Monthly Archives: May 2012

American Businesses Get A Break

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The Hill reported yesterday that U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has struck down the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rule that would have shortened the time frame between a union approaching a company to unionize and the vote of unionization. The lawsuit against the rule was supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace.

The judge struck down the rule based n the fact that the NLRB only had two members when it passed the rule–three are needed to form a quorum.

The article reports:

Trade associations praised the court ruling Monday.

“In their rush to conclude their rulemaking before the end of Board Member Becker’s recess appointment, the board took shortcuts in the process, and the court rightly ruled that the rule is invalid because the board lacked the necessary quorum to conduct business,” said David French, senior vice president for government relations for the National Retail Federation (NRF), in a statement.

The problem with the law was that it did not give companies enough time to explain to employees what the downside of unionization would be. The other thing to note here is that the rule was struck down because of the way it was passed–not on the merits of the rule. That means that if the composition of the NLRB changes in the future so that it is entirely pro-union, this rule will probably go into effect. That is another reason to consider carefully who you vote for in November–the President appoints the members of the NLRB.

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May 21st – Stoughton Massachusetts

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Ahavath Torah Congregation’s Hausman Memorial Speakers’ Series Presents:
 
 
Ari Abramowitz
 
“Iran, Israel, and the US –
A Deeper look at the Greatest Challenge of our Generation”
 
Monday, May 21th at
7:30 PM
 
Ahavath Torah Congregation
1179 Central Street
Stoughton, MA 02072
 
 
Suggested Donation: $10
Or Bring Your Electricity Bill (National Grid, NStar etc.) and we will waive the fee!
 
 
Ari Abramowitz and Jeremy Gimpel, soldier and commander in the IDF reserves, are the founders of TheLandofIsrael.com and the creators and hosts of “Tuesday Night Live in Jerusalem”.
 
Now in its 5th season, “Tuesday Night Live in Jerusalem” is more than a television show, it is a phenomenon. Touted by The Jerusalem Post as “The Talk of the Town”, Tuesday Night Live in Jerusalem is today’s largest and most exciting English TV show broadcast out of Israel. Today TNL can be seen in over 30 million homes across North America and has hundreds of thousands of views on the net. In Israel, TNL regularly packs over 600 audience members per show, filling the popular downtown Jerusalem Hechal Shlomo Theater. By projecting an ‘Israel Inspired’ message to the world, Ari & Jeremy are mobilizing people from all backgrounds to stand with Israel by instilling a comprehensive understanding of modern day Israel through the prism of Jewish history and Biblical values.
 
 
For information email office@atorah.org
 
 
Co-sponsored by Christians & Jews United for Israel and RMI
 
 

An Amazing Quote

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I missed this when it happened, so I am posting it now. The American, the online magazine of the American Enterprise Institute, posted the following on March 29th:

Gov. Jerry Brown defended his new campaign website’s characterization of his proposed tax increase as “a millionaires’ tax,” even though it hikes levies on people who make more than $250,000 per year.

“Anybody who makes $250,000 becomes a millionaire very quickly, if you save,” Brown told reporters in Sacramento on Wednesday.

Brown said he had not yet seen the site, although it was promoted by his Twitter feed earlier in the day. The site calls his plan “a millionaires’ tax that asks the richest Californians to pay their fair share to help fund public education and vital public services, pays down the debt we owe to schools, and does not raise income taxes on the poor or middle class.”

The proposal, which Brown wants to place on the November ballot, would hike levies on incomes of more than $250,000 for seven years, and include a quarter-cent sales tax increase for four years.

“It is a millionaires’ tax. It taxes millionaires,” Brown said, but assured reporters he would check on the campaign’s assertion. “I’ll take a look at it and make sure that it’s the most accurate it can be.”

This is an amazing quote–the only place $250,000 equals $1,000,000 is in the minds of government officials who want to take more money away from the people who earn it! Giving more money to government will not solve deficit problems–those in power will simply spend more and continue to go deeper in debt. At some point we need to realize–IT’S THE SPENDING, STUPID!!!!!!!

 

 

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Misplaced Charity

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Today’s New York Post posted a story about Blake Allison, the husband of one of the victims of the terror attacks on 9/11, who is one of the 10 relatives of victims to win a lottery for tickets to the arraignment of confessed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four of his evil accomplices.

It seems that Mr. Allison has also used the opportunity to see his wife’s murderers to meet with the terrorists’ lawyers to offer his services as a witness in order to try to prevent the terrorists from receiving the death penalty.

The article reports Mr. Allison’s statement:

“My opposition to the death penalty does not say I don’t want the people who killed my wife and [the other 911 victims] brought to account for their crimes,” he said.

“But for me, opposition to the death penalty is not situational. Just because I was hurt very badly and personally does not, in my mind, give me the go-ahead to take a life.”

He said that “9/11 was a particularly egregious and appalling crime,” but added, “I just think it’s wrong to take a life.”

Just for the record, the Judeo-Christian ethic allows for the killing of murderers. I appreciate the unwillingness of this man to want to see anyone executed for murdering his wife, but what about the families of the other victims?

The behavior of the 9/11 terrorists resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. Islamic terrorism has killed innocent civilians for more than thirty years. Should this continue without consequences? Does Mr. Allison believe these people can be rehabilitated? Does Mr. Allison believe that if these men are imprisoned anywhere other than Guantanamo they will not be eventually freed in a terrorist attack?

The military tribunals at Guantanamo have a basic difficulty–if the terrorists are sentenced to death and executed, they become martyrs; if they are sentenced to life, we will always have the threat of a hostage situation calling for their release or an attack by fellow terrorists on whatever facility they are imprisoned in.

I think I would rather have the terrorists become martyrs than risk the further loss of innocent civilians to keep there murderers alive.

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Some Perspective From Mark Steyn

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Mark Steyn posted an article at today’s National Review about a request he had received asking him to write the forward to Geert Wilder’s book Marked for Death: Islam’s War Against the West and Me. Mr. Steyn’s first reaction to the request was to say no. He stated, “Mr. Wilders lives under 24/7 armed guard because significant numbers of motivated people wish to kill him, and it seemed to me, as someone who’s attracted more than enough homicidal attention over the years, that sharing space in these pages was likely to lead to an uptick in my own death threats. Who needs it? Why not just plead too crowded a schedule and suggest the author try elsewhere? I would imagine Geert Wilders gets quite a lot of this.”

He then rethought the issue. Later in the article he reminds us of the words of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who says:

…share the risk. So that the next time a novel or a cartoon provokes a fatwa, it will be republished worldwide and send the Islamic enforcers a message: Killing one of us won’t do it. You’d better have a great credit line at the Bank of Jihad because you’ll have to kill us all.

Mr. Steyn also comments on the basic culture of the Netherlands, home of Geert Wilders:

It is not easy to be Geert Wilders. He has spent almost a decade in a strange, claustrophobic, transient, and tenuous existence little different from kidnap victims or, in his words, a political prisoner. He is under round-the-clock guard because of explicit threats to murder him by Muslim extremists.

 Yet he’s the one who gets put on trial for incitement.

 In 21st-century Amsterdam, you’re free to smoke marijuana and pick out a half-naked sex partner from the front window of her shop. But you can be put on trial for holding the wrong opinion about a bloke who died in the seventh century.  

Please follow the link above and read the entire article. It is enlightening as well as humorous. As Americans we need to be aware of the negative impact embracing the concepts of Sharia Law can have on our society.

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What The Violence Against Women Debate Is Really About

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Prepare to hear that Republicans are continuing the ‘war against women’ by refusing to support the Violence Against Women Act. If you have any common sense, you want to know what is really going on. Yesterday’s Washington Examiner posted the story behind the coming headline.

The House of Representatives this week will take up the Violence against Women Act.

The Washington Examiner reports:

House Democrats want a bill similar to the one passed by the Democratically controlled Senate. That bill would provide special protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals. It would also expand the authority of Native American authorities to prosecute non-Indians who commit violence against a Native American on tribal lands.

The Republican bill excludes all of those special protections.

The Democratic version of the bill approved by the Senate also would raise the number of special U.S. visas issued to prevent the deportation of illegal immigrants who claim to be victims of domestic violence. House Republicans want to maintain the current cap on such visas and tighten the rules for who would qualify for such protections, including requiring anyone who received such a visa to aid the prosecution of the alleged abusers.

This bill is one example of why things are not getting done in Washington at this time. A simple bill dealing with the issue of domestic violence would easily pass both houses of Congress. There is a serious question in my mind whether or not the Democrats are negotiating in good faith. No Democrat wants to run for re-election this year on jobs, the national debt, spending or the economy. It is much easier to run around shouting that the Republicans have declared war on women. This may be another bill that will not get passed until after the election.

 

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It Really Is The Silly Season

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It is May. Elections in America are 5 1/2 months away. There is no reason for the current level of misinformation and insanity that is already swirling around us.

Breitbart.com reported today on the latest developments in the “Is Elizabeth Warren an American Indian controversy.” Frankly, it really is not an important questions unless she used her supposed American Indian heritage to advance her career when the heritage did not exist. One of my daughters (a lawyer), in commenting to me about this controversy, pointed out that in order for my daughter to join the Daughters of the American Revolution, she would have to prove her ancestry. If colleges are offering scholarships and special opportunities to people of specific ethnic backgrounds, why are they not checking those backgrounds? I am reminded of a 1986 movie entitled “Soul Man” where C. Thomas Howell plays a young white man posing as a young black man to receive a full scholarship to Harvard.

Anyway, the latest in the saga of the American Indians in Elizabeth Warren’s family…The campaign has offered two pieces of evidence supposedly supporting Ms. Warren’s claim of being an American Indian. The first was a statement by genealogist Chris Child of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. That statement was debunked in a Breitbart article a few days ago. The second is the fact that Elizabeth Warren’s cousin Mrs. James P. Rowsey edited and published a cookbook in 1984 — Pow Wow Chow: A Collection of Recipes from Families of the Five Civilized Tribes: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek & Seminole.

There really is nothing more I can add to this discussion.

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Ridiculous Law Enforcement

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I generally find myself of the side of the law, and sometimes even on the side of the government, but sometimes when it comes to law enforcement, common sense takes a vacation.

This is a video of a Fox News report about some stuffed animals removed from a California bar. Employees of the bar stated that the animals involved had both been on the wall at the bar for possibly fifty years.

It seems as if the animals involved are illegal to own in California whether they are dead or alive. The obvious questions is, “Were they dead before the law was passed, and if so, does the law still apply?” From what I could find out, the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973. If these animals have been on the wall for 50 years, then they have been there since 1962. I can’t see how the law could be stretched to apply to them as they were there before the law.

Anyway, watch the video and ask yourself, “Are the stuffed animals in the bar the biggest problem California has right now?”

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Free Speech At American Universities

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On Friday, a story was posted at CBN.com about recent events at Portland State University. Erick Stakelbeck is scheduled to speak at the Portland State University chapter of Christians United for Israel (CUFI) on Monday night, May 14th. His topic is to be the latest developments in the Middle East and the increasing threats to Israel.

The picture below shows what has happened to some of the posters the CUFI put up to publicize the event (which is open to the public):

This is just inexcusable.

This article reports:

Portland State University administrators and campus police have been notified about the threats and I’m fully expecting that they will launch an investigation and have ample security on hand for Monday night’s event. If they do not, and if they allow anti-Semitic radicals to disrupt my speech, run amok during the Q and A, or intimidate others in the audience (click here to watch a particularly egregious 2010 example from UC Irvine) you will surely hear about it in this space come Tuesday morning.

There have been many recent examples of anti-Semitism on college campuses in America. David Horowitz routinely reports on such incidents at his website, FrontPageMag.com. Many of the Arab studies programs at American colleges are funded by countries or organizations that have strong ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Because that’s where the money comes from, anti-Semitism and basic tolerance of Sharia Law is being taught at American colleges. We are brainwashing our smartest young people. If you have a child in college or are sending a child to college in the near future, please pay close attention to what they are learning. Our survival as a free society depends on what our children are being taught.

 

 

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Good News And Bad News

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The good news is that a plot to blow up an airplane (or two) using underwear bombs which would not have been detected by normal screening processes was foiled. The bad news is that somewhere in the foiling of the plot, a lot of classified information was leaked that will hamper our future efforts to foil such plots.

The U. K. Guardian reported the story yesterday. According to the article:

Detailed leaks of operational information about the foiled underwear bomb plot are causing growing anger in the US intelligence community, with former agents blaming the Obama administration for undermining national security and compromising the British services, MI6 and MI5.

The Guardian has learned from Saudi sources that the agent was not a Saudi national as was widely reported, but a Yemeni. He was born in Saudi Arabia, in the port city of Jeddah, and then studied and worked in the UK, where he acquired a British passport.

Mike Scheur, the former head of the CIA‘s Bin Laden unit, said the leaking about the nuts and bolts of British involvement was despicable and would make a repeat of the operation difficult. “MI6 should be as angry as hell. This is something that the prime minister should raise with the president, if he has the balls. This is really tragic,” Scheur said.

I understand that there are many things in our government that are classified that should not be. I also understand that sometimes there is a very obvious reason to keep certain information secret. How many people were put at risk by the leaking of the details of this operation? Whoever leaked the information should be charged with a crime, and the newspapers that published it should also be penalized in some way. There is too much information available about this operation. That fact will limit our ability to prevent such attacks in the future.

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Acceptable Assualt and Battery ?

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Andrew McCarthy posted a story at National Review Online today about some recent events in Australia.  A 25-year-old Moroccan named Canan Kokden was assaulted, abducted and nearly killed by her brother-in-law, Ismail Belghar, a 36-year old Muslim. The reason for the assault–she had taken her older sister, Belghar’s wife, to the beach without his permission. Things got worse when Mrs. Belghar’s shoulders showed signs of sunburn–indicating that she had therefore “displayed her body.”

The article reports:

In the usual endearing family way, Belghar telephoned his sister-in-law to convey that he was a tad rankled: “You s**t, how dare you take my wife to the beach!” Afterwards, happening upon Ms. Kokden at a shopping mall in New South Wales, he angrily confronted her, slapped her face, and dragged her to the railing of an over-ground parking lot. As he seemed ready to hurl her to the traffic below, her brother (Kokden’s chaperone at the mall) finally stirred himself to intervene, tackling the assailant. Belghar was charged with attempted murder, among other crimes.

As night follows day, Belghar’s defense counsel argued that his client could not get a fair trial because Australians are too Islamophobic: Once informed about the nature of the allegations and the fact that he is a Muslim, jurors would surely leap to the crazy, bigoted conclusion that Belghar was probably guilty of this “honor beating” — which, in fact, he was. Just as he was, precisely, motivated by his Islamic beliefs.

That is what Sharia Law looks like. Notice that Ms. Kokden was at the shopping mall with her chaperone–thank goodness–that is the only reason she is alive today! The article points out that Mr. Belghar has not adapted to the culture of Australia–he is still functioning under the rules of the country (and religion) of his country of origin. The question is, “How accommodating should western countries be to Sharia Law?” I guess part of the answer to that may depend on whether you are a man or a woman!

The Muslim attempt to bring Sharia Law into the legal systems of western countries is called “cultural jihad.” Sharia Law is incompatible with true democracy (it does not allow for religious freedom for anyone or personal freedom for women). There have been a number of attempts to impose Sharia Law in America, please read the entire article at the National Review to see how these cases were handled.

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The Evolving Continues

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Today’s Washington Examiner posted an article on President Obama’s evolving positions.

This week we saw the President evolve in his position on gay marriage. I am sure that the fact that many of the major contributors to his campaign threatened to withhold their contributions unless he came out in support of gay marriage had nothing to do with the President’s change in position. Well, now the President’s position on coal is evolving. It’s not about the donations–it’s about the results of the Democrat primary in West Virginia. Keith Russell Judd, a convicted felon, serving time at the Beaumont Federal Correctional Institution in Beaumont, Texas, won 42.28 percent of the vote — or 49,490 votes — compared with President Obama with 57.72 percent or or 67,562 votes.

West Virginia depends on coal for its economy. Since the advent of supposed man-made global warming and the scare tactics that go with the theory, the Obama Administration has declared war on coal. This week, coal declared war on the Obama Administration. Coal-generated power plants are being targeted by the Obama Administration to be shut down–raising electric rates for everyone because there is as of yet no ‘green’ alternative to coal-fired plants.

The article at the Washington Examiner reports:

The Hill reported that he showed a screenshot of the Obama campaign’s website that noted every other kind of fuel–but coal–in their all-of-the-above program.

By this morning, presto, “clean coal” is where “fuel efficiency” used to be. Clean coal refers to technology used to filter emissions.

West Virginia has maintained stable coal production and has shipped much of its coal to China, where coal-powered electric plants open every week. The people of West Virginia were simply voting according to the best interests of their state. It seems as if the President is now beginning to understand what those interests might be.

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Mugged By Reality

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“Mugged by reality” was the expression used by Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent for the Jerusalem Post Herb Keinon to describe Israel when he spoke at the Ahavath Torah Congregation’s Memorial Lecture Free Speech Series. The Free Speech Series lectures are always enlightening, and the speakers are always people who have been involved with their subjects for many years. Mr. Keinon has lived in Israel for 28 years. He has a first-hand perspective on current events in the Middle East as well as friendships with many of the key players.

He reminded us that many of the events in Israel over the past twelve years are the result of the Second Intifada, which began in September 2000 and ended roughly around 2005. The Second Intifada began a few months after the July 2000 Camp David Summit failed to bring a negotiated peace between the Palestinians and Israelis.  In July 2000, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat was offered probably the best deal possible by the left-leaning government of Israel, and Arafat turned down the offer. Mr. Keinon stated that the terrorism that the Palestinians inflicted on Israel during the Second Intifada permanently influenced the minds and viewpoints of Israelis. The events created a sense of insecurity and vulnerability that changed the nation. One example of this is that the government of Israel, which tended to be center left, has now moved toward the right.

Mr. Keinon pointed out that the Israelis embraced the Oslo accords of the 1990’s, believing that negotiations were the path to peaceful co-existence with their Palestinian neighbors. The Israelis have always wanted peace; it seems as if the Arabs only wanted Israel. When the Palestinians went to the United Nations last year in an attempt to force a settlement without negotiations, that ended the possibility of further negotiations.

Mr. Keinon dealt with current events (will Israel attack Iran?) and stated quite frankly that no one really has the answer to that question. He provided a lot of insight into the impact of terrorism on Israel and the feelings of Israeli families in dealing with the threat. Sometimes when we look at world events, we forget that there are actual people involved.

The Free Speech Series put on by the Ahavath Torah Congregation is always an evening well spent.

 

 

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Opposition Research Used To Mean That You Did Research On The Candidate

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Yesterday the Wall Street Journal posted an article about the Obama Administration’s actions toward a private citizen who donated to the Romney campaign.

Frank VanderSloot, the CEO of Melaleuca Inc., gave $1 million dollars to Restore Our Future, the Super PAC that supports Mitt Romney last August. Since then, Mr. VanderSloot has been harrassed and investigated.

Three weeks ago, the Obama campaign website “Keeping the GOP Honest” named eight people who were major donors to the Romney campaign. They posted brief snippets of information about each person that were less than flattering.

The article reports:

About a week after that post, a man named Michael Wolf contacted the Bonneville County Courthouse in Idaho Falls in search of court records regarding Mr. VanderSloot. Specifically, Mr. Wolf wanted all the documents dealing with Mr. VanderSloot’s divorces, as well as a case involving a dispute with a former Melaleuca employee.

Mr. Wolf sent a fax to the clerk’s office—which I have obtained—listing four cases he was after. He would later send a second fax, asking for three further court cases dealing with either Melaleuca or Mr. VanderSloot. Mr. Wolf listed only his name and a private cellphone number.

Some digging revealed that Mr. Wolf was, until a few months ago, a law clerk on the Democratic side of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. He’s found new work. The ID written out at the top of his faxes identified them as coming from “Glenn Simpson.” That’s the name of a former Wall Street Journal reporter who in 2009 founded a D.C. company that performs private investigative work.

It didn’t stop there. Mr. Vandersloot’s children have been harassed, and when Mr. Vandersloot released a statement that the smears against him were false, his accusers doubled down and repeated the lies.

The article concludes:

Mr. VanderSloot acknowledges that “when I first learned that President Obama’s campaign had singled me out on his ‘enemies list,’ I knew it was like taping a target on my back.” But the more he’s thought it through, “the public beatings and false accusations that followed are no deterrent. These tactics will not work in America.” He’s even “contemplating a second donation.”

Still. If details about Mr. VanderSloot’s life become public, and if this hurts his business or those who work for him, Mr. Obama will bear responsibility. This is what happens when the president makes a list.

I don’t have a problem with opposition research, but this is going too far.

 

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A Letter From A Religious Prisoner

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The idea that Islam is a peaceful religion that happily coexists with other religions occasionally seeps into our national dialogue. One example that disproves this idea is the story of Youcef Nadarkhani, a Christian house church pastor facing execution in Iran for leaving Islam. One reporter at CBN.com posted a recent letter from Mr. Nadarkhani. This is the letter:

07 May 2012

Greetings from your servant and younger brother in Christ, Youcef Nadarkhani.

To: All those who are concerned and worried about my current situation.

First, I would like to inform all of my beloved brothers and sisters that I am in perfect health in the flesh and spirit. And I try to have a little different approach from others to these days, and consider it as the day of exam and trial of my faith. And during these days which are hard in order to prove your loyalty and sincerity to God, I am trying to do the best in my power to stay right with what I have learned from God’s commandments.

I need to remind my beloveds, though my trial due has been so long, and as in the flesh I wish these days to end, yet I have surrendered myself to God’s will.

I am neither a political person nor do I know about political complicity, but I know that while there are many things in common between different cultures, there are also differences between these cultures around the world which can result in criticism, which most of the times response to this criticisms will be harsh and as a result will lengthen our problems.

From time to time I am informed about the news which is spreading in the media about my current situation, for instance being supported by various churches and famous politicians who have asked for my release, or campaigns and human rights activities which are going on against the charges which are applied to me. I do believe that these kind of activities can be very helpful in order to reach freedom, and respecting human rights in a right way can bring forth positive results.

I want to appreciate all those are trying to reach this goal. But at the other hand, I’d like to announce my disagreement with the insulting activities which cause stress and trouble, which unfortunately are done with the justification (excuse) of defending human rights and freedom, for the results are so clear and obvious for me.

I try to be humble and obedient to those who are in power, obedience to those in authority which God has granted to the officials of my country, and pray for them to rule the country according to the will of God and be successful in doing this. For I know in this way I have obeyed God’s word. I try to obey along with those whom I see in a common situation with me. They never had any complaint, but just let the power of God be manifested in their lives, and though sometimes we read that they have used this right to defend themselves, for they had this right, I am not an exception as well and have used all possibilities and so forth and am waiting for the final result.

So I ask all the beloved ones to pray for me as the holy word has said. At the end I hope my freedom will be prepared as soon as possible, as the authorities of my country will do with free will according to their law and commandments which are answerable to.

May God’s Grace and Mercy be upon you now and forever. Amen.

Youcef Nadarkhani

All of us need to be grateful for our freedom and pray that this man regains his freedom and is reunited with his family.

 

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Seen on Facebook:

Why dogs live shorter lives than humans, according to a 6 year old

”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” 

”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

Is This News ? Not Really. Is It Important ? Maybe.

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Wednesday morning President Obama stated in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America‘s” Robin Roberts, “I’ve just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

He cited an evolution involving his Christian faith for the reason for changing the position he held in 2008. Needless to say, various spiritual leaders across the country are making statements saying that the position he is supporting is not the Biblical position.

Today’s Weekly Standard points out:

But what this might actually mean in terms of policy is a little murkier. Perhaps most pressing is the issue of a so-called “nondiscrimination executive order” that gay-rights groups have been pushing. The president has refused—and continues to refuse—to sign it.

“The order, which has been drafted for months awaiting the president’s signature, would prohibit discrimination by federal contractors on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity,” the Washington Post reported. “It has become a major focus for gay-rights groups, but in recent weeks activists began to worry that the White House might opt against approval.”

Why do I not consider this news? The President worked to repeal “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” The President stated that his Justice Department would not defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Why is his statement a surprise to anyone?

There is one thing about this discussion that concerns me. If gay marriage becomes legal, will there be a conscience clause that allows people who hold the Biblical view of marriage to opt out of performing or supporting gay marriages in any way?

The U. S. Constitution has always supported the right of Americans to practice their religion freely without government interference, will the President’s statement on gay marriage change this?

Gay marriage changes thousands of years of cultural tradition. I need to mention that I am not opposed to Civil Unions–I want gay couples to have healthcare rights, visitation rights in hospitals, legacy rights, etc. I just think that if gay marriage is legalized, the rights of Bible-believing Christians will be compromised.

 

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The War On Cupcakes In Massachusetts

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When California schools put in place a strict ban on any kind of junk food vending machines in their schools, young entrepreneurs quickly got busy and made a fortune selling twizzlers and Hersey bars. Are the new Department of Public Health rules going to create a legion of young brownie bakers? Well, Massachusetts may have slightly more common sense than California. (Really???)

The Boston Herald reported today:

State lawmakers overturned a controversial ban on school bake sales this afternoon after a fierce public outcry over school nutrition guidelines that also prohibited pizza, white bread and 2 percent milk.

…State Rep. Brad Hill (R-Ipswich) offered the amendment, which leaves it up to local school committees whether to adopt the Department of Public Health rules, after hearing about an Ipswich school arts group that would have had to cancel bake-sale field trip fundraisers and fielding complaints from the local football Boosters concerned about their concession stands.

The bill now has to pass the Massachusetts Senate and be signed by the Governor.

I am just not convinced that this is the correct approach to obesity. Two percent milk is not a major cause of obesity. When the generation over fifty grew up, most of us drank whole milk–we were generally not obese children. Every Friday, the school served pizza for lunch. Generally white bread was the most popular kind. What has changed? How about ending recess, banning tag, banning dodge ball? Did those things have more of an impact that two percent milk? I suspect they did. Video games have not helped either (although I am probably addicted to angry birds.)

Don’t do away with bake sales–I suspect that those foods baked at home are healthier than those foods bought in the store. Also, I love the chocolate chip cookies!

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Sometimes The Exceptions Tell You What Is Actually Going On

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The majority of the American population is heterosexual. That does not give anyone the right to discriminate against someone who is homosexual, bisexual, or any other kind of sexual. The fact that the majority of Americans is heterosexual is simply a fact.

However, sometimes laws get passed that sound good and may sound as if they are protecting the minority, but when you examine them, they make no sense.

Bloomberg Businessweek is reporting today that California is in the process of passing a law that will ban a controversial therapy aimed at making gay people straight. My first question is, “Why is the therapy controversial?”

An interesting line in the article states:

Lieu (the bill’s author Sen. Ted Lieu) says he addressed free speech issues in SB1172 by excluding clergy and other people who are not medical professionals from the legislation.

Wait a minute–if the therapy is harmful, why are you allowing it to be continued by non-medical people? Is it because the gay community has much more power within the medical community than in the religious community?

The article points out:

Conversion therapy penetrated the national consciousness last year when former Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann was questioned over whether her husband’s Christian counseling business provided services that attempted to change gays and lesbians.

Interest in the religion-based therapy appears to have surged in recent years, sparking debates about whether sexual orientation is an immutable characteristic.

Exodus International, the world’s largest Christian referral network dealing with homosexuality, now steers people to 260 groups across the country, up from about 100 a decade ago. The organization has 35 ministries and churches scattered around California, from the Central Valley to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Conservative religious leaders say it is important for families to have access to services as teens first awaken to their sexual orientation.

“When I was struggling with those things in the early `80s, the church didn’t seem like it had a place for me,” said Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International.

I have no idea what determines anyone’s sexual orientation, nor do I care. I do think that a person who is not happy being homosexual ought to have the right to seek whatever treatment he chooses. This law is another example of government growth and interference.  Imagine the cost of enforcing it. Will we have black-market therapy groups? This is a bad bill that needs to be voted down–not passed.

 

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But I Like Brownies !

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Monday is the day the agency I work for makes ...

Monday is the day the agency I work for makes good chocolate chip cookies. The rest of the time it's hit or miss on over cooking them. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yesterday the Christian Science Monitor posted a story about the ban on bake sales in Massachusetts schools which will go into effect in August.

The article reports:

In Massachusetts, a state law that becomes effective in August will limit access to junk food (including bake sale treats) at schools from a half-hour before the school day until a half-hour after it ends, according to local news reports this week. New guidelines from the state Department of Public Health go further, encouraging schools to apply the nutrition standards at all times.

Has it occurred to anyone that home-baked goods might be healthier than some of the store-bought desserts these students are bringing from home? How come twenty years ago we did not have the obesity problems we have now and we had bake sales whenever we wanted them (and you could bring cupcakes to class on your child’s birthday)? What changed that created the obesity problems we have now? Bake sales didn’t change–they happened then and they happen now (at least until August). What are some of the things that did change? Schools have cut or limited recess. Dodge ball is now illegal. Tag on the playground is now illegal.

Has anyone thought to look at the restrictions we have put on physical activity during the day and the impact that might have on our children? I understand that many children are playing video games when they come home from school rather than going out and play, but that is between the children and the parents–the school (or the government) should not control the behavior of children at home. 

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How To Successfully Deal With Terrorism

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Map israel

Map israel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Of all the countries in the world today, Israel is the one with the most experience in dealing with terrorism. They have learned how to deal with terrorists somewhat successfully (usually the hard way) and have lost many innocent civilians to terrorism over the years. Yesterday was the anniversary of a successful encounter with terrorism.

The Israel Defense Forces Blog posted an article yesterday reminding us that yesterday was the anniversary of the hijacking of Sabena Flight 571 which occurred in 1972. That was forty years ago, and we (and Israel) are still dealing with people who want to destroy western civilization. However, there are some lessons to be learned in how Israel dealt with the hijacking.

A Sabena airlines flight was traveling from Vienna to Tel Aviv. Within minutes of takeoff terrorists had taken over the plane. The plane landed in Tel-Aviv, landing in Lod Airport (now Ben-Gurion Airport).  

The article reports:

A team of 16 elite commandos (Hebrew: Sayeret Matkal) approached the grounded aircraft in white overalls, disguised as airplane technicians. They convinced the terrorists that the aircraft was in desperate need of repairs.

Within ten minutes of boarding the plane, the squad of elite commandos managed to kill the two male terrorists, arrest the two female terrorists, and neutralize the threat to the passengers. Nearly all civilians on board were unharmed, except for three, one of whom later died from her injuries. Among the commandos were Ehud Barak and Benjamin Netanyahu–both of whom eventually became Israeli prime ministers.

Regardless of how you feel about Benjamin Netanyahu, he has definitely played a role in defending and protecting his country from the time he was old enough to do so. The only unfortunate part of this story is that the female terrorists who survived the assault were later released in a prisoner exchange following the 1982 Lebanon War.

It is unfortunate that forty years after this event, we are still dealing with people who have no purpose in live other than to kill or threaten innocent civilians.

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The Last Ozzie And Harriet Generation

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This past weekend I attended my husband’s 50th high school reunion in Great Neck, New York. Out of a class of over three hundred students, about one hundred attended. About thirty of the class members have died in the fifty years since they graduated. I have no connection with Great Neck and up until this weekend had never been inside Great Neck South High School. The school is impressive.

I have a few comments on the reunion. First of all, I would like to say that the people who organized the reunion did a fantastic job—even those of us who married members of the class felt welcomed and included. It was an awesome weekend.

But that is not what this article is about. The reunion was for the Class of ’62. I was part of the Class of ’65. For anyone old enough to remember the early sixties, it was a time a tremendous change in our country. The Class of ’62 was the last of the “Ozzie and Harriet” Generation. For those under the age of sixty, “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” was a television situation comedy that ran from 1952 to 1966. The show depicted the lives of Ozzie and Harriet and their two sons David and Ricky. The show launched the singing career of Ricky Nelson.

The Class of ’62 graduated in bobby socks, saddle shoes and poodle skirts (at this point, anyone under the age of 35 reading this is looking for a dictionary). The Class of ’65 graduated in knee socks, penny loafers, and discovered miniskirts shortly (no pun intended) after graduation.  The disorderly students in both classes were guilty of such offenses as chewing gum, talking in class, and being impolite to a teacher. In Great Neck the drinking age was eighteen and some older students frequented the ‘clubs’ in the area that catered to eighteen and nineteen year olds. In New Jersey, where I went to high school, the drinking age was twenty-one and those clubs did not exist.

Drugs had not yet arrived in high school by 1962 and did not arrive in most high schools until the late 1960’s. The Class of ’62 went off to college or off to work—the war in Viet Nam in 1962 had not yet heated up; although by 1963, America had 16,000 advisors in Viet Nam. The class of 1965 went to college or to Vietnam.  As the Class of ’62 graduated college, they were drafted and headed overseas.

One of the events that were pivotal to the lives of both the Class of ’62 and the Class of ’65 happened after the Class of ’62 graduated—the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I truly believe that event, along with the escalation of the war in Vietnam and the draft, ended the naiveté of the Class of ’62.

The Class of ’62 graduated in a world that had obvious values generally supported by society. No one in mainstream society was using drugs for ‘recreational purposes.’ All work had value—there was a work ethic. If you wanted to live with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you got married and raised a family. If you got in trouble with a teacher, your parents sided with the teacher. It was a structured world that generally worked.

Congratulations to the Class of ’62 for all the things you have achieved in spite of the challenging times in which you graduated.

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Stoughton, Massachusetts – Thursday, May 10, 7:30 pm

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Ahavath Torah Congregation’s

Hausman Memorial Lecture Free Speech Series

presents

Is it really as bad as it looks?
Israel at 64, A non-sensationalist look at Israel’s current state of affairs
 
a talk by
Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent for The Jerusalem Post
 

Thursday, May 10, 7:30 PM

 
$10 suggested donation
 
Bring your electric bill and sign up for Just Energy by Momentis and come as our guest.
 
Herb Keinon has been at the JPost for the last 25 years. He took over the diplomatic beat in August 2000, just after the failed Camp David summit and just before the outbreak of the Palestinian violence in September of that year.
 
Keinon is responsible for covering the prime minister and the foreign minister, often traveling with the Prime Minister on his trips abroad. He has followed Ehud Barak to Paris, Ariel Sharon to Crawford, Texas, Ehud Olmert to Annapolis, and Binyamin Netanyahu to Washington. As such, Keinon has up-close knowledge and an intimate perspective of the country’s political, diplomatic and strategic challenges – from Hamas to Hizbullah, Kadima to Likud. Keinon also writes a popular monthly “light” column on the trials and tribulations of life in Israel. During his years at the Post, Keinon has covered a wide variety of different beats, including Jerusalem, immigration and absorption, religious parties, the ultra-Orthodox, and the settlements. He has also been a features writer at the paper.
 
Keinon has lectured widely in Israel, the US, Europe and Australia on the political and diplomatic situation in Israel, and appears on a variety of radio and television programs around the world as a guest commentator on the subject. Keinon wrote a book published in 2009 and translated into Hebrew this year, Lone Soldiers: Israel’s Defenders from Around the World, which tells the tale of young men and women from the Diaspora who volunteer to serve in the Israeli army.
 
Originally from Denver, Keinon has a BA in political science from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an MA in journalism from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He has lived in Israel for 28 years, is married with four children, and resides in Ma’ale Adumim, just outside of Jerusalem.
 
Co-sponsored by Christians and Jews United for Israel, Rabbis and Ministers for Israel, ACT NH, ACT Framingham
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