Muslim Threatens Christian Preacher
HELL
A clip of the interaction:
Anti-Christian bias from the Free Press.
Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Obummer's Harvard law professor says 'President MUST be defeated in 2012'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160715/Obamas-Harvard-law-professor-Roberto-Unger-says-defeated-2012.html
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Opening prayer at the 2012 Colorado Republican State Assembly and Convention
Fr. AndrewFr. Andrew was invited to lead the opening prayer at the 2012 Colorado Republican State Assembly and Convention in the Magness Arena at the University of Denver. The moral challenges facing our country are not caused by political affiliation, but rather by attacks on religious freedom. He invites all people of conscience to uphold religious freedom.
"The Church has rejected the totalitarian and atheistic ideologies associated in modem times with 'communism' or 'socialism.'" - Catechism of the Catholic Church 2425
MAN BURNS BIBLE DURING PAPAL MASS IN ST. PETER’S SQUARE
Pope Benedict XVI named three new saints for the Catholic Church during a Mass Sunday in St. Peter's Square that was disrupted by a man who climbed out onto the upper colonnade of the square and burned a bible. (Oct. 23 2011)
A man climbed out onto the upper colonnade in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican and lit a bible on fire Sunday while Pope Benedict XVI was celebrating Mass.
According to the Associated Press, Vatican gendarmes, a bishop and the pope’s own bodyguard talked the man back from the edge of the colonnade.
He shouted, “Pope, where is Christ?” in English and threw the burned bible to the crowd below.
He climbed back from the ledge uninjured.
Benedict and the thousands in the square appeared unfazed by the incident and carried on with the Mass, during which the pope named three new saints. Many cheered after the man was secured.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
Obama in a Snit When He Violates the Constitution
In a 2011 Univision Town Hall, Obama admits that it’s beyond his power to suspend deportations for anyone because there are laws on the books that he’d be breaking by doing that. In other words, the Obummer acknowledges that to do what he did today would be a rank violation of the separation of powers.
With respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations through executive order, that’s just not the case, because there are laws on the books that Congress has passed — and I know that everybody here at Bell is studying hard so you know that we’ve got three branches of government. Congress passes the law. The executive branch’s job is to enforce and implement those laws. And then the judiciary has to interpret the laws.
There are enough laws on the books by Congress that are very clear in terms of how we have to enforce our immigration system that for me to simply through executive order ignore those congressional mandates would not conform with my appropriate role as President.
Longer clip
Neil Munro, White House Correspondent
With respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations through executive order, that’s just not the case, because there are laws on the books that Congress has passed — and I know that everybody here at Bell is studying hard so you know that we’ve got three branches of government. Congress passes the law. The executive branch’s job is to enforce and implement those laws. And then the judiciary has to interpret the laws.
There are enough laws on the books by Congress that are very clear in terms of how we have to enforce our immigration system that for me to simply through executive order ignore those congressional mandates would not conform with my appropriate role as President.
Longer clip
Neil Munro, White House Correspondent
2nd Amendment: ‘VERY AFRAID’: 66-YEAR-OLD WOMAN SHOOTS AND KILLS HOME INTRUDER
2nd Amendment: ‘VERY AFRAID’: 66-YEAR-OLD WOMAN SHOOTS AND KILLS HOME INTRUDER
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Charlotte Iserbyt: The Deliberate Dumbing Down of the World
Charlotte Iserbyt served as Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education, during the first Reagan Administration.
Ever since, she's been exposing how educational systems throughout the world have been, gradually and by design, homogenized under UNESCO coordination. The purpose has always been to create a dumbed down, easily manageable, global population. That population would easily be transitioned into being mere human resources, under a new form of regime: a world governance system, run on an authoritarian type system -- a global slave plantation --, for the benefit of the dominant global hierarchy of international oligarchs.
Her book, "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America" is a brilliantly documented exposé on this subject, comprising hundreds of original documents and official statements right from the horse's mouth: the records of big banking foundations, governments and UNESCO departments -- the institutions that created the blueprint for the worldwide education system that is now set in place, all across the world.
Download Mrs. Iserbyt's book, as well as other materials, on her websites:
http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com
http://www.americandeception.com
Also read the books by the first Director-General of UNESCO, eugenicist and Nazi-sympathized Julian Huxley. He is quite clear in explaining you the purpose of our current global educational system.
This interview was made by Sovereign Solutions.
S.E. CUPP CLASHES WITH ANTI-GUN ADVOCATE
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Minn. City Rejects Islamic Center — and Now CAIR Wants the DOJ to Investigate
ST. ANTHONY VILLAGE, Minn. (KMSP) - After months of debate, the St. Anthony Village City Council has rejected plans to build an Islamic center in the basement of the old Medtronic building -- and some in the Muslim community claim the proposal was voted down due to discrimination.
Just a few days ago, the city's planning commission approved the project, but it's just an advisory board. The ultimate decision always rested with the City Council, which argued that the issue was one of land use and zoning -- not of religious intolerance.
Yet, one civil rights group told FOX 9 News they plan to contact the Department of Justice in the coming days to investigate what happened in the small suburb of Minneapolis. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the department has already gotten involved in more than two dozen rejected mosque projects across the nation.
The chamber was packed on Tuesday night as people on both sides of the issue made their opinions known.
A local Muslim group, known as Abu Huraira, proposed buying the old Medtronics headquarters building on Old Highway 8 in February. Their dream was to turn nearly 13,000 square feet of the lower level into an Islamic center for prayer and gathering space, but the city said some confusion about zoning issues made it unclear if a place of religious assembly was allowed.
So, the city studied the issue, clarified its zoning ordinance, and then rejected the proposal outright by a vote of 4-1.
"It pains me to vote against something people are so passionate about," said Councilman Randy Stille. "It's a land use issue -- nothing more. Always has been."
The Star Tribune reports that the Justice Department has launched investigations into 28 similar cases where new mosques were blocked.
CAIR-MN Will Ask DOJ to Probe Rejection of Mosque Plan
The St. Anthony City Council has voted down a conditional use permit that would have allowed a former Medtronic building to be used for an Islamic center.
Tuesday evening's 4-1 vote against the permit came after a roughly two and a half hour hearing that drew nearly 100 people, most of them against the project.
The Abu-Huraira Islamic Center had requested a conditional use permit that would have allowed them to move into the first floor of the former Medtronic building, located off of Old Highway 8. The building is currently zoned light industrial and city code only lets places of worship exist in residential areas.
The city issued a four-month moratorium to study the zoning issue, prompting the Council on American Islamic Relations to accuse the council of intentionally slowing the process due to community opposition.
City officials say it is strictly a zoning issue because keeping the property as industrial would generate more taxes for the city.
Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, an attorney for the Islamic center said the group could file a lawsuit against the city for discrimination if the permit isn't approved.
The permit had previously been approved by the city's Planning Commission.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
‘Total & Utter Failure’: Watch This British Politician Mercilessly Berate EU Leaders
‘Total & Utter Failure’: Watch This British Politician Mercilessly Berate EU Leaders
Speaking before the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, leader of the UK Independence Party Nigel Farage used his time to do what he does best: verbally savage the eurozone leaders responsible for keeping the 17-nation union on the road to financial ruin.
Speaking before the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, leader of the UK Independence Party Nigel Farage used his time to do what he does best: verbally savage the eurozone leaders responsible for keeping the 17-nation union on the road to financial ruin.
Do We Need More Public School Teachers?
Take a look at the data — as you can see from this graphic, public
school enrollment has minimally increased over the last few decades, but
teacher employment has exploded — the public school workforce has grown
11 times faster than student enrollment over the last 40 years.
Public School Enrollment Since 1970
Public School Enrollment Since 1970
And how does employing more and more teachers affect our students’ performance? While the cost of education has steadily risen, academic scores have remained stagnate and in some cases actually declined. As Cato’s Andrew Coulson notes, if the U.S. returned to the student-to-staff ratio we had in 1970, we could save $210 billion… every year.
Obama vs. Romney on Public School Jobs
Furthermore, on a per pupil basis, the inflation-adjusted average cost of a K-12 education has gone from about $55,000 to about $150,000.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Economics: REPORT: ‘APPARENT CONFLICT OF INTEREST’ BETWEEN FED DIRECTORS AND BAILOUTS
It all begins with a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that claims that, “multiple directors or former directors of the Federal Reserve banks who played a key role in the 2008 bailouts had an apparent conflict of interest,” according to The Washington Examiner.
What’s the “conflict of interest?”
Several of these Fed reserve directors were connected to the companies and banks that received large sums of government money.
Joel Gehrke of Examiner reports:
The office of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who caucuses with the Democrats, noted that the [GAO] report did not name any names, “but unambiguously described several individual cases involving Fed directors that created the appearance of a conflict of interest.”
The group of 18 people connected to both the Federal Reserve and a bailed out company included: the CEO of General Electric, Jeffrey Immelt (who is now Obama’s jobs czar); Stephen Friedman of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.; and Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase.
It gets worse.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York consulted with GE about creating an “emergency program to assist with the commercial paper market” while Jeffery Immelt served as a New York Fed director, according to the Examiner report.
“The Fed later provided $16 billion in financing for GE under the emergency lending program,” even while Immelt held his position with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and GE, according to the Sanders report.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Jamie Dimon was the director for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York when JP Morgan received $29 billion through the Federal Reserve to purchase Bear Stearns, according to the report.
“Dimon also convinced the Fed to take risky mortgage-related assets off of Bear Stearns balance sheet before JP Morgan Chase acquired this troubled investment bank,” writes the Sanders report.
Cf. http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/report-fed-directors-benefited-bailouts
OREGON ‘TEACHER OF THE YEAR’ PRAISES OBAMA, DECLARES ‘SI SE PUEDE’ DURING GRADUATION SPEECH
Last month, Obama admitted he had “stolen” the slogan “Si se puede” from Dolores Huerta, an honorary chair of the Democratic Socialists of America who has praised Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.
Lindsey Graham Grills Eric Holder on Fast and Furious, National Security Leaks
Lindsey Graham Grills Eric Holder on Fast and Furious, National Security Leaks
Meanwhile, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is calling for Holder to resign.
CORNYN: You've violated the public trust in my view by failing to perform the duties of your office. So, Mr. Attorney General it is with more sorrow than with regret and anger that I would say you leave me with no alternative but to join those who call on you to resign your office ...
HOLDER: Senator, with all due respect there is so much wrong with the premises that you started your statement with it's almost breathtaking in its inaccuracy...The desire here is not for an accommodation but for political point-making and that is the kind of thing that you and your side have the ability to do if that's what you want to do, but it's that what turns people off about Washington, while we have serious problems we're still involved with this political gamesmanship
Obama Has Signed 923 Executive Orders In 40 Months
A list describes just how unconstitutional the regime has been.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 10990 allows the government to take over all modes of transportation and control of highways and seaports.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 10995 allows the government to seize and control the communication media.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 10997 allows the government to take over all electrical power, gas, petroleum, fuels and minerals.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 10998 allows the government to take over all food resources and farms.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11000 allows the government to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11001 allows the government to take over all health, education and welfare functions.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11002 designates theof all persons. Postmaster General to operate a national registration
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11003 allows the government to take over all airports and aircraft, including commercial aircraft.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11004 allows the Housing and Finance Authority to relocate communities, build new housing with public funds, designate areas to be abandoned, and establish new locations for populations.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11005 allows the government to take over railroads, inland waterways and public storage facilities.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11049 assigns emergency preparedness function to federal departments and agencies, consolidating 21 operative Executive Orders issued over a fifteen year period.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11051 specifies the responsibility of the Office of Emergency Planning and gives authorization to put all Executive Orders into effect in times of increased international tensions and economic or financial crisis.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11310 grants authority to the Department of Justice to enforce the plans set out in Executive Orders, to institute industrial support, to establish judicial and legislative liaison, to control all aliens, to operate penal and correctional institutions, and to advise and assist the President.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11921 allows the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency to develop plans to establish control over the mechanisms of production and distribution, of energy sources, wages, salaries, credit and the flow of money in U.S. financial institution in any undefined national emergency. It also provides that when a state of emergency is declared by the President, Congress cannot review the action for six months.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 10990 allows the government to take over all modes of transportation and control of highways and seaports.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 10995 allows the government to seize and control the communication media.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 10997 allows the government to take over all electrical power, gas, petroleum, fuels and minerals.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 10998 allows the government to take over all food resources and farms.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11000 allows the government to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11001 allows the government to take over all health, education and welfare functions.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11002 designates theof all persons. Postmaster General to operate a national registration
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11003 allows the government to take over all airports and aircraft, including commercial aircraft.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11004 allows the Housing and Finance Authority to relocate communities, build new housing with public funds, designate areas to be abandoned, and establish new locations for populations.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11005 allows the government to take over railroads, inland waterways and public storage facilities.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11049 assigns emergency preparedness function to federal departments and agencies, consolidating 21 operative Executive Orders issued over a fifteen year period.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11051 specifies the responsibility of the Office of Emergency Planning and gives authorization to put all Executive Orders into effect in times of increased international tensions and economic or financial crisis.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11310 grants authority to the Department of Justice to enforce the plans set out in Executive Orders, to institute industrial support, to establish judicial and legislative liaison, to control all aliens, to operate penal and correctional institutions, and to advise and assist the President.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11921 allows the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency to develop plans to establish control over the mechanisms of production and distribution, of energy sources, wages, salaries, credit and the flow of money in U.S. financial institution in any undefined national emergency. It also provides that when a state of emergency is declared by the President, Congress cannot review the action for six months.
Monday, June 11, 2012
History Video: NKOREAN PRISON CAMP SURVIVOR: STARVING WOMEN COOKED & ATE THEIR OWN CHILDREN
NKOREAN PRISON CAMP SURVIVOR: STARVING WOMEN COOKED & ATE THEIR OWN CHILDREN
American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) takes an in-depth look at higher education in the Golden State
American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) takes an in-depth look at higher education in the Golden State
YUIORTA Soundcheck, Interview
Nice Ian/Ronno interview and rehearsal footage from around the time of the release of YUIORTA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8raYr-48h0
2 part Ian Hunter interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtBkeViqJUQ&feature=channel&list=UL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq-mPDZOryE&feature=relmfu
Religious Liberty HHS Mandate
Rabbi Cary Kozberg at the Columbus Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally, June 8, 2012
National Security Secrecy and Surveillance: Defending the Public’s Right to Know
Last month, ACLU Deputy Legal Director Jameel Jaffer participated in a panel convened by Open Society Foundations in New York City entitled National Security Secrecy and Surveillance: Defending the Public’s Right to Know.
The conversation, which was moderated by secrecy expert Steven Aftergood, a Senior Research Analyst at the Federation of American Scientists, focused on the high level of secrecy and minimal oversight which currently surrounds many national security operations. Topics discussed ranged from government surveillance of Americans’ international communications under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to the U.S. government’s targeted killing program.
In addition to Jameel, panelists included: National Security Agency whistleblower Thomas Drake; Department of Justice whistleblower Jesselyn Radack, who now serves as National Security & Human Rights Director at the Government Accountability Project; and Tim Shorrock, an investigative journalist and the author of Spies For Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing.
Obama asserted on Friday that private sector employment in the U.S."is doing fine".
Obama out of touch: 'Private sector doing fine', 'fundamentals' of U.S. economy 'sound'
House committee schedules contempt vote against Holder
House committee schedules contempt vote against Holder
Sunday, June 10, 2012
SPIN DOCTOR: THREE TIMES DAVID AXELROD IS ASKED WHETHER THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS ‘DOING FINE’ & THREE TIMES HE AVOIDS THE QUESTION
SPIN DOCTOR: THREE TIMES DAVID AXELROD IS ASKED WHETHER THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS ‘DOING FINE’ & THREE TIMES HE AVOIDS THE QUESTION
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
Star Parker
Star Parker: Wall Street protesters simply want more government
Star Parker: Welfare dependency destroys black families
Star Parker on Poverty: What happened to self-initiative?
Interview by Matt Friedeman with Star Parker at the Value Voters Summit by the American Family Association in Washington, DC on October 7, 2011.
Star Parker: It's easy to blame problems on others and excuse the lack of self-initiative. What happened to good old-fashion planting a garden?
The challenge is that poverty in America today is that it has been redefined. You don't need to be in serious need, you just need to make bad choices and find yourself in the category of meeting government assistance.
In 2008, Harvard Law classmate, law review colleague remembered Obama as ‘a pretty cold fish’
“He said, ‘Look, what do you care who does the work?’” Liebau recalled Obama saying in reference to her management of the law review. “’It is the same amount of work for you to hand out the work no matter who it goes to, so why fight it? Do what’s easiest for you. Give the work to the people who will do the work, and just don’t worry about the people who don’t want to pull their weight.’”
Liebau wasn’t impressed.
“I guess I was young and naïve: I was like, ‘Ah but that wouldn’t be fair,’” she said.
“And what surprised me is apparently that didn’t bother Barack at all. It was just kind of like — take the easy way out. Why bother yourself with all these silly notions about justice and fairness? Do what works. Revealing? I don’t know. Good advice? I didn’t particularly think so.”
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/06/03/harvard-law-classmate-law-review-colleague-remembered-obama-in-2008-a-pretty-cold-fish/#ixzz1xE8idXPB
Thursday, June 7, 2012
What constitutes as a “Green Job”?
What constitutes as a “Green Job”? We are willing to loan $38.6 billion for programs that would help save or create 65,000 jobs, equating to over $5 million per job. This video asks if you know what the Obama Administration considers a “green job”? The video features audio of Rep. Issa‘s questioning of the president’s top Labor Department statistician during a hearing on 6 June 2012.
Judiciary Oversight Hearing Spotlight "Fast and Furious," Holy Land Foundation
CSPAN
Rep. Gohmert appears at 2:27:43 asking about the Holy Land Foundation trial.
WASHINGTON, DC
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Attorney General Eric Holder was asked about leaked wiretap applications related to the government’s “Fast and Furious” operation aimed at arresting members of drug cartels. Committee Republicans say the documents show that senior Justice Department officials knew the operation involved a tactic known as gun walking, where smugglers are allowed to move guns across the border with Mexico.
The Attorney General said the documents contain no reference to gun walking. His testimony came before the annual Justice Department Oversight hearing at the House Judiciary Committee.
The Justice Department’s voting rights enforcement actions were also discussed, with Republican members questioning the Department’s effort to stop a purge of the voter roles in Florida.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) pressured the Attorney General with contempt of Congress because he believes the Justice Department has moved slowly in response to the committee's investigation. The Justice Department has said they can not disclose the thousands of supporting documents the committee has requested because it would interfere with the Agency's ongoing investigations.
The operation allowed illegal gun purchases along the Southwest border in Arizona, intending to track the weapons to cartel leaders. Instead, around 1,700 guns were misplaced. Eventually they appeared at crime scenes in Mexico, and two were recovered after a U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed in Tucson.
Additionally, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) called on Attorney General Holder to answer to DOJ’s apparent selective enforcement on immigration and drug policy.
Rep. Gohmert appears at 2:27:43 asking about the Holy Land Foundation trial.
WASHINGTON, DC
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Attorney General Eric Holder was asked about leaked wiretap applications related to the government’s “Fast and Furious” operation aimed at arresting members of drug cartels. Committee Republicans say the documents show that senior Justice Department officials knew the operation involved a tactic known as gun walking, where smugglers are allowed to move guns across the border with Mexico.
The Attorney General said the documents contain no reference to gun walking. His testimony came before the annual Justice Department Oversight hearing at the House Judiciary Committee.
The Justice Department’s voting rights enforcement actions were also discussed, with Republican members questioning the Department’s effort to stop a purge of the voter roles in Florida.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) pressured the Attorney General with contempt of Congress because he believes the Justice Department has moved slowly in response to the committee's investigation. The Justice Department has said they can not disclose the thousands of supporting documents the committee has requested because it would interfere with the Agency's ongoing investigations.
The operation allowed illegal gun purchases along the Southwest border in Arizona, intending to track the weapons to cartel leaders. Instead, around 1,700 guns were misplaced. Eventually they appeared at crime scenes in Mexico, and two were recovered after a U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed in Tucson.
Additionally, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) called on Attorney General Holder to answer to DOJ’s apparent selective enforcement on immigration and drug policy.
Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) also pleaded with Holder to provide Congress with the documents from the Holy Land case. Once again, the attorney general would not budge or make a firm commitment.
TEEN CLAIMS OBAMA IS ‘MAKING KIDS GAY’ IN RADIO SHOW RANT AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY
Caiden Cowger is a 14-year-old who hosts a twice-weekly radio show based in West Virginia. It may be safe to assume that Cowger’s following is relatively small, but he’s getting now national attention.
He goes as far to say President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are “making kids gay.”
‘YOU’RE NOT SPECIAL’: WELLESLEY HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER GIVES THE MOST BLUNT COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS EVER
Wellesley High School teacher David McCullough had apparently had enough of feeding blithering platitudes to his students and decided to tell the truth. The result sparked controversy among the parents, who didn’t like hearing their children accused of being cosseted and pampered little brats who believed they were special for no reason. But sometimes the truth hurts. Read the greatest hits below:
You are not special. You are not exceptional.
Contrary to what your soccer trophy suggests, your glowing seventh grade report card, despite every assurance of a certain corpulent purple dinosaur, that nice Mister Rogers and your batty Aunt Sylvia, no matter how often your maternal caped crusader has swooped in to save you… you’re nothing special.
Yes, you’ve been pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble-wrapped. Yes, capable adults with other things to do have held you, kissed you, fed you, wiped your mouth, wiped your bottom, trained you, taught you, tutored you, coached you, listened to you, counseled you, encouraged you, consoled you and encouraged you again. You’ve been nudged, cajoled, wheedled and implored. You’ve been feted and fawned over and called sweetie pie. Yes, you have. And, certainly, we’ve been to your games, your plays, your recitals, your science fairs. Absolutely, smiles ignite when you walk into a room, and hundreds gasp with delight at your every tweet. Why, maybe you’ve even had your picture in the Townsman! [Editor's upgrade: Or The Swellesley Report!] And now you’ve conquered high school… and, indisputably, here we all have gathered for you, the pride and joy of this fine community, the first to emerge from that magnificent new building…
But do not get the idea you’re anything special. Because you’re not.[...]
“But, Dave,” you cry, “Walt Whitman tells me I’m my own version of perfection! Epictetus tells me I have the spark of Zeus!” And I don’t disagree. So that makes 6.8 billion examples of perfection, 6.8 billion sparks of Zeus. You see, if everyone is special, then no one is. If everyone gets a trophy, trophies become meaningless. In our unspoken but not so subtle Darwinian competition with one another-which springs, I think, from our fear of our own insignificance, a subset of our dread of mortality – we have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, come to love accolades more than genuine achievement. We have come to see them as the point – and we’re happy to compromise standards, or ignore reality, if we suspect that’s the quickest way, or only way, to have something to put on the mantelpiece, something to pose with, crow about, something with which to leverage ourselves into a better spot on the social totem pole. No longer is it how you play the game, no longer is it even whether you win or lose, or learn or grow, or enjoy yourself doing it… Now it’s “So what does this get me?” As a consequence, we cheapen worthy endeavors, and building a Guatemalan medical clinic becomes more about the application to Bowdoin than the well-being of Guatemalans. It’s an epidemic – and in its way, not even dear old Wellesley High is immune… one of the best of the 37,000 nationwide, Wellesley High School… where good is no longer good enough, where a B is the new C, and the midlevel curriculum is called Advanced College Placement. And I hope you caught me when I said “one of the best.” I said “one of the best” so we can feel better about ourselves, so we can bask in a little easy distinction, however vague and unverifiable, and count ourselves among the elite, whoever they might be, and enjoy a perceived leg up on the perceived competition. But the phrase defies logic. By definition there can be only one best. You‘re it or you’re not.
Holder: "Fast & Furious" is Not "Fast & Furious"
House committee schedules contempt vote against Holder
Holder: "Fast & Furious" is Not "Fast & Furious"
Should the Attorney General "run guns" to Mexico that leads to the death of an American border patrol officer? Why or why not?
Under questioning from Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who read excerpts of the emails at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Justice Department oversight, Holder claimed that the phrase “Fast and Furious” did not refer to Fast and Furious but instead referred to another gun-walking operation known as “Wide Receiver.”
This came not long after a tense confrontation between Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Holder as lawmakers attempted to keep the heat on Holder and his administration.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
MSNBC’S MARTIN BASHIR CONFRONTS OCCUPY SUPPORTER OVER ANTI-SEMITISM
“There’s been some reporting that anti-Semitism has begun to emerge and…” Bashir began. Simmons incredulously interrupted, “Can you repeat that?!”
The interview had initially begun amicably, with Bashir asking multiple softball questions before completely gobsmacking Simmons.
“Well, anti-semitism,” Bashir repeated.
“Can you repeat that?” asked a mystified Simmons. “Where’d you get that from — Bill O’Reilly or somebody?”
“No, let me show you,” Bashir said. “A group called the Emergency Committee For Israel has released this advert, watch this.”
Obama Gaffes
Then-Senator Obama referring to Pennsylvanians as “bitter” people who “cling to guns or religion.”
‘REAL NEWS FROM THE BLAZE’ WISCONSIN RECALL POSTMORTEM
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/real-news-from-the-blaze-wisconsin-recall-postmortem/
WHY WON’T THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE APPOINT A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR FOR NATIONAL SECURITY LEAKS?
WHY WON’T THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE APPOINT A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR FOR NATIONAL SECURITY LEAKS?
During Deputy U.S. Attorney General James Cole’s appearance Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee on another matter, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, asked him if a special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate a recent series of leaks that possibly emanated from the White House, Roll Call reported.
During Deputy U.S. Attorney General James Cole’s appearance Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee on another matter, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, asked him if a special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate a recent series of leaks that possibly emanated from the White House, Roll Call reported.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
‘GO VOTE’: MILWAUKEE TEACHERS UNION PRESIDENT BRAGS ABOUT PUSHING RECALL IN CLASSROOMS
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/go-vote-milwaukee-teachers-union-president-brags-about-pushing-recall-in-classrooms/
Religious freedom
Oliver Thomas: Religious freedom has its limitations
Here’s a video railing against Measure 3 as unnecessary and dangerous:
Here’s a video showcasing support for the proposal:
MINN. HIGH SCHOOL REQUIRES ENTIRE SENIOR CLASS TO TAKE BREATHALYZER BEFORE GRADUATING
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/minn-high-school-requires-entire-senior-class-to-take-breathalyzer-before-graduating/
Clinton's Revenge? Romney record 'sterling,' Insults Obummer at Fund Raiser, Morris Says Clinton Wants Obama to Lose
CLINTON SLAMS OBAMA: 'I’M THE ONLY GUY WHO GAVE YOU FOUR SURPLUS BUDGETS'
On 4 June 2012 in New York City Obama and Clinton held a joint fundraiser. Bill Clinton had to remind everyone of the difference between his presidency and Obama’s.
“And, I care about the long term debt of the country a lot. Remember me, I’m the only guy that gave you four surplus budgets out of the eight I sent.”
Former Clinton Adviser Dick Morris - 'Bill Clinton Does Not Want Barack Obama to Win' [6-04-2012]
Boston College Law Grad Gets Job: $4.81 per hour, which is a fraction of minimum wage
Open Job At Boston Law Firm Pays Just $10,000 Per Year
BC Law students pay $44,000 per year to study at the school.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Economics: Green Energy Stimulated Goes Bankrupt
Tenn. truck stop got stimulus money despite bankruptcy
Cf. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111003/NEWS0201/310020028/E-Tenn-truck-stop-got-stimulus-money-despite-bankruptcy?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
LA Top Cop in Bed with Muslim Brotherhood
Deputy Chief Michael Downing of the Los Angeles Police Department officially partners with the Muslim Brotherhood to fight Muslim terrorism. Downing calls the Muslim Brotherhood "Like Democrats and Republicans."
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Deputy Chief Michael Downing, who is the Commanding Officer of the Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau, shows some knowledge of the Muslim Brotherhood, but dismisses accusations that it is currently a threat because, in his words, it has “evolved and changed.”
On May 15, 2011, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Muslim Public Affairs Unit held a town hall at the Islamic Center of Southern California, a mosque with Brotherhood origins. It was moderated by the Muslim Public Affairs Council, a group that was founded by Brotherhood ideologues. Tom Trento of The United West held up a copy of Shariah: The Threat to America, authored by top national security experts, and asked if the speakers believe that there is a Muslim Brotherhood presence in Los Angeles County and what is being done about it.
Downing answered the question by conceding that he is “sure” that the Brotherhood is in his county, but did not address its threat potential. Trento approached him after the event and, on videotape, Downing said that “the message is not to demonize the Brotherhood here” because it has “evolved and changed.” He compared it to how there are more moderate and more extreme elements of the Republican and Democratic parties and said it would be wrong to oppose a group like the Muslim Students Association just because it was founded by the Brotherhood.
He then encouraged Trento to study ijtihad, an Islamic concept that permits independent scrutiny of specific interpretations. When Trento responded that, according to mainstream Islamic theology, ijtihad is “closed,” Downing disagreed, only saying, “it’s not.”
The United West’s video of the encounter then quotes the 2011 edition of the Encyclopedia Britanica about ijtihad, confirming that it was declared a thing in the past by the Islamic schools of jurisprudence by 1258 A.D. Downing would later use the incident as an example of those who “want to instill fear in the hearts of the American people because they don’t tell the truth.”Downing’s response isn’t surprising. In 2010, he said, “CAIR is not a terrorist-supporting organization” and condescendingly added that anyone who disagrees with him is an “amateur intelligence officer.” Apparently to Downing, the federal government only consists of amateurs. In 2007, a court filing by the federal government stated, “From its founding by Muslim Brotherhood leaders, CAIR conspired with other affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood to support terrorists.” By Downing’s definition, District Court Judge Solis is also an amateur because he ruled that the government provided “ample” evidence tying CAIR to Hamas to uphold the “unindicted co-conspirator” designation.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Tea Party Television Views Occupy: Language
Sally Zelikovsky is a former attorney, turned mother of three. She is the Founder of Bay Area Patriots and Coordinator of the San Francisco Tea Party.
"America has to wake up to this new reality: the Cold War battle between
communism and capitalism is back, only this time it's on our front porch.
It went underground in the 70s, got an education, put on a suit, bought a
house and had a couple of kids. Then it used the schools to educate new
foot soldiers and manipulated the pop culture to indoctrinate the next
generation of fellow travelers who seek to create a new world order in the
image of old world Marxism." Read the entire article, "The Revolutionaries'
Revenge" by Sally Zelikovksy at http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/10/the_revolutionaries_revenge.html and watch "The
Occupation Manifesto" produced by Sally Zelikovsky, Steve Kemp, and Virginia Walters
and listen to the Occupiers
discuss their Marxist vision for America.
Read the "American Thinker" article at http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/10/the_revolutionaries_revenge.html
Saturday, June 2, 2012
For Greater Glory, Review by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Religious liberty is never guaranteed by anything but our own vigilance. Even in this country, contempt for religious faith, and especially the Catholic faith, is alive and well.
This film is about the the dramatic and tragic tension which occurred when a secular world view imposed itself on the profoundly religious Mexican culture of the early 20th Century. Lives were lost, and many became martyrs. Originally beatified on Nov. 22, 1992 by Pope John Paul II, 25 Mexican martyrs, including priests, seminarians, and laity were canonized by His Holiness in the Jubilee Year of 2000. The cost in blood of promoting the cause of these Mexican saints is not commonly acknowledged. His Eminence, Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas was assassinated within a year of the beatifications on May 26, 1993. And the recently retired archbishop of Guadalajara, Cardinal Juan Sandoval was maliciously poisoned, though his life was saved though emergency surgery. During the Holy Year 2000 the Catholic Church was falsely accused of using the canonization of these Mexican Martyrs to politically influence the Mexican elections. This is when the "interconstitutional commission" comprising representatives of the federal and state governments and the Catholic Church determined that the killing of Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas of Guadalajara, Jalisco on May 26, 1993 was not accidental.
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