Legislative Attack on Catholic Church in Connecticut
March 9, 2009 Posted by Crystal Samples
3/7/2009
On Thursday, March 5, a bill was introduced in the Connecticut state legislature, and immediately referred to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. It targets one – and only one – church in the state, the Catholic Church, and would strip the bishops and priests of the state of any power to exercise administrative authority over their parishes.
Raised Bill No. 1098 is a committee bill and does not bear the names of any individual sponsors. Both co-chairmen of the committee, State Sen. Andrew McDonald and State Rep. Michael Lawlor, are outspoken proponents of same-sex marriage in Connecticut and have been critical of the Catholic Church’s opposition to both civil unions and same-sex marriage.
The stated purpose of the bill is to “provide for the investigation of the misappropriation of funds by religious corporations,” but it deals only with the corporate structure of the Catholic Church. No other church is mentioned, or would be subject to the bill’s requirements.
The measure has been put on a legislative fast track, with hearings scheduled for Wednesday, March 11, less than a week after its introduction. Knights of Columbus, and all concerned Connecticut Catholics, are encouraged to attend the hearing that day and express their opposition to the bill. They may also call or write the committee co-chairmen, State Sen. Andrew McDonald (800-842-1420 or McDonald@senatedems.ct.gov), and State Rep. Michael Lawlor (800-842-8267 or MLawlor99@juno.com.
Source: Free Public
What in the name of God is going on in this country? What right does any government have to interfere in the business affairs of a church? And why are they singling out the Catholic Church other than for political reasons?
This is abuse of power at its very worst. It’s time we all took a stand against this kind of tyranny!
Jewish Leaders Blast Clinton Over Israel Criticism
February 26, 2009 Posted by Crystal Samples
Zuckerman, Lawmakers, Local Jews Say Secretary Of State Not The Hillary Clinton They Used To Know
Hillary Pressuring Israel To Speed Up Aid To Gaza
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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| Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks to members and guests of the Asia society Feb. 13, 2009, in New York City. Secretary Clinton’s speech was made ahead of her first official trip to the East Asian countries.Mario Tama/Getty images |
In a swift about face from her views as New York’s Senator, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now hammering Israel over its treatment of Palestinians in Gaza.
As first lady, Clinton raised eyebrows when she kissed Suha Arafat.
Since she was then seeking a senate seat the resulting brouhaha caused her to “re-think” her positions.
“I’m a very strong supporter of Israel,” Clinton said on Feb. 17.
On Thursday, as Secretary of State she had yet another about face in the form of angry messages demanding Israel speed up aid to Gaza. Jewish leaders are furious.
“I am very surprised, frankly, at this statement from the United States government and from the Secretary of State,” New York Daily news publisher Mortimer Zuckerman said.
“I liked her a lot more as a senator from New York,” Assemblyman Dov Hikind, D-Brooklyn, said. “Now, I wonder as I used to wonder who the real Hillary Clinton is.”
Clinton’s decision to hammer Israel comes as the Clintons and President Barack Obama are planning to give the Palestinians $900 million toward the rebuilding of Gaza in the wake of the Israeli offensive that was sparked by Hamas rocket fire. To read more…
She now works for Obama and he is about as anti-Israel as they come. Shame on all you Jewish people who voted for him!!
US plans $900 million pledge for Gaza
February 24, 2009 Posted by Crystal Samples
Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:26pm GMT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States plans to pledge more than $900 million (621 million pounds) to help rebuild Gaza after Israel’s invasion and strengthen the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, a US official said on Monday.
The money will be channeled through U.N. and other bodies and will not be distributed via the militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to make the announcement next week at a Gaza donors conference in Egypt.
(Reporting by Sue Pleming) Link
There are so many things wrong with this plan it boggles the mind! First Gaza citizens voted for Hamas – a terrorist organization. They get what they voted for and when that government is attacked by a democratic country defending itself against terrorism – well, too bad.
You cannot give money to terrorists and expect to win a war against them.
Obama eyes intel pick tied to bin Laden
Posted by Crystal Samples
Business dealing, close contacts with family of terrorist mastermind
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Posted: February 24, 2009 2:48 pm Eastern By Aaron Klein © 2009 WorldNetDaily
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| Chas W. Freeman |
JERUSALEM – The Obama administration’s reported pick for a top intelligence post has financial ties to the infamous bin Laden family – including dealings after Sept. 11, 2001. Charles “Chas” Freeman, the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War, is slated to head the National Intelligence Council, according to multiple reports. Freeman has come under fire in the Israeli media and on some pro-Israel blogs for his sharp criticism of the Jewish state. He also reportedly heavily criticized American anti-terrorism policy. Now Ashley Rinsdberg, a Jerusalem-based researcher and blogger for the Daily Beast website has dug up another issue that may cause even bigger worry for the likely Obama appointee – he had business ties to Osama bin Laden’s family and strongly defended the connections after 9/11. Rindsberg documented how as chairman of Projects International, Inc., a company that develops worldwide business deals, Freeman declared in an Associated Press interview just after the 9/11 attacks he was still “discussing proposals with the Bin Laden Group – and that won’t change.” To read more…
This doesn’t surprise me, but then again, nothing that Obama does surprises me – we all knew when he was elected –the US was doomed. As I’ve said before and will repeat now – Obama is a Muslim and there his sentiments will be.
Don’t link Islam to terror, Islamic chief urges
December 19, 2008 Posted by Crystal Samples
Fri Dec 19, 2008 1:07pm EST
By Robert Evans
GENEVA (Reuters) - The world’s top diplomat for Islam called on Friday for an end to what he termed efforts to equate the religion with terrorism and said the ‘demonization’ of Muslims around the world must be fought.
But speaking soon after the U.N. General Assembly passed an Islamic-sponsored resolution condemning “defamation of religion” for the fourth year in a row, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said his group was committed to respecting freedom of expression.
There was a “rising tide of incitement to religious hatred and discrimination and intolerance targeting Muslims,” he told a meeting called by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) at the United Nations in Geneva. The 57-nation OIC, based in Saudi Arabia, represents 1.5 billion Muslims.
“Attempts to equate Islam with terrorism should be stopped. Stereotyping and demonization of Muslims should be combated,” said Ihsanoglu, a Turkish history professor who became OIC Secretary-General in 2005.
In a statement on Ihsanoglu’s remarks, Geneva spokesman for the International Humanist and Ethical Union Roy Brown argued that Islam was often linked to terror because perpetrators of many terrorist acts identify themselves as Muslims.
Critics of the OIC — including countries who voted against the “defamation” motion at U.N. headquarters in New York on Thursday — say many Islamic states use defamation or “blasphemy” laws against minorities and free-thinkers.
Referring to the U.N. vote, in which for the first time since the OIC introduced a “defamation” motion in 2005 more countries voted against or abstained than voted for, Ihsanoglu said the motives of the Islamic grouping were misunderstood.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
The aim of the OIC, he declared, “is not to protect religion against critics based on objective and rational interrogation.” The body, he added, “is firmly committed to respect for freedom of expression, which is a fundamental human right.”
In a statement issued earlier this week, watchdogs on freedom of expression for the U.N.’s Human Rights Council and for key regional inter-state organizations in Africa, Europe and Latin America called for an end to “defamation” resolutions.
The four, three of them prominent developing country human rights lawyers, said that where “blasphemy” laws existed they had often been used “to prevent legitimate criticism of powerful religious leaders and to suppress the views of minorities, dissenting believers and non-believers.”
In an echo of their comments, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told Friday’s meeting that when criticism of religion became incitement to hatred “urgent but proportionate” action should be taken.
But, she added, “speech critical of religions does not necessarily constitute such incitement” and that it should always be assessed “stressing the importance of protecting the rights of both religious minorities and non-believers alike.”
(Editing by Stephanie Nebehay and Ralph Boulton) Source
Let’s see - where do I begin? People associate terror with Islam because 99% of all terrorism is perpetuated by Muslims. If you want people to stop the association, then stop terrorizing people.
Discrimination against Muslims? Saudi Arabia doesn’t allow any Jews in their country - none, zilch, nada. Israel has Arabs as legislators in the government. Arabs are allowed to live in Israel, but Jews aren’t allowed to buy property or live in “Palestinian lands” whatever that is. Who is discriminating whom?
Free speech? Please. When the Dutch politicians Geert Wilders released his documentary film Fitna - he received death threats. Why? If free speech is so respected in Islam - why the death threats?
The rank hypocrisy is astounding. I think it’s about time for Muslims to seriously examine themselves and reform their religion if they want respect among the peoples of this world.
IDF preparing options for strike at Iran without US assent
December 3, 2008 Posted by Crystal Samples
Dec 4, 2008 0:40 | Updated Dec 4, 2008 1:55
The IDF is drawing up options for a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities that do not include coordination with the United States, the Jerusalem Post has learned.
Iran’s nuclear power plant in Bushehr, southwest of Teheran. Photo: AP [file] |
While its preference is to coordinate with the US, defense officials have said Israel is preparing a wide range of options for such an operation.
“It is always better to coordinate,” one top Defense Ministry official explained last week. “But we are also preparing options that do not include coordination.”
Israeli officials have said it would be difficult, but not impossible, to launch a strike against Iran without receiving codes from the US Air Force, which controls Iraqi airspace. Israel also asked for the codes in 1991 during the First Gulf War, but the US refused.
“There are a wide range of risks one takes when embarking on such an operation,” a top Israeli official said.
Several news reports have claimed recently that US President George W. Bush has refused to give Israel a green light for an attack on Iranian facilities. One such report, published in September in Britain’s Guardian newspaper, claimed that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert requested a green light to attack Iran in May but was refused by Bush. To read more…
Israel’s window of opportunity is fast closing to do this operation with a sympathetic president in the White House.
Muslims condemn Mumbai attacks, worry about image
November 30, 2008 Posted by Crystal Samples
By KARIN LAUB, Associated Press Writer Karin Laub, Associated Press Writer – 41 mins ago
RAMALLAH, West Bank – Muslims from the Middle East to Britain and Austria condemned Sunday the Mumbai shooting rampage by suspected Islamic militants as senseless terrorism, but also found themselves on the defensive once again about bloodshed linked to their religion.
Intellectuals and community leaders called for greater efforts to combat religious fanaticism. To read more…
Poor muslims - if it weren’t for all the terror they’ve been committing, the bombings and the killings, the jihad they wage daily - maybe the world would see them as peaceful?
Gunmen kill at least 82 in rampage across Mumbai
November 26, 2008 Posted by Crystal Samples
By RAMOLA TALWAR BADAM, Associated Press Writer Ramola Talwar Badam, Associated Press Writer – 12 mins ago
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| AP – The Taj Hotel, Mumbai’s landmark hotel, is caught fire after an attack in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, … |
MUMBAI, India – Teams of gunmen stormed luxury hotels, a popular restaurant, hospitals and a crowded train station in coordinated attacks across India’s financial capital Wednesday night, killing at least 82 people and taking Westerners hostage, police said. A group of suspected Muslim militants claimed responsibility.Parts of the city remained under siege as dawn approached Thursday, with police and gunmen exchanging occasional gunfire at two hotels and an unknown number of people still held hostage, said A.N. Roy, a top police official. Soldiers also took up positions across the city.A raging fire and explosions struck the landmark Taj Mahal hotel shortly after midnight. Screams could be heard and black smoke billowed from the century-old edifice on Mumbai’s waterfront. Firefighters sprayed water at the blaze and plucked people from windows and balconies with extension ladders.
Terrorism hasn’t gone away.
Matthew 24:6-7
Israeli Air Force ‘Ready for Iran’s Nuclear Sites’
November 20, 2008 Posted by Crystal Samples
Thursday, November 20, 2008
The Israeli Air Force is ready to attack Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons project if diplomacy fails to persuade the Islamic Republic to halt uranium enrichment, said Commander Ido Nehushtan in an interview published Tuesday.
The news comes as the U.N. watchdog agency reports Iran is probably at the point of being capable of making a nuclear bomb.”We are prepared and ready to do whatever Israel needs us to do and if this is the mission we’re given then we are ready,” Nehushtan told German magazine Der Spiegel.A strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities “is a political decision,” the IAF commander said, “but if I understand it correctly, all options are on the table … The Air Force is a very robust and flexible force. We are ready to do whatever is demanded of us.”
Asked if the Israeli military would be able to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities, which are spread around the country, with some built underground, Nehushtan said, “Please understand that I do not want to get into details. I can only say this: It is not a technical or logistical question.” To read more…
This is a new and interesting development on the Iranian nuclear situation. We know that Iran and Israel will one day have a show down prophesied by
Ezekiel 38:5
World struggles to take on plague of Somali piracy
Posted by Crystal Samples
By TOM MALITI, Associated Press Writer Tom Maliti, Associated Press Writer – 14 mins ago
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| Play Video ABC News – Somalia: A Haven for Pirates? |
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The African Union urged the United Nations to quickly send peacekeepers to Somalia but that appeared unlikely anytime soon. A U.N. peacekeeping operation in the early 1990s saw the downing of two U.S. Army helicopters and killing of 18 American soldiers. The U.S. withdrew and U.N. peacekeepers were gone by 1995.
In New York, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to authorize its sanctions committee to recommend people and entities who would be subject to an asset freeze and travel ban, measures that may be aimed at local officials suspected of aiding the pirates. But it was unclear how that could affect the pirates, who live off cash ransoms dropped in burlap sacks from helicopters or in waterproof suitcases loaded onto skiffs. To read more…
Rom 1:28-32
