Tag Archives: National

Daughters of the American Revolution kicking God out of country

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(See full interview)

Todd Starnes of FOX radio is reporting the the oldest women’s patriotic organization is removing God from all of their literature and their prayers.

The Daughters of the American Revolution president general has apparently ordered the removal of God as a sign of religious freedom and tolerance. To be a member of the group you must be a direct descendant of someone involved in the American Revolution.

Todd Starnes writes:

“The dispute has been brewing for more than a year when DAR members learned that the newly revised Ritual and Missal books – the primary guide for chaplains – were altered. They noticed that the name of Jesus Christ had been omitted.

“The DAR president general [Merry Ann T. Wright] did not return calls seeking comment for this story.”

According to the report, a state chaplain notified members in a newsletter:

“The newly updated Missal and Ritual was written to reflect the desire to be considerate of other belief systems,” the statement read. “The Chaplain General uses scripture from both the Old and New Testaments and prays in the name of God without reference Christ. Chapter and district chaplains need to follow the example set by the National Society.”

The statement also reminded members to “appreciate the differences in members’ religious beliefs and to adapt our rituals and prayers to respect these differences.”

In the aftermath of the War for Independence, the First Amendment was added to the Bill of Right to prevent requiring people to worship God of the Holy Bible according to a State run religion such as the Anglican Church in England. One of the historic reasons colonist left England was to gain freedom to worship God according to their conscience. The First Amendment also was to give freedom of speech, but some outraged members spoke to Starnes anonymously for fear of being kicked out of the organization.

One member said:

“It’s horrible, I mean how dare they. They’re supposed to be doing it out of inclusion and to me it is exclusion. If they are saying well it’s because of religious freedom and tolerance then my question is if someone is so incensed over the name of Jesus and words like ‘white crosses’ that reference soldiers who died for America, is it not they who are intolerant?”

The DAR was founded in 1890 as a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization. Membership is open to any woman who can prove they are a lineal descendant of a patriot from the American Revolution. The organization has 170,000 members in 3,000 members.

Inmates extort money from outside prison

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By Rhonda Cook
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

First there was a picture sent to Jimenna Whitner’s cell phone of her brother, who was bloody and beaten.

Next, she got a text message from somewhere inside Baldwin State Prison 950 miles from her home in Michigan, demanding $1,000. Otherwise her inmate brother, Thomas Maher, would be killed.

“From the pictures and stuff we knew they weren’t playing,” said Whitner, who earns $800 to $900 a month cleaning rental mobile homes for new tenants. “We don’t have money.”

But Whitner found a way to pay the inmates who had allegedly punched and kicked her brother, a convicted rapist, for about two hours in a cell block shower. She raised the money from relatives and paid the inmates through “Green Dot” cash cards that carry VISA or MasterCard logos.

Read more at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Air Force launches 3rd X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle

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X_37_14by Maj. Eric Badger
Air Force Public Affairs

12/11/2012 – CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AFNS) — In the next installment to improve space capability and further develop an affordable, reusable space vehicle, the Air Force conducted its third X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle launch here on December 11, officials said.

The launch comes on the heels of the successful flight of OTV-2, which made an autonomous landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., June 11 after a record 469 days in space.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the strides we’ve made in this program and the success of the X-37B vehicle on the first two flights,” said Mr. Richard McKinney, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space. “However, it is important to keep in mind that this is an experimental vehicle and a third mission is still relatively young for a test program. This is the first re-flight of a vehicle so that is certainly a key objective for us. We have only just begun what is a very systematic checkout of the system.”

X-37 Orbital Test VehicleLieutenant Colonel Tom McIntyre, X-37B program manager for the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, explained the third X-37 flight will not only help the Air Force better evaluate and understand the vehicle’s performance characteristics, but this first re-flight is an important step in the program. OTV-1 launched in April 2010 and spent 224 days in orbit before going through the refurbishment process prior to being prepped for this mission, he said.

“This mission will incorporate the lessons learned during the refurbishment process on OTV-1,” said Lieutenant Colonel McIntyre. “As the X-37B program is examining the affordability and reusability of space vehicles, validation through testing is vital to the process. We are excited to see how this vehicle performs on a second flight.”

“The X-37B OTV is designed for an on-orbit duration of approximately 9 months,” said Lieutenant Colonel McIntyre. “As with previous missions, actual duration will depend on the execution of test objectives, on-orbit vehicle performance, and conditions at the landing site.”

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is led by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, and is designed to demonstrate reusable spacecraft technologies for America’s future in space and operating experiments which can be returned to, and examined, on Earth. Technologies being tested in the program include advanced guidance, navigation and control, thermal protection systems, avionics, high temperature structures and seals, conformal reusable insulation, lightweight electromechanical flight systems, and autonomous orbital flight, reentry and landing.

Officials anticipate multiple missions will be required to satisfy the test program objectives, but the exact number of missions has not been determined.

General Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. dead at 78

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220px-NormanSchwarzkopfSchwarzkopf was born in Trenton, New Jersey, the son of Ruth Alice (née Bowman) and Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf. His paternal grandparents were German. His father served in the US Army before becoming the Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, where he worked as a lead investigator on the 1932 Lindbergh baby kidnapping case before returning to an Army career and rising to the rank of Major General. In January 1952, Schwarzkopf’s birth certificate was amended to make his name “H. Norman Schwarzkopf”. This was done as an act of revenge against the upper class cadets at West Point because his father hated his own first name “Herbert” and when he attended West Point the upper class cadets yelled at him for signing his name “H. Norman Schwarzkopf”. His connection with the Persian Gulf region began very early. In 1946, when he was 12, he and the rest of his family joined their father, stationed in Tehran, Iran, where his father went on to be instrumental in Operation Ajax, eventually forming the Shah’s secret police SAVAK, as well. He attended the Community High School in Tehran, later the International School of Geneva at La Châtaigneraie, Frankfurt High School in Frankfurt, Germany and attended and graduated from Valley Forge Military Academy. He was also a member of Mensa.—Wikipedia

A special forces friend of mine once told me that he met Major Schuwarzkopf in Vietnam. He met him because the Major was out in the field with his men much of the time unlike other officers. Wikipedia recounts one story:

He had received word that men under his command had encountered a minefield on the notorious Batangan Peninsula, he rushed to the scene in his helicopter, as was his custom while a battalion commander, in order to make his helicopter available. He found several soldiers still trapped in the minefield. Schwarzkopf urged them to retrace their steps slowly. Still, one man tripped a mine and was severely wounded but remained conscious. As the wounded man flailed in agony, the soldiers around him feared that he would set off another mine. Schwarzkopf, also wounded by the explosion, crawled across the minefield to the wounded man and held him down (using a “pinning” technique from his wrestling days at West Point) so another could splint his shattered leg. One soldier stepped away to break a branch from a nearby tree to make the splint. In doing so, he too hit a mine, which killed him and the two men closest to him, and blew an arm and a leg off Schwarzkopf’s artillery liaison officer. Eventually, Schwarzkopf led his surviving men to safety, by ordering the division engineers to mark the locations of the mines with shaving cream.

General Schwarzkopf came to national attention during Desert Storm, though that was not his intent. It was known that he desired to be on the ground in Iraq to coordinate efforts, like most good commanders, but was called back to conduct press conferences.

He was offered the position of Chief of Staff of the Army, but declined retiring in August of ’91. In 1992 his autobiography It Doesn’t Take a Hero was published.

The General passed away today in Tampa, Florida suffering complications arising from pneumonia.

SEE ALSO: Lionized for Lightning Victory in ’91 Gulf War

Florida reacts to death of Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf – Tampa Bay Times

Two acclaimed actors died Monday

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Charles Durning

Charlesdurning-2-popupThe New York Times reports, “Charles Durning may not have been a household name, but with his pugnacious features and imposing bulk he was a familiar presence in American movies, television and theater, even if often overshadowed by the headliners.”

That sums up his acting career. While you probably did not know his name, you definitely remember his presence in any film you saw. His sixty year career ended much like his military career. Still working. He was involved in the filming of Scavenger Killers at the time of his death. Wounded in the military during WWII as an Army Ranger, he refused to seek discharge and recovered to resume active duty.

His first acting role was in the 1953 television series You Are There as Colonel John Jameson in The Treason of Benedict Arnold episode. As his career progressed he starred in the short lived The Cop and the Kid television series, which I remember him for. He’s played presidents, captains and king, all the way down to the most corrupt scum you could ever love to hate.

From the “boob tube” to the “silver screen,” he was one of the versatile actors that made “stars” look good. Did he ever have a staring role? In everything he did.

Mr. Durning was 89.

Jack Klugman

jack_klugman_606Jack Klugman also died Monday at 90 years of age. He started acting in 1950 and is best known for his roles in The Twilight Zone, The Odd Couple and Quincy.

He played four roles in The Twilight Zone, but is probably best remembered for In Praise of Pip with Billy Mummy in which he offered his life for that of his son.

He played the sloven Oscar Madison in the Odd Couple opposite the neat and tidy Felix Unger played by Tony Randall. Klugman was ready to give up his career when he lost his voice due to throat cancer, though he taught himself to speak. Randall convinced him to return for The Odd Couple: Together Again in 1993.

In Quincy M.E. he played an unusual role. A coroner who sought the truth rather than headlines. Every week there was some case that people wanted swept under the rug quickly, but Quincy stepped on the rug to ensure that the case was resolved properly.

Although his acting career was mainly television, he played some memorable roles in movies such as Twelve Angry Men and Goodbye, Columbus. He is one of those actors that seemed to perform for the love of the art rather than the love of the paycheck.

Petition against Obama birth control rules reaches the Supreme Court

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Hobby Lobby is not the only private business represented in the 42 suits now pending against the mandate.

A Christian-run arts and crafts chain has filed for an emergency injunction with the Supreme Court to block President Obama’s birth control coverage rules.

Hobby Lobby and its founders, the Green family, filed the petition Friday after an appeals court rejected their motion for relief this week.

“Petitioners have been driven to seek such extraordinary relief three days before Christmas because the federal government has refused to acknowledge [their] sincerely held religious beliefs,” the petition reads.

At issue is the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that most employers cover a full range of birth control methods in their health plans without copay.

Read more at The Hill

Are you dead yet?

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WILLIAMS—The end of the world has not occurred in Williams, as of this writing, so perhaps we can expect the snow that is anticipated for Sunday night. That snow moved up from an earlier forecast indicating snow Monday.

Barring a late strike by Nimbiru, the alien planet predicted to smash into the earth, the last Advent concert will be held beginning at 4 p.m. on Sunday at St. John’s Episcopal Church on the corner of 2nd Street and Grant.

No massive tidal waves are expected from the Santa Fe dam nor Buckskinner park to flood Williams, knock down homes and kill massive amounts of people because—Well, there is not enough water. In addition they are now frozen over.

Stores and restaurants are open downtown so you might visit and look for end-of-the-world savings.

Of course, we still have until 11:59:59 to see if the world does, indeed, melt down.

Hobby Lobby loses court battle on contraceptive mandate

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A federal appeals court has denied Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby’s request to block a portion of the federal health care law that requires the company provide insurance coverage for emergency contraception pills.

The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday denied the arts-and-crafts company’s request for an injunction while it appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Hobby Lobby’s lawsuit says the mandate violates the religious beliefs of its Christian founder and CEO David Green and his family. The Greens say requiring insurance coverage for the birth-control pills known as the “morning-after” and “week-after” pills forces them to either violate their religious beliefs or face hefty fines.

The federal appeals court ruling upheld a district court that found the religious burden to the Green family is indirect.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is assisting Hobby Lobby in its court battle. Spokesman Kyle Duncan says “The Green family is disappointed with this ruling.” However, he says the Greens will continue to make their case on appeal that this “unconstitutional mandate infringes their right to earn a living while remaining true to their faith.”

Read more at OneNewsNow

800,000 Illegal Immigrants Ordered Deported Remain in US, Could Receive Benefits

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Nearly 800,000 illegal immigrants who have been ordered deported still remain in the United States, and many of them, including convicted criminals, are getting access to “secure areas, education grants, and housing assistance” in addition to food stamps and driver’s licenses.

An audit of the verification and screening system states and the federal government use to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving benefits found it fails nearly 12% of the time.

“The failures in our sample include individuals who applied for unemployment and disability insurance, food stamps, driver’s licenses and other benefits,” the auditors said. “Several individuals had criminal records, including assault with a deadly weapon, extortion, drug convictions and other convictions such as burglary, stalking and child abuse.”

The Department of Homeland Security inspector general’s audit found that nearly “800,000 immigrants are living in the U.S. who already have been ordered deported but have not yet left — or been removed by the government — from the country.” And because the the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, which “is supposed to maintain an up-to-date list of those deportable aliens so that other government agencies are aware of their status and know they should be denied benefits,” fails nearly 12% of the time, many of these 800,000 immigrants also are illegally receiving taxpayer-funded benefits.

Read more at BreitBart

Major Winter Storm Tracking Through the Central United States

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lights-01
A powerful system continues to bring significant, widespread impacts in the form of blizzard conditions, severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and fire weather conditions to the central United States. Meanwhile, another storm is beginning to impact the Pacific Northwest and northern California, where heavy mountain snow and coastal flash flooding are possible through at least Thursday.

As the Winter Solstice takes hold tomorrow and the world ends, Williams should remain clear until Christmas Eve on Monday when we are likely to see snow. Snow accumulations are not yet forecast. Currently it is sunny but cool with temperatures expected to reach a high of 50 while at night lows reaching 2 degrees.