An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about giving thanks and not getting caught up in "gift buying." This follows this post about an assassination in the Bible. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.
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Don't Forget to Give Thanks

Thanksgiving Day in America has expanded to include other activities. What is at the heart of the day's observance?

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[Darris McNeely] What will you be doing on Thanksgiving Day? In a few days in America, this is going to be America's day of Thanksgiving. The fourth Thursday of every November, wonderful holiday that we have here. I've been noticing a trend in recent years, and it really seemed to accelerate last year in that we have always had what they call "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving shopping frenzy that takes place, to open up the winter shopping season of American retailing industry. But last year they began to open on Thanksgiving Day, in many of the major retailers in America. Now there's a bit of a backlash this year, because while many will still be open on Thanksgiving Day, several have made a point of saying that they will not be open on Thanksgiving Day to give their employees time to be with their families and to keep Thanksgiving as they choose, which is being met with a great deal of applause by some, in that we don't want to make this day so overly commercialized. And so, that's going to be playing itself out. I guess people will have a choice.
There's another trend that I noticed in an article that people are doing more and more on Thanksgiving – believe it or not, they're exercising. 5k runs, walks, extreme events that are taking place on Thanksgiving Day in many parts of the world, and especially picking up in the United States, to get out and do things. Interestingly, I guess, you can work off a lot of calories before you sit down at the table and eat your turkey and dressing and put those calories back on.
I don't know what you'll be doing, but whatever it is – shopping, exercising, watching football, gathering with family – I hope that whatever you do, you will indeed stop and offer a prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving to God for the blessings that you have, whatever they may be, in front of you on that Thanksgiving Day. It is a traditional holiday with religious overtones, it is certainly one that is secular in a sense that it has been sanctioned by the United States government, and a day set aside on the calendar for it. But being thankful is a spiritual matter. And it doesn't hurt any of us to make sure that that is a part of what we do on that day. Gratitude, giving thanks on a day of thanksgiving, is a very important matter to do. Whatever you do, be sure you put that first.
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A timely post about from www.vdare.com  about the biases in the Ferguson reporting. This follows this post about how a Patriot should react towards the President.

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Ferguson Fiasco Exposes Ruling Class’s Relentless Anti-White Agenda

By James Kirkpatrick       

The St. Louis County Police on Twitter

Although VDARE.com patiently explained in summer that The Answer To Race Riots Is Ruthless Coercion. What Is America Waiting For? , Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ignored us and refused to deploy the National Guard. As a result, after a grand jury declined yesterday to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, Ferguson is now ablaze with violence, arson, and undocumented shopping.
But the real story isn’t the collapse of yet another racial hoax—it’s the perseverance of a Main Stream Media-created Narrative about “white racism,” even in the face of all evidence to the contrary.
No educated observer can still maintain that Michael Brown, hands held high in the air, was executed by Officer Darren Wilson. The grand jury declined not only to bring a charge of murder, but even a lesser charge like involuntary manslaughter.
According to St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch (a Democrat): “Even the image of Brown’s surrender may have been a fiction” as several witnesses (all black) claimed Brown ran towards the officer. [Ferguson police officer won’t be charged in fatal shooting, by Chico Harlan, Wesley Lowery, and Kimberly Kindy, Washington Post, November 25, 2014]
Autopsy evidence also showed that Brown was not shot in the back. Michael Brown’s “blood or DNA was found on the inside of the driver’s door, the upper left thigh of Officer Wilson’s pant leg, the front collar of Wilson’s shirt, and on his weapon.” And several eyewitnesses who initially said Brown surrendered “adjusted” their claims or admitted they weren’t even there and were recounting stories secondhand. [Ferguson Grand Jury Declines to Indict In Michael Brown Case, CBSNewYork/AP, November 24, 2014]
Officer Wilson’s riveting testimony has also been released and, as would be expected, matches the evidence. Wilson says that he was in fear for his life from the hulking robbery suspect, who charged him and punched him twice in the face. The young officer had also never used his weapon before. [Michael Brown shooting: What Darren Wilson told the Ferguson grand jury, by Rachel Clarke and Mariano Castillo, CNN, November 25, 2014]
In fairness, one critical detail reported by many conservative and MSM sources last August was that Office Darren Wilson suffered a severe orbital fracture. The pictures show (as I suspected) that this was not the case and that the initial report from Gateway Pundit was not true. [UPDATE: Officer Darren Wilson Suffered Severe Facial Contusions After Severe Beating During Mike Brown Attack, by Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit, August 19, 2014, updated November 24, 2014]
However, it is nevertheless true that Officer Wilson was physically struck in the face by Michael Brown. Evidence and testimony suggests Brown struggled for Wilson’s gun. And the Narrative that was originally presented—that Gentle Giant Michael Brown was accosted and executed by a police officer for no reason—is simply a lie and has been known to be a lie for some time.
Brown turned out to be a criminal and a thug, given to the constant aggression that’s par for the course in black “communities.” From Officer Wilson’s testimony, it seems the last words of the Gentle Giant were “You are too much of a p*ssy to shoot me.” And there is no case anywhere in the country where someone could expected to punch a police officer and grapple for his weapon and not expect to be shot. If anything, Wilson was remarkably restrained.
Nonetheless, incredibly, a new Narrative is taking shape: that Wilson was not injured severely enough to justify shooting Brown. The quasi-literates at Jezebel taunted Officer Wilson’s purplish bruise as a “razor-burn.” [Here Are Images the Grand Jury Saw of Darren Wilson’s Injuries, by Rebecca Rose, Jezebel, November 24, 2014]
Presumably, he should have let the 290lb Gentle Giant pummel him a few more times and then give Brown his pistol to make it fair.
Indeed, even though everything the MSM told us about the case for months has turned out be wrong, most of the coverage in the aftermath has the underlying premise that there has been a great travesty of justice and people are right to be outraged. Protests in other cities were given a largely positive spin. [Thousands Rally Across U.S. After Ferguson Decision, by Sadie Gurman, Time, November 25, 2014] The New York Daily News even had a front page that read “Killer Cop Goes Free,” before it was apparently changed.
But most MSM outlets used more subtle methods, like focusing on the grief of Michael Brown’s mother Lesley McSpadden. McSpadden has previously called for Darren Wilson to receive the death penalty and expressed “disappointment the killer of our child will not face the consequences.” [Brown’s mother screams, sobs over grand jury decision, by Yamiche Alcindor, USA Today, November 24, 2014] Of course, they didn’t mention that McSpadden is also being investigated for alleged involvement in a group beating of people selling Michael Brown T-shirts. McSpadden may be in more legal trouble right now than Wilson.
President Obama’s response was disgraceful. He took the opportunity to wax poetic about “a deep distrust [that] exists between law enforcement and communities of color.” He also ominously warned police to “show care and restraint in managing peaceful protests that may occur.” [Obama Speaks on the Ferguson Decision, by Matt Berman, National Journal, November 24, 2014]. Amusingly, as the President was speaking, CNN showed a split screen with the President on the left and chaos on the right.
Building off Obama’s determination to link what is a local law enforcement matter to a larger crusade for racial vengeance, the MSM is already scrambling to consolidate a new party line. Wilson’s release is, according to reporters, just part of a greater pattern of systemic disrespect against blacks. Race hustler Jamelle Bouie intones,

“[A]ctual justice for Michael Brown—a world in which young men like Michael Brown can’t be gunned down without consequences—won’t come from the criminal justice system.”
[Justifying Homicide, Slate, November 25, 2014]

Well, then where it come from?
The clear implication: it will come from the streets. The neutered St. Louis Police are celebrating that no lives were lost last night, but as with the LA Riots, April 29 – May 4, 1992, there’s no reason to expect the violence will be limited to one night. And the violence in Ferguson seemed almost tailor made to confirm the worst expectations, with flag burnings, the destruction of businesses, and plenty of gunshots, and Americans around the country learning on Twitter about each new building that went up in flame.
Thus the exoneration of Darren Wilson, the revelation of critical evidence, and the conclusion of the legal process has had absolutely no effect on the MSM’s Narrative of an innocent black “child” gunned down by a white cop. Prosecutor Bob McCulloch’s press conference even featured a kind of shaming of the MSM for constantly feeding speculation—which has led to a mini-hate campaign against McCulloch by reporters reacting to his lèse-majesté. [Ferguson Prosecutor Robert McCulloch Gives Bizarre Press Conference, by Alana Horowitz, Huffington Post, November 24, 2014]
Paradoxically, social networking and mass media are actually leading to a dramatic restriction of the public debate. The Internet enables citizens to break the MSM monopoly and expose facts that otherwise would not be known, but power, money, and access are still what determines what most people read and believe. People who know the truth are afraid to speak up for fear of social media flashmobs. Therefore, the media’s utter refusal to back down from their Michael Brown fairy tale, all evidence to the contrary, is actually proving effective. We can expect more protests in Ferguson tomorrow, as well as in other cities around the country.
Darren Wilson, like George Zimmerman, will be a hunted man for the rest of his life. He did his job—and the ruling powers of his country will never forgive him.
The real damage may come to our legal system. Just as the acid of tribalism ate away immigration law, we may be witnessing the beginning of the end of the presumption of innocence in these kinds of crimes. Other prosecutors may not have the fortitude of Bob McCulloch to let justice be done, although the heavens (or at least the Little Caesar’s Pizzerias) fall. Police officers may continue to get some protection because of their powerful unions, but ordinary white citizens will be readily sacrificed for social peace.
The real message of Ferguson: we are seeing multiculturalism itself go up in flames. A polity where the Chief Executive has to address the people over a local law enforcement matter is fatally unstable.
There are plenty more Fergusons out there, tinderboxes ready to be lit the next time a white cop confronts a black criminal. As the Ruling Class has empowered a permanent anti-white Narrative seemingly impervious to facts, this is only the beginning of the violence.
Until the historic American nation can develop a collective identity of its own, there will be more sacrificial victims to the cult of diversity—and the next one might not be so lucky as Officer Darren Wilson.

James Kirkpatrick [Email him] is a Beltway veteran and a refugee from Conservatism Inc.

Assassination of Gedaliah

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about an assassination in the Bible. This follows this post about authority in America. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.
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Assassination of Gedaliah (2 Kings 25:23-26; Jeremiah 40:7-41:18)

Not all Judean soldiers were exiled to Babylon. Some would have escaped with King Zedekiah while others manned fortresses throughout Judah. These army commanders had formed a resistance movement against the Babylonians and now came to Mizpah to meet the new Babylon-appointed Jewish governor, Gedaliah. With reference to one of the commanders, Jaazaniah or Jezaniah (2 Kings 25:23; Jeremiah 40:8), biblical historian Walter Kaiser makes this observation: "In the ruins of Mizpah, if Tell en Nasbeh is ancient Mizpah, a seal was found with this inscription: 'Belonging to Jaazaniah, servant of the king'" (A History of Israel, 1988, pp. 406).
The Harper Study Bible notes on Jeremiah 40:11-14: "There was rest in Judah under Gedaliah, who was capable and prudent. Jews who had been dispersed all over Palestine returned to Judah and came under the care and control of Gedaliah. Some degree of prosperity came, inasmuch as they gathered a goodly supply of wine and summer fruits. [But] a dark cloud hung over the infant state under Gedaliah. Baalis king of the Ammonites wanted to destroy Gedaliah. He employed Ishmael, a Jew of royal stock, to settle in Gedaliah's territory in order to slay the governor. Johanan, a friend of Gedaliah, tried to warn him about the plot, offering to kill Ishmael. But Gedaliah, a peaceful and honorable man, refused the offer and maintained his friend was speaking lies about Ishmael. Johanan's warning, however, eventually proved to be well-founded."
Author R.K. Harrison offers further explanation: "After the Chaldeans had devastated Judah, Gedaliah, who had befriended Jeremiah (Jer. 39:14), was appointed governor over the 'poor of the land.' Remnants of the old royal house who had managed to escape to Egypt regarded him as a collaborationist, however, and Ishmael, a descendant of the royal Hebrew line, slew Gedaliah at Mizpah while he was endeavoring to resettle the scattered populace" (Old Testament Times, 1970, p. 253).
"The 'ten men' [involved in the plot] (v. 2) should not be thought of as being alone, for they may have brought a retinue of attendants with them" (Expositor's Bible Commentary, note on 41:2-3).
"The year of the assassination of Gedaliah," it should be pointed out, "is not given, only the month—the seventh month of Tishri—September-October. The murder of the governor could have taken place as soon as three months after the fall of Jerusalem [in 586 B.C.] Others associate the third deportation of 582 B.C. [of 745 Judeans (see Jeremiah 52:30)] with this rebellion. Ishmael's act was especially despicable since it took place during a banquet" (Nelson Study Bible, note on 41:1-2).
Moreover, it is a sad reflection on Ishmael (and his collaborators) that in a time of utter devastation of his homeland and people, he would not only assassinate a decent leader but would also try to destroy the tiny remnant of poor people living there. He even kills a group of 80 men on a pilgrimage to the temple from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria. These were probably Jews who, during the Babylonian invasion, had taken refuge in what was now Samaritan territory. It may be that they did not know that the temple was destroyed—although, as they were in mourning, it is also possible that they did know but considered the temple ruins as holy, just as Jews now consider the Western Wall of the temple to be. "These eighty men were mourning for the destroyed temple as well as for the ruined city (cf. 16:6; 47:5; 48:37). They had even gashed themselves—a relapse into heathen custom forbidden in Deuteronomy 14:1" (Expositor's, note on verses 4-5)—demonstrating the corruption of Jewish religious practice at this time.
Ishmael then tries to take a group of captives into Ammon. Notice that among them are the "king's daughters" (verse 10)—showing that all of Zedekiah's children were not killed. He still had at least two surviving daughters (the number is not specified).
With Johanan's forces in pursuit, Ishmael gives up his captives and manages to escape into Ammon. Johanan and those who are left worry that Babylon will come down hard on everyone, even those who weren't involved. "Fearing imminent reprisal from the Babylonians on account of the rebellion, Johanan gathered the inhabitants of Mizpah, including Jeremiah, together with those he had rescued and began a trek toward Egypt, seeking a place of safety. Egypt was the only country in the region that was free from Babylonian control" (Nelson Study Bible, note on Jeremiah 41:16-18).
We see how vulnerable people become when the government that structured their lives is torn from them—first their king and his government, then the governor put over them by Babylon. They are fearful, anxious for security and therefore vulnerable to self-seeking ambitious men who are eager to seize the leadership. It was a true test of whether they would trust God and His true servant or the men who seemed to offer security in a frightful time.
They camp near Bethlehem. We'll see more about what they decide to do in our next reading.

A timely post about from www.vdare.com about how a Patriot should react towards the President. This follows this previous post about the lawless president.

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Executive Amnesty Is A National Emergency, It’s Time For Patriots To Act Accordingly

By Thomas Martel       

President Obama’s unilateral Amnesty/Immigration Surge means the end of politics as usual. Impeachment, though necessary, is just the beginning. Patriots are going to need to take a more activist approach in response to what is nothing less than a national emergency.
At least one politician, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), understands what is at stake:

You’re going to see — hopefully not — but you could see instances of anarchy… You could see violence.
[GOP Senator warns of violence after immigration order, by Susan Page, USA Today, Nov. 19, 2014]

Of course, we already have anarchy—or at least, anarcho-tyranny. The operative line from Emperor Obama’s speech is: “[W]e’re not going to deport you.” [Transcript: Obama’s Immigration Speech, Washington Post, Nov. 20, 2014] This means that Obama is simply refusing to enforce immigration law because he sees political advantage in dispossessing Americans.
At the same time, we can expect further legal crackdowns on the historic American nation itself. As even Breitbart recognizes:

Whites face a government that is explicitly working against their interests, the economic prospects of their children, and democratic processes they have spent more than 200 years defending.
[Morci: Whites face a government working against their interests and their children’s, by Peter Morci, Breitbart, November 23, 2014]

Patriots must take two steps immediately in response:

• First, patriots need to adopt the successful activist tactics of the Left—because being polite and reasonable is not working.
• Second, we have to pressure Congress to at least defund Executive Amnesty at any cost.

The Left forces the political system to choose between the demands of the radical Left and the policy preferred by the Establishment Left. They control both the revolutionaries and the “moderate” opposition.
It is time for patriots to force Conservatism, Inc., into the same position. Beginning with the Civil Rights era, the Left has employed protest effectively, and the publicity garnered by protest has forced officials to accommodate. Political technology is ideologically neutral and we need to use what works.
If the political system won’t respond to citizens’ lawful demands for the enforcement of existing laws, then citizens need to adopt a more activist approach. When faced with the choice of a surge of Minutemen providing security along the southern border, or deploying officially approved personnel, many of the cowardly Republicans will be pressured to opt for law enforcement.
Patriots—especially those with military, police, or legal expertise—need to become more adept at incentivizing the enforcement of existing laws. This could include joining or supporting the Minutemen and other patriots who are actively interfering with the invasion. Also, border patriots need to repeat, all across the southern border, the direct physical action taken by patriots in Murrieta, California.
Nothing will bring the National Guard to the border faster than legions of citizens carrying placards and cameras, and filing lawsuits whenever illegal immigration leads to crime or monetary loss.
Hordes of ingrates make themselves heard on a daily basis. Patriots should consider what it means for a group to “make themselves heard.” It’s not just about making noise but making sure those in power are forced to hear your message, whether they want to or not.
We have to create a bigger spectacle out of abysmal border security, and exploit the Main Stream Media’s hunger for sensationalism and conflict.
Second, blocking funding appears to be the only short-term option to prevent the Executive Amnesty. There is already a letter being circulated in Congress “to prohibit the use of funds by the administration for the implementation of current or future executive actions that would create additional work permits outside of the scope prescribed by Congress.” [Effort to block Obama’s immigration executive action gains momentum, by Rebecca Shabad, The Hill, Nov. 13, 2014]
An impressive 63 Representatives signed the letter by November 13 [Letter of Representative Tim Salmon to Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey, November 13, 2014] Obtaining so many signatures was a noteworthy feat given the short notice of unfolding events, as Breitbart reported. [54 GOP Reps Demand Preemptive Strike on Executive Amnesty, by Jonathan Strong, Breitbart, November 13, 2014]
Congress has the power of the purse, and the House Appropriations Committee holds the purse. Unfortunately, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) appears willing to fund the Executive Amnesty. Conn Carrol says Rogers is “determined to rubber stamp Obama’s lawlessness by passing a long-term government funding bill.” [Why Is Hal Rogers Caving To Obama On Executive Amnesty?, Townhall.com, Nov. 13, 2014]
If Rogers gets his way, Executive Amnesty is funded, and the battle is lost. The enemy is already inside the gate.
Needless to say, Rogers claims to be opposed to Executive Amnesty. His office put out a hasty press release expressing his supposed opposition. However, it said nothing about blocking funding, rendering his “opposition” meaningless.
The bottom line: wobbly or pro-amnesty members of Congress must be severely pressured politically. Active citizens, donors, and those with media contacts in particular have to push their representatives.
These representatives deserve our special attention:

1) Hal Rogers (R-KY) is probably the biggest barrier to a solution. His current position is a treasonous betrayal of the American people. If you are one of his constituents, email him and tell him that his position is a transparent promotion of Executive Amnesty.

2) Renee Ellmers (R-NC) is one of the worst Treason Lobbyists in Congress. Email her and tell her that her primary opponent Frank Roche was the better candidate, and that she will get the Eric Cantor treatment unless she supports a short-term continuing resolution.

3) Cory Gardner (R-CO) comes across as another sappy Lindsey Graham type. While groveling to MSNBC, Gardner went on record saying that shutting down the government over executive action would be “immature.” [Cory Gardner: GOP Can’t Risk Shutdown in Opposing Amnesty Order, by Wanda Carruthers, Newsmax, Nov. 14, 2014] Gardner was one of a handful of Republicans to support the DREAM Act when he voted against defunding DACA. [Reps. Coffman, Gardner buck party on immigration, by Robert Garrison and the Associated Press, KUSA-TV, August 1, 2014.] Email him and tell him that he doesn’t deserve his position if he won’t protect this nation from an invasion.

As well-deserved—and increasingly plausible—as impeachment may be, that remedy would come far too late for us to rely on that tactic alone. Other strategies would also affect the problem too late in the game to undo the damage. A lawsuit will take ages, and only makes sense as a future-oriented preventive policy.
The unpopularity of Executive Amnesty is a reason to pressure rational officials to oppose it now. [Polls Show Hostility Toward Obama’s Work Permits For Illegals, by Neil Munro, The Daily Caller, November 13, 2014] A lame duck President doesn’t care about public opinion, but Congressmen do. More importantly, time is on Obama’s side—once the work permits, driver’s licenses, and Social Security cards are handed out, there is no way to reverse course.
Republicans will not have the political will to undo Executive Amnesty after the fact, even if they take the White House in 2016. Wavering politicians have to know that we demand the use of whatever political means are necessary to prevent Executive Amnesty right now. If they don’t stand up for America, we won’t stand up for them come election time.
Mass illegal immigration is the strategy of an invading force. Mexico increasingly resembles a failed state, if it’s not already. [Mexico kidnappings: Outrage isn’t going away, by Jose Carreño Figueras, CNN, Nov. 14, 2014] Other Latin American countries are even worse, and it’s no surprise they support Obama’s action.
Executive Amnesty is a national emergency. The consequences will be indistinguishable from that of a foreign invasion. Patriots have to respond with the urgency demanded by this crisis.
Email Thomas Martel.

Call the President and tell him what you think!

An interesting article from www.numbersusa.com about calling Barack Obama and telling him what you feel about his actions. PLEASE, no over the top comments that could get you in trouble. This follows this post about calling on Mitch McConnell and John Boehner to respond to the President's Executive Amnesty. Remember, “Amnesty” means ANY non-enforcement of existing immigration laws! This follows this comment and this post about how to Report Illegal Immigrants! Also, you can read two very interesting books HERE.
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Pres. Obama's executive action is about Jobs

Pres. Barack Obama

(202) 456-1414 (Capital) (202) 456-1111 (Capital)

Pres. Obama tried to position his executive action on immigration last week as a way to stop deportations and splitting up families, but what he forgot to mention was that his action will grant work permits to an estimated 5 million illegal aliens.
This will allow million of illegal aliens to compete for ANY job in the United States, including the top jobs in construction, manufacturing, service, and tech. These are the same jobs that unemployed Americans are fighting for.
Call the White House and leave a message on their comment line, telling them that Pres. Obama has abandoned American workers by granting millions of work permits to illegal aliens.
Calling is simple! Use the number to the top right that will connect you directly to the White House comment line. When you're connected to an operator, tell him/her your name, your hometown, and then use one of the talking points provided.

Talking Points

Talking point:Pres. Obama's executive action will allow 5 million illegal aliens to compete with Americans for any job in any occupation. How does this help jobless Americans get back on their feet? Talking point:Through the President's executive actions, millions of illegal aliens will be able to compete with Americans for jobs in construction, manufacturing, service, programming, or any other occupation. The labor force participation rate is at its lowest rate in decades. Did Pres. Obama consider the impact of his actions on millions of jobless and underemployed Americans?

Editorial: Deal with Executive Abuse with an ALL OF THE ABOVE strategy!!!

Editorial


Why should ANY Strategy be ruled out? With the president ignoring the Constitution's separation of powers, we should try ALL - defunding, government shutdown, impeachment, suing, a vote of no confidence, and WHATEVER ELSE anyone can think of!!




From VDARE http://www.vdare.com/posts/bill-from-schoolhouse-rock-beaten-by-obama-on-snl-snl-attacked-by-wapo-factcheckers


The original “How a bill becomes law”, now over 40 years old.

The SNL parody:

Catholic Bishops: Shut Down Government to Stop Obamacare’s Abortion Funding

An interesting story from www.lifenews.com about another reason to shut down the government. This follows this story about the racial angle of abortion. For  two very interesting books click HERE. 
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Catholic Bishops: Shut Down Government to Stop Obamacare’s Abortion Funding

by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com


The nation’s Catholic bishops are so upset about taxpayer funding of abortions in Obamacare they are urging a shutdown of the federal government so the issue can be addressed.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has issued a letter to members of Congress advocating adding language to the “must-pass funding legislation” such as the continuing resolution Congress is expected to approve soon to fund the federal government until the next session of Congress that would stop abortion funding under Obamacare. If such language is not approve, the bishops say members of Congress should balk at approving the continuing resolution and just let the government shut down.
Part of the reason for the demand is because of what’s happening in California.
To the dismay of California’s people of faith, the California Department of Managed Health Care has reclassified abortion as a “basic health service” under the Affordable Care Act and ordered all insurance plans in the state to begin covering surgical abortions immediately. Even churches are not exempt from funding abortions.
“Forcing a church to be party to elective abortion is one of the utmost-imaginable assaults on our most fundamental American freedoms,” said ADF Senior Counsel Casey Mattox. “California is flagrantly violating the federal law that protects employers from being forced into having abortion in their health insurance plans. No state can blatantly ignore federal law and think that it should continue to receive taxpayer money.”
Alliance Defending Freedom has filed suit for a number of churches.
Click here to sign up for daily pro-life news alerts from LifeNews.com
CNS News has more on what the USCCB is seeking by the December 11 deadline:

The bishops sent a letter Monday asking Congress to incorporate “without delay” in must-pass legislation the protections of the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (ANDA) into must-pass legislation, such as the continuing resolution.
The letter was signed by Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, chair of USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, who is chair of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.
The bishops cited recent demands by California’s Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) that “all health plans under its jurisdiction include elective abortions, including late-term abortions,” with no religious or moral exemptions allowed.
They brought up the emergence of similar proposals in Washington and other states, emphasizing “the increasingly urgent need for Congress to protect rights of conscience with regard to the taking of innocent human life.”
The California DMHC’s demands violate existing federal law, they noted, citing the longstanding Weldon Amendment, approved by Congress every year since 2004, which “forbids governmental bodies receiving federal funds from discriminating against those who decline to take part in abortion or abortion coverage.”
However, the bishops pointed out that the Weldon Amendment lacks an effective means of enforcement and has been subject to legal challenges as “its only stated penalty is the withdrawal of all Labor/HHS funds from a governmental body – a penalty California officials believe is subject to legal challenge and is too sweeping to ever be invoked.”
“The solution to this problem is legislation already approved by the House as long ago as 2002, the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (ANDA),” the bishops conclude.

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: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1; The Theory of Everything

By Debbie Schlussel
I was in legal proceedings all day Friday (and almost the entire week) and didn’t have time to get my movie reviews up in time for the Jewish Sabbath. So, my apologies for the belated movie reviews. Believe me, if there was something I was very enthused about or felt very strongly against, I’d have made it a point to put these up earlier. But better late than never. You can always hear my movie reviews first thing every Friday morning on “The Mike Church Show” on SiriusXM Patriot Channel 125 after 7:05 am Eastern and on “The Pat Campbell Show” on KFAQ 1170 AM Tulsa at 7:35 am Eastern. I do my movie reviews on both, as well as some discussion of current political issues and pop culture topics on both shows. So check it out.

* “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1“: Although there was considerable action in this, it was mostly slow-moving and kinda dull. On top of that, while watching it I felt like a cog in a movie sequel machine. This is a continuation of the last Hunger Games movie, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (read my review), which was considerably more exciting and suspenseful. And if you didn’t see the previous movies, I don’t think you’ll know what is going on–at least not entirely, as it seems like you were dropped off in the middle of a story. Worse, the movie then ends in the middle of the story, to get you to go to the next and last of these Hunger Games movies. What I did like: the exercises in video propaganda that both sides in this movie use, which is akin to the kind that Al-Qaeda and ISIS use (and wimpy America doesn’t).
The story: in the last sequel, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) was whisked out of the middle of the Hunger Games by the rebels who are looking to overthrow the Capital and the President of Panem. Now, the President of the rebels (Julianne Moore) and her top aide (the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) are trying to get Katniss to serve as their propaganda spokesperson–their “Mockingjay.” At first, she declines and is upset that the rebels didn’t rescue her partner in the Hunger Games, Peeta. But then she helps the rebels make videos for their side and go to war against the Capital.
Yeah, I didn’t think it was all that exciting. And it wasn’t. Boooooring. Next!
Nothing objectionable about it, except the gross human bones and skulls everywhere in this movie pimped on kids. But that’s everything coming out of Hollywood these days, sadly. Read my reviews of the first and second Hunger Games movies.
ONE REAGAN



* “The Theory of Everything“: I had mixed feelings about this biopic concerning the life of physicist Stephen Hawking. While I believe most life has value and is worth living (exceptions are plentiful like Yasser Arafat, ISIS and Al-Qaeda terrorists, etc.)–and this movie makes that point (yes, it is a pro-life movie)–I found it painful and torturous to watch. I didn’t enjoy watching a man get progressively more and more disabled and helpless and, yet, still try to engage in bodily functions that don’t work for him. I also didn’t enjoy listening to the actor who plays him try to speak as Hawking apparently did when his vocal chords, voice box, and tongue stopped working. And, on top of all that, there’s the fact that Hawking is an overrated far-leftist anti-Semitic, anti-Israel jerk. So, it’s hard to watch a movie glorifying and gushing over him. Yes, this movie only does that and doesn’t at all show that Hawking’s theories were often disproven gibberish. Plus, his far-leftism gets only a quick mention or two.
That said, Eddie Redmayne, the British actor who plays Hawking in this, is very convincing. You really do believe he is Hawking, and the acting clearly stretches many bounds in his portrayal of Hawking’s ever-increasing disabilities. As I noted, I liked the pro-life message of this, and Hawking’s eventual admission that he believes it might be possible that there’s a G-d (he’s an atheist). There are many times when Hawking’s life could have been ended, but his wife insists he be kept alive and do what he can to remain useful and active in life. On the other hand, there are many innocent Jewish and other lives which are fully functional and worth living that were taken away by the Palestinian Muslim savages with whom Hawking allies in real life. And that deserved a mention that wasn’t given in this one-sided love letter of a movie.
The only negative on Hawking shown in this movie–even though there are many more not presented in this flick–is that he dumps his devoted wife, Jane (Felicity Jones), who gave everything to keep him alive and make him a success in life. And then he dumps her for his caregiver who gives him Playboys to read. . . for the articles, of course. All of that is also soft-pedaled and quick. On top of that, the movie is very slow and a little boring.
As I noted, I believe most human life is worthy. Sadly, while Hawking apparently believes his own is worthy, he doesn’t believe that Jewish life in Israel merits a heartbeat.
ONE MARX PLUS ONE ARAFAT

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about authority in America. This follows this post about the direction of America. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.
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Question Whose Authority?

article by Randy Stiver

Questioning authority has been a human activity for a long time. But have you ever wondered just whose authority should be questioned?

1968— The vehicle ahead of you in the university town traffic is a Volkswagen microbus that sputters and weaves away from the traffic light. Out the driver's window a whiff of odd-smelling, unhealthy smoke wafts its way back to your nostrils.
Psychedelic paintings of flowers, long-haired men and glazed-eyed girls bedeck the sides, but the item that catches your eye is the bumper sticker bearing the mantra of the college-age subculture of the hippie era: "Question Authority."
2005— The vehicle ahead of you in traffic is an old Volvo. It doesn't drive any straighter, but it doesn't sport the weird paintings of the driver's VW microbus of the '60s. Still the bumper sticker proclaims the same student-now-professor's motto: "Question Authority."
But just what do you mean, question authority?
"Question Authority" as a motto in the 1960s and today means to challenge traditional authority—of the government, corporate and religious "establishment" and particularly to question the authority of God and the Bible. For decades this philosophy has epitomized the dominant force within higher education and the culture of the bulk of America's and the rest of the world's universities. Increasingly, it has trickled down to secondary and even elementary schools.
Enter college or university and your mind and moral values will certainly face the onslaught of this aggressive mind-set. Enter the halls of higher academia and you enter a cultural and moral war zone.
How solidly grounded are you in the true culture of the Bible right now? How will you fare after four years of college? Want to obtain a useful education and remain spiritually strong? Then you'll need to get a different bumper sticker.
Hippies, sex and drugs
A portion of the 1960s and early 1970s youth viewed themselves as a generation in rebellion. They spawned acid rock music and all its subsequent versions as angry battle hymns for their rebellious mood, spirit and actions, including the antigovernment and anti-Vietnam War riots of the late '60s.
But another, darker rebellion fueled what came to be known as the hippie movement: the drug and sexual revolution. It forged acceptance within mainstream culture of the recreational use and abuse of mind-altering drugs—a cultural character of the youth of every decade since.
The sexual revolution was also called the "free-love movement" —but read "lust" for "love" to understand the real meaning. This rebellion attacked God's law of sexual morality. It gave us bad news galore: soaring divorce rates for those who bothered to marry, social acceptance of unmarried couples living together and the many miseries of multitudes of unwed single mothers.
Aided by the militant feminist movement and other dark forces in society, the hippie movement has brought us today to a frontal attack on traditional marriage and the social acceptance of virtually any form of sexual perversion.
This profound cultural sea change came from following a 1960s proverb: "Think for yourself and question authority." It was coined by American psychologist, author and advocate of the psychedelic drug and sex culture Timothy Leary, who provided the voice of the misguided, odious bumper sticker message.
The shapers and molders of today's college professors wanted their students to question all forms of traditional authority, but specifically to question the authority of the Bible and the existence of God.
The April 8, 1966, cover of Time magazine echoed this approach with what was then a shocking headline: "Is God Dead?" The cover article referenced the proclamation of late 19th-century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who adamantly proclaimed, "God is dead."
If you don't know who Nietzsche was, you will. He was perhaps the key foundational thinker for what became the hippie subculture and for much of higher education today. The "God is dead" thinking is the core of the "question authority" movement.
Think for yourself
When the politically correct educators in college culture today tell you to "think for yourself," be advised— they don't mean it. As a vertical thinker using your sure knowledge of God's existence and His law, if you thought for yourself, you would see right through their faulty arguments advocating all sorts of sinful behavior.
As the great King David of old sang to God in his youth: "You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation" (Psalm:119:98-99 [98] Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.
[99] I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.).
Many of your teachers and professors view themselves as the enlightened ones and view you, the true Christian, as the gullible, shackled, restricted and foolish one. They have much to learn!
A blatant statement comes from a Web site of a 21st-century advocate for the nonbiblical, postmodern, liberal lifestyle. His claim for the course he teaches summarizes the bumper sticker only too well:
"In this course, we will explore challenges to authoritarianism and work towards the creation of the 'Question Authority Coalition and Education Project' . . . We will evolve new statements for public dissemination. We will leave the class prepared to soundly thrash the Bible thumpers while defending their freedom to be stoopid" (maybelogic.org).
But we must ask this: Who made this world's postmodern college professors boss? No one did. As rude a shock as it may be to many of them, they are not the governors of our morality, arbiters of our faith or the gurus of our biblically guided opinions.
There is One who is our "Boss"—and He died for our sins and the sins of our teachers and classmates to become that Boss—or Lord and Teacher (John:13:14-15 [14] If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
[15] For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.). He has set you and me a perfect example—that we should think as He thought and do as He did.
The true values
As vertical thinkers, we strive to see things as God sees them. We shape our opinions with the objective truth of God's law and Word. Our motto could be expressed as "Recapture true values." And here is a basic list of key true values taught in the Bible that you will hear questioned and challenged during your higher education.
God is sacred. Atheistic evolution was a critical first step in creating a culture of sexual and behavioral abandon. Their thinking is: If there is no God, then there is no moral law, no evil and no guilt. In short—anything goes. A related concept, the practice of elevating "mother earth" or "the environment" to be virtually and actually worshipped, is also wrong. Yet that's exactly what many militant environmental activists do.
Human life is sacred— as clearly taught by the Sixth Commandment, "You shall not murder" (Exodus:20:13Thou shalt not kill.). Abortion and euthanasia are in direct conflict with divine law. Likewise, mankind is the only life form made in the image of God (Genesis:1:26-28 [26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
[27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
[28] And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.). Thus, to elevate animal life to be equal in value to human life is wrong. Yet that's what militant animal rights activism stands for.
Marriage is sacred— as in one man married to one woman. In Christ's own words: "He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh' . . . Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate" (Matthew:19:4-5 [4] And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
[5] And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?). Anything other than the divine formula for marriage is wrong.
Human sexuality is sacred— and that sexuality is to be expressed only in divinely sanctioned marriage, not before or outside of marriage. Sexual expression is expressly forbidden by God in any variant (1 Corinthians:6:18-20 [18] Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
[19] What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
[20] For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.), except within the divine institution of marriage, and there He commands it (7:2-5)!
Divine law is sacred— and is called "holy and just and good" (Romans:7:12Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.). Yet higher education "experts" ridicule God's law as evil, arbitrary and restrictive. And what do they propose as rules for society? Answer: Their own law of political correctness. But, we ask again, who made them boss so that they should get to make the laws? From where is their moral superiority over the rest of mankind?
Truth is sacred. As a prudent, dedicated and faithful young person, you are being set apart (sanctified) by the truth of God's Word (John:17:17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.). Truth is truly objective. But beware—today's philosophy of "postmodernism" says that truth is relative, that each person has his own "truth" and that each one's truth is as good as another's truth. Wrong!
So why is the truth of the Bible considered "stoopid" as compared to the postmodern professor's truth? It's like saying all men are created equal, but some are "more equal" than others!
The history of our time told 2,000 years ago
How does a culture lose its moral compass so completely? How can those paid to educate young minds so lose their grip on true wisdom and common sense? Answer: Question Authority—as in reject and deny divine authority.
God gave one great educator, Paul the apostle, the insight to chronicle long ago how a culture collapses. The last half of Romans 1 tells how people "suppress the truth in unrighteousness," and bring about a dark age of immorality (verses 18-32). Here is the step-by-step formula:
1. Deny the existence of God.
2. Deny the authority of God—say there is no objective moral law to tell right from wrong.
3. Make new gods of oneself and nature.
4. Promote "freedom" for any kind of sexual activity in opposition to marriage, which God created and established for our good.
5. Exert tyrannical ridicule and pressure on any who question the new, postmodern authority.
6. Suffer the consequences of sexually transmitted epidemics and the pain of murderous misery launched by nations with no moral conscience.
The result is that everybody does what is right in his or her own eyes. True values are categorically rejected. And today, leading this charge into an age of futility and tyranny is a devastating proportion of higher education. As this reprobate culture gains momentum, there will be only one solution. And that good news is the soon-coming, "vertical" event when Jesus Christ descends from heaven to salvage and save humanity!
Question whose authority?
In the meantime, you have an education to obtain and a life to live. Navigate your way through school via a close relationship with God through daily prayer and a clear knowledge of His law in your mind from the study of the Bible. Totally defeat false moral arguments with the power of divine authority and godly logic.
And when you see the next postmodern, professorial "Question Authority" bumper sticker, create a new one in your own mind: "Question Whose Authority?" Question theirs. VT

• authority
• christianity
• Doctrinal Beliefs
• morals
• respect
• School
• values
• Vertical Thought
• Word of God
• Youth

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