atheist convention held in Baltimore, Md.
ABC addressed atheism 24 times in five of its six news programs, whereas CBS and NBC only addressed it 16 and 11 times, respectively. In addition to airing more stories on the subject than CBS and NBC, ABC's Nightline devoted an entire program to a live debate between atheists and Christians.
Even the presidential race has been touched by atheism. Six out of seven news organizations considered in this study addressed the concerns and interests of atheists in the upcoming presidential election. Yet, only Republican candidates were asked how they would treat atheists.
Police Repeatedly Raid Church to Stop "Praise and Worship" Music - Thomas More Law Center Files Federal Lawsuit
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion06985.shtml
ANN ARBOR, MI - Without a warrant or other legal authorization, uniformed police officers conducted several raids on Faith Baptist Church in Waterford Township, Michigan, and threatened to prosecute several young Christian musicians for disorderly conduct - because the Township prosecutor objected to the playing of contemporary religious music. "Praise and worship" music is a central part of Faith Baptist's religious services.
The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against the Waterford Township supervisor, prosecutor and two high ranking police officials. The lawsuit was prompted by the series of police incursions into the church and threats by the Township prosecutor to raid the church every time music was heard coming from it.
Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Law Center, observed, "Uniformed police officers entering a church during religious services and young church members being threatened with prosecution is something that happens in Communist China - not in America. "
Continued Thompson, "It is clear that Waterford Township authorities targeted Faith Baptist Church because of the type of religious music it uses in its services. Some of the individual police officers involved in the raids - apparently more sensitive to the constitutional protections surrounding religion than were their superiors - personally apologized afterwards. "
Faith Baptist Church, headed by Pastor Jim Combs, has a congregation of 10,000 members and conducts religious services on three different campuses. The police raids targeted the Waterford Township campus with 5,000 members.
Pastor Jim Combs first contacted the Thomas More Law Center in late October 2007, after the first in a series of police raids.
During a Wednesday night youth service, uniformed Township police, led by the Township prosecutor, burst into the Church's sanctuary where the Church's "Praise and Worship" band was warming up. The prosecutor ordered the officers to take the names and addresses of all the young people on stage so that they could be charged with "disorderly conduct. "
The very next Sunday, Waterford Township police again raided Faith Baptist, this time during the Pastor Comb's evening sermon. Officers were about to disrupt the services and remove the "Praise and Worship" band members and order them to surrender their driver's licenses for personal information. However, an Assistant Pastor volunteered to bring the members to the police so as not to create an uproar among the congregation.
The Township prosecutor was caught conducting personal surveillance on the Church from his parked car just days later.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, alleges that Waterford Township officials violated Faith Baptist Church's and the band members' rights to Free Exercise of religion, Free Speech and Freedom of Association under both the Michigan and the United States Constitutions, and that Waterford Township's actions have chilled Plaintiffs' ability to worship according to their religious beliefs. Plaintiffs are asking the court to permanently prohibit further police raids and for monetary damages.
Brandon Bolling, the Law Center attorney handling the case, stated, "The Township prosecutor was very explicit: he told the pastors that churches should not play 'rock music,' and threatened that each time he heard music coming from the church he would conduct a raid. "
The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life through education, litigation, and related activities. It does not charge for its services. The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization. You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit their website at www.thomasmore.org.
Church Worship Services Stopped by Muslim Mobs in Indonesia
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion06984.shtml
Muslim protestors have stopped worship services at a church in Sumatra and at another church in Java, according to March 10 report from Compass Direct. The congregation of Love Evangelical Bethel Church near Pekanbaru, Riau province in Sumatra ceased Sunday services after about 60 demonstrators from four local mosques on February 15 demanded its closure. The congregation comprised the only church in the village of 14 mosques.
Similarly, in Banten province on the island of Java, a mob of Muslim youths on February 8 marched on a Christian social services house that also served as the place of worship for the Indonesia Pentecostal Church Kalibaru in the village of Melayu. Led by two mosque leaders, the mob demanded that the church of 30 members be closed. The attacking Muslim youths were part of the Islamic Defenders' Front, one of Indonesia's most active Muslim militant groups.
Pray that the members of these churches will find peace and comfort in Christ as they face various challenges for His Name. Ask God to provide wisdom and guidance to the leaders of the churches to find creative ways to nurture their congregations and equip them to share the message of Christ with the lost (Hebrews 10:23-25).
To learn more about the persecution of Indonesian Christians, go to www.persecution.net/country/indonesia.htm.
Arrests and Prison Sentences for Hmong Christians in Laos
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion06989.shtml
According to a March 11 report from Compass Direct, officials in Laos arrested 15 Hmong Christian families in the Bokeo district on February 22, a day before a court sentenced nine area Hmong church leaders to 15 years in prison for conducting Christian ministry and meetings that had grown beyond acceptable levels for communist officials.
The day before the sentencing, Laotian authorities arrived in Ban Sai Jarern village in Bokeo district with six trucks in which they hauled away eight Christian families. Authorities also arrested at least seven families from Fai village three miles away. "It seems they are rounding up all Hmong Christians from Vietnam to send them back to Vietnam," one Christian source told Compass Direct. "What will happen to them is greatly feared and unknown." In total, 58 Hmong Christians were arrested.
The nine church leaders sentenced for conducting prominent Christian ministry and meetings had been rounded up during a police and military sweep of suspected rebels last July that left at least 13 innocent Christians dead.
Pray that those detained will be released. Pray that the nine church leaders who are in prison will know God's strength at this time and that their imprisonment will result in the advancement of God's kingdom (Philippians 1:12-14). Pray God will fill the heart of the Laotian believers with peace beyond comprehension as they bring their needs to the Lord and rejoice in Him (Philippians 4:4-7).
Find out more about the suffering of Christians in Laos. Go to www.persecution.net/country/laos.htm.
Officials: Military Computers Under Foreign Attack
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,338873,00.html
Recent reports have the U.S. military not quite blaming the Chinese military for a long string of cyber-attacks against U.S. military computers.
It sure sounds like they believe it, but they're not quite saying it.
Also left unsaid is how much actual damage and compromise has happened already.
A Wall Street Journal article March 12 described how military networks are increasingly the targets of hackers. The targets are not limited to actual Department of Defense networks, but can also include defense industries and think-tanks.
The full article is available only to subscribers. Another detailed article on the same material is available on DailyTech.
The Journal article quotes Gen. Kevin Chilton, "[t]he top U.S. commander in charge of cyberspace," as saying that the networks are under attack and that there is significant evidence implicating the Chinese — but not outright accusing them.
"The thing about China that gives you pause is that they've written openly about their emphasis in particular areas — space and cyberspace," he said.
International cyber-wars are becoming a not-uncommon occurrence. Last year the Internet infrastructure of Estonia was largely taken down by attacks from Russia, following a dispute with Russia over the fate of a World War II memorial.
But that attack was against the civilian Internet infrastructure: the ISPs and banks, for example, not the Estonian military or government.
Such attacks can impact the entire Internet, and are fundamentally different from targeted hacks against specific installations. It's the difference between war and espionage.
I asked Gadi Evron, who consulted on the Estonian responses to the attacks they received. He confirms that China is a dangerous place for the Internet.
"I can confirm targeted attacks with sophisticated technologies have been launched against obvious enemies of China. I can also confirm that China's network is the most plagued with cyber-crime in the world, being abused and used to launch attacks ranging from fraud to denial-of-service, worldwide," said Evron. "Who is behind these attacks can't be easily said, but it can be an American cyber-criminal, a Nigerian spammer or the Chinese themselves."
The Chinese government may try to exert control over the Internet that we find despotic, but they're not the only people using it there. Other actors in China can and do engage in the same Internet crimes that occur everywhere else.
Evron adds: "Due to IP address spoofing and the fact criminals can take over and use computers worldwide as if they were their own, being sure about this is not possible by technical means — the Internet is perfect for plausible deniability."
But plausible deniability is not proof either way, and it's still reasonable for intelligence estimators like General Chilton to come to reasonable conclusions based on evidence.
Even if you can't prove that the government was involved in an attack coming from China, it still bears some responsibility.
So is this a unilateral war or are we also attacking them? Don't expect a straight answer out of the U.S. military on that one either, or from the Chinese military for that matter.
We have plenty of civilian and military networks capable of performing similar attacks and having an interest in doing so. It's just another espionage tool, and no more or less moral than others we've used in the past.
Pentagon to Boost Intel, Cyber-protection
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/341704.aspx
WASHINGTON - The military is beefing up efforts to gather intelligence, fend off cyber-attacks and improve relations with other nations as part of a strategy for keeping the U.S. safe while fighting two wars, according to a Pentagon document.
The four-page plan acknowledges there is still a significant risk that the military cannot quickly and fully respond to another outbreak in the world and outlines what must be done to counter that threat.
Sent to Congress by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and obtained by The Associated Press, the plan relies heavily on building partnerships with other countries. It accompanied a classified risk assessment compiled by Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"The most important component in the 'long war' is not the fighting we do ourselves, but how well we help our partners defend and govern themselves," Gates said in the plan. The term "long war" refers to the global war against terrorism.
That would include providing more disaster relief around the globe to improve "the positive worldwide perception of the United States," he said.
Mullen's risk assessment, as reported by the AP last month, concluded that long battlefield tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with persistent terrorist activity and other threats, have prevented the U.S. military from improving its ability to respond to any new crisis.
Gates echoed that sentiment, saying the greatest challenges to U.S. security continue to be terrorism, regional instability and the possibility that a hostile nation or other extremist group acquires a weapon of mass destruction.
His use of the term "long war" marks a rebirth for the phrase, which was coined by Gen. John Abizaid, when he led U.S. Central Command, and was aimed at conveying the lengthy struggle the U.S. must wage against Islamic extremists.
Abizaid's replacement, Navy Adm. William Fallon, ditched the phrase last year after he took over because he thought it suggested the U.S. would keep a large military presence in the Middle East indefinitely. Fallon, however, abruptly announced his resignation last week.
Gates' plan provides few specifics and instead maps out six broad areas where improvements must be made. The first on the list is the need to improve the military's ability to gather intelligence.
Saying the U.S. must uncover terror plots before they can be put into action, Gates said the Pentagon is adding more special operations forces, as well as other specialized troops - ranging from linguists to military police officers.
At the same time, he pointed to an increasingly critical vulnerability - cyber-attacks. He said the Defense Department must invest in new and improved ways to counter cyber-attacks and anti-satellite technologies that could knock out vital U.S. surveillance spacecraft.
The Pentagon has been repeatedly targeted by cyber-attacks of late, although few details have been released. In one instance last year, the Defense Department had to take as many as 1,500 computers off line because a penetration of the system was detected. Officials said it had no adverse impact on department operations.
Gates also used the report to continue his drumbeat for the use of more "soft power" to defeat terrorism, which includes the greater use of civilians in areas such as political development, communications and training.
As an example, he said that civilian response teams set up through the State Department will pay off, if they are properly supported. Gates has called for the creation of new government organizations, including a permanent group of civilian experts with a wide range of expertise who could be sent abroad on short notice as a supplement to U.S. military efforts.
"Military strength alone will not provide security," he said in the report.
In other comments, Gates noted the Pentagon is increasing the size of the Army and Marine Corps, investing in new equipment to replace war losses, and funding improved technologies - from fighter jets to more advanced Navy ships.
In Second Amendment Case, High Court Majority Appears to Support Individual Right to Own Guns
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,338896,00.html
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appeared ready Tuesday to endorse the view that the Second Amendment gives individuals the right to own guns, but was less clear about whether to retain the District of Columbia's ban on handguns.
The justices were aware of the historic nature of their undertaking, engaging in an extended 98-minute session of questions and answers that could yield the first definition of the meaning of the Second Amendment in its 216 years.
A key justice, Anthony Kennedy, left little doubt about his view when he said early in the proceedings that the Second Amendment gives "a general right to bear arms."
Several justices were skeptical that the Constitution, if it gives individuals' gun rights, could allow a complete ban on handguns when, as Chief Justice John Roberts pointed out, those weapons are most suited for protection at home.
"What is reasonable about a ban on possession" of handguns?" Roberts asked at one point.
But Justice Stephen Breyer suggested that the District's public safety concerns could be relevant in evaluating its 32-year-old ban on handguns, perhaps the strictest gun control law in the nation.
"Does that make it unreasonable for a city with a very high crime rate...to say no handguns here?" Breyer said.
Solicitor General Paul Clement, the Bush administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, supported the individual right, but urged the justices not to decide the other question. Instead, Clement said the court should allow for reasonable restrictions that allow banning certain types of weapons, including existing federal laws.
He did not take a position on the District law.
The court has not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. The basic issue for the justices is whether the amendment protects an individual's right to own guns or whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia.
The amendment reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
While the arguments raged inside, advocates of gun rights and opponents of gun violence demonstrated outside court Tuesday.
Dozens of protesters mingled with tourists and waved signs saying "Ban the Washington elitists, not our guns" or "The NRA helps criminals and terrorist buy guns."
Members of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence chanted "guns kill" as followers of the Second Amendment Sisters and Maryland Shall Issue.Org shouted "more guns, less crime."
A line to get into the court for the historic arguments began forming two days earlier and extended more than a block by early Tuesday.
The high court's first extensive examination of the Second Amendment since 1939 grew out of challenge to the District's ban.
Anise Jenkins, president of a coalition called Stand Up for Democracy in D.C., defended the district's prohibition on handguns.
"We feel our local council knows what we need for a good standard of life and to keep us safe," Jenkins said.
Genie Jennings, a resident of South Perwick, Maine, and national spokeswoman for Second Amendment Sisters, said the law banning handguns in Washington "is denying individuals the right to defend themselves."
Even if the court determines there is an individual right, the justices still will have to decide whether the District's ban can stand and how to evaluate other gun control laws. This issue has caused division within the Bush administration, with Vice President Dick Cheney taking a harder line than the administration's official position at the court.
The local Washington government argues that its law should be allowed to remain in force whether or not the amendment applies to individuals, although it reads the amendment as intended to allow states to have armed forces.
The City Council that adopted the ban said it was justified because "handguns have no legitimate use in the purely urban environment of the District of Columbia."
Dick Anthony Heller, 65, an armed security guard, sued the District after it rejected his application to keep a handgun at his home for protection. His lawyers say the amendment plainly protects an individual's right.
The last Supreme Court ruling on the topic came in 1939 in U.S. v. Miller, which involved a sawed-off shotgun. Constitutional scholars disagree over what that case means but agree it did not squarely answer the question of individual versus collective rights.
Roberts said at his confirmation hearing that the correct reading of the Second Amendment was "still very much an open issue."
Judge Tosses Challenge to Abortion Law
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/341806.aspx
SAN FRANCISCO - A federal judge has tossed out California's challenge to a national abortion law that officials say could cost the state billions of dollars in federal funds.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White made his ruling Tuesday.
California had sued after President Bush in 2004 authorized harsh financial penalties on states that discriminate against doctors who refuse to provide abortions.
The state allows doctors and hospitals to refuse to perform abortions for religious or moral reasons, but it requires them to do so when childbirth threatens the woman's life or health.
The federal law contains no exception for medical emergencies. White says the state can't sue until the federal government actually threatens to withhold funding over an emergency abortion.
Pharmacists Down Sell of Morning After Pill
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/341798.aspx
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A group of pharmacists asked the Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday to throw out a rule that forces them to dispense emergency contraception despite moral objections, claiming it amounts to illegal coercion.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich issued the rule in 2005, prohibiting pharmacies from turning away women seeking emergency contraception. The medicine is a higher dosage of typical hormonal contraception, and if taken within three days of having sex it greatly reduces the chance of pregnancy.
Pharmacists who do not want to dispense the drug say it is tantamount to abortion. The closely watched case mirrors concerns raised in other states.
The druggists argued that Illinois law protects them from choosing between violating their consciences and losing their licenses, and that they shouldn't have to wait until they're out of jobs to seek justice.
A lawyer for Blagojevich argued that the pharmacies in the lawsuit don't have standing to sue because they have suffered no repercussions. Laura Wunder, an assistant state attorney general, also said those pharmacies don't even stock so-called "morning-after" medication, so it's unlikely they would violate the rule.
In oral arguments, however, justices bluntly pointed out to Wunder that the pharmacies must get the drug if requested - and that their licenses would be at risk if they failed to comply.
Wunder countered that the pharmacies have been unable to show that they're in jeopardy of state penalties because it's unlikely that a customer would ask a drug store to order a medicine that is needed right away.
The pharmacists' lawyer, Mark Rienzi, said his clients should be able to sue even if they haven't suffered repercussions.
Rienzi argued they are protected by two state laws: one that prohibits forcing health care decisions over moral objections, and one insulating citizens from religious interference.
"They are designed to protect people from coercion and burden," Rienzi said. "They are not only designed to protect people after the ax has fallen, after your license is taken away, after your career is ruined."
Since the pharmacists sued in 2005, a pharmacy owned by one plaintiff closed because no pharmacist would work there under the state's threat of license revocation.
Rienzi said outside of court that generally, customers who are denied the drug have accepted that they had to go elsewhere for it, although they could have complained and forced state sanctions on the stores.
A federal judge suspended a similar requirement in Washington state in November but said pharmacists who refuse to dispense the morning-after pill must refer the customer to another nearby source. That case is on appeal.
The Illinois rule led to several lawsuits, including one in federal court that was settled by a compromise in which objecting pharmacists wouldn't have to participate in filling the prescription. In such cases, a pharmacy employee would contact a pharmacist at another location, then follow his or her directions for dispensing the morning-after pill.
That rule needs approval from the legislative Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, which could decide next month, said Sue Hofer, spokeswoman for the state Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
Rienzi said approval of that rule would help individual pharmacists, who could opt out. But he said that the rule would require all pharmacies to stock the drug and that his clients are pharmacy owners who don't want the drug in their stores at all.
Judge Rules that God is Still Welcome in Millersville, Tenn.
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion06980.shtml
WASHINGTON -- Score one for the little guy. And the Big Guy.
The United States District Court for Middle Tennessee ruled that the city of Millersville, Tenn. violated the constitutional rights of Layman Lessons when it threatened application of a "pending zoning ordinance" as a means of blocking the ministry's use of a commercially zoned property.
"The Court rejected the city's contention that, as long as it had a pending ordinance that addressed Layman Lessons' intended use of this property, it could indefinitely delay acting on the ministry's application," said Larry Crain, a senior attorney with the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and lead attorney for the plaintiff. "In essence, the court ruled that 'justice delayed is justice denied.'"
Problems arose for Layman Lessons, a Christian ministry formed to aid the homeless and destitute, when it first applied for a use permit for a commercially zoned property in Millersville, a town 17 miles north of Nashville. Shortly after the ministry applied for a permit the city planner, James Lech, issued a letter rejecting the application due to a then- pending ordinance that, if passed, would have limited all religious and non-profit uses on any commercial lot in the city. City Manager Robert Mobley supported Mr. Lech's recommendation. The effect of these actions was to place Layman Lessons' application on indefinite hold.
Judge Thomas A. Wiseman, Jr. concluded that through these maneuverings the city denied Layman Lessons its constitutional rights in violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
As a further hurdle to the ministry's use of the land, the city imposed a so-called "buffer strip" requirement on the property. Such strips, which require an expensive privacy fence to be constructed around the property, had heretofore only been required when a commercial property abutted a residential property. The Layman Lessons' property was surrounded on all sides by commercially zoned properties.
The city of Millersville had argued that it could not be held liable under RLUIPA for the actions of employees who were not part of the top echelon of policymakers. Judge Thomas A. Wiseman, Jr. rejected this argument ruling that the actions of the city planner and city manager constituted a violation of RLUIPA. The city will be responsible for a portion of Plaintiff's legal fees.
"Judge Wiseman's ruling confirms that Tennessee is still a place where the rights of the "Davids" cannot be casually usurped by the "Goliaths" of this world," concluded Attorney Crain.
Led by Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, the American Center for Law and Justice focuses on constitutional law and is based in Washington, D.C. The ACLJ is online at www.aclj.org. The ACLJ's online newsroom can be accessed at www.DeMossNewsPond.com/ACLJ.
'Window to the Womb' Creator Puts 4D Ultrasound, Pro-Life Video Footage on YouTube
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion06983.shtml
In 1990, Shari Richard pioneered the use of ultrasound technology in pregnancy centers, and created the video Window to the Womb to make that footage available to the largest possible audience. That same goal has now prompted her to post footage from her many productions on the video sharing website, YouTube.
In addition to footage from Shari's first two videos, Windows to the Womb and Eyewitness to the Earliest Days of Life of which over 500,000 copies were distributed and translated worldwide, footage from her new 4D ultrasound DVD Eyewitness 2: The Next Generation and The Heart of the Mission training program for pregnancy centers is also available for watching on YouTube.
The videos can be viewed at www.youtube.com/user/ragemedia. Viewers are encouraged to take an active role by sharing and embedding the videos on their web sites, MySpace and FaceBook pages.
Previous videos and footage produced by Richard has educated millions on fetal development and child birth issues, as over 500,000 copies of her videos have been distributed and translated worldwide. Over the past 18 years, Richard's footage has been viewed on commercial ads and numerous local and national television documentaries. Her videos have been translated into several languages including Korean, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Romanian, Portuguese, Italian, and Hebrew.
In October 2007, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) used ultrasound footage from Richard's videos during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on the Mexico City Policy. Among the footage used was that of a baby named George, whose acrobatics are also available on YouTube.
"You are to be highly commended generally for using your professional skills and knowledge to raise public awareness about the beautiful, early stages of human life," said Rep. Smith.
Richard, who has appeared on national radio and television programs, has also lectured in schools and conducted workshops for pregnancy centers, and given presentations for other organizations. She is available for speaking engagements and media interviews.
Shari Richard is an Obstetrical Ultrasound Expert and Educator whose medical experience spans 32 years. She is the founder of Sound Wave Images through which she produced the videos, Window to the Womb, Eyewitness To The Earliest Days Of Life, Eyewitness 2 -The Next Generation and the CD 9 Months... from Conception to Birth and Beyond.
Rep. Pence Looks to Defund Planned Parenthood
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Pence_planned_parenthood/2008/03/18/81428.html
Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., is proposing an amendment to the appropriations bill that funds the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services to prohibit federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
"I just think it's wrong that the largest abortion provider in America is the largest recipient of non-abortion funding under Title X," Pence told Cybercast News Service. Listen to audio
Title X is the "family planning" program run by HHS that funds birth control clinics.
Pence said his amendment mirrors the so-called "Mexico City policy" that currently prohibits federal funding for family planning programs overseas that perform or promote abortions.
"We don't give any U.S. tax dollars to any foreign family planning organization that promotes or provides abortion as a means of birth control," Pence said.
"We do that because we recognize that whatever Americans believe about abortion, they understand that it's morally wrong to take the taxpayer dollars from millions of Americans who find abortion morally objectionable and use it to support organizations that promote abortion overseas," he added.
"There is, however, no domestic Mexico City," said Pence. "Organizations like Planned Parenthood can do non-abortion family planning, receive federal funding for non-abortion family planning, even though another part of the same organization provides and promotes abortion as a form of birth control.
"I think it's time for a domestic Mexico City policy," he said. Listen to audio
Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.), who recently was honored by Planned Parenthood for her leadership in fighting the Pence Amendment last session, said in a statement to Cybercast News Service that she also plans a repeat performance.
"It is unfortunate that some of my colleagues continue to pursue their misguided attacks on comprehensive family planning programs in general and Planned Parenthood specifically," Capps said. "Title X funding is a wise investment of tax dollars that encourages effective family planning and helps reduce unintended pregnancies."
"Planned Parenthood has been a responsible steward of these Title X funds, providing vital reproductive health care and ensuring that everyone has access to safe, affordable and effective family planning services," she added.
"I hope my colleagues will again join me in voting against this ill-advised amendment in order to protect our constituents' access to proven, effective family planning services," Capps said.
But Pence said he is a staunch supporter of Title X.
"There are great things happening at federally funded clinics nationwide," Pence said. "Over five million individuals have been served, 90 percent of which come from low-income families. Additionally, it is estimated that over 900,000 unintended pregnancies were averted as a result of Title X family planning services."
The problem with Planned Parenthood being the largest benefactor of Title X funding, Pence said, is that "money is fungible."
Any federal money flowing into Planned Parenthoods coffers might as well go to pay for the abortions Planned Parenthood performs. According to its annual report, Planned Parenthood received almost a third of its annual $1 billion budget from federal grants and contracts. In 2005, it performed more than 260,000 abortions in the United States.
"I'm willing to take at face value (Planned Parenthood's) assertion that they are not using non-abortion Title X funding to actually perform or promote abortions," Pence said. "But I also want to recognize that money that they generate that would have to go to support non-abortion family planning can now be moved, because of the federal dollars, into providing and promoting abortion." Listen to audio
Pence added that while overturning Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, is most likely a long-term proposition that is dependent on the future composition of the court, his amendment could not only stop the funding of the largest abortion provider in the U.S., but because no funding will be cut from Title X, would also free up millions of dollars to support family planning programs around the country that don't include abortion services.
Pence plans to bring his amendment to the floor when the House considers the Labor, Health and Humane Services and Education appropriation bill this summer.
Although the Democratic majority controls the legislative schedule, Pence's amendment need only contain language that relates to the appropriation bill up for consideration in order to reach the floor.
"It's time the American people know that the largest recipient of Title X funding in America is the largest abortion provider as well," Pence said. "It's time to pass the Pence Amendment to keep taxpayer money out of the hands of Planned Parenthood."
Diocese of Little Rock Entranced by Komen
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion06982.shtml
FRONT ROYAL, Virginia -- On February 7, 2008, the Respect Life Apostolate of the Diocese of Little Rock issued a statement saying that it "neither supports nor encourages participation in activities that benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure." Now, less than a month later, the Diocese has reversed its position. The decision was made after Komen assured the Diocese that local fund-raising will not benefit Planned Parenthood.
"Despite the efforts of some to make this issue sound complicated, the facts are clear," said Douglas R. Scott, Jr., president of Life Decisions International (LDI). "The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation allows its chapters to fund Planned Parenthood and several of them do so. The Diocese of Little Rock has essentially said it is acceptable to be associated with a group that funds an abortion- committing goliath so long as local dollars are not going to the group. This kind of disconnect is exactly what Komen officials were hoping to achieve and they clearly succeeded."
"I had been assured that 25% of the money given here in Arkansas goes to the national Komen foundation, which provided grants to Planned Parenthood, a major provider of abortions," wrote Diocesan Administration Rev. J. Gaston Hebert in explaining the new position. "If that were true, money donated in Arkansas could have indirectly funded abortions. Regardless of the exceptional work done by Komen...the good accomplished would not have been a legitimate reason to participate in the death of unborn children...However, the reality is that the national Komen foundation does NOT give grants to Planned Parenthood--and, therefore, money given to Komen in Arkansas does NOT, even indirectly, fund abortion. Thus, my major reason for releasing the position statement was NOT valid."
"In other words," Scott said, "as long as my specific dollar is not going to Planned Parenthood, it is morally acceptable to be associated with an organization that allows its chapters to support an enterprise that killed 264,943 preborn human beings in 2005 alone. "Scripture calls on Christians to have nothing to do with evil. If a Komen chapter in California was actually committing abortions with money raised locally, would Rev. Hebert use the same logic? If the answer is 'no,' I would sure like to hear his rationale."
Scott said that other than the obvious connection between any parent organization and their affiliated chapters, the issue is not whether the parent directly funds Planned Parenthood, but whether the parent directly supports a chapter that directly funds Planned Parenthood. "The parent could prohibit funding of Planned Parenthood by its chapters but Komen has steadfastly refused to do."
"I would note that there is [sic] a relatively small number of affiliates of Komen that do give grants to Planned Parenthood..." Rev. Hebert wrote. Scott wondered if the Diocese would have come to a different conclusion if every Komen affiliate, with the exception of those based in Arkansas, supported Planned Parenthood. "Based on the logic used to defend the new position, the answer is that it would not have mattered."
"Even this partnering...unintentionally gives credence and acceptability to Planned Parenthood due to Komen's excellent reputation," Rev. Herbert continued. "Exactly!" Scott responded. "The partnering, which is actually quite intentional since it certainly did not happen by accident, does give credence and acceptability to Planned Parenthood."
"I have assurance from those who receive grants here locally from Komen that stringent safeguards are placed upon those funds being used for their designated purpose," Rev. Hebert wrote. "Therefore, the conclusion reached in our statement that grant money could 'free up funds to support other areas' appears also to be untrue. But, in any case, let's remember that in Arkansas no grants are made to Planned Parenthood."
The Reverend is accepting at face value the statements made by Komen personnel. Interestingly, Planned Parenthood uses the same argument to dismiss objections to corporate support of its programs. "Corporations that donate to Planned Parenthood usually claim the support is 'restricted' for a specific, seemingly altruistic program run by Planned Parenthood," Scott explained. "Not only does the donation give the corporate 'stamp of approval' to Planned Parenthood, unrestricted funds that had been supporting the program are now released to pay for much more controversial projects."
"Our statement implied that there exists a link between procured abortion and increased risk of breast cancer and that Komen dismisses that link," Rev. Hebert wrote. "The National Cancer Institute states that there exists no link between abortion and breast cancer. The preponderance of scientific research states that no such link exists, but there is a minority opinion that insists that such a link exists."
"Rev. Hebert has essentially articulated the position held by Planned Parenthood and its legions with regard to the connection between abortion and breast cancer," Scott responded. "And this is Planned Parenthood's position because it serves to advance Planned Parenthood's agenda."
"It is important that the stance of the Catholic Church always be based upon truth," Rev. Hebert wrote. "The position statement issued on February 7 was based upon unintentional error. To let that statement stand would be an act of injustice. With apologies to Komen, to those fighting breast cancer and to the survivors, to the Catholic clergy and faithful who were embarrassed by this mistaken policy, I rescind the position statement in its entirety... Again, I offer a sincere apology for the unintended turmoil and misunderstanding created by the statement that has now been rescinded."
"Unbelievable!" Scott said. "Rev. Hebert is actually apologizing to Komen. His statement has done a great deal of damage to our work and that of other pro- life activists because he is now effectively doing Komen's bidding. Rev. Hebert has been an apologist for Komen. We trust the Reverend is well-intentioned, but I must say that I look forward to a day when our biggest problems come from people outside the Pro- Life Movement."
Rev. Hebert wrote that the earlier statement issued by the Diocese was a "position paper" and not "a mandate." He said that individuals, parishes, schools and groups are "free to make their own decision" as to whether to support Komen. "I will state very plainly," he continued, "after meeting with the Komen officials of the Arkansas affiliates, that these are good people highly dedicated to the finding a cure for breast cancer and preserving life; this is their only goal."
Rev. Hebert wrote that the earlier statement issued by the Diocese was a "position paper" and not "a mandate." He said that individuals, parishes, schools and groups are "free to make their own decision" as to whether to support Komen. "I will state very plainly," he continued, "after meeting with the Komen officials of the Arkansas affiliates, that these are good people highly dedicated to the finding a cure for breast cancer and preserving life; this is their only goal."
"Let's face it; telling the flock that you neither support nor encourage participation in an event is not exactly a strong statement," Scott said. "If the Diocese were serious about encouraging people to do the right thing the statement would have read, 'The Respect Life Apostolate of the Diocese of Little Rock strongly urges Catholics to forgo participation in fund-raising activities that benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure.' Where is the leadership? Where is the direction? Where is the willingness to take a stand? I am sure the people who work for Komen are wonderful and dedicated. They all probably have nice smiles as well. But the issue is the connection with Planned Parenthood."
Scott said the initial decision made by the Diocese was based on two indisputable facts: 1) The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation allows its affiliates to donate funds to Planned Parenthood; and 2) Consistent with the position held by Planned Parenthood, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has refused to act upon the many studies that have shown a connection between abortion and breast cancer. "This was true before the meeting between Rev. Herbert and Komen officials. This is true after the meeting between Rev. Herbert and Komen officials. So what has changed? Diocese officials have met with some nice and convincing people whose job it is to alleviate concerns about its alliances and practices. This tactic is wise. All Komen has to do is convince people they should only worry about what the group is doing in their own neighborhood and not be concerned about its activities elsewhere, no matter how awful they may be."
"Much of the statement released by the Diocese of Little Rock will be familiar to pro-life leaders," Scott said. "This is because it is strikingly similar to statements made by Komen itself. It seems that all Komen had to do to immunize itself from criticism is some smooth talking. This has resulted in a divided and confused Pro-Life Movement. And a divided and confused Pro-Life Movement serves to protect Komen's ungodly alliances and practices."
"If Komen had to choose between successful fund- raising for the fight against breast cancer or an association with Planned Parenthood, wouldn't it choose the former?" Scott asked. "The charity is apparently not at the point where its leaders feel they must make a choice. And this is largely because they are not feeling enough heat."
The Boycott List, published by LDI, includes a "Dishonorable Mention" section that identifies charitable organizations that are aligned with Planned Parenthood. LDI has done extensive research on the connection between Komen and Planned Parenthood. Everything published by LDI has been checked and rechecked for accuracy. "We wish Rev. Hebert would have given us an opportunity to respond to what Komen officials told him before issuing the new statement," Scott said. "But he did not do so and now the damage is done."
Life Decisions International (LDI) is dedicated to challenging the Culture of Death, concentrating on exposing and fighting the agenda of Planned Parenthood. LDI's chief project is a boycott of corporations that fund the abortion-committing giant. To learn more about Planned Parenthood, please visit: www.fightpp.org
One in Four Teens Has an STD
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion06986.shtml
WASHINGTON -- A study released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that at least one in four teens in the U.S. has a sexually transmitted disease (STD). "Current public health policies are clearly failing to reduce the spread of STDs among young women," stated Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America. "Pushing kids to be sexually active, withholding medical screenings to deny parents information about their teens, and encouraging young women to skip screenings for STDs are irresponsible policies that have put teens' health at risk."
"Public health officials need to admit their failures that have led to kids paying the price. Funding irresponsible sex-ed programs, ones that encourage kids to be sexually active, twelve times higher than funding abstinence programs unsurprisingly results in more kids being sexually active. Experts note that a key prevention strategy is screening for STDs. Yet by making the morning-after pill available without a prescription, officials are discouraging young women from seeing a doctor when they are at risk of an STD."
The Associated Press reports that Dr. John Douglas, director of the CDC's division of STD prevention, said screening tests are underused, in part, because many teens don't think they're at risk. Dr. Margaret Blythe, an adolescent medicine specialist at Indiana University School of Medicine and head of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Adolescence, said some doctors are also reluctant to discuss STDs with teen patients or offer screenings because of confidentiality concerns, knowing parents will have to be told the results.
"Parents are the best advocates for their kids, yet some doctors choose to put adolescents' health at risk in order to keep medical information from their parents," said Wendy Wright. "This negligence by doctors, driven by prejudice against parents, pretends to protect kids. However, it does worse than drive a wedge between parents and their children - it puts the teens' lives and health at risk."
The study examined the national prevalence of four common STDs among adolescent girls: human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer; chlamydia; trichomoniasis; and herpes simplex virus.
Concerned Women for America is the nation's largest public policy women's organization.
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