An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about facebook. This follows this post about socialism.  For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632. You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!

Would You "Like" Christ's Facebook Page?

by Debbie Werner

Source: freeimages.com/vivekchugh

According to their website, Facebook’s mission is to “give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.” There was an impressive average of 802 million active users per day in March.
Most of us use Facebook for different reasons. I know I like to read and share funny items or recommendations for places to visit or activities to try. But I also wonder about why I post some of the things I do. Have you ever thought about your motivations when using social networking sites like Facebook?
What if Jesus Christ had a Facebook page? Yeah, it might seem funny to imagine Him taking selfies with the apostles by the Sea of Galilee, letting the world know what an awesome time He and His buddies were having on a particular day. But really? What would He actually post on His page, and should that have any bearing on the ways we use Facebook?
After all, we’re supposed to “let this mind be in [us] which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). In a nutshell, this should be our purpose and motivation every day.
Christ’s purpose, outlined in John:6:38For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me., says that He came “…down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” It’s unlikely that He would be updating His status with the latest epic adventure He had with the disciples or that He would even be taking selfies. That wasn’t His focus. He was here to do God’s will. He would likely post things that would represent God with the honor and respect He deserves—photos of His creation, examples of the miracles He enabled Christ to perform, scriptures that would help others make sense of their lives and would build God’s family. He would focus the attention not on Himself and His friends, but on the teachings of God.
If I’m honest with myself, many times I’m posting things on Facebook that focus on me, me, me. Look at me—I’m having the greatest time ever!! And I know I’m not alone in this tendency—I’ve had many conversations with friends along these lines. That’s something I’m actively working to change.
How often do we think about our Facebook habits through the overused, but still valid question: what would Jesus Christ do? I challenge you to think about your motivations a little more the next time you’re about to “like” or post something on Facebook. It may seem like a small thing. But it’s the small things that, over time, make up our habits and our character (something God is very interested in). Let’s work on building the character that will be here long after Facebook ceases to exist.  

An interesting article from www.numbersusa.com about the House Border Bill. This follows this post about pressuring congress to enforce immigration laws. Remember, “Amnesty” means ANY non-enforcement of existing immigration laws! This follows this comment and this post about how to Report Illegal Immigrants! For more about what you can do click here and you can read two very interesting books HERE.

You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!

House GOP Leaders Plan Vote on $659 Million Surge Alien Bill

https://www.numbersusa.com/sendfax

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and other leaders briefed the House Republican caucus on a $659 million in supplemental spending bill that would reportedly amend the 2008 human trafficking law Obama deems responsible for preventing his deportation of surge aliens, but not cut off operating funds for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which most Republicans say largely sparked the surge. Boehner plans a House floor vote on the measure on Thursday before adjournment for the August recess.
$405 million in funding goes to the Department of Homeland Security, mostly for personnel costs. An undesignated amount may be ised to reimburse border states for the costs they incur in fighting illegal immigration and providing relief to surge aliens. Also $35 million is targeted for doubling the National Guard presence on the border and $22 million for hiring temporary immigration judges and related courtroom expenses. $197 million is included for the Department of Health and Human Services to house and care for surge aliens and $40 million for the governments of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to help with repatriation efforts, predicated on their helping to stem the flow of their citizens to the U.S. Most of the funds must be spent this fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. The measure does not represent new spending since it is paid for with offsets in fiscal year 2014 spending.
President Obama claims that a 2008 human trafficking law has prevented his Administration from immediately deporting unaccompanied alien children (UACs) from non-contiguous, and has requested changes in the law. The House GOP leadership bill would make those changes even though the law is not applicable to the vast majority of UACs. Pro-enforcement Republicans warned Boehner that including this language could serve as a “Trojan Horse” for reviving the Senate’s comprehensive amnesty bill (S. 744).
Many pro-enforcement Republicans also warned Boehner they would oppose the bill unless it cut off funds for the DACA program. Sources told Roll Call that provision was not included because it was considered a “poison pill.”
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., said that “close to 20″ of his colleagues expressed “reservations” about the GOP leaders' package at today’s caucus meeting. With 234 Republicans and 218 votes needed for passage, Boehner may not have enough votes to pass his measure if he loses 20 members. Some Democrats like Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, are expected to vote with Boehner but the vast majority will oppose it because it amends the 2008 law.
The Senate Democrats' supplemental spending bill, which the White House formally endorsed yesterday, dedicates $2.7 billion for dealing with the alien surge. The Senate and House measures are almost $2 billion apart in spending, which will make it difficult to broker a deal. For instance, the Senate bill gives the Department of Health and Human Services $1.2 billion to care for surge aliens while the House bill provides only $197 million. Also, the Senate bill does not amend the 2008 law, a must-pass item for Boehner. Both measures are far below Obama's initial $3.7 billion request.
Read Roll Call and Politico for more information.

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about socialism. This follows this post about the European Union. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632. You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!

Current Events & Trends: Where is America headed?

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article by Jerold Aust, John Ross Schroeder

Not so long ago liberal commentators in the United States spoke of the European economic success in glowing terms - indicating that social democracy works.

They praised the European dream of collective responsibility and worldwide consciousness—leading to a better tomorrow for mankind. They also intoned about the European guide to better capitalism—really as much socialism as the market could bear. One or two liberal observers were even asking Americans if they were born on the wrong continent.
Yet recent events have shown these views to be somewhat embarrassing. Gideon Rachman wrote in the Financial Times: "The normal processes of democracy in Italy and Greece had been unequal to the economic crisis. The European Union's repeated failure to find a solution to the debt crisis—and so secure the future of the euro—illustrated that pan-European politics were working no better than the national variety" ("Our Age of Mounting Indignation," Dec. 30, 2011).
Historically the Europeans who immigrated to the new world for a better life have since established their own methods in the political and economic fields. The American way of life has a brand all its own, including its take on capitalism. Though far from reaching the ideal, overall it has proved more economically successful than the more planned and regulated economies of other nations.
Yet there can be little doubt that the present American administration favors the European social model. So will the European model then become the dominant force in the United States?
Certainly President Obama has challenged traditional U.S. economic strategy and tactics—seeking to "spread the wealth" by taxing the rich, increasing government spending and initiating costly social programs such as his new, much more pervasive health-care legislation, and his recent rejection of the proposed oil pipeline between Canada and Texas (which would have added tens of thousands more jobs). A Wall Street Journal editorial stated: "Obama has done nearly everything he wanted. That's the problem" ("The State of His Policies," Jan. 26, 2012).
This November's national elections may decide just how much farther Americans are willing to travel down the road in quest of European-model socialism. Will the outcome of these U.S. elections turn out to be a referendum on whether or not the United States should become an honorary member of the European Union?
To fully understand America's role in the world from God's point of view, read our free Bible study aid booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy . It will give you the essential historical and biblical background to understanding the severe challenges facing America and the British Commonwealth of English-speaking nations. (Sources: Financial Times [London], The Wall Street Journal .)

Azerbaijan: A key to defeating Russia! (and Iran)

A very interesting post from www.Stratfor.com about the strategic country of Azerbaijan. This follows this post about Jews in Chicago. This follows this article about American energy independence and preventing money from going to hostile countries. For more about what you can do to get more involved click here and you can read two very interesting books HERE. You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!

Borderlands: The View from Azerbaijan

Geopolitical Weekly

   

        

Stratfor

By George Friedman
I arrive in Azerbaijan as the country celebrates Victory Day, the day successor states of the former Soviet Union celebrate the defeat of Germany in World War II. No one knows how many Soviet citizens died in that war -- perhaps 22 million. The number is staggering and represents both the incompetence and magnificence of Russia, which led the Soviets in war. Any understanding of Russia that speaks of one without the other is flawed.
As I write, fireworks are going off over the Caspian Sea. The pyrotechnics are long and elaborate, sounding like an artillery barrage. They are a reminder that Baku was perhaps the most important place in the Nazi-Soviet war. It produced almost all of the Soviet Union's petroleum. The Germans were desperate for it and wanted to deny it to Moscow. Germany's strategy after 1942, including the infamous battle of Stalingrad, turned on Baku's oil. In the end, the Germans threw an army against the high Caucasus guarding Baku. In response, an army raised in the Caucasus fought and defeated them. The Soviets won the war. They wouldn't have if the Germans had reached Baku. It is symbolic, at least to me, that these celebrations blend into the anniversary of the birth of Heydar Aliyev, the late president of Azerbaijan who endured the war and later forged the post-Soviet identity of his country. He would have been 91 on May 10.

Click to Enlarge

Baku is strategic again today, partly because of oil. I've started the journey here partly by convenience and partly because Azerbaijan is key to any counter-Russian strategy that might emerge. My purpose on this trip is to get a sense of the degree to which individual European states feel threatened by Russia, and if they do, the level of effort and risk they are prepared to endure. For Europe does not exist as anything more than a geographic expression; it is the fears and efforts of the individual nation-states constituting it that will determine the course of this affair. Each nation is different, and each makes its own calculus of interest. My interest is to understand their thinking, not only about Russia but also about the European Union, the United States and ultimately themselves. Each is unique; it isn't possible to make a general statement about them.
Some question whether the Caucasus region and neighboring Turkey are geographically part of Europe. There are many academic ways to approach this question. My approach, however, is less sophisticated. Modern European history cannot be understood without understanding the Ottoman Empire and the fact that it conquered much of the southeastern part of the European peninsula. Russia conquered the three Caucasian states -- Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan -- and many of their institutions are Russian, hence European. If an organic European expression does exist, it can be argued to be Eurovision, the pan-continental music competition. The Azerbaijanis won it in 2011, which should settle any debate on their "Europeanness."
But more important, a strategy to block Russia is hard to imagine without including its southern flank. There is much talk of sanctions on Russia. But sanctions can be countered and always ignore a key truth: Russia has always been economically dysfunctional. It has created great empires and defeated Napoleon and Hitler in spite of that. Undermining Russia's economy may be possible, but that does not always undermine Russia's military power. That Soviet military power outlived the economically driven collapse of the Soviet Union confirms this point. And the issue at the moment is military.
The solution found for dealing with the Soviet Union during the Cold War was containment. The architect of this strategy was diplomat George Kennan, whose realist approach to geopolitics may have lost some adherents but not its relevance. A cordon sanitaire was constructed around the Soviet Union through a system of alliances. In the end, the Soviets were unable to expand and choked on their own inefficiency. There is a strange view abroad that the 21st century is dramatically different from all prior centuries and such thinking is obsolete. I have no idea why this should be so. The 21st century is simply another century, and there has been no transcendence of history. Containment was a core strategy and it seems likely that it will be adopted again -- if countries like Azerbaijan are prepared to participate.
To understand Azerbaijan you must begin with two issues: oil and a unique approach to Islam. At the beginning of the 20th century, over half the world's oil production originated near Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Hence Hitler's strategy after 1942. Today, Azerbaijani energy production is massive, but it cannot substitute for Russia's production. Russian energy production, meanwhile, defines part of the strategic equation. Many European countries depend substantially on Russian energy, particularly natural gas. They have few alternatives. There is talk of U.S. energy being shipped to Europe, but building the infrastructure for that (even if there are supplies) will take many years before it can reduce Europe's dependence on Russia.
Withholding energy would be part of any Russian counter to Western pressure, even if Russia were to suffer itself. Any strategy against Russia must address the energy issue, begin with Azerbaijan, and be about more than production. Azerbaijan is not a major producer of gas compared to oil. On the other side of the Caspian Sea, however, Turkmenistan is. Its resources, coupled with Azerbaijan's, would provide a significant alternative to Russian energy. Turkmenistan has an interest in not selling through Russia and would be interested in a Trans-Caspian pipeline. That pipeline would have to pass through Azerbaijan, connecting onward to infrastructure in Turkey. Assuming Moscow had no effective counters, this would begin to provide a serious alternative to Russian energy and decrease Moscow's leverage. But this would all depend on Baku's willingness and ability to resist pressure from every direction.
Azerbaijan lies between Russia and Iran. Russia is the traditional occupier of Azerbaijan and its return is what Baku fears the most. Iran is partly an Azeri country. Nearly a quarter of its citizens, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are Azeri. But while both Azerbaijan and Iran are predominantly Shiite, Azerbaijan is a militantly secular state. Partly due to the Soviet experience and partly because of the unique evolution of Azeri identity since the 19th century, Azerbaijan separates the private practice of Islam from public life. I recall once attending a Jewish Passover feast in Baku that was presided over by an Orthodox rabbi, with security provided by the state. To be fair, Iran has a Jewish minority that has its own lawmaker in parliament. But any tolerance in Iran flows from theocratic dogma, whereas in Azerbaijan it is rooted in a constitution that is more explicitly secular than any in the European Union, save that of France.
This is just one obvious wedge between Azerbaijan and Iran, and Tehran has made efforts to influence the Azeri population. For the moment, relations are somewhat better but there is an insoluble tension that derives from geopolitical reality and the fact that any attack on Iran could come from Azerbaijan. Furthering this wedge are the close relations between Azerbaijan and Israel. The United States currently blocks most weapons sales to Azerbaijan. Israel -- with U.S. approval -- sells the needed weapons. This gives us a sense of the complexity of the relationship, recalling that complexity undermines alliances.
The complexity of alliances also defines Russia's reality. It occupies the high Caucasus overlooking the plains of Azerbaijan. Armenia is a Russian ally, bound by an agreement that permits Russian bases through 2044. Yerevan also plans to join the Moscow-led Customs Union, and Russian firms own a large swath of the Armenian economy. Armenia feels isolated. It remains hostile to Turkey for Ankara's unwillingness to acknowledge events of a century ago as genocide. Armenia also fought a war with Azerbaijan in the 1990s, shortly after independence, for a region called Nagorno-Karabakh that had been part of Azerbaijan -- a region that it lost in the war and wants back. Armenia, caught between Turkey and an increasingly powerful Azerbaijan, regards Russia as a guarantor of its national security.
For Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh remains a critical issue. Azerbaijan holds that U.N. resolutions have made it clear that Armenia's attack constituted a violation of international law, and a diplomatic process set up in Minsk to resolve the crisis has proven ineffective. Azerbaijan operates on two tracks on this issue. It pursues national development, as can be seen in Baku, a city that reflects the oil wealth of the country. It will not endanger that development, nor will it forget about Nagorno-Karabakh. At some point, any nation aligning itself with Azerbaijan will need to take a stand on this frozen conflict, and that is a high price for most.
Which leads me to an interesting symmetry of incomprehension between the United States and Azerbaijan. The United States does not want to sell weapons directly to Azerbaijan because of what it regards as violations of human rights by the Azerbaijani government. The Americans find it incomprehensible that Baku, facing Russia and Iran and needing the United States, cannot satisfy American sensibilities by avoiding repression -- a change that would not threaten the regime. Azerbaijan's answer is that it is precisely the threats it faces from Iran and Russia that require Baku to maintain a security state. Both countries send operatives into Azerbaijan to destabilize it. What the Americans consider dissidents, Azerbaijan sees as agents of foreign powers. Washington disputes this and continually offends Baku with its pronouncements. The Azerbaijanis, meanwhile, continually offend the Americans.
This is similar to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Most Americans have never heard of it and don't care who owns it. For the Azerbaijanis, this is an issue of fundamental historical importance. They cannot understand how, after assisting the United States in Afghanistan, risking close ties with Israel, maintaining a secular Islamic state and more, the United States not only cannot help Baku with Nagorno-Karabakh but also insists on criticizing Azerbaijan.
The question on human rights revolves around the interpretation of who is being arrested and for what reason. For a long time this was an issue that didn't need to be settled. But after the Ukrainian crisis, U.S.-Azerbaijani relations became critical. It is not just energy; rather, in the event of the creation of a containment alliance, Azerbaijan is the southeastern anchor of the line on the Caspian Sea. In addition, since Georgia is absolutely essential as a route for pipelines, given Armenia's alliance with Russia, Azerbaijan's support for Georgian independence is essential. Azerbaijan is the cornerstone for any U.S.-sponsored Caucasus strategy, should it develop.
I do not want to get into the question of either Nagorno-Karabakh or human rights in Azerbaijan. It is, for me, a fruitless issue arising from the deep historical and cultural imperatives of each. But I must take exception to one principle that the U.S. State Department has: an unwillingness to do comparative analysis. In other words, the State Department condemns all violations equally, whether by nations hostile to the United States or friendly to it, whether by countries with wholesale violations or those with more limited violations. When the State Department does pull punches, there is a whiff of bias, as with Georgia and Armenia, which -- while occasionally scolded -- absorb less criticism than Azerbaijan, despite each country's own imperfect record.
Even assuming the validity of State Department criticism, no one argues that Azerbaijani repression rises anywhere near the horrors of Joseph Stalin. I use Stalin as an example because Franklin Roosevelt allied the United States with Stalin to defeat Hitler and didn't find it necessary to regularly condemn Stalin while the Soviet Union was carrying the burden of fighting the war, thereby protecting American interests. That same geopolitical realism animated Kennan and ultimately created the alliance architecture that served the United States throughout the Cold War. Is it necessary to offend someone who will not change his behavior and whom you need for your strategy? The State Department of an earlier era would say no.
It was interesting to attend a celebration of U.S.-Azerbaijani relations in Washington the week before I came to Baku. In the past, these events were subdued. This one was different, because many members of Congress attended. Two guests were particularly significant. One was Charles Schumer of New York, who declared the United States and Azerbaijan to be great democracies. The second was Nancy Pelosi, long a loyalist to Armenian interests. She didn't say much but chose to show up. It is clear that the Ukrainian crisis triggered this turnout. It is clear that Azerbaijan's importance is actually obvious to some in Congress, and it is also clear that it signals tension over the policy of criticizing human rights records without comparing them to those of other countries and of ignoring the criticized country's importance to American strategy.
This is not just about Azerbaijan. The United States will need to work with Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary -- all of whom have been found wanting by the State Department in some ways. This criticism does not -- and will not -- produce change. Endless repetition of the same is the height of ineffectiveness. It will instead make any strategy the United States wants to construct in Europe ineffective. In the end, I would argue that a comparison between Russia and these other countries matters. Perfect friends are hard to find. Refusing to sell weapons to someone you need is not a good way to create an alliance.
In the past, it seemed that such an alliance was merely Cold War nostalgia by people who did not realize and appreciate that we had reached an age too wise to think of war and geopolitics. But the events in Ukraine raise the possibility that those unreconstructed in their cynicism toward the human condition may well have been right. Alliances may in fact be needed. In that case, Roosevelt's attitude toward Stalin is instructive.

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An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about the European Union. This follows this post about taxes.  For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632. You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!

World News and Trends: Will Catholicism become the religion of the EU?

article by Jerold Aust, John Ross Schroeder

The leaders of the Roman Catholic Church leveled harsh criticism at the Charter of Fundamental Rights adopted by the European Union in December 2000.

At the time, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, a close aide to the Pope, said the charter failed to take adequate account of the "historical and cultural roots of Europe, in particular Christianity, which represents Europe's soul and which still today can inspire Europe's mission and identity."
In March of this year, Cardinal Ratzinger, the prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (successor to the medieval Inquisition), said that it was regrettable that "God and our responsibility before God" had not been "anchored in the European constitution."
Many European politicians do not want religious clerics to determine their future. They understand that history has a way of repeating itself. For nearly 2,000 years European leaders had either been crowned by the pope (as in the case of Charlemagne, Otto the Great and Charles Hapsburg) or been given its blessing (as was Napoleon, who took the crown from the pope and crowned himself).
Cardinal Ruini was correct in his assessment that Europe's roots are Catholic, a tradition that can still powerfully influence Europe's mission and identity.
Will Europe eventually become like another Roman Empire of old? If so, will it also be blessed by the Vatican, transforming it into a modern revival of the Holy Roman Empire? Some European Parliamentarians have already suggested this thought. But more importantly, a number of biblical prophecies support it. To learn more, request or download our free booklets The Book of Revelation Unveiled and You Can Understand Bible Prophecy.
(Source: Zenit News Agency .)

An interesting article from www.numbersusa.com about pressuring congress to enforce immigration laws. This follows this post about Representative Gutierrez. . Remember, “Amnesty” means ANY non-enforcement of existing immigration laws! This follows this comment and this post about how to Report Illegal Immigrants! For more about what you can do click here and you can read two very interesting books HERE.

You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!

Outside Groups Urge Speaker Boehner to Force Pres. Obama to Enforce Existing Laws

https://www.numbersusa.com/sendfax

More than 25 groups, including NumbersUSA, signed a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) urging him to force Pres. Obama to use the resources that are already at his disposal in response to the ongoing border crisis. At least 240,000 illegal aliens have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border this year, including 50,000 Unaccompanied Alien Children. Pres. Obama has asked Congress for nearly $4 billion in emergency funding - much of which wouldn't be used until FY2015 and would go towards the caring for and relocation of illegal aliens.
Here's the full text of the letter and list of the signers:

Dear Mr. Speaker:
We fervently urge you to force the Obama administration to stabilize the border with the resources it already has through existing immigration laws.
It is not prudent to give this administration a penny more, especially when it has been reallocating funds away from border security, misusing asylum laws and refugee programs to benefit illegal aliens, and jeopardizing the American people through the growing homeland security and public health threats this surge at the border is creating.
The crisis at our southern border is happening for three primary reasons:

• The Obama administration, many in Congress, and certain advocacy groups have signaled loud and clear that more mass amnesty is coming.
• The administration has refused to enforce many of our immigration laws.
• Wholesale administrative amnesty in the last two years indicated to many that the U.S. border is a doormat.
• Our country now faces a spike in illegal immigration. While widespread perception is that the most recent wave is primarily made up of unaccompanied children escaping rampant violence, the truth is that only about 20 percent of these foreign border crossers are unaccompanied children, and someone has paid a smuggler to bring them here. The administration has taken no steps to quickly remove the other 80 percent.

Further, the administration refuses to detain, process, and promptly remove these illegal aliens. Instead, millions and millions of taxpayer dollars are spent transporting them into the U.S. interior. In many cases, the government is facilitating the movement of illegal alien children to join illegal alien relatives already in the U.S. — at taxpayer expense. This is an injustice and an affront to those who honored our laws in their pursuit of permanent legal residence.
The president has requested $3.7 billion, ostensibly to deal with this situation, but most of the request would go toward government services and very little toward enforcement. Moreover, this administration has shown nothing but contempt for immigration enforcement and the rule of law. It is past time to demand the faithful execution of our immigration laws, which should precede any appropriation or legislation.
We urge Congress to hold the administration accountable for creating this crisis, in the following ways:
No emergency supplemental appropriation: The fiscal year is nearly over, and any needs the administration has for dealing with the surge of illegal border crossers should only be handled through regular order.

• No new laws: President Obama has more than sufficient tools to address the current border situation. The Immigration and Nationality Act has many underutilized enforcement measures, including expedited removal, mandatory detention, immigration benefits fraud, immigration emergency declaration, the Secure Fence Act of 2006, and the 287(g) program. Adequate enforcement of existing laws will produce tangible results. The 2008 Trafficking Victims Protection Act needs to be amended, but there is no way that will happen now, given the White House’s and Sen. Harry Reid’s stated opposition. With unaccompanied minors only one fifth of the problem, that isn’t an imperative step.
• Hold the source countries responsible: The countries whose people are illegally crossing our border should face consequences for their complicity in this travesty. Immediately withhold U.S. aid to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, as well as Mexico, which is facilitating the transit of Central American nationals across its expanse. Aid should not go to any of these nations until they stop the outflow and repatriate their nationals.
• Insist on lawful asylum claims: The Geneva Convention requires that asylum seekers apply in the first safe country they come to. But instead of applying in Mexico, they have, with the assistance of Mexico, crossed Mexico to the U.S. border. Therefore, President Obama must deny asylum claims from any Central American who failed to seek protection from Mexico and must return them to their home country.

We stand ready to support you in standing up to the Obama administration and in refusing to accept less than ending this crisis by restoring law and order. Until this administration demonstrates a sincere effort to uphold existing law and to stop issuing administrative amnesties, Congress should withhold any further money or legislation.
Respectfully,
Roy Beck
President
NumbersUSA
Richard A. Viguerie
Chairman
ConservativeHQ.com
Kelly Kullberg
Evangelicals for Biblical immigration
Phyllis Schlafly
President
Eagle Forum
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.
President & CEO
Center for Security Policy
Tim Wildmon
President
American Family Association
Sandy Rios
Director of Governmental Affairs
American Family Association
Robert W. Patterson
Executive Director
Arsenal of Democracy Project
Tim Dionisopoulos
Manager
U.S. Immigration Reform PAC
Anita MonCrief
Advisory Board Member
Black Conservatives Fund
Kevin Kearns
President
U.S. Business & Industry Council
Melissa Ortiz
Founder and Principal
Able Americans
William H. Shaker
President
Rule of Law Committee
Richard and Susan Falknor
Publishers
Blue Ridge Forum
John Kwapisz, J.D.
Legislative Director
Virginia Council for Immigration Reform
Gary L. Bauer
President
American Values
David McIntosh
Former Member of Congress
Indiana
Jim Backlin
Christian Coalition of America
Allen Roth
Secure America Now
Jenny Beth Martin
Co-Founder
Tea Party Patriots
C. Preston Noell, III
President
Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.
Ginni Thomas
Liberty Consulting
Bob McEwen
Former Member of Congress
Ohio
Colin Hanna
President
Let Freedom Ring
Ambassador Henry F. Cooper
Former Director
Strategic Defense Initiative
Tom Broadwater
President
Americans4Work

Editorial: Congratulations to the Patriotic protestors in Boston!

Editorial


Congratulations to the patriots in Boston who are protesting the non-enforcement of immigration laws. From www.Alipac.Us there is this, and much more immigration news!

Social Media Star Adalia Rose Gushes About Her Mom’s Pregnancy

An interesting story from www.lifenews.com about Adalia Rose. This follows this post about Megyn Kelly and Jon Stewart. For more that you can do to get involved click HERE and you can also get two very interesting books HERE.  You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!

Social Media Star Adalia Rose Gushes About Her Mom’s Pregnancy

by Lauren Enriquez | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com |
(LiveActionNews) – Adalia Rose, a vivacious young girl who has progeria, recently took to social media to announce to her fans her newest sibling’s upcoming birth.
In the video posted to Facebook, she sat on her mom’s lap and rubbed her burgeoning belly as she said, “All my friends have been asking if my mom’s going to have another baby. But she is!”

“He’s a boy,” she said. “She’s going to have a boy, and his name is Niko. Every time I talk to him, he kicks me everywhere I move my hand.”
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In keeping with her happy and outgoing personality, Adalia ended her announcement by blowing a kiss to the audience.
Adalia quickly rose to fame after her mother shared this video of her showing off her adorable and energetic dance moves last year, when Adalia was six.

Adalia’s condition, progeria, causes her to age much more quickly than the average person. This in turn means that her life expectancy is much shorter than most people. Children with progeria are typically expected to live just fourteen years.
Adalia is clearly living life to the fullest, regardless of how many years she may have left to do so. She is yet another beautiful example of how valuable every single life is.
LifeNews Note: Lauren is a former Legislative Associate for Texas Right to Life and a graduate of Ave Maria University. This post originally appeared at Live Action News and is reprinted with permission.

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 about 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 choosing good movies to watch yourself!

Wknd Box Office: And So It Goes, Lucy, Hercules, A Most Wanted Man

By Debbie Schlussel
I am not surprised that this has been the worst summer in terms of tickets sold and money made at the movies. The movies this summer have been the most underwhelming that I can remember, and this weekend is par for the course. I only really liked one new movie debuting at theaters this weekend.


* “And So It Goes“: This is the relative best of the bunch among the new releases this weekend. And it appears to be aimed primarily at older adults and senior citizens, though I think adults of any age above 25 will like it (and the story is timeless and ageless). Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton star in this senior citizen chick flick that is very funny and which even guys will like and find entertaining. It’s cute, light, and airy–the kind of escapist movie I and many others enjoy going to the movies to see.

Douglas is an egomaniacal, rude, insensitive real estate agent who owns a set of duplex apartments in which he lives along with other tenants. He has developed a love-hate relationship with one of his tenant’s, Keaton, a nightclub singer who shares too much gloomy personal information with her audience. Douglas is trying to help clean up her act (with not so subtle constructive criticism) and also attempting to get her a higher paying gig. In the midst of all this, Douglas’ estranged son is sent to prison for nine months and the young granddaughter he never knew is dropped on him to take care of. He then pawns off the granddaughter on Keaton, who develops a loving relationship with Keaton. Eventually, they all become like a family, while Douglas and Keaton develop a romance.
As I said, this is very funny. I laughed a lot. I could have done without a scene of a dog having sex with a stuff animal (it was gross in the first of a gazillion movies I’ve seen this cheap shot in–now it’s beyond rotten). But everything else was hilarious and fun to watch. The best actor or actress in this movie is Frances Sternhagen, who cracks many of the jokes and smart alecky lines perfectly, as if she were 24 instead of 84 years old. (Eighty-year-old Frankie Valli makes a cameo in this, too.) But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that this is directed by uber-lefty Rob Reiner. The movie moves along at a fast clip and, at just over 1.5 hours, it’s the perfect length, too.
Enjoyable and with a happy, if predictable, ending. (This is one of the few movies that is actually far better than its trailer.)
THREE REAGANS



* “Lucy“: I expected better from this movie, and I’m usually a fan of Luc Besson. This isn’t a horrible movie, but it’s not a great one, either. It’s not tight and well-crafted, and below what I usually expect from Besson, who directed this. The first half of the movie is good, suspenseful, and action-packed. But the second half is a mess and bored me. The thing about science fiction movies of this ilk is that you can only suspend disbelief so much. My general rule of mental suspension of disbelief is this: only one thing can defy reality. Too many things, and I just don’t believe it or find it credible or enjoyable anymore. And that’s the case here: the one thing that would cause me to experience a credible suspension of disbelief is then topped by many others that simply aren’t credible or sensical.
In this movie, Scarlett Johansson is forcibly subjected to surgery in which a Korean mobster inserts a powerful, unusual drug into her body and then forces her to become a drug courier. But the pouch containing the drug leaks into her body, and the drug causes her to become supersmart and able to use up to 100% of her brain, which the movie tells us is far more then the proverbial 10-20% of the brain that some claim that we use (that, by the way, is a myth–we all already use 100% of our brains, according to brain surgeons and other medical professionals in the know). That Johansson becomes hypersmart and superstrong is something about which I could suspend my disbeliefs.
But, then, she starts controlling the internet, computers, phone lines, people and their guns, and all matter, and she’s able to go forward into the future, backward into the past, and able to stop time. At that point the movie becomes a silly mess I wasn’t buying. And that’s the point at which the movie begins borrowing heavily from “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Transcendence” (read my review), which most other critics panned, but which I found semi-interesting and entertaining until it, too, became an all-controlling mess just like “Lucy” (and in which Morgan “Whites Are Racist” Freeman plays a similar role as in this–come on Hollywood, stop repeating yourself like a fart).
This movie is incredibly violent. But, as with most Besson movies, there is clear good and evil, and the violence is ultimately against the bad guys. Still, I just didn’t find the movie to be as good as I was expecting it to be. Moral of the story: don’t believe the hype. Johansson and this movie are getting a lot of that. But they don’t merit it here. Not so much, anyway.
The movie isn’t objectionable, but just isn’t up to snuff. At least not to my liking.
HALF A REAGAN



* “Hercules“: More like, “Not Hercules.” This silly “re-imagining” of the story about the Greek demigod really has nothing to do with anything. It’s like someone made a long, boring, silly flick so that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson could be half naked for 1.5 hours and get paid, and then stuck the name “Hercules” on the movie. And it’s funny that all of the Greek kings and minions–and everybody else–in the movie have English accents, while only Johnson has an American accent, and it’s never explained why (other than that he was too lazy to try one or the movie was too stupid to try to make sense).
I note that the other “Hercules” movie, “The Legend of Hercules,” which debuted early this year was panned by critics (though not by me–read my review). This makes that version look like a masterpiece.
This long bore made the 1.5 hours seem more like 15 hours. And it’s quite violent, with men being shown burned alive, lots of beheadings and dismemberments, and so on (which I’d hate to see in 3D–I saw this in 2D, but you can shell out extra bucks for the charming thrill of seeing limbs fly in your face). Lots of fighting in this “300″-wannabe, but not much in the story department. Also, a guy sticks his finger into a month-old rotting dismembered head and then eats what he digs out. Yuck.
The “story”: Hercules is a man who may or may not be the son of a god and a mortal. He may or may not have special powers. But he’s never proven any of this. He and his band of fighters doubt it and think he’s just a mighty con artist thug who can fight, just like them. And he’s a mercenary who fights for the highest bidding kings, doing their dirty work. He’s sent out to fight legions of troops who are harassing a king and his kingdom. But soon, Hercules learns he’s been set up and must discover and prove whether or not he has the powers of a demigod to fight off the evil king.
Who cares? I certainly didn’t. I couldn’t wait for this movie to end, and that was just a minute after it started (or maybe 30 seconds). Snooze-fest extraordinaire.
ONE MARX



* “A Most Wanted Man“: The only thing you need to know about this long, boring, waste-of-time movie is that it’s based on a John Le Carre novel. As I’ve noted before on this site, the far left Le Carre a/k/a David Cornwell hates Israel and Jews and loves Muslims and Arabs, whom he sees as innocent victims of the West. Oh, and he also hates America and loves Communists to the point that he proudly declared how he nearly became a double agent for the Soviets while a member of British intelligence. Almost all of those sentiments are sharply on display here in this incredibly unthrilling “thriller.”
In his last movie, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman looks every day of his 66 years, except for the fact that he died at 46. His role in this movie shows us yet again, why he was no loss to acting or movies. It’s a mess, and so is he.
The story: a Chechen Muslim comes illegally immigrates to Germany, and a German intelligence group run by Hoffman (with a really bad German accent that he uses only about 60% of the time) is trying to use him to unwittingly frame another Muslim who is the father of another Muslim who is an informant to Hoffman. Got that? Yeah, it’s confusing, and really kinda stupid when you get to the conclusion of the movie in which nothing really happens (other than evil Americans messing everything up). On top of that, Rachel McAdams plays a German lawyer for illegal aliens who is trying to protect the Chechen Muslim and coaches him on what to say so he can get asylum (sound familiar? Texas border, anyone?). McAdams, by the way, went to the same Crappy German Accent University at which Hoffman matriculated. She is then forced by Hoffman into getting the Chechen Muslim to unwittingly frame the father of the other guy, the Muslim informant.
Throughout this, an evil American female CIA agent (Sean “Spicoli” Penn’s former wife, Robin Wright) is hovering over Hoffman, annoying him and threatening to mess up his operation with the American “exuberance” to actually catch and lock up Islamic terrorists. But, of course, the “evil,” “bigoted,” “headstrong,” “anti-Muslim” Americans don’t get that this Chechen Muslim is not a terrorist, but just a peaceful, good, innocent guy who is legitimately escaping torture he experienced at the hands of non-Muslims. I mean, isn’t that the case with all Muslim illegal aliens and immigrants to America?
Yeah, that’s the ticket. . . in John Le Carre’s warped mind. Which this movie reflects.
Alhamdulilah [praise allah] and Hollywood. And Mr. Al-Carre.
FOUR MARXES PLUS FOUR BIN LADENS PLUS FOUR OBAMAS

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about taxes. This follows this post about Russia and Great Britain. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632. You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!

A Civilized Society

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. said, "Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society."

Those words carry value and meaning only if "civilized" is understood as being good, happy and beneficial to all citizens. In many (if not all) lands taxes are paid, but the result has not been a society of content and happy citizens. Taxes are often misused, misspent, or siphoned off for weapons of war or some pet projects. Citizens who pay the taxes are not always better off.
Kings and rulers set the rate of taxes, and generally taxes continue to rise instead of decline. The wise ruler Solomon fell into the trap of failing to consider the society and the definition of civilized. At the end of his rule, the land was ruined and had fallen into decay and discontent (1 Kings:12:10-11 [10] And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.
[11] And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.). There is a civilized society coming. It will have Jesus Christ as the ruler—the King of Kings. His rule will be fair, just, kind and loving. It will be a rule that truly will be for the people. It will not be "by the people" because we have proven that rule like that cannot last long. It will be ruled by the Divine who truly serves mankind. There has never been such a government on earth—but it is coming.