This came to me today in an email from Dr. Peter Hammonds book which is footnoted at the bottom of the article.
Some interesting reading .................................................................................some of what is written below certainly sounds familiar
Interesting & alarming read by: Dr. Peter Hammond
Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life.
Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components.
Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges.
When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well.
Here's how it works.
As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is
the case in:
United States -- Muslim 0.6%
Australia -- Muslim 1.5%
Canada -- Muslim 1.9%
China -- Muslim 1.8%
Italy -- Muslim 1.5%
Norway -- Muslim 1.8%
At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening in:
Denmark -- Muslim 2%
Germany -- Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%
Spain -- Muslim 4%
Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%
From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along with threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:
France -- Muslim 8%
Philippines -- Muslim 5%
Sweden -- Muslim 5%
Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%
At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.
When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris , we are already seeing car-burnings. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam, and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections, in:
Guyana -- Muslim 10%
India -- Muslim 13.4%
Israel -- Muslim 16%
Kenya -- Muslim 10%
Russia -- Muslim 15%
After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:
Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%
At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:
Bosnia -- Muslim 40%
Chad -- Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%
From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:
Albania -- Muslim 70%
Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%
Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%
Sudan -- Muslim 70%
After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:
Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%
Egypt -- Muslim 90%
Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%
Iran -- Muslim 98%
Iraq -- Muslim 97%
Jordan -- Muslim 92%
Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan -- Muslim 97%
Palestine -- Muslim 99%
Syria -- Muslim 90%
Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%
Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%
100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:
Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%
Somalia -- Muslim 100%
Yemen -- Muslim 100%
Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.
'Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel. -- Leon Uris, 'The Haj'
It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national
courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.
Today's 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world's population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other believers. Some say Muslims will exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century.
~Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book - "Slavery, Terrorism
and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat"
15 January 2009
06 January 2009
The Difference Between Sheep and Sheepdogs
I believe this is from Colonel Grossmans book "On Killing" but not sure. The tag line says it is from a 1997 lecture, but it references 9/11 (Which was in 2001 for you Obama voters). Still, the words are accurate in any context.
In a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997 William J. Bennet made the following observations:
"Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.
Then there are the wolves, and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy. Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.Then there are sheepdogs, and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf. If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf.
But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the uncharted path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.
We know that the sheep live in denial; that is what makes them sheep.They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world.They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog that intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16.
The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa." Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.For instance, the students at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. But when the school was under attack, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, those once-ignored officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them.
This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle.
That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones.
Now, here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently: The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, while the sheepdog lives for that day.
After the attacks on September 11, 2001, the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes."
The sheepdogs said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference."
You want to be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally superior about a warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the sheep.
There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims exactly like big cats do in Africa, selecting one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself. Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When they learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd and the other passengers confronted the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents -- from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground."
There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men." - Edmund Burke.
Here is a point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice.
But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay.
When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you.If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love.
But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip, and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between.
Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. It's ok to be a sheep, but do not kick the sheep dog. Indeed, the sheep dog may just run a little harder, strive to protect a little better and be fully prepared to pay an ultimate price in battle and spirit with the sheep moving from "baa" to "thanks."
Like good sheepdogs, we warriors do not call for gifts or freedoms beyond our lot. We just need a small pat on the head, a smile and a thank you to fill the emotional tank which is drained while protecting the sheep. And when our number is called by "The Almighty," and day retreats into night, a small prayer before the heavens just may be in order to say thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep. And be grateful for the thousands - - millions - - of American sheepdogs who permit you, Ms. Edwards, the freedom to express even bad ideas."
In a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997 William J. Bennet made the following observations:
"Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.
Then there are the wolves, and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy. Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.Then there are sheepdogs, and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf. If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf.
But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the uncharted path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.
We know that the sheep live in denial; that is what makes them sheep.They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world.They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog that intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16.
The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa." Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.For instance, the students at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. But when the school was under attack, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, those once-ignored officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them.
This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle.
That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones.
Now, here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently: The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, while the sheepdog lives for that day.
After the attacks on September 11, 2001, the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes."
The sheepdogs said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference."
You want to be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally superior about a warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the sheep.
There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims exactly like big cats do in Africa, selecting one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself. Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When they learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd and the other passengers confronted the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents -- from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground."
There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men." - Edmund Burke.
Here is a point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice.
But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay.
When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you.If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love.
But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip, and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between.
Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. It's ok to be a sheep, but do not kick the sheep dog. Indeed, the sheep dog may just run a little harder, strive to protect a little better and be fully prepared to pay an ultimate price in battle and spirit with the sheep moving from "baa" to "thanks."
Like good sheepdogs, we warriors do not call for gifts or freedoms beyond our lot. We just need a small pat on the head, a smile and a thank you to fill the emotional tank which is drained while protecting the sheep. And when our number is called by "The Almighty," and day retreats into night, a small prayer before the heavens just may be in order to say thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep. And be grateful for the thousands - - millions - - of American sheepdogs who permit you, Ms. Edwards, the freedom to express even bad ideas."
29 December 2008
Islam and little girls. Religious pedophelia.
I ran across this posting at http://www.catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/islam/gislam.htm
written by Jonathan tuttle; I thought of sourcing it and sharing some of the finer points, but...the whole article was a fine point, so I opted to share it in its entiriety. These are not my thoughts or ideas, I only agree with them. God Bless Mr. Tuttle for sharing his research and letting us know what the "religion of peace" is all about.
Thank Allah for Little Girls?
by Jonathan Tuttle
"The average woman is born into near slavery, leads a life of drudgery, and dies invariably in oblivion. This grim condition is the stark reality of half our population simply because they happen to be female." —Findings of a 1985 Pakistani governmental commission investigating the status of women in that countryIt is disturbing that many Catholics have adopted a philosophical preference for Islam over Judaism.
Furthermore, in some instances, some prominent Catholics have even made the unfortunate suggestion that there is much commonality between the true Faith and the religion of Islam. I have to believe that in doing so, they have little or no idea what Islam preaches or how its followers manifest their faith in the real world. It's time for an expose of what the Koran and Islamic Law actually teach, and how that teaching is applied by its proponents.
It is not enough to simply say that life for Moslem girls is harsh and leave it at that. Catholics must come to some understanding of what life is really like for young girls in Islamic countries, so no reputable Catholic may ever again make the absurd claim of commonality between the Mohammedan religion and the one, true Catholic Faith.
Forced Mutilation
One grisly practice that is common in most Moslem countries is female circumcision, or, as the Western medical authorities have more aptly named the practice, female genital mutilation (FGM). Without going into graphic detail, this process involves the removal of female genitalia.
According to the World Health Organization, "female genital mutilation is normally performed by traditional practitioners with crude instruments, such as knives, razors, blades and broken glass, usually without anaesthetics." 1 This report finds that, though some girls are mutilated at birth, "most girls are mutilated between the ages of 4 and 12." 2 Not only is this practice completely medically unnecessary, barbaric, and unethical, it carries significant health risks. The WHO report continues: The practice of FGM often leads to complications. Short term complications include severe pain, shock, hemorrhage, urine retention, ulceration of the genital region and injury to adjacent tissue. Hemorrhage and infection can cause death. Long-term complications include cysts and abscesses, keloid scar formation, damage to the urethra resulting in urinary incontinence, dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse), sexual dysfunction, urinary tract infection, infertility and childbirth complications. 3
Why do Moslems promote a practice which is clearly so damaging? It is seen as a way of controlling sexual appetites. Since a girl who has undergone mutilation experiences no pleasure in the marital act, she has no reason to seek it; therefore, her virginity is preserved until her wedding night. In other words, Moslem men are willing to risk the lives of young girls for no other reason than to ensure the status of their young brides.
It is estimated that between 100 and 150 million women have undergone this dreadful practice, almost entirely within Moslem countries. Western Moslems and Moslem sympathizers are quick to point out that female circumcision is not required by the Koran. That is true. However, it has long been maintained by many Islamic scholars that Mohammed himself did recommend the practice. Further, the Reliance of the Traveler, a classic manual of Islamic sacred law, states that circumcision is "obligatory for both men and women."
While the practice might ritualistically survive among tribes of other faiths, it thrives in Islamic countries. Many Islamic clerics view it as essential for women, and they tirelessly promote the procedure. When Egyptian health authorities attempted to ban female circumcision in 1995, they met major opposition from Islamic clerics. Inter Press Service reported that Egyptian Sheikh Yussuf el-Badry, in an attempt to establish Islamic Sharia law, sued the health agency for ordering the ban. Eventually, Egyptian authorities overturned the ban and legalized the practice. El Badry saw this as a major victory for Islam.
Most Moslem women understand the danger of the practice, and it is routinely performed against their wills. Many of these women have attempted to escape before they were mutilated. The best known example of this is the case of Fauziya Kassindja, a Moslem girl from West Africa, who immigrated to the United States.4 Due to her tribulations, the United States government now grants political asylum to those women who are fleeing Islamic authorities in order to avoid mandatory mutilation.
Sentenced to Hell
Another item which makes Islam reprehensible is the protection of men who forcibly violate women. Under Islamic Law, a man cannot be convicted on a charge of rape unless it happens in the presence of four male witnesses who are willing to testify against him. In the course of my research, I have not been able to discover a single instance in which four men testified against one of their own. A Moslem man can freely rape women without worry of conviction, and this happens constantly in Islamic countries. To make matters worse, if a Moslem woman charges a man with rape and she is unable to find four male witnesses to testify against him, she is then charged with fornication. In countries under Islamic law, the punishment for fornication is death.
Further, this situation of a woman facing a fornication charge for a rape committed against her is hardly rare. As a matter of fact, it has been estimated that a whopping 75% of women in Pakistani prisons are there on trumped-up fornication charges5 —and many of them are under ten years old! Simultaneously, the real criminals, the rapists, walk free. The term "living hell" is often overused. Yet, without an appeal to this cliche, it is difficult to summarize the predicament of young girls in Islamic countries. Had Hobbes' been referring to their lives, he would have been considered prescient with his quip that life is brutish and short. It is impossible to read about these young girls and not be moved by pity. In many Islamic countries, other than the alleged crime of fornication, the most common crimes are insignificant or nonexistent violations of the Koran, and many of these crimes are punishable by death. A significant percentage of crimes in Islamic countries are capital crimes. Decapitation is common.
Young girls who are sentenced to death in Islamic countries present a problem for Islamic authorities. Islamic clerics and rulers, unsatisfied with a mere penalty of death for the accused, wish to ensure that these women will suffer eternity in hell as well. However, quite a number of the accused girls are virgins, and Islam teaches that virgins go to Paradise upon their deaths. As a solution this problem, in order to ensure the damnation of the accused, Islamic authorities will often order the prison guards to systematically rape female prisoners before they are killed.
According to Amnesty International, this practice is widespread in Islamic countries. There is no way of knowing the exact number of such cases, but suffice it to say that under the Khomeini Revolution in Iran, twenty thousand girls and women were executed in the first three years of the Ayatollah's rule.6 And Khomeini was a strict follower of the Koran. During Khomeini's rule, the minimum age for the death penalty for girls was nine years old, and all these girls were systematically raped before they were executed. All this to ensure damnation. All under the sanction of law. All because of the teachings of the Koran. What this all adds up to is a very unpleasant picture.
Those girls who are in prison on fornication charges are actually victims of rape. The remaining female prisoners are raped to ensure damnation. It is no exaggeration to say that Islamic countries are nations of rape victims.
Institutionalized Pedophilia
All practicing Moslems revere Mohammed as the great prophet—the greatest man who ever lived, or who could ever live. They seek to imitate him in every conceivable way. This is bad news for women in Islamic countries, for Mohammed had a penchant for little girls. When Mohammed was little over fifty years of age, and already had at least nine wives and countless concubines, Mohammed took a new six-year-old wife named Aisha, although Moslem historians claim that he did not consummate this marriage until Aisha had achieved the ripe old age of nine.7
Of course, defenders of Mohammed and Islam will argue that it was a "long time ago," and girls used to marry younger then. Let's table that argument for a moment and fast forward to the Islamic world of today. There is an old saying: "Times change." In the case of the Islamic faith, it would be more accurate to say: "Times don't change." In imitation of the prophet Mohammed, Moslem men marry girls at the age of nine (and younger) all the time.
After the Revolution in Iran, girls as young as seven were allowed to be married, with the approval of a physician, who could testify to her sexual maturity. But even this minor stipulation was eventually dropped. Jan Goodwin reports on an interview she conducted with an Iranian physican regarding this situation: "In villages where child marriage is most common, doctors don't even see the girl," she told me. "They just take the family's word that she is physically mature enough to marry. Consequently, we have had very young girls badly injured when they have had what amounts to forced intercourse. Infection sets in and they have died. Only with girls under seven did the Ayatollah say that sex was forbidden." 8This problem of pedophila is not specific to Iran. Pedophilia is not an Iranian thing—it's an Islamic thing. Time magazine recently reported that in Afghanistan and Pakistan, they found that two-thirds of second grade girls "were either married or betrothed." 9
Second grade! And they are not engaged to boys of the same age in a cute little arrangement ceremony. Typically, they are engaged or married to men four or five times their age. One ten-year-old girl in the camp was engaged to a man of sixty.10
Partially due to the fact that these girls have already undergone the sexual mutilation of female circumcision, and partially due simply to their juvenile biological makeup, these children suffer immensely when they are married. In Egypt, honeymoon centers have been built outside communities "so that the screams of the brides will not be heard." 11
There is no nice way to say it: Moslems across the world are practicing pedophiliac rape, a most vicious form of child abuse, and nothing in their behavior contradicts "true Islam." Since 9/11, we have constantly heard Moslems tell us that people such as these "are not practicing true Islam."
However, the men who pedophile nine year old girls are practicing true Islam. Anyone who would argue otherwise either does not understand the Islamic faith or is lying.
Slavery
Allah likes slavery, and he doesn't discriminate between little girls and anyone else. The Koran teaches: "Blessed are the believers who…restrain their carnal desires (except with their wives and slave-girls, for these are lawful to them)." 12 Islam teaches: "For if a man purchases a slave girl, the purchase contract includes his right to have sex with her." 13 Islamists have for centuries preached that the rape of child slaves is perfectly commendable in the eyes of Allah.
In modern times, Islamic countries practice widespread slavery. In the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, child-slavery is common, as are slave raids. The revolutionary Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army practices child sex-slavery and military slavery on a wide scale. Although not technically a Moslem entity, the LRA receives military and logistical support from the Islamic country of Sudan.14
In Sudan, slavery is a way of life. According to a recent report conducted by the American Anti-Slavery Group: Accumulated evidence suggests the re-emergence of two particular forms of slavery.
The first is the women and child slaves used to look after cattle and perform domestic and sexual services for Arab tribesmen in regions bordering southern Sudan and the Nuba Mountains;
the second involves children who are captured and dispatched to military training camps or hard-line Koranic schools where, it is alleged, attempts are made to transform them into Muslims who are prepared to fight in the "holy war" against the south. 15
It would be imprecise to say that only Moslems practice slavery today. However, it would be precise to say that the Islamic authorities are obeying the their religion in taking slaves, beating them, mutilating them, and raping them.
All this is blessed by their religion.
Conclusion
Imagine for a moment the life of a young Christian girl in an Islamic country, such as Sudan.
She is abducted from her parents in a slave raid at the age of four. She is given a new Islamic name and, under gunpoint, forced to pray as a Moslem. At age five, she is forced to undergo the torture of mutilation. At age six, she is engaged to a man ten times her age. At age nine, she is married and repeatedly forcibly raped. For the next year, she is beaten daily. At age ten, she is forcibly raped by another Moslem man, and is sentenced to death because of a charge of fornication. The night before her death, she is raped by a prison guard and assured that she will spend eternity in hell. The next day, she is whipped with lashes until she dies.
During her life, none of her perpetrators have once violated Islamic law. Everything she was subjected to was sanctioned by the "most merciful Allah."
This is not an overdramatization. This is real life. This is the biography of millions of girls. The fact that this is so horrific does not mean that it is not happening in numerous countries to thousands of girls as you read this right now.
Islam is the enemy of these millions of girls, and we do a supreme disservice to them by attempting to reconcile the Islamic faith with the true Catholic faith. Instead of trying to figure out how we can get Moslems more land, discussing how much we all have in common, and having interfaith services with Islamic revolutionaries, it is time we expose Islam for what it is: the sworn enemy of Jesus Christ.
***ENDNOTES:
1 (World Health Organization Press Release, UN AGENCIES CALL FOR END TO FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION, April 9, 1997)
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Kassinjia, Fauyiza, Do They Hear You When You Cry, Delta, 1999.
5 Robert Spencer, Islam Unveiled, San Francisco: Encounter Books, p. 91.
6 Jan Goodwin, Price of Honor, Boston: Plume, 1995, p. 115.
7 Spencer, 47.
8 Goodwin, 113, 114.
9 Spencer, 48.
10 Spencer, 47.
11 Goodwin, 335.
12 quoted in Spencer, 63.
13 quoted in Cati, Married to Mohammed, Lake Mary, FL: Creation House Press
14 Amnesty International, 1 March 1999, Solidarity Action for Universal Rights: Uganda
15 The American Anti-Slavery Group, Slavery in the Sudan: A Challenge to International Law
- CATHOLIC APOLOGETICS -
written by Jonathan tuttle; I thought of sourcing it and sharing some of the finer points, but...the whole article was a fine point, so I opted to share it in its entiriety. These are not my thoughts or ideas, I only agree with them. God Bless Mr. Tuttle for sharing his research and letting us know what the "religion of peace" is all about.
Thank Allah for Little Girls?
by Jonathan Tuttle
"The average woman is born into near slavery, leads a life of drudgery, and dies invariably in oblivion. This grim condition is the stark reality of half our population simply because they happen to be female." —Findings of a 1985 Pakistani governmental commission investigating the status of women in that countryIt is disturbing that many Catholics have adopted a philosophical preference for Islam over Judaism.
Furthermore, in some instances, some prominent Catholics have even made the unfortunate suggestion that there is much commonality between the true Faith and the religion of Islam. I have to believe that in doing so, they have little or no idea what Islam preaches or how its followers manifest their faith in the real world. It's time for an expose of what the Koran and Islamic Law actually teach, and how that teaching is applied by its proponents.
It is not enough to simply say that life for Moslem girls is harsh and leave it at that. Catholics must come to some understanding of what life is really like for young girls in Islamic countries, so no reputable Catholic may ever again make the absurd claim of commonality between the Mohammedan religion and the one, true Catholic Faith.
Forced Mutilation
One grisly practice that is common in most Moslem countries is female circumcision, or, as the Western medical authorities have more aptly named the practice, female genital mutilation (FGM). Without going into graphic detail, this process involves the removal of female genitalia.
According to the World Health Organization, "female genital mutilation is normally performed by traditional practitioners with crude instruments, such as knives, razors, blades and broken glass, usually without anaesthetics." 1 This report finds that, though some girls are mutilated at birth, "most girls are mutilated between the ages of 4 and 12." 2 Not only is this practice completely medically unnecessary, barbaric, and unethical, it carries significant health risks. The WHO report continues: The practice of FGM often leads to complications. Short term complications include severe pain, shock, hemorrhage, urine retention, ulceration of the genital region and injury to adjacent tissue. Hemorrhage and infection can cause death. Long-term complications include cysts and abscesses, keloid scar formation, damage to the urethra resulting in urinary incontinence, dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse), sexual dysfunction, urinary tract infection, infertility and childbirth complications. 3
Why do Moslems promote a practice which is clearly so damaging? It is seen as a way of controlling sexual appetites. Since a girl who has undergone mutilation experiences no pleasure in the marital act, she has no reason to seek it; therefore, her virginity is preserved until her wedding night. In other words, Moslem men are willing to risk the lives of young girls for no other reason than to ensure the status of their young brides.
It is estimated that between 100 and 150 million women have undergone this dreadful practice, almost entirely within Moslem countries. Western Moslems and Moslem sympathizers are quick to point out that female circumcision is not required by the Koran. That is true. However, it has long been maintained by many Islamic scholars that Mohammed himself did recommend the practice. Further, the Reliance of the Traveler, a classic manual of Islamic sacred law, states that circumcision is "obligatory for both men and women."
While the practice might ritualistically survive among tribes of other faiths, it thrives in Islamic countries. Many Islamic clerics view it as essential for women, and they tirelessly promote the procedure. When Egyptian health authorities attempted to ban female circumcision in 1995, they met major opposition from Islamic clerics. Inter Press Service reported that Egyptian Sheikh Yussuf el-Badry, in an attempt to establish Islamic Sharia law, sued the health agency for ordering the ban. Eventually, Egyptian authorities overturned the ban and legalized the practice. El Badry saw this as a major victory for Islam.
Most Moslem women understand the danger of the practice, and it is routinely performed against their wills. Many of these women have attempted to escape before they were mutilated. The best known example of this is the case of Fauziya Kassindja, a Moslem girl from West Africa, who immigrated to the United States.4 Due to her tribulations, the United States government now grants political asylum to those women who are fleeing Islamic authorities in order to avoid mandatory mutilation.
Sentenced to Hell
Another item which makes Islam reprehensible is the protection of men who forcibly violate women. Under Islamic Law, a man cannot be convicted on a charge of rape unless it happens in the presence of four male witnesses who are willing to testify against him. In the course of my research, I have not been able to discover a single instance in which four men testified against one of their own. A Moslem man can freely rape women without worry of conviction, and this happens constantly in Islamic countries. To make matters worse, if a Moslem woman charges a man with rape and she is unable to find four male witnesses to testify against him, she is then charged with fornication. In countries under Islamic law, the punishment for fornication is death.
Further, this situation of a woman facing a fornication charge for a rape committed against her is hardly rare. As a matter of fact, it has been estimated that a whopping 75% of women in Pakistani prisons are there on trumped-up fornication charges5 —and many of them are under ten years old! Simultaneously, the real criminals, the rapists, walk free. The term "living hell" is often overused. Yet, without an appeal to this cliche, it is difficult to summarize the predicament of young girls in Islamic countries. Had Hobbes' been referring to their lives, he would have been considered prescient with his quip that life is brutish and short. It is impossible to read about these young girls and not be moved by pity. In many Islamic countries, other than the alleged crime of fornication, the most common crimes are insignificant or nonexistent violations of the Koran, and many of these crimes are punishable by death. A significant percentage of crimes in Islamic countries are capital crimes. Decapitation is common.
Young girls who are sentenced to death in Islamic countries present a problem for Islamic authorities. Islamic clerics and rulers, unsatisfied with a mere penalty of death for the accused, wish to ensure that these women will suffer eternity in hell as well. However, quite a number of the accused girls are virgins, and Islam teaches that virgins go to Paradise upon their deaths. As a solution this problem, in order to ensure the damnation of the accused, Islamic authorities will often order the prison guards to systematically rape female prisoners before they are killed.
According to Amnesty International, this practice is widespread in Islamic countries. There is no way of knowing the exact number of such cases, but suffice it to say that under the Khomeini Revolution in Iran, twenty thousand girls and women were executed in the first three years of the Ayatollah's rule.6 And Khomeini was a strict follower of the Koran. During Khomeini's rule, the minimum age for the death penalty for girls was nine years old, and all these girls were systematically raped before they were executed. All this to ensure damnation. All under the sanction of law. All because of the teachings of the Koran. What this all adds up to is a very unpleasant picture.
Those girls who are in prison on fornication charges are actually victims of rape. The remaining female prisoners are raped to ensure damnation. It is no exaggeration to say that Islamic countries are nations of rape victims.
Institutionalized Pedophilia
All practicing Moslems revere Mohammed as the great prophet—the greatest man who ever lived, or who could ever live. They seek to imitate him in every conceivable way. This is bad news for women in Islamic countries, for Mohammed had a penchant for little girls. When Mohammed was little over fifty years of age, and already had at least nine wives and countless concubines, Mohammed took a new six-year-old wife named Aisha, although Moslem historians claim that he did not consummate this marriage until Aisha had achieved the ripe old age of nine.7
Of course, defenders of Mohammed and Islam will argue that it was a "long time ago," and girls used to marry younger then. Let's table that argument for a moment and fast forward to the Islamic world of today. There is an old saying: "Times change." In the case of the Islamic faith, it would be more accurate to say: "Times don't change." In imitation of the prophet Mohammed, Moslem men marry girls at the age of nine (and younger) all the time.
After the Revolution in Iran, girls as young as seven were allowed to be married, with the approval of a physician, who could testify to her sexual maturity. But even this minor stipulation was eventually dropped. Jan Goodwin reports on an interview she conducted with an Iranian physican regarding this situation: "In villages where child marriage is most common, doctors don't even see the girl," she told me. "They just take the family's word that she is physically mature enough to marry. Consequently, we have had very young girls badly injured when they have had what amounts to forced intercourse. Infection sets in and they have died. Only with girls under seven did the Ayatollah say that sex was forbidden." 8This problem of pedophila is not specific to Iran. Pedophilia is not an Iranian thing—it's an Islamic thing. Time magazine recently reported that in Afghanistan and Pakistan, they found that two-thirds of second grade girls "were either married or betrothed." 9
Second grade! And they are not engaged to boys of the same age in a cute little arrangement ceremony. Typically, they are engaged or married to men four or five times their age. One ten-year-old girl in the camp was engaged to a man of sixty.10
Partially due to the fact that these girls have already undergone the sexual mutilation of female circumcision, and partially due simply to their juvenile biological makeup, these children suffer immensely when they are married. In Egypt, honeymoon centers have been built outside communities "so that the screams of the brides will not be heard." 11
There is no nice way to say it: Moslems across the world are practicing pedophiliac rape, a most vicious form of child abuse, and nothing in their behavior contradicts "true Islam." Since 9/11, we have constantly heard Moslems tell us that people such as these "are not practicing true Islam."
However, the men who pedophile nine year old girls are practicing true Islam. Anyone who would argue otherwise either does not understand the Islamic faith or is lying.
Slavery
Allah likes slavery, and he doesn't discriminate between little girls and anyone else. The Koran teaches: "Blessed are the believers who…restrain their carnal desires (except with their wives and slave-girls, for these are lawful to them)." 12 Islam teaches: "For if a man purchases a slave girl, the purchase contract includes his right to have sex with her." 13 Islamists have for centuries preached that the rape of child slaves is perfectly commendable in the eyes of Allah.
In modern times, Islamic countries practice widespread slavery. In the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, child-slavery is common, as are slave raids. The revolutionary Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army practices child sex-slavery and military slavery on a wide scale. Although not technically a Moslem entity, the LRA receives military and logistical support from the Islamic country of Sudan.14
In Sudan, slavery is a way of life. According to a recent report conducted by the American Anti-Slavery Group: Accumulated evidence suggests the re-emergence of two particular forms of slavery.
The first is the women and child slaves used to look after cattle and perform domestic and sexual services for Arab tribesmen in regions bordering southern Sudan and the Nuba Mountains;
the second involves children who are captured and dispatched to military training camps or hard-line Koranic schools where, it is alleged, attempts are made to transform them into Muslims who are prepared to fight in the "holy war" against the south. 15
It would be imprecise to say that only Moslems practice slavery today. However, it would be precise to say that the Islamic authorities are obeying the their religion in taking slaves, beating them, mutilating them, and raping them.
All this is blessed by their religion.
Conclusion
Imagine for a moment the life of a young Christian girl in an Islamic country, such as Sudan.
She is abducted from her parents in a slave raid at the age of four. She is given a new Islamic name and, under gunpoint, forced to pray as a Moslem. At age five, she is forced to undergo the torture of mutilation. At age six, she is engaged to a man ten times her age. At age nine, she is married and repeatedly forcibly raped. For the next year, she is beaten daily. At age ten, she is forcibly raped by another Moslem man, and is sentenced to death because of a charge of fornication. The night before her death, she is raped by a prison guard and assured that she will spend eternity in hell. The next day, she is whipped with lashes until she dies.
During her life, none of her perpetrators have once violated Islamic law. Everything she was subjected to was sanctioned by the "most merciful Allah."
This is not an overdramatization. This is real life. This is the biography of millions of girls. The fact that this is so horrific does not mean that it is not happening in numerous countries to thousands of girls as you read this right now.
Islam is the enemy of these millions of girls, and we do a supreme disservice to them by attempting to reconcile the Islamic faith with the true Catholic faith. Instead of trying to figure out how we can get Moslems more land, discussing how much we all have in common, and having interfaith services with Islamic revolutionaries, it is time we expose Islam for what it is: the sworn enemy of Jesus Christ.
***ENDNOTES:
1 (World Health Organization Press Release, UN AGENCIES CALL FOR END TO FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION, April 9, 1997)
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Kassinjia, Fauyiza, Do They Hear You When You Cry, Delta, 1999.
5 Robert Spencer, Islam Unveiled, San Francisco: Encounter Books, p. 91.
6 Jan Goodwin, Price of Honor, Boston: Plume, 1995, p. 115.
7 Spencer, 47.
8 Goodwin, 113, 114.
9 Spencer, 48.
10 Spencer, 47.
11 Goodwin, 335.
12 quoted in Spencer, 63.
13 quoted in Cati, Married to Mohammed, Lake Mary, FL: Creation House Press
14 Amnesty International, 1 March 1999, Solidarity Action for Universal Rights: Uganda
15 The American Anti-Slavery Group, Slavery in the Sudan: A Challenge to International Law
- CATHOLIC APOLOGETICS -
21 December 2008
The Nation of Texas
I received this from a Texan friend. I think I am moving to Texas before you need a visa.
From The People of Texas..... We Texans love y'all, but we'll have to take action since Obama won president over McCain. We'll miss you too. Texas has given all those complainers plenty of time to get used to the results. After seeing the whiners along the campaign route, the folks from Texas are considering taking matters into our hands.
Here is our solution:
#1: Go ahead, Elect Barak Obama President of the United States. (All 49 states.)
#2: George W. Bush becomes the President of the Republic Of Texas. So what does Texas have to do to survive as a Republic?
1. NASA is just south of Houston, Texas. (We will control the space industry.)
2. We refine over 85% of the gasoline in the United States.
3. Defense Industry. (We have over 65% of it) The term "Don’t mess with Texas," will take on a whole new meaning.
4. Oil - we can supply all the oil that the Republic of Texas will need for the next 300 years. Yankee states? Sorry about that.
5. Natural Gas - Again we have all we need and it's too bad about those northern states. Al Gore will figure a way to keep them warm....
6. Computer Industry - we currently lead the nation in producing computer chips and communications: Small places like Texas Instruments, Dell Computer, EDS, Raytheon, National Semiconductor, Motorola, Intel, AMD, Atmel, Applied Materials, Ball Semiconductor, Dallas Semiconductor, Delphi, Nortel, Alcatel, Etc, Etc. The list goes on and on.
7. Health Centers - We have the largest research centers for Cancer research, the best burn centers and the top trauma units in the world and other large health planning centers.
8. We have enough colleges to keep us going: UT Texas, A&M, Texas Tech, Rice, SMU, University of Houston, Baylor, UNT, Texas Women's University, Ivy grows better in the south anyway
9. We have a ready supply of workers. (Just open the border when we need some)
10. We have control of the paper industry, plastics, insurance, etc.
11. In case of a foreign invasion, we have the Texas National Guard and the Texas Air National Guard. We don't have an army but since everybody down here has at least six rifles and a pile of ammo, we can raise an army in 24 hours if we need it. If the situation really gets bad, we can always call Department of Public Safety and ask them to send over a couple Texas Rangers.
12. We are totally self sufficient in beef, poultry, hogs and several types of grain, fruit and vegetables and lets not forget seafood from the gulf. And everybody down here knows how to cook them so that they taste good. Don't need any food.
This just names a few of the items that will keep the Republic Of Texas in good shape. There isn't a thing out there that we need and don't have. Now to the rest of the United States under President Obama: Since you won't have the refineries to get gas for your cars, only Mr. Gore will be able to drive around in his 9 mile per gallon SUV. The rest of the United States will have to walk or ride bikes. You won't have any TV as the space center in Houston will cut off your communications. You won't have any natural gas to heat your homes but since Mr. Gore has predicted global warming, you will not need the gas.
Signed,
The People in Texas
From The People of Texas..... We Texans love y'all, but we'll have to take action since Obama won president over McCain. We'll miss you too. Texas has given all those complainers plenty of time to get used to the results. After seeing the whiners along the campaign route, the folks from Texas are considering taking matters into our hands.
Here is our solution:
#1: Go ahead, Elect Barak Obama President of the United States. (All 49 states.)
#2: George W. Bush becomes the President of the Republic Of Texas. So what does Texas have to do to survive as a Republic?
1. NASA is just south of Houston, Texas. (We will control the space industry.)
2. We refine over 85% of the gasoline in the United States.
3. Defense Industry. (We have over 65% of it) The term "Don’t mess with Texas," will take on a whole new meaning.
4. Oil - we can supply all the oil that the Republic of Texas will need for the next 300 years. Yankee states? Sorry about that.
5. Natural Gas - Again we have all we need and it's too bad about those northern states. Al Gore will figure a way to keep them warm....
6. Computer Industry - we currently lead the nation in producing computer chips and communications: Small places like Texas Instruments, Dell Computer, EDS, Raytheon, National Semiconductor, Motorola, Intel, AMD, Atmel, Applied Materials, Ball Semiconductor, Dallas Semiconductor, Delphi, Nortel, Alcatel, Etc, Etc. The list goes on and on.
7. Health Centers - We have the largest research centers for Cancer research, the best burn centers and the top trauma units in the world and other large health planning centers.
8. We have enough colleges to keep us going: UT Texas, A&M, Texas Tech, Rice, SMU, University of Houston, Baylor, UNT, Texas Women's University, Ivy grows better in the south anyway
9. We have a ready supply of workers. (Just open the border when we need some)
10. We have control of the paper industry, plastics, insurance, etc.
11. In case of a foreign invasion, we have the Texas National Guard and the Texas Air National Guard. We don't have an army but since everybody down here has at least six rifles and a pile of ammo, we can raise an army in 24 hours if we need it. If the situation really gets bad, we can always call Department of Public Safety and ask them to send over a couple Texas Rangers.
12. We are totally self sufficient in beef, poultry, hogs and several types of grain, fruit and vegetables and lets not forget seafood from the gulf. And everybody down here knows how to cook them so that they taste good. Don't need any food.
This just names a few of the items that will keep the Republic Of Texas in good shape. There isn't a thing out there that we need and don't have. Now to the rest of the United States under President Obama: Since you won't have the refineries to get gas for your cars, only Mr. Gore will be able to drive around in his 9 mile per gallon SUV. The rest of the United States will have to walk or ride bikes. You won't have any TV as the space center in Houston will cut off your communications. You won't have any natural gas to heat your homes but since Mr. Gore has predicted global warming, you will not need the gas.
Signed,
The People in Texas
20 December 2008
Merry Christmas
Yes, this has been going around the internet for many years, and not changed much at all. But...it is still true, so here it is.
Holiday Greetings! To All My Democrat Friends:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2009, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere . Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.
To My Republican Friends: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Holiday Greetings! To All My Democrat Friends:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2009, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere . Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.
To My Republican Friends: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
16 December 2008
What is a Defender of the Christian Faith
What is a Defender of the Christian Faith?
I vowed to hold myself a “Defender of the Christian Faith” and since that solemn promise, I have herd blasphemous statements from others “Sir Knight”; leading me to ask the question: What is a Defender of the Christian Faith? I chose to use the only resource that truly matters: the Holy Bible, the rule and guide of my faith. As I searched the divine scriptures for answers I found “light” as to what my sacred promise actually means. Jesus tells Peter in Matthew 16:18 “ … upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. The “Church” that Jesus speaks of is not a building, but individuals who profess the gospel of Jesus: that He was God and man, and that He died on a cross, rose from the dead, and is the only mediator between God and man. The use of “gates” is interesting as gates keep danger out and the illustration is that the church is ATTACKING Hell! To be a “Defender of the Christian Faith” the Knight is to be proactive in the name of Christ, and on the offensive against the gates of hell.
The question now becomes, “How do I defend the Christian Faith”? The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines “Defend”: 1 a: to drive danger or attack away from b (1): to maintain or support in the face of argument or hostile criticism 2c: to attempt to prevent an opponent from scoring at.
Scripture teaches us that the Holy Trinity is comprised of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and mortal man is comprised of the Mind, Body and Spirit. To defend our Christian faith, we must do so on three fronts: The Mind (God); The Body (Jesus); The Moral Spirit (Holy Spirit).
Can men “Defend” God, or does He want us to? First, we do not defend the Christian faith by embracing non-Biblical ideas; we “Defend” every word scripture with passion and conviction. Titus 3:9 warns us “But avoid foolish questions…for they are unprofitable and vain”. “Maintain or support in the face of argument or hostile criticism”. (i.e. Evolution vs. Creation). Jesus told the disciples in the gospel of Luke “take no thought as to what their answers would be when they were questioned, but that the Holy Spirit would tell them what to say”. Paul tells us in Colossians 4, to “Let your speech be always with grace… that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” And in 1 Peter 3:15 “…be ready always to give an answer…of the hope that is in you”: God wants us to answer and defend our beliefs, to a world that rejected him. Jesus commands us in Mark 16 to “go into the entire world preaching the gospel”. We must argue the gospel verbally with those who teach doctrine that is contrary to the word of God. Paul’s letters demanded the church reject the teachings of the Gnostics and follow truth. In Matthew 10:32 Jesus promises that “He who confesses me before man, him will I confess before the Father”. The Risen Savior will speak my name before the throne of God, and all I have to do is Defend him publicly. \
The question now becomes, “How do I defend the Christian Faith”? The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines “Defend”: 1 a: to drive danger or attack away from b (1): to maintain or support in the face of argument or hostile criticism 2c: to attempt to prevent an opponent from scoring at.
Scripture teaches us that the Holy Trinity is comprised of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and mortal man is comprised of the Mind, Body and Spirit. To defend our Christian faith, we must do so on three fronts: The Mind (God); The Body (Jesus); The Moral Spirit (Holy Spirit).
Can men “Defend” God, or does He want us to? First, we do not defend the Christian faith by embracing non-Biblical ideas; we “Defend” every word scripture with passion and conviction. Titus 3:9 warns us “But avoid foolish questions…for they are unprofitable and vain”. “Maintain or support in the face of argument or hostile criticism”. (i.e. Evolution vs. Creation). Jesus told the disciples in the gospel of Luke “take no thought as to what their answers would be when they were questioned, but that the Holy Spirit would tell them what to say”. Paul tells us in Colossians 4, to “Let your speech be always with grace… that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” And in 1 Peter 3:15 “…be ready always to give an answer…of the hope that is in you”: God wants us to answer and defend our beliefs, to a world that rejected him. Jesus commands us in Mark 16 to “go into the entire world preaching the gospel”. We must argue the gospel verbally with those who teach doctrine that is contrary to the word of God. Paul’s letters demanded the church reject the teachings of the Gnostics and follow truth. In Matthew 10:32 Jesus promises that “He who confesses me before man, him will I confess before the Father”. The Risen Savior will speak my name before the throne of God, and all I have to do is Defend him publicly. \
The next dictionary definition of Defend relates to the Body. To defend Jesus is a physical action “1 a: to drive danger or attack away from“. Christian men have become non-confrontational when dealing with attacks on their faith; far from James and John who were known as the “Sons of Thunder”. From John the Baptist to the Reverend King Jr. outspoken Christian men have been persecuted for Christ…and changed the world. Modern Christian men seldom go to church, pray before meals, and avoid drawing attention to ourselves. Today’s Christian wouldn’t dare go to a city council meeting and proclaim “No more!”, let alone handcuff them selves to the door in protest. After all, a night in jail may cost us our jobs. What a generation of wimps! Men proclaiming to be Defenders of the Faith should show more courage. In Luke 22:36 Jesus ordered the disciples to arm themselves: “…and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one”. The Son of God who walked among the disciples, ordered them to sell their most valuable possessions for swords. Stephan was stoned for teaching Christ; Paul and James were imprisoned and killed. Early Defenders of the Faith were not passive men and when we look how Peter, at night, far outnumbered, drew his sword and cut the ear off the servant, this was a seasoned street fighter with very dangerous skills, on the offensive to defend Christ! Matthew 21:12, Mark 11:17 and Luke 19:46 tell that “Jesus turned over tables…of the money changers…cast them out…and them that bought”. So Jesus walks in, knocks over tables; gives a thrashing, and throws them into the street while calling them names. Jesus did this to defend the temple (body). My fellow Knights, Christianity is not passive and I would dare say that if we are not being abused for our faith, we are doing something wrong. If we are to call ourselves “Defenders of the Christian Faith” then there must be a physical consequence.
Lastly, the Bible teaches that we are to defend Christianity Spiritually. Ephesians warns us that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, principalities and powers in high places”. To Defend the Faith we must battle on the spiritual level with prayer. Our definition describes “Defend”, “c: to attempt to prevent an opponent from scoring at”. Prayer is Gods way of stopping evil in our lives.
The Bible tells us how, when and where to pray. In Matthew Jesus says “if we ask anything in prayer, believing, we will receive”. Because we fight a spiritual battle we are instructed to “pray with out ceasing” in 1 Thessalonians. The original Knights of the Temple plunged their swords through the hearts of Saracen invaders and through a strict prayer life, also struck a spiritual sword through Lucifer’s advancements by calling on the Grand Architect of the Universe. Divine intervention and prayer are synonymous. How can we defend the Faith when our prayer life consists of a poem before dinner? The Bible promises when 2 or more are gathered in His name, he will be with us. Two men…in agreement, can call down the power of the Living God!
God has given us spiritual armor to use and Ephesians 6 lists how we can be victorious in the spiritual battle. We must “Pray at all times in the spirit” and “with all prayer and supplication (Humble request)”; to be “alert with perseverance”; “Make supplication for all saints; and pray that the mouth will boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel”.
Through scripture I have outlined my point, that the Holy Bible directs those that call our selves Defenders of the Faith, to be in a proactive and offensive role. To do this, we must do so with our mind, our body and our spirit. To be defenders of the Christian Faith we must adhere to these virtues and not only be willing to take up our cross daily, but to be the first to do so, and to lead others in the example how. “Have I boldly argued Gods Word”? (The Mind). Have I been an ambassador in chains for Christ sake? (The body; not metaphorical). Have I prayed in the spirit for all things? (The spirit). If so, then you will have fulfilled your vow and the commission of 1 Thessalonians 2:4 “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God“. With this daily sacrifice, you may then call yourselves, “Defenders of the Christian Faith”.
Lastly, the Bible teaches that we are to defend Christianity Spiritually. Ephesians warns us that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, principalities and powers in high places”. To Defend the Faith we must battle on the spiritual level with prayer. Our definition describes “Defend”, “c: to attempt to prevent an opponent from scoring at”. Prayer is Gods way of stopping evil in our lives.
The Bible tells us how, when and where to pray. In Matthew Jesus says “if we ask anything in prayer, believing, we will receive”. Because we fight a spiritual battle we are instructed to “pray with out ceasing” in 1 Thessalonians. The original Knights of the Temple plunged their swords through the hearts of Saracen invaders and through a strict prayer life, also struck a spiritual sword through Lucifer’s advancements by calling on the Grand Architect of the Universe. Divine intervention and prayer are synonymous. How can we defend the Faith when our prayer life consists of a poem before dinner? The Bible promises when 2 or more are gathered in His name, he will be with us. Two men…in agreement, can call down the power of the Living God!
God has given us spiritual armor to use and Ephesians 6 lists how we can be victorious in the spiritual battle. We must “Pray at all times in the spirit” and “with all prayer and supplication (Humble request)”; to be “alert with perseverance”; “Make supplication for all saints; and pray that the mouth will boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel”.
Through scripture I have outlined my point, that the Holy Bible directs those that call our selves Defenders of the Faith, to be in a proactive and offensive role. To do this, we must do so with our mind, our body and our spirit. To be defenders of the Christian Faith we must adhere to these virtues and not only be willing to take up our cross daily, but to be the first to do so, and to lead others in the example how. “Have I boldly argued Gods Word”? (The Mind). Have I been an ambassador in chains for Christ sake? (The body; not metaphorical). Have I prayed in the spirit for all things? (The spirit). If so, then you will have fulfilled your vow and the commission of 1 Thessalonians 2:4 “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God“. With this daily sacrifice, you may then call yourselves, “Defenders of the Christian Faith”.
27 November 2008
The Housing crisis and economic bail out.
I received this email today, and wanted to pass it along to anyone that might happen across my site. Again, these thoughts are not mine, and the forward I received it from did not accuretly credit the source. My apologies to the original author, but the message is being sent out, even if the credit is not.
It's important we all understand the historical process which is the significant contributor to this world banking and economic mess we are now in.
1977: President. Jimmy Carter signs into Law the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), the foundation and cornerstone for the impending disaster.. The law pressured financial institutions to extend home loans to those who would otherwise not qualify. The publicized premise: Home ownership would improve poor and crime-ridden communities and neighborhoods in terms of crime, investment, jobs, etc. The Results: Statistics bear out that it did not help. How did the government get so deeply involved in the housing market? Answer: Bill Clinton wanted it that way. 1992: Republican representative Jim Leach warned of the danger that Fannie and Freddie were changing from being agencies of the public at large to money machines for the principals and the stock-holding few. 1993: Clinton extensively rewrote Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s rules turning the quasi-private mortgage-funding firms into semi-nationalized monopolies dispensing cash and loans to large Democratic voting blocks and handing favors, jobs and contributions to political allies. This potent mix led inevitably to corruption and now the collapse of> Freddie and Fannie. 1994: Despite warnings, Clinton unveiled his National Home-Ownership Strategy, which broadened the CRA in ways congress never intended. 1995: Congress was about to change from a Democrat majority to Republican. Clinton orders Robert Rubin's Treasury Dept to rewrite the rules. Robert Rubin's Treasury reworked rules, forcing banks to satisfy quotas for sub-prime and minority loans to get a satisfactory CRA rating. The rating was key to expansion or mergers for banks. Loans began to be made on the basis of race and little else.1997 - 1999: Clinton, bypassing Republicans in Congress, enlisted Andrew Cuomo, then Secretary of Housing and Urban> Development, to re-write the rules and allow Freddie and Fannie to get into the sub-prime market in a BIG way. Led by Rep. Barney Frank and Sen. Chris Dodd, congress doubled down on the risk by easing capital limits and allowing them to hold just 2.5% of capital to back their investments vs. 10% for banks. Since they could borrow at lower rates than banks their enterprises boomed. With incentives in place, banks poured billions in loans into poor communities, often "no doc", "no income", requiring no money down and no verification of income. Worse still was the cronyism: Fannie and Freddie became home to out-of work-politicians, mostly Clinton Democrats. 384 politicians got big campaign donations from Fannie and Freddie. Over $200 million had been spent on lobbying and political activities. During the 1990's Fannie and Freddie enjoyed a subsidy of as much as$182 Billion, most of it going to principals and shareholders, not poor borrowers as claimed. Did it work? Minorities made up 49% of the 12.5 million new homeowners but many of those loans have gone bad and the minority home ownership rates are shrinking fast. 1999: New Treasury Secretary, Lawrence Summers, became alarmed at Fannie and Freddie's excesses. Congress held hearings the ensuing year but nothing was done because Fannie and Freddie had donated millions to key congressmen and radical groups, ensuring no meaningful changes would take place. "We manage our political risk with the same intensity that we manage our credit and interest rate risks," Fannie CEO Franklin Raines, a former Clinton official and current Barack Hussein Obama advisor, bragged to investors in 1999. 2000: Secretary Summers sent Undersecretary Gary Gensler to Congress seeking an end to the "special status". Democrats raised a ruckus as did Fannie and Freddie, headed by politically connected CEO's who knew how to reward and punish. "We think that the statements evidence a contempt for the nation's housing and mortgage markets" Freddie spokesperson Sharon McHale said. It was the last chance during the Clinton era for reform. 2001: Republicans try repeatedly to bring fiscal sanity to Fannie and Freddie but Democrats blocked any attempt at reform; especially Rep. Barney Frank and Sen. Chris Dodd who now run key banking committees and were huge beneficiaries of campaign contributions from the mortgage giants. 2003: Bush proposes what the NY Times called "the most significant regulatory overhaul in the housing finance industry since the savings and loan crisis a decade ago". Even after discovering a scheme by Fannie and Freddie to overstate earnings by $10.6 billion to boost their bonuses, the Democrats killed reform.
2005: Then Fed chairman Alan Greenspan warns Congress: "We are placing the total financial system at substantial risk". Sen. McCain, with two others, sponsored a Fannie/Freddie reform bill and said, "If congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system and the economy as a whole". Sen. Harry Reid accused the GOP; of trying to "cripple the ability of Fannie and Freddie to carry out their mission of expanding home ownership" The bill went nowhere. 2007: By now Fannie and Freddie own or guarantee over HALF of the $12 trillion US mortgage market. The mortgage giants, whose executive suites were top-heavy with former Democratic officials, had been working with Wall St. to repackage the bad loans and sell them to investors. As the housing market fell in '07, sub prime mortgage portfolios suffered major losses. The crisis was on, though it was 15 years in the making. 2008: McCain has repeatedly called for reforming the behemoths, Bush urged reform 17 times. Still the media have repeated Democrats' talking points about this being a "Republican" disaster. A few Republicans are complicit but Fannie and Freddie were created by Democrats, regulated by Democrats, largely run by Democrats and protected by Democrats. That's why taxpayers are now being asked for $700 billion!! If you doubt any of this, just click the links below and listen to your lawmakers' own words. They are condemning!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68D9XrqyrWo&feature=related#
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIgqfM5C8lY#
It's important we all understand the historical process which is the significant contributor to this world banking and economic mess we are now in.
1977: President. Jimmy Carter signs into Law the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), the foundation and cornerstone for the impending disaster.. The law pressured financial institutions to extend home loans to those who would otherwise not qualify. The publicized premise: Home ownership would improve poor and crime-ridden communities and neighborhoods in terms of crime, investment, jobs, etc. The Results: Statistics bear out that it did not help. How did the government get so deeply involved in the housing market? Answer: Bill Clinton wanted it that way. 1992: Republican representative Jim Leach warned of the danger that Fannie and Freddie were changing from being agencies of the public at large to money machines for the principals and the stock-holding few. 1993: Clinton extensively rewrote Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s rules turning the quasi-private mortgage-funding firms into semi-nationalized monopolies dispensing cash and loans to large Democratic voting blocks and handing favors, jobs and contributions to political allies. This potent mix led inevitably to corruption and now the collapse of> Freddie and Fannie. 1994: Despite warnings, Clinton unveiled his National Home-Ownership Strategy, which broadened the CRA in ways congress never intended. 1995: Congress was about to change from a Democrat majority to Republican. Clinton orders Robert Rubin's Treasury Dept to rewrite the rules. Robert Rubin's Treasury reworked rules, forcing banks to satisfy quotas for sub-prime and minority loans to get a satisfactory CRA rating. The rating was key to expansion or mergers for banks. Loans began to be made on the basis of race and little else.1997 - 1999: Clinton, bypassing Republicans in Congress, enlisted Andrew Cuomo, then Secretary of Housing and Urban> Development, to re-write the rules and allow Freddie and Fannie to get into the sub-prime market in a BIG way. Led by Rep. Barney Frank and Sen. Chris Dodd, congress doubled down on the risk by easing capital limits and allowing them to hold just 2.5% of capital to back their investments vs. 10% for banks. Since they could borrow at lower rates than banks their enterprises boomed. With incentives in place, banks poured billions in loans into poor communities, often "no doc", "no income", requiring no money down and no verification of income. Worse still was the cronyism: Fannie and Freddie became home to out-of work-politicians, mostly Clinton Democrats. 384 politicians got big campaign donations from Fannie and Freddie. Over $200 million had been spent on lobbying and political activities. During the 1990's Fannie and Freddie enjoyed a subsidy of as much as$182 Billion, most of it going to principals and shareholders, not poor borrowers as claimed. Did it work? Minorities made up 49% of the 12.5 million new homeowners but many of those loans have gone bad and the minority home ownership rates are shrinking fast. 1999: New Treasury Secretary, Lawrence Summers, became alarmed at Fannie and Freddie's excesses. Congress held hearings the ensuing year but nothing was done because Fannie and Freddie had donated millions to key congressmen and radical groups, ensuring no meaningful changes would take place. "We manage our political risk with the same intensity that we manage our credit and interest rate risks," Fannie CEO Franklin Raines, a former Clinton official and current Barack Hussein Obama advisor, bragged to investors in 1999. 2000: Secretary Summers sent Undersecretary Gary Gensler to Congress seeking an end to the "special status". Democrats raised a ruckus as did Fannie and Freddie, headed by politically connected CEO's who knew how to reward and punish. "We think that the statements evidence a contempt for the nation's housing and mortgage markets" Freddie spokesperson Sharon McHale said. It was the last chance during the Clinton era for reform. 2001: Republicans try repeatedly to bring fiscal sanity to Fannie and Freddie but Democrats blocked any attempt at reform; especially Rep. Barney Frank and Sen. Chris Dodd who now run key banking committees and were huge beneficiaries of campaign contributions from the mortgage giants. 2003: Bush proposes what the NY Times called "the most significant regulatory overhaul in the housing finance industry since the savings and loan crisis a decade ago". Even after discovering a scheme by Fannie and Freddie to overstate earnings by $10.6 billion to boost their bonuses, the Democrats killed reform.
2005: Then Fed chairman Alan Greenspan warns Congress: "We are placing the total financial system at substantial risk". Sen. McCain, with two others, sponsored a Fannie/Freddie reform bill and said, "If congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system and the economy as a whole". Sen. Harry Reid accused the GOP; of trying to "cripple the ability of Fannie and Freddie to carry out their mission of expanding home ownership" The bill went nowhere. 2007: By now Fannie and Freddie own or guarantee over HALF of the $12 trillion US mortgage market. The mortgage giants, whose executive suites were top-heavy with former Democratic officials, had been working with Wall St. to repackage the bad loans and sell them to investors. As the housing market fell in '07, sub prime mortgage portfolios suffered major losses. The crisis was on, though it was 15 years in the making. 2008: McCain has repeatedly called for reforming the behemoths, Bush urged reform 17 times. Still the media have repeated Democrats' talking points about this being a "Republican" disaster. A few Republicans are complicit but Fannie and Freddie were created by Democrats, regulated by Democrats, largely run by Democrats and protected by Democrats. That's why taxpayers are now being asked for $700 billion!! If you doubt any of this, just click the links below and listen to your lawmakers' own words. They are condemning!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68D9XrqyrWo&feature=related#
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIgqfM5C8lY#
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