A very interesting post from www.empowertexans.com about the Supreme Court ruling on the gerrymandering in Texas. This follows this post about the President's plan to gut the Pentagon. This follows this previous article about encouraging American energy independence. This is a key issue to prevent money from going to hostile countries such as Iran and Venezuela. For more that you can do to get involved click HERE and you can read a very interesting book HERE!
You can also write your two Senators about this HERE!
Judicial gerrymandering in Texas
http://www.empowertexans.com/features/judicial-gerrymandering/
Amnesty opponents and Constitution lovers, please take the following steps below to inspire these media sources to properly warn Americans of the impending unfair redistricting in Texas. While the Spanish media and liberal newspapers are leading the charge for this anti-American redistricting, we need a better response from the media that may still be loyal to the AMERICAN public!
Make sure all your favorite talk radio shows get a call and email from you along with these below...
#1 Fox News
Sample Message:
Quote:
Dear ______, Please warn your viewers of the impending unconstitutional redistricting in Texas!
A few months ago, as the US Senate voted for cloture on the Dream Act Amnesty which would have set the stage for millions of illegal aliens to become voters and thus displacing the voting power of Fox News viewers. Fox News had no coverage of the impending vote. Fox News did not adequately cover this issue or warn viewers of the vote.
Please do not allow Fox News viewers to be in the dark this time. The unconstitutional gerrymandering of districts in Texas is happening now! Please start reporting on this approaching vote that would damage our nation and please put as many sources as possible on the air who oppose this unconstitutional gerrymandering. I will be watching in the hopes that Fox News will cover this and warn viewers this time. We need Fox to deliver "Fair and Balanced" coverage on this issue unlike many of the other networks.
Contact info:
Shows Email
America Live w/ Megyn Kelly kelly@foxnews.com
America's Newsroom w/ Bill and Martha americasnewsroom@foxnews.com
Bulls and Bears bullsandbears@foxnews.com
Cavuto on Business cavuto@foxnews.com
Forbes on FOX forbes@foxnews.com
FOX & Friends friends@foxnews.com
FOX News Specials fncspecials@foxnews.com
FOX News Sunday fns@foxnews.com
FOX News Watch newswatch@foxnews.com
FOX Report w/ Shepard Smith foxreport@foxnews.com
Hannity hannity@foxnews.com
Happening Now w/ Jon Scott & Jenna Lee happeningnow@foxnews.com
Glenn Beck glennbeck@foxnews.com
On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren ontherecord@foxnews.com
Special Report w/ Bret Baier special@foxnews.com
The O'Reilly Factor oreilly@foxnews.com
#2 Drudge Report
Sample Message
Quote:
Dear Drudge Report,
Please consider immediately adding articles to Drudgereport.com that warn your readers about the impending unconstitutional redistricting in Texas. Passage of the unconstitutional redistricting in Texan would lead to voting rights for millions of illegal aliens who would then displace most of your readers in American politics.
Most of the articles coming out of the major newspapers in America are heavily biased in favor of this radical agenda.
Please locate the many articles online that point out both sides of the debate and the many negative consequences for Americans if the unconstitutional redistricting in Texas occurs and then place them on Drudge Report.
A few months back, the Drudge Report failed to place any significant coverage of this news on the site while the Spanish language media and liberal newspapers inspired their readers to call Congress. Please do not leave conservative Americans and our many American talk radio programs in the dark this time. Please post numerous reports about the unconstitutional redistricting plan in Texas on DrudgeReport as soon and as often as possible!
CONTACT INFO
Go to website and use Submission box on lower right at...
http://www.drudgereport.com/
#3 Rush Limbaugh Show
Quote:
Mr. Limbaugh,
Thank you for leading the way in the fight against Liberalism and Comprehensive Amnesty legislation. I'm glad that you have the wisdom to understand that these bills would decimate the conservative base and relegate most Limbaugh fans to the scrap heap of history in American politics.
Please work hard this week to warn your listeners of the impending votes on the unconstitutional gerrymandering in Texas which would set the stage for millions of American students, workers, and voters to be displaced and replaced by illegal aliens granted legal status.
It is clear that over 90% of your supporters oppose unconstitutional redistricting and I hope you will properly inform, motivate, and lead them in opposition to this push! We need you Rush Limbaugh, please lead the charge!
CONTACT INFO
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/private.guest.html?ck=1291158174592
#4 Sean Hannity Show
Sample Message
Quote:
Dear Mr. Hannity,
I listened to your show yesterday and while you addressed many of the bills Democrats are pushing in Washington DC right now that you oppose, I did not hear any mention of the unconstitutional redistricting in Texas.
Please take the time to warn your listeners about both the approaching unconstitutional redistricting in Texas and the numerous negative consequences that the passing of the unconstitutional redistricting in Texas would have on your listeners. Can you just imagine what that new block of 3-20 million illegal aliens becoming new voters who vote 70+% Democrat in every election, will do to the political influence of your listeners?
Why would you encourage your listeners to take political action, yet not warn them of their own political destruction via the unconstitutional redistricting in Texas? Please do not let coverage of the impending unconstitutional redistricting in Texas be conspicuously absent from your remaining broadcasts.
Contact Info
http://www.hannity.com/contact
#5 Glenn Beck
Hello Glenn Beck,
Thank you for leading the way in the fight against Liberalism and Comprehensive Amnesty legislation. I'm glad that you have the wisdom to understand that these bills would decimate the conservative base and relegate most Glen Beck fans to the scrap heap of history in American politics.
Please work hard this week to warn your listeners of the impending votes on the unconstitutional gerrymandering in Texas which would set the stage for millions of American students, workers, and voters to be displaced and replaced by illegal aliens granted legal status.
It is clear that over 90% of your supporters oppose unconstitutional redistricting and I hope you will properly inform, motivate, and lead them in opposition to this push! We need you Glenn Beck, please lead the charge!
Expecting your support,
me@glennbeck.com
Monday, January 30, 2012
Who Cares? Are you feeling unnoticed?
An interesting article from www.ucg.org about lonileness. This follows this post about the persecution of Christians. This follows this post about the dangers of drug use. For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.Who Cares?
article by Amy Stephens
Are you feeling unnoticed? Feeling like no one cares whether you exist or not?
Source: Jarand BogeOften times we can be overcome with the emotion of a situation, the stress of daily life, the trials that we have to face, or the disheartening news of society. We ask ourselves, “Who really cares for me and the circumstance that I am going through?” We wonder if anyone notices what is happening in our world. Too often during these times we forget just how much God and Jesus really care for us.
We know that we worship a God who, along with His Son, has a wonderful plan for expanding their family. A plan that offers hope and salvation through the supreme sacrifice of Christ that covered the penalty for each of our sins individually. But beyond that plan and the ultimate sacrifice, what other ways does God show us He cares?
Jesus’ example on earth
While Jesus was suffering for all of humanity, dealing with the emotional and physical torment of His crucifixion, He set an example for us as He cared for His physical mother. We read in John 19:26When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
See All..., (King James Version throughout) “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman , beholdthy son!” During that time, the eldest son was responsible for providing for his parents. A widow would be dependent on her son for support and protection. Jesus recognizes that His death would leave Mary dependent on others, and He takes the time to make sure she will be cared for.
How often have we used a trial or a time of suffering to excuse ourselves from expressing love to another? We can get so focused inwardly on our own needs that we forget to notice the needs of others around us. It is at this time that often true healing can occur, when at our weakest moments we show love and care for others.
The details
Life can be demanding; we have numerous responsibilities, commitments, tasks, and chores. We go about the day, perhaps without realizing how intense the care is that God has for us. We are told in Luke 12:7But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
See All..., “But even the very hairs of yourheadare all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” I know that I have no idea how many hairs I lose on a given day, but God tells me that at any given point He knows how many are on my head, and not only my head but every person on the earth. What a truly awesome level of care and concern that God and Christ show towards us.
Jesus still cares
We see another example of the care that God and Jesus show to us in the story of the stoning of Stephen. We are told Stephen is a faithful man, and at the time of his martyrdom, Stephen was given a vision of God and Jesus in heaven (Acts 7:55-56 [55] But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, [56] And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
See All...). What an amazing example of care to encourage Stephen at a time of great despair and anguish with a vision of the hope that was the foundation of his faith.
It can be noted that Jesus sits at the right hand of God. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the righthandof the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
See All...). However, in the vision of Stephen Christ is standing. “And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
See All...). Was this a demonstration of Christ’s caring effort to encourage Stephen? Possibly.
Called to care
As we live our lives and strive to be like our older Brother and coming King, perhaps we can take these examples and try to mimic the care and concern that Jesus has. Take the time to really listen to others; try to understand the difficulties someone else may be facing and find a way you can lessen their burden or encourage them. It always amazes me how the little things that we do for each other can totally turn someone’s day around, such as holding a door, lending a dime, picking up something someone has dropped, smiling, or sending a card or flowers. Then sit back and watch the attitude difference that a simple action can make.
We are told that we are to show love to each other, preferring and honoring each other; “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherlylove; in honour preferring one another” (Romans 12:10Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
See All...). We are to care, just as God and Christ care.
Request our free booklet, “Who Is God?” to find out more about the attributes of our heavenly Father.
.
Wknd Box Office: The Grey, Man on a Ledge, Albert Nobbs, Pina, One for the Money
Here is an interesting article from http://www.debbieschlussel.com/ reviewing some of the movies that came out over the past weekend. This follows this post some of the movies from last week and THIS POST about some movies that have been released over the past few years that you might have missed! This all follows this post about guidelines to chosing good movies to watch yourself!
Wknd Box Office: The Grey, Man on a Ledge, Albert Nobbs, Pina, One for the Money
By Debbie Schlussel
I actually liked two of the new movies, this weekend, not the usual for January, which along with August is the Pet Cemetery of movies, where Hollywood sends cinematic crap to die.
* “The Grey“: This stars Liam “I’m considering converting to Islam” Neeson. But other than that, I liked it. It’s very realistic, very bleak, very dark. But it’s the kind of adventure-filled, man-versus-the-wild (and the elements) movie that I enjoy. And there is a spiritual, religious (Christian, NOT Muslim) aspect to it.
A group of men who work on an oil-drilling team are in a plane, which crashes in the middle of the tundra. They must fight off wolves and extreme cold and hunger to survive. Neeson becomes their self-appointed leader and authority on survival, after initially considering committing suicide back at the oil drilling camp before they ever board their plane “home.” There are many scenes with wolves, and there is, predictably, death and destruction. It’s somewhat grisly, so do not send your kids. It’s rated R for a reason.
If there’s one drawback, it’s the gratuitous and subtle slap at corporate America and the rich: every rich guy and executive dies upon impact, and only the working-class laborers carry on, trying to survive.
If you see this, make sure you stay through the credits, or you’ll miss the “stinger,” an added scene that shows it isn’t over when you thought it was.
And remember, if you do go see this, you might be contributing to Mr. Neeson’s future zakat [Islamic "charity] fund. We don’t live in a vacuum, and these things matter.
TWO-AND-A-HALF REAGANS
* “Man on a Ledge“: This is another movie that I liked, but for its slap at corporate titans and class warfare. The villain is a very wealthy CEO. The hero is working-class.
Handsome Australian actor Sam Worthington plays a New York cop who is sentenced to prison and stages an escape. Then, he checks into New York’s Roosevelt Hotel and goes out on the ledge, requesting the cop played by the beautiful Elizabeth Banks to be the negotiator to prevent him from jumping. While this is going on, there is a connected caper taking place. And it all ties together. I enjoyed this mostly original concept, until the ending feat, which simply isn’t believable, nor is Worthington’s accent as a New York working-class cop of Irish heritage (his Australian accent comes through loud and clear at times). But, overall, it was a nice escapist movie and full of suspense at times.
TWO-AND-A-HALF REAGANS
* “Albert Nobbs“: Destined to be a lesbian cult classic. Glenn Close plays a woman who cross-dresses as a man, “Albert Nobbs,” in order to get a good job at a hotel and survive in 19th Century Ireland. While at the hotel, she meets an equally lesbionic woman dressing as a man (who does handiwork at the hotel) and looks into starting a romance with him/her/it, discovering that he/she is already married to a woman. Albert Nobbs then decides she/he also wants to marry a woman and tries to star a romance with a young female hotel maid (Mia Wasikowska). Even with all this, nothing really happens in this movie and you wonder why you wasted your time. This movie wasn’t just weird, slow, boring, and depressing, it was annoying and creepy, too. Yuck.
FOUR MARXES PLUS FOUR JANET NAPOLITANOS
* “Pina“: Oy vey. I could not wait until this uber-pretentious modern “dance” movie was over. Is running around a forest in a cocktail dress with a leaf blower blowing leaves, “dance?” Is a guy sitting on his butt moving his feet and butt around the platform, “dance?” Is a bunch of people flailing around like Elaine from “Seinfeld,” “dance?” Is writhing around in dirt, getting dirt shoveled on you by a woman in high heels, and running around with a tree strapped to your back, “dance?” Only if you believe in the emperor’s new clothing, despite the fact that he’s stark naked. Oh and speaking of that, many of the chick dancers in this movie must be members of SAG. They were badly in need of bras, and not in a sexy way. And why the heck was this in 3D? To make the ridiculous, 3D ridiculous? Even worse, it’s mostly in German with English subtitles.
For the record, I took several years of modern dance as a kid, but this was insane. I wanted to laugh loudly and repeatedly during the screening, but I worked hard to restrain myself. Methinks Isadora Duncan is turning over in her grave.
This “documentary” by German filmmaker Wim Wenders was absurd and boring as heck. It’s for weird liberals who pretend that something that ain’t there is some sort of masterpiece. Ah, I just now figured out the Obama vote! This movie is supposed to be a tribute to dead choreographer Pina Bausch by her dancers. You’d think this woman was “G-d on earth” to hear them talk of her. Made me sick … especially when I saw what she conned them into believing was dance. Hilarious. Even more hilarious was that the pretentious crowd with which I saw this actually applauded at the end.
Like I said, now I understand the people who voted for Obama. Ain’t nothin’ there. And you wonder why more Americans would rather go bowling than have their tax dollars fund fakery like this posing as “art” and “humanities.”
FOUR MARXES PLUS FOUR JOKERS
* “One For the Money“: This film adaptation of Janet Evanovich’s “thrillers” about a bounty hunter, named Stephanie Plum, wasn’t screened for critics. I should have learned my lesson about that. But, instead, I punished myself, paid full admission, and went to see the midnight show, last night, so I could review it for you. Utter CUH-RAP.
Katherine Heigl goes back and forth from her own accent to a bad, stereotypical New Jersey skank accent in playing Plum But that wasn’t nearly as awful as the script, “plot,” and pretty much everything else about this silly movie without a point or much of a story. Guys, if your girlfriend or wife tries to drag you to this, avoid it like the plague. It would be a compliment to call this a B movie. More like an H. Oh, and it’s filled with crass, stupid stereotypes against Italians, of which you can see far better on “Jersey Shore.”
Heigl plays a broke, divorced woman whose car is repossessed and who loses her job selling lingerie at a department store. She begins working for her sleazy cousin as a bounty hunter, trying to catch a man she once slept with, stalked, and ran over–a handsome cop accused of murder. Believe me, I’m making this sound infinitely better than it is.
The movie is populated by cheesy, dopey lines and moves from Debbie Reynolds, who plays the grandmother. And there’s also the annoying Sherri Shepherd from ABC’s anti-male yenta hag-fest, “The View,” playing what pretty much everyone on “The View” actually is, a hooker.
I could not wait for this movie to end. It’s low-quality Gitmo torture. If Evanovich’s best-selling “thrillers” are as stupid as this movie, you know what that says about the gazillions of American women who made her a multi-millionaire and best-seller: STOOOPID.
FOUR MARXES
Wknd Box Office: The Grey, Man on a Ledge, Albert Nobbs, Pina, One for the Money
By Debbie Schlussel
I actually liked two of the new movies, this weekend, not the usual for January, which along with August is the Pet Cemetery of movies, where Hollywood sends cinematic crap to die.
* “The Grey“: This stars Liam “I’m considering converting to Islam” Neeson. But other than that, I liked it. It’s very realistic, very bleak, very dark. But it’s the kind of adventure-filled, man-versus-the-wild (and the elements) movie that I enjoy. And there is a spiritual, religious (Christian, NOT Muslim) aspect to it.
A group of men who work on an oil-drilling team are in a plane, which crashes in the middle of the tundra. They must fight off wolves and extreme cold and hunger to survive. Neeson becomes their self-appointed leader and authority on survival, after initially considering committing suicide back at the oil drilling camp before they ever board their plane “home.” There are many scenes with wolves, and there is, predictably, death and destruction. It’s somewhat grisly, so do not send your kids. It’s rated R for a reason.
If there’s one drawback, it’s the gratuitous and subtle slap at corporate America and the rich: every rich guy and executive dies upon impact, and only the working-class laborers carry on, trying to survive.
If you see this, make sure you stay through the credits, or you’ll miss the “stinger,” an added scene that shows it isn’t over when you thought it was.
And remember, if you do go see this, you might be contributing to Mr. Neeson’s future zakat [Islamic "charity] fund. We don’t live in a vacuum, and these things matter.
TWO-AND-A-HALF REAGANS
* “Man on a Ledge“: This is another movie that I liked, but for its slap at corporate titans and class warfare. The villain is a very wealthy CEO. The hero is working-class.
Handsome Australian actor Sam Worthington plays a New York cop who is sentenced to prison and stages an escape. Then, he checks into New York’s Roosevelt Hotel and goes out on the ledge, requesting the cop played by the beautiful Elizabeth Banks to be the negotiator to prevent him from jumping. While this is going on, there is a connected caper taking place. And it all ties together. I enjoyed this mostly original concept, until the ending feat, which simply isn’t believable, nor is Worthington’s accent as a New York working-class cop of Irish heritage (his Australian accent comes through loud and clear at times). But, overall, it was a nice escapist movie and full of suspense at times.
TWO-AND-A-HALF REAGANS
* “Albert Nobbs“: Destined to be a lesbian cult classic. Glenn Close plays a woman who cross-dresses as a man, “Albert Nobbs,” in order to get a good job at a hotel and survive in 19th Century Ireland. While at the hotel, she meets an equally lesbionic woman dressing as a man (who does handiwork at the hotel) and looks into starting a romance with him/her/it, discovering that he/she is already married to a woman. Albert Nobbs then decides she/he also wants to marry a woman and tries to star a romance with a young female hotel maid (Mia Wasikowska). Even with all this, nothing really happens in this movie and you wonder why you wasted your time. This movie wasn’t just weird, slow, boring, and depressing, it was annoying and creepy, too. Yuck.
FOUR MARXES PLUS FOUR JANET NAPOLITANOS
* “Pina“: Oy vey. I could not wait until this uber-pretentious modern “dance” movie was over. Is running around a forest in a cocktail dress with a leaf blower blowing leaves, “dance?” Is a guy sitting on his butt moving his feet and butt around the platform, “dance?” Is a bunch of people flailing around like Elaine from “Seinfeld,” “dance?” Is writhing around in dirt, getting dirt shoveled on you by a woman in high heels, and running around with a tree strapped to your back, “dance?” Only if you believe in the emperor’s new clothing, despite the fact that he’s stark naked. Oh and speaking of that, many of the chick dancers in this movie must be members of SAG. They were badly in need of bras, and not in a sexy way. And why the heck was this in 3D? To make the ridiculous, 3D ridiculous? Even worse, it’s mostly in German with English subtitles.
For the record, I took several years of modern dance as a kid, but this was insane. I wanted to laugh loudly and repeatedly during the screening, but I worked hard to restrain myself. Methinks Isadora Duncan is turning over in her grave.
This “documentary” by German filmmaker Wim Wenders was absurd and boring as heck. It’s for weird liberals who pretend that something that ain’t there is some sort of masterpiece. Ah, I just now figured out the Obama vote! This movie is supposed to be a tribute to dead choreographer Pina Bausch by her dancers. You’d think this woman was “G-d on earth” to hear them talk of her. Made me sick … especially when I saw what she conned them into believing was dance. Hilarious. Even more hilarious was that the pretentious crowd with which I saw this actually applauded at the end.
Like I said, now I understand the people who voted for Obama. Ain’t nothin’ there. And you wonder why more Americans would rather go bowling than have their tax dollars fund fakery like this posing as “art” and “humanities.”
FOUR MARXES PLUS FOUR JOKERS
* “One For the Money“: This film adaptation of Janet Evanovich’s “thrillers” about a bounty hunter, named Stephanie Plum, wasn’t screened for critics. I should have learned my lesson about that. But, instead, I punished myself, paid full admission, and went to see the midnight show, last night, so I could review it for you. Utter CUH-RAP.
Katherine Heigl goes back and forth from her own accent to a bad, stereotypical New Jersey skank accent in playing Plum But that wasn’t nearly as awful as the script, “plot,” and pretty much everything else about this silly movie without a point or much of a story. Guys, if your girlfriend or wife tries to drag you to this, avoid it like the plague. It would be a compliment to call this a B movie. More like an H. Oh, and it’s filled with crass, stupid stereotypes against Italians, of which you can see far better on “Jersey Shore.”
Heigl plays a broke, divorced woman whose car is repossessed and who loses her job selling lingerie at a department store. She begins working for her sleazy cousin as a bounty hunter, trying to catch a man she once slept with, stalked, and ran over–a handsome cop accused of murder. Believe me, I’m making this sound infinitely better than it is.
The movie is populated by cheesy, dopey lines and moves from Debbie Reynolds, who plays the grandmother. And there’s also the annoying Sherri Shepherd from ABC’s anti-male yenta hag-fest, “The View,” playing what pretty much everyone on “The View” actually is, a hooker.
I could not wait for this movie to end. It’s low-quality Gitmo torture. If Evanovich’s best-selling “thrillers” are as stupid as this movie, you know what that says about the gazillions of American women who made her a multi-millionaire and best-seller: STOOOPID.
FOUR MARXES
Right to Life: Top 2012 Goal to Defeat Pro-Abortion Obama
An interesting story from http://www.lifenews.com/ about advancing the pro-life agenda. This follows this post analyzing the Roe V. Wade decision. For more that you can do to get involved click HERE and you can also get a very interesting book HERE!
Right to Life: Top 2012 Goal to Defeat Pro-Abortion Obama
National Right to Life has announced its agenda for 2012 and the national pro-life organization says its number one goal is defeating pro-abortion President Barack Obama in this November’s presidential elections.
As right-to-life activists gathered yesterday across the country to mourn the loss of more than 54 million unborn children since the U.S. Supreme Court’s January 22, 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the National Right to Life Committee said it and its 50 state affiliates share one common desire.
“It should not be a surprise to anyone that the top priority for National Right to Life’s Political Action Committee this year is defeating Barack Obama and electing a pro-life president,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Additionally, building upon recent success in five states, National Right to Life will urge Congress to adopt a ban on aborting pain-capable unborn children in the Federal District, and will push for enactment of this ban in several more states.” http://www.lifenews.com/2012/01/24/right-to-life-top-2012-goal-to-defeat-pro-abortion-obama/
Right to Life: Top 2012 Goal to Defeat Pro-Abortion Obama
National Right to Life has announced its agenda for 2012 and the national pro-life organization says its number one goal is defeating pro-abortion President Barack Obama in this November’s presidential elections.
As right-to-life activists gathered yesterday across the country to mourn the loss of more than 54 million unborn children since the U.S. Supreme Court’s January 22, 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the National Right to Life Committee said it and its 50 state affiliates share one common desire.
“It should not be a surprise to anyone that the top priority for National Right to Life’s Political Action Committee this year is defeating Barack Obama and electing a pro-life president,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Additionally, building upon recent success in five states, National Right to Life will urge Congress to adopt a ban on aborting pain-capable unborn children in the Federal District, and will push for enactment of this ban in several more states.” http://www.lifenews.com/2012/01/24/right-to-life-top-2012-goal-to-defeat-pro-abortion-obama/
Friday, January 27, 2012
More Persecution of Christians than Ever Before
More Persecution of Christians than Ever Before
A commentary by Don Hooser
Persecution of Christians is rife and horrific in many parts of the world, and it's coming to the place where you live.
Source: Photos.com"Persecution? Really? Since I never hear about it, I thought it stopped a long time ago."
People who are living comfortably in a Western country that has laws to protect freedom of religion are often blissfully unaware of mounting persecution in the rest of the world. Virtually every religion suffers some persecution, but Christians are suffering the most. A recent study reported that 75 out of every 100 people that are killed for religious hatred are Christian. In 2010, Open Doors, a mission supporting persecuted Christians in more than 45 countries, estimated that 100 million Christians were being persecuted.
We need to be informed about this tragedy for several reasons.
In numerous countries, like Iran, Saudi Arabia and North Korea, intolerance and oppression of Christians is state policy. Many other state governments mostly ignore religious discrimination and violence against minorities, offering virtually no protection.
Ironically, the fall of a corrupt secular dictator, like President Mubarak of Egypt, is often bad news for Christians. Where Islam predominates, the overthrow of a secular dictator often allows the government to become controlled by Muslim extremists who are determined to establish Sharia law as the law of the nation. And Sharia forbids everyone from practicing any religion other than Islam!
Radical Islam isn't the only culprit—many Christians in India are suffering persecution from Hindu groups as well. Indian Christians are in a particularly bad spot because they are at risk from both radical Hindus and Muslims.
Persecution began with the founder of Christianity!
We shouldn't be surprised by ongoing persecution of Christians. It began immediately—with relentless slander and threats against the Perfect Man, Jesus Christ. Then His enemies managed to torture and kill Him in the most horrible way, by crucifixion.
Jesus warned His followers: "If the world hates you, realize that it hated me before it hated you…If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:18If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
See All..., 20). He added, "Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service" (John 16:2They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
See All...).
In fact, there are many Bible prophecies of severe persecution of God's people in the end time .
Many forms of persecution
Persecution ranges from mild to severe. Keep in mind that when people can get away with minor forms of persecution, they often turn to more violent forms.
Even milder forms of persecution are obviously hurtful and scary: ridiculing, teasing, humiliating, ostracizing or speaking derogatorily or nastily of a Christian; schools not permitting students to write or speak about their Christian beliefs; employers discriminating against a Christian; and Christian political candidates putting up with scathing ridicule and slander.
These milder forms are increasingly prevalent in the United States, an indicator of much worse to come. We must make sure that each of us is prepared with strong faith and strong courage!
Should we be concerned for those who are suffering persecution in other nations?
It's easy to be apathetic about people in faraway places when we are extremely busy with our day-to-day activities. But there is no excuse for being selfish, self-centered and self-righteous. Jesus set the bar very high, commanding us to love everyone, even our enemies (Luke 6:27-38 [27] But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, [28] Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. [29] And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. [30] Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. [31] And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. [32] For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. [33] And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. [34] And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. [35] But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. [36] Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. [37] Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: [38] Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
See All...).
Many of these men and women are risking their lives to do what they consider to be God's work. Many end up being imprisoned, tortured and martyred for their beliefs. For all this, they deserve our deep respect.
We need to feel deep compassion and sympathy for these dedicated people—and pray for them.
Pastor Martin Neimoller, a survivor of Nazi concentration camps, said this: "First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me."
Let's be reminded of the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:29-37 [29] But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? [30] And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. [31] And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. [32] And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. [33] But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, [34] And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. [35] And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. [36] Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? [37] And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
See All.... The Samaritan, who had less scriptural knowledge, was the one who pleased God because he felt and showed compassion. Scriptural knowledge is wonderful, but if we want God to show us compassion when we are persecuted, we must feel and express compassion toward others who are being persecuted.
Let's remember these words of Jesus: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
See All...).
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South Carolina mosque leader arrested in cigarette trafficking and money laundering scheme
A very interesting post from www.jihadwatch.org about Hezbollah smuggling in South Carolina. This follows this post about an orphanage being destroyed by Muslims in Nigeria, an ORPHANAGE! This follows this article about American energy independence and preventing money from going to hostile countries such as Iran and Venezuela. For more that you can do to get involved click HERE and read this very interesting book HERE!
South Carolina mosque leader arrested in cigarette trafficking and money laundering scheme
Cigarette trafficking has been used to fund Hizballah.
Mosque Leader Charged in Cigarette Smuggling Ring," from IPT News, January 23:
A leader of a South Carolina mosque was among 11 men arrested in a cigarette trafficking and money laundering scheme spanning several states. A 26-count indictment issued in November and unsealed last week accused Nasser Alquza, president of the Central Mosque of Charleston, and others of conspiracy, receiving stolen property, and related charges.
The arrests followed a government sting operation in which Alquza and other defendants allegedly purchased over 6,800 cases of "stolen" Marlboro cigarettes from undercover agents in exchange for over $7.5 million, the indictment said. The proceeds from the "stolen" cigarettes, whose wholesale value was in excess of $15 million, was then laundered through legitimate businesses owned or controlled by the defendants....
The indictment highlighted the illegal sale of cigarettes as a serious problem facing law enforcement. It detailed how criminal enterprises purchased large volumes of cigarettes in states with low cigarette taxes such as North and South Carolina and illegally transported them to states with higher cigarette taxes where they were sold without paying the sales tax for higher profits.
The case is reminiscent of a Hizballah fundraising operation from the 1990s based out of Charlotte, N.C., in which 18 defendants led by Mohamad Hammoud were responsible for the illegal smuggling of more than $8 million worth of cigarettes from North Carolina to Michigan. Profits from the cigarette sales were sent to Hizballah in Lebanon. In 2002, Hammoud was sentenced to 150 years in prison. A judge subsequently reduced Hammoud's sentence to 30 years....
Posted by Robert
South Carolina mosque leader arrested in cigarette trafficking and money laundering scheme
Cigarette trafficking has been used to fund Hizballah.
Mosque Leader Charged in Cigarette Smuggling Ring," from IPT News, January 23:
A leader of a South Carolina mosque was among 11 men arrested in a cigarette trafficking and money laundering scheme spanning several states. A 26-count indictment issued in November and unsealed last week accused Nasser Alquza, president of the Central Mosque of Charleston, and others of conspiracy, receiving stolen property, and related charges.
The arrests followed a government sting operation in which Alquza and other defendants allegedly purchased over 6,800 cases of "stolen" Marlboro cigarettes from undercover agents in exchange for over $7.5 million, the indictment said. The proceeds from the "stolen" cigarettes, whose wholesale value was in excess of $15 million, was then laundered through legitimate businesses owned or controlled by the defendants....
The indictment highlighted the illegal sale of cigarettes as a serious problem facing law enforcement. It detailed how criminal enterprises purchased large volumes of cigarettes in states with low cigarette taxes such as North and South Carolina and illegally transported them to states with higher cigarette taxes where they were sold without paying the sales tax for higher profits.
The case is reminiscent of a Hizballah fundraising operation from the 1990s based out of Charlotte, N.C., in which 18 defendants led by Mohamad Hammoud were responsible for the illegal smuggling of more than $8 million worth of cigarettes from North Carolina to Michigan. Profits from the cigarette sales were sent to Hizballah in Lebanon. In 2002, Hammoud was sentenced to 150 years in prison. A judge subsequently reduced Hammoud's sentence to 30 years....
Posted by Robert
Immigration Agents: We Rated ICE Near Bottom of 240 Agencies b/c Obama F’d It Up, Caters to Left
A very interesting post from www.debbieschlussel.com about ICE's effectiveness as an organization. This follows this post about Jan Brewer's book being publically criticized by Barack Obama. This follows this post analyzing the best current candidate on immigration. This follows this post about the new congressional districts in Texas being redrawn so that the new seats favor the Democratic party in a Republican state. This follows this post about how to Report Illegal Immigrants such as the 30,000 openly illegal immigrants in the border town of El Paso, where President Barack Obama recently bashed immigration enforcement! For more that you can do to get involved click HERE and you can read a very interesting book HERE!
And Remember when contacting public officials to please be firm but respectful. Any over the top messages could result in law enforcement action against you. Just let these politicians know that you are aware of what they have done and that you intend to remove them from office in the 2012 elections.
Immigration Agents: We Rated ICE Near Bottom of 240 Agencies b/c Obama F’d It Up, Caters to Left
By Debbie Schlussel
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents rated their agency 222nd out of 240 agencies, saying their agency is in the bottom 8% of all federal agencies in the 2011 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. Gee, I wonder why. After Barack Obama and his administration constantly attacking ICE agents and stopping them from doing their jobs; after Obama hiring a La Raza activist as his immigration policy point person (and then appointing her his top policy person on all issues); after the agency creates forms and hotline numbers encouraging illegal aliens–the few that ICE is allowed to detain under Obama–to report agents as “civil rights violators,” I’m actually surprised the agency was as high as 222nd and not dead last. But not John Moron Morton, the Obama chief of ICE who is busy using 9/11 for government-funded booty calls to see his girlfriend in New York and using your tax dollars to stay at froofy Kimpton Hotels and eat at fancy Asian-Fusion restaurants. The reason ICE agents hate their agency is that morale is at an all time low, and much of that is because of Barack Hussein Obama and the people he picked to run Homeland Security and ICE. They are incompetent cronyist bureaucrats with ZERO law enforcement experience. NONE.
Partners in Crime
Yesterday, Morton sent ICE agents a silly e-mail relaying his “concern” that his agents think he and the agency are a joke and that morale is bad. It’s something he apparently doesn’t see because he’s too busy pretending to be important and letting Janet Napolitano’s pointchick, Suzie “Stripper Pole” Barr run the agency . . . into the ground. To address the low morale, instead of resigning, he and his boss, Janet Napolitano a/k/a “Albert Nobbs-itano” are spending your money to create a bureaucratic “steering committee.” I hear it will be headed by Captain Francesco Schettino.
I’m, frankly, not sure why ICE even still exists since it lost its mission to investigate terrorism money-laundering, agents aren’t allowed to arrest most illegal aliens anymore, and the few things left–like stopping kiddie-porn–are duplicative efforts done by local police. Oh, and we don’t need a special government agency to take away trinkets that divers and traders obtained and gift it to some current ruling Islamic regime, another ICE “mission.” Usually, when your employees rank you in the bottom 7.5% of your industry, it’s grounds for immediate dismissal and a radical change of game plan. But this is the gubmint . . . and they’re here to help you. Below is Moron’s laughable missive (I’ve cut out a good deal of his BS for the sake of brevity), followed by a spot-on ICE agent’s smackdown–a MUST-READ:
From: ICE-Broadcast
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 1:19 PM
Subject: A Message from Director Morton
Importance: High
A Message from Director Morton
To all ICE employees
January 25, 2012
The Partnership for Public Service recently ranked the best places to work in the Federal Government. The rankings were based on three of 70 questions in the 2011 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. Those three questions asked whether you would recommend ICE as a good place to work, how satisfied you are with your job and how satisfied you are with ICE.
Like several components in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE did not fare particularly well. ICE ranked 222 of 240. This concerns me and ICE leadership. Recently, Secretary Napolitano created a DHS Employee Engagement Executive Steering Committee (ESC) to address the survey results.
Although ICE, as a relatively young agency, has faced challenges that other more mature, long-established agencies have not faced, these challenges do not diminish our concern about the rankings. We want to improve the satisfaction of our employees who work every day to carry out our critical mission.
I have asked Daniel Ragsdale, executive associate director for management and administration, and his team in ICE’s Office of Human Capital to lead our effort to improve your satisfaction with employment at ICE. During this process, they will consider how other law enforcement agencies operate and how the unique aspects of ICE’s mission affect a career at ICE.
Over the next several months, ICE managers will conduct town hall meetings and attend labor management forums to address the survey results. We will use your feedback, negative and positive, as a foundation for identifying and analyzing areas for improvement. . . .
In addition to soliciting employee feedback at town hall meetings, we will consult with the unions that represent ICE’s two bargaining units for their input and will honor any collective bargaining obligations that we have with them. I appreciate your feedback and ask for your participation as leadership seeks to identify ways to improve your satisfaction and to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of ICE.
Ours is a very important mission – one that would be impossible without the dedication of our talented and committed employees. You work hard every day to protect this country, and I am proud of you and your accomplishments.
John Morton
Director
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
An ICE Agent responds:
Don’t laugh too hard when you read this one…. Perhaps if this Obama Administration and the cronies running ICE allowed the employees of ICE to do the job that they were all hired to do, ICE would have scored higher than the abysmal 222 of 240 agencies reviewed. Instead, employees continue to be demoralized as senior leaders cater to unfounded accusations by far-left Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and human rights groups always finding fault with the law enforcement tactics used by ICE officers, long before any review is completed which ultimately exonerates officers.
These senior leaders appointed by Barack Obama and this Obama Administration have sold immigration enforcement and the good employees of ICE downriver–piling more and more meaningless requirements on employees so it gets to the point that they’re too busy answering questions and adhering to procedures than enforcing the law. I don’t know what planet these people live on – or what illegal substance they are smoking to come up with bulls**t like this. All they have to do–John Morton, Suzie Barr [ICE Chief of Staff, who is really running the agency for Napolitano], Beth Gibson [ICE Assistant Deputy Director], and Dan Ragsdale [DS: ICE Executive Associate Director of Management and Administration, a BS position created just for him]–is look in the mirror to find the culprit of the systemic demoralization of thousands of good law enforcement officers.
Solicit employee feedback??? More like start a witch hunt for those that have expressed poor morale.
Meaning??Do managers convey ICE goals and priorities, and do they share information about our progress in meeting them? Do employees have clarity regarding how their work relates to these goals? Does the work bring ICE employees a feeling of personal accomplishment? Of course these fools convey the goals and priorities….and who cares about progress in meeting them. ICE employees know the progress. Immigration enforcement is dead. Clarity in goals? Employees heads are spinning because they can’t keep up with all the Tiers and Levels these idiots have created on immigration enforcement matters. The only priority these fools have is to let people stay and get new voters. Personal accomplishment – non existent.
Leadership – Overall, are employees satisfied with the policies and practices of leadership? This issue is brought to the forefront by the fact that the union gave a unanimous vote of non-confidence in John Morton.
What a farce. I wonder how much these idiots are going to pay for townhall meetings to travel all over the country so Beth Gibson can visit grandma in Seattle and Suzie Barr can visit her buddies in Arizona – all to “improve morale.”
With fools like these running the country – we’re all doomed.
[Emphasis added by me.]
It was bad under Julie L. Myers a/k/a “The ICE Princess.” It’s far worse under John Moron and Albert Nobbs-itano. Time to clean house.
November 2012 cannot come soon enough. And BTW, if you wanna take a poll about for whom ICE agents are voting come November, I’ll give you a hint: It’s about 90% for “the GOP nominee against Obama.” Even some Black agents I know want Obama OUT!
Actual DHS Recruitment Ad
Artwork by David Lunde/Lundesigns
And Remember when contacting public officials to please be firm but respectful. Any over the top messages could result in law enforcement action against you. Just let these politicians know that you are aware of what they have done and that you intend to remove them from office in the 2012 elections.
Immigration Agents: We Rated ICE Near Bottom of 240 Agencies b/c Obama F’d It Up, Caters to Left
By Debbie Schlussel
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents rated their agency 222nd out of 240 agencies, saying their agency is in the bottom 8% of all federal agencies in the 2011 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. Gee, I wonder why. After Barack Obama and his administration constantly attacking ICE agents and stopping them from doing their jobs; after Obama hiring a La Raza activist as his immigration policy point person (and then appointing her his top policy person on all issues); after the agency creates forms and hotline numbers encouraging illegal aliens–the few that ICE is allowed to detain under Obama–to report agents as “civil rights violators,” I’m actually surprised the agency was as high as 222nd and not dead last. But not John Moron Morton, the Obama chief of ICE who is busy using 9/11 for government-funded booty calls to see his girlfriend in New York and using your tax dollars to stay at froofy Kimpton Hotels and eat at fancy Asian-Fusion restaurants. The reason ICE agents hate their agency is that morale is at an all time low, and much of that is because of Barack Hussein Obama and the people he picked to run Homeland Security and ICE. They are incompetent cronyist bureaucrats with ZERO law enforcement experience. NONE.
Partners in Crime
Yesterday, Morton sent ICE agents a silly e-mail relaying his “concern” that his agents think he and the agency are a joke and that morale is bad. It’s something he apparently doesn’t see because he’s too busy pretending to be important and letting Janet Napolitano’s pointchick, Suzie “Stripper Pole” Barr run the agency . . . into the ground. To address the low morale, instead of resigning, he and his boss, Janet Napolitano a/k/a “Albert Nobbs-itano” are spending your money to create a bureaucratic “steering committee.” I hear it will be headed by Captain Francesco Schettino.
I’m, frankly, not sure why ICE even still exists since it lost its mission to investigate terrorism money-laundering, agents aren’t allowed to arrest most illegal aliens anymore, and the few things left–like stopping kiddie-porn–are duplicative efforts done by local police. Oh, and we don’t need a special government agency to take away trinkets that divers and traders obtained and gift it to some current ruling Islamic regime, another ICE “mission.” Usually, when your employees rank you in the bottom 7.5% of your industry, it’s grounds for immediate dismissal and a radical change of game plan. But this is the gubmint . . . and they’re here to help you. Below is Moron’s laughable missive (I’ve cut out a good deal of his BS for the sake of brevity), followed by a spot-on ICE agent’s smackdown–a MUST-READ:
From: ICE-Broadcast
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 1:19 PM
Subject: A Message from Director Morton
Importance: High
A Message from Director Morton
To all ICE employees
January 25, 2012
The Partnership for Public Service recently ranked the best places to work in the Federal Government. The rankings were based on three of 70 questions in the 2011 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. Those three questions asked whether you would recommend ICE as a good place to work, how satisfied you are with your job and how satisfied you are with ICE.
Like several components in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE did not fare particularly well. ICE ranked 222 of 240. This concerns me and ICE leadership. Recently, Secretary Napolitano created a DHS Employee Engagement Executive Steering Committee (ESC) to address the survey results.
Although ICE, as a relatively young agency, has faced challenges that other more mature, long-established agencies have not faced, these challenges do not diminish our concern about the rankings. We want to improve the satisfaction of our employees who work every day to carry out our critical mission.
I have asked Daniel Ragsdale, executive associate director for management and administration, and his team in ICE’s Office of Human Capital to lead our effort to improve your satisfaction with employment at ICE. During this process, they will consider how other law enforcement agencies operate and how the unique aspects of ICE’s mission affect a career at ICE.
Over the next several months, ICE managers will conduct town hall meetings and attend labor management forums to address the survey results. We will use your feedback, negative and positive, as a foundation for identifying and analyzing areas for improvement. . . .
In addition to soliciting employee feedback at town hall meetings, we will consult with the unions that represent ICE’s two bargaining units for their input and will honor any collective bargaining obligations that we have with them. I appreciate your feedback and ask for your participation as leadership seeks to identify ways to improve your satisfaction and to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of ICE.
Ours is a very important mission – one that would be impossible without the dedication of our talented and committed employees. You work hard every day to protect this country, and I am proud of you and your accomplishments.
John Morton
Director
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
An ICE Agent responds:
Don’t laugh too hard when you read this one…. Perhaps if this Obama Administration and the cronies running ICE allowed the employees of ICE to do the job that they were all hired to do, ICE would have scored higher than the abysmal 222 of 240 agencies reviewed. Instead, employees continue to be demoralized as senior leaders cater to unfounded accusations by far-left Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and human rights groups always finding fault with the law enforcement tactics used by ICE officers, long before any review is completed which ultimately exonerates officers.
These senior leaders appointed by Barack Obama and this Obama Administration have sold immigration enforcement and the good employees of ICE downriver–piling more and more meaningless requirements on employees so it gets to the point that they’re too busy answering questions and adhering to procedures than enforcing the law. I don’t know what planet these people live on – or what illegal substance they are smoking to come up with bulls**t like this. All they have to do–John Morton, Suzie Barr [ICE Chief of Staff, who is really running the agency for Napolitano], Beth Gibson [ICE Assistant Deputy Director], and Dan Ragsdale [DS: ICE Executive Associate Director of Management and Administration, a BS position created just for him]–is look in the mirror to find the culprit of the systemic demoralization of thousands of good law enforcement officers.
Solicit employee feedback??? More like start a witch hunt for those that have expressed poor morale.
Meaning??Do managers convey ICE goals and priorities, and do they share information about our progress in meeting them? Do employees have clarity regarding how their work relates to these goals? Does the work bring ICE employees a feeling of personal accomplishment? Of course these fools convey the goals and priorities….and who cares about progress in meeting them. ICE employees know the progress. Immigration enforcement is dead. Clarity in goals? Employees heads are spinning because they can’t keep up with all the Tiers and Levels these idiots have created on immigration enforcement matters. The only priority these fools have is to let people stay and get new voters. Personal accomplishment – non existent.
Leadership – Overall, are employees satisfied with the policies and practices of leadership? This issue is brought to the forefront by the fact that the union gave a unanimous vote of non-confidence in John Morton.
What a farce. I wonder how much these idiots are going to pay for townhall meetings to travel all over the country so Beth Gibson can visit grandma in Seattle and Suzie Barr can visit her buddies in Arizona – all to “improve morale.”
With fools like these running the country – we’re all doomed.
[Emphasis added by me.]
It was bad under Julie L. Myers a/k/a “The ICE Princess.” It’s far worse under John Moron and Albert Nobbs-itano. Time to clean house.
November 2012 cannot come soon enough. And BTW, if you wanna take a poll about for whom ICE agents are voting come November, I’ll give you a hint: It’s about 90% for “the GOP nominee against Obama.” Even some Black agents I know want Obama OUT!
Actual DHS Recruitment Ad
Artwork by David Lunde/Lundesigns
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wanna Get High?
Wanna Get High?
article by Dan Dowd
So, is marijuana a harmless drug or a gateway to all kinds of trouble?
"Come on, it's cool! Everybody's using it. Don't be so uptight." Maybe you have heard others ask, "What's the big deal?" So, is marijuana a harmless drug or a gateway to all kinds of trouble? Here are a few facts about marijuana to help you think vertically:
• U.S. government statistics put marijuana use at 23.9 percent of 10th graders. For high school seniors, it is 32.4 percent (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2008 survey, nida.nih.gov). While these numbers are high, it's hardly "everybody."
• Although the primary agent in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), more than 400 other chemicals are present in marijuana smoke. Many are the same harmful compounds found in cigarette smoke.
• While there are no complete statistics about marijuana's contribution to traffic accidents, the effects of marijuana are well-known: severely diminished alertness, concentration, coordination and reaction time. In this respect, driving under the influence of marijuana is similar to driving under the influence of alcohol.
• A very high number of hard drug users started with marijuana. While not every user of marijuana goes on to harder drugs, many do.
• In the United States, there were more than 750,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2007, the latest year for which statistics are available (fbi.gov).
Although the Bible doesn't directly address marijuana, it does address its effects. Proverbs 23:21For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
See All... says, "For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags." And 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 [9] Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
See All... adds, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards , nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."
Marijuana use, as with other illegal drug use, has effects similar to alcohol abuse. Reject the instant drunkenness of marijuana. VT
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Arizona Gov. Brewer gets book critique from Obama
A very interesting post from http://www.alipac.us/ about Jan Brewer's book being publically criticized by Barack Obama. This follows this post about job growth over the past three years. This follows this post analyzing the best current candidate on immigration. This follows this post about the new congressional districts in Texas being redrawn so that the new seats favor the Democratic party in a Republican state. This follows this post about how to Report Illegal Immigrants such as the 30,000 openly illegal immigrants in the border town of El Paso, where President Barack Obama recently bashed immigration enforcement! For more that you can do to get involved click HERE and you can read a very interesting book HERE!
And Remember when contacting public officials to please be firm but respectful. Any over the top messages could result in law enforcement action against you. Just let these politicians know that you are aware of what they have done and that you intend to remove them from office in the 2012 elections.
Arizona Gov. Brewer gets book critique from Obama
by Ratbstard
MESA, Ariz. — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer came to greet President Barack Obama upon his arrival outside Phoenix Wednesday. What she got was a critique. Of her book.
The two leaders could be seen engaged in an intense conversation at the base of Air Force One's steps. Both could be seen smiling, but speaking at the same time.
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/
JIM KUHNHENN
Associated Press
01/25/12
Asked moments later what the conversation was about, Brewer, a Republican, said: "He was a little disturbed about my book."
Brewer recently published a book, "Scorpions for Breakfast," something of a memoir of her years growing up and defends her signing of Arizona's controversial law cracking down on illegal immigrants, which Obama opposes.
Obama was objecting to Brewer's description of a meeting he and Brewer had at the White House, where she described Obama as lecturing her. In an interview in November Brewer described two tense meetings. The first took place before his commencement address at Arizona State University. "He did blow me off at ASU," she said in the television interview in November.
She also described meeting the president at the White House in 2010 to talk about immigration. "I felt a little bit like I was being lectured to, and I was a little kid in a classroom, if you will, and he was this wise professor and I was this little kid, and this little kid knows what the problem is and I felt minimized to say the least."
On the tarmac Wednesday, Brewer handed Obama an envelope with a handwritten invitation to return to Arizona to meet her for lunch and to join her for a visit to the border.
"I said to him, you know, I have always respected the office of the president and that the book is what the book is," she told reporters Wednesday. She said Obama complained that she described him as not treating her cordially.
"I said that I was sorry that he felt that way. Anyway, we're glad he's here, and we'll regroup."
A White House official said Brewer handed Obama a letter and said she was inviting him to meet with her. The official said Obama told her he would be glad to meet with her again. The official said Obama did note that at their last meeting, which the official described as a cordial discussion in the Oval Office, the governor inaccurately described the meeting in her book. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation between the president and the governor.
And Remember when contacting public officials to please be firm but respectful. Any over the top messages could result in law enforcement action against you. Just let these politicians know that you are aware of what they have done and that you intend to remove them from office in the 2012 elections.
Arizona Gov. Brewer gets book critique from Obama
by Ratbstard
MESA, Ariz. — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer came to greet President Barack Obama upon his arrival outside Phoenix Wednesday. What she got was a critique. Of her book.
The two leaders could be seen engaged in an intense conversation at the base of Air Force One's steps. Both could be seen smiling, but speaking at the same time.
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/
JIM KUHNHENN
Associated Press
01/25/12
Asked moments later what the conversation was about, Brewer, a Republican, said: "He was a little disturbed about my book."
Brewer recently published a book, "Scorpions for Breakfast," something of a memoir of her years growing up and defends her signing of Arizona's controversial law cracking down on illegal immigrants, which Obama opposes.
Obama was objecting to Brewer's description of a meeting he and Brewer had at the White House, where she described Obama as lecturing her. In an interview in November Brewer described two tense meetings. The first took place before his commencement address at Arizona State University. "He did blow me off at ASU," she said in the television interview in November.
She also described meeting the president at the White House in 2010 to talk about immigration. "I felt a little bit like I was being lectured to, and I was a little kid in a classroom, if you will, and he was this wise professor and I was this little kid, and this little kid knows what the problem is and I felt minimized to say the least."
On the tarmac Wednesday, Brewer handed Obama an envelope with a handwritten invitation to return to Arizona to meet her for lunch and to join her for a visit to the border.
"I said to him, you know, I have always respected the office of the president and that the book is what the book is," she told reporters Wednesday. She said Obama complained that she described him as not treating her cordially.
"I said that I was sorry that he felt that way. Anyway, we're glad he's here, and we'll regroup."
A White House official said Brewer handed Obama a letter and said she was inviting him to meet with her. The official said Obama told her he would be glad to meet with her again. The official said Obama did note that at their last meeting, which the official described as a cordial discussion in the Oval Office, the governor inaccurately described the meeting in her book. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation between the president and the governor.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The China-Taiwan Tinderbox
An interesting article from www.ucg.org about China and Taiwan. This follows this post about the true unemployment numbers. For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.
article by Mario Seiglie
The Korean War showed how easily a local war in Asia, like the brewing China-Taiwan conflict, can escalate.
Few people today remember much about the Korean War (1950-53). It started as a civil war between North and South Korea. Yet, since there were political and strategic interests involved, soon the United States, the former Soviet Union, China and 19 other nations entered the dangerous fray. Besides the Koreans, the primary contenders were the United States and its United Nations allies on one side, and China and the former U.S.S.R. on the other. In that war, the U.S. suffered over 150,000 casualties, South Korea over a million, and North Korea and China about two million.
At one point in 1951, U.N. commanding officer General Douglas MacArthur urged attacking China and blockading its coasts as the only way to defeat the enemy. President Truman feared this would lead to a world war between the United States, China and the Soviet Union.
After two more years of bloody combat, a truce agreement was signed that left Korea divided. This unresolved conflict remains one of the world's trouble spots.
But more importantly, this war showed how easily a local civil war in Asia can escalate to epic proportions and involve the world's major powers.
The recent Taiwan elections
Now, 50 years since the start of the Korean War, another Asian threat looms on the horizon. The small, but economically powerful island of Taiwan has elected a president whose political platform calls for independence from mainland China. The Chinese authorities have said such a declaration would trigger a war. This could lead to alignments among the world's major powers that resemble the past. Moreover, a recent poll among the Chinese showed 95 percent favor going to war if Taiwan declared its independence.
How did this explosive situation arise?
In 1949 several million Chinese fled to this island after Mao Zedong, the Communist leader, conquered mainland China. From that time the Chinese have threatened to invade Taiwan, but thanks mostly to strong U.S. support of the island, the threat has never been carried out.
Chinese incorporation of Hong Kong and Macau
In recent years China has become more emboldened by annexing Hong Kong and Macau. Now only Taiwan remains outside the fold.
Yet Taiwan is a far different situation. Instead of being on the Chinese coastline as Hong Kong and Macau are, it is a prosperous island 160 miles (250 kilometers) off the coast. Its sizable population of 23 million and its successful democratic and open economic system has helped Taiwan attain one of the world's highest standards of living. Taiwan produces 80 percent of all computer motherboards in the world. Unlike Hong Kong and Macau, it has a considerable military force, is not a foreign-run country and passionately resists being incorporated by China. Meanwhile, mainland China is still beset by a rigid, one party Communist rule and a very low standard of living which, of course, does not attract the Taiwanese people in the least.
On the other hand, for Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Taiwan is the last and juiciest of all former territories left to recover. He realizes incorporating wayward Taiwan would place him in the Communist pantheon with the likes of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.
One U.S. official commented, "After the return of Hong Kong in 1997 and Macau in 1999, Taiwan is the last reunification issue on Beijing's agenda. It's also a cause that appeals to Chinese nationalism and could rally popular support for the leadership. It's a life and death issue for the Chinese regime" ( The Washington Post, March 16, 2000, p. 22).
Sino-expert Elizabeth Rosenthal adds, "It is hard for non-Chinese to understand the depths of Chinese devotion to Taiwan, which is born partly of decades of Communist Party propaganda and partly of humiliations of China's history, when Westerners carved up China for their economic advantage. 'China was divided when it was weak, and now that it is getting strong again, people's nationalist feeling rises and they feel strongly it is time to reunite the country,' said Zhang Yunling, the head of South Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences" ( The New York Times, March 20, 2000).
Navigating between Scylla and Charybdis
In ancient times, when one had to avoid two dangerous extremes, it was said he was between Scylla and Charybdis, two famous perils seamen had to avoid. Newly-elected Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian now has to guide his nation between two great dangers. One is provoking China into a war, which is increasingly becoming a real possibility. The other is backing down from his political pledge of independence and enraging his followers, which would undermine his political strength.
Up to now, to avoid either extreme, he has resorted to pleasing both sides. With China, he has extended an olive leaf, toned down the independence rhetoric and expressed a desire to visit mainland China to calm tensions.
With his partisans, he has said, "Taiwan is an independent, sovereign country; it is not a part of the People's Republic of China" ( Newsweek, March 27, 2000, p. 26). He has also rejected as "unacceptable" China's "one country, two systems" formula for reunification, and has stressed Taiwan will not follow in the steps of Hong Kong and Macau.
This balancing act seems difficult to maintain in the long run. Chen has great pressure to live up to his pledge of independence, while China's patience is dwindling fast.
"Even before the election," explained Newsweek, "Beijing sensed that Taiwan was slipping away. In response, military hard-liners have launched a campaign to boost China's readiness for conflict. The military has pushed for bigger budgets and training programs focused on naval power projection and amphibious lift-all crucial to an invasion scenario. Last week mainland scholars warned darkly that reunification by force 'could be just a matter of hours away'" (March 27, 2000, p. 27).
Recently, Wei Jingsheng, a Chinese dissident who spent 19 years as a political prisoner in China, told The Washington Times he thought China's warning that Taiwan might not get a second chance for peace if they elected Chen was a sign that China had already decided to invade Taiwan.
Trapped in the middle
Caught in the middle of this dangerous dispute is the United States. Several times in the past, when America saw early signs of Chinese aggression toward Taiwan, it dispatched some of its carriers into the area to quell the rising tensions. The last time was in 1996, just prior to Taiwanese presidential elections, when China lobbed some missiles in front of Taiwan. The U.S. dispatched two aircraft carriers to the region and China backed off.
But U.S. relations have also changed toward Taiwan. In 1979, the U.S. allowed a 24-year-old defense treaty with Taiwan to expire and replaced it with the Taiwan Relations Act that only requires the U.S. to give Taiwan the means to protect itself.
The U.S. calls this new relationship with China and Taiwan "strategic ambiguity," which means neither side knows how committed the U.S. is to entering a possible conflict. To please China, the U.S. formally recognized it as the sole legal authority, but still insists on having cultural, commercial and unofficial (meaning military) relations with Taiwan. In this way, China never knows how far the U.S. will go to defend Taiwan, and neither does Taiwan know how far the U.S. is prepared to back it if it declares independence. This "ambiguity" could be tested in the future.
China and Russia's new "strategic partnership"
Lately, China has been building up its war arsenal thanks to a new partnership with Russia. Soon China will receive two modern Russian destroyers that China hopes can curb U.S. power in the region. It also has many submarines (71), missiles that can reach Taiwan (200) and advanced Russian fighter jets (40).
The Los Angeles Times reported, "Alarmed by U.S. political and military might worldwide, both Moscow and Beijing have called for increased cooperation to check American power and to pave the way for a 'multi-polar world'.... For Russia, attempting to strengthen ties with China is a logical move to counter Western leaders who oppose the Chechen war on humanitarian grounds" (Dec. 9, 1999).
Pavel Voshchanov, a Russian former secretary to the president, stated in the same article, "China is the only one of Russia's neighbors that has not clearly oriented itself either toward the West or toward the Muslim world. In order to be able to ignore both these opponents, Russia needs to have a third force, and China is a perfect candidate for this mission."
Russia is the chief supplier of arms to China, and in a possible conflict involving Taiwan and the U.S., it would be difficult for Russia not to side with China.
For example, in the past year, as the Chinese celebrated their 50th anniversary of Communist rule, President Jiang took a swipe at the U.S. and vowed to "unite" China and make it powerful again. A reporter at the celebration wrote: "Just as pointedly, a formation of Russian-made Su-27 fighters roared overhead, evidence of a newly declared 'strategic partnership' with Moscow (the two nations began their first-ever joint naval exercise last week)" ( Time, Sept. 27, 1999).
Most military strategists consider China still doesn't have the firepower to successfully invade Taiwan. Newsweek asked, "Now that Chen is at the helm, will China invade? Beijing hoped Taiwan would think so. But an attack is unlikely for now. China's generals realize they still lack the muscle to succeed in an outright invasion" (March 27, 2000).
BBC News offered this analysis on a possible Chinese attack against Taiwan: "So the big question is whether the U.S. would actually be prepared to go to war with China over Taiwan. The U.S. points to its military build-up in the region four years ago [1996] as proof of its commitment. But deploying battleships, and actually firing on China are very different things, and President Clinton has gone to great lengths to improve relations with Beijing which he would not throw away lightly.
"In a sign of deepening Congressional mistrust of China, the House of Representatives recently approved legislation to deepen the ties with the Taiwanese military, although the bill looks unlikely to pass the Senate. President Clinton has also said he would veto the bill. But this is his last year in office, and if Beijing increases the pressure on Taiwan in the run-up to the elections there, the question of Taiwan might also become a factor in the American elections too" (March 7, 2000, emphasis added).
A troubling hot spot
Taiwan has now entered a new scenario. Gone are the days when all the Taiwanese leaders came from the same ruling party (the KMT) and sought a status quo with China. Now, the journey to preserve the peace will be far more difficult. Newsweek said both China and the KMT knew Chen Shui-bian's victory "would mean not only the end of the KMT era. It would put China's dreams of peaceful reunification almost out of reach-and could even make its leaders start considering war" (March 27, 2000).
Everything depends on what China and Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian will do. An ever-present danger is that, just as in the wars in Korea and Vietnam, what could begin as a local civil war between China and Taiwan could eventually involve the world's main powers-who have far more deadlier firepower than before.
To complicate matters, a well-respected Chinese newspaper reported China would consider using neutron bombs, which can destroy people but not buildings, if an amphibious invasion failed. After this report, this Chinese government newspaper was shut down, since they had revealed classified material. A U.S. newspaper mentioned, "'Editors of Haowangjiao (Weekly) released something they were not supposed to release,' a man at its parent publication who refused to identify himself said Tuesday... But it isn't clear whether the article's publication was a blunder or a deliberate but deniable warning to Taiwan and the United States" ( Spokane Spokesman-Review, March 22, 2000).
If China invades Taiwan, then either the U.S. backs down and shows great weakness and cowardice by allowing the island to be swallowed up, or it steps in. Since China has a strategic partnership with Russia, which now has a president who showed a ruthless side in the Chechen war, what will Russia do? Will it back China (which sorely needs Russian weapons) and use this show of bravado to promote the much needed Russian nationalism? If this happens, it could cause the United States to react and interrupt aid and commerce to China and Russia, among other things.
Regional tinderbox
In sum, history has shown that great conflagrations can begin with local civil wars, which eventually activate different alliances and lead to larger conflicts. Two end-time alliances could arise from such smaller conflicts. The first is mentioned in Revelation 17:13 where 10 kings give their "power and authority" to the beast. Another is mentioned in Revelation 16:12 where the "kings from the east" prepare to invade the Holy Land.
Taiwan is a tinderbox worth watching, for an armed conflict there could produce a domino effect among the world's most powerful nations and activate their different alliances. It is one of the many possibilities that could lead to an end-time scenario. WNP
.
Obama brags on 3 million jobs but issued 3 million immigrant work permits
A very interesting post from www.NumbersUSA.com about job growth over the past three years. This follows this post about the state of immigration enforcement. This follows this post analyzing the best current candidate on immigration. This follows this post about the new congressional districts in Texas being redrawn so that the new seats favor the Democratic party in a Republican state. This follows this post about how to Report Illegal Immigrants such as the 30,000 openly illegal immigrants in the border town of El Paso, where President Barack Obama recently bashed immigration enforcement! For more that you can do to get involved click HERE and you can read a very interesting book HERE!
And Remember when contacting public officials to please be firm but respectful. Any over the top messages could result in law enforcement action against you. Just let these politicians know that you are aware of what they have done and that you intend to remove them from office in the 2012 elections.
Obama brags on 3 million jobs but issued 3 million immigrant work permits
1. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SPEAKER PELOSI AND A SPEAKER BOEHNER ON IMMIGRATION?
After a year of blocking legislation to improve our immigration policies, Speaker Boehner (R-Ohio) needs to answer to the public why he is acting exactly as Speaker Pelosi (D-Calif.) did.
2. Webcast at 3:30 p.m. EST tomorrow (Thursday) to discuss the Boehner Problem and our effort to wake up a drowsy, do-nothing U.S. House
http://www.numbersusa.tv/
Mark your calendar.
3. Take some actions now:
ACTION 1: Send the new faxes to Congress:
www.NumbersUSA.com/actionbuffet
ACTION 2:Sign the petition to Congress asking it to give job priority to Americans rather than bring in more immigrant workers:
http://numbersusa.com/petition?ID=39
4. Pres. Obama's Jobs & Immigration Disconnect in State of Union Address
What really galled me was Pres. Obama bragging about more than 3 million U.S. jobs created during the last 22 months.
That could have been good news for unemployed Americans.
But during that same period, the Obama Administration issued more than 3 million work visas to new immigrants and other foreign workers (more than half of them permanent).
(Click to read my full blog analysis and join the discussion: https://www.numbersusa.com/content/node/12978 )
What is the point of all that talk in the speech about creating jobs when the federal government is importing so many new workers?
But on our TV screens tonight, the Culprit in Chief in giving away the jobs to foreign workers was not the Commander in Chief giving the speech. Rather, it was the Speaker of the House sitting behind him.
(Read more about how Speaker Boehner could make a big difference: https://www.numbersusa.com/content/node/12978 )
Compared to the heavy-metal terror I used to feel listening to Pres. Bush's State of the Union immigration appeals, Pres. Obama's obligatory immigration section tonight was easy-listening music. The verses and chorus pushing for amnesties for illegal aliens were nearly identical to last year's speech and just didn't sound like he had a thought in the world that any of it could happen.
That is a tribute to the relentless efforts of all of you.
(Please read my full blog analysis of the speech here: https://www.numbersusa.com/content/node/12978 )
And Remember when contacting public officials to please be firm but respectful. Any over the top messages could result in law enforcement action against you. Just let these politicians know that you are aware of what they have done and that you intend to remove them from office in the 2012 elections.
Obama brags on 3 million jobs but issued 3 million immigrant work permits
1. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SPEAKER PELOSI AND A SPEAKER BOEHNER ON IMMIGRATION?
After a year of blocking legislation to improve our immigration policies, Speaker Boehner (R-Ohio) needs to answer to the public why he is acting exactly as Speaker Pelosi (D-Calif.) did.
2. Webcast at 3:30 p.m. EST tomorrow (Thursday) to discuss the Boehner Problem and our effort to wake up a drowsy, do-nothing U.S. House
http://www.numbersusa.tv/
Mark your calendar.
3. Take some actions now:
ACTION 1: Send the new faxes to Congress:
www.NumbersUSA.com/actionbuffet
ACTION 2:Sign the petition to Congress asking it to give job priority to Americans rather than bring in more immigrant workers:
http://numbersusa.com/petition?ID=39
4. Pres. Obama's Jobs & Immigration Disconnect in State of Union Address
What really galled me was Pres. Obama bragging about more than 3 million U.S. jobs created during the last 22 months.
That could have been good news for unemployed Americans.
But during that same period, the Obama Administration issued more than 3 million work visas to new immigrants and other foreign workers (more than half of them permanent).
(Click to read my full blog analysis and join the discussion: https://www.numbersusa.com/content/node/12978 )
What is the point of all that talk in the speech about creating jobs when the federal government is importing so many new workers?
But on our TV screens tonight, the Culprit in Chief in giving away the jobs to foreign workers was not the Commander in Chief giving the speech. Rather, it was the Speaker of the House sitting behind him.
(Read more about how Speaker Boehner could make a big difference: https://www.numbersusa.com/content/node/12978 )
Compared to the heavy-metal terror I used to feel listening to Pres. Bush's State of the Union immigration appeals, Pres. Obama's obligatory immigration section tonight was easy-listening music. The verses and chorus pushing for amnesties for illegal aliens were nearly identical to last year's speech and just didn't sound like he had a thought in the world that any of it could happen.
That is a tribute to the relentless efforts of all of you.
(Please read my full blog analysis of the speech here: https://www.numbersusa.com/content/node/12978 )
Report-Obama-supporter-buffett-to-profit-from-rejection-of-keystone-xl-pipeline/
A very interesting post from http://biggovernment.com/ about Warren Buffett profiting from the rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline. This follows this post about al-Jazeera and Green Peace opposing domestic energy independence. This follows this previous article about encouraging American energy independence. This is a key issue to prevent money from going to hostile countries such as Iran and Venezuela. For more that you can do to get involved click HERE and you can read a very interesting book HERE!
You can also write your two Senators about the Keystone XL pipeline HERE!
Report: Obama Supporter Buffett to Profit from Rejection of Keystone XL Pipeline
by Publius
From Bloomberg Government:
Warren Buffett’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC is among U.S. and Canadian railroads that stand to benefit from the Obama administration’s decision to reject TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL oil pipeline permit.
With modest expansion, railroads can handle all new oil produced in western Canada through 2030, according to an analysis of the Keystone proposal by the U.S. State Department.
“Whatever people bring to us, we’re ready to haul,” Krista York-Wooley, a spokeswoman for Burlington Northern, a unit of Buffett’s Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway Inc., said in an interview. If Keystone XL “doesn’t happen, we’re here to haul.”
The State Department denied TransCanada a permit on Jan. 18, saying there was not enough time to study the proposal by Feb. 21, a deadline Congress imposed on President Barack Obama. Calgary-based TransCanada has said it intends to re-apply with a route that avoids an environmentally sensitive region of Nebraska, something the Obama administration encouraged.
The rail option, though costlier, would lessen the environmental impact, such as a loss of wetlands and agricultural productivity, compared to the pipeline, according to the State Department analysis. Greenhouse gas emissions, however, would be worse.
If completed, Keystone XL would deliver 700,000 barrels a day of crude from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries along the Gulf of Mexico, crossing 1,661 miles (2,673-kilometers) over Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
Tanker Car Bottleneck
Investors such as John Stephenson, who helps manage $2.7 billion for First Asset Management Inc. in Toronto said he anticipated the project would move forward next year. Pipeline shipping costs remain lower than rail, and a lack of readily available tanker cars may create a bottleneck.
The availability of tank cars may create a temporary “hiccup” in transport capacity, according to Tony Hatch, an independent railroad analyst in New York. Rail cars are “a pretty hot commodity,” as a result of demand from oil producers in North Dakota, he said.
Rail car production is already at a three-year high as manufacturers such as Greenbrier Cos Inc. and American Railcar Industries Inc. expand to meet demand for sand used in oil and gas exploration, according to Steve Barger, an analyst at Keybanc Capital Markets Inc. in Cleveland, citing Railway Supply Institute statistics.
‘Long-Term Solution’
Rail-car suppliers can add capacity, Hatch said.
“Railroads are not just a stopgap while we wait for a pipeline,” Hatch said in an interview. “They are potentially part of the long-term solution.”
Railroads are being used in North Dakota, where oil producers have spurred a fivefold increase in output by using intensive drilling practices in the Bakken, a geologic formation that stretches from southern Alberta to the northern U.S. Great Plains. During 2011, rail capacity in the region tripled to almost 300,000 barrels a day as higher production exceeded what pipelines handle, according to the State Department report on Keystone XL.
Shipping oil using tank cars on rail costs about $3 more a barrel than pipeline transport, using prices in North Dakota, a differential “unlikely” to slow the development of oil sands crude if no pipeline is build, the State Department said. The gap is shrinking as larger storage terminals are built, the agency said.
‘Ready to Haul’
Burlington Northern carries about 25 percent of the oil from the Bakken, said Krista York-Wooley, the railroad spokeswoman. The company can carry higher volumes from North Dakota or Alberta, she said.
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.’s shipments from North Dakota climbed to more than 13,000 carloads last year from about 500 in 2009, Ed Greenberg, a spokesman, said in an e-mail. The Calgary- based company has a similar plan in western Canada.
“With an extensive rail network and proven expertise in moving energy, CP offers a flexible option for transporting crude oil and other energy-related products to and from key locations in North America,” Vice President Tracy Robinson said in an e-mail. “Rail is scalable, allowing CP to effectively keep pace with the shipping needs of producers.”
Oil Sands
Canadian National Railway Co., the biggest Canadian railroad based on annual sales, considers Alberta’s oil sands a chance to expand its business, according to company filings.
“CN continues to work closely with customers in Alberta to capitalize on oil-and-gas related opportunities,” the Calgary- based company said. “CN sees potential for the outbound movement of oil sands products such as bitumen and synthetic crude to refineries in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, or eventually through West Coast ports to offshore markets.”
Imperial Oil Ltd., a Calgary-based unit of Exxon Mobil Corp., will consider “various transportation options” for oil sands exports, according Pius Rohlheiser, a spokesman. Cenovus Energy Inc. uses railroads to bring in dilutants needed to mix with heavy crude before it can be shipped by pipeline, and to export oil from the Bakken formation in Canada, according to Jessica Wilkinson, a spokeswoman.
Environmentalists’ Opposition
Environmental groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council have campaigned to stop Keystone XL because leaks could threaten drinking water supplies and processing Alberta crude produces more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional oil.
Railroads too present environmental issues. Moving crude on trains produces more global warming gases than a pipeline, the State Department said.
Union Pacific Corp., based in Omaha, Nebraska, anticipated an increase in rail traffic with or without Keystone, Chief Executive Officer Jim Young said in an interview.
“We would have been involved with moving the pipe and a lot of the construction business in building it,” Young said. “On the other hand, if you don’t build any pipeline capacity, you’re going to be moving a lot of crude by train.”
It will take five to eight years before oil sands production outstrips existing export capacity, the State Department said.
Tank car utilization is at “record levels” fueled by demand from oil and natural gas producers, according to Doug Reece, director of marketing for Oakville, Ontario-based Procor Ltd., a rail-car leasing company. The soonest new cars will be available is 2013, he said.
“In western Canada, shippers and third parties are investing in the necessary infrastructure and we see strong growth ahead,” Reece said in an e-mail. “We are having regular dialogue with customers about their potential needs, as collaboration and fleet planning have become critical.”
Rail allows shippers to reach different markets and capture better prices at refineries, said John Mims, a transportation analyst at Friedman Billings Ramsey & Co. in Arlington, Virginia.
“It’s a good secular growth story for the railroads,” Mims said in an interview.“They’re playing an increasing role, especially as you see this push back from a regulatory standpoint on the pipelines.”
You can also write your two Senators about the Keystone XL pipeline HERE!
Report: Obama Supporter Buffett to Profit from Rejection of Keystone XL Pipeline
by Publius
From Bloomberg Government:
Warren Buffett’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC is among U.S. and Canadian railroads that stand to benefit from the Obama administration’s decision to reject TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL oil pipeline permit.
With modest expansion, railroads can handle all new oil produced in western Canada through 2030, according to an analysis of the Keystone proposal by the U.S. State Department.
“Whatever people bring to us, we’re ready to haul,” Krista York-Wooley, a spokeswoman for Burlington Northern, a unit of Buffett’s Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway Inc., said in an interview. If Keystone XL “doesn’t happen, we’re here to haul.”
The State Department denied TransCanada a permit on Jan. 18, saying there was not enough time to study the proposal by Feb. 21, a deadline Congress imposed on President Barack Obama. Calgary-based TransCanada has said it intends to re-apply with a route that avoids an environmentally sensitive region of Nebraska, something the Obama administration encouraged.
The rail option, though costlier, would lessen the environmental impact, such as a loss of wetlands and agricultural productivity, compared to the pipeline, according to the State Department analysis. Greenhouse gas emissions, however, would be worse.
If completed, Keystone XL would deliver 700,000 barrels a day of crude from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries along the Gulf of Mexico, crossing 1,661 miles (2,673-kilometers) over Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
Tanker Car Bottleneck
Investors such as John Stephenson, who helps manage $2.7 billion for First Asset Management Inc. in Toronto said he anticipated the project would move forward next year. Pipeline shipping costs remain lower than rail, and a lack of readily available tanker cars may create a bottleneck.
The availability of tank cars may create a temporary “hiccup” in transport capacity, according to Tony Hatch, an independent railroad analyst in New York. Rail cars are “a pretty hot commodity,” as a result of demand from oil producers in North Dakota, he said.
Rail car production is already at a three-year high as manufacturers such as Greenbrier Cos Inc. and American Railcar Industries Inc. expand to meet demand for sand used in oil and gas exploration, according to Steve Barger, an analyst at Keybanc Capital Markets Inc. in Cleveland, citing Railway Supply Institute statistics.
‘Long-Term Solution’
Rail-car suppliers can add capacity, Hatch said.
“Railroads are not just a stopgap while we wait for a pipeline,” Hatch said in an interview. “They are potentially part of the long-term solution.”
Railroads are being used in North Dakota, where oil producers have spurred a fivefold increase in output by using intensive drilling practices in the Bakken, a geologic formation that stretches from southern Alberta to the northern U.S. Great Plains. During 2011, rail capacity in the region tripled to almost 300,000 barrels a day as higher production exceeded what pipelines handle, according to the State Department report on Keystone XL.
Shipping oil using tank cars on rail costs about $3 more a barrel than pipeline transport, using prices in North Dakota, a differential “unlikely” to slow the development of oil sands crude if no pipeline is build, the State Department said. The gap is shrinking as larger storage terminals are built, the agency said.
‘Ready to Haul’
Burlington Northern carries about 25 percent of the oil from the Bakken, said Krista York-Wooley, the railroad spokeswoman. The company can carry higher volumes from North Dakota or Alberta, she said.
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.’s shipments from North Dakota climbed to more than 13,000 carloads last year from about 500 in 2009, Ed Greenberg, a spokesman, said in an e-mail. The Calgary- based company has a similar plan in western Canada.
“With an extensive rail network and proven expertise in moving energy, CP offers a flexible option for transporting crude oil and other energy-related products to and from key locations in North America,” Vice President Tracy Robinson said in an e-mail. “Rail is scalable, allowing CP to effectively keep pace with the shipping needs of producers.”
Oil Sands
Canadian National Railway Co., the biggest Canadian railroad based on annual sales, considers Alberta’s oil sands a chance to expand its business, according to company filings.
“CN continues to work closely with customers in Alberta to capitalize on oil-and-gas related opportunities,” the Calgary- based company said. “CN sees potential for the outbound movement of oil sands products such as bitumen and synthetic crude to refineries in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, or eventually through West Coast ports to offshore markets.”
Imperial Oil Ltd., a Calgary-based unit of Exxon Mobil Corp., will consider “various transportation options” for oil sands exports, according Pius Rohlheiser, a spokesman. Cenovus Energy Inc. uses railroads to bring in dilutants needed to mix with heavy crude before it can be shipped by pipeline, and to export oil from the Bakken formation in Canada, according to Jessica Wilkinson, a spokeswoman.
Environmentalists’ Opposition
Environmental groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council have campaigned to stop Keystone XL because leaks could threaten drinking water supplies and processing Alberta crude produces more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional oil.
Railroads too present environmental issues. Moving crude on trains produces more global warming gases than a pipeline, the State Department said.
Union Pacific Corp., based in Omaha, Nebraska, anticipated an increase in rail traffic with or without Keystone, Chief Executive Officer Jim Young said in an interview.
“We would have been involved with moving the pipe and a lot of the construction business in building it,” Young said. “On the other hand, if you don’t build any pipeline capacity, you’re going to be moving a lot of crude by train.”
It will take five to eight years before oil sands production outstrips existing export capacity, the State Department said.
Tank car utilization is at “record levels” fueled by demand from oil and natural gas producers, according to Doug Reece, director of marketing for Oakville, Ontario-based Procor Ltd., a rail-car leasing company. The soonest new cars will be available is 2013, he said.
“In western Canada, shippers and third parties are investing in the necessary infrastructure and we see strong growth ahead,” Reece said in an e-mail. “We are having regular dialogue with customers about their potential needs, as collaboration and fleet planning have become critical.”
Rail allows shippers to reach different markets and capture better prices at refineries, said John Mims, a transportation analyst at Friedman Billings Ramsey & Co. in Arlington, Virginia.
“It’s a good secular growth story for the railroads,” Mims said in an interview.“They’re playing an increasing role, especially as you see this push back from a regulatory standpoint on the pipelines.”
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