BBC investigated over climate change documentary

Well, of course they're going to lie. When you have no facts to back up your claims your only choice is to fabricate evidence. It only takes about 30 min. of research and an open-mind to discern that this is a magician's trick.

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The IRS & The Constitution

Schulz explained that the petition that he submitted to the United States Government included the following alleged violations of the Constitution: U.S. aid to Israel, illegal immigration, North American Union, the Iraq War, The Patriot Act, the Federal Reserve, and income tax fraud.

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The Real Global Crisis

It does us great harm to ignore the lessons history can teach. We are not the first to come this way, however, most people's historical perspective begins from the moment of their birth. This failure to garner wisdom from our ancestors has us to believe that Socialism/Communism/Marxism are new and exciting ideas, nothing could be further from the truth. I was reminded years ago why my parents insisted on a good education, and why my dad always was demanding that I think, I just hope that one day we will all do as my dad requested. The present financial turmoil is really a failure of global statism. Socialism has failed once again. Let's try capitalism.

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Government hangover

Much of the problem comes down to US government 'anti-redlining' legislation, which forced institutions to lend to people in parts of town where the local property market was bad collateral. Lenders knew they'd have to comply or face regulator's retribution. Unfortunately they also meant a lot of 'sub-prime' debts on the institutions' books.

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Paul or Cornelius: Who's Conversion do You Prefer?

Mr Keating is the founder of Catholic Answers-

KARL KEATING’S E-LETTER

September 23, 2008

TOPIC: Owing More to Cornelius Than to Paul

Dear Subscriber:

Whose conversion to Christianity was more important, that of Paul or that of Cornelius? “Why, Paul’s, of course,” you say. After all, who talks about Cornelius nowadays? Paul gets all the press—and for a good reason.

But let’s think this through. I believe one can argue that Cornelius’s conversion was the more important. Let me explain by turning to Luke’s Gospel, chapters 9 and 10, and looking at what happened to each man.

First of all, each had a vision, Paul having perhaps history’s most famous as he was on the road to Damascus. A light flashed around him, and he was knocked to the ground (whether from his feet or, as in traditional artwork, from a horse we don’t know). He heard a voice: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” The voice was Jesus’. Saul, now blind, was told to go into Damascus and to await further instructions. Meanwhile, in Damascus a man named Ananias had a vision, the Lord telling him to restore Paul’s sight and to baptize him.

Now let’s switch to Cornelius. He lived in Caesarea and was a Roman soldier—in fact, an officer commanding a century, which was a subdivision of a Roman legion. One afternoon Cornelius had a vision of an angel. The vision at first terrified him (an unsurprising response, I would think). The angel told Cornelius to send men to Joppa and to have them bring Peter to Caesarea. The phrasing indicates that Cornelius did not know who Peter was, but he obeyed at once, sending one of his trusted soldiers and two of his personal servants.

While the three were on their way to Joppa the next day, Peter himself had a vision, the one in which a giant sheet contained all sorts of animals, clean and unclean. In the vision Peter was told to eat the animals, but he protested against eating the unclean ones. The voice told him that it was God, not Peter, who would determine what was clean and what wasn’t. After the vision concluded, Peter sat thinking about it, and just then the men sent by Cornelius showed up. The next day Peter set off with them for Caesarea.

At the house of Cornelius Peter gave an address, and, as he ended, “the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word,” with graces coming even to the Gentiles. Peter asked, “Can anyone forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” Then the Gentiles—Cornelius included—were baptized.

Later Peter reported on these events to the other apostles, and they said, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life.” (Keep in mind that Jesus had neither baptized nor authorized the baptism of Gentiles; the apostles here accepted Peter’s determination of what should be done.)

Let’s summarize. Paul and Cornelius received visions that resulted in their conversions. Paul was baptized by Ananias, a man of such little importance that he disappeared from Christian history, as though he had only a walk-on part. Cornelius, by contrast, was baptized by the first pope. Paul was brought into the Church in order to bring others in; he would become the first great missionary. What later became of Cornelius is unclear, but he and those with him were the first non-Jews to become Christians, which means that he was the prototype for most of us.

Which conversion was the more important—the one that opened the faith to the large majority of mankind (everyone who was not a Jew) or the one of the man who would begin the task of bringing in those people?

Fr. Vincent McNabb put it this way eighty years ago, “Paul’s conversion prepared the worker for the harvest; the call of Cornelius prepared the harvest-field for the worker.” While Paul’s conversion was “fateful for the Church, [it] was not so fateful as that of the centurion who, when he entered the flock of Christ, brought with him the world of Gentiles.”

This is not to say that Cornelius ended up the greater saint, of course, but it does suggest that we may profit from looking at biblical events in slightly different ways.

Until next time,

Karl

Taxes and Tax Cuts in Terms of Beer

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the
bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill
the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite
happy with the arrangement until one day the owner threw
them a curved ball (or is that a curved beer!).
'Because you are all such good customers,' he
said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily
beer by $20.'

Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay
our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They
would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20
windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair
share?'

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if
they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the
fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to
drink his beer.

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to
reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and
he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay. And
so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100%
savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first
four continued to drink for free. But once outside the
restaurant the men began to compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20,' declared
the sixth man.. He pointed to the tenth man, 'but he
got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth
man. 'I only saved a dollar too. It's unfair that
he got ten times more than me!'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man.
'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The
wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in
unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The
system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth man and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks,
so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when
it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something
important. They didn't have enough money between
all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college
professors, is how our Tax System works. The people who pay
the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax
reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy
and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might
start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat
friendlier.

David R Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
Universityof Georgia
For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is
possible.'

George Will thinks McCain isn't ready to be president

Leading conservative columnist, George Will, says McCain is not ready to be President.

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Do You Know The Power?

I just want to share my past week with you. Over the past weekend I had not been listening to the news to hear what was going on with the weather. So we go church on Sunday and we come out and we feel the wind just whipping around us and pushing Tyler along. We go to the grocery store, like we normally do, to buy Sunday dinner and food for the week. My niece Ryan was moving into her first apartment and after dropping off the groceries we changed and went to her apartment.

Ryan's apartment was filled with family and friends. As we sat in the living room we began noticing people's roofs coming apart, garbage cans being swept blocks up the street, and branches flying around like we were in Kansas (Wizard of Oz). Then the lights went out. After the second outage we all decided to head home. In Cincinnati we were not prepared for uprooted trees and power lines sparkling on most major roadways. Getting home was something of a puzzle. All the traffic lights were going out. Even the detours had detours. Once we finally got home we realized our power was out too. Alex got out a deck of cards and we played several games of 'Kings in the Corner' I went outside and spoke with my neighbor and remembered that my friend Stephanie had gotten a call that the city would be out of power for days.

My lights went out on Sunday and did not come back on until Wednesday afternoon. We, like many of our neighbors, lost all of our food and had no hot water. Over that span of time we visited my sister and parents probably more than we have all year. A very close friend of mine made sure we had candles and kept our home secure at night. So for three nights we had what I now call 'Kool Aid by candlelight' It has been difficult for many in our city, our family, and my close circle of friends to regroup and go on with daily life.

School was out for three days, only three grocery stores were open and getting gas was like a scene in an action movie. Our lives were simply at a standstill.
What I will cherish the most is the time I spent with my family, especially with my sons. Talking to them each night before going to sleep and running around the city making sure they were clean and fed made me realize how much I enjoy being their mother.

My life has changed so much. Sunday September 14, 2008 forced me to see life differently. What if I did not have electricity? What if I had to travel around the city daily searching for food and clean water? What if at night I had no place to sleep? God is amazing and He delivers us through our adversities. I want you to always remember that God has you through your situation. He loves you so much that He will allow a blackout to happen to prove that He is all you truly need. Be Blessed Arlinda

Obama Is Stoking Racial Antagonism

What I have found is that those who do not like Mr.Limbaugh have not taken the time to listen to him. I don't agree with everything that he says, but he is far from embodying the attacks that are so routinely leveled in his direction. I understand the rough and tumble of politics. But Barack Obama -- the supposedly post-partisan, post-racial candidate of hope and change -- has gone where few modern candidates have gone before.

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New Life On Earth Baby!!

Well, life that we didn't know about anyway. Several thoughts popped into my mind while I was reading... Why is it that humans are always referred to as disturbing the delicate animal life by the same folks who claim that we are just very distant cousins of the same? Can't we all get along? Just curious..also, do you think that it is possible for some of these folks to start looking at other animals to determine if they too are guilty of overpopulation? I doubt it. Lastly, hypothetically of course, if it were possible for humans to have been around when the dinosaurs were here (no Palin jokes please) would we be at fault for that too?Sorry one last thing...you do realize that the only reason that a government is ever interested in anything is if it will lead them to more power.

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The Way Ahead: How We Got Here.

George Washington was the original CHANGE agent.

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Pelosi: Dems bear no responsibility for economic crisis

So, you already have a partial grip on the economy, you want more, but it's not your fault when things go a bit south. When Obama gets elected and they ram through socialized medicine I bet they will be innocent when people are waiting in lines for simple tests and annual check-ups. Wake-up America!

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The Gibson Doctrine - Dennis Prager

Charles Gibson showed more contempt for Gov. Palin than Dan Rather did in his interview with Saddam Hussein or Mike Wallace did in his interview with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He asked Palin about the non-existent Bush Doctrine-There are at least 4 doctrines that are called "Bush Doctrine,". Gibson's Doctrine: Peace w/enemies, war w/ Republicans!

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How the death tax bulldozed a hole in the environment

The Left's tax policy has, once again, destroyed a small business, left us with one less local farm and killed a slew of old-growth trees. They stuck it to "The Rich" though...nice job!!

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ABC's Gibson grilled Palin hard, but it may backfire

Even now, Obama has yet to receive any comparable grilling on his 20-year attendance in the congregation of the notoriously racist Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

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No WMD in Iraq? Let them eat yellowcake!!

Have you heard? The truth is out there if you want it.

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Hundreds of WMDs Found in Iraq: for those who haven't heard

The United States has found 500 chemical weapons in Iraq since 2003, and more weapons of mass destruction are likely to be uncovered, two Republican lawmakers say.

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Charlie Gibson's Gaffe: This is what I mean by arrogant and snobish.

'At times visibly nervous . . . Ms. Palin most visibly stumbled when she was asked by Mr. Gibson if she agreed with the Bush doctrine. Ms. Palin did not seem to know what he was talking about. Mr. Gibson, sounding like an impatient teacher, informed her that it meant the right of 'anticipatory se...

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Divinity School Liberals Are Insufferable

Um, ok...uhhh...er...ah...wow, I am actually speechless. Your turn.

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'People's History' headed to movies

So, here they come again the America-Bashing Hollywood Left with another attempt to teach the great unwashed that we have been duped for the last 200+ years. They can say whatever they want, the American GI has died for that, but I can still say that they're stupid. Oh, one last thing, this would be brave if they were doing it in Communist China, not brave in pluralistic America. ;)

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Arugula Fatigue

Miss Parker always hits a home run in my book. I read her every chance that I get because of her fair and humble rhetoric you can't help but exclaim, "that's what I was thinking!"

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Countdown to man's Big Bang begins

Scientists are today preparing to switch on the world's biggest scientific experiment. ummm...I hope they don't create a black hole, because that would SUCK!! He He ahhhh...hope I see you tomorrow!!

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Thomas says Constitution forbids racial preference

"I can tell you when you have fudge words, it leaves a lot of room for mischief," he said. "People have a tendency to read their personal opinions into fudge words. You want, when it comes to the issue of race [and all other issues pertaining to law], absolute words."

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Michelle Obama's Boot Camps For Radicals

It just blows me away that people will read something like this and then just slough it off as though it is no big deal, or that those of us who think it is a big deal are over-reacting. When you have people who have designs for public office who say things like, "Individual salvation depends on collective salvation," they mean communism. For those who would say that these are the same views that Jesus had I would submit that, yes, well sort of, but he didn't say that it should come from government.

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Robert De Niro's restaurant chain sells endangered tuna

A Michelin-starred restaurant chain part-owned by the actor Robert De Niro is serving endangered bluefin tuna at its London outlets without telling customers, DNA tests have shown.Undercover investigators targeted the Nobu chain, which has 21 restaurants on four continents and is the haunt of celebrities such as Madonna, Kate Winslet

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Anti-American or Anti-Green?

The spin-meisters will spin, that is what they do. This is not an isolated incident that can be looked at in a vacuum. I do not think that Obama put these there, a lower level staff member, even a the janitorial crew of the convention center probably did. But it is indicative of the culture that is created within an organization. Both McCain and Obama have "people" to take care of these things. McCain's people would have kept them for the next event. Obama's should have been smart enough to know that it gets this petty at this level. The other side looks for every angle. At the very least, though, wasn't this dubbed as a "Green Convention?" These flags can be recycled for the next 60 days; what a great statement that would have made to the country!!

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The Power of Palin

With an always fresh perspective, Buchanan, makes several very astute insights into The Power of Palin.

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