August 31, 2006

FAA Bans People From Flights (humor)
'Zero Tolerance for People,' Chertoff Says

In a move aimed at further tightening airport security, the Federal Aviation Administration announced today that it would ban all people from flights leaving or entering the United States , effective immediately.

The FAA, which has in the past banned such objects as toenail clippers and hair gel, took the extraordinary step of banning people after the Department of Homeland Security conducted a thorough investigation of previous terror plots.

"We looked at terror plots of the past, and in each and every case, people were involved," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff at a Washington press briefing. "These new rules send the strong message that the FAA has zero tolerance for people."

Mr. Chertoff said that while banning liquids from flights was a constructive step, the only true solution was to ban people altogether.

"Let's face it, hair gel doesn't kill people," he said. "People kill people."

The Homeland Security Secretary acknowledged that the new rules would curtail Americans' ability to travel, but added, "On the plus side, that will make them easier for us to spy on."

The FAA's ban on people onboard flights raised questions for the nation's airlines, which must now ponder what, if anything, their airplanes will be carrying.

Davis Logsdon, who studies the airline industry at the University of Minnesota , said that the FAA's crackdown on people could be a "win-win" for the airlines: "Maybe if the airlines don't have people to worry about, they can finally concentrate on getting our luggage to the right destination."

Gasoline prices could keep falling: "We'll be closer to $2 than $3 come Thanksgiving."
8/30/2006 -Gasoline prices are falling fast and could keep dropping for months.

"The only place they have to go is down," says Fred Rozell, gasoline analyst at the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS). "We'll be closer to $2 than $3 come Thanksgiving."

Travel organization AAA foresees prices 10 cents a gallon lower by the end of next week. It reported a nationwide average of $2.84 Tuesday, the lowest since April 20.

It's good news for consumers and the economy. Continued lower prices "may act like a tax cut" and stimulate spending, says Richard DeKaser, chief economist at National City in Cleveland ...
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2006-08-29-gas-price-usat_x.htm

Oil Inventory Report - Strong 2.4 million barrels increase
http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/weekly_petroleum_status_report/current/txt/wpsr.txt

US economic growth revised up to 2.9 percent
Aug 30 -The US government has revised second-quarter economic growth up to 2.9 percent from an initial estimate of 2.5 percent thanks to robust private-sector investment.

The Commerce Department's gross domestic product (GDP) figure for the three months ended June was roughly in line with Wall Street's consensus forecast of 3.0 percent.

...The lift to GDP came as the Commerce Department reported massive investment by companies in infrastructure. At 22.2 percent, the rise in investment was the strongest since the second quarter of 1994...
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/08/30/060830134229.hkc30taq.html

GDP Increases in Spring

Aug 30-The economy grew at a 2.9 percent annual rate in the spring - better than first estimated...

The latest snapshot of economic activity, released by the Commerce Department Wednesday, showed that gross domestic product in the April-to-June quarter increased slightly more than the 2.5 percent pace first reported a month ago. That upgrade mostly reflected an improvement in the country's trade picture and stronger inventory building by businesses...

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060830/D8JQOF8G0.html

Ernesto didn't strengthen – weathermen stumped
Storm comes ashore as dud despite forecasts of intensification
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-0829stumped,0,7138105.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

Some illegals find U.S. border tougher to cross
'The 1st fence I jumped. But I never dreamed there would be another one'
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003233107_bordersecurity29.html

Teachers urged to tolerate swearing (New Age gobbledygook)
August 27, 2006 — Victor Valley Union High School District teachers have been coached on a new approach to disciplining students.

Culberson, director of youth services for the San Bernardino City Unified School District , said at a back-to-school inservice meeting that students today have less respect for authority than they did when many teachers were in school and consequently, some teachers have unrealistic expectations of their students.

...teachers need to learn to interpret their students’ body language. When a student is visibly agitated, the teacher might not want to push any buttons by asking if he or she brought in homework that day. (So just walk around with a scowl all day and never be bothered by another teacher again)

“We need to see ourselves as teachers and adults in the classroom,” Weaver said, “but we shouldn’t see ourselves as dictators, where students see themselves as far less than the teacher.” (Oh, puttung kids and teachers on the same level should work great...)

Teachers should never take anything a student says personally, Culberson said. He referred to a teacher’s personal “f-— you” meter, meaning the number of times a teenager swears at them before they would discipline the student. If teachers have a low tolerance for bad behavior and frequently send a student out of the classroom, the students will drive them crazy whereas teachers with a high tolerance will be able to calmly follow school procedure and still discipline the student, Culberson said in an interview. State law prohibits vulgarity and swearing in the classroom and allows discipline ranging from suspension to being expelled, no matter what background a student comes from.

“Everything that I do is designed for the mental health of the teacher,” Culberson said
http://www.vvdailypress.com/2006/115669067893658.html

Arnold terminates school moral codes
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has tossed out all sexual moral conduct codes at colleges, private and Christian schools, daycare centers and other facilities throughout his state, if the institutions have any students who get state assistance.

The governor yesterday signed a bill that would require all businesses and groups receiving state funding -- even if it's a state grant for a student -- to condone homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality.

There is no exception for faith-based organizations or business owners with sincerely held religious convictions, critics note....
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51732

CNN'S BATHROOM BREAK

Tuesday CNN was carrying a speech by President Bush about the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and left open the microphone of anchor Kyra Phillips while she went to the bathroom. [video of President Bush with extra audio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fjxSoHgSN4 ]

…viewers saw President Bush standing in front of an American flag, talking about his administration's response to Hurricane Katrina while viewers heard over the top of the speech Kyra Phillips heading into the commode, speaking to a co-worker about her wonderful husband and her brother's controlling wife.

As someone else put it, “things sure are going to be frosty around the Thanksgiving table this year at the Phillips household. Calling your sister-in-law a "control freak" on national television will do that.”

Activist Blasts Bay State Officials' Anti-Parental Notification Argument
August 29, 2006 (AgapePress) - A Massachusetts pro-family activist, who is also one of the co-plaintiffs in a lawsuit brought against city and school officials in Lexington, is denouncing the defendants for trying to make a legal argument that the state has a "legitimate interest" in promoting homosexuality to elementary students.

In late April, David and Tonia Parker and Rob and Robin Wirthlin filed a federal civil rights suit against the town of Lexington and its public school officials over their refusal to notify parents before holding classroom discussions with students regarding homosexuality and same-sex "marriage." The defendants have since filed a 57-page motion to dismiss the lawsuit...
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/8/292006b.asp

MIT's inconvenient scientist [He doubts global warming propaganda]

August 30, 2006

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/08/30/mits_inconvenient_scientist/

Facts Drown In Press Coverage [Katrina]

http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=241744198481684

Mowing in San Francisco

I’m sure you heard about the “nut” that ran down at least 15 people and killing one. How much you want to bet that USAToday, CNN, or any other news outlet would not run this headline:

"Muslim Man Mows Down San Fran Pedestrians"?

USAToday: SUV Mows Down San Fran Pedestrians
...Police ...have identified the driver as Ohmeed Aziz Popal...
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/08/suv_driver_runs.html

CNN: One killed in SUV hit-and-run rampage
...state motor vehicle records show the license plate on the SUV registered to Omeed A. (Aziz) Popal of Fremont ...
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/29/suv.rampage.ap/index.html

CBS: SUV Mows Down San Fran Pedestrians
...Department of Motor Vehicles records show the license plate on the SUV registered to Omeed A. (Aziz) Popal...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/30/national/main1949442.shtml

Fox: One Dead, 14 Injured After Driver Plows Into People in California (well, at least they didn't blame the SUV)
...Omeed A. Popal, 29, was taken into custody Tuesday following a rampage that terrorized pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists...

...No weapons were found on the suspect, though the car had not been searched, (police spokesman Sgt. Neville) Gittens said... (well, why the heck didn't they search the car?)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,211101,00.html

Perhaps Ohmeed Aziz was “inspired” by the recent anti-Israel rally in San Francisco . (See photos in link) Those people are probably not shedding any tears: http://www.zombietime.com/stop_the_us_israeli_war_8_12_2006/ "

San Francisco police spokesman Sgt. Neville Gittens said the attacks in the city occurred at 12 locations over a 20-minute period. "The hits were intentional,'' he said, noting that police are treating them as assaults.

Gittens had no information about a possible motive. (How about “they were Americans” or “He was heading for the Jewish Community Center.”?).

...A dental office manager, who identified herself only as Kira, watched from a second-floor window as police dragged the driver out of his vehicle. "He was absolutely indifferent, no fear, no _expression,'' she said. "He was like a zombie.''

The SUV struck two people in front of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco on California Street (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/08/29/BAGAEKRCO55.DTL&o=3) , a few blocks from where the rampage ended.

…according to Aaron Rosenthal, spokesman for the (Jewish) community center… "The 3500 California St hit was a 1/2 mile from the main Jewish temple, Temple Emanu-El and 41 miles from his starting point in Fremont ."
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/005827.htm

From KTVU in San Francisco , here’s a little bit of information that somehow failed to make it into any of the media reports on yesterday’s hit and run attacks in San Francisco :

Watch as reporter Rob Roth says a witness heard the suspect refer to himself as a “terrorist,” then without taking a breath tells us this was not an act of terrorism: http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=22332_SF_Driver_Called_Himself_a_Terrorist&only

Can you imagine, if someone had driven a car into over a dozen gay people, how quickly the press would have managed to cover the story? They sure wouldn’t be blaming the SUV!!

And don't forget this tidbit on May 2 2006:

UNC (Muslim) attacker: 'I aimed to exact casualties'
CHAPEL HILL - A man charged with trying to kill students at the University of North Carolina by driving through a popular campus gathering spot ...refers to Mohammed Atta, ringleader of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, as "one of my role models."

Mohammed Taheri-azar is accused of driving a Jeep Cherokee into a crowd of students gathered at the Pit on March 3 at UNC-Chapel Hill and hitting nine people.

He has told investigators and reporters he wanted to avenge the deaths of Muslims caused by the U.S. around the world.

Taheri-azar, who lived in Charlotte and attended South Mecklenburg High School, said in letters answering more than three dozen questions from Shannon Bowen, a reporter at the university's student newspaper, that he won't plead guilty, as he previously planned, because his attack was justified and he doesn't deserve punishment.

"I aimed to exact casualties from an enemy responsible for thousands of casualties among Allah's followers," Taheri-azar wrote to the Daily Tar Heel on May 2.

...His letter also describes, step by step, his preparations on the day of his alleged attack on the students. He says he never considered committing suicide but expected police to kill him after he drove into the Pit...
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/breaking_news/14563079.htm
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1631805/posts

David Bennett <><

http://www.freewill-predestination.com

http://www.knology.net/~lonesomedove

August 30, 2006

WHEN THE WIND BLOWS:

http://www.hall4bc04.org/Storm.htm

Arthur, Arthur!!

The above story is an “Uncle Arthur” story.

Here’s his bio: http://www.uncle-arthurs.com/ua/bio.php

Ministry Leader Urges Christians to Pray for Islamic Terrorists

August 28, 2006 (AgapePress) - A Virginia-based ministry is trying to encourage Christians to pray for the salvation of Muslim terrorists. Truth for Muslims is an evangelical Christian group that has recently published a prayer guide to that effect.

The publication is called Islamic Terrorism and Muslim Terrorists: a Prayer Guide for Christians. The guide is written by John Marion, project director of Truth for Muslims http://www.truthformuslims.com/ …Marion notes, this situation also offers Christians a chance to demonstrate the love of Christ for all people. This is an opportunity, he says, even to "impact the lives of terrorists" by praying for their salvation, always remembering that, although the followers of radical Islam may seem faceless and far away, nevertheless, "they are real people."…

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/8/282006d.asp

Jesus said "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44

Man lives for 11 years eating only sunlight (I hear it tastes like chicken...)
(warning: don’t try this at home kids)

Pravda - August 28, 2006 -- Hira Ratan Manek claims that since 1995 he has lived many days solely on sunlight and water.

Sun gazing is the practice of staring directly at the sun to receive “nourishment” from it…

“Sun gazing is a relaxed look at the sun just as we see sunrise and sunset,” Manek said. “It gives all benefits for health. Those who practice sun gazing get total health of mind, body and spirit without any cost … but only at safe times of the sun.”

Sun gazing is often practiced with the bare feet in direct contact with bare earth. Some sun gazers only sun gaze during the so-called safe hours, one half hour after sunrise and one half hour before sunset, while others feel that sun gazing can be done at other times of the day.

Manek, 69, from Bodhavad, India, has studied sun gazing for several years and claims that since June 1995 he has lived only on sun energy and water. Occasionally for hospitality and social purposes he drinks tea, coffee and buttermilk.

…When asked how depriving the body of food would lead to adverse effects, Manek said the human body requires energy and that the sun is capable of providing the body with all the energy it needs to function.

“What we traditionally eat is nothing but a secondary source of sun energy,” he said. “But the body has a mechanism to receive energy directly from the sun and store it to use as it requires.” (sounds like the tree in my front yard…)

http://english.pravda.ru/science/mysteries/28-08-2006/84110-sunlight-0

Ol’ Hira should be looking towards the Son not the sun for his nourishment…

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty..." John 6:35

Tough Immigration Measures Put Heat on Penn. Town

August 28, 2006 (AgapePress) - The mayor of a small town in Pennsylvania says he won't be intimidated by the ACLU and Hispanic groups that are upset over steps he has taken to deal with the influx of illegal immigrants into his community. As a result of those steps, many illegal immigrants have decided to pack and leave the area.

Mayor Lou Barletta says Hazleton has always prided itself on the quality of life it offers. "Senior citizens can sit on the porch and parents can allow their children to play on the playgrounds," notes the mayor. But on a less-positive note, he adds: "In the past two years now, I've seen a change here in the city of Hazleton where that quality of life is being destroyed by illegal immigration."

The mayor says crime perpetrated by illegal immigrants got so bad this summer that the city has initiated stiff ordinances. For example, notes Barletta, landlords can be fined $1,000 per tenant per day for renting to illegal immigrants, and companies can be denied business permits for up to five years for hiring them. On top of that, Barletta says English is now the community's official language.

According to Barletta, the new laws have already been effective. "We have seen illegals literally loading up their furniture in the middle of the night and leaving town," he shares. "Unfortunately, we have been sued for what I believe is protecting the citizens of this city, and we're prepared to fight this fight to the highest court if necessary."

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/8/282006g.asp

Hizballah Leader Regrets Raid That Sparked War
Hizballah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said in a television interview that he would not have ordered the capture of two Israeli soldiers last month if he had known it would lead to a war... (What did he think he’d get? An invitation to the prom?)
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/08/28/hezbollah_leader_voices_regret_over_raid_that_sparked_war/

President Bush to Mark First Katrina Anniversary
August 28, 2006
...On one matter that has become a subject of finger-pointing between Washington and the region, aides said Bush would stress that state and local governments need to do their part to get federal money to victims - an unmistakable jab at leaders in Louisiana and New Orleans, where federal money for citizens to rebuild homes has yet to begin flowing.

So far, Congress has approved $110 billion in hurricane aid. The Bush administration has released $77 billion to the states, reserving the rest for future needs, but $33 billion of that has not yet been spent (by state and local governments).

Don Powell, Bush's federal Gulf Coast coordinator, also warned in an interview that no more money would flow to the region until there is proof that what has been approved is being spent well.

"It's now time for the people to demonstrate they're going to use this money wisely," he said in an interview. "We need to see plans, execution."
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/bw-wh/2006/aug/28/082804489.html

Sam's Club to reinstate 'Christmas'

Company had published 'holiday' ads featuring Christmas items

August 29, 2006-- Just days after the American Family Association launched a campaign to encourage Sam's Club to return "Christmas" to its "holiday" ads, the retailer has announced it will be highlighting the Christian event in future publications.

"In our upcoming December/January 06 Source Magazine we plan to reference specific holidays such as Christmas and others, as we have in the past," the company has announced on its website.

The company's August/September issue included one page of Christmas items, but they were listed as "holiday" items instead, according to the AFA's Randy Sharp, who told WorldNetDaily the campaign produced 218,000 e-mails to the company and uncounted telephone calls.

...The AFA said it notified supporters of the campaign launch on Aug. 22 because of the extensive efforts to remove "Christmas" from the "holiday" season a year ago and the fact this was the first Christmas ad that has appeared.

...He said he had talked with Wal-Mart a season ago about the retail giant converting its "Christmas" specials into "holiday" specials. Comments from a few dozen triggered the change, he said he was told.

"A few dozen people caused a major corporation to change their policy," he said.

"People are watching. They're fed up with this kind of activity. They're going to talk with their pocket books," he said...

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51717

The ACLU: Malignant and Growing

Pat Boone Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2006

...The disease is called ACLU. This cancerous organization, this poisonous growth – fraudulently self-named the American Civil Liberties Union – is attacking every one of our foundational bases, our vital organs; and it has now expanded its onslaughts to small towns, cemeteries, churches, and even children's groups like the Boy Scouts! Its goal is to remove every last vestige of Christian or Jewish faith from public life.

Muslim, Hindu, Self-Awareness, even militant atheist religion – they can stay. But Judeo-Christian believers must keep their mouths shut, hide any and all open expressions of their faith, and retire to closed-window ghettos. Church of Satan? You can stay, oh sainted high priest LaVey. But you Christians, you Jews ... get those filthy crosses and those maddening six-pointed stars out of our sight! We aren't even 1 percent of the American public, but we demand that you do as we say!

...Look at just a few of the countless things this deviant group supports, and even actively promotes:

• Abortion on demand throughout pregnancy
• Eradication of any reference to the Ten Commandments or the Bible from public buildings, hillsides, and even cemeteries
• Extended constitutional protection for our sworn enemies!
• Free access to pornography, including Internet pornography access for children
• Freedom to desecrate the American flag
• Tax-exempt status for Satanists
• Actively pro-homosexual school curriculums
• Legalized prostitution
• Legalized drugs
• Nudist camps for teenagers
• Same-sex "marriages"

... and that's just a brief partial list of the ACLU's heavy-handed, activist campaigns!

And what does the "Anti-Christian Litigation Union" oppose?

• "God Bless America" banners in schools!
• "Abstinence before marriage" sex education
• Christian home schooling
• Legalized voluntary, majority-approved prayer in schools
• Sobriety checkpoints and drug searches
• Medical safety reporting of AIDS cases
• Parental consent cases for teen abortions
• Most post-9/11 security measures
• Any Christian display in public
• Any use of religious symbols for even historical displays
• Any reference to God, let alone Jesus, in a schoolchild's speech, paper, or essay answer!!

Am I exaggerating? I've only scratched the surface!

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/8/28/135205.shtml

Gas Prices Down 15 Cents Over 2 Weeks

Aug 27 http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/08/27/D8JP0MGG0.html

Crude tumbles 2% as Ernesto weakens
Aug 28, http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?dist=newsfinder&siteid=google&guid=%7B75030281-E379-4F71-AADB-D834582DFDAB%7D&keyword=

Oil Prices Fall Below $70 a Barrel
Aug 29 (I saw it at $2.57/gal yesterday morning)

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/08/29/D8JQ8FP80.html

David Bennett <><

http://www.freewill-predestination.com

http://www.knology.net/~lonesomedove

August 28, 2006

"If you think health care is expensive now, just wait until it's free!" P.J. O'Rourke

Broccoli
Has sound: http://www.ladyskylar.com/swffiles/Brocolli.swf

Health help
The site is broken down into two categories: consumers and health-care professionals. Some features are available on both.

For consumers, illnesses and diseases can be browsed alphabetically. Each one has answers to frequently asked questions.

The professional half provides access to medical databases. Online textbooks and full-text journals make research a snap. Interactive simulators keep your skills sharp. see www.mdchoice.com

Ancient biblical waterworks found in Israel
23 Aug 2006
RAMAT RACHEL, Israel - Archaeologists in Israel have unearthed an ancient water system which was modified by the conquering Persians to turn the desert into a paradise.

The network of reservoirs, drain pipes and underground tunnels served one of the grandest palaces in the biblical kingdom of Judea...

"They had found a huge palace ... even nicer than the palaces in Jerusalem, (dating) from the late Iron Age to the end of the biblical period in the 7th century," Oded Lipschits, a Tel Aviv University archaeologist, said.

The infrastructure of the palace was remodelled throughout the centuries to fit the needs of the Babylonians, Persians, Romans and Hasmoneans who ruled the Holy Land, said Lipschits, who heads the dig with an academic from Germany's University of Heidelberg.

But it was the Persians, who took control of the region around 539 BC from the Babylonians, who renovated the water system and turned it into a thing of beauty.

Lipschits said they added small waterfalls to try to turn a desert into a paradise...
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1239972006

'Jesus Wells' Let India's Dalits Drink Freely of Christ's Love
August 15, 2006 (AgapePress) - A Christian ministry is helping provide clean drinking water to many who are considered subhuman in India's traditional caste system. Under that system, the Dalits -- those sometimes called "untouchables" -- are often prohibited from using village wells; but Gospel for Asia (GFA) has begun drilling new sources of water, which are being called "Jesus wells."

These wells are located near the ministry's Believers Churches throughout India and are available for anyone to use, regardless of caste or economic background. GFA founder K.P. Yohannan says the wells do more than quench the locals' thirst -- they also help break down invisible barriers found in the centuries-old caste system.

"Now we say publicly, 'In Christ there is no discrimination; there is no contamination. You can come and draw your water all you want,'" Yohannan explains. "It gave us the opportunity to serve the poor and needy," he says, "and the amazing thing is this has caused us to have an open door for so many people to understand the message of Christ's love and acceptance."

The evangelical ministry leader believes the "Jesus wells" have helped many Hindus see Christian faith in action. Bridges are being built, he contends, as Hindu onlookers observe Christian believers showing "compassion for people who don't have clean water in their community, especially when they are forbidden to draw water by the upper castes -- these poor suffering people."

Each "Jesus well" costs about $3,000 to dig, Yohannan notes, but he feels the value of providing these wells to needy Dalits is immeasurable. "I think it is an opportunity God is giving us to serve and have a part in their life," he says.

There are an estimated 300 million Dalits in India. In addition to working to evangelize and meet the physical needs of this group's members, GFA also shares the love of Christ with them through primary schools and education programs for Dalit children and literacy programs and parenting classes for the adults.http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/8/152006d.asp

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas...
Christmas 'ban' prompts Supreme Court petition
Policy allows recognition of Ramadan, Hanukkah, but not Christian holiday
August 24, 2006A petition has been submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court asking the justices to repair damage done by a lower court in a ruling that allows the display in public schools of menorahs and star-and-crescent symbols, but not Christian symbols.

At issue is the policy of the New York City public schools that encourages the display of "secular" symbols such as the menorah at Hanukkah and the star and crescent symbol at Ramadan, but bans the Nativity at Christmas because of its religious meaning...

..."If you went back to what the founding fathers intended, you wouldn't have these endorsement tests of religious displays. All of these would be non-issues," he said. Thus, there wouldn't have to be lawsuits over various Christian, or other, symbols that appear in schools, on T-shirts or on money.

That's because the founding fathers, by their formal acknowledgement of God in foundational documents, showed they recognized God, they just didn't want the state to set up a church, he indicated.

He said the majority opinion in the New York case shows just how far afield lower courts have drifted, and how much they need guidance in the area of Establishment Clause jurisprudence. The original clause is just a few words – that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.

Yet it takes 152 pages to justify displaying menorahs but banning Nativities, he said.

"Many federal courts are using the contrived endorsement test to cleanse America of Christianity," said Richard Thompson, president of the Law Center. "This unprincipled test allows judges to impose their ideological views under the pretext of constitutional interpretation.

...The city school policy expressly allows the menorah to be displayed as a symbol of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, and the star and crescent to be displayed as a symbol of the Islamic holiday of Ramadan.

But it expressly bans any crèche or nativity display as a symbol of Christmas...http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51652

Clubhouse can't ban Christian meetings
Judge says mobile home park must allow Bible studies
August 24, 2006--A California court has ruled that not only must a homeowners association allow Bible studies in its common areas, it has to pay $12,000 to the lawyers who had to defend against a motion to dismiss the action.

...the plaintiffs...They had brought the lawsuit because after many years of regularly having Bible studies in a community center, managers suddenly banned all religious meetings…http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51659

ACLU probes trooper who nabbed 14 illegals
Charge 'racial profiling,' insist he had no right to ask for ID
August 24, 2006 ...The American Civil Liberties Union is investigating a Rhode Island state trooper who apprehended 14 illegal immigrants during a traffic stop, charging "racial profiling" and insisting the officer had no right to ask for ID.

… the ACLU filed the case after the driver and several passengers alleged Trooper Thomas Chabot overstepped his authority during the July 11 traffic stop by taking immigration enforcement into his own hands, the Providence Journal reported.

However, asking for identification during traffic stops is a department procedure, and when the passengers could not provide valid ID, Chabot contacted officials with the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division.

The federal authorities eventually determined the 14 passengers entered the U.S. illegally and now face deportation...

...The complainants seeking a probe, Astrid and Wendy Cabrera, charge Chabot engaged in "racial profiling."

...Steven Brown, executive director for the ACLU, said his group is seeking an internal review "because we find the incident as described in the complaint quite troubling."

He called the traffic stop "an egregious case of racial profiling, from beginning to end," the Providence paper reported.

The complaint also asks for clarification of state policies regarding how police collaborate with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement...
(reminds me of the Clinton policy that prohibited the police, FBI, and CIA from sharing information. Been to the WTC lately?
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51658

Russia Overtakes Saudi Arabia as World’s Leading Oil Producer
23.08.2006-- Statistics recently published by the oil cartel OPEC show that Russia is currently extracting more oil than Saudi Arabia, making it the biggest producer of “black gold” in the world, the British Financial Times reported on Wednesday, Aug. 23...

...Traditionally, Saudi Arabia has been regarded as the world’s undisputed primary source of oil and Russia has had to settle for second place. But in recent years Russia has re-nationalized and modernized much of its industry and that policy now appears to be paying off...http://www.mosnews.com/money/2006/08/23/russiaoil.shtml

Astronomers say Pluto is not a planet
8/24/2006- PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight. After a tumultuous week of clashing over the essence of the cosmos, the International Astronomical Union stripped Pluto of the planetary status it has held since its discovery in 1930.

Those wacky scientists, always changing their minds…
http://news.yahoo.com/fc/science/astronomy_and_space

Al Gore's carbon footprint just expanded...
Al Gore buys San Francisco condo
...Al and Tipper Gore recently bought a luxury condo at San Francisco's St. Regis tower at Third and Mission streets... (what is this, their 4th mansion?)Gore’s Inconvenient Truth: Do as I say not as I do...http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/23/BAGF5KN8DV1.DTL

Why They Don't Hate Us
...How does the rest of the world genuinely feel about the U.S.? Despite a historical suspicion of gringos, polls consistently show that Latin America is overwhelmingly pro-U.S., and that was surveying the few Latin Americans that have yet to emigrate here. Australia and Canada are pro-U.S., as is much of Asia (even Muslim Indonesia), sub-Saharan Africa, Israel and all of Eastern Europe. Leaving aside Russia and China, which remain on the fence, about 80 percent of the world "likes" us. Speaking of Russia and China, how many Russians or Chinamen do you suppose would pass up an immigrant visa to the U.S.? How about none?

So who are "they" that "hate" us so badly? Granted a great many Arabs, Turks and Persians despise the infidel America. Even without the war in Iraq Arabs would abhor the U.S. for its support of Israel. (As an indication of how clueless Ms. Sweig is, she completely disregards our relationship with Israel as a cause of anti-Americanism.) France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands don't exactly hate the U.S. Many of them, however, do hate free market capitalism, of which America is the standard bearer. But mostly their enmity is colored green with envy and resentment. Even Ms. Sweig admits this. "Power generates resentment," she writes. If Mongolia were the world's lone superpower Western Europeans would hate the Mongolians...http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10268

Violence down 40 percent in Baghdad
Aug 25, WASHINGTON (AFP) - Violence in Baghdad has dropped by 40 percent since US and Iraqi troops entered select neighborhoods to clear out cells of Shiite and Sunni extremists, a US brigade commander said. Colonel Robert Scurlock said 29 murders had been committed in the Amiriya area of western Baghdad the month leading up to the operation, making it one of the city's most violent.
But since his troops went in on August 13, only three murders have been reported, he said.
"In the month of July in Baghdad, there were 52 violent actions a day," he said. "And the two weeks since we began the operations, the attacks have dropped down 41 percent."http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060825/pl_afp/usiraqmilitarybaghdad_060825154110

Israel seeks troops from Muslim nations
JERUSALEM - Israel said Saturday it was encouraging some Muslim countries to send peacekeepers to southern Lebanon, a contribution that would lend credibility to the heavily European force...

...The EU and U.N. agree the peacekeeping mission must have a strong Muslim component to give it credibility. Israel, however, objects to nations that do not recognize the Jewish state, saying such troops would make it impossible for Jerusalem to share intelligence with the U.N. force. That would exclude Indonesia, Bangladesh and Malaysia, which have offered troops.

But Israel said it has been in touch with other Muslim countries to encourage them to participate, particularly Turkey, which has diplomatic relations with Israel.

"If Turkey decides to send a contingent, we would welcome that," said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev.

Jordan and Egypt also are among Muslim countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060826/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_peacekeepers

The Left and crime: Part II
By Thomas Sowell
Do higher rates of imprisonment reduce crime? Is crime a result of poverty, unemployment, and the like? Are alternatives to incarceration more effective in preventing criminals from repeating their crimes? http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2006/08/24/the_left_and_crime_part_ii

David Bennett <><
http://www.freewill-predestination.com
http://www.knology.net/~lonesomedove

August 24, 2006

Christmas Countdown
http://home.valornet.com/sabruf2/countchr.html

Color me "surprised"
France Wants Only 'Symbolic' Force in Lebanon
8/17/2006 -- Countries that could contribute to an expanded U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon were to meet Thursday to find out how the troops will operate, and U.N. officials hoped many would commit soldiers to the force.

France, meanwhile, wants to send a small, purely symbolic contingent to the force, and the United Nations is trying to convince French officials that such a decision would be devastating, a news report said Thursday…http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/8/17/70648.shtml?s=lh

Staircase death lands Brighton homeowner in trouble
Boston: Aug 22, 2006 -A Brighton homeowner is in trouble with the city because an alleged break-in artist fell to his death early yesterday from a set of rickety exterior stairs attached to the man’s two-story house.

...A man who said he owned the home...told the Herald yesterday that the intruder climbed the wrought-iron spiral steps at 2:20 a.m. The interloper was kicking in a door that led to the owner’s entrance when the stairs gave way, the man said.

...Timberlake said the owner, who lives on the second floor, is in the process of appealing a violation given about six months ago for the same staircase…

Boston police are investigating. The interloper was taken to St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center after the collapse and pronounced dead. Police did not release his identity.
It’s an anti-break-in artist device! Only in Boston is a burglar an "artist". I'll bet the family of the dead guy sues, regardless of the circumstances
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=153698

Glaciers 'shrinking for 100 years'
August 22, 2006 GREENLAND'S glaciers have been shrinking for the past century, according to a Danish study published today, suggesting that the ice melt is not a recent phenomenon caused by global warming.

"This study, which covers 247 of 350 glaciers on Disko, is the most comprehensive ever conducted on the movements of Greenland's glaciers," glaciologist Jacob Clement Yde, who carried out the study with Niels Tvis Knudsen, said.

Using maps from the 19th century and current satellite observations, the scientists were able to conclude that "70 per cent of the glaciers have been shrinking regularly since the end of the 1880s at a rate of around eight metres per year," Mr Yde said.

...The shrinking of the glaciers since the 19th century is "the result of the atmosphere's natural warming, following volcanic eruptions for example and greenhouse gases, created by human activities, which have aggravated the situation further," he said.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20211652-1702,00.html

43,443 people died in traffic accidents in 2005
...A total of 43,443 people died in traffic accidents last year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.
(Something to remember the next time the press or some self-serving politician throws the latest casualty figure in Iraq in your face. If we announced with fanfare every traffic death every day there would be nearly 120 announcements a day in the US....)

...The agency said 2.7 million people were injured in motor vehicle crashes... (or almost 7,400 announcements need to be made every day)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/22/AR2006082201152.html

Stuart Middle School teacher burns U.S. flags in class
Louisville, KY- A Stuart Middle School teacher has been removed from the classroom after he burned two American flags in class during a lesson on freedom of speech, Jefferson County Public Schools officials said.

Dan Holden, who teaches seventh-grade social studies, burned small flags in two different classes Friday and asked students to write an opinion paper about it, district spokeswoman Lauren Roberts said…
Hey it’s not like the teacher could actually ask anyone to write about freedom of speech without burning a flag….
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060822/NEWS01/608220378

Calling Al Gore!! Where Are You?
Hurricanes: According to www.weatherstreet.com the National Weather Service predicted 12 to 15 named storms by December of this year. There were 27 last year. We are below the prediction.

Cooling Ocean ...surface temperatures on the world's oceans are getting cooler says a paper to be published next month in Geophysical Research Letters, between 2003 and 2005 globally averaged temperatures in the upper levels of the ocean have cooled. They've cooled not just a little but a lot. Hurricanes are formed and fueled in the western Atlantic ocean. Sea surface temperatures there are now below normal.

Glaciers: A soon-to-be released study by a Danish university says that Greenland's glaciers have been shrinking for most the past 100 years. The study of 247 of the 350 glaciers on Disko island shows that 70% of these glaciers have been retreating at a rate of about 8 meters a year since the end of the 1880s. There was apparently a real surge in glacier melting caused by a warming of the earth's atmosphere during the 1920s.

More good news you may not hear on network news or your newspaper:

August 22, 2006
Brisk productivity rates, 5.5 million new jobs over the past three years.
Historically low 4.8 percent unemployment rate.
Recent strong numbers for retail sales and industrial production suggest a 3.5 percent economic growth rate in the second half of 2006.
Tax receipts are growing around 14 percent for the second straight year, the biggest gain in a quarter of a century.
Income-tax collections, bolstered by the success of owner-operated business entrepreneurs and other self-employed, are helping lift these revenues.
Non-withheld revenues from lower-taxed capital gains and dividends are paying for themselves. Total tax receipts in 2006 will come in around $2.4 trillion, roughly $400 billion above the tax-collection peak of 2000.
The Congressional Budget Office now acknowledge that deficit projections were $100 billion too high.
Bond rates are coming down.
Mortgage rates are now declining.
Stock markets continue to rise, and are within shouting distance of five-year highs.
Unleaded gasoline futures have been dropping, suggesting relief at the pump.
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/LawrenceKudlow/2006/08/22/on_the_low-tax_economy,_bush_has_the_story_right

Doctors test ways to grow knee cartilage using adult stem cells

August 22, 2006 -- Doctors are testing new ways to spur cartilage to regrow in damaged knees, from implanted "cartilage plugs" to injections of bone-marrow stem cells.

...The potential new options are being tried first in people who injured their knees and thus need small amounts of cartilage to regrow. But if they truly work, the techniques one day might offer hope for arthritis sufferers, too, whose cartilage over time completely erodes.

...Manufacturer Smith & Nephew, which just bought the plugs' original maker, is funding early stage research to see if the plugs could be expanded to cover a larger surface.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/1500AP_HealthBeat_Knee_Repair.html

Fewer Vietnam vets had stress disorder than previously claimed

The widely cited estimate that 1-in-3 Vietnam veterans suffered post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of their service may be too high, researchers are reporting.

...The new figures, published in the journal Science, come years after critics began charging that the 1988 estimates had to be inflated. One argument was that, with only 15 percent of troops in Vietnam serving in combat roles, it was improbable that more than 30 percent would develop PTSD.

... besides examining records and recordings from the original study's diagnostic interviews, they used extensive military records that weren't available at the time of the 1988 study to corroborate veterans' exposure to combat stress.

… in some cases, veterans who were diagnosed with PTSD in the original study had symptoms that did not substantially impair their daily functioning -- a point that is used in PTSD diagnosis now, but not in the 1988 study.

In other cases, vets' psychological difficulties actually began before their Vietnam service, and not in response to their war experience.

The researchers found no evidence, however, of veterans exaggerating or lying about their combat experience.

In the end, Dohrenwend and his colleagues concluded that 18.7 percent of the study participants suffered PTSD as a result of their service....
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-08-21T142222Z_01_PAR151663_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-VETS-DISORDER-DC.XML

David Bennett <><
http://www.freewill-predestination.com
http://www.knology.net/~lonesomedove

August 21, 2006

Electrician Jargon

Last night Karen and I went out to eat with friends of ours, George and Rebecca. George is a native of Alabama and retired from the Navy where he was an electrician with the Seabees. After he retired from the Navy he went to work for a couple different outfits here in town as an electrician until he retired from that too.

George drove his F-150 and I sat up front with him and Karen sat in back with Rebecca. As George drove along through the cotton fields to the Greenbrier BBQ Grill he was telling me about different places around town where he'd been an electrician and began to tell me about a Wirehouse he helped build out by the airport.

Trying to show I was paying attention to his story and not just politely nodding my head as he spoke I asked, "George, just what is a Wirehouse?"

He looked at me straight faced, blinked and replied, "Well Dave, ...it's a place where you store things."

It wasn't until I heard Karen in the back seat giggling that I realized my mistake...
D.B.

Feeling the weather: Aches & Pains Index
This index forecasts the potential for weather-related aches and pains, especially in people with chronic health conditions (such as migraines or arthritis) that might make them sensitive to changes in weather conditions. "10" represents the highest risk of weather-related aches and pains. "1" represents the lowest risk.

The Aches & Pains Index is calculated using barometric pressure, absolute humidity, chance of precipitation, temperature and wind. Areas of quiet, dry weather during warmer times of the year are generally associated with lower levels of aches and pains. Approaching areas of low pressure or strong frontal systems, both leading to stormy weather, may cause higher levels of aches and pains. See www.weather.com/activities/health/achesandpains

Temperature Record of the Week: Danville, IL
To bolster our claim that "There Has Been No Net Global Warming for the Past 70 Years," each week we highlight the temperature record of one of the 1221 U.S. Historical Climatology Network (USHCN) stations from 1930-2000.

This issue's temperature record of the week is from Danville, IL. During the period of most significant greenhouse gas buildup over the past century, i.e., 1930 and onward, Danville's mean annual temperature has cooled by 1.02 degrees Fahrenheit. Not much global warming here!http://www.co2science.org/scripts/CO2ScienceB2C/data/ushcn/stationoftheweek.jsp

2006 Tropical Storm Season Now Below Normal
(only 3 named storms compared to 9 on this date last year)
21 August 2006 -...After the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, the 2006 season is now below normal.

As of yesterday (20 August) three tropical storms will have formed in the Atlantic in an "average" year, which is the same number that have formed this year so far. Because of multi-year averaging, that means that today (August 21) slightly more than three storms would have formed, making this year (statistically speaking) just below normal.

In the hurricane category, this year is decidedly below normal, with no hurricanes so far, while by this date 1.5 hurricanes have formed in the average of years 1944 though 2005.

Reason for the Season?: Cooler Sea Surface Temperatures Part of the reason for the slow season is that tropical western Atlantic sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are running about normal, if not slightly below normal.

In contrast, at the same time last year SSTs in the same region were running well above normal.

The cooler SSTs in the Atlantic are not an isolated anomaly. In a research paper being published next month in Geophysical Research Letters, scientists will show that between 2003 and 2005, globally averaged temperatures in the upper ocean cooled rather dramatically, effectively erasing 20% of the warming that occurred over the previous 48 years.

Global Warming? The slow hurricane season and the cooling sea surface temperatures might be somewhat surprising to the public. Media reports over the last year have suggested that, since global warming will only get worse, and last year's hurricane activity was supposedly due to global warming, this season might well be as bad as last season. But it appears that Mother Nature might have other plans.

With only 3 named storms compared to 9 on this date last year, it is nearly impossible at this late date to have a season anywhere near as busy as last season, which totaled 27 by the end of the year. The most recent prediction from the National Weather Service (see first graphic, above) is for there to be 12 to 15 named storms by December -- only half of last year's total. It now looks like that prediction might be too generous.... http://www.weatherstreet.com/hurricane/2006/hurricane-atlantic-2006-below-normal-season.htm

(one way to get favorable press on "Vista" the next version of Windows... hahahaha)
BILL GATES 'CHARITY' FOUNDATION FINANCES NEWSPAPER PURCHASES
The BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION declares its noble mission is to bring "innovations in health and learning to the global community."

But the world's largest philanthropic organization also is among the organizations that collectively loaned nearly $400 million to MEDIANEWS GROUP INC. -- for the acquisition of newspapers in California and Minnesota!

"I thought this foundation was all about starving kids, not starving newspapers," mocked one Seattle insider.

MORE

The GATES FOUNDATION loaned an unspecified amount to MEDIANEWS, along with GENERAL ELECTRIC.

In April, MEDIANEWS agreed to buy four newspapers, including the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS and CONTRA COSTA TIMES, from MCCLATCHY CO. for $1 billion. MEDIANEWS also bought California's MONTEREY COUNTY HERALD and the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS in Minnesota. It also own the DENVER POST.

The move into funding media acquisitions was unusual for the BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION, whose donations usually go to health and anti-poverty purposes.

In June, financier Warren Buffett announced he would donate an estimated $31 billion to the GATES FOUNDATION, bringing its total endowment to more than $60 billion -- which could easily save every newspaper in America!

Gates, GE in on MediaNews deal
The financing package that MediaNews Group Inc. obtained to help in its purchase of the Times, San Jose Mercury News, and other papers includes perhaps the best-known name in Corporate America: Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates.

MediaNews obtained a financing package from a syndicate of lenders that enables the newspaper company to borrow up to $597 million to help finance its acquisitions, according to a MediaNews filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The syndicate of lenders includes the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, General Electric Capital Corp. and several financial and other organizations."
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/15250397.htm

Media Slant Favors 'Older Brother Effect' Study Over Conflicting Research
Psychologist: Mainstream Press Embraced One Homosexuality Investigation, Ignored the Other
August 18, 2006 (AgapePress) - Grove City College's associate professor of psychology and Fellow for Psychology and Public Policy says media bias became evident this year when one study of sibling relationships and how they may be linked to homosexuality was trumpeted while another study with conflicting results was ignored.

A study by Canadian psychologist Anthony Bogaert of Brock University in Ontario has been all over the news in the last several months, according to Grove City College's Dr. Warren P. Throckmorton. He believes the reason for the ubiquity of these reports is that Bogaert, whose findings were recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, apparently claims to have found evidence that homosexuality may be biologically determined.

But while news of Bogaert's study has been reported, analyzed, and discussed in the media around the globe, Throckmorton says another study that was written up in 2001 has been largely ignored. The investigation to which he refers was conducted by researchers Peter Bearman and Hannah Bruckner and focused on opposite-sex twins and adolescent same-sex attractions…

… As for the biased media, Throckmorton says his main concern in all this is that, with the way the mainstream outlets report so much about genetic disposition to various things, personal responsibility and accountability could get lost in the shuffle. The danger there, he says, is that people may become predisposed to blame a lot of their problems on genetics rather than owning up to their own free-will choices…
More at: http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/8/182006b.asp

The UN: Just like you-know-what on a boar hog...
Don't Forget Sudan
8/21/2006 Jan Egeland, head of United Nations humanitarian operations, describes the region as "going from real bad to catastrophic" and "headed toward total chaos."

The top U.N. aid official says the level of violence faced by humanitarian workers is "unprecedented."

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan refers to the situation as "one of the worst nightmares in recent history," "the world's worst humanitarian crisis," and "little short of hell on earth."

No, they're not talking about the crisis in the Middle East, where the United Nations has just announced plans to dispatch a 15,000-strong international force to enforce a cease-fire in southern Lebanon. These are the latest reactions of U. N. officials to the unfolding genocide in Darfur.

Sadly, the alacrity with which the U.N. has taken action in the Middle East stands in stark contrast to its dithering in Darfur, where for three years the world body has used strong language to talk about a solution but done very little of substance to quell the violence.

In May, the U.N. did help broker the Darfur Peace Treaty, requiring the Sudanese government to disarm its genocidal militias and allow U.N. troops in to restore peace. Unfortunately, not only has the Darfur treaty deal failed to bring peace, it has actually triggered an increase in violence against civilians...

...At a time when much of the world's diplomatic efforts are focused on the crisis in the Middle East, there is a real danger of forgetting that genocide persists in Darfur. Nicholas Kristof recently reported that the war in Lebanon has received more airtime in the media each week than the Darfur crisis has gotten in total since it commenced in 2003. There are also fewer calls for U.N. intervention in Darfur. According to LexisNexis, the media have mentioned "U.N. peacekeepers" and "Lebanon" in the same news article over one thousand times in the last month, while "Darfur" and "U.N. peacekeepers" have been mentioned together just 144 times.

It took the U.N. just four weeks to negotiate a "cessation of hostilities" in Lebanon. As the genocide in Darfur enters its fourth year, it's past time the world body enforced the peace agreement that would end the bloodshed in the most hostile place on earth.
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10240

David Bennett <><
http://www.freewill-predestination.com
http://www.knology.net/~lonesomedove