forChrist - contra mundum

2009-11-15T22:26:00.002-06:00

My brother got a decent buck with his bow - Congrats Tom!

2009-11-15T09:08:00.002-06:00

Doctor Retracts H1N1 Vaccine Advice After Reading Insert!

2009-11-14T20:49:00.002-06:00

Elijah ... Will come; the Jews will believe; AntiChrist will persecute; Christ will judge; the dead will rise; the good and the wicked will be separated; the world will be burned and renewed. All these things, we believe, will come to pass; but how, or in what order, human understanding cannot perfectly teach us -- we will know only when we have experienced the events themselves.

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430AD) on the Apocalypse

2009-11-14T16:38:00.002-06:00

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
Her Doctrine and Morals
Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
15 November 2009

Dear Friend,

Today we are reminded that it is the little things that are important. The Kingdom of Heaven is built upon the small and the insignificant. Christ compares His Kingdom to a mustard seed or leaven in bread dough. The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven Christ tells His apostles is not the strongest or the smartest, but is the humblest and the simplest. And to illustrate He took to Himself a little child and told us, we must become child-like if we wish to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

The King, Christ Himself, humbled Himself and became the least of us. He came to this earth to serve and not to be served. He imposed upon the Apostles that they serve one another as He has served them. The head of the Apostles was given the commandment to serve the others, and in this vein popes have traditionally signed themselves as the Servant of the servants of Christ. Christ has further informed us that those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

We are often led away or carried away by the grandeur and show of the things of this world. And all too many times we are likewise distracted by the show and grandeur of false religions. The oft repeated question: "Can so many people be wrong?" is presented as an argument that numbers, power, and size make right. And this demonic deception quite frequently succeeds in deceiving the unwary.

History and our own simple intelligence tell us that the majority is almost, if not always, wrong. Truth is in the minority. Christ and His followers were always a minority even when He was followed by crowds. It was the majority in the crowd that cried out for His blood.

God has consistently chosen the humble, the weak, the insignificant of this world to work His greatest wonders and to manifest His glory. In this way it is assured that only God will receive the merit and glory of His works. All will know that the simple humble human instrument was only the tool used by God. This is something that every one of the saints understood. But, especially we may look to St. Francis of Assisi as an illustrious example of this wonder of God's mercy and grace to us.

St. Francis took Christ's words and directives to the Apostles most literally to heart. He strove to fulfill within himself as perfectly as he could all that Christ had said to do. The rule of St. Francis has been taken straight from the Gospels. Sell all that you have and give it to the poor and come follow me. Carry neither purse nor staff. Etc. But, principally St. Francis took to heart Christ's many directives to humble ourselves. St. Francis sought to be the least and to be the servant of everyone else.

And from the germ of this little humble man, St. Francis, grew arguably the most magnificent order in the Church.

In his humble and obedient love, St. Francis became a perfect reflection of Christ himself. The greatest display of love is in sincere imitation. St. Francis perfected this love and imitation to the point that he was given the most impressive sign of God's favor upon him with the very wounds of Christ Himself impressed in his own body.

St. Francis did not seek honor, titles, or glory. He only desired humility, lowliness and poverty. He desired to follow as closely as possible in the very life and footsteps of Jesus. And as a reward for this profound love and imitation to the point of extreme self-denial, St. Francis has now been lifted up to the very heights of Heaven. And his order has been prophesied to be the last surviving true religious order in the Church.

This extreme love and imitation is not for everyone. Not all are called to follow Our Lord and St. Francis in this absolute poverty, celibacy, suffering, etc. There are many saints who were rich, lived comfortably, were married etc. But, all are called to humility. All are called upon to see that they are truly insignificant or nothing and that God is Everything.

We can see clearly from today's gospel that Jesus is telling us that this is how His Kingdom is built. We see further proof of this in the lives of the saints. The Faith, our reason and even history all point out to us the truth in this. Why then do we still look for the grand and the spectacular or to a majority to follow? Why will we not find peace, joy, and contentment in humbly denying ourselves; taking up our crosses and following after Jesus amidst the mockery, scorn and ridicule of the majority? Is it not better to be alone with Christ in suffering and hardship than to be in a crowd celebrating as we damn ourselves to an eternal misery in Hell?

2009-11-14T09:01:00.003-06:00

Ft. Hood ‘hero’ story changes

www.news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20091113/ts_ynews/ynews_ts980

Shortly after last week's Ft. Hood shooting massacre, Sgt. Kimberly Munley of the Killeen, TX, police department was widely credited as the heroic cop who brought Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's rampage to an end by shooting him four times while being wounded by gunfire herself. A Ft. Hood official told the media that the diminutive Munley, who was shot in both legs and one of her wrists, fired on Hasan twice, which then drew his attention to her, and then fired again while she was on the ground. But now it appears as though that account was inaccurate and that another Killeen police officer, Sgt. Mark Todd, was actually the person who fired the shots that brought down Hasan.

The widespread belief that Munley was the one who brought down Hasan, who survived but may be paralyzed according to his lawyer, began to unravel earlier in the week when an anonymous witness told the New York Times that he saw Todd, not Munley, bring down the Army psychiatrist as he attempted to reload his weapon. The witness said that Hasan shot Munley as she rounded a corner, knocking her to the ground. Hasan then turned his back to Munley as he attempted to put another magazine into his pistol, and it was then that Todd saw Hasan fumbling with the weapon and shot him, according to the witness...

Like I have said repeatedly - if the official story was true - this man would have had to reload his weapon SEVERAL times so shoot as many people and rounds as he supposedly did. Look how this was described: "he attempted to reload" - "saw Hasan FUMBLING with the weapon" to reload it.

Remember this was a room full of combat trained and experienced soldiers - and we are to believe that as he "fumbled" and "attempted" to reload his weapon several times - all of these combat trained and experienced soldiers just cowered in a corner somewhere waiting to be shot! They just waited for the civilian police to arrive and save them - hmmm.

Btw where were the MP's during all of this?

also note how many times the story and details of the story have changed in just a few days.

This whole story is bovine excrement - and it is being used to foster more hate and more support for these unjust and immoral wars in the middle east!

2009-11-13T13:41:00.002-06:00

Ft. Hood: Official story full of holes

http://www.examiner.com/x-23316-Madison-Independent-Examiner~y2009m11d10-Ft-Hood-Official-story-full-of-holes

Any topic that can be construed as a conspiracy theory is a writers' worst nightmare. That label has negative connotations and writing about anything that can be put in that category usually creates more problems than it is worth. It generates hate mail from both sides of the political spectrum and that is a headache that most writers would rather not deal with.

One of the ironies in dealing with the plethora of information that is available through print, television and electronic media is that it often does not add up and at times is contradictory. The more information there is, the more inconsistencies that can be found. That does not make any topic a conspiracy theory, it just makes it what it is...questionable. A good example is what allegedly happened at Ft. Hood last week.

For the record, any theories regarding what happened at Ft. Hood are up to readers to make. This commentary will not try to tell you what happened, but the information at hand does suggest what did not happen. Yet again it is the "official" story that should be questioned. You can come to your own conclusions. I must, however, start with a few conversations I have had with ex-military personnel since the incident.

After the horrible massacre at Ft. Hood, I spoke with a few people who served in the military. A retired army Capt. who served 7 years in the 173rd Airborne including time as a S-3 in a RSTA squadron said this: "There is no way a psychiatrist - basically an intellectual desk jockey - shot off hundreds of rounds with two pistols and hit about 40 people without being subdued by someone. Come on! He wasn't a trained assassin or a special ops commando shooting up a mall. He would have had to reload and that means putting one of the pistols down and reloading the other with seasoned combat vets in that deployment center. It only takes seconds to reload, but it only takes a second to subdue him."

A retired MP, Michael Martinez also said: "No way! That would be impossible. Even if he had two semi-auto pistols [according to early reports he used a 9mm and a .357 revolver to gun down over 40 people] he would still have had to stop to reload and someone would have jumped his ass. Most people on base aren't carrying [weapons], but MPs are and they would have been there in a heartbeat."

SFC Donald Buswell said, "I spent 10 years at Ft Hood. There is no way this 'official' story is legitimate. No way would a room full of combat vets allow this one shooter to get off over 100 rounds! And, it is not normal for the outside security guards to be there. They are at the MP station, and at the main gates. This means the room full of soldiers processing must have been pinned down; multiple shooters is the only plausible scenario. This sounds like Maj. Hasan has been used, and perhaps is a patsy."

Michael Gaddy, an army veteran of Vietnam, Beirut and Grenada writes: "The facts as presented by the Army and the media [about] the shooting at Fort Hood just don’t compute. People on the ground have told me cell phone towers were jammed to prevent unauthorized dissemination of information after the shooting."

A look at these articles in chronological order paints a very confusing picture. I am not even going to speculate on what really happened at Ft. Hood, but my bovine excrement meter is maxing out at the official story. I encourage you to read and come to your own conclusions.
Lori Price, writing for Citizens for Legitimate Government, did an excellent job of compiling articles from the media that came out in the early moments and the aftermath of the shootings.

Here are some of her articles as well as some that I have found.

Nov. 5, 2009: Lt. Gen. Bob Cone, the commander of III Corps, said that at least one gunman opened fire at the base's Soldiers Readiness Processing Center where soldiers were receiving medical and dental exams prior to deployment. The gunman's fire was returned (Cone did not say by whom) and the gunman was killed. "The shooter was killed. He was a soldier. We since then have apprehended two additional soldiers who are suspects, and I would go into the point that there were eyewitness accounts that there may have been more than one shooter."

Nov. 5, 2009: CNN reports that a senior officer who was playing golf near Fort Hood, Texas, told CNN he witnessed the arrest of one of the two surviving suspects of the shooting at the Army installation. After being told by MPs to clear the area, he ducked into a nearby house for cover as 30 to 40 cars carrying more MPs approached. He said he saw a soldier in battle-dress uniform, his hands in the air. The MPs ordered him to lie on the ground and open his uniform, presumably to ensure he was not carrying explosives, the senior officer said. He said an MP told him that authorities considered the man to be a suspect in the shootings after having overheard the man say he was with the shooter. The man was surrounded for 25 to 30 minutes, until a convoy of vehicles arrived, led by a Ford Crown Victoria and carrying men in suits, and he was taken away, the senior officer said.

Nov. 5, 2009: In an interview with Fox News, a man claiming to be the suspect's cousin, Nader Hasan, said that Major Hasan considered an upcoming deployment to Iraq "his worst nightmare." Nader Hasan added that his cousin wasn't violent, telling Fox News: "He wasn't somebody who even enjoyed going to the firing range." It was unclear whether Hasan acted alone. Lt. Gen. Cone said three soldiers who'd been taken into custody as possible accomplices had been released.

Nov. 5, 2009: Federal law enforcement officials say the suspected Ft. Hood shooter had come to their attention at least six months ago because of internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech University, where he was a member of the ROTC and earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 1997. He received his medical degree from the military's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., in 2001. At Walter Reed, he did his internship, residency and a fellowship.

Nov. 5, 2009: The New York Times reports: Clad in a military uniform and firing an automatic pistol and another weapon, Major Hasan, a balding, chubby-faced man with heavy eyebrows, sprayed bullets inside a crowded medical processing center for soldiers returning from or about to be sent overseas, military officials said. The victims, nearly all military personnel but including two civilians, were cut down in clusters, the officials said. Three other soldiers, their roles unclear, were taken into custody in connection with the rampage. The office of Representative John Carter, Republican of Texas, said they were later released, but a Fort Hood spokesman could not confirm that.

Nov. 6, 2009: Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, about to be deployed to a combat zone overseas, shouted a religious slogan in Arabic before going on the rampage at the Central Texas base Thursday, the base commander said. Lt. Gen. Robert Cone said that witnesses heard Hasan exclaim "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire. The phrase means "God is great!" in Arabic. Early Thursday, Hasan showed no signs of worry or stress when he stopped at 7-Eleven for his daily breakfast of hash browns, said Jeannie Strickland, the store's manager. “He came in (Thursday) morning just like normal,” she said.

Nov. 6, 2009: CNN, however, claims he was wearing religious clothing and supposedly has a video to prove it. Federal law enforcement officials then told the Associated Press that Hasan had come to their attention at least six months ago because of Internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats. CNN also reports that Hasan used a FN 5.7-millimeter pistol, a semi-automatic with a high-velocity 20-round capacity (unlike a 9mm) purchased legally at Guns Galore, a Killeen gun shop and another gun, identified only as a type of revolver. The high casualty rate is attributed to the "more than 100 rounds" fired by the gunman and the relatively small size of the room. More than 100 rounds fired means Hasam would have had to reload at least five times in close quarters with combat veterans surrounding him.

Nov. 6, 2009: From the Guardian UK. Ford Hood's deputy base commander, Colonel John G Rossi, said about 500 soldiers were in the area when Hasan entered the facility wearing a military uniform. He shot some victims at close range and others were injured as the bullets ricocheted, Rossi said. Troops are not allowed to carry firearms on the base and armed military police quickly swarmed to the scene. The base went into lockdown for several hours amid fears other gunmen were involved.

Nov. 7, 2009: The LA Times reports, Hasan, who had prayed at his mosque that morning, allegedly mumbled something to himself -- it may have been a prayer -- then jumped up. Witnesses reported that he said: "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great." Inside the Readiness Center, Pfc. Marquest Smith, 21, was in a cubicle, across the desk from an employee, finishing paperwork ahead of his deployment in January to Afghanistan. Smith dragged several victims outside and returned to help others. He kept hearing popping. Then a pause. Then whispers: "He's reloading!" Smith saw the gunman, whose back was to him. He ran outside. The gunman fired after him. It takes seconds to place a new magazine into a pistol's grip; the gunman reloaded more than once, investigators said, and moved around the crowded room in a half-moon pattern before going outside into a courtyard.

Nov. 7, 2009: AP report claims that at least six months ago, Hasan came to the attention of law enforcement officials because of Internet postings about suicide bombings and other threats, including posts that equated suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to save the lives of their comrades. They had not confirmed Hasan is the author of the posting, and a formal investigation had not been opened before the shooting, said law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the case. Federal authorities seized Hasan's computer Friday during a search of his apartment in Killeen, Texas, said a U.S. military official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

Confusing enough yet? Now let's simplify it:

Major Nidal Malik Hasan prayed at the same mosque as two of the September 11 terrorists, according to a report published in the Sunday Telegraph. According to ABC news, U.S. intelligence agencies were aware months ago that Hasan was attempting to make contact with an individual associated with al Qaeda, two American officials briefed on classified material in the case told ABC News.

Now there are a few problems. The first is that if Hasan was being watched for six months and intelligence agencies knew of his ties to a radical cleric, why didn't anyone do anything about him before he shot up an army base? Is domestic spying worthless? (rhetorical question). Secondly, a search of his computers by law enforcement agencies revealed no communications with any terrorist organizations, and it is safe bet that all of his cell phone records, electronic transactions and everything else about his life have been scrutinized by now. Yet nothing? And thirdly, he's still alive and not talking. Not again mentioning the supposed fact that one highly trained desk jockey managed to fire hundreds of rounds from a semi-auto pistol and a revolver, hitting over 40 people, some of them repeatedly, in a building full of combat-trained soldiers.

Sounds to me like the intell boys have a lot of explaining to do. My bovine excrement meter is off the chart... How about yours?

Update: 12 Nov 2009. Here's a link from SOTT.net with some video clips to corraborate some of the news stories referenced above.

2009-11-13T11:38:00.002-06:00

He still doesn't get it!

Italy's heavy metal monk retires from the limelight
Fri Nov 13, 2009 12:29pm EST

Metal monk quits rock Play Video

MILAN (Reuters) - Italy's "Brother Metal," a 63-year-old monk who became famous for singing in a heavy metal band -- habit and all -- is hanging up his microphone, saying the devil made him too much of a celebrity for his own good.

The white-bearded Cesare Bonizzi, a Capuchin who recorded CDs for a punk label and was the lead singer for the band Fratello Metallo (Metal Brother), said the devil was up to his usual mischief.

"The devil has separated me from my managers, risked making me break up with my band colleagues and also risked making me break up with my fellow monks. He lifted me up to the point where I become a celebrity and now I want to kill him," the monk said in his farewell video.

The video shows one of the monk's band members shaving off Bonizzi's long mane of white hair as a sign of his turning a new leaf on life.

For years Bonizzi performed at concerts wearing his traditional Franciscan brown robe, sandals and white rope around his waist.

His second heavy metal CD was called "Mysteries," and was inspired by a group of southern Italian women who sang about the Virgin Mary.

Bonizzi, who fell in love with heavy metal when he attended a Metallica concert some 15 years ago, says fame had put him on the wrong path. But he still thinks heavy metal can be a means to spread the gospel message of peace and love.

"I think that metal is the strength of music itself. Metal is a brother," he said in the video.
(Reporting by Antonio Denti; writing by Philip Pullella)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

2009-11-13T09:15:00.003-06:00

Yes, Our Lord did ordain the Apostles

In reflecting upon this simple and most heart warming truth, I wish to bring forward the wisdom of a little known contemporary of the some of the great Fathers of the Church, St. Fatalis. He offers us a most salutary means of both encouragement and instruction. May you find something here that touches your heart.

"The Apostles, who were models of religious observance, invite us to follow and imitate them. They summon us, on the condition that we may reign with them in Heaven if we suffer with them on earth.They were not separated from Christ by torments; we are separated from Him by idle gossip or detraction. They did not yield to dangers, but we are overcome by pleasures....If we live by the Spirit, let us cling to the footsteps of Christ. If we follow Him, Christ ought to appear in our actions, for every tree is known by its fruit....What is the benefit of striking your breast if you do not reject the sins which are shut up inside?"

On the Life of Christians

posted by Friar Bonaventure, OFM at 4:12 AM

2009-11-12T23:19:00.002-06:00

Feds move to seize 4 mosques, tower linked to Iran

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091112/ap_on_re_us/us_mosque_forfeiture

NEW YORK – Federal prosecutors took steps Thursday to seize four U.S. mosques and a Fifth Avenue skyscraper owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization long suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government.

In what could prove to be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in U.S. history, prosecutors filed a civil complaint in federal court against the Alavi Foundation, seeking the forfeiture of more than $500 million in assets.

The assets include bank accounts; Islamic centers consisting of schools and mosques in New York City, Maryland, California and Houston; more than 100 acres in Virginia; and a 36-story glass office tower in New York.

Confiscating the properties would be a sharp blow against Iran, which has been accused by the U.S. government of bankrolling terrorism and trying to build a nuclear bomb.

A telephone call and e-mail to Iran's U.N. Mission seeking comment were not immediately answered. Nor was a call to the Alavi Foundation.

It is extremely rare for U.S. law enforcement authorities to seize a house of worship, a step fraught with questions about the First Amendment right to freedom of religion...

If they can do this to Islamic places of worship - it is only a matter of time before they can get away with it with any place of worship! Remember - they are not going to start with a religion that has huge numbers who claim to follow it - they will start small and work up.

2009-11-12T11:32:00.001-06:00

Deputies Hold Boy Who Fled Flu Shot

Student refused; was held down for vaccination

http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/530805.html?nav=515

WHEELING - It took the strength of two sheriff's deputies to keep a middle schooler still enough to receive a shot of the swine flu, or H1N1, vaccine at a recent clinic.

During a regular Wheeling-Ohio County Health Board meeting Tuesday, health department Administrator Howard Gamble told board members about the student's attempt to flee Wheeling Middle School during a vaccination clinic held there last Friday.

He noted the boy's mother could not bear to watch the scene and left the gymnasium. Out of apparent fear of receiving the injection, the student ran out of the building. The school's resource officer, Ohio County Sheriff's Deputy John Haglock, coaxed the boy back inside. Once at the shot station, however, Haglock apparently needed some help keeping the boy still, and another deputy assisted.

"He tried to run. I looked over and saw two sheriff's deputies holding a kid down," Gamble said.

"Mom took off, she couldn't take it. You had one nurse with the needle, two deputies holding him, one nurse is grabbing hands - because that's what they want to do, to go after the needle. And that's the last thing you want."

Gamble said as soon as the nurse gave the boy his injection and told him he was done, he hopped up like nothing had happened.

"For the most part they go very easy. As far as the shots, every once in awhile you have to hold down one or two - but that's why mom is there or dad is there," Gamble said.

2009-11-12T08:20:00.001-06:00

2009-11-12T08:06:00.002-06:00

The FBI is looking for this man who is an agent for Al Queda and has links to the Fort Hood Shooter and the 9/11 Hijackers!

His name is Anwar al-Awlaki.

Some information about the Most Holy And Terrifying Anwar al-Awlaki:

The ADL claims Anwar al-Awlaki is a video terrorist. Oddly he was born in New Mexico, and attended US schools. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_al-Awlaki#Biography)

He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University, an M.A. from San Diego State University, and a Doctorate degree in Human Resource Development at George Washington University.

An Odd School For An Arab Terrorist To Attend
George Washington University has an admitted enrollment of 38% Jewish.

www.hillel.org/HillelApps/JLOC/Campus.aspx?AgencyId=17407

Remember according to the US Census Bureau less than 3% of Americans are Jewish.

Wanna bet that Anwar al-Awlaki's real name is probably Abraham Altmann.

Remember Adam Pearlman - the Jewish Muslim terrorist?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Yahiye_Gadahn

2009-11-12T07:57:00.001-06:00

Freedom of Information: Stalled at CDC and D.C. Government

www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/10/27/couricandco/entry5427136.shtml

(CBS)In August 2009, CBS News made a simple request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for public documents, e-mails and other materials CDC used to communicate to states the decision to stop testing individual cases of Novel H1N1, or “swine flu.” When the public affairs folks at CDC refused to produce the documents and quit responding to my queries altogether, I filed a formal Freedom of Information (FOI) request for the materials. Members of the news media are entitled to expedited access, which I requested, since this was for a pending news report and on an issue of public health and interest....

2009-11-12T07:49:00.002-06:00

Salt Lake OKs gay rights laws with Mormon backing

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091111/ap_on_re_us/us_gay_rights_mormons

SALT LAKE CITY – The Mormon church for the first time has announced its support of gay rights legislation, an endorsement that helped gain unanimous approval for Salt Lake city laws banning discrimination against gays in housing and employment...

2009-11-11T17:10:00.004-06:00

A holy water font for the swine flu era
Wednesday November 11, 2009

Necessity is the mother of invention, of course, and an Italian inventor -- sensing a necessity -- has invented something that blends the sacred with the sensible:
The terracotta dispenser, used in the northern town of Fornaci di Briosco, functions like an automatic soap dispenser in public washrooms -- a churchgoer waves his or her hand under a sensor and the machine spurts out holy water. "It has been a bit of a novelty. People initially were a bit shocked by this technological innovation but then they welcomed it with great enthusiasm and joy. The members of this parish have got used to it," said Father Pierangelo Motta. Catholics entering and leaving churches usually dip their hands into fonts full of holy water -- which has been blessed by a priest -- and make the sign of the cross. But fear of contracting the H1N1 virus has led many in Italy -- where some 15 people have died of swine flu -- not to dip their hands in the communal water font. "It's great," said worshipper Marta Caimm as she entered the church. "Thanks to this we are not worried about catching swine flu. It is the right thing for the times," she said.

http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2009/11/a-holy-water-font-for-the-swine-flu-era.html

If it were really HOLY WATER!!!!

2009-11-11T09:36:00.003-06:00

U.S. Jews turn to Israel to escape bleak job market

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091111/lf_nm_life/us_israel_americans_recession

JERUSALEM (Reuters Life!) – Jewish American math teacher Goldie Burdetsky never expected to find herself working the front desk of a hotel in southern Israel alongside management interns young enough to be her children.

"I mean, for God's sakes, I have a master's degree in education," said the 55-year-old New Yorker. "I expected to be able to find a teaching job in the U.S. without any problems. But I couldn't."

Burdetsky decided to escape the dire economic situation back home, by coming to Israel on a program that offers Jews free housing, Hebrew classes, training, and work experience -- all of which translate into temporary financial respite.

As the unemployment rate in the U.S. climbed to a 26-year high of 10.2 percent last month, growing numbers of young and adult American Jews were arriving in Israel to inexpensively "wait out" the economic lull.

In an attempt to lure diaspora Jews to make Israel their permanent home, the Israeli government and Jewish organizations offer a multitude of scholarships and travel grants, allowing many to spend up to six months in Israel almost for free...

Funded by?

US TAXPAYERS via the billions of dollars in aid we give to Israel!

Wouldn't it be nice to wait out the economic problems for free somewhere - unbelievable!

2009-11-10T17:38:00.003-06:00

You just can't make this stuff up!

Vatican looks to heavens for signs of alien life

By ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press Writer Ariel David

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091110/ap_on_sc/eu_vatican_aliens

VATICAN CITY – E.T. phone Rome. Four hundred years after it locked up Galileo for challenging the view that the Earth was the center of the universe, the Vatican has called in experts to study the possibility of extraterrestrial alien life and its implication for the Catholic Church.

"The questions of life's origins and of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe are very suitable and deserve serious consideration," said the Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, an astronomer and director of the Vatican Observatory.

Funes, a Jesuit priest, presented the results Tuesday of a five-day conference that gathered astronomers, physicists, biologists and other experts to discuss the budding field of astrobiology — the study of the origin of life and its existence elsewhere in the cosmos.

Funes said the possibility of alien life raises "many philosophical and theological implications" but added that the gathering was mainly focused on the scientific perspective and how different disciplines can be used to explore the issue...

...Today top clergy, including Funes, openly endorse scientific ideas like the Big Bang theory as a reasonable explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.

Earlier this year, the Vatican also sponsored a conference on evolution to mark the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's "The Origin of Species."

The event snubbed proponents of alternative theories, like creationism and intelligent design, which see a higher being rather than the undirected process of natural selection behind the evolution of species...

Millions of unborn babies are murdered every year in the world, unjust and immoral wars are being fought throughout the world, genocide is occurring in Palestine, millions of people do not have enough to eat, billions of people do not know Jesus Christ or the Catholic Faith, divorce is rampant, fornication is common place, drunkenness is a right of passage, etc... and the Vatican is going to study the possibility of ET or Klingons living on some planet in a galaxy far far away!

Beam me up Scotty - thank God I am still not deceived by this anti-church with its anti-popes, bogus mass, and complete apostasy!

2009-11-10T10:30:00.003-06:00

Fort Hood Mystery

by Michael Gaddy

http://www.lewrockwell.com/gaddy/gaddy72.1.html

The facts as presented by the Army and the media reference the shooting at Fort Hood just don’t compute. While I routinely dismiss any "facts" disseminated by the Army and the state’s propaganda wing, sometimes referred to as the mainstream media (MSM), there are some glaring inconsistencies in what has been reported about this tragedy.

First is the report the perpetrator was dead and then hours later the revelation that he was still alive. Exactly how long does it take to determine if a person is dead or alive? Could it be no one knew whom the shooter or shooters were and a story had to be concocted for public consumption? What happened to the two other "suspects" that were detained? What did they do to qualify as suspects and more importantly, what information surfaced that led to their release?
One of the suspects reportedly stated he "was with the shooter."

Second is the number of victims from a single shooter. Let us not forget this shooting did not occur at the mall, it occurred on a military installation where the victims had been trained in military tactics and some were combat veterans. We are to believe they did nothing to stop a single shooter and he was allowed to reload several times and continue shooting and the only thing that stopped him was the arrival of a police officer after the gunman had gunned down over 40 people?

And how so very convenient for the state, a perpetrator who was both anti-war and a Muslim; just doesn’t get any better than that. Could this be an example of following the philosophy of Rahm Emanuel on dealing with a crisis?

Third was the shutting down of communications in and around Ft. Hood for hours. While the Army and the media will explain this in various scenarios, it also provided the Army with a chance to create whatever story it was they wanted to provide the public on the terrible tragedy. Of course we all know the Army would never distort or lie about the facts involving the deaths of innocents. Well, there is that My Lai thing. People on the ground have told me cell phone towers were jammed to prevent unauthorized dissemination of information after the shooting. Again, the Army would not want any information contrary to the company line emerging from this disaster.

All too convenient for the Army was the rapid release of negative information related to the alleged shooter. It was said he received a negative evaluation report and that he had caused "red flags" to be raised some months ago concerning emails. Do we know anything this detailed about the "suspects" who were released? The caveat was added that it was unclear as to whether the suspect was the author of those emails. So, months ago, alarms were raised about emails the suspect might have sent, yet, in all those months the Army has been unable to determine who wrote them. Yeah, right. If red flags were in fact raised months ago, why did the Army do nothing? Going back to the 9/11 paradigm, we see the same evidence exhibited: the state had prior warnings but did not act on them. This proves unequivocally the government is either incompetent or complicit in both events. Yet, the state would have us all unarmed and depending on them for protection.

President Obama pledged, "to get answers to every single question about this event" but he also promised an end to signing statements, a transparent government, no more torture of detainees, and many more lies.

There has been speculation on the Internet that the shooting could have been a revolt against the Army from soldiers faced with stop-loss and multiple combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. While there is no evidence to support this theory, there is also no evidence to support the official Army version of events. Suicides among military personnel and veterans are at alarming levels, yet the Department of Defense does more to hide these facts than it does to deal with them.

The last thing the state can let happen is an awakening by its enforcement arm (military and LE) that they are nothing but tools of oppression and in fact, slaves to the monster they serve. While the military is trained and encouraged to kill and bomb in the name of the state, they are forbidden the means of protection for themselves and their loved ones once they are outside the killing zones designated by the state.

All is not normal inside the military community. This is not just seen in our military, instruments of oppression in other countries are revolting as well.

While it is doubtful we will ever learn the truth of exactly what happened at Fort Hood, we know with a degree of certainty the truth will never be revealed by the Army or the media. Could this have been a false flag event to divert the attention of the American public from the debates and planned demonstrations against the health care fiasco? Could it have simply been another MK Ultra event to further demonize the anti-war element in this country and to lay another crime at the feet of the current villain du jour: Muslims? Could there be a connection between this alleged shooter and his fellow Virginia Tech shooter Seung Hui Cho, other than an oblique reference to Cho having a Muslim influence?

One must always ask this question when faced with a story that is issued and controlled by the State: Cui Bono? Wonderful, is it not, the state is empowered with the unique ability to investigate its own lies and the power of the media and academia to demonize any who would question its veracity, and the support of Boobus, whose livelihood depends on the state’s power to redistribute the wealth of the nation from producers to parasites.

November 9, 2009

Michael Gaddy [send him mail], an Army veteran of Vietnam, Grenada, and Beirut, lives in the Four Corners area of the American Southwest.

For the readers of this blog who may think that I am focusing too much on this story - here is why I am:

Stories like this, that are also almost certainly lies are used to foster hatred of Arabs, many of whom are Christian. This hatred is created and fermented by Zionists who want to use the United States to gain control over the entire middle east.

Stories like this keep the unthinking masses believing that we need to be sending our young men and women into Arab nations to die supposedly fighting for our freedom and to protect us from supposed terrorists.

Stories like this also promote the funding of these unjust and immoral wars of aggression.

I have lately heard all sorts of racist comments toward Arabs since this attack - stories like this work and have an effect on the unthinking.

Also - this will promote a further erosion of our freedom of speech, assembly, and right to bear arms. There are already claims being made that soldiers supposedly knew that this man was a "terrorist sympathiser", but were afraid to tell anyone for fear of being accused of being "racist" against Muslims. WHAT A LOAD OF BOVINE EXCREMENT! But this will be used to silence anyone who is opposed to these wars.

Anyone who questions any of this nonsense - we will all be accused of being "sympathisers"!

2009-11-10T07:54:00.003-06:00

WAS IT THE SACRED CAVE RITUAL?
By Charlie Sykes
Story Created: Nov 2, 2009
Story Updated: Nov 2, 2009

Last Tuesday, the State Assembly began its daily session of running our lives with a prayer, as per usual. Except, it was not per usual at all.

One legislator thought the prayer itself sounded so odd, he decided to check into the background of the Rev. Selena Fox, who apparently had been chosen to inspire lawmakers with a little dose of paganism.

Rev. Selena Fox is senior minister and high priestess of Circle Sanctuary, a Wiccan church, Pagan resource center, and Nature preserve with a worldwide Ecospirituality ministry ...
For more than thirty years, Rev. Fox has served as one of the elders, religious freedom activists, and public media spokespersons for the Wiccan religion and related forms of contemporary Paganism and Nature religion, nationwide and internationally...

She is author of the Goddess Communion handbook and the research study: When Goddess is God. Her audio recordings include Sacred Cave Ritual and Magical Journeys...

And then there is this:

She is among the religious leaders appointed to and presently serving on the Religious Practices Advisory Committe to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

http://www.620wtmj.com/shows/charliesykes/68521247.html

Make sure you read the comments -they are a PERFECT example of the article that Bishop Giles' reprinted in the Seraph on "Indifferentism". You know - "all religions are the same" ; "you worship your way and I'll worship mine". No wonder our country is falling apart! How is God going to "bless America" if Americans have turned their back on Him and now allow Satan worship right in our state assemblies????

2009-11-09T13:21:00.001-06:00

One tough cop - he had to taser a 72 year old woman!

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/11/09/1109taser.html

I thought that these were supposed to be used in the place of deadly force.

2009-11-09T11:06:00.002-06:00

Updates on the Fort Hood Shooting story...

It appears that he was using a .357 Revolver Pistol (a six shooter) and a FN 5.7 semi-automatic pistol. The FN 5.7 is an uncommon (in civilian circles) pistol - the ammo is very expensive. This gun comes with a standard 10 round magazine and a 20 round magazine is also available depending on the State and the legalities involved. There is also a 10 round add on available - so this pistol could potentially hold a 30 round clip. The .357 appears to have been carried as a back up if the semi-auto jammed - which is not uncommon for any semi-automatic pistol. So - in a perfect shooting rampage where he is claimed to have fired over one hundred rounds - using these weapons - he would have had to reload a minimum of 4 times during this rampage.

Now consider the following stories:

Alleged Fort Hood Shooter Frequented Local Strip Club

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,573052,00.html

Odd that someone about to die for their god and religion would commit grave sins against the same god and religion. Btw - the 9/11 suspects supposedly also attended strip clubs and conveniently left Korans behind at the bar!

Officials: U.S. Aware of Hasan Efforts to Contact al Qaeda

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/fort-hood-shooter-contact-al-qaeda-terrorists-officials/story?id=9030873

Hasan Computer Reveals No Terror Ties

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/08/national/main5578580.shtml

Odd - didn't they just tell us that he was trying to contact al Qaeda - but nothing on his computer to reveal terror ties?

Here is a link to a web site that is listing all of the oddities dealing with this case:

http://www.legitgov.org/attack_on_fort_hood_051109.html

2009-11-09T09:23:00.002-06:00

"In order not to resist the divine action, we should remember that God generally purifies souls through the ordinary circumstances of life. In the life of every Christian, every apostle, every religious, there is always a measure of suffering sufficient to effect the purification of the spirit. These are the sufferings which God Himself chooses and disposes in the way best suited to the different needs of souls; but, unfortunately, few profit by them because few know how to recognize in the sorrows of life the hand of God who wishes to purify them.

Illness, bereavement, estrangement, separation from dear ones,misunderstandings, struggles, difficulties proceeding sometimes from the very ones who should have been able to give help and support, failure of works that were cherished and sustained at the price of great labor, abandonment by friends, physical and spiritual solitude - these are some of the sufferings which are met with more or less in the life of every man, and which we will find in ours. We must understand that all such things are positively willed or at least permitted by God precisely to purify us even to the very inmost fibers of our being.

In the face of these trials, we must never blame the malice of men or stop to examine whether or not they are just; we must see only the blessed hand of God who offers us these bitter remedies to bring perfect health to our soul.

Whatever suffering may come to us from creatures has only one true explanation: Our Lord wishes to purify us, and is beginning to do it precisely through these exterior tribulations...........

*Divine Intimacy*

2009-11-09T07:51:00.002-06:00

Audio Sermon for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost

Given by Bishop Giles, OFM

http://friarsminor.org/audio/09pen23.wma

Audio Sermon for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost

Given by Brother Bonaventure, OFM

http://songweetrains.com/sermons/09pen23.mp3

2009-11-08T13:41:00.003-06:00

JOE BIDEN?? TONY BLAIR??? BOTH PRO-ABORTION, PRO-HOMOSEXUAL!!!!!

Benedict invites Blair, Berlusconi and friends
Published: November 06, 2009

Pope Benedict is planning a two day summit of Catholic politicians across the globe at the Vatican to discuss the role of faith witness in their professions, reports say.

Former British premier and Catholic convert Tony Blair, German chancellor Angela Merkel, US vice president Joe Biden, former Spanish premier Jose Maria Aznar, and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi are among invitees, the Daily Mail reports.

Church officials have been quietly working on the conference, which will be called "Witnesses of Christ in the Political Community", for several months.

Items to be discussed include the family, right to life, Christian roots, education and bioethics, according to the report.

It quoted Vatican sources to say that Pope Benedict was becoming "increasingly concerned" at how Christian values were being eroded because of various world governments introducing legislation against Catholic teaching.

Vatican sources said the timing of the meeting would be pushed forward to early next year given the decision earlier this week by the European Court of Human Rights that Italy should remove crucifixes from classrooms.

A senior Vatican official said: "There is growing alarm within the Vatican and especially the Holy Father that not enough prominence is being given to basic Christian and family values by governments.

"This has been further increased by this week’s ruling by the European Court of Human rights and the display of crucifixes in Italian classrooms - it is outrageous that such an institution could interfere in the cultural heritage of Italy in such a way."

The landmark decision caused outrage amongst Italian politicians and was also criticised by Vatican officials who described it as "wrong, short sighted and regretful."
Pope invites Tony Blair to Vatican summit to discuss Church’s fears that politics is losing its religion (Daily Mail)

2009-11-08T10:29:00.005-06:00

Big bang test spoiled by bird turd! Who says that God does not have a sense of humor?

Big bang goes phut as bird drops baguette into Cern machinery

www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/nov/06/cern-big-bang-goes-phut

It is the machine that scientists hope will recreate the conditions present at the beginning of time. But scientists at the £3.6bn Large Hadron Collider (LHC) found their plans to emulate the big bang postponed this week when a passing bird dropped a "bit of baguette" into the machine, causing it to overheat.

Cern, the European particle physics laboratory, launched the LHC with much fanfare on 10 September last year. Physicists hope to use the collider to prove the existence of the Higgs boson, or God particle, which gives matter in the universe its mass...

I think that God gave these arrogant scientists just the particle that they needed!