Environment vs. Humans

Yes, yes...I know. "Mother Earth" has given us life, thus we should protect and take care of her...blah, blah, blah. Why are people so blinded by this environmental wacko stuff? People are more worried about a tree than a baby. "Don't cut (kill) down the tree!" is their mantra while they turn and tell us "It's okay to abort (murder) a baby!" I'm at a loss...really, I am. I mean, yes, it is important that we take care of the environment (i.e., conservation). I'm all for using the land and using it properly. After all, I hunt and have raised all sorts of livestock. Do you think I want to destroy the earth...well, no! But I do not worship the land either. Good grief. Now comes this report out of England. I hope you don't enjoy reading it.

British Environmental Advisor Backs Population Control, Two Kids Per Family
(by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com EditorFebruary 2, 2009)

London, England (LifeNews.com) -- A chief environmental advisor in England is urging population control and says he believes there should be a limit in Britain of no more than two children per family. John Porritt, who chairs the UK government's Sustainable Development Commission, says any more than two children is "irresponsible."
Porritt told a British newspaper that the current climate in England can't accommodate any more children.
He says the national government should aggressively spend taxpayer funds on promoting abortions and birth control, contraception, and implementing programs urging parents to limit their number of children.
"I am unapologetic about asking people to connect their own responsibility for their total environmental footprint and how they decide to procreate and how many children they think are appropriate," he said.
"I think we will work our way towards a position that says having more than two children is irresponsible," he told the London Times.
"It is the ghost at the table. We have all these big issues that everybody is looking at and then you don't really hear anyone say the 'p' word," he said of population control.
The government is expected to get a report next month from Porritt, who is an aide to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, on the status of the population figures in England.
Porritt's comments have upset pro-life groups who compared his views to those of communist China, which forbids parents from having any more than one child and employs harsh punishments such as forced abortions and sterilizations for violators.
The population control regime in China has also resulted in sex-selection abortions and infanticides of girl babies and has drastically altered the male-female ratio of the nation. That has led to several social problems such as a bachelor nation, sex trafficking and prostitution, and the sale of teen girls.
Josephine Quintaville, founder of the pro-life group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, which is pro-life, responded to the population control advocacy.
"This seems to be the same old thing: save the world but kill a human," she said.
"As far as I understand it, it is the most affluent nations that are doing the most damage to the world, not the countries that have got the most children," she said.
Porritt also says he wants to convince more environmental groups of the connection between lowering the population levels and protecting the environment. However, many environmental groups have long been criticized for backing eugenic population control.

It's Frustrating

Well, the U.S. government is a behemoth which seems unstoppable. It's mind-boggling the non-sensical, useless, inane, and perfectly silly ideas, laws, and programs that come out of Washington. Is government useless? No! God instituted it! Is our government useless? No! We need government! Has our government gone too far? Well, yeah!

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -Thomas Jefferson

Please Pray For The Southern Baptists!

And I mean that seriously. I received an email (given below) asking for prayer for the Southern Baptists. Basically it is asking for you to pray for women "pastors" and for women who are being called into ministry. In other words, it wants you to pray for something unscriptural! So, please pray for Southern Baptists - not that they will endorse women pastors - but that they will hold to the truth concerning this matter. (And there is quite a push to endorse women pastors in the Convention.)

Original Email:

Read The Next Step at www.bWebaptist.com. The Next Step asks Baptists everywhere to do three things:
1. Pray for women pastors and for women who are being called into ministry.
2. Pray for a softening of the heart of the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention toward women in the United States.
3. Start an email cell group which would commit to pray and to enlist others.

You may have read about this website in the Associated Baptist Press, in the Baptist Standard, or in Baptists Today, or on many of the blogs that picked up the story, such as Baptist Planet, the religion blog of The Dallas Morning News, Mainstream Baptists Bruce Prescott’s blog.

This is your opportunity to be the voice for your daughters.

Shirley Taylor
bWe Baptist Women for Equality

ONE of my responses (addressing an article written by Mrs. Taylor):

Also, I have read your article and you seem to have forgotten that while Christ the Son is in ALL ways equal to the Father, He SUBMITTED Himself to the Father's will. Yet in no way did this make Him inferior...instead, He was lifted up and glorified by the Father. You can have complementarianism and egalitarianism together. They are not contradictory...in fact, you have committed a logical fallacy in assuming such.

Matt

Her response to my response:

Matthew,

In the 1960s when I was teaching a Sunday school class of women in my Baptist church, the teacher's guide made the statement "The Jews loved nothing better than to go to the marketplace and argue over whether or not women had souls." I had no idea that Southern Baptists would be arguing over essentially the same thing 40 years later. Of course we dress it up and call it fancy names like complementarianism and egalitarianism. But it is the same argument. An argument designed to keep women in their place.

Jesus said that the soul is housed in a body and that when it is freed from the body in heaven that you won't be able to tell the difference between a man's soul and a woman's soul (actually he said that in heaven there would be no male or female, marrying or giving in marriage).

If that is not equality, then I don't know what is.

That same soul that I have now will be the one I take into eternity. And it is going to look just like yours: washed in the blood of the Lamb.

Thanks for writing. I appreciate you taking the time to do so.

Shirley Taylor
bWe Baptist Women for Equality

Now my response to that is...WHAT?!? What she said has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the discussion at hand. A "straw man" was set up to divert the argument...but we're not going to fall for that are we?!? The Bible teaches that men are to be Pastors...not women. No offense, but we must stay with Scripture. Also, this does not mean women are inferior. Quite the contrary. God made ALL of us in the image of Him, but He also put us in certain roles for certain reasons. Why must we Baptist feel they have to be politically correct and culturally relevant but not biblically sound?!?!?

Well...at least he was creative...

BURLINGTON, Vt. – A man who bolted antlers to the head of a dead doe and posed for a photograph with the deer was fined $400 and jailed for game violations. Marcel Fournier, 19, shot the deer the evening of Nov. 22 and used lag bolts and epoxy to attach a 10-point rack, officials said. He then checked in the kill as lawful game at Barnie's Market. It's illegal to kill an antlerless deer, and it's also illegal to hunt at night. The Concord resident admitted to the killing and led a game warden to the deer's remains after an anonymous caller alerted authorities. Fournier said he had "quite a time" drilling and fastening the antlers, authorities said. Game warden David Gregory said the antlers didn't look or feel right. "When you grabbed them, you'd feel movement," he said. Col. David LeCours, chief warden of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the size of the antlers relative to the size of the deer seemed off. "Something wasn't natural about them, in addition to the fact that they weren't natural," he said. Fournier was sentenced to 10 days in jail Feb. 18 for taking a deer in a closed season. He won't qualify for a state hunting, fishing or trapping license for at least three years. LeCours said add-on antlers are the stuff of legend, but that it's the first documented case of it in Vermont.

Yahoo! News

Must've Been A Cat...

Who Do These Children Belong To?!?

2 John:
1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;
2 For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.
3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
4 I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.
5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
12 Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.
13 The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.

I've heard that the woman refers to a church and the children refer to either the members or churches established from this church. I have also heard that this woman and children refer to real people. What is your opinion on this and why? Please give an explanation of your opinion. I hope to see some new ideas and clarification on exactly what this means. (I'll give you my understanding later.)

A Great Time

I truly enjoyed my time at the 55th annual Pastors Missionaries Conference in Texarkana. I enjoyed meeting with the Bogard Press staff on Monday concerning the "Chosen" DVD Bible Study on which we are working. It was a very productive meeting! I also enjoyed all the great fellowship before, after, and even during the meetings! Of course, we hit IHOP Monday night (Bro. Wayne Stringer's favorite hang-out???). I truly appreciate the opportunity to speak Tuesday morning at the Conference. The following is a very brief outline of the message I brought.

The Secret To Success - Joshua 1:1-9:
I. Realize Your Calling From The Lord - vss. 1-4
II. Raise Your Confidence In The Lord - vss. 6-8
III. Recognize Your Closeness To The Lord - vs. 5

(Jason, you should enjoy the alliteration there...) I hope it was an encouragement to everyone.

I also recorded my 20 minute session of the DVD Bible Study. My part is "Chosen To Serve." Let me say, it is somewhat different when you have several cameras recording you teaching a small home group. (Thank you to everyone who was so patient with me!!!) Well, it was a wonderful experience, and I cannot wait until next years conference!

Obama's Financial Stimulus

It seems that Obama is going to use embryos to stimulate the economy. Scientists are excited about the $10 billion that will immediately be pumped into the medical field. Big whoop! Who cares about money when it's compared to life. Besides there are ways (adult stem cell research) to find cures for diseases, etc. And don't even bring up Obama and the teachers' unions!

That's another fine mess the recession's gotten us into, say Laurel and Hardy fans

Published Date: 09 March 2009
By SHÂN ROSS

It has brought some of the worlds largest financial institutions to its knees and now it appears that Scotland's Laurel and Hardy fan club is the latest victim of the credit crunch. Organisers of the group, which calls itself "Sons of the Desert" after the 1933 film, claim the downturn has meant a sharp rise in membership fees. The group, which was founded in 1965, meets in pubs and clubs around the country to watch films by the comedy duo. Members wear fezzes, don flowing robes and call their meeting venues "tents". Now organisers are saying pubs and clubs where they meet have put up the rent for the rooms used and they have no choice but to charge members more. And they fear if fans are unable to find the extra cash, they will leave the club and use the internet to contact fellow members instead. But Charlie Lewis, 47, "Grand Sheik" of one of the biggest tents in Scotland, says he will fight to prevent that. Mr Lewis, from the Block-Heads tent – named after the 1938 film – said he had been forced to raise annual membership fees by almost a £1 a month to £25. He said: "We are determined to fight the credit crunch and would even meet in people's homes if it came to the push." Being a member of a virtual tent and watching films on the web doesn't appeal to me, to be honest. Part of the appeal of the tents is meeting people with the same interests and having a lot of fun. "We meet up once a month to watch Laurel and Hardy films and there is a fantastic atmosphere. Our members come from all walks of life and people bring their children along." Mr Lewis, a civil servant, told members in his "The Sheik Speaks" column in the Block-Heads' Bulletin that they would have three months to pay the increased fee of 90p a month, which he said was due to the "the current financial gloom". Members of the 20-strong tent, one of the biggest in Scotland, were also told: "If we could have possibly avoided this scenario, we would have, but we no longer have the funds to maintain such low rates." Mr Lewis added that his tent, like many others, was also facing extra costs converting to digital technology. The Sons of the Desert was founded in 1965 in New York by John McCabe, biographer of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. It has grown into a worldwide organisation, with 38 tents in the UK having approximately 5,000 members. A police force in the US has formed its own tent, while fans in Stranraer started up the Their Purple Moment tent partly in honour of the 1928 film but also, bizarrely, in memory of Operation Purple, a Nato exercise in Galloway in 1985. Willie McIntyre, a retired nuclear physicist from Largs, who is the Grand Sheik of Scotland, and runs the Call of the Cuckoos tent, said: "There is an extra quality to be derived by watching the films in larger groups than those which can be fitted into your living room, so the Sons of the Desert love to congregate. The Sons of the Desert have been known to plead for meeting rooms without a fee and this will no doubt be necessary again." Mark Cousins, a film critic, backed the Sons of the Desert campaign. He said: "It would be a real shame if something like the credit crunch threatened them."

Click here for original article (from new.scotsman.com)

New Posting Format (for funny videos scroll on down)

Mind-Numbing Monday - Thought for the week...some mind-numbing, some mind-altering.

Topical Tuesday - Topics such as politics, economy, etc. will be addressed.

Wonderful Wednesday - Free for all. You can help decide the topics on this day!

Theological Thursday - Well, if I'm at seminary teaching, I might as well take advantage of it.

Fun Friday - You can only imagine. This should provide some of the funniest Christian (or at least clean) humor you can find in one spot.

Funny Church Announcements



Sunday School Scandal

Thank God For Fried Chicken

Just For You Chris!

Copyright Gospel Communications International, Inc - www.reverendfun.com

Biblical Forecast

Churchgoers Survive Potluck Nightmare (thanks to the Sacred Sandwich)

Tragedy struck Langley Baptist Church on Sunday afternoon when every covered dish at the church’s monthly potluck was a green bean casserole. Stunned onlookers watched in horror as family after family arrived with the same popular side dish in tow. By the time grace was said over the meal, there were over twenty-five green bean casseroles lining the buffet table with no meat dish in sight.
Marilyn Perkins, supervisor of the Langley Baptist potluck, recalls the terror of witnessing the casseroles flooding in. “I’ve heard scary stories from other churches about excess hominy or okra, but you never think it’s going to happen to your church,” she said in tears. “All I could think at the time was, Why us, Lord… why us?”
Repercussions from the church disaster were felt throughout the community as area grocers reported a shortage of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup and French’s French fried onions.
A few brave church members weathered the green bean avalanche by using large amounts of sweet tea to wash it down, while others, dazed and hungry, fled to their homes. A small faction of survivors, led by Jim Fairbanks, found shelter at a nearby McDonald’s restaurant. “Deacon Fairbanks was quick-thinking and showed amazing courage under pressure,” said Anita West. “Just when I was about to go down, he threw a Happy Meal to me. He saved my life.”
Deacon Fairbanks, however, shrugged off Mrs. West’s praise. “The real hero was Frank Woodburn, who tripped while helping other members cross the parking lot to the golden arches. I’ll never forget him lying there on the concrete, refusing my help and screaming, Save yourself! Now that’s a true hero. Frank will be missed.”
Despite the initial panic, church officials were able to restore order and send people home without further incident. Reports of one member being detained for trying to sneak extra wafers out of the church’s communion tray could not be confirmed.
In the aftermath of the ill-fated potluck, theories abounded as to why this catastrophe took place. Speculation on the cause ran the gamut from the 25 cent sale on Libby’s green beans at McGonigle’s Market to a sign of the Apocalypse. The main theological issue under debate, however, was whether it was part of God’s sovereign decree or the tragic outcome of man’s free will exercising the right to bring a lame side dish to church.
Church member Claude Anderson believes it was God’s judgment. “I’ve told them for twenty years they shouldn’t be calling it pot-luck,“ explained Anderson. “That’s an affront to an Almighty God Who doesn’t deal in luck. I just hope this egregious sin against God doesn’t ruin my chances to win the lottery. I’m feeling pretty good about my numbers this week. Cross my fingers.”
Seven year old Kenny Myers, son of members Todd and Carrie Myers, tried to put things in the proper perspective. “I’m just glad they weren’t brussel sprouts. Seriously, I woulda puked.”
Dale Morton, pastor at Langley Baptist, planned to hold a special service next Sunday to help his congregation deal with the emotional effects of the disaster. “This is a hard time for my flock,” explained Morton, “and I’m not sure the Bible has all the answers for a tragedy like this. So I think it’s important to let the people have a time to grieve and cry out to God. I mean, come on! That’s a lot of green bean casserole, even for Baptists.”
When asked if the story of the Israelites complaining about the provision of God’s manna would have any significance for his congregation at this time, Pastor Morton grimaced. “Shoot… I didn’t even think about that. Now I’m going to have to trash the analogy to Stephen’s martyrdom and rewrite my whole sermon.”

U.S. now only 2 states away from rewriting Constitution

Critic: 'This is a horrible time to try such a crazy scheme'

Posted: December 12, 200812:25 am Eastern
By Bob Unruh© 2008 WorldNetDaily

A public policy organization has issued an urgent alert stating affirmative votes are needed from only two more states before a Constitutional Convention could be assembled in which "today's corrupt politicians and judges" could formally change the U.S. Constitution's "'problematic' provisions to reflect the philosophical and social mores of our contemporary society."
"Don't for one second doubt that delegates to a Con Con wouldn't revise the First Amendment into a government-controlled privilege, replace the 2nd Amendment with a 'collective' right to self-defense, and abolish the 4th, 5th, and 10th Amendments, and the rest of the Bill of Rights," said the warning from the American Policy Institute.
"Additions could include the non-existent separation of church and state, the 'right' to abortion and euthanasia, and much, much more," the group said.
The warning comes at a time when Barack Obama, who is to be voted the next president by the Electoral College Monday, has expressed his belief the U.S. Constitution needs to be interpreted through the lens of current events.
Tom DeWeese, who runs the center and its education and grassroots work, told WND the possibilities stunned him when he discovered lawmakers in Ohio are considering a call for a Constitutional Convention. He explained that 32 other states already have taken that vote, and only one more would be needed to require Congress to name convention delegates who then would have more power than Congress itself.
"The U.S. Constitution places no restriction on the purposes for which the states can call for a convention," the alert said. "If Ohio votes to call a Con Con, for whatever purpose, the United States will be only one state away from total destruction. And it's a safe bet that those who hate this nation, and all She stands for, are waiting to pounce upon this opportunity to re-write our Constitution."
DeWeese told WND that a handful of quickly responding citizens appeared at the Ohio Legislature yesterday for the meeting at which the convention resolution was supposed to be handled.
State officials suddenly decided to delay action, he said, giving those concerned by the possibilities of such a convention a little time to breathe.
According to a Fox News report, Obama has stated repeatedly his desire for empathetic judges who "understand" the plight of minorities.
The final vote from the 1787 Constitutional Convention
In a 2007 speech to Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider, he said, "We need somebody who's got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom. The empathy to understand what it's like to be poor, or African-American, or gay, or disabled, or old. And that's the criteria by which I'm going to be selecting my judges."
Obama also committed himself to respecting the Constitution but said the founding document must be interpreted in the context of current affairs and events.
Read how today's America already has rejected the Constitution, and what you can do about it.
Melody Barnes, a senior domestic policy adviser to the Obama campaign, said in the Fox News report, "His view is that our society isn't static and the law isn't static as well. That the Constitution is a living and breathing document and that the law and the justices who interpret it have to understand that."
Obama has criticized Justice Clarence Thomas, regarded as a conservative member of the court, as not a strong jurist or legal thinker. And Obama voted against both Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, two appointees of President Bush who vote with Thomas on many issues.
Further, WND also reported Obama believes the Constitution is flawed, because it fails to address wealth redistribution, and he says the Supreme Court should have intervened years ago to accomplish that.
Obama said in a 2001 radio interview the Constitution is flawed in that it does not mandate or allow for redistribution of wealth.
Obama told Chicago's public station WBEZ-FM that "redistributive change" is needed, pointing to what he regarded as a failure of the U.S. Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren in its rulings on civil rights issues in the 1960s.
The Warren court, he said, failed to "break free from the essential constraints" in the U.S. Constitution and launch a major redistribution of wealth. But Obama, then an Illinois state lawmaker, said the legislative branch of government, rather than the courts, probably was the ideal avenue for accomplishing that goal.
In the 2001 interview, Obama said:
If you look at the victories and failures of the civil rights movement and its litigation strategy in the court, I think where it succeeded was to invest formal rights in previously dispossessed people, so that now I would have the right to vote. I would now be able to sit at the lunch counter and order and as long as I could pay for it I’d be OK
But, the Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth, and of more basic issues such as political and economic justice in society. To that extent, as radical as I think people try to characterize the Warren Court, it wasn't that radical. It didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, at least as it's been interpreted, and the Warren Court interpreted in the same way, that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties. Says what the states can't do to you. Says what the federal government can't do to you, but doesn't say what the federal government or state government must do on your behalf.
And that hasn't shifted and one of the, I think, tragedies of the civil rights movement was because the civil rights movement became so court-focused I think there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalition of powers through which you bring about redistributive change. In some ways we still suffer from that.
The video is available here:
DeWeese said the Constitutional Convention effort was begun in the 1980s by those who wanted to rein in government with an amendment requiring a balanced budget for the federal agencies.
"Certainly all loyal Americans want government constrained by a balanced budget," the alert said. "But calling a Con Con risks a revolutionary change in our form of government. The ultimate outcome will likely be a new constitution, one that would possibly eliminate the Article 1 restriction to the coinage of real money or even eliminate gun or property rights."
He noted that when the last Constitutional Convention met in 1787, the original goal was to amend the Articles of Confederation. Instead, delegates simply threw them out and wrote a new Constitution.
"We were blessed in 1787; the Con Con delegates were the leaders of a freedom movement that had just cleansed this land of tyranny," the warning said. "Today's corrupt politicians and judges would like nothing better than the ability to legally ignore the Constitution - to modify its "problematic" provisions to reflect the philosophical and socials mores of our contemporary society."
DeWeese then listed some of the states whose legislatures already have issued a call: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
"You may have heard that some of those 32 states have voted to rescind their calls. This is true," the warning continued. "However, under Article V of the Constitution, Congress must call a Constitutional Convention whenever two-thirds (or 34) of the states apply. The Constitution makes no provision for rescission."
The warning also suggested that the belief that a Constitution Convention could be directed in its purpose is misplaced.
"In truth no restrictive language from any state can legally limit the scope or outcome of a Convention! Once a Convention is called, Congress determines how the delegates to the Convention are chosen. Once chosen, those Convention delegates possess more power than the U.S. Congress itself," the warning said.
"We have not had a Constitutional Convention since 1787. That Convention was called to make small changes in the Articles of Confederation. As a point of fact, several states first passed resolutions requiring their delegates discuss amendments to the Articles ONLY, forbidding even discussion of foundational changes. However, following the delegates' first agreement that their meetings be in secret, their second act was to agree to debate those state restrictions and to declare the Articles of Confederation NULL AND VOID! They also changed the ratification process, reducing the required states' approval from 100 percent to 75 percent. There is no reason to believe a contemporary Con Con wouldn't further 'modify' Article V restrictions to suit its purpose," the center warning said.
The website Principled Policy opined it is true that any new document would have to be submitted to a ratification process.
"However fighting a new Constitution would be a long, hard, ugly and expensive battle which is guaranteed to leave the nation split along ideological lines. It is not difficult to envision civil unrest, riots or even civil war as a result of any re-writing of the current Constitution," the site said.
American Policy cited a statement from former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger that said, "There is no effective way to limit or muzzle the actions of a Constitutional Convention. The convention could make its own rules and set its own agenda."
"This is a horrible time to try such a crazy scheme," the policy center said. "The majority of U.S. voters just elected a dedicated leftist as president. … Our uniquely and purely American concept of individual rights, endowed by our Creator, would be quickly set aside as an anachronistic relic of a bygone era; replaced by new 'collective' rights, awarded and enforced by government for the 'common good.'
"And state No. 34 is likely sitting silently in the wings, ready to act with lightning speed, sealing the fate of our once great nation before we can prevent it," the center said.
A Constitutional Convention would be, DeWeese told WND, "our worst nightmare in an age when you've got people who believe the Constitution is an antiquated document, we need to have everything from controls on guns … all of these U.N. treaties … and controls on how we raise our children."
"When you take the document that is in their way, put it on the table and say how would you like to change it," he said.
American Policy Center suggested several courses of action for people who are concerned, including the suggestion that Ohio lawmakers be contacted.
WND also has reported an associate at a Chicago law firm whose partner served on a finance committee for Obama has advocated simply abandoning the U.S. Constitution's requirement that a president be a "natural-born" citizen.
The paper was written in 2006 by Sarah Herlihy, just two years after Obama had won a landslide election in Illinois to the U.S. Senate. Herlihy is listed as an associate at the Chicago firm of Kirkland & Ellis. A partner in the same firm, Bruce I. Ettelson, cites his membership on the finance committees for both Obama and Sen. Richard Durbin on the corporate website.
The article by Herlihy is available online under law review articles from Kent University.
The issue of Obama's own eligibility is the subject of nearly two dozen court cases in recent weeks, including at least two that have gone to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Herlihy's published paper reveals that the requirement likely was considered in a negative light by organizations linked to Obama in the months before he announced in 2007 his candidacy for the presidency.
"The natural born citizen requirement in Article II of the United States Constitution has been called the 'stupidest provision' in the Constitution, 'undecidedly un-American,' 'blatantly discriminatory,' and the 'Constitution's worst provision,'" Herlihy begins in her introduction to the paper titled, "Amending the Natural Born Citizen Requirement: Globalization as the Impetus and the Obstacle."

Las Vegas Churches Accept Gambling Chips!!!

This may come as a surprise to those of you not living in Las Vegas, but there are more Catholic Churches than Casinos. Not surprisingly, some worshipers at Sunday Services will give casino chips rather than cash when the basket is passed. Since they get chips from many different casinos, the churches have devised a method to coleect the offerings. The churches send all their collected chips to a nearby Franciscan Monastery for sorting and then the chips are taken to the casinos of origin and cashed in. This is done by the Chip Monks!

Bowl Game Hopes

No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 2 Florida: Do I root for the team that t.u. beat so they can say they should be the national championship or do I root for the Florida team that I don't like either?

No. 5 USC vs. No. 8 Penn State: Go Penn State!

No. 12 Cincinnati vs. No. 19 Virginia Tech: Ummm...don't know if I really care.

No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 6 Utah: Roll Tide Roll!!!

No. 3 t.u. (texas university) vs. No. 10 Ohio State: Go Buckeyes!

One thing though, where's Texas Tech? They're ranked seventh and not in a "big" bowl game. Now that's sad.

Just For Fun...

A restaurant owner in Rutino, Italy (near Salerno), told police in November that as he was negotiating over the building's lease with his landlords, one hit him in the head with a chair and two others kicked him repeatedly in the stomach. The landlords were not from La Cosa Nostra but were a priest and two nuns from the local Catholic order that owns the building. [Daily Telegraph (London), 11-3-08]

Facing a state budget crisis in July, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger fired about 10,000 temporary and part-time workers and ordered the 200,000 permanent employees to be paid only the minimum wage of $6.55 an hour until the legislature passed a crisis-solving budget. However, a week later the State Controller John Chiang pointed out that state payroll records could not be changed to accommodate the cut because they were written in the antiquated COBOL computer language, and virtually the only state employees who knew the code were some of the part-timers Schwarzenegger had just fired. [Sacramento Bee, 8-5-08]

Black Friday

Yes, I did attend the early morning sale at Wal-Mart this past Friday. It was interesting to watch everyone go crazy over "stuff." Basically, it was a mad rush of people so enamoured with items that were on sale that they would do anything to get that item including the following:

(From Daily News Wire Services)

Wal-Mart Shoppers Trample NY Worker - A man was trampled to death as people burst through the doors at a suburban store and knocked him down.

(From Daily News Wire Services)

Fatal Shooting Follows Brawl At Toy Store - The shooting occurred in a crowded toy store, but the authorities say it wasn't related to the bargain hunting frenzy. Instead, the two men pulled guns and killed each other after the women with them erupted into a bloody brawl.

(From ABC News at 11:00 am on Monday, December 1)

Shots have been fired at a mall in the North. Information is not clear why, but it was enough of a story to make the news.

Well, I guess we can see how people are celebrating Christmas this year. I sure hope we are different. I hope we "save" money by shopping the sales, but more than that, I hope we remember why we celebrate Christmas. May Christ be honored in our Christmas this year! After all, He is the reason for the season!