Apparently, not everyone remembers the dream

Today is Martin Luther King day. Today is meant to celebrate the civil rights leader of the sixties who made the following speech on August 28th, 1963.

Almost 52-years later, Mark Dice, a political activist in San Diego, asked people about King. The trick is that he asks in the same way that he does many historic topics. His claim to the people is that Martin Luther King just passed away and he wanted to know if they people were going to attend the memorial services.

Bear in mind that he edits the videos showing the goofiest answers he received. He did show one person who knew who the civil rights leader actually was and there were probably other examples.

What is sad is that even when he went off the deep end, as he often does in his videos, some people followed simply because they had a camera in their face.

The 12 Days of Williams: July 2014

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let-freedom-ringSheriff Julian Whittington of Bossier Parish, Louisiana vowed that the ACLU would not stop the second annual “In God We Trust” rally. One editorial noted that it “…followed the best of our traditions.” He took the line from the Supreme Court decision of Zorach v. Clauson, 343 U.S. 306 in which they stated:

We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being. We guarantee the freedom to worship as one chooses. We make room for as wide a variety of beliefs and creeds as the spiritual needs of man deem necessary. We sponsor an attitude on the part of government that shows no partiality to any one group and that lets each flourish according to the zeal of its adherents and the appeal of its dogma. When the state encourages religious instruction or cooperates with religious authorities by adjusting the schedule of public events to sectarian needs, it follows the best of our traditions. For it then respects the religious nature of our people and accommodates the public service to their spiritual needs.

James_MadisonIn preparation for the Independence Day holiday, we presented a good read from the “Father of the Constitution,” James Madison. His paper, known as Property or On Property, is one of his unpublished papers reflecting his thoughts on what property is. Here is another thought by our fourth President. You might be interested in some thoughts on the Tenth Amendment. Here is a quote from Thomas Jefferson.

A newspaper owned by Benjamin Franklin which became available at an auction contained a simple report of a significant event in American history. It confirms that Independence was actually declared on July 2.

In the midst of celebrating our Independence, the administration allegedly celebrated by suing an American company for requiring their workers to speak English. In Mississippi a disgruntled former employee entered Keith’s Superstore and stabbed the manager eight times. A concealed carry permit holder chased the criminal down and held him for police. The manager then posted no guns signs.

Arizona was accused in court of denying drivers licenses to immigrants. This, of course, is a lie. Arizona denied licenses to illegal aliens. Recently the courts ordered Arizona to start issuing licenses to illegal aliens. Arizona was accused of batching an execution because Joseph Rudolph Wood III snored before he died. Unlike his victims who died in pain.

KOREAJuly 27 is a day to honor Korean War veterans in Arizona.

After the devastating Slide Rock fire, State Route 89A and Oak Creek Canyon businesses started opening.

The forest near Williams suffered some lightning caused fires. 32-year old Rocky Deibler of Williams lost his life in a one vehicle accident near Williams. An inmate committed suicide at the Coconino County Detention Facility.

Bearizona held its annual Backwoods BBQ.

Some of us did not have a Merry Christmas nor a Happy New Year

IRAN – While you were passing presents amongst yourselves and hoisting a glass to a mythical baby with a 2015 banner, American hostages were languishing in an Iranian prison.

saeedAccording to his wife, Naghmeh, Pastor Saeed Abedini—who has been in prison for over two years and subject to harsh beatings for his Christian Faith—is in severe pain. The American Center for Law and Justice posted a portion of a letter he wrote which described his difficulty and how his Christian faith has seen him through.

The ACLJ was also gratified when Obama noted the plight of Pastor Saeed at the National Prayer Meeting held in Washington D.C. in February of 2014. In September, a UN panel “blasted” Iran over the imprisonment of Saeed.

Amir_Mirza_Hekmati_USMCPastor Saeed is not the only prisoner being held by the terrorist regime. Amir Hekmati, a former United States Marine, is also being held. Rumors have surfaced that the lawyer for Hekmati, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei, was quoted as saying that a proposal was made for a prisoner exchange. It was allegedly sent from the Administration was sent to the Iranian government via the Swiss embassy. The rumor was denied by Washington.

Hekmati was born in Flagstaff, Arizona and served as a U.S. Marine from August 2001 to 2005. He obtained the rank of sergeant. He was a translator in Iraq but received no military intelligence training. He was arrested for spying.
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Jason Rezaian holds dual American and Iranian citizenship and was working as the bureau chief for the Washington Post in Tehran since 2012. He was arrested in July for unspecified charges. According to his family, Iranian judiciary has held him without bail and access to legal representation.

According to U.S. State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke, the prisoner exchange rumor is false, but the U.S. does call for the release of American prisoners and to assist in locating Robert Levinson.

Robert Levinson was a former DEA and FBI agent turned private investigator who was in Iran allegedly researching a cigarette smuggling case. He was taken hostage, according to reports, by Iranian security forces on March 9, 2007 and has not been seen since.

St. John’s Advent Concert: A Blue Grass Christmas

The St. John’s Episcopal-Lutheran Church Advent concert series continues this Sunday at 4 p.m.

This concert features blue grass music from Julie and Roger Sullivan and friends.

Beautiful Advent concert held at St. John’s

advent141214-8WILLIAMS – Guest harpist Corelia Tom performed a beautiful series of Advent music at St. John’s Episcopal-Lutheran church Sunday Afternoon. She also took the time to educate about the Christmas history of some of the pieces.

Unfortunately my audio recording was clipped.

The last of the series of Advent music takes place on December 19 at 4 p.m. and features Blue Grass music.

Master Chorale performance Sunday

peaks141209-07FLAGSTAFF – The Master Chorale is having their Christmas program this Sunday (Dec 14) at 3 pm. “Christmas in the Mountains” will be performed at the Ardrey Auditorium, NAU campus. A perfect addition to make this time of year even more special. For more information contact Shaula Watson.